The Bosun: A Military Romance (Love is Blind Book 3)

by Harlow Layne

  “Is this real? Did I fall asleep, and now I’m dreaming?”

  “This is as real as it gets when you’re already living the dream.”

  “You’re right. My life has been perfect since the moment you stepped on that plane with me. You’ve been the perfect boyfriend, the best father and son anyone could ask for, and now you’ll be a wonderful husband.” She sniffed and wiped at the moisture that threatened to spill over.

  “Does that mean your answer is a yes?” I asked as I skimmed my thumb over her ring finger.

  Birdie tried to pry the sparkling diamond out from between my fingers, making us both laugh.

  “Not only is it a yes, but it’s a hell yes, I’ll marry you. Nothing would make me happier!” Leaning forward, she threw her arms around my neck as she tried not to squish our daughter, who clapped at our happy news.

  Cupping the side of her face with one hand, I sucked on her bottom lip before sweeping my tongue inside her waiting mouth. The kiss was short but held a promise for later when our daughter was asleep.

  “Later,” I whispered against her bee-stung lips, “I can’t wait to celebrate with you.”

  “Why did you plan a party if you knew you were going to ask me to marry you? Now I want to call the whole party off.” She stood Birdie on the ground, who went about taking off all the cushions Stella had just put on.

  I chuckled as I pulled her up and out of the chair. “It will be a short party, I promise. They all know I was planning on asking you. That’s why my dad is flying in today. He’s going to watch Birdie for the weekend, so I can take you up to the mountains, and we can sit in front of a fire.” I pulled her body to mine and slipped on her engagement ring as I spoke softly into her ear. “There’s a no clothing allowed rule for the entire time we’re in the cabin.”

  “Oh, I like the sound of that. I don’t even have to worry about what to pack.” Leaning up on her tippy toes, Stella pressed her lips to mine for a long minute. “When do we leave?”

  Wrapping my arms around her middle, I nuzzled my face into her neck and let the scruff of my jaw tickle her. “Tonight after the party, and before you worry about packing on such little notice, it’s all taken care of.”

  “You’re making this the best birthday ever.”

  “That’s the plan. I want to make each day better than the last.”

  A throat clearing had us looking up to find Lexie standing on our deck with a Cheshire Cat grin on her face. “I’m assuming by all the kissing going on over here, she said yes.”

  Stella held out her hand, showing off her ring. “Isn’t it gorgeous!”

  “So gorgeous!” Lexie answered back as they hugged, squealed, and jumped in place. “And don’t worry about Birdie. I told Remy’s dad if he has any trouble, we’re right next door.”

  Stella sighed in relief. “That does make me feel better. While he’s watched her for a couple of hours, two days is a lot to take on.”

  “Aww, she’ll be good for her PawPaw. She adores him, and he adores her.” Lexie broke away and started for the stairs. “I just wanted to come over and say congratulations. Maybe when you two get back, you’ll have a wedding date picked out.”

  “Hardly,” I laughed. “We’ve got better things to do than pick a date.” Both women turned to look at me with fire in their eyes. “Plus, whatever date Stella wants to get married is fine with me.”

  “Good save,” Lexie laughed. “I’ll see you guys tonight for the party.” She waved as she ran back over to her house, where Ryder was in the pool with both of their daughters. They were little fish that would spend all day in the pool if you let them.

  Wrapping my arms around her from behind, I rested my chin on the top of her head. “We should probably finish getting ready for your party. How about one of us takes Birdie down to the beach? It’s going to take forever to get anything done if she’s going to follow along and undo everything.”

  Turning to look over her shoulder at me, she asked. “Are you sure you can do everything if I take her down?”

  “If I can survive being at war in Afghanistan and putting out fires, I’m sure I can handle putting up some decorations and making sure everything is without tiny handprints all over it.”

  Stella smirked up at me. “We’ll see about that. You have no idea how easily she can destroy a room when she’s determined.”

  “Don’t worry about me. I’ll tackle whatever mess she’s made. It’s your birthday. You shouldn’t spend the day cleaning.”

