If someone had told Shayla a week ago that she’d be holding a single candle between two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, waiting for a former Navy SEAL, she would have told them they were insane. Yet here she was.

She stood at the window, watching the ocean and the almost sunset. Since she was on the lookout for his car, she was surprised to see him riding up on a bike. One of the resort bikes. It made her laugh. She walked to the front door. He was so breathtakingly beautiful. He wore jeans and a black Under Armour T-shirt that fit in all the right places to show his properly formed, amazing muscles. Dang, the man was attractive. His blond hair and striking blue eyes didn’t hurt.

She pushed open the screen door as he pulled the bike up to the porch. “A bike?”

He didn’t wait to turn to her and give her a dopey grin. “Hey.”

She laughed. “Hey.”

He swooped her into his arms and kissed her.

The smell of the ocean and mint mouthwash made her heart race even more. She’d never experienced falling in love like this before. She tried to let him go, but he wouldn’t let go of her.

She laughed. “I have our sandwiches,” she said.

His eyes looked intense, and he leaned in, nuzzling right below her ear. “You taste better than a sandwich.”

She shivered and held his broad shoulders, loving the feel of him against her too much. Worry flitted through her mind at how much she liked him physically. “Scar …”

Undeterred, he pulled her into him and kissed her cheek before letting go. Then he kept her hand and turned for the door, seeming to sense her concern. “Don’t worry. SEAL, remember? Master of the mission.”

Unable to stop herself from smiling, she passed him as he held the door.

Taking in the sandwiches and the candle, Scar gazed at her in faux amazement. “Honey, you cooked.”

She nodded. “I can cook a better meal, but you suggested sandwiches.”

“I’ll take a rain check on a home-cooked meal, Kansas, but what if we took our sandwiches and some blankets and ate on the beach?”

She liked this idea—strike that, she loved the idea of eating on the beach at sunset—so she agreed.

* * *

Ten minutes later, she was snuggled in his arms. The ocean crashed in front of them. The moon shone bright overhead. Scar and Shayla sat on one blanket, and another was draped over both of their shoulders.

They ate their sandwiches and drank from bottles of water. The whole day ran through her mind, and she couldn’t believe it. She was finally doing the things she’d always dreamed of, and it was better than she’d ever imagined with him.

“What are you thinking?” He finished a drink of water and tossed the bottle onto the sand.

Feeling herself relax, she leaned into his chest, and he propped his head on top of hers. It was amazing how perfectly she fit there. “I was thinking how wonderful this day with you was.”

He squeezed her and patted her hair. “It was a good day.”

The sun was setting, and there was a bit of a breeze, but not one they needed a blanket for. Being here in his arms, just like this, felt perfect. She was overwhelmed with gratitude to God. Tears filled her eyes, but she didn’t want to turn into a blubbering mess.

“Can I tell you something?” He asked.

She hesitated, sensing the gravity of her words. “Of course.”

“I didn’t tell you one thing about the night I got the scar.”

His admission took her by surprise. “Okay.” She turned in his arms and repositioned so she could see his face.

He frowned. “The night my team was captured …”

She blinked and thought of what he was sharing with her. Something he’d probably never shared, according to him. “You were captured?”

He waved his hand in dismissal like this was a side detail. “Yeah, anyway, their ship took us to an embankment. It was dark. My face was bleeding. The guys I was with, one of them was moaning from his injuries. Another was crying. There was nothing I could do about it, and I remember thinking, ‘Why the hell am I here and what am I doing this for?’”

Uneasy, she breathed, “And …?”

“I think this moment, right here with you, is the answer I’ve been waiting for.”

A thrill ran up her spine, and she turned and looked up at him. Tears were in his eyes. One was falling down his cheek. She was stunned that he’d shared that with her.

“Moments like this, when a man holds a woman bathed in moonlight, the world feels right somehow. That’s how it feels with you, Shay. It just feels better. It makes everything I went through feel worth it.”

Without saying anything, she leaned up and brushed her lips across his. They tasted like peanut butter. He deepened the kiss, and she wondered if there would ever be a more perfect moment in her whole life than right now.

“No one said the code word.” He grinned.

She rolled her eyes. “Maybe we skip the code word.”

He laughed and kissed her again.