by Tess Summers
Chapter Twenty-Five
Ron
Yeah, she’s going home with me tonight.
Ron watched a group of businessmen checking Brenna out the minute she walked in the lobby of Evangeline’s. She didn’t pay them any attention as she entered the bar and looked around, smiling wide when she found him sitting at a high-top table.
He didn’t blame the men for eyeing her. She looked like a model as she glided toward him; her blonde hair complimented by the button-up emerald green cashmere sweater. He wondered if it would be expensive to have someone sew all those buttons back on because he was having visions of ripping her sweater open. Her tailored cream colored slacks weren’t going to fare much better. She could leave the four-inch heels on though. And the necklace.
She approached where he sat on the barstool, and he slid his arm around her waist when she kissed him on the mouth. He wasn’t expecting that, but he sure as hell wasn’t complaining.
She didn’t move toward the empty seat and stayed in between his legs where she was eye level with him.
“Have you been waiting long?” she asked as she brushed the hair above his ear.
“I just got here. Our table should be ready shortly.”
“Oh good, I was worried I’d kept you waiting. I didn’t expect traffic to be so heavy at this time on a Thursday night.”
“The way you look, darlin’, I’d wait all night.”
She stroked his freshly shaven face. “Aw, flattery will get you everywhere.”
Ron grinned. “I’m counting on that.”
“You look very handsome yourself.”
He was glad she said that. He never knew what to wear when he didn’t go out in uniform, which wasn’t very often anymore. Most of the dinners and events he’d been to lately were when he was representing the Marine Corps, so that made picking out what to wear pretty easy. Should he wear his dress blues or his other dress blues? He was a little rusty when it came to civilian wear. He thought black slacks and a plain gray sweater with the expensive watch his brother bought him were a safe bet.
The hostess appeared to tell them their table was ready, and Ron drained his Scotch. He was apprehensive about what tonight’s conversation was going to bring. His intention was a clearer understanding for her about what being involved with him meant so there weren’t hurt feelings down the road. He knew, however, that no matter what was said tonight, inevitably there were going to be hurt feelings at some point. It seemed to be a by-product of the job and was probably one of the main reasons he was still single.
Except she was different. He wasn’t going to be able to take solace in the old standby of “I warned you from the beginning” when she was upset. He’d hated watching her cry today, feeling helpless and wanting to fix everything to make her happy. The fact that he couldn’t weighed on him heavily. If she wanted to leave because she was unhappy, instead of shrugging his shoulders like he normally would, he’d move heaven and earth to make her stay.
If you were to ask him why she was different from the rest, he wouldn’t have a good answer. She just was.
He came to that realization one night when he was trying to sleep in a tent somewhere in the Middle East. He tried to pinpoint exactly when he think he fell for her and decided it was the night she came out of her bathroom in that seafoam green chemise while rubbing lotion on her hands. He didn’t know why that moment stood out, maybe because at the time he remembered looking at her and thinking there was nowhere else in the world he’d rather be than right there with her or anyone else he’d rather be with.
They were seated in a discreet corner booth of the restaurant. The maître d’ seemed to recognize Brenna and changed his mind about their original table.
Ron didn’t know how to start the conversation so he opted for small talk.
“Did you have a good nap?”
“Oh my God, yes! Your bed is magical.” She gave a sly smile. “In more ways than one.” She looked around and lowered her voice. “That was the best orgasm I’ve ever had in my life. It might be part of the reason I started crying. I’ve heard of people doing that.”
“Well, I’d much rather that be the reason than because you were upset about me or us.”
She reached for his hand. “I’m new at this. I’m going to be insecure–it’s just who I am. And I’m going to worry about you–how could you expect me not to? I have no idea where you are or what you’re doing, and to top it all off, I have a pretty vivid imagination.”
He squeezed her hand. “I know it’s silly for me to think you’re not going to worry. I will try to do a better job of at least getting word to you on a regular basis that I’m all right.”
She smiled. “Well, that’s a start.”
Here goes everything.
“I need to know that you’re going to be okay when I’m gone. I can’t be distracted worrying about you, too many Marines’ lives depend on me being one hundred percent focused on the mission. I can promise you though, when I’m home, I’m with you–and you will have my complete attention. That’s the best I can offer you right now. You need to be honest with yourself if that will be enough for you for the time being.”
She paused as if letting what he just said sink in.
“Ron, I already told you–I want to make this work. You said to take the day and channel Elizabeth Bennet and decide what I needed. I guess in a nutshell, I need you. However I can get that.”
He shook his head. “You need to be sure about this. Sure that you can accept me being gone for weeks at a time, sure that…”
She put her index finger to his lips. “Mr. Darcy, stop talking. We’re trying to find that happy medium, remember?” She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I’m sure I want to be with you, that’s what I’m sure of. All the other stuff, not so much. But you, yourself, said it doesn’t have to be that difficult. There are two things I can promise you. I promise I will be fine when you’re gone–I was married to a professional ballplayer, being alone is not new to me. And I promise I’m probably going to need a lot of reassurance.”
