“Glad you’re not working tonight so you can sit with us the whole time.” Ivy’s comment momentarily took Hope off-guard.
“’Bout time. It sucks when we only have you for a few minutes at a time,” Gwen agreed.
“So, did you like the new house? So much better than his bachelor pad,” Destiny rejoined.
Hope glanced around the table and she felt her nose start to tingle.
Accepted.
Not a single one of them acted like she didn’t belong. Like she wasn’t one of them. Just easy acceptance.
Her gaze caught on Nori’s and warmth spread like wildfire.
“Welcome home,” Nori mouthed.
“I owe you,” Hope returned.
Nori waved her off and winked.
“What are you two talking about?” Destiny asked.
“Nothing. How are the wedding plans?” Nori redirected.
Hope soon found out Nori was more of a genius than she’d thought. And Hope already thought Nori was pretty freaking smart. This was because Destiny was seriously excited about marrying Zip. So excited, she could—and did—speak about it for hours.
It was awesome.
Normal.
Easy.
“Are you ready to start your new job?” Ivy asked Nori.
That was when normal and easy slid straight to deep and binding. Hope settled in and listened to Nori tell them about her new job, about how excited she was to be moving close and there would be no more traveling.
“I still can’t believe you’re going to be a professor.” Gwen smiled.
“Me neither.”
“Heath’s gonna be hot for teacher, hope you stocked up on rulers,” Destiny quipped.
The table erupted into laughter. When the hilarity died down, Nori caught Hope’s attention.
“Hey, before I forget, are you going to be around tomorrow morning? Heath and I need to drop off Buster before we leave.”
“Yeah, I don’t know Beau’s plans but I’ll be home all day.”
“Did Beau tell you about her?”
“About Buster?”
“Yeah, that she’s pregnant.”
“Son of a bitch,” Hope muttered. “Excuse me for a second.”
Jangles was lining up his shot when he heard Woof mutter, “Incoming. Nine o’clock.”
He lost sight of the cue ball when he tipped his head to the left and saw Hope approaching. Her eyes were narrowed into slits, her sexy lips pressed together, and there was an enticing, pissed-off sway of her hips.
Christ. Beautiful.
“Hey, baby,” he greeted and smiled.
“Buster?”
Jangles fought back his grin. “Buster? You mean, your cat? What about her?”
“She’s your cat.”
“Oh, no, you said you liked her. She’s all yours.”
“She’s pregnant,” she spat like an accusation, and Jangles lost the battle.
A wide smile tugged at his lips. “What a hussy.”
“Don’t be funny, Beau. How in the world did an indoor cat get knocked up?”
“Don’t look at me, I didn’t knock her up.”
“Ha. Ha.”
Jangles heard the guys’ laughter behind him but tried to refrain from joining them.
“She’s gonna have kittens,” Hope informed him.
“Yep. It’ll be good practice.”
“Good practice? You planning on quitting the Army and becoming a cat breeder? Kittens are hard work.”
“I wouldn’t know. But I imagine you’re right.”
“What are you practicing for?” She went back to her ignored question.
“For babies.”
“Babies?”
“Yep.”
Hope’s already narrowed gaze pinned him in place. “Are you talking about human babies or feline babies?”
“Human ones.”
“Women don’t have a litter, you know.”
Jangles shrugged.
“And as long as we’re on the topic of babies, I want twelve so I hope you’re ready.”
“So, you do want a litter.”
“Not all at once, dummy.”
And for the third time in one night, Jangles laughed. Something a month ago he never thought he’d do again. He didn’t bother trying to stop it. He let the splendor of it slide through him.
Then he kissed his woman.
Chapter 32
“Baby?” Jangles brushed Hope’s hair off her shoulder and took a moment to revel in its softness.
Top to toe beautiful.
“Hmm,” she mumbled and rolled to her back, taking the sheet with her, exposing two perfect mounds of flesh.
Without thought, his hand moved to cup one, his thumb brushing over her nipple until it pebbled. Good Lord, she’s sexy.
The soft glow from the hall gave Jangles just enough light to watch her full lips spread into a smile.
“What’s gotten into you?” Her question made him chuckle.
Their sex life had always been good, both in frequency and deed, but since she’d forgiven him and come home, they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Sometimes it was in a frantic rush—a race for pleasure. Other times, it was less about release and more about them craving the connection. Minds, bodies, and souls fusing together.
She was spectacular.
Every part of her.
“Open your pretty eyes, baby.”
Slowly, she gave him what he asked for, and just like all the times before when the intensity of their beauty hit him, it took his breath.
All his.
“You’re dressed,” she whispered. “Call out?”
“Yeah. I shouldn’t be gone long. Week, tops.”
“Go save the world.”
It wasn’t the first time he’d heard her say that. It wasn’t even the fifth. Every time he’d left her in bed in the middle of the night, she’d said those same words. But this time, he savored them.
“You’re still going to the bookstore today, yeah?”
“Yeah. Gwen got in a new shipment. I’m gonna help her sort through the boxes before my shift at the bar.”
“Good.”
Jangles was pleased as fuck all the women got along. Their friendships had grown over the months, and now that Nori lived close and Hope was home, they wasted no time arranging weekly get-togethers. The five of them were thick as thieves.
