Operation: Stripped & Stranded

by E Kay Sims

  Bear did as I told him then laid at my feet. He flashed his big brown puppy dog eyes at me, like butter wouldn’t melt. “Leah, would you kindly keep your damn panties in a place that Bear can’t reach? That’s the third pair this week he’s brought over to our place.”

  She rolled her eyes at me as she scooped them up off the ground. “He’s a blue heeler. He’s smart, he can get into anything.” She dusted them off and shoved them into the back pocket of her jeans.

  “Have a good evening, Leah. As you can see, I’m about to ravish my fiancée. Give Gil my best.” I headed for the house with EZee laughing and squirming in my arms, and my fingers managed to pinch her bottom.

  “Oh! Put me down, Eric. Do you hear me? I promise if you don’t….”

  “You’ll what?” I nipped at her neck again.

  Leah cocked her hip out and folded her arms with a grin. “Ooh, an EZee threat. I want to see where this goes.” She glanced back at her house. “Actually, no, I don’t. I’ve got a wedding cake in the oven. Check you later!” As she turned away, she summoned Bear to come after her. The heeler lunged for the lingerie hanging out of her back pocket, but she managed to dodge him.

  I heard the roar of the Sportster before I saw it. Gil was just getting home from work.

  I kicked the bedroom door shut behind me then carried EZee over to the bed. I set her down gently and took her shoes off, tossing them one by one over my shoulder. I slid my hands up her skirt to find she hadn’t worn any underwear.

  “Well now,” I drawled, “when did you start going commando?”

  “You’re not the only one who has daydreams, my love.” She smiled up at me, her eyes glowing as her hands reached for my belt. The diamond ring on the third finger of her left hand sparkled in the sunlight that streamed through the window.

  “Mmm, let me make those dreams come true,” I said, my heart pounding.

  GIL

  “Fuck,” I mumbled to myself as I paced back and forth under the metal arch Eric and Uncle Joe had put up earlier that morning. I glanced up at the wildflowers Mum, EZee, and Kylie had looped through it as I rubbed my hands through my hair.

  This was it. This was the big day. The moment I would marry the love of my life, the woman I’d built a home with over the last seven months. Leah and I only stayed in the company condo for six weeks. Directly after our dinner with Eric and EZee, she’d mentioned something about a farm for sale that was right next to EZee’s place, and we should make an offer, since it was going up for sale. I thought she was mad. We hadn’t even gotten settled into our new lives yet, how could we make such a big decision on top of the other big decisions we’d made in such a short time?

  Then Leah and EZee had a lunch date with Mrs. Nichols, and Leah came home all starry-eyed with pictures and everything. When she dragged me to one of their lunches and introduced me to the lady, and I walked around the place, I knew she was serious. And I was hooked on the idea. The property was beautiful, if a little dated. But it had massive potential. We worked out that we could generate a good additional income on the wine from the vineyard, and soap and dairy products from the goats. By turning the place into a B&B with a few pet friendly garden rooms, complete with a gift shop, and a restaurant that Leah and EZee planned to run together; somewhere that day-trippers could also visit, we could end up with a decent little business. I still intended to work for Oak Street Ice Cream Co. That job was far too rewarding, and I loved what I did there. But being our own bosses of a place like Vine & Hooves B&B where we only need answer to each other, was far too tantalizing to me. And the chance to go into partnership with EZee and Eric? Well, shit. That was a no-brainer.

  Eric took on more of a silent partner role since he was still technically in the Army, but he was a cunning businessman, took no shit, told it how it was, and I knew the business would benefit from that. The rest of us tended to let our passions get in the way of practicalities, so he was the voice of reason.

  The house Leah and I shared was in crazy disarray at the moment with all the renos happening, so of course, this was when we chose to get married. Not when we were finished and could have the place all nice and new before the big grand opening on 4th of July weekend. We couldn’t wait to commit to one another for the rest of our lives, so we chose now. I was happy with our choice, but I was nervous as hell. What if I stuffed up my vows, or it started raining on us, or what if the dogs bit Kylie properly during the ceremony and we had to take her to the hospital? Anything could go wrong, anything could ruin our special moment.

  “Aussie!”

  I jumped at the sound of the gruff voice and saw Uncle Joe standing in front of me with a frown on his tough face.

  “What’s the matter with you?”

  I gulped. “Nothing.”

  “Bullshit. Tell me the truth, kid. Are you getting cold feet or something? You don’t want to marry my beautiful niece all of a sudden?”

  Why the hell would he ask me that? “Yeah, I bloody well want to marry her! What kind of question is that? I love her to pieces!”

  Joe grinned. “Good. So, what’s the problem?”

  I glanced over at Kylie and my parents, at EZee and Eric, at my assistant, Harry, who had helped us organise the wedding, and the rest of Uncle Joe’s race team buddies, all considered close family to Leah—no Daveo, though, since he was too busy being Deep Lake’s resident bum. It wasn’t a big crowd, and it only consisted of the people closest to us, but I had always hated being the centre of attention. I was glad I would be sharing the limelight with Leah, who was more than used to being looked at. But until Leah made her appearance, all eyes would be on me.