He had his doubts, but he’d take it for now. It sure as hell beat the alternative.
****
Brenna
Brenna had woken from her nap in Ron’s bed and decided he was right, it didn’t have to be complicated. She didn’t need to have all the answers that second. Besides, love conquers all, right?
They ended up at her beach house after dinner. Ron had been a doll to take her out and celebrate the fact that she was writing again. After their “discussion” about their relationship, which really only turned out to be a commitment to try to make things work, he wanted to know all about what she was writing.
Unfortunately, she was pretty secretive when she was working on something new.
Secrets suck, don’t they, Mr. Marine-Man?
She told him exactly that, and he had the nerve to act offended and not know what she was talking about.
“Really, babe? A goddamn helicopter landed at my house without me even knowing it was coming. You aren’t exactly an open book.”
“Well, there’s a lot of things I can’t talk about, and frankly, there’s a lot of things you just don’t want to know.”
“Well, there are some things I do want to know,” she countered.
“Like what?”
“Is it true you’re going to be a lieutenant general by the end of the year? Is that the big promotion you talked about on New Year’s Eve?”
“That’s what I was talking about, and I’m still not sure what’s going to happen,” he replied, trying to sound humble.
“What will that mean? Will you have to move? Will you travel less?”
“I won’t have to move, but I’ll probably travel more. Except I will be traveling mostly to Washington and only occasionally overseas.”
“Will you get a place in D.C.?”
“I might. Just think of all the places we’ll have to choose from to stay. San Diego, Tucson, Sullivan’s Island, Washington
D.C., Grand Forks…”
“Grand Forks?”
“My ranch in North Dakota. Well, the closest town is Grand Forks.”
“You have a ranch? With horses and everything?”
He laughed. “My brother and I bought a thousand acre cattle ranch about ten years ago. It turns a small profit, and we have a great rancher overseeing things so we don’t have to be hands on.”
“Is that where you want to retire?”
“Well, when we bought it that was the plan. But the older I get, the less I’m convinced I want to spend my retirement shoveling snow in the winter.”
Brenna grinned. “No, let’s go somewhere closer to the equator. Maybe Belize or Costa Rica.”
“I don’t know,” he teased. “I think I might enjoy getting snowed in with you.”
“Yes, but I’ll be wearing much less clothing if we’re somewhere warm.”
“Darlin’, if we were snowed in, you wouldn’t be wearing any clothing.”
The way he said it–like she’d have no say in the matter–turned her on, and that was such an enigma to her. She prided herself on being independent, but found it hot as fuck when he was in control. Especially in bed.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Brenna
Brenna and Ron made it back to Tucson on Friday night in time to take Danielle out for dinner.
She was nervous to have her daughter meet Ron, worried Danielle would not like Ron out of loyalty to her dad. Turns out, she had nothing to worry about; the two were as thick as thieves by the end of the night. Watching the two of them bantering back and forth made Brenna’s heart smile.
Danielle wanted to go with them when they went to look at the house in the morning.
“How about we pick you up for breakfast?” Ron suggested.
“That sounds great.” Danielle replied.
“That sounds great? Great?! Since when do you get up for breakfast?” Brenna chided.
“Since I became a grownup.”
“You weren’t a grownup over Christmas vacation?”
“That’s different, Mom. When I’m home with you, I feel like a kid, but when I’m here in my own apartment and have to take the spiders outside myself, well, that makes me an adult.”
Ron interjected. “You take the spiders outside?”
Brenna laughed. “Of course! There’s no need to kill them, they eat other bugs.”
Ron didn’t say anything more, just hugged Brenna around the shoulders and kissed her temple.
“Don’t judge me!” she scoffed.
“Darlin’, that’s just one of many things I love about you.”
Danielle’s eyes widened at the phrase, ‘I love about you,’ and she looked at her mom with a smile.
“So as I was saying, Mr. Thompson, before my mother interrupted, I’d love to have breakfast with you two.”
“You need to call me Ron, and we’ll pick you up at eight-thirty.”
They made sure Danielle got to her car safely, and on the way to their rental, Ron squeezed Brenna’s ass.
“You might have a hard time yourself being ready for breakfast by eight-thirty, Ms. Roberts, because I plan on keeping you up all night.”
Brenna smirked. “I’m not worried, General. I plan on wearing you out before midnight. There will be plenty of time left to sleep.”
He leaned in to growl in her ear, “Oh sugar, challenge accepted.”
****
Ron
Brenna didn’t actually wear him out until closer to one. He took great pride that he had made her come so hard, multiple times, that she was now out like a light.
Ron enjoyed meeting her daughter. She was beautiful like her mom, but he could see Danny’s features in her, too. Danielle was the first real proof that Brenna had actually been in love before she met him. He wasn’t necessarily jealous, the man was dead, but it served as a reminder of how different their lives had been.
He wondered what he would be doing right now if he had decided not to go to Ava and Travis’ party. Nothing better than this, he thought as he kissed her hair.
