She stared at the front of the farmhouse, her hands sweating, finding it difficult to move.
Suddenly, something caught her eye on the side of the house, and she turned in that direction. Someone was coming around the corner. They probably heard the car pull up.
She cupped her hand above her eyes against the glare of the sun. And then her racing heart beat even faster.
It was him. Ajax. Not an apparition. It was really him. He stopped dead for a moment and then started walking again, picking up speed until he was running.
She laughed as he closed the distance, lifting her off the ground with his arms around her the moment he reached her. He swung her around until she was dizzy.
He looked so good. She knew this was not a mistake immediately.
His grin was huge and wide and his eyes danced with happiness. When he finally let her slide to her feet, still plastered to his front, he cupped her face. “You’re here,” he whispered.
“Mmhmm.”
His mouth lowered and he tipped her head to one side, taking her lips in a panty-melting kiss. All his kisses were like this. Would they always be?
He kissed her so deeply and for so long she forgot where they were. Finally, he released her, letting her breathe, his forehead against hers, his palms on her cheeks. “You look beautiful, baby. I’ve missed you so much.”
“I missed you, too. Sorry it took me so long to get my head out of my rear.”
“Careful, you’re almost cussing,” he teased.
She flushed. “I am not.” She swatted at him playfully.
His expression sobered. “I can’t believe it. I willed you to come. I thought about tracking you down a hundred times. But I told myself to let you figure things out on your own.”
“My Aunt Ruth slapped some sense into me.”
“I love your Aunt Ruth. What about your mom?” His brow furrowed.
She smiled. “She was surprisingly okay with this. I think she was happy for me. She didn’t even frown when I told her.”
“When you told her what, baby?” He held her tighter, leaning his back against her car. “What did you tell her?” he encouraged.
“That I fell in love with a man who lives in Indiana and I needed to go be with him.”
His smile grew. She loved how his eyes continued to dance. “How long can you stay?”
“I was thinking seventy years. If that’s okay?”
His enormous smile grew even larger. His hand slid to her back. “Please tell me I’m not dreaming.”
She pinched his arm.
He chuckled. “What about Charley?”
“She gave me your address. Said you’d told her if I ever asked for it, she had your permission to give it.”
He swallowed.
She knew what he was thinking. “She gave me your address yesterday morning when I called to tell her I was quitting.”
Ajax slowly closed his eyes and pulled her tighter against his chest. “I would never ask you to quit your job. Just so you know.”
“I know. But I also knew when I got here, I would never want to leave again. Working for Charley means a lot of travel.”
He growled in her ear.
She giggled because it tickled. “So, you’re okay with this? With me showing up with no intention of leaving?” She bit her lip, waiting for him to respond. His letter had been specific. He’d made it clear that she was it for him. But she’d still worried for the last two days that he might have changed his mind.
“Baby, I’m so beyond okay. I’m the happiest man on earth.”
She slid her hands up to his shoulders. “How is your team? I know you both succeeded and got everyone out, but that’s the last I heard.”
“They’re all doing well and recuperating from lack of food and exercise. They’ll be right as rain in no time. I talk to them every day. Ryker and I have decided to go into business together. We’re going to open up a rescue operation called the Holt Agency. The entire team is on board. All eight of us will start this business from the ground up together.”
Her face hurt from smiling. “That sounds amazing. Have you told your parents you’re naming it after them yet?”
He grinned, shaking his head. “No. Not yet. Ryker and I just came up with the company name. But isn’t it perfect? Our parents spent their entire lives rescuing people. Not just children, but they’ve always been there for anyone in need. The Holt Agency is going to be based right here on the farm.”
“I love it. Maybe you’ll need a receptionist or something.” She winked at him.
“You’re a bit overqualified for that job, baby. But if you’re interested, we’ll find you a role.” He slid his hands farther around her. “I can’t let go of you. I don’t want to bring you inside and share you with my family.”
“I know,” she whispered. “But we have our entire lives together.” She glanced at the house. “Are you staying here then? With your parents?”
His eyes did that dancing thing again. “Yes, but one of my younger brothers and his wife live here on the land in another house. They’re on vacation this week, so I’m house-sitting. Watching their dogs.”
“Oh.”
He nibbled behind her ear, his lips coming to the lobe to whisper, “I’m so glad they are out of town. The house is a mile from the main house. No one will hear you screaming later tonight.”
Heat raced up her face and she shoved on his chest to lean back a few inches. “I couldn’t stay with you alone like that, Ajax. What would your mother think?” she whispered, glancing around as if someone might have heard him.
He was chuckling when she looked at him again. “Baby, you’re twenty-eight years old. I’m thirty-five. My parents are rational, modern people. They’re aware that we adult kids have sex.”
“Yeah, but…” That seemed too blatant. As much as she wanted to be alone with him, it felt too weird to do so with his parents knowing.
He shook his head. “Serena, you’re going to lose this argument. There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell I’m letting you out of my sight for even a minute now that you’re here. You’re in my bed, wherever that bed is, from now on.”
