Brighter Shades of Light

by Jaclyn Osborn

  Six years later

  “If you’re still at your desk when I come in there, I’m gonna pick your ass up and haul you over my shoulder,” I said from outside Sebastian’s office.

  I heard him chuckle before his chair squeaked. “I’m coming, Captain Vale.”

  Years after marrying him, and I still loved being called by his last name.

  After serving for four years, I had been promoted to Captain. However, when my contract was up a year later, I decided to go into the reserves instead of signing on for more years. The Marine Corps and everyone I served with was my family, and I was proud of the time I spent there. But after three deployments, one of them lasting a year, I had been ready for more stability.

  I wanted to settle down with Sebastian and not be away from him so often. He had supported me wholeheartedly while I was active and never once made me feel obligated to go into the reserves, so I didn’t do it for him. I did it for me and what I wanted in my life.

  And what I wanted was to spend my days with the man I loved, coming home to him every night. He grounded me.

  As a reservist, I served one weekend a month and two weeks during the summer. That was it. There was the possibility of deployment if the Corps needed me, but for the most part, I was able to have a stable home life and career.

  The dark thoughts I’d had after my first deployment had vanished, too, over time. It had just been me trying to get used to the military life. Training for it and doing it were two completely different things.

  Sebastian appeared in the doorway, his hair tousled. He sometimes ran his hands through it when he was stressed and trying to figure something out, and he had worked hard lately. Too hard. Which was why we were meeting friends for dinner and having a night out.

  I reached to fix his collar and smoothed it down. “I’m starving.”

  “You’re always starving.” He eyed me through his glasses and slid his hand into mine.

  Downtown Jacksonville was awesome, with its historic sites and abundance of down-home restaurants. Sebastian and I walked hand-in-hand down the sidewalk, seeing the Freedom Fountain in the distance, which honored everyone who had served in the United States military—past and present.

  I had been pretty lucky with my duty station in North Carolina. Some Marines moved stations every three or so years, but I had been fortunate to stay at Camp Lejeune instead of being rotated elsewhere. Sebastian loved his job here, and we both adored the town. Maybe we’d eventually travel the world and live somewhere else, but for now, this was home.

  As we approached the Angry Ginger Irish Pub, I saw Tristen standing outside with Jared and Lucy. He laughed and made a vulgar movement with his hands, probably telling a wild story.

  After serving his required five years, he went into the reserves, too. He had been part of a Marine expeditionary unit while in active duty and had deployed twice on Navy ships. One of them had been a combat mission, and I was proud as hell that he handled himself well. From what I heard, he didn’t freeze up when it counted most, and that’s what mattered. Fear didn’t break him. It made him stronger.

  “There you are, Captain Loser,” Tristen said, once spotting us. “You remember Evan?”

  The man with Tristen smiled and leaned into his side.

  “Of course I do. How’s it going, man?” I shook Evan’s hand before returning mine to Sebastian’s lower back.

  “Good,” Evan answered with a faint blush.

  Blake had dumped Tristen during Tristen’s first deployment overseas. His reasoning was he couldn’t handle the distance. Since then, my best friend had gone through seven boyfriends, some of them more serious than others. His most recent one seemed like a good guy, though. Quiet, kind of shy, and he shared Tristen’s love for history. They had met after Tristen moved to Jacksonville to be closer to me.

  Sebastian greeted Jared with a clap on the back before pulling Lucy in for a hug. The couple had become just as much my friends as they were his over the years. Great people with the kindest hearts. Every time I had been deployed, they’d taken care of my man and made sure he hadn’t reverted to old, unhealthy habits.

  “Ready to eat?” Sebastian asked. “Cody is so hungry I’m worried he’ll chew my arm off if we don’t get an appetizer, and quick.”

  I smirked before chomping at his neck, bringing his point home.

  We entered the restaurant and took a table near the wall. The place had an open floorplan with wooden tables, a huge bar that curved into an L-shape along one wall, and a homey, laidback atmosphere. Off to one side were pool tables and a dartboard. It was the perfect hangout spot that had amazing food, too. One of the best parts? It closed at two in the morning. So, we could drink and chill for a while after eating dinner.

  I ordered spinach and artichoke dip for an appetizer as we looked over the menu. When the waitress dropped it off at the table, I dug into it like I hadn’t eaten in days. Sebastian watched me with amusement as I munched on the toasted pita.

  “What?” I asked with my mouth full.

  “I just love you,” he said, moving his thumb along the corner of my mouth to wipe away the dip.

  He still managed to make my stomach flutter after all these years.

  “So, Cody,” Evan said, and when all eyes moved to him, his shoulders hunched a little. “Tristen says you’re a materials engineer? I don’t think I know what that is.”

  “Yeah. It’s kinda cool.” I took a drink of water to wash down the pita and dip. “My company deals with advanced materials research and development organization in the nanotechnology field. With engineered microstructures and powder metal processing, we develop and improve material advances. Right now, I mainly operate on the facility equipment and keep it functioning for the research and development team.”

  Evan’s eyes glazed over.

  Tristen snorted, “Nerd.”

  Over dinner, the six of us talked about taking a vacation together when everyone had time off. Maybe to Hawaii to visit Rachel and Marcus. They had both been stationed at Kaneohe Bay. Three years ago when they got married, Sebastian and I flew out for the wedding. The beautiful water and tropical island vibe was a paradise I could get used to. Visiting Pearl Harbor had been surreal, and I might’ve shed a few tears, too.

