by Zoe Dawson
She lifted her head and stared at him bemused and looking so sexy and mussed up. She frowned in an indulgent way. “What kind of person do you think I am? I wouldn’t have told him I’d marry him then be lying here on your gloriously naked, hard and gorgeous body if I had pledged to marry someone last night!”
He rubbed his temple, realizing that he was a complete idiot. Of course she wasn’t. It was just his own fears. He wanted her to say it out loud.
“Right. Look, I’m an idiot, and I just woke up.”
“Sure,” she said, brushing over his lips. “You can’t fool me with that. You wake up as intense and completely ready for action as you are when you’re awake.”
He buried his face in her neck and breathed out a heavy, ragged sigh. “I just wanted to hear you say it.”
She leaned back and cupped his face. “Oh, you did, did you?” She grinned at him, and his heart turned over. God, he wished she would just say it first.
“Did you just come back to return my memory cards?”
“No,” he said, his voice low and husky. He rubbed at his stubble, his gut clenching. “I owe you dinner.”
She huffed a breath and went to throw back the covers, but he grabbed her wrist and jerked her onto his chest. “Dammit! All right! I came back for you.”
She stared at him for a second, then asked in a husky voice, “What’s all the shouting about? You don’t need to hide it from me.” He took a breath, soothed by her answer. “For as long as you’re here. You’re staying with me. Where are your things?”
“You know I live in San Diego.”
“I know you do. Where are your things?”
“In the car.”
“Go get them. We’ve got a morning run, then we’ll figure out what we want to do after that.” Then she kissed him hard, slipped out of bed and into the bathroom. All he saw was the length of her dark hair swinging and that shapely backside.
He sighed, the moment gone. He’d wanted to tell her so badly, but he wanted to know at the same time. Since he didn’t, he did as she’d asked and went for his duffel.
Time passed over the course of the next week. She got her crew on board, getting prepared to edit her footage and put together her story. He hung out at her house, watching her work, enjoying her when she wasn’t.
He was sound asleep when a slap to his butt woke him up. “Get up. Let’s go!” she said, and before he knew what was happening, she was out of bed. Startled, he watched that ball of energy grab up clothes, some flying toward him, others covering those delectable curves.
“Hey, babe. I had other plans. I wanted to compound on those orgasms last night.”
She took a hard, quick breath. “I was faking.” She giggled at his expression, then was gone. He thrust back the covers and barely got his running clothes on and his shoes before she was going out the door.
She rushed ahead of him and he felt like he was laboring to catch his breath.
“Hold up, woman.”
“Come on, slowpoke,” she urged.
“Geez, what have you been doing since I’ve been gone? Running marathons?” he groused.
“Yes, I’ve got to keep up with you. I’ve been lifting weights, too. Wanna arm wrestle?”
He chuckled and stopped running, the sky was blue and his heart was so damn full. “Dana, wait. You’re tiring me out.”
That’s my plan, wear you out, wear you down. Like Chinese water torture.” She stopped and turned toward him, then came running back.
“Come on, Grandpa, you can do it without your walker.”
He grabbed her arm and drew her around, his face serious.
She sobered, the smile disappearing. Shit was about to get real.
“You’re going to make me say it first. Aren’t you?”
She closed her eyes briefly and then opened them, wetting her tantalizing lips. “Yes, I am.”
“Out here in the park, under the heavenly blue sky, me all sweaty, hanging by a thread, scared as hell.”
“Then you better say it before you waste away. I wouldn’t like that.”
He took a breath, his heart beating hard. He never said it first. It was one of the rules that he always played by, but Dana had discovered that if something wasn’t working, she must be playing by the rules. They were meant to be broken and he’d done his fair share of it to get the job done. She was definitely the woman for him. He stepped closer to her, framed her face in his hands staring deeply into her eyes.
“I love you,” he said, his tone low and rough. “I love the strong, independent woman you are,” he said, his voice getting rougher. “Arguing with you is the highlight of my day. I love the way you laugh, the way you make me laugh, your loopy sense of humor.” His voice went even more ragged and soft. “I love making love to you.”
