Military Romance Collection: Contemporary Soldier Alpha Male Romance (18 page)

11

              The night was quiet, dark and still. Ada lay in bed, wide awake. She was staring at her husband.

              “What?” Charlie asked. He reached out and squeezed his wife’s shoulder. “I’ve told you, I’m all right. Matthew’s all right. This all turned out fine.”

              “It never should have happened,” Ada said. “It’s ridiculous that this man showed up in our house. He had every intention of killing you.”

              “Lucky for me, my beautiful wife got my would-be-killer so drunk he couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn.” The police had told Charlie that Big Jesus’s blood alcohol levels was a 3.2 – more than four times the legal limit and almost enough to cause alcohol poisoning.  “All I needed was for you to serve him one more shot, and he would have been done for before we even got here.”

              Ada laughed. “And then I would be the one in jail. This is not a good plan.”

              Charlie leaned forward and kissed her gently. “There’s not a jury in the world that would convict you,” he said. “It was all self-defense.”

              “Matthew was really brave,” Ada said. “I feel bad he got shot.”

              “I don’t,” Charlie said. “It was the best thing that could have happened to him.”

              “What do you mean?” Ada asked.

              “He started the day as an ordinary guy. An ordinary guy who’d just gotten out of jail and was moping about how he’d never have any kind of decent future,” Charlie said. “By the end of the day? He was a fearless hero, leaping into harm’s way to save the day.” He chuckled. “It seems to have done wonders jump starting his relationship with Jenn.”

              “She looks at him the way a starving man looks at a steak,” Ada said. “I hope he’s ready.”

              “He’s made of strong stuff,” Charlie said. “I’m sure he’ll be able to deal with whatever comes his way.”

              “What about you?” Ada asked. “What kind of stuff are you made of?”

              Charlie grinned. “The same stuff I’ve always been made of. Ordinary guy ingredients.”

              “Not so ordinary.” Ada kissed her husband, wriggling closer under the blankets. He could feel her silky nightgown crushing up against his skin. She was so very warm, and she smelled really good. “I think you’re pretty special.”

              “God, honey.” Charlie could feel his need growing. He looked down into Ada’s wide blue eyes. “I am so glad nothing bad happened to you.” He had to kiss her; he couldn’t help it. The kiss was long and deep and passionate. It was almost as if they’d never kissed before; as if they were worried they might never be able to kiss again.

              After that, there were no words. Their room was illuminated only by moonlight, but that was more than enough for Charlie to see what he was doing when he pulled his wife’s nightgown off. She had such a soft, round body, with lush, full breasts. He kissed one and then the other.

              “I’ve got to feel you inside of me,” Ada said. She ran her hand over Charlie’s rapidly stiffening shaft. When she was certain he was ready, she swung her leg over her husband’s torso and slid down into position. “My sweetheart. My darling husband.”

              “God,” Charlie groaned. He let his hands settle on Ada’s rounded hips. “You feel so good. You look so beautiful.” 

              They rocked back and forth, moving slowly at first. Their motions matched their breathing; with each inhalation, Ada slid forward on Charlie’s shaft, leaning in to kiss at his chin. With every exhalation, she slid back down, grinding her hips into his.

              It was a delicious combination. Charlie closed his eyes and arched his back as Ada started to move faster and faster. The sensations she was creating with her body were blowing his mind.  She did a little wiggle grind maneuver that nearly sent him over the edge.

              “Not so fast,” he said with a smile. Charlie wrapped one arm around Ada’s back and turned rapidly, maneuvering them so Ada was prone on the mattress and he was above her. “This time, I want to do things properly.”

              “Be my guest, baby,” Ada purred. She lifted her legs and wrapped them around Charlie’s torso.  “Give it to me. I can take it!”

              Charlie slid forward, gently at first, and then moving steadily faster in response to Ada’s throaty cries.  “Oh, God!” she moaned. “So good. This is so good.” Her fingers were splayed over the sheets, clutching the fabric into permanent ridges. “I love you so much.”

              “I love you too,” Charlie said. He lurched forward abruptly, biting his lip to keep from crying out as his need overcame him. He pulled on Ada’s shoulders as he came, burying his face against her neck. “So much, so much, so much.”

              After, Ada smiled. She laid on her back and drew her knees up to her breasts, hugging her arms around them.

              “What are you doing?” Charlie asked.

              “Oh, just stretching,” Ada said. She didn’t want to confess the truth; the posture was one she’d gleaned from a fertility site. Curling up like a ball after love making was said to help get the babies started. She desperately hoped it was true. “I’ve got to keep nice and limber for my sweetheart.”

              Charlie smiled. “Baby, you’re more than limber enough for the both of us. I couldn’t curl up like that if you paid me.” He turned on his side and pulled Ada up next to him. “Now it’s time for some serious shut eye.”

              Ada wasn’t tired. “Do you think your brother had a good date with Jenn?”

              “Not nearly as good as the one we just had,” Charlie said with a smile. He closed his eyes, and in the space of a few short breaths started snoring.

              Ada smiled too. “Well,” she said, snuggling into her husband’s embrace. “I guess I can’t argue with that.”

12

              Charlie was wrong. Matthew was having a superlative time on his date with Jenn. He couldn’t drive with his arm in a sling, so she’d picked him up in her big red pickup.

              “Where are we going?” Matthew asked.

              “Somewhere nice and quiet where we can really relax and get to know each other,” Jenn said. She looked at Matthew out of the corner of her eye and grinned. “I’m guessing you’re just about full up on excitement right about now.”

              Matthew looked back and shrugged. “Some kinds of excitement I don’t have any problem with.” Jenn was looking really good, in a button down cowgirl plaid shirt and some tight fighting jeans. “Some kinds of excitement I really kind of like.”