  Maybe.

  “Have you talked to Keith lately?” I asked Tristen.

  “Nope.” He shook his head. “Last I heard, he moved back to Emerald Falls and was working for his old man.”

  Keith had been dishonorably discharged from the Corps two years ago for getting drunk and beating up another Marine so bad the guy went deaf in one ear, all over some chick. We had lost touch with him after The Basic School when he started partying and getting into trouble. I was glad Marcus and Rachel were still in our lives, though, even if they lived so far away.

  After dinner, Sebastian and Lucy sat at a table and watched as Tristen, Evan, Jared, and I played pool. We ordered pitchers of beer and had a good time drinking and talking.

  Evan loosened up after a few glasses, and it turned out he was actually pretty funny. He did impersonations of famous people and freaking nailed them. His Owen Wilson imitation had me rolling. I could see why Tristen was with him.

  Every time I looked over at Sebastian and saw him smiling, my chest warmed. Nearly eight years and I was even more in love with him today than I was back then. Small wrinkles had formed at the edges of his eyes. He hated them, but I adored them. They were caused from all the times I had made him smile over the years.

  As if sensing my eyes on him, he looked up at me, and damn if that didn’t make my heart skip a beat.

  Suddenly, I was eager to get back home. I wanted to worship every inch of him—show him how much I loved him. I was married to a man who accepted all my weird quirks and supported me in every way. Being with someone in the military wasn’t easy, but he had stayed by my side through it all.

  Hours later, we said goodbye to our friends and returned home.

  Our lips met as soon as
we walked inside. He tossed his keys on the table and led me up the stairs. We didn’t say anything, but I knew his mind was in the same place as mine. We entered the bedroom, and I undid his tie, tossing it aside. He popped the buttons on my shirt before grazing his teeth up my neck.

  “Sebastian?”

  He lifted his head. The movement knocked his glasses a little off-center, and I smiled as I fixed them.

  “You’re still my spark,” I said, entwining our fingers. The ring he had engraved for me was still in its place on my hand.

  Sebastian lifted our joined hands and kissed the engraved ring. I couldn’t read his expression. Then, he pulled me closer.

  “I never thought I could love someone as much as I love you,” he said, lightly moving his lips across mine but not kissing me. “Love isn’t logical, yet loving you is the only thing that feels right. The beating of your heart keeps mine beating in turn. Your every breath fills my lungs, and your touch brings me to life.”

  Closing the gap between our mouths, I pushed him toward the bed where we came together in a tangle of limbs and sloppy, lustful kisses. His body pushed into mine, and I clawed at his back. Sweat dampened my brow, and he kissed my temple, moving in and out of me in a tantalizing way. And when I came, he kept his arms around me, holding onto me as I shattered into a million pieces beneath him.

  “I love you,” I said, staring up at him as I slowly came back down to earth.

  “And I love you.” He shuddered as the last ripples of pleasure left him. “More than you’ll ever know.”

  Sebastian could be too serious sometimes and maybe a little eccentric when he got to talking about one of his experiments. He could be too quiet when he was lost in his head, and he didn’t sugarcoat the truth, no matter how brutal. But he was also gentle and kind, funny in his own way, and fucking sexy as hell. I loved all of him, the perceived flaws included.

  There was no one I would rather spend the rest of my life with.

  “Our love was inevitable,” I said, recalling a conversation we’d had so long ago under the stars.

  “The spark that grew to a flame.” Sebastian kissed beneath my ear, pushing his arms under my back. “You’ve set me on fire, Cody Vale, and I hope I never stop burning.”

  He kissed me, his lips soft yet firm. I wrapped my arms around him and flipped him to his back, grinning when I felt him harden again.

  He was my spark. My happy ending.

  And, like the universe, our love would go on forever.

  The End

  …And the chemist and his Marine lived happily ever after

  Special Thanks

  During the process of writing this book, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever publish it. Cody and Sebastian came to me at a time when I needed them most, and they completely stole my heart. I wrote the story I wanted to read, and I’m damn proud of it. But I was afraid of releasing these men into the world.

  Taryn, thank you for alpha reading this and easing my doubts. You’re an incredible friend.

  Heather and Natoya, you both lifted my spirits greatly, and I can never thank you enough.

  Also huge thanks to JJ, who had to endure my million messages about the military. I adore you.

  Other Works by Jaclyn Osborn

  Standalone

  Dear Adam

  Axios: A Spartan Tale

  Tangled Up In You

  A Gift of Time (A Christmas Story)

  Cheater and the Saint

  Brighter Shades of Light

  The Awakening Series

  -Michael’s Awakening (Book 1)

  -Zack’s Awakening (Book 2)

  -Benji’s Awakening (A Companion Novella)

  -Kane’s Awakening (Book 3)

  Tales of Fate Series

  Found at Sea (Book 1)

  The Nymph Prince (Book 2)

  Love in Addersfield Series

  Declan (Book 1)

  Royal (Book 2)

  Gideon (Book 3) Coming Soon

  Port Haven Series

  Noah’s Song (Book 1)

  Reaching Avery (Book 2)

  The Cadbury Series

  -Strength to Forgive (Book 1)

  -Scars We Hide (Book 2)