Holly laughed.
“I know it’s hard for you when I’m gone,” Carson mumbled. “It’s hard for me, too. More than you’ll ever know.”
Something warm touched Jen’s arm. She startled, then relaxed when she realized Cash had come up beside her. Without a word, he took her hand, the warmth of his touch seeping into her skin.
Across the room, Holly’s eyes shone with unshed tears. “But I don’t know, Carson. You don’t give me any indication that you even miss me when you’re away. You just try to pick up where we left off. You act like my entire purpose in life is to sit at home and wait for you to get back.” She blinked rapidly. “But I can’t do that. I have a life too. My job at the restaurant, my work with Annabelle. I can’t just drop everything when you come home and make you the center of my existence. Especially when I’m not the center of your existence.”
“I know. And I’m a jerk for suggesting you quit your job. I don’t want you to do that. The only thing I want is for you to be happy.” His voice cracked. “And I do miss you when I’m away, Hol. You’re all I fucking think about.”
Holly’s tears spilled over, and damned if Jen didn’t feel all teary herself. As much as she hated intruding on this personal moment, she was so very touched seeing her brother lay himself bare like that.
Carson cupped his wife’s cheeks. “I want to make things better, but I need to know that you want the same thing. That you haven’t completely given up on me.”
“Of course I haven’t given up. I love you, you idiot.”
All the tension left Carson’s body. “I love you too,” he said roughly.
When Holly stood on her tiptoes to kiss him, Jen felt like a total voyeur. She squeezed Cash’s hand, signaling that it was time to sneak away, but Carson foiled their next attempt too.
“Jen, where’d you put that printout?”
“Shoot. I left it in the printer tray in my room. I’ll get it.”
She dashed into the bedroom and grabbed the sheet of paper, which she handed to Carson in the living room.
“What’s that?” Holly asked.
“Our hotel confirmation,” Carson replied with a grin. “We’re going to Catalina.”
His wife looked startled. “What? When?”
“Now.”
“But I have to—”
“Work?” he finished. When she nodded, he shot her a guilty look. “Okay, don’t be mad, but I called your boss at the restaurant and convinced him to give you a few days off. And before you freak out, know that I didn’t do it because I don’t respect or value your work.”
Holly looked dumbfounded.
“I wish we could go away for longer, but I only managed to swing three days of leave. Still, I figured a three-day honeymoon is better than nothing.” He looked ashamed. “We didn’t make it on our Fiji honeymoon because the team got called away the day before we were supposed to leave.” He cursed under his breath. “I kept assuring you we’d reschedule, but it never happened, huh?”
Holly sighed. “No, it didn’t.”
“I know Catalina Island isn’t Fiji, but it’ll do for now, right?” His boyishly hopeful expression made Jen grin.
“Yeah, it’ll do.”
“One more thing,” Carson added. “No sex.”
Holly’s brows soared. “Pardon me?”
“Baby, as much as I’d like to fu—” Carson glanced at Jen and backpedaled, “—to do a lot of things to you, the next three days will be about my new favorite word—communication. I’m gonna talk so fucking much you’re gonna wish I was a mute by the time I’m done.”
Holly laughed. “Can’t wait.”
Jen was overcome with emotion as she watched them. She had to admit—her brother had done good. The mini-honeymoon had been her idea, but the heartfelt speech and uniform was all Carson. Apparently he wasn’t a total lost cause.
Carson marched over to Jen and enveloped her in a bear hug that almost knocked the wind out of her. “Thanks,” he murmured. “I owe you one.”
“You know it.” She stepped forward to give Holly a quick hug, then smiled at her sister-in-law. “Have fun in Catalina. But don’t forget to make him grovel some more, okay?”
“Oh, I intend to,” Holly assured her.
Holding hands, the couple headed for the door. At the last second, Carson halted and turned to look at Cash. “Take care of my sister, McCoy.” He arched a brow. “You know what’ll happen if you don’t.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Cash said with a sigh.
As Holly and Carson practically floated out the door, Jen glanced over at Cash. “I think that went well.”