The flush deepened, and she bit her lip, but she nodded.
“If it feels too naughty to you, then we’ll keep the arrangement short.”
She furrowed her brow, not understanding. “What do you mean?”
He reached for her left hand, slid it up to his mouth, and then kissed her knuckles. “I’ll put a ring on this finger tomorrow and we’ll find a justice of the peace if that soothes your sensibilities.” He widened his eyes as if he’d asked a question and was waiting for an answer.
She sucked in a breath. “If that was supposed to be a proposal, it sucked. You told me in your letter to demand everything I deserve from a partner. I think you can do better than that.”
He chuckled, his body vibrating. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll do that. ASAP. Roses and everything. I promise. Just don’t deny me in the meantime.”
“Deal.” She couldn’t have denied him no matter what, but she’d feel less anxious about their arrangement if it didn’t go on for months. It was one thing to have sex with him blatantly out of wedlock. It was another thing to live in sin indefinitely.
“Also,” Ajax said, “my sister is living here.”
“Kelly?”
He nodded, and she loved how his face lit up. “Yep. And her son Jock. She was living in a hell-hole. Mom insisted I invite her to come here. She’s staying with my parents in the main house. She has a job in town, and my parents love having an eight-year-old around again. You’ll meet them tonight.”
The front door to the farmhouse opened and Serena turned her gaze to find a woman in her sixties stepping onto the porch. She too shaded her eyes from the glare of the sun. “Ajax? Oh my goodness.” She came down the stairs. “Is this her? Is this Serena?”
Ajax finally released his tight hold on Serena and slid his hand into hers. He led her toward his mother. “Yep. Mom, Serena.
Serena, my mother.”
Serena felt nervous meeting this woman who’d taken in this boy when he was twelve and raised him to be the man she loved so much. She was giddy to realize Ajax had told his mother so much about Serena that she knew exactly who she was.
“So nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Holt,” Serena said.
His mother smiled broadly. “Please, call me Nancy, or Mom. We’re not so formal here.” She pulled Serena into a warm embrace. “Come on inside. It’s hot out here.”
Serena’s heart was so full. She tipped her head back to meet Ajax’s gaze as she strolled behind his mother at a slower pace.
He leaned down and set his lips on her ear again. “I love this dress by the way. It suits you.”
She beamed. “I thought so. Maybe it’s a bit much for a farm, but today felt special to me, and I think I need some changes.”
He turned toward her, taking her shoulders as they reached the bottom of the steps that led up to the farmhouse. “It’s perfect. You look amazing.” He leaned in close again, his lips making her shiver yet again when they came to her ear. “I can’t wait to unzip it and let it fall to the floor later.”
She swatted at him, flushing a deeper shade of red. “Ajax,” she admonished. “Stop it. We’re about to enter your parents’ house.”
He chuckled as he took her hand and led her inside.
“Where’s Ryker? I assume since you mentioned him that he came back to the farm too?”
Ajax laughed. “Did he ever. And he didn’t come alone either.”
“What?” She glanced at him confused.
“Remember Xena?”
“Of course.” Serena stopped moving in the middle of the hallway. “No,” she exclaimed. “Seriously?”
He nodded. “Yes. I wouldn’t joke about something like that. They’re out riding horses right now.”
“Huh. I kind of thought they might kill each other that week.” She was shocked.
“You mean like the way you flattened me on my back and considered killing me that first night?” he teased.
She chewed on her lower lip, remembering that well. Finally, she licked her lips and tipped her head back. “I think I was already half in love with you.”
“And now?” He lifted a brow.
“Now, I’m totally in love with you.”
Ajax wrapped his arms around her again and kissed her right in the hallway where anyone could see them.
She let him, too, and when he pulled back and said, “I love you too, baby,” it was totally worth it.
Chapter 23
Ajax was beside himself by the time he managed to get Serena to the house where he was staying. Alone finally.
He loved how nervous she was as soon as they stepped inside. She was so sweet. It was adorable that she had anxiety about being alone with him even though they’d slept together three nights in Ethiopia and had sex already.
She set her purse on the sofa and looked around, rubbing her palms together as he dropped a few of her bags near the bottom of the stairs.
“Your family is lovely,” she said.
“They loved you. Especially my mom. I didn’t think she was ever going to stop asking you questions. And Dad… It’s been a while since I’ve seen him smile that much. He’s so glad to have both of us boys back at home and elated that we found love.”
Ajax shuffled toward her and took her in his arms, knowing if he touched her and kissed her, she would calm.
“I can’t believe Ryker and Xena,” she mused.
“Crazy, huh?”
“Totally.”
“Please tell me this is real. Tell me you’re really here and you’re never going to leave.”
She tipped her head back. “I’m yours.”
“What about your family and your church? I know how important they are to you.”
“Yes. They are. I’ll see them when I can. But my life is with you. I know that now. And my Aunt Ruth helped me see that I don’t belong in that town. I don’t fit. I would never be fully happy there.” She slid her hands up his back.