She grasped his wrists, and her fingers tightened around them.
“But I especially love the way you make me feel, alive when I thought I was just this scarred, bitter warrior. I can’t live without that, Dana. I loved you every waking moment since I realized I loved you. So, there, I said it first. You made this alpha man heel.”
She just stood there looking up at him, and his heart squeezed really hard. His fear running like ice through him. What if she didn’t say it back?
“Goddamn, woman. Say something.”
“I’m pretty attached to you, too.”
For a minute he stood there, then she giggled. He growled and dragged her against him. “Dana, for the love of God and country.”
She threw herself at him, wrapped her arms around his neck and shouted, “I love you, Bowie Cooper. My Ruckus, the man who saved me, the man I want for the rest of my life. I really love the way you make me feel. You gave me closure when I was so lost. You helped me find my mom again, and for that I’ll be forever grateful to you.” She kissed him. “You’ll need all your SEAL skills to handle me.”
“Don’t I know it.” When she went to kiss him again, he pulled back. “Wait. I know that being with me is going to take a toll. Deployments are hard on family members. But the SEALs, Dana, they are my family. I don’t know—”
She covered his mouth and gazed up at him with so much love sparkling in her eyes, he’d been a fool to miss it. “I would never ask you to give up what you love. Will it be hard? Yes, it will, but I would rather be with you like this than live without you. I simply can’t do that.”
“I love you so much, Dana. I’ve been waiting my whole life for a woman like you.”
“Then why did it take you so long to come back to me?”
“I was scared I wouldn’t be the man you needed, wanted. I was afraid to hear you tell me those words.”
“You really are a such a macho idiot, but you made me see that I was taking my objectivity as a reporter a step further and numbing everything, not just my professional life, but my personal life, too.”
“I was an idiot until I went home, found my mom and she told me why she turned me out.” He explained everything to her and her eyes went all soft and tender as he opened up. He felt safe with her, even with the dark stuff that had been trapped inside. She would never betray him.
She gave him such a tender look. “You weren’t an idiot about that at all. Not at all.” She hugged him hard, then said, “Let’s run really fast back home so I can show you how much I love you.”
When they got there, Ruckus groaned long and loud when he saw the SUV and the 4x4 sitting outside Dana’s house. Dana was still basking in the glow of having this man show her his vulnerable side. She’d already seen the brave. Now she would cherish both so very much.
Seven very large figures were milling around. Cowboy in his distinctive black hat, Blue, aviator sunglasses glinting in the sun, Kid Chaos in a gray hoodie, looking tough and petulant, Tank, big, intimidating with the most devastating blue eyes, Wicked looking tall, dark and handsomely dangerous, Hollywood making her neighbors stop and stare and last, but not least, Scarecrow with his smooth Southern accent, and lean, mean body. “Looks like we’re outnum
bered.”
“This is a major goat fuck if I ever saw one,” he said.
Dana laughed out loud when all those gorgeous, muscled hunks turned in their direction. “Love you, love your team?”
“Yeah, something like that. Although, I don’t love them so much right now.”
When she approached, she got high fives and devastating grins. She unlocked the door and all of them piled inside. She had a decent sized house, but these eight men filled it up to bursting as if there wasn’t enough oxygen or square footage in the room.
“Why are you guys here?” Bowie asked.
“Man,” Kid said. “You’ve been AWOL from the gym too long my friend, and the basketball court. We need you to even out the teams.”
“Yeah, we missed you barking orders at us, LT,” Blue said with a whine. “Kid cries himself to sleep every night. He misses your bedtime stories.”
Kid hit Blue in the arm. “Shut up,” he said, wiping away a mock tear. “Don’t play on a man’s pain.”
Bowie set his hands on his hips. “So what are you going to do? Kidnap me?”
