“You okay to drive?” he asked, ever practical. “It’s not too late to leave your car here and ride back with me.”
She shook her head. “I can’t chance it.”
“Right.” He opened her door for her. Shut it. Waited for something.
Merde. She had no idea what he was thinking.
Instead of trying to figure it out—because she’d already proved singularly bad at that—she turned the key in the ignition and got the Kia started. Tye tapped on the window.
“I’ll follow you back,” he said when she rolled the window down.
“Okay,” she agreed, wanting to reach out and drag him into the car. To say something, anything. Instead, she settled for, “Thank you.”
Maybe Hallmark made cards commemorating the saving of one’s ass by a fireman hottie.
He reached out and ran a thumb down her cheek. “Anytime, angel. Roll the window up in case you hit smoke.”
He turned and walked back to his truck, so she got going.
The way back home had changed every bit as much as the trail. Cows wandered through burned out sections of forest, wisps of white smoke curling around the bases of the trees. Katie could almost pretend it was fog, except the trunks were blackened and the lower branches curled up from the heat. The cows looked good though, avoiding the occasional spot fire.
When she got to her bungalow, though, Tye flashed his blinkers and kept on driving.
Chapter Seventeen
‡
Finding Katie ass-deep in fire had taken ten years off his life. Maybe twenty. Tye didn’t know which, just that she’d scared the hell out of him and he didn’t know what to do with the fear. He’d pulled her into the pond and then he’d marched her back down the mountain. Seen her home.
And kept on driving.
The whole time, however, her words had rung in his ears. I have a bucket list. I love you.
He hadn’t known what to say. Or, rather, he’d known what he wanted to say—I love you too—but the words had got stuck in his throat and there’d been a goddamned forest fire bearing down on them, so her timing sucked. So he’d kept on driving, while he thought things out, and then he’d got to his camper and everything had been suddenly, perfectly clear. He didn’t belong there. He belonged with Katie. Wherever that was. So he’d called Kade, hitched the camper to the truck and moved out.
This time, when he pulled up in front of her bungalow, she was parked in the double swing on the front porch. She had her usual empty spot beside her, the one he’d assumed would be reserved for Kade.
He was all in. If she threw in her cards, he’d have to come up with another plan, but for now he was flying on a hope and a prayer. She watched him maneuver the camper rig into a neat parallel parking job in front of her place and the place was total Americana, right down to the yellow roses blooming by the porch. Strong and Katie were a far cry from Khost. But it could be home. He held onto that thought like a lifeline. The nuts and bolts of his parking job only occupied thirty seconds, and then he was out of excuses.
He got out of the truck, turned and faced the porch. And the woman who had no idea she held his goddamned heart in her hands.
Curled up on the swing, surrounded by mismatched pillows and potted ferns, Katie belonged there one hundred percent. He almost looked behind him for a husband coming up the drive with a couple of kids in tow. And possibly a pet or two or three. His heart squeezed. This was why coming out here had been a bad idea. He had more than enough money to give her the house and the animals, but he didn’t know if he was capable of the emotions that went with those things and made them more than things.
Made them a life.
She watched him come, kicking her foot back and forth. She was barefoot again, he noticed, her shoes kicked off on the porch’s wood planks.
“Hey,” he said, when he got close.
“Hey yourself.” She didn’t move, but she seemed unsurprised to see him. Probably Kade had warned her he was coming. It was good she had someone watching her back. Not that she needed looking out for, but he liked the idea that someone who cared for her was keeping an eye out.
He reached a hand out and pulled her foot to a slow halt. “Is there room for two?”
She slid over without answering and he dropped onto the seat beside her. The padded cushions were still warm from her body, and he took a moment to just enjoy being where she’d been. He’d take what he could get, because he had no idea how this conversation was going to go.
“You came home,” he said and wanted to smack himself.
