by SJ McCoy
But he was here!
Her feet were carrying her towards him before she even knew she was moving. She held his gaze the whole way ’til she was at the table and he was standing to meet her. He really was here! He smiled. The gentle Smoke smile. The Cole smile. She knew her face mirrored his, but she couldn't speak.
“Hey gorgeous.”
She felt tears prick behind her eyes and spoke around a lump in her throat. “Who are you calling gorgeous, gorgeous?”
His arms were around her. She buried her face in his neck as she clung to him.
“You, lady,” he whispered into her ear. “I'm so sorry. Can you forgive me?”
She lifted her head and looked into eyes. “I already have.” She just clung to him, wanting to never let go of him again. There was no need for more words. His lips came down on hers and told her everything she'd hoped to hear. He was sorry. He loved her. He'd missed her. And she was back where she belonged. When they came up for air she remembered where they were.
“Let's get out of here, lady.”
“I can't. I'm supposed to be looking for a client.” She looked around wildly, wondering what that client would think of the little display they'd just put on. It didn't really matter though, she still had her arms around Smoke and didn't plan on letting go.
She felt his chuckle rumble up through his chest and looked up into his eyes. “You found him.”
She looked around, not seeing anyone that might fit the bill.
Smoke tightened his arms around her. “Right here.”
Her breath caught in her chest as she understood what he meant. “You?”
He was laughing at her now. “Yes, me. I'm your client. What else would I be doing here?”
“I thought you came to find me.”
“I did.” He brushed his lips over hers and looked into her eyes. “I did come to find you, and to ask you if you will make a ring.”
“For you?”
He smiled and bit her bottom lip. “For you.”
She was finding it hard to focus over the sound of her heart hammering in her chest. She stared at him, taking in the happy smile and the question in his eyes.
“A ring for you, for me?”
“If you want one.”
“What are you saying? Smoke?”
“I'm saying I don't want to be a coward anymore. I'm saying I want to do this. I'm saying I love you, lady.” He took her hand. “Come on. Let's get out of here.”
She loved the feel of his big hand wrapped around hers, squeezing tight as they emerged back onto the street.
“I didn't know where you were staying, but I'm at the Rosewood. Let's go there, can we? It's close.” He snaked his arm around her waist as they walked.
Laura's mind was racing. He was here! That was all that really mattered. And he wanted her to a make an engagement ring—for him, for her! Yet he hadn't said what that meant. He hadn't asked that question, at least not in words. He'd asked with his kiss, was asking her with his eyes as they walked. If a smile could speak, hers was telling him yes.
Smoke swiped his key card and let her enter the room ahead of him. She waited for him to close the door, then wrapped her arms around his neck. “I missed you, Captain Hamilton.”
“And I missed you, lady.”
His mouth came down on hers as his hands came up to frame her face. She really was back where she belonged. Backed up against the wall, trapped by his big body, his hips thrusting against her, his hardness making her moan with need. His fingers tangled in her hair as he tipped her head back. His tongue slid between her lips, demanding more. His knee pressed between her thighs, demanding the same. She was melting into him, helpless. He could do whatever he wanted with her and they both knew it. His hands ran over her ass, down over her thighs. She gasped as he lifted one and then the other and wrapped them around him. She clung to him as he walked her to the bed where he pinned her underneath him. In seconds they were both naked. His arm was around her, underneath her as he drew her underneath him. “You were right. I was a fucking coward, but I don't want to be one anymore. I want to be a better man, for you.”
His knees were spreading her legs. “You already are the best man for me, Smoke. The only man for me. I love you.”
She gasped as he thrust his hips and filled her. “And I love you, lady.”
She gave herself up to him, moving with him in the rhythm that had become theirs. He moved deep inside her, claiming her, giving himself up to her as much as she was giving herself to him. Every thrust took her closer to the edge, her legs tensed as he grew bigger and harder.
“You. Are. M-i-n-e!” He let go.
As she soared away with him, she cried the truth of her heart. “And you're m-i-n-e!”
Her hips bucked under him as he pulsated inside her, taking her flying away with him as they became one.
When they lay still, he buried his face in her neck. “Say you'll be mine, Laura?”
“I already am, Smoke. I never stopped being yours.”
“But say you'll be all mine.”
“I already am.”
He lifted his head and looked down at her, his face earnest. “I told you once that sticking around, feeling obliged to stick around felt like I was being grounded, having my ability to fly taken away?”
She nodded, wondering what he was about to say.
“This week I discovered something.”
“What's that, Smoke?”
“I discovered that not having you in my life feels like being grounded. I can't fly without you, lady. Flying isn't just what I do, it's who I am. And since I met you—since I fell in love with you—I can't be me without you. I need you. I need you to be all mine.” He dropped his head and planted the sweetest kiss on her lips. “I need you to make me a ring.” He kissed her again. “And I need you to wear it. Laura, I told you you will always have my heart and my soul and it's true, you always will. So, please, say you'll marry me, and I'll do everything in my power to make sure you never regret it.”