Kid walked up and bent at the knees, and before Dana could take another breath, he lifted Bowie into a fireman’s carry. “See you in a bit, Dana. Breakfast would be nice.” Kid grinned. “We’ll be ravenous when we get back.”
“You plan on bringing him back, then?” Her eyes sparkling.
“Sure. You a good cook?”
“She is,” Bowie said wryly from behind Kid’s back.
Blue held the door, and Cowboy shook his head. “Sorry about this, ma’am, but it’s SEAL business.”
“I got your six. I’ll make steak and eggs.”
All of them cheered, many of them grinning and Dana smiled. She may have fallen in love with Lieutenant Bowie “Ruckus” Cooper, but he came with this package deal, seven gorgeous alpha males with enough testosterone to light up every woman in the city, long deployments and intense danger. She wasn’t new to that being a correspondent, but she and that big, wonderful man would make it work no matter what. And if it didn’t work, well, then, they’d break the rules and make new ones.
Epilogue
Dana put the finishing touches on her copy and queued up her footage. Bowie had been deployed for so long, she’d lost track of the time. In the interim, she ended up going to DC and finishing her interview with Hector Salazar, only she’d put her own spin on the finished product. Her new boss loved the angle. It hadn’t taken them long to bond and become good friends. The picture of Bowie she’d taken in the jungle sat on her desk. She stared at it, picking it up, missing him. Their last Skype session too long ago.
Sara walked in the office, looking as put together as usual. The woman knew how to wear anything designer and wear it to the max, her long blond hair clipped at the nape of her neck. Dana guessed she was somewhere in her mid-thirties. She knew that body had been developed over Pilates, good nutrition and yoga.
“How long has it been?” Sara asked.
“Too long,” Dana replied and set the photo down.
“When was the last time you heard from him?”
Dana sighed. “Just a week, but I miss his physical presence.”
“From that picture, I assume it’s pretty damn potent. He is one gorgeous hunk of man.” She sat down. “How do you handle that?”
Dana folded her arms over her chest and leaned back in her chair. “I know he’s coming home to me.” She leaned forward and woke her computer. “I wanted to—”
“Uh, Dana?” Sara’s gaze sharpened then she smiled.
“What?” Dana said, focusing on Sara’s joyful grin.
“I think your wait is over.” She nudged her chin toward the outer office.
“What…?” Dana said swiveling in her chair. Her breath caught like it always did, like it always would.
He was walking through the newsroom, female heads turning, eyes full of appreciation and envy. He was still in uniform, straight off the plane it seemed. The only thing missing was that wicked rifle and the pack he carried. He looked way too sexy and her whole body heated. They watched his progress, big, beautiful and fresh from battle.
Their eyes met across the space, and she smiled. He smiled back. The kind of smile that told her handholds were in her not too distant future.
“I assume you’re taking the rest of the day off.”
Dana didn’t even look at her boss. “Yeah,” she said and got up, leaving everything running. Sara would take care of it for her.
When she reached him, she said softly, “Hello, sailor. Wanna have a good time?”
He grinned. “With a cupcake?”
“Sure. Why not?”
“You’re not the argumentative type, are you? I can’t stand it when a woman doesn’t know her place.”
“What kind of question is that to ask a grown woman?” She poked him in the chest. “You caveman.”
He chuckled, his eyes telling her that’s exactly the answer he was looking for. He kissed her in front of everyone. She melted against him while the office breathed a collective sigh and went back to work.
“Let’s go home,” he whispered.
Early evening light filtered in the windows as he shifted on the bed, a kind of stillness settling in that could only be found in deep contentment.
Dana lay on her stomach, sheets twisted around them both. Just barely awake and fuzzy from sleep and a night of very good loving. He was determined they weren’t moving from this spot for days…weeks.
“How did it go?”
“You know I work with knuckleheads, right?”
“Yes,” she breathed, wrapping her arm around him. “Everyone is safe?”