Hell. That was obvious, which made him three kinds of an idiot, because where else would she have gone? He’d watched her turn into the driveway. He didn’t know what had been said between her and Kade since Kade’s return, but Kade had made it clear that the two of them weren’t a romantic item. Thank God. And Tye hadn’t asked her to stay.
He should have.
He knew that now.
But instead of putting the words out there, he stared. Christ, she looked good. Her tank top was casual and looked comfortable. Nothing fancy, but so damned beautiful, like Katie herself. The straps framed the strong lines of her collarbones and the golden brown skin he’d kissed. He wanted to bury his face in the crook of her neck and kiss her some more.
He definitely should have told her how he felt.
“I have a job here,” she reminded him.
Right. The art lessons. He probably shouldn’t be jealous of a bunch of five-year-olds and geriatrics.
She pushed off with her foot, setting the swing into motion again. The going was slower and harder with him on board, but she clearly was itching to move. For a long moment, he worked the swing with her, enjoying the contrast of his steel-toe next to her bare foot. He was all large and rough where she was feminine and delicate. And, fuck, he didn’t know when he’d started thinking in poetry.
Get the words out. Surely, if he could think them, he could say them.
Nope.
He was an idiot.
He didn’t deserve a second chance. Coming here wasn’t fair to her, not if she was putting her life back together. Whatever had happened between them before Kade had come home was part of the past.
“You look good,” he said finally, when it became clear she wasn’t going to break the silence. In some ways, though, that silence felt right. It was okay to not talk, to just sit and swing. Another day, he’d have enjoyed the sensation. Today, however, there was something he still needed to say.
“Are you leaving?” The question was straightforward, but her eyes hinted at other emotions. Humor? Sadness? Maybe a little of both, although his ability to read her had proved faulty in the past. Fuck it. He didn’t like this distance between them. He moved closer, his shoulder bumping hers, erasing the careful inches she’d put between them.
He’d come here determined to put everything on the line. To put himself out there and, yeah, beg her to take him.
“I wanted to tell you something,” he said roughly.
“Uh-huh.”
Katie’s fingers walked up his chest, and he should have warned her that touching him now was like playing with fire, but damn it, he wanted her hands on him.
“Yeah.” He closed his arms around her, holding her tight. When he rubbed a hand over her back, he could feel the fragile curve of her spine, but there was nothing fragile about this woman. She was tough.
“Tye?” Katie tilted her head back until she could see his eyes. The look on her face was a mix of sympathy and determination. Yeah. She’d take no for an answer, but then this time when she walked she’d do it alone, and she wouldn’t be coming back. If he wanted any chance with her, he had to find the words he’d been avoiding.
Her arms tightened around him, and he wondered who was holding who.
“Past tense?” Her soft question got right to the heart of the matter. “Wanted instead of want?”
“With you, it’s always want. I don’t see that changing.”
“Oui,
” she breathed out, but that was all.
*
The swing went forward and backward, and for the longest time they sat, watching night creep in around the house. Mountain nights weren’t afraid to speak up, and the crickets shrilled louder and louder as the dark grew. A train whistle moaned, passing through in the distance, and the toads called back and forth, hunting for mates and sex. Katie snuck peeks at Tye’s face, hard but not so distant now, because he’d been hurt but he’d opened up anyway. Instead of launching into words, she focused on breathing.
Which didn’t help. He smelled good, in a way that made her heart squeeze with recognition. Soap and outdoors and hot, hard male. She inhaled again, storing up memories. Too bad she couldn’t bottle him up and bring him out in the years to come, because there were no guarantees she’d get to keep him. Maybe he’d come back, do another summer in Strong, but those were maybes. Not definites.
And yet here he was.
With his camper hitched to the back of his truck.
She didn’t know what to think, but getting her hopes up was a good way to get her heart broken, and she’d had enough pain this month, thank you very much. So she swung and settled and waited.
Eventually, however, his thumb nudged her face up. “Are we okay?”