The smile he shot her melted her heart. He was so devastatingly handsome, so sexy, so amazing, and she couldn’t believe she’d ever had reservations about being with him.
Yes, their relationship would be hard. Yes, she might find herself waiting and worrying, the way her mother had done with the admiral, the way Holly did with Carson. But Jen now saw with perfect clarity why her mom and Holly had stuck it out for so long, why they continued to stick it out. Because when you found someone you loved with your entire being, you would do anything for them, suffer through anything, sacrifice and compromise and do whatever possible to make it work.
“I love you,” she blurted out.
Cash flashed her a devilish grin. “Of course you do. I’m awesome.” Then he offered a mock frown. “And you thought I was only good for a fling. Jeez.”
Smiling, she stood on her tiptoes and looped her arms around his neck. “You’re good for a lot of things, cowboy.”
He lowered his mouth to hers, but stopped right before their lips could meet. “Hey, since we’re in a relationship, can I refer to you as ‘the old ball and chain’ from now on?”
She let out a heavy sigh.
“What?” he demanded.
“No woman wants to be called old, cowboy. Jeez,” she mimicked. “Maybe you do need to practice talking to women.”
“Good idea.”
In the blink of an eye, he scooped her into his powerful arms.
“What are you doing?” Jen squeaked, clinging to his broad shoulders.
“Taking you to your bedroom.” He slanted his head, those blue eyes glimmering with heat. “You know, so I can practice talking. Then again, once I get you near a bed, I might have other plans for my mouth.”
Her laughter followed them all the way to the bedroom.
The End
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Readers! This is the final story in this boxed set—but NOT the end of the Out of Uniform series. You can download the second boxed set via the link below:
OUT OF UNIFORM BOXED SET #2
This next set begins with Seth Masterson’s story. If you thought Cash was a dirty-talking bad boy, wait until you experience Seth! But there is a lot more to this rough-around-the-edges military man than meets the eye…
Other Titles by Elle Kennedy
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For all the m/m fans out there, check out the RITA-award-winning book HIM and its sequel US, my New Adult hockey romances co-written with the fabulous Sarina Bowen.
Love New Adult and hockey? Then you’re totally going to want to check out my Off-Campus series, which consists of The Deal (currently FREE!), The Mistake, The Score, and The Goal.
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About the Author
A New York Time
s, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Elle Kennedy grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, and holds a BA in English from York University. From an early age, she knew she wanted to be a writer and actively began pursuing that dream when she was a teenager. She loves strong heroines and sexy alpha heroes, and just enough heat and danger to keep things interesting!
Elle loves to hear from her readers. Visit her website www.ellekennedy.com or sign up for her newsletter to receive updates about upcoming books and exclusive excerpts. You can also find her on Facebook (ElleKennedyAuthor), Twitter (@ElleKennedy), or Instagram (@ElleKennedy33).
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
OUT OF UNIFORM BOX #1 INCLUDES:
Hot & Bothered
Copyright © 2017 by Elle Kennedy
Includes:
Heat of the Moment: An Out of Uniform Novella
Reissue © 2017 by Elle Kennedy
Original publication 2008
Heat of Passion: An Out of Uniform Novella
Reissue © 2017 by Elle Kennedy
Original publication 2009
Heat of the Storm: An Out of Uniform Novella
Reissue © 2017 by Elle Kennedy
Original publication 2009
Hot & Heavy
Copyright © 2017 by Elle Kennedy
Includes:
Heat It Up: An Out of Uniform Novella
Reissue © 2017 by Elle Kennedy
Original publication 2010
Heat of the Night: An Out of Uniform Novella
Reissue © 2017 by Elle Kennedy
Original publication 2010
The Heat is On: An Out of Uniform Novella
Reissue © 2017 by Elle Kennedy
Original publication 2011
Feeling Hot
Reissue © 2017 by Elle Kennedy
Original Publication 2012
Cover Design © Sofie Hartley of Hart & Bailey Design Co.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may reproduced, scanned or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or reviews.
Out of Uniform Box Set: Books 1-3 Page 72