Always Faithful

Chapter 23: God's Gonna Cut You Down

Drake helped Bragnae stand up, brushing the sand off his body as she did the same. He looked over at her, the moonlight highlighting the curves of her beautiful, bare body. As she turned to retrieve her clothes, Drake grabbed her hand, pulling her to him. He didn't know what would transpire after they left the beach, so he wanted to soak in one last peaceful moment with her.

"I'm so happy to be home again – to hold you in my arms and look at you with my own two eyes. I'll never take it for granted again." He studied her face as if to memorize every detail.

She shifted, pressing her body squarely against his. A shiver shot through him as he felt her breasts graze his chest.

"Neither will I. It's almost as if life is giving us a second chance. I'm so grateful you're alive," she ran her hands up his broad shoulders to hold his face. "Knowing you were never going to come home was the most difficult thing I had to accept. And now that you're back, I feel like my heart is full, and I can breathe again."

A slow smile spread across his face. "I'm never going to leave you again, Bragnae." His eyes flicked to her lips as she stood on her toes to meet him for a tender kiss. He ran his hands slowly down her back holding her tightly against him – the kiss gradually trying to become something more. Reluctantly, he drew back. "There's nothing more I want right now than to hold you and never let go, but I do need to talk to Liam."

"I understand. Let's go get some answers." She pulled him in for brief kiss before finding her discarded clothes.

Drake shook the sand out of his shirt and pants before putting them back on. He watched as Bragnae picked up the picture he sent her that had embedded itself in the sand at some point during their reunion, placing it in her purse.

"Maybe I should call Liam to make sure he's home before we head over there." She started to rifle through her bag.

"No. I don't want to give him any reason to suspect something's wrong. I want to catch him off guard," Drake told her adamantly.

She stared at him for a moment before dropping her eyes to the sand. Her expression turned solemn. His heart ached for her. Ever since he found out the truth of his attempted demise, he'd targeted both Constantine and Liam with his animosity, but seeing Bragnae react just now reminded him there was more in this for her than he realized.

She and Liam had grown a lot closer than he ever anticipated, and while he still didn't trust or like his best friend at the moment, he couldn't ignore how this would affect Bragnae. Even though he had decided he would not blame her for sleeping with Liam, the whole situation was still unsettling.

In his mind, his sweet, vulnerable fiancée was manipulated by Liam – with the help of his father – and he was itching to confront him about it.

"I'm sorry, Bragnae. I know this is probably difficult for you," he moved closer to hold her hands. "I don't want you to get hurt, but you have to be prepared for Liam to be someone you didn't expect him to be."

"I know, Drake, but I still can't believe it. I just don't think he could have done something like that," she paused, swallowing before speaking again. "And because Liam still thinks you're dead, I need to insist that I'm the first one he sees, so I can ease him into the situation. Speaking from experience, seeing you will be quite a shock."

Yeah, I bet it will. Before he deployed, speaking to Liam about anything was easy, comfortable. He was his best friend – why wouldn't it be? But now, Bragnae had stepped into that role in a way. She would be the one Liam trusted, the one he was closest to. He couldn't decide if he was jealous of them, angry at Liam, or both.