  “I’m not used to being front and centre like this,” I confessed.

  Joe chuckled at me.

  Eric came over and clapped his hand onto my shoulder. I could feel his strong grip through the linen material of the white, long-sleeved, button-up shirt that I was wearing under a light brown vest with tan trousers and brown boots. He grinned at me and I knew some smartarsed wisecrack was about to fly out of his mouth.

  “Hey, drugstore cowboy, where’s your Stetson? You look like you’re ready to saddle up.” He chuckled at his own joke. “‘Course, I bet your girl can’t wait to ride you like a three-dollar mule. I swear, I wouldn’t put it past her to show up with a riding crop instead of the traditional bridal bouquet,” Eric joked.

  “It’s her something borrowed,” I joked with him. Anything to relieve the tension in my body.

  I glanced across at my family as Kylie began to argue with Dad about something while Mum tried to get in between them. I rolled my eyes. As much as I was happy to see them here, I couldn’t wait to see them leave. I’d grown a lot in these seven months apart from them. I had become a more independent man capable of supporting myself and my lady without feeling the pressure of being a constant failure if I slacked off for a day. Leah was fiercely independent and because she needed her space sometimes to do her own thing, it meant I could relax. I was an entirely new person and I kinda liked the new Gil.

  The strains of I Met A Girl by Sam Hunt began playing and I knew this was it. Leah and I never really had a song until we both heard that one on my music streaming service a few months ago. It described us perfectly.

  My line of sight bypassed the guests in their hired white folding chairs to the girl in the lacy pink, knee-length dress, the tousled blonde hair that fell around her shoulders, and the cowboy boots she loved so much. The flowers in her hands matched those on the arch—a mix of wild flowers she’d gathered that morning. I was vaguely aware of EZee and our basset hound pup, Pippa, accompanying her as my gaze settled on this beautiful woman’s smile. The tension inside me melted away. As she took her first step towards me, I remembered how right this union was. Leah Dawson would be my wife by the end of the night. It was with the new Mrs. Barlow that I belonged, in this place we’d made a home, with my best friend and his lady as our neighbours.

  To the new Mrs. Barlow, I would give my love and my life.
My joy and my sadness. My peace and my frustrations, and she would give me hers. My whole world belonged to her and we were about to show the world exactly what we meant to each other.

  “Here it goes,” I muttered, drawing in a deep breath.

  I felt Eric pat my shoulder again.

  Yep. This was exactly where I was supposed to be.

  THE END

  EVE OF DESTRUCTION

  BOOK ONE OF THE SOLDIERS OF DESTRUCTION SERIES

  Click here to Purchase for: Kindle

  I’m Capt. Eve Stone and I'm a cyborg. I woke up in a top-secret lab with no memory of my past, except that I was once human. They erased my memory, more than once. I’m more machine than human now, but once my sleep cycle begins, my memories from my human life return, and so do those of a man with stormy silver eyes. He haunts my dreams, and something in me knows he’s the key to my human identity. I need to remember…

  I’m SSgt Wyatt Powell, former USAF Military Training Instructor at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, TX. I met and fell in love with Airman Katica Hajek nineteen years ago. A relationship between us was against the rules. But she agreed to explore our explosive relationship anyway. I thought I lost her, but now I am not so sure.

  Eve of Destruction is Book ONE in the Soldiers of Destruction Series and ends in a cliffhanger.

  *****

  KNIGHTS OF DESTRUCTION

  BOOK TWO OF THE SOLDIERS OF DESTRUCTION SERIES

  Click here to Purchase for: Kindle

  CAPTAIN EVE STONE, UNITED STATES AIR FORCE SPECIAL OPERATIONS JTAC

  I am an American soldier, serving the people of the United States of America. I am a warrior. I am trained and disciplined mentally and physically. I am an expert and a professional. I stand ready to deploy, engage, and to destroy the enemy. I will never accept defeat. And that is why after nearly twenty years of serving my country and having my identity, my memory, my life, and my one true love stolen from me, I will fight with everything in me to get him back, to remember who I really am.

  Almost twenty years have gone by since I was injured in an accident while serving in the United States Air Force. My family, friends, and fiancé were informed I had died. I lost everything. Until now.

  It was a chance encounter. While on a top-secret mission behind enemy lines in Iraq, he found me, the only man I’ve ever loved, SSgt Wyatt Powell. But I don’t remember him. You see, I’m a cyborg now. My human side is at war with my machine side because my human side remembers. I have a new identity and a new mission. I will get my life back, and I will make Wyatt fall in love with me again. And I will seek and destroy those who did this to me. I am Captain Eve Stone, and I am a Soldier of Destruction.

  SSGT WYATT POWELL, MERCENARY SOLDIER OF KNIGHTS INC.

  I can’t believe it’s her. When she died, it nearly destroyed me. Now I’m facing the fact that she’s been alive all this time, but she’s changed. She’s a cyborg with a new identity, and I’m not the same man she fell in love with. I’ve seen and done things that I cannot undo.

