Page 64 of Keeping Kara

“How would you know that?”

“I’ve seen the videos on social media.”

For some reason, that made Kara giggle. The thought of this man watching silly videos online was funny. Knowing he watched ones with people bitching about the word moist was actually hilarious.

“Love that,” Arrow said.

“What?”

“The sound of your laughter. It’s the best sound in the world. I hope I can always make you laugh in the future.”

God. This man. “How do you feel about middle-of-the-night sex?” she asked.

He grinned. “I’m a guy, how do you think I feel about it?”

“Just making sure. Because I have a feeling we’ve both created monsters,” she said, echoing his earlier sentiment.

His smile faded, and he brought a hand up to cradle her cheek. “As long as you don’t have any demons, I’m here whenever and for whatever you need, Kara.”

“No demons, Arrow. I promise. This was nothing like before.”

“Okay. But please know I’m not with you for sex. I mean, it’s amazing and I love it, but I can do without if it’s what you need for your mental health.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Close your eyes. Rest.”

“Bossy.”

He chuckled, and again, Kara felt it all along and inside her body. Which was amazing.

“You’ve got me wrapped around your little finger, sweetheart. Anything you want, I’ll bend over backward to give to you.”

“All I need is you. And to feel safe.”

“You’ve got me, and I’ll do everything in my power to always make sure you’re safe.”

Kara sighed and closed her eyes. She was exhausted. For the first time in what felt like forever, she didn’t think about Nolan, or whether a night-light was on. She took in the scent of the man under her, the feel of him around her, and how safe she felt in his arms.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Chaos had never been happier in his life. Not even earning his Night Stalker wings beat how he felt these days. Everything seemed brighter, fresher, cleaner. He finally understood how his teammates felt with their women. It was a shift in his entire being, to go from only having to worry about himself and when he might be getting in the air again, to putting someone else first.

The truth was, he loved it. Loved thinking about what to have for dinner that Kara might like. Loved talking about his day and hearing about hers, even if neither of them did anything super-interesting. Loved seeing Kara blossom, surrounded by people who cared about her and who enjoyed her company. In the past, he hadn’t understood the subtle nuisances of being in a relationship. He never had anything to compare it to, as his parents had broken up when he was young and their relationship hadn’t been great before that. Then it was just him and his mom for so long.

Chaos found that he loved being part of a couple. Being in a relationship that was low-angst and full of respect. And the sex…it was nothing like he’d ever experienced before. Loving your partner made all the difference.

Yes, he loved Kara. So much it was almost scary. And every day that went by cemented his love for her even more. But he kept his feelings to himself, not wanting to scare her. She’d been through a traumatic experience with her last relationship, and he would do anything to make sure she felt not one moment of uncertainty or unease.

While also showing her day by day that he wasn’t her asshole of an ex. That he valued her. Treasured her. Respected her.

Two weeks had gone by since he’d first made love to Kara, and every day seemed to be better than the last. There was a lull in work, which was a minor miracle, and there were no deployments on the horizon. Of course, that could change in a heartbeat, but for now, Chaos was happy that he and Kara had the time to get to know each other better before they’d be separated for an uncertain amount of time because of a mission.

The downtime also allowed Laryn and Penny to fast track the planning for their combined receptions. Casper and Pyro were also doing everything they could to facilitate things, because all they wanted was to marry the women they loved.

Chaos wanted to spend the rest of his life with Kara, but he was in no rush to get married, and neither was she. They’d talked about it one evening after making long, slow love to each other. Marriage in general. Maybe it was his mom’s hippiness rubbing off on him, but Chaos didn’t feel as if he needed the government or church to “approve” of his relationship with anyone he loved. As long as he and Kara were committed to each other, a piece of paper wouldn’t change that.

Amazingly, Kara felt the same way. There were benefits to being married in the military, but for now, they were both happy to keep things between them as they were. If things continued as well as they were going now, he’d make sure Kara was provided for in case of his death, and if anything happened to him while he was deployed, his teammates and the other women would be sure to take care of her, as well.