For all she knew, he’d been killed in action. No one had bothered to tell her because they weren’t family. But she’d pushed the thought aside. Mark was alive. And she was determined to become his family.
Opening her inbox, she scanned past the junk mail and saw his name.
“He responded!” she cried. Both dogs jumped up and barked, nearly knocking her coffee mug off the table. “Mark sent an email!”
Settling into her chair and trying to appear calm, for the dogs’ sakes, she opened the message and started reading out loud.
Dear Amy,
I have so much to say to you, but I’ll wait until we talk. My shift starts again in eleven hours, about when you’ll be starting your day. But if we have some downtime, I will send you a message and see if you are online. Until then, here is my list:
1) The joy in your bright blue eyes when you first told me about your war dog training and breeding center.
2) The feel of your body pressed against me the night you “sprained” your ankle. (I also thought about fighting T.J. for the right to examine your foot. Not because I wanted to maintain the ruse. The idea of another man touching you, even your ankle, bothered me.)
3) The way you talked about your vibrator and living in the moment after we caught a glimpse (which I’ve tried to erase from my memory) of your cousin and Gabe.
4) The way you looked blindfolded, moving to the rhythm, willing to follow my lead.
5) Call me and I’ll tell you... If I continue, I’ll need a cold shower.
I’ll leave you to think about my list. I recommend focusing on number 4, and not just because it might leave you wanting. I want to lead you into a future where the little moments, the memories, matter more than the obstacles in our path.
Mark
“Blindfolded, huh?”
Amy looked up from her computer screen and spotted Eloise, one shoulder leaning against the doorway, her arms crossed in front of her chest. A box of doughnut holes dangled from her fingers.
“I’m not the one who had sex in the Tall Pines Tavern parking lot with my hands tied behind my back,” she said, eyeing the box. When was the last time she’d eaten?
Her cousin’s face fell, but only for a second. Then she stepped into the kitchen and set the box on the counter. Lowering down to the dogs’ level, she greeted Jango and Rosie. “Why don’t I take care of the dogs today?”
Amy closed her laptop and pushed back from the table. “You don’t have to do that.”
“If Mark sent that last night, his shift has probably already started.”
“Someone was eavesdropping for a long time.”
“That will teach you to read naughty emails out loud to your dogs,” Eloise said with a smile. “Now sit down and send him a message so he knows you’re ready whenever he is.”
“If you insist.”
“I do.” Eloise pointed to the doughnuts. “And eat. You’re too skinny again.”
“Okay.” Amy grabbed the box and sat, opening the computer screen. “But leave Rosie. Mark will want to see her.”
Eloise shook her head and opened the door, releasing the dogs into the yard. “Next time. She’s young. And if number four involved a blindfold, I don’t think she should hear number five.”
“Eloise,” she protested. “Mark should see his dog.”
Her cousin laughed. “I knew you were saving Rosie for him. Tell him I’m holding her ransom until he agrees to love and worship you forever.”
The door closed behind her cousin, leaving Amy alone in the kitchen with her laptop. She quickly sent a one-sentence message to Mark letting him know she was at her computer. Glancing at the coffeepot, she debated another cup. But she was already so nervous.
She’d opened her heart to him in her email. Yet, in his response, he hadn’t mentioned love. What if she’d pushed too far, too fast?
Her fingers drummed against the desk. When she’d sat down at her computer this morning, she had expected to find her inbox filled with garbage, not a list from Mark. But now, after two weeks, she was finally going to see his face again. Talk to him. If she’d known, she probably would have taken a shower.
Eyes wide, she jumped up, taking the laptop with her as she headed for the stairs. She needed to wash her face, brush her hair and change into clean clothes. Setting the computer on the bed, she scrambled to the attached bath, quickly splashing water on her face. Stripping out of her clothes as she returned to the room, she opened her drawers and paused.
Feeling Lucky. The red words stared up at her from the top of her underwear pile.
Amy laughed. Yes. Today, she felt lucky and hopeful. Maybe they could make this work. Maybe he loved her back.
She stripped off the boring clothes she’d pulled on this morning when the dogs first woke her and pulled on her lucky underwear. Reaching for her jeans, she heard the ding signaling a new message.
Amy dropped the pants and ran to her computer. It wasn’t an email. He’d sent a request to video chat. She clicked the accept button, kneeling down on the floor so that her face was within the camera’s scope.
Mark appeared on her screen. He was sitting in what looked like his bedroom, if one could call a bed surrounded by a curtain a room. His uniform shirt stretched tight across his chest. She knew if the call came, he’d strap a vest over it.
“Hi,” she said. “Thank you for responding. I was starting to worry about you. Rosie was, too.”
He smiled. “How is she? Rosie?”
“Great. She’s living in the house now with Jango. Waiting for you.”
“Sounds like I have a dog. Guess that means I’ll have to come back.”
She nodded. “And me. You have me.”