Giving in to temptation, she leaned into him and met his gaze. The look in his eyes was unfamiliar, full of something she hadn’t seen there before. Or maybe it had been there, and she simply hadn’t recognized it. It didn’t matter. All that counted now was this moment and this man. It was time to take that leap of faith.
“Yes,” she said softly. “We’re okay, Tye.”
“Promise?” He rubbed his thumb over her cheek, slow and steady.
“Are you worried?” She didn’t know what he was asking. All she knew was that his question mattered. “What do you want from me?” She reminded herself to breathe. Maybe his question was nothing more than empty words, a polite sop before he drove off and left her here on her front porch.
“Everything. I want it all, Katie.” He leaned over, shifting closer. “Every inch, every thought. Every night and every morning. Will you give me that?”
The dreamy slo-mo of the swing ceased, and her eyes stung. Don’t cry. He was still new to this emotional-sharing thing, and she needed to break him in slowly. But there was a grin spreading across her face, she could feel it, and maybe that made up for the wet eyes.
“That’s a tall order,” she said.
“True,” he whispered roughly. One booted foot planted on the porch, dragging the swing to a halt, and he pulled her onto his lap. Heat and his arms surrounded her. “But I’m thinking you could handle it, if I gave you the right incentive.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist. “Which would be?”
“Myself. Which is,” he admitted, “pretty damn self-serving of me. I want you to come back with me. Or I’ll stay put here. We’ll work something out.”
“To Uncle Sam?”
“Wherever we decide to go. You’ve got me hard and fast, Katie, and I’m never getting clear. Hell,” he whispered roughly, pressing a kiss against her forehead, “with you, I’m home and right where I want to be. Why would I fight it?”
“Why not?” He had to say it, she needed him to say it, because how often did a girl’s secret fantasies come true while she was sitting on her front porch?
“Because I love you,” he growled. “We’ll go wherever you want. We can come back here if that’s what you need, or we can just never leave.” His eyes made heated promises, and summer spent in his arms sounded just about perfect. His next words were the icing on the cake. “Marry me, Katie Lawson, so we can do this for the rest of our lives.”
Yes. Please.
“Besides, I need someone to help me with my bucket list.” He fished a folded list out of his back pocket.
She took it and bit back a smile. He’d written a bucket list of things to do with her. The over-water bungalow in Bora Bora was definitely something she could get behind. Of course, the more she read, the bigger her grin got.
“Tye, half of these have to do with sex.”
“Yeah.” He grinned at her. “But only half. I have my priorities straight. You can get your swim with the shark fix in Bora Bora. On our honeymoon.”
“You don’t want to sit on my porch for the rest of our lives?” She laughed up at him, because it was that or shriek and cry.
He growled, “Come here, you,” and covered her mouth with his.
His lips muffled her I love you, but that was okay. There was love and tenderness and laughter in their kiss, and they both knew it. Tye might always be a bad ass SEAL at heart, but now he was as much hers as she was his.
Forever.
The End
If you enjoyed Smoking Hot, look for these other titles by Anne Marsh:
The Smoke Jumpers
Burning Up (Book 1)
Slow Burn (Book 2)
Burns So Bad (Book 3)
Smoking Hot (Book 4)
Sweet Burn (Book 5 – May 2014)
Heated (Book 6 – Fall 2014)
The Hot Shots
Reburn (Book 1)
Hot Zone (Book 2)
Fired Up (Book 3 – in Hot Shots)
Other Contemporary Titles
One Hot Cowboy
Wicked Sexy (July 2014)
Wicked Nights (October 2014)
Crash and Burn (A Free Short Story)
The Fallen
Bond with Me
His Dark Bond
Savage Bond
Blue Moon Brides
Tempted by the Pack (Book 1 – Free!)
