When he said that it struck a nerve with her. The words she had always wanted to hear him say. All she'd ever wanted since she was a teenager was a home, and she had never had one, whether it was her father pulling her out of her life or having to ship out with the Navy. So to hear him say that, it was the most romantic thing he could say to her.

She wanted to apologize again, to tell him she wished she'd never left, but she knew he wouldn't let her. So she held him close against her, stifling her own moans as their bodies moved together. "I won't ever leave you again," she promised softly.