  I have memories of how we used to be, of the all-consuming love we once shared, back before I had traversed the depths of hell. Before I lost my soul and willingly became a cyborg soldier for Knights Inc., a private mercenary army for hire, fighting for and protecting important assets of the United States. We do the dirty work no one else will, behind enemy lines in the most dangerous parts of the world, and on American soil. We go where even the bravest of the brave would not dare to go.

  We have a new mission: find others like Captain Eve Stone and stop whoever is stealing the lives of American soldiers and turning them into cyborgs against their will. This I will do. I will hunt down those bastards and make them pay. I owe her this, even though I’ve reached the point of no return. I owe her my help in getting her life back, even if I no longer belong in it.

  I can’t go back to the way we were, and I don’t know how to go forward, or if I even want to. She would hate the man I’ve become. I’m no longer worthy of her. I am the Dragon, a Knight of Destruction.

  COMING SOON:

  MERCENARIES OF DESTRUCTION (THE SOLDIERS OF DESTRUCTION SERIES BOOK 3)

  EVE, MY FOREVER GIRL

  GHOST WARRIORS REDEMPTION SERIES

  UNEXPECTED

  MARKED FOR LOVE (BOOK ONE)

  Click here to Purchase for: Kindle

  No one ever said love was easy, and Kida is about to find out how tricky matters of the heart can be.

  When Kida and handsome British expat, Miles, crash into each other- quite literally- one morning, neither is expecting the instant attraction that draws them to one another. He is handsome, intelligent and looks at Kida in a way no man ever has before.

  As a shy, twenty-five-year-old single woman, living and working in New York City certainly has its challenges, but Kida's best friend, James, has always been there to lend a helping hand. He's a man Kida has always had stronger feelings for, but is afraid to take the next step with. After all, what would an outgoing, ex-footballer see in her?

  When both men start to shower her with affection, will Kida be able to choose between them, or will she lose them both forever?

  *****

  PAINTING RAINBOWS

  CREATIVE PASSIONS (BOOK ONE)

  Click here to Purchase for: Kindle

  Layla is sick and tired of rainbows. They appear in all of her paintings, but they’re not a true reflection of her life.

  Nursing a broken heart, Layla has retreated to a small town in the English Countryside and needs something to occupy her mind. Deciding to enroll in the community art class, she’s surprised to find the nude model is the sexiest guy in town and someone she’s clashed with in the past.

  Playful and bold, Grady never takes life too seriously, living every day to its fullest. What begins as a way to make some quick cash soon becomes much more as he pursues Layla. He encourages her to embrace her artworks, to open her heart to love and to discover the joy that can be found in painting rainbows.

  COMING SOON:

  UNITED PARTS 1 & 2 (MARKED FOR LOVE BOOKS 2 & 3)

  BLUE ROGUE (PART OF THE BUILDING LOVE CHARITY ANTHOLOGY BENEFITING RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE, WESTMEAD)

  E. KAY SIMS

  You can contact E Kay Sims at ekaysimsauthor@gmail.com

  E Kay Sims is a Yoga and T'ai Chi instructor, a mother of two children (grown) and grandmother of 2 granddaughters. E. Kay Sims writes Military Romance-Sci-Fi. Her new series is Soldiers of Destruction. "Eve of Destruction Book One" released in May of 2017.

  E. Kay Sims was born in Naples Italy while her father served in the United States Marines. After high school she worked as a reference librarian on a military post for almost 3 years, hence her love and passion for books. She's been writing stories and poetry since she was very young. She comes from a long line of veterans so she has a strong sense of duty and patriotism, love of country and God, which led to her desire to serve.

  E. Kay enlisted in the USAF and was stationed at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, where she met the love of her life, a fellow serviceman, John Sims, her husband since 1990. While on active duty she was severely injured and medically retired. Through her passion of helping others, she became a certified yoga instructor teaching yoga for PTSD to Vets. She is also a certified T’ai Chi instructor.

  E Kay has raised two children and become a grandmother of two. She was once a radio broadcaster/ Program Director and Assistant Station Manager of KYRS 95.3 FM Spokane. Now, semi-retired, she has time to dedicate to writing and publishing as an Indie Author. Her first book “Eve of Destruction Book ONE” of the “Soldiers of Destruction Series” released in May of 2017. “Knights of Destruction Book TWO” will release sometime in Spring 2018

  Website: ekaysims.wixsite.com/ekaysimsauthor

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  KIERA JAYNE

  You can contact Kiera Jayne at kierajayneauthor@outlook.com

  I grew up in country New South Wales, Australia and spent my formative years having all sorts of fun on the sheep and cattle farms my grandad and uncles helped to run, as well as spending lots of time in Tamworth, NSW, which fostered in me a love of the bush.

  In my early twenties, I spent a year in Europe, which I consider one of the best years of my life and would live there permanently given half the chance.

  I am a crazy dog lover, I love music, reading, history and traveling, Marvel films and epic television dramas such as Outlander and Vikings. I love the cold, I can’t stand the heat of summer and I will pick peas out of absolutely everything, because eew!

  I live in house full of books and music in Brisbane, Australia.

  Website: www.kierajayneauthor.wixsite.com/website

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