“What made you change your mind?” he asked so softly she barely heard the words.
“Elizabeth Benton.” Mark’s eyes widened, but she kept going, needing him to hear this and worried they’d run out of time. He could be called away at any moment. “She made me realize that I was hiding behind fear. I don’t want to be left behind, grieving for another man, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’ve fallen in love with you. And, Mark, you’re worth risking my heart. I’m sorry I was too blind to see it before you left. I should never have pushed you away.”
“You’re forgiven. I should have realized your rules needed to be broken earlier. You and I, we were never a fling.”
“I know.” Amy rested her elbow on the bed, wanting to be closer to him. She wished she could crawl through the screen and wrap her arms around him. “I wish I could kiss you.”
“The curtains closed. You could always show me what happens when you dream about our dance.”
“I’m not that wild.”
“Sweetheart,” he said, smiling. “I’ve seen you blindfolded.”
Amy laughed, leaning closer, accidentally causing the computer to slide down the bed, taking the attached camera with it. She rose to set it back in place.
“Wait,” Mark’s voice called as she made the adjustments. “Are you wearing your lucky underwear?”
She quickly adjusted the screen to show her face. “I thought I might need a little extra luck.”
“What happened to your pants? And don’t give me the my-dog-ate-them line. You’ve used that excuse before.”
“I was in a hurry.”
“I think you wanted me to read your underwear.”
She smiled. “Maybe.”
“Stand up,” he said. “Let me see.”
Leaving the computer perched on the bed, she stood and moved away slowly.
“Sweetheart, you have no idea how sexy you are.” His voice was low and rough.
His words, the blatant wanting in his eyes, ignited her daring. She reached for the hem of her T-shirt, drawing it up, revealing her stomach. “Tell me.”
Heat flashed in his brown eyes. “The fact that I can’t get my hands on you right now—”
“Scramble. Scramble.”
The order blasted through the base’s PA system, drown
ing out Mark’s voice.
“I have to go.” His desire vanished, replaced with cool, calm focus. Reaching out, he touched the screen.
Amy moved closer to the computer, lifting her hand to meet his. “Go. Save a life. I’ll be here when you get back.”
The raw emotion on his face, as if he’d been waiting for years to hear those words, sent her rocking back on her heels.
“I love you, Amelia Mae.” He stood and slowly backed away from the screen.
“I love you, too,” she called, holding his gaze for one last moment before he disappeared through the curtain. “I love you, too.”
Epilogue
“ARE YOU SURE you can handle this on top of your practice?” Amy asked, tossing an emergency bag of doggy treats into her carry-on.
“If I say no, are you going to cancel your trip?” Eloise challenged. “You haven’t seen Mark in six months. If he’s going to be stationed at the air force base in New Mexico for a month, maybe more, wouldn’t you rather be there, too?”
“You’re right. But we could stay a few more days. Mark isn’t scheduled to arrive until the end of the week.”
“You need to use that time to move into your rental apartment near the base,” Eloise pointed out. “Set up your big surprise.”
Amy nodded. “We’re going. Today. Right, Rosie?”
The dog lifted her head, tail wagging.
Amy picked up Rosie’s harness. “While I’m down there, we’re going to drive over and visit her brothers and sisters at Lackland. See how their training is going.”
After months of training, Rosie’s four littermates had been purchased by the military. Her business, her dream, was a success.
Securing the harness, Amy paused, staring at her kennel through the kitchen window. Part of her wanted to be here when Nova and Bullet’s second litter was born. But Mark would only be home for a short time. And there would be another litter of puppies once the new female dog—the one Elizabeth Benton had graciously agreed to pick up for her—arrived from Europe. Her mother-in-law intended to visit Paris and London first. Amy was glad to see Elizabeth doing something for herself. Life shouldn’t only be about waiting.
Leading Rosie to the door, she gave Jango one final pat on the head and hugged her cousin. “Please, call me if you need help.”
Eloise squeezed her tight. “I will. And I won’t be alone the whole time. T.J. promised to come up and help if he could get away. If not, he’ll send one of his brothers.”
Amy laughed. “Because the rest of the Benton boys have so much control over their schedules.”
“Either way, we’ll be fine,” Eloise said. “I don’t need a Benton to help look after your dogs.”
“Of course you don’t. I should go. I don’t want to miss the flight and start all over convincing the airline to give Rosie a seat. The woman I spoke with this time was so eager to help, she upgraded both of us to first class.”
“Now you’re just making me jealous.” Her cousin gave her a playful push. “Go.”
Amy led an eager Rosie to the truck. “You know we’re going to see Mark, don’t you?”
The dog gave a series of sharp, happy barks and then hopped into the passenger seat without a backward glance. Amy went around to the other side and did the same. It was a lot to leave behind—her kennel and her dogs—but she had help, and she’d be back soon.
Right now, she needed to give Mark a proper homecoming.