He was floating. It was too good to be true. “I promise I’ll never let you regret your decision.”
“I know you won’t. I know I did the right thing. Any doubt I had disappeared when I saw you coming around the side of the house.”
He slid his hands into her hair. “You cut your hair,” he pointed out.
“Just a few inches. It feels nice, and I’ve found that people don’t look at me as strangely.”
He frowned. “Why would anyone look at you strangely?”
She shrugged. “When a woman has hair that long that’s uneven and clearly has never been cut, people assume there’s a religious reason. They treat me differently. It’s kind of unnerving. When it’s cut straight across, people just assume I like long hair.”
He ran his fingers through it, letting the long waves flutter around her. “It’s gorgeous. You’re gorgeous. But don’t ever let me sway you on your hair. It’s your head. It looks heavy. I’ll love you the same even if you shave it off.”
She shuddered. “That’s not going to happen.”
“What about your church?”
She slid her hands down to cup his ass, shocking him with her boldness. He liked it. “Your mom told me she attends the local Christian church. She said I can go with her anytime I want. I just might do that.”
He smiled. “That’s perfect. I’ll even go with you if you want.”
Her eyes went wide.
He furrowed his brow, still grinning. “Don’t look so shocked. I’d do anything for you. I’d move to your town and try my best to fit in if it made you happy.”
She blinked at him. “You’d do that?”
“Hell, yes.” He meant it too. A month ago, he might have had his trepidations about such an idea, but after not seeing her for four weeks, he’d reached a point where he’d known he would drop his entire life and go find her soon. She’d beaten him to the punch.
She moaned softly as she leaned into him. “We’re not going to live in my hometown, Ajax. It’s not right for either of us. We’re going to live here near your family. The place where you’re going to start your business.”
“So bossy.”
She giggled.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.” Her expression was so full of love. He knew she meant it with all her heart.
“Can we please go upstairs so I can take this sexy dress off you and make you scream?”
That flush… Damn…
He took her hand and led her to the stairs. He didn’t even grab her bags. They wouldn’t need anything in them for a while. But he did point to them. “Did you pack more sexy dresses like this one?” he asked as he started up the stairs.
She shook her head. “Nope. I only have this one.”
“Then we better go shopping. It’s the new you.”
“I agree.”
When they reached the guest bedroom he’d been staying in, he turned on the lamp on the bedside table and then pulled her against him, holding her face and kissing her gently. “Thank you for coming.”
“I wouldn’t want to be any other place,” she murmured.
He kissed her neck next, loving the way she moaned as his five-o’clock shadow tickled her. He found the zipper to her dress and lowered it slowly down her back, forcing himself to slow down. They had their entire lives. No reason to maul her in the next thirty seconds.
As the dress fell to the floor, he pulled his shirt over his head. And then his breath left his lungs. He froze, his hands on her biceps. He was shaking with lust. “My God, baby. You shopped for more than a dress.”
She glanced down and then shivered sweetly. “You like?”
She had on the sexiest white bra and panty set he’d ever seen. Lace and silk and not much of it. “Like is a mild word,” he muttered as he trailed a finger along the upper swell of her breast. “I don’t even want to take it off.”
“That would be a shame because I was
kind of hoping you would use your mouth all over me. I like it when you do that.”
Her bold request made his cock harder than it had been all evening. “Yes, ma’am.” As he reached for the clasp at her back, she shivered again in his arms, and he knew he was home. Serena was his home. It didn’t matter where they ended up living as long as at the end of every day, he got to do this, undress his wife and make her writhe beneath him in their bed.
He’d told her there were hundreds of other ways she would experience pleasure and he intended to start showing her right now, and never stop.
Please enjoy the following excerpt from Shadow in the Mountain by KaLyn Cooper, the next book in the Shadow SEALs series. You don’t want to miss out on Xena and Ryker’s story!
Hidden behind a rock outcropping higher up the mountain, Xena Riggs watched through her sniper scope as her men negotiated with the rebels. She easily followed their banter through the small communications device screwed into her ear. Her brows pinched.
The camouflaged men slid back and forth between Oromo and Amharic, the two primary languages in Ethiopia. Since Xena had spent most of her life in the African country, she was accustomed to the mixed speech.
She just didn’t like what she was hearing.
“Exactly what is it that you expect my boss to sell you?” Blade asked for the fifth time.
“Helicopter,” one of the men yelled.
Yeah, like that was gonna happen. Not until hell freezes over.
“Guns. Lots of guns.” One of the cadre of men surrounding her team hoisted an old Russian machine gun from the ground and shook it at the team members she’d assigned to take the lead in this portion of the mission.
“Hand grenades.”
“Mines.”
Requests shot from every direction.
“And exactly how do you expect to pay for these weapons?” Blade glanced around the makeshift camp. These paramilitary men couldn’t have collected the equivalent of ten U.S. dollars between them.
“We have money. You don’t need to worry about that. We are well-funded.” The camp leader announced with pride.
Shadow in the Desert (Shadow SEALs) Page 18