  “Good luck, hot stuff.” She grabbed Birdie by the hand and then slapped me on the ass on the way down the stairs to the beach.

  Seriously, how bad could it be?

  I shouldn’t have asked. Walking back into the house, I immediately smelled something off but couldn’t pinpoint what it was. Following my nose, I found myself outside of Birdie’s room, afraid to go inside. The smell of poop was strong as I entered the room. I thought maybe she’d gotten into a diaper and left it open, but no, I couldn’t be that lucky. Birdie had smeared poop all over one wall and all over her bed.

  Did Stella know what I was walking into? If not, how did Birdie get her hands clean from the feces she’d used to paint her room? I found my answer a minute later when I went to strip her bedding off her bed. A hairbrush for one of her dolls had shit caked into the bristles.

  Not wanting to ruin Stella’s day, I got the cleaning supplies and went to work while gagging. With each swipe, the rag smeared the horrendously smelling poop making it nearly impossible to clean up, but I manned up and didn’t stop until Birdie’s room looked brand new. While cleaning Birdie’s room took most of my time, I got the house picked up before anyone arrived for the party.

  In T-Minus three hours, we would be on our way to the mountains for our own private celebration.

  Stella

  Leaning over the console of Remy’s truck, I kissed his cheek and then rested my head on his shoulder. “Thank you for today. It was absolutely perfect.”

  Kissing the top of my head, he asked, “You didn’t have any idea?”

  “Not a single one. I’m shocked Pen and Lexie kept quiet about you proposing.” They had asked a lot of questions lately about if and when Remy and I would tie the knot. Truthfully, I’d been happy having him as my partner and the father of my child. I didn’t think I needed the piece of paper or the ring on my finger, but that all changed the moment he popped the question. I realized then how much I wanted to become Stella St. James and to be able to claim him as mine with a ring on his finger.

  “I swore them to secrecy.” He flipped on the windshield wipers as snow started to fall steadily.

  “The party was great. I can’t believe they let us leave without any hassle, though. I thought for sure it would be late before we got on the road.” Sitting up, I turned to look at him.

  “They understood,” he chuckled while keeping his eyes on the road.

  “Yeah, because you told them we had to leave so we could consummate our engagement.” I laughed at the absurdity of it.

  “It worked, didn’t it?”

  “I’m glad it did. I like that I got to spend the day on the beach, and tonight I’ll be cuddled up to you in front of a fire while it snows.”

  “Oh, we’ll be doing a whole lot more than cuddling. If I have my way, I’ll be getting you pregnant with Birdie’s brother or sister.”

  A laugh of surprise escaped me. “Don’t you think maybe we should be married before we have another baby? I’m not vain or anything, but I don’t want to be a whale when I walk down the aisle either.”

  Remy chewed on that for a minute. Taking my left hand in his right, he laced our fingers together and placed them on his thigh. “Do you want a big or a small wedding?”

  “Small. Only close friends and family. You?”

  “Small as well. Okay, how long do you think it would take you to plan the wedding of your dreams?”

  That was hard to answer. I had the big wedding before. A wedding I worked my ass off to pay for,
and look where that had gotten me. I didn’t need two hundred and fifty people. Only the closest and dearest to my heart.

  “I think I’d like to do it on our beach. Lexie would probably let us use some of hers as well. Since it’s early December and too cold to wear a dress, maybe we should wait until at least April or May. What do you think?”

  Remy grunted a sound of disapproval. “I think six months is a long time, but I’m willing to wait. I want the day to be perfect for you.”

  “Aww, I want the day to be perfect for you as well. We could always go somewhere warm for the winter and do it there. When we get back, I can ask Lexie and Pen when they’re available and work from there.”

  “A tropical wedding and honeymoon sound good.”

  A house a few hundred feet away lit up the dark sky with Christmas lights. It was straight out of a picture book. “Look at that house,” I pointed it out. “It’s so cute.”