She felt the tears sting behind her eyes again. She cupped his head and pulled him down into a kiss, answering him with her lips and her tongue before she dared speak. When she let him lift his head he looked down at her, his eyes pleadingly uncertain.
“Yes, Smoke. Yes, Cole. Yes, you great big ego-ridden Neanderthal, I will marry you and I won't ever regret it.”
His lips crushed hers in a long, deep kiss. Eventually he rolled off her and pulled her into his arms. “I love you, lady. And I'm so sorry I walked away last weekend. I shouldn't have done that.”
She snuggled against him. “No, you shouldn't, you big coward.” She smiled up at him. “But it's okay, because I love you. I understand.” She brought her hand up to touch his cheek. “And I'm not even going to say, ‘Don't ever do it again,’ cos I know you might, but someday you'll learn to believe that I trust you, and you'll learn to trust me.”
“I do trust you!”
She shook her head. “You obviously don't yet, or you would have let me explain.”
He hung his head, deep regret etched into his expression. “I'm sorry.”
“It's okay. I'm saying I get it, I understand, but there will be times when you'll need to understand me too. Say you will, Smoke? Say you can love me like that?”
He looked into her eyes. “I do you love you like that. And I'll work to get better at it every day.”
“It will take work though, Smoke. For both of us. You were right. If we make a commitment, it won't all be sunshine and blowjobs.” She couldn't help but smile as she said it.
He was chuckling now. “I know that. We'll make it work.” He pulled her to him. “But I think for you and me there will always be lots of sunshine.”
She nodded. “Yeah, I think there will.
He smiled at her through pursed lips and added. “And blowjobs?”
She laughed and pushed at him. “We'll have to see. The one night we started out that way didn't end too well did it? I might not want to risk it aga
in!”
He gave her a wicked smile. “Do you think I should wear my tux to persuade you?”
“Maybe?”
He sprang from the bed with a chuckle. “Good, cos I brought it with me!”
That had her laughing hard. “You brought your tux because I said I wanted to do that to you when I saw you wear it?”
He turned back to her with a smile. “No, I brought it so I could take you out for a candlelit dinner if you said yes to me.” He took hold of her hand. “And you said yes. So do you think we should take a shower before we go out?”
She smiled as he pulled her to her feet. “Definitely.”
***
Smoke stroked his thumb across the palm of her hand, their fingers were laced together as they sat on the porch swing. She rested her head on his shoulder as she stared out at the lake.
“Can we keep the picket fence?” she asked.
He chuckled. “I was never really going to tear it down, you know. I was only joking.”
She turned to look up at him and he knew that her beautiful blue eyes promised enough fun and laughter to last a lifetime—as long as he was smart enough not to screw it up. He'd flown too close to disaster already to dare risk losing her ever again.
“I wasn't joking about you not being a picket fence kind of guy though. We both know you're not.”
He lowered his head to her and gently nipped her bottom lip. “Any more than you are a picket fence kind of girl.”
She laughed. “That's true.”
“Maybe we'll learn to be, lady. When we're here. Maybe this place will become our sanctuary, the place we come back to. A picket fence to me has symbolized being fenced in, tied down. It doesn't feel like that here—with you. I think this place can be a base and not a burden. For both of us.” He squeezed her hand. “Do you?”
She nodded happily. “I do. Remember when I tackled you up at Four Mile? You said there couldn't be two winners? What do you say about that now? I say I was right, we both win. We get each other, we both still get to lived the life we want. You get to fly, I get to design.” She laughed. “And I get to have my workroom out by the orchard after all.”
“And I still won't charge you rent.”
“Just you try!”
He laughed and pulled her closer. “Maybe I will. Get you good and mad at me, so you start pushing me around and calling me names again.”
She shook her head at him. “It worked, didn't it?”
“Yeah. It did.” He lifted his head as he heard a car approaching. “Are you ready for this?”
She nodded. “I'm looking forward to it. And you're sure you're okay with your parents coming?”
He hugged her tight. “I'm glad they're coming and I'm glad you suggested it. I don't want to shut them out anymore, if it's okay with you?”
She reached up and touched his cheek. “Of course it is. That's why I suggested inviting them. They love you, they're doing their best, and I know you love them too. And besides, if it weren't for your mom, I might still be in London right now, wondering how I was going to face life without you.”
Smoke was aware that if it weren't for his parents—and Ben—they probably wouldn't be sitting here right now, waiting for their friends to arrive, to show off their new house and celebrate their news. He nodded. “I feel like they gave you back to me by interfering.”
“They did. Your mom made the call, but your dad agreed that she should. They were prepared to lose you again if it meant giving you the chance of being happy with me. That's how much they love you.”