She nuzzled closer to him. She’d gotten better at sharing her bed, but he knew it was only a matter of time before she turned over and sprawled out. He loved it when she did that. That was when she was totally oblivious to the world, and he got to see her completely vulnerable. He’d only seen her vulnerable while awake twice–after she got upset and made the bullshit comparison of him to Danny, and on New Year’s Eve. He’d rather have not seen her like that on New Year’s.
On the plane she had told him the district attorney called earlier that day to let her know Ray had pleaded no contest to the assault charges and was given probation. That infuriated Ron, but Brenna shrugged and said his wife filed for divorce and his reputation had been ruined, so that was justice as far as she was concerned.
Yeah, no, it wasn’t.
He thought about how she had been able to let it go; he wasn’t sure if he admired her or was angry at her for it. The whole ordeal had shaken him up, he could only imagine what she must have been feeling as she was experiencing it.
Thinking about it got his blood pressure up, and he knew he wasn’t going to be able to fall asleep anytime soon. He looked over at Brenna sleeping peacefully. Maybe she was onto something with letting it go.
Carefully sliding out of bed so not to disturb her, he picked up his phone and started scrolling through email. There was one sender that immediately caught his eye.
Sarah Jennings.
His ex. They’d ended things civilly enough, and continued to talk on occasion; the last time ended with them in bed again. Then she became upset with him the next morning when she realized he wasn’t ever going to change and be what she wanted, no matter how great the sex was. Their communication all but stopped after that.
He often wondered if he’d made the right decision; if he should have changed for her. Sarah was smart, funny, beautiful, and good in bed, but he still hadn’t been willing to make sacrifices for her. He now recognized if he had, he wouldn’t have Brenna in his life.
And he was willing to turn his world upside down for that woman.
He clicked on Sarah’s email. It was her usual inquiry as to how he was, if anything new was happening, and a synopsis of the events that had occurred in her life since the last time they had seen each other. It ended with an invitation to cook him dinner, which he was pretty sure was code for spending the night.
He was about to hit reply when he heard Brenna say quietly, “Babe?”
He shut the screen off and put his phone back on the desk.
“I’m right here, darlin’.”
He got back in bed next to her.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
“Oh yeah, everything’s fine. I just couldn’t sleep so I made the mistake of checking email.”
She giggled as she nestled closer to him. “Now you’re never going to fall asleep, silly.”
“Nah, nothing too important that can’t wait until Monday.”
“Good,” she said in a pouty voice. “I want you all to myself this weekend.”
He smiled when she added, “Well, I’ll share you with Danielle.”
“Go to sleep,” he whispered, “I’m all yours until Monday.”
He was all hers, but not just until Monday. Until she was tired of him or he was dead, whichever came first.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Brenna
They were together every night for almost two weeks and Brenna loved every minute of it. Sometimes they’d stay at the beach house, and sometimes they’d bring Zona to his place. Ron even bought a dog bed for the pup.
He was called to D.C. early on the morning before Valentine’s Day.
She got this text from him: Bren–en route to DC; will catch a flight back tomorrow a.m.
She replied: Good! I’m cooking you Valentine’s Dinner.
Ron: Will you cook it naked?
Brenna: You don’t even know what I’m making! What if it’s fr
ied chicken? Or bacon?
Ron: Don’t cook fried chicken or bacon then. You could make me oatmeal for dinner, as long as you’re naked doing it.
Brenna: SMH. Talk to you tonight?
Ron: SMH?
Brenna: Shaking my head (at you! you naughty man.)
Ron: I’m going to be shaking something else at you tomorrow.
Ron: Talk to you tonight. xoxo
Damn, he made her happy.
****
Ron
Ron called Brenna once his plane touched down in San Diego.
“Hi darlin’. I’m back in town.”
“Hey babe! How was your trip?”
“Exactly what I expected.”
She sighed. “Oh, there’s my open book.”
Ron laughed and changed the subject. “What time do you want me there for dinner?”
“I think everything should be ready by six. Call me when you’re on your way?”
“I’ll bring dessert, and yeah, I’ll call you when I leave the house.”
“Okay. Can’t wait to see you and hear all about your trip!” she teased.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, you little minx,” he snarled before he hung up.
He hoped she liked what he got her for Valentine’s. In addition to the cliché roses that should be delivered to her anytime now, and the racy, red lingerie that, let’s face it, was more for him than her, he found a tennis bracelet that reminded him of the sea glass she liked to pick up on their walks along the beach.
He had gone to the jewelry store looking for her present and felt like a deer in headlights; their relationship was too new for a ring, and she wore the same diamond stud earrings every day, so he thought maybe a necklace. As he was browsing the display cases, a bracelet caught his eye. It looked like it belonged in the bowl of sea glass that sat on Brenna’s entry table. When he saw the price tag he concluded it probably was not made of glass. The salesgirl told him the jewels were emeralds, rubies, sapphires, diamonds, and a bunch of other stones he couldn’t remember the names of. Hopefully Brenna would know.
On his way to the bakery for the cake she loved, he thought about how he never had been able to understand why people fretted so much about this day, and tended to agree with those who leaned on the side of disliking the ‘holiday made up by Hallmark.’