Pleasured by the Pack (Book 2)
Claimed by the Pack (Book 3)
Captured by the Pack (Book 4 – May 2014)
Taken by the Pack (Book 5 – June 2014)
Other Paranormal Books
The Hunt
Vikings’ Orders
Pharon’s Demon (A Free Novella)
About the Author
After ten years of graduate school and too many degrees, Anne Marsh escaped to become a technical writer. When not planted firmly in front of the laptop translating Engineer into English, Anne enjoys gardening, running (even if it’s just to the 7-11 for slurpees), and reading books curled up with her kids. The best part of writing romance, however, is finally being able to answer the question: “So… what do you do with a PhD in Slavic Languages and Literatures?” She lives in Northern California with her husband, two kids and four cats.
You can reach Anne Marsh at www.anne-marsh.com or email her at [email protected]
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
The Navy SEAL’s E-Mail Order Bride
Cora Seton
‡
Author’s Note
The Navy SEAL’s E-Mail Order Bride is the first in the four volume series, The Heroes of Chance Creek. To find out more about Mason, Regan, Austin, Zane, Colt and other Chance Creek inhabitants, look for the rest of the books in the series, including:
The Soldier’s E-Mail Order Bride (Volume 2)
The Marine’s E-Mail Order Bride (Volume 3)
The Airman’s E-Mail Order Bride (Volume 4)
Find out where it all began with The Cowboys of Chance Creek Series:
The Cowboy’s E-mail Order Bride (Volume 1)
The Cowboy Wins a Bride (Volume 2)
The Cowboy Imports a Bride (Volume 3)
The Cowgirl Ropes a Billionaire (Volume 4)
The Sheriff Catches a Bride (Volume 5)
The Cowboy Lassos a Bride (Volume 6)
The Cowboy Rescues a Bride (Volume 7)
The Cowboy Earns a Bride (Volume 8)
Visit http://www.coraseton.com for more titles and release dates.
Sign up for my newsletter here.
Find me on Facebook and Twitter.
Chapter One
‡
“Boys,” Lieutenant Commander Mason Hall said, “we’re going home.”
; He sat back in his folding chair and waited for a reaction from his brothers. The recreation hall at Bagram Airfield was as busy as always with men hunched over laptops, watching the widescreen television, or lounging in groups of three or four shooting the breeze. His brothers—three tall, broad shouldered men in uniform—stared back at him from his computer screen, the feeds from their four-way video conversation all relaying a similar reaction to his words.
Utter confusion.
“Home?” Austin was the first to speak. A Special Forces officer just a year younger than Mason, he was currently in Kabul.
“Home,” Mason confirmed. “I got a letter from Great Aunt Heloise. Uncle Zeke passed away over the weekend without designating an heir. That means the ranch reverts back to her. She thinks we’ll do a better job running it than Darren will.” Darren, their first cousin, wasn’t known for his responsible behavior and he hated ranching. Mason, on the other hand, loved it. He had missed the ranch, the cattle, the Montana sky and his family’s home ever since they’d left it twelve years ago.
“She’s giving Crescent Hall to us?” That was Zane, Austin’s twin, a Marine currently in Kandahar. The excitement in his tone told Mason all he needed to know—Zane stilled loved the old place as much as he did. When Mason had gotten Heloise’s letter, he’d had to read it more than once before he believed it. The Hall would belong to them once more—when he’d thought they’d lost it for good. Suddenly he’d felt like he could breathe fully again after so many years of holding in his anger and frustration over his uncle’s behavior. The timing was perfect, too. He was due to ship stateside any day now. By April he’d be a civilian again.
Except it wasn’t as easy as all that. Mason took a deep breath. “There are a few conditions.”
Colt, his youngest brother, snorted. “Of course—we’re talking about Heloise, aren’t we? What’s she up to this time?” He was an Air Force combat controller who had served both in Afghanistan and as part of the relief effort a few years back after the massive earthquake which devastated Haiti. He was currently back on United States soil in Florida, training with his unit.
SEALs of Summer: Military Romance Superbundle - Navy SEAL Style Page 32