  “I’m glad you like it because that’s where we’re going. I paid extra for them to put up lights and decorate for the holiday.”

  “Really?” I jumped in my seat. “You’ve really outdone yourself.” Brushing my lips against the shell of his ear, my hand rubbed against the bulge in his jeans. “I wonder how I can pay you back.”

  Winding his hand through the strands of my hair, Remy made a fist. “I think you’ve got the right idea. I wouldn’t mind seeing your head bob in the light of the fire.”

  “If we weren’t about ready to pull in, I’d blow you right now, but I guess it will have to wait.” I licked up the column of his neck and gently bit the space right below his ear.

  “Another time,” he husked out as he threw the truck into park. Grabbing my face with both hands, Remy claimed my mouth in a searing kiss that had me panting and wanting to shed both our clothes as quickly as possible. Pulling away, he breathed deeply with heavily lidded eyes, letting me know the kiss affected him just as much as it did me. “Let’s grab our stuff and get inside.”

  Scrambling out of the truck on weak legs, I waited as Remy grabbed our bags out of the back and followed him up the stairs that led to the front door. It was too dark to see much, even with the house decorated with Christmas lights. All I could see was that it was a wood cabin, two stories tall with a wide wrap-around porch.

  Unlocking the door, Remy stood to the side and let me enter first. A lamp lit the space along with a roaring fire someone had already started for us to enjoy.

  It was warm, homey, and rustic with wood beams and furniture. There was a furry rug in front of the fireplace that I knew we’d spend a lot of time on while we were here. Wrapping his arms around my waist from behind, Remy rested the side of his head against mine. “I know today is your birthday, but you’ve made it one of the best days of my life by agreeing to be my wife. Happy Birthday, Stella.”

  Placing my hands on top of his, I leaned into him. “I don’t know how I’m ever going to top today for one of your birthdays. You’ve made it damn near impossible.”

  “It’s not about topping it. It was never about that. I did all this because I love you. Each day we spend together should be about making it as memorable as possible, don’t you think?”

  “How did you get so wise?” He shrugged, and I felt the silent laughter vibrate through my back. “Still, you gave me a birthday I won’t ever forget. Let me start thanking you.” My hands moved from his to reach around and grab his tight ass.

  Pulling out of his hold, I walked backward, facing him so he could get a good look. My hands went to the flannel shirt I’d borrowed from his side of the closet and started to slowly unbutton it.

  “Are you going to strip for me in the firelight?” He stepped slowly toward me, giving me room to continue my striptease.

  My answer was to let the shirt slip off my arms and onto the floor. He took in a sharp breath when I exposed my lacy bra that left no room for imagination. Twirling around, I kicked off my Uggs and shook my ass at him as I shimmied my way out of my leggings.

  “Your ass in that thong is downright delectable. I’m going to take you from behind and smack that ass until it’s nice and pink for me.” He took one predatory step toward me before he had me in his grasp.

  Stalking over to the front of the fireplace, he went down onto his knees before he laid me down before him. “I want you to touch yourself over that piece of lace you’ve got between your thighs and get yourself primed while I strip for you.”

  Fuck yes. I might have moaned, knowing the heated look I’d see in his eyes when he watched me masturbate.

  Taking my index and middle fingers, I moved them over the lacy fabric, loving the way the rough texture felt against my sensitive flesh.

  “Just like that,” he said as he kicked his shoes off to the side. Undoing the button of his jeans and the zipper, his cock sprung free and bobbed against his shirt. My mouth salivated at the sight before me. “Later, you can wrap your pretty mouth around me and suck me off, but right now, I need to be inside of you.”

  Gripping his shirt at the nape of his neck, he slowly pulled it off. Was there a class that men took on how to drive your woman wild by taking off your clothes? I didn’t know what it was about the move, but it always made me so hot for him.

  Kneeling in front of me, he took one breast into his mouth and sucked hard before he let it go with a pop. “Let me see how soaked you are for me.” Shoving my thong to the side, he plunged two long digits inside me and pumped twice. “Fuck, you’re so hot and wet for me. Turn around and get on your hands and knees.”