Her voice was hushed, and he understood that it wasn’t only him she worried about. “Kid fell down an embankment right into a camp of tangos. But he came up fighting and did it with so much grace and finesse, the baddies a few feet away didn’t even know it happened.”
She covered her mouth and shook her head. “That guy…he’s something else.”
He worried about Kid more than once, something drove that boy, and it had nothing to do with an adrenaline rush. Ruckus hoped he figured it out before it killed him. “He’s a menace and freaking amazing SEAL. A few cuts and scrapes. The rest of them are fine. We got the job done without incident.” Of course, he couldn’t tell her what the job was, but Dana never pressed him for details. She didn’t care what they were doing, she knew all of it was dangerous. She only cared about them making it home in one piece.
“That is all that matters. Job accomplished, everyone safe. I’ll take it.” She kissed his mouth. “Especially you.”
She didn’t ask him how much time he had before he was called in again. None of them knew that. They were at Uncle Sam’s mercy and damned glad to be doing what they did every day. But loving this woman, that was icing on the cupcake.
When the pounding came from the door downstairs, Ruckus sighed. “You know they can’t leave me alone for one friggin’ day.”
She laughed. You’d better go open it up or they’ll come storming in here like commandos.”
They got out of bed, went downstairs and with a growl, he pulled the door open. “Don’t you guys have something better to do?” They walked in; Kid with Mia, his girl wrapped around him, the other guys were all solo except Scarecrow who had a cute brunette on his arm.
“Sorry, LT. It’s mandatory we have a drink after we get home. You’ve had all day with your darlin’.” One by one they filed past him. Some kissing Dana on the cheek, others picking her up in a bear hug and Tank swinging her around.
Her phone chimed, and she answered, then smiled. “I don’t know. Let me see if he’s up for it.”
He raised his brow when she covered the phone. “You want to meet my boss? She told me she couldn’t wait any longer. Drinks?”
“Drinks sound great,” Kid said and the other guys chimed in.
Ruckus turned toward the stairs, grabbing Dana’s hand. “We better get dressed, then,” he sa
id.
“You do know that means you put her clothes on, not take them off,” Hollywood said.
“Shut up,” Ruckus growled.
Hours later, he’d met Sara and everyone was having a great time. Kid was over near the bar toying with Mia’s hair, his eyes on her. There was something off with the way she was looking at Kid, and Ruckus felt his gut tighten. The rest of them were either dancing or hitting on Sara. She wasn’t complaining.
Then his gaze went to Dana who was playing pool with Cowboy, who was quite a shark, but she was holding her own. Just like she had with Salazar, in the steaming jungle of the Gap, every step of the way with him. She was magnificent.
He slipped his hand into his jacket pocket and fingered the small box there. He was going to wait, but now, surrounded by everyone seemed like the perfect time.
He pushed back his chair and walked to the pool table just as she sunk the eight ball. Cowboy was grinning, but when he saw Ruckus crossing the room, his eyes glittered. He motioned everyone over.
He took her hand as she laid the pool cue down. She was still smiling at having beat Cowboy. “Will you marry me?”
Her breath caught and that smile on her face faltered. He pulled the box out of his pocket, his fingers not quite steady. She looked down at it then back up at him, her eyes tearing up, his chest filling up with more emotions than he could define, but one he was sure he knew what it was. Love.
She stared at him for an instant longer; then she closed her eyes and came into his arms, holding on to him with a desperate strength. Closing his own eyes, Ruckus roughly turned his face against her neck, locking his arms around her.
“I’ll marry you, yes.”
He grasped the back of her head. “I love you, Dana,” he whispered unevenly.
She clung to him, then drew a deep breath, whispering huskily, “I love you, too, Bowie. So much.”
She kissed him, a shiver of sensation washing through him. She was so soft, so lovely and all his.
Exhaling hard, he caught her face in his hands, then reluctantly lifted his head. Tipping her face up, he gave her another soft, gentling kiss. Then he looked down at her, his gaze very serious. “You’re not even going to look at the ring?”