* * *
DIRTY AND TIRED after the long flight from Afghanistan, Mark shouldered his rucksack and walked into the gymnasium. Homemade posters and banners filled the space, all bearing the same message—welcome home.
In the past, he had bypassed this leg of the journey, knowing that no one would be waiting to greet him. He’d counted himself lucky to be spared the tears, never stopping to think about the joy he’d cut out of his life.
Today, for the first time, he navigated through the children and signs. He searched the unfamiliar faces and read the messages on their poster boards. Not one said his name. Maybe it had been too much to ask. Amy had a life at home. And he’d been adamant that she keep it—her kennel, her dogs, all of it.
It would prove challenging when he was stateside. He needed to be near the base. Picking up and moving to Oregon until he deployed again wasn’t an option. But Amy seemed committed to making it work.
Talking about it over video chat and getting on a plane were two different things, however.
Woof! Woof!
Mark turned and spotted them. Rosie danced in circles at the end of her leash. Around her neck she wore a big yellow bow. He crossed to them, pushing his way through the crowd, needing to get to the beautiful blonde and the dog at her side. They were his family, his homecoming, everything he needed to feel loved in this world.
“Amy.” Mark gathered her in his arms, holding her close. “You came.”
“I’ve missed you so much,” she whispered, her lips kissing his neck, his ear, anything she could reach. “Of course I came. I told you I’d be here.”
He drew back and looked down into her eyes. “I wasn’t sure if you could get away.”
Months ago, when she’d told him she loved him, he’d believed her. He still did. But saying the words and making room in her life for him were two different things.
“Eloise can handle things for a while. I’m staying for as long as you’re stateside. Rosie, too.”
Mark dropped down on one knee to greet the puppy who had grown into a dog while he’d been away. Amy had sent pictures, but it wasn’t the same. Rosie licked his face, scrambling to climb up onto his lap as if she didn’t realize she wouldn’t fit anymore. He’d hoped the dog would remember him, but he hadn’t expected her joy.
“We should get out of here soon,” Amy said. “I don’t think dogs are allowed.”
Mark stood, and Rosie pressed up against his legs as if she needed to touch him to know he was here and not a two-dimensional image. “I think they’ll make an exception for her.”
Amy moved toward him, and the tips of her black heels—wow, she’d worn heels for him—touched Rosie, who refused to give up her spot. Her hand brushed his cheek, a soft, suggestive caress. “I have a surprise for you.”
Mark reached for her, drawing her as close as he could manage with the Belgian Malinois between them, and rested his forehead against hers. “I’m in. Whatever it is. I’m dying to make love to you, Amy. I want to dance with you until dawn.”
“Then we really need to get out of here,” she said, her voice low and husky.
“We’ll need to find a hotel.” He wished he’d taken the time to book something nice for her before he came home. But it had felt as if he was tempting fate. What if he booked a room for his homecoming and she bailed—or worse, he didn’t make it back?
“No, we don’t,” she said. “I rented a house for us. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s near the base, and the owner agreed to let Rosie live there, too, for an extra deposit.”
“We have a house?” He heard the awe in his voice.
“That’s the surprise.” She placed her hands flat against his chest, covering his thundering heart. “It’s nothing fancy, and it’s only temporary, but I wanted you to come back to a real home.”
Mark stared down into her blue eyes—so damn beautiful, and all his. The emotions threatened to overwhelm him—awe, gratitude and, most of all, love.
“And it came furnished,” she continued, running her hands down his chest, over his abdomen. If she kept going, he might be tempted to cause one hell of a scene. “There’s a great big bed waiting for us.”
Mark captured her wrists. “I hope you’re wearing your lucky underwear.”
“I might be.”
“I can’t wait to find out.”
Wrapping one arm around Amy and holding Rosie’s leash in his other hand, Mark led them to the exit. “Let’s go home.”
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from UNDER THE SURFACE by Kira Sinclair.
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Prologue
THEY NEEDED MONEY. Desperately. But was it worth risking his life?
The moment Jackson Duchane had seen Lancaster Diving’s battered, outdated equipment piled on the docks in Mobile, Alabama, that nasty sensation of impending doom had begun to crawl across his shoulders.
An oil company had hired the Lancaster team to blast away a thick layer of rock blocking access to a new line they wanted to drill in the Gulf. Easy enough. Or it should have been.
This was what he got for subcontracting to a diving company he’d never worked with before.
But Trident Diving couldn’t afford to be picky right now. The company was new and business was slow. Opening Trident in his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida had been a dream years in the making for him and his partners Asher Reynolds and Knox McLemore. Their friendship had been forged in the heat of battle. All of them were ex-Navy SEALs. There was nothing quite like sharing miserable conditions or crawling through a hail of bullets together to make you appreciate someone else’s strengths and how they shored up your weaknesses.
Jackson couldn’t imagine being in business with anyone else. Including his sister, Kennedy, who ran the Trident offices while she finished college, the four of them made an awesome team.
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