He nodded. “And now you're giving them back to me, inviting them to be part of this new life of ours.”
“Because that's how much I love you.” She grinned at him as Jack's truck rounded the corner and wound its way up the drive. “So can you please stop pushing us all away now, and just love us back? It's time for us to fly off into the sunset and get on with our happily ever after. We've got a lot to fit in.”
“We have.” He stood and pulled her to her feet as he saw Dan's Jeep round the corner. “We've got a whole lifetime to fit in and it starts right here, right now—when we tell them all that you're going to marry me.” He planted a kiss on her lips and led her down the steps to greet their guests. “And you know, I love it that flying off into the sunset, for us, will mean coming back here. We'll each go off and do our thing, but when the sun sets on our adventures we'll come back to this place. This will become home.”
She cupped her hands around his neck to pull him to her, his hands instinctively circled her waist. “It already is home, Smoke, because it's where we are.”
Everyone was arriving at once. They must have traveled up here in a convoy. Pete and Holly climbed out of his truck. Ben and Michael had come with Dan and Missy in the Jeep. There were hugs and kisses, handshakes and slaps on the back.
Jack had driven up to the orchard to turn around. He pulled up and Emma jumped out to open the back door. Smoke felt an odd lump in his throat when his mom and dad climbed out of that old truck. He hugged them both, tight.
He took Laura's hand and led her up onto the front porch and wrapped an arm around her as he looked at all the smiling faces turned towards them.
“Thanks for coming guys. We wanted you all to see the place.” He looked at his mom and dad, and had to swallow around the lump in his throat. “Wanted to invite you to our new home and let you know you're always welcome here. We wanted to thank you all for everything you did to get us here.” He looked at Laura and smiled. “Even when I was being such a coward.”
She smiled at him, her eyes full of laughter. He knew what she was thinking—big fucking coward!
They both looked out at all the happy faces. He figured this crew probably knew what was coming. “And we wanted to get you all together so we could tell you that this gorgeous lady has agreed to be my wife.”
It seemed like everyone was talking at once. Laura was surrounded by squealing women. Smoke got lost in a sea of happy congratulations and man-hugs. He found himself face to face with his folks. His dad was smiling, his mom had tears in her eyes. The lump was back in his throat as he opened his arms to them. “Thank you.” The three of them clung together in a hug that finally put the past behind them.
When he let go of them he looked for Laura. She came to him and he took hold of her hand. He finally knew what happy meant. It meant being here with his lady, surrounded by friends and his family. They might be inside a white picket fence, but he wasn't being grounded—he was flying higher than he ever had.
The End
A Note from SJ
I hope you enjoyed Smoke and Laura's story and visiting Summer Lake and its residents. If you did, please consider letting your friends know about the book if you feel they might like it, too. If you'd like to leave me a review, I'd very much appreciate it :0)
If this is the first Summer Lake book you've read, be sure to check out:
Emma and Jack in Love Like You've Never Been Hurt
Holly and Pete in Work Like You Don't Need the Money
Missy and Dan in Dance Like Nobody's Watching
Michael's story will be next. Join me on Facebook for updates.
I occasionally try to say something in 140 characters or less on Twitter
And sometimes I even update www.sjmccoy.com
Is you want to get in touch I'd love to hear from you – you can email me here – I'm better at that :0)
Want updates on Summer Lake? Sign up for the Newsletter Don't worry I won't bombard you! I'll just let you know about upcoming releases, share a sneak peek or two and keep you in the loop for a couple of fun giveaways I have coming up :0)
I hope our paths will cross again soon. Until then, take care, and thanks for your support—you are the reason I write!
Love
SJ
Table of Contents
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
; Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
A Note from SJ
Also by SJ McCoy
Summer Lake
Love Like You've Never Been Hurt
Work Like You Don't Need the Money
Dance Like Nobody's Watching
Fly Like You've Never Been Grounded
Watch for more at SJ McCoy’s site.
About the Author
Hi, I'm SJ, a coffee addict, lover of chocolate and drinker of good red wines. I'm a lost soul and a hopeless romantic. Reading and writing are necessary parts of who I am. Though perhaps not as necessary as coffee! I can drink coffee without writing, but I can't write without coffee.
I grew up loving romance novels, my first boyfriends were book boyfriends, but life intervened, as it tends to do, and I wandered down the paths of non fiction for many years. My life changed completely a couple of years ago and I returned to Romance to find my escape.
I write 'Sweet N Steamy' stories because to me there is enough angst and darkness in real life. My favorite romances are happy escapes with a focus on fun, friendships and happily-ever-afters, just like the ones I write.
These days I live in beautiful Montana, the last best place. If I'm not reading or writing you'll find me just down the road in the park - Yellowstone. I have deer, eagles and the occasional bear for company, and I like it that way :0)