  Doing as I was ordered, I looked over my shoulder at him and watched as he sheathed his length and sunk down to the floor before he ripped my thong off in one smooth motion. When his hands gripped my hips, and I felt the tip of his cock at my entrance, a shiver wracked my body, knowing that pleasure that would soon follow.

  I thought he was going to slam into me, but instead, he entered me inch by agonizing inch until he was seated deep inside of me. His thumbs rubbed over the globes of my ass as his fingers dug into the fleshy part of my hips.

  “This ass of yours is what dreams are made of.” He pulled almost all the way out, and when he slammed back inside, his hand connected with my ass, sending a jolt through me. “The way your pussy contracts around me when I slap your ass makes me rock hard.”

  Pulling out again and again, he thrust into me with the force of a hurricane and a slap of thunder until my ass stung, and I was begging for him to finish me off.

  I went down on my elbows and moved my hand between my legs, but Remy was having none of that. Swatting my hand away, he pulled my arms behind my back and held my hands in one of his as he started to rock inside of me. “Please, I need to come.”

  “Tonight, all your pleasure comes from me. Do you hear me?”

  “Yes,” I answered breathlessly when his other hand went between my legs, and the base of his palm started to grind into my clit.

  “Good. Now, I want you to come all over my cock. I want to hear you scream my name like I’m your god.”

  I had no problem screaming his name as he worshipped my body. His hand continued to stimulate my bundle of nerves as the tip of his cock hit the right place in me repeatedly until I was sagging on the floor.

  Remy let go of my hands and moved to hold onto my hips as he started to pound inside of me.

  When his hot breath became heavy in my ear, and I felt his dick jerk inside, I wanted him all over again.

  Laying me down on the rug, Remy spread my legs as he moved between them. Lowering himself onto his stomach, he looked up at me. “I want to lick up all that honey that’s dripping out of you for me.”

  One slow lick from my tight ring up to my oversensitive clit had me bowing off the floor and ready to detonate. It wouldn’t take much to have me hurtling over the edge. Lapping at my core and moving up to my nub, one finger slipped inside and slowly started to pump in and out.

  He growled and the vibration, along with the flat of his tongue making slow circles, had me cryin
g out. Flashes of red and white went off behind my eyes as my fingers dug into his broad shoulders. Slowly, he brought me down from my orgasmic haze with caresses to my arms and back.

  Moving up my body, he kissed me slow and sweet when he met my lips. Rolling over to the side, he took me with him, wrapping his whole body around me. The heat from the fire and the steady beat of his heart had me in a sleepy trance-like state.

  “Sleep for a bit because I plan to keep you up all night,” he murmured into the top of my head.

  Nuzzling into the crook of his neck, I placed kisses up as high as I could reach. “I love you, Remy St. James. Thank you for making all the dreams I didn’t know I had come true.”

  “Back at you, babe.”

  It wasn’t long until my breaths evened out, and I was out like a light in the arms of my dream man.

  We may have intended to wait to get pregnant until we were married, but life had other plans. Or maybe it was the fact that we ran out of condoms after the first day at the cabin, and we couldn’t keep our hands off each other or come up for air long enough to track some down. Either way, it didn’t matter. Life was a miracle, and we’d been given a blessing. With Remy by my side, I’d take whatever life threw at us.

  The way he went out to save the world each and every day at his job and then came home to Birdie and me made me thankful for everything life had given me.

  There were still nights Remy woke up from a nightmare, but never again did he run. Instead, he held me tighter through the darkness, and during the light of day, he’d either talk to me or his therapist.

  When I set off for Spain, never once did I think I’d find the answer to all my desires on Seas the Day. While Brock may have wrecked me, making my life feel like a tsunami had hit me, I was thankful he’d stepped out on me because if he hadn’t, I wouldn’t have the man of my dreams in my life nor the father he is to Birdie.

  It took the man holding me in his arms to make me at peace with myself. He loved me for me and made me feel cherished every day.