              She beamed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”  It took the better part of twenty minutes to reach their destination, which turned out to be a secluded beach on the side of a long, narrow manmade lake. “During the season, they race the Top Fuel boats down here. It gets pretty wild.”

              “I’ve seen that on TV,” Matthew said. “When they crash, it’s pretty spectacular.”

              “They really go above and beyond to keep the guys safe,” Jenn said. She nodded toward the lake. “That out there isn’t quite ten feet deep, even at its deepest. So if things go wrong, it’s easy to do a rescue. The boats have safety capsules built in. You can’t really get into too much trouble.”

              Matthew only had eyes for Jenn. “I don’t know,” he said. “I’ve got a feeling I’m about to get into all kinds of trouble.”

              Jenn came closer. Matthew’s head swam with the scent of her. She smelled fresh and clean and vaguely floral. But there was another note to her aroma; a faint but recognizable scent of horse. He smiled. “Yummy cowgirl.”

              Jenn smiled back. “I’d say yummy cowboy, but you’re not a cowboy, are you?”

              “I’m going to try to be,” he replied. “At least until I figure out what comes next, and how I’m going to get back on my feet.”

              Her kiss was quick. It surprised and aroused Matthew, who was instantly ready for more. But Jenn was full of questions.

              “What knocked you off of your feet that you need to get back on them?”

              Matthew sighed. “Do we have to have this conversation now?”

              Jenn laughed, gently. “Yes. We have to have this conversation now, so that I feel all right about getting to the next part.” She kissed him again, leaning in so close that Matthew could feel the soft swell of her chest flattening against the front of his shirt. “And I promise you you’re going to really like the next part.”

              “I’m sure I will,” Matthew groaned. “If there is a next part after I tell you this.”

              Jenn tilted her head. “I’m a big girl. I can take it.”

              Matthew nodded toward the lake. “Those drag boats, that’s a rich man’s sport.”

              Jenn nodded. “Yeah. Those boats aren’t cheap. They can set you back hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

              “And the guys who don’t have the money for their own boat?” Matthew shrugged. “Lots of times, they’ll get in on the excitement by betting on who’s going to win. Sometimes really serious money changes hands.”

              “I’ve never really heard about that,” Jenn said, “But I’m sure it happens.”

              “It happens with every sport,” Matthew said. “Me, personally? I never bet on Top Fuel boats. My thing was MMA fighters.”

              “MMA?” Jenn asked

              “Mixed martial arts,” Matthew explained.

              “Those fools who beat the hell out of each other inside a steel cage?” Jenn said. “People really bet on that?”

              “They bet a lot of money on it,” Matthew said. “And if they’re me, they lose a lot of money that way.”

              “How much?” Jenn asked.

              “I wiped out our family’s savings,” Matthew said. “And I knew my wife was going to be furious if she found out.”

              “Wife?” Jenn said, raising a chestnut-colored eyebrow. “That’s a part of the story we really need to go over.”

              “She’s my ex-wife now,” Matthew said. “She found out what I had done and she was done with me.”

              Jenn nodded. “That’s not so bad,” she said, comfortingly. “I mean, I’m sure your credit is shot right to hell, but in this economy, whose isn’t?”

              Matthew smiled. “It’s a little bit more complicated than that.”

              “What do you mean?”

              Matthew swallowed. “So I knew that Amy – that’s my ex – would flip her shit if she found out I’d spent all the savings. So I had to replace that money.  All it should have taken was one really good weekend at the fights. So I doctored some accounts at work and borrowed the money I needed to stake my bets.”

              “Which didn’t turn out the way you’d hoped.”

              “Not exactly,” Matthew agreed. “The situation kept getting worse. The hole was getting deeper and deeper. And then someone at the bank let my boss know there was irregular activity in the account.” He shrugged. “The rest is history.”

              “What rest?” Jenn asked.

              “My attorney got the charges down to a Class 1 felony,” Matthew said, “Which means I spent six months in the county jail.” He shook his head. “The day we came out to talk to you was actually my first full day of freedom.”

              Jenn sat back and pulled her knees up in front of herself. She hugged them tight for a moment and then let them go. “I wasn’t sure what I was expecting,” she confessed. “But that wasn’t it.”

              “I understand if it’s a deal breaker,” Matthew said. “I’ve given up the gambling forever, but you’ve got no way to know that.” He shook his head. “I made a lot of dumb decisions. Now I’ve got to get my head out of my ass and start living smarter.”

              “I don’t know that you were all that dumb,” Jenn said. “Gambling’s like drinking. Some people can handle it and some people get caught up.” She tilted her head. “I think it might be genetic.”

              Matthew shrugged. “I just know it’s really bad for me,” he said.

              “Well, at least you didn’t try to weasel out of it,” Jenn said. “You did the crime, you did the time, and now that’s behind you.” She leaned over and kissed Matthew on the cheek. “As far as I can see, now you need to focus on what’s ahead for you.”

              “And what might that be?” Matthew asked, hopefully.

              Jenn sprang to her feet. “Right now, it starts with dancing.” She pulled a radio out of the back of her truck. “I hope you like to two step.”

              Matthew got to his feet. “I love it.” The sounds of country music filled the air as she stepped into his arms.  “There’s just one problem,” he added.

              “What’s that?” Jenn said. She was already moving up against him. Her body felt great next to his, solid and warm and curvy in all the right places.

              “I don’t know how to two-step,” he confessed. “At all.”

              “Don’t worry, cowboy.” Jenn’s kiss was confident, and so were her fingers as they slid over Matthew’s muscular form. “I’m going to teach you everything you need to know.”