He loved that all five had that. But mostly, he loved that Hope had them, especially while he was gone.
“Be safe, Beau.”
“Always, baby.”
His palm slid up to her throat, then her jaw, and finally to her cheek. He leaned down and Hope craned her neck to meet him. Jangles brushed his lips against hers and listened to the sweet mew his touch had provoked.
“Love you,” he whispered against her lips.
“Love you.”
“That’s everything,” Gwen said and looked around the room.
Hope’s gaze followed her friend’s and she pulled off the white cotton gloves.
“I still can’t believe you let me open the book,” Hope returned, and took in the new shelves they’d spent the last few hours arranging.
“Eh, it’s just a book.”
Just a book?
“You say that like the three volumes aren’t worth my yearly salary.”
Gwen flashed one of her signature smiles that made her eyes dance with excitement.
“They’re so cool, aren’t they?”
“God, you’re a nerd.”
“A nerd? Those are first edition Tolstoy. Less than five thousand copies were printed. And it took him seven years to write that book.” Gwen pointed to the three leather-bound books. “And it’s in the original Russian. Now, if I can just get my hands on a copy of Anna Karenina, my life would be complete.”
“Yep. Nerd. And you better not let Merlin hear you say that. It might bruise his ego.”
Gwen waved her hand and smiled. “Please, Luke’s ego is just fine.”
> Hope suspected it was. She’d seen the change in him since he’d met Gwen. The two of them were two book-loving nerds in a pod. Though Hope wouldn’t call Merlin a book nerd to his face. The man was positively menacing—just like his teammates.
“Speaking of the guys, since they’ll be gone at least a week, we can get together for dinner a couple of nights.”
“Sounds good to me, but I work three nights this week. I’ll text you my schedule. And speaking of that, I gotta roll. I have a liquor order to check-in.”
“Thanks for all your help.”
“Anytime. I love helping you.”
And Hope meant that with all her heart. She loved spending time with Gwen, helping her in her bookstore. But more, she just liked hanging out with her friend.
She had those now. Honest-to-goodness friends.
It was awesome.
Ten days later
“Problems?” Hope asked as Trigger slid onto a barstool.
“Brain cheats,” he grumbled, and Hope bit back a smile.
“I take it you lost.”
“No. Brain cheated.”
“Right.” Hope chuckled.
“Stop laughing at me and get me a beer, woman.”
Hope would’ve taken offense if anyone else had demanded a beer while calling her woman, but instead, the broad smile on Trigger’s sore-loser face made her bust out laughing.
She grabbed a glass from under the bar and held it under the tap. “Didn’t anyone teach you to lose?”
“Hell no. And don’t tell me that there’s such a thing as a good loser. That’s bullshit. If you’re losing and happy about it, then you’re a shmuck.”
Shmuck?
Damn, Trigger’s funny.
“Whatever you say, big guy.” Hope set his beer in front of him and caught Trigger staring at her. “What? Do I have something on my face?”
“Yeah. Happiness. And it looks good on you.”
With that, Trigger took his beer and started back to the billiards room.
Hope stood rooted to the spot and let Trigger’s statement roll around in her belly.
She was happy. Extremely so.
And not just because she was with Beau. Though it was because of him and Nori she’d allowed herself to let go of her past so she could enjoy her future.
A future that included Beau, a home, good friends, and hopefully children. Nearly two weeks ago, she’d tried to scare Beau when she’d told him she wanted twelve babies. She was joking, but he hadn’t batted an eye. He’d give that to her, she knew he would. The crazy man would give her a dozen babies and whatever else she wanted.
Yeah, she’d made the right decision. If she’d continued to hold onto the guilt, she would’ve missed out on the magnificence of life. Her life. The one she and Beau would create together.
Hope walked to the other end of the bar where her girls were sitting.
My girls.
Man, that feels great.
“Another tequila shot?” Hope asked Destiny.
“God, no. My head is already spinning. I’m done.”
“I’ll have one,” Ivy happily chirped.
“No way, Ivy’s cut off,” Gwen cut in, and Hope looked at her. “She’s over here waxing poetic about Magnus. I do not need to know his skill level, if you catch my drift.”
Destiny giggled and Nori joined her.
“Well, maybe I’d like to hear about Magnus’s talents,” Hope teased.
“No, you wouldn’t.” Hope’s eyes lifted to the door and her heart soared.
Beau.
“You’re home!” Hope shouted. She dashed to the bar hatch and opened it with a crash.
Beau met her at the side of the bar and she jumped into his arms. He caught her with a grunt. Hope’s legs wrapped around his waist and his hands went to her bottom. The tips of his fingers dug in and she sighed.
“You’re home,” she repeated.
Beau didn’t respond, not with words anyway. His mouth took hers in one of his deep, wet, claiming kisses and Hope responded in turn.
Her man was home.
Chapter 33
Two years later…
Heath rolled over, taking Nori with him. He loved the way she slept in his arms, not letting go of him in the night or pushing him away if she got hot. Two years, and he still didn’t think he’d ever get enough of her.
He ran his hand up her warm thigh and around the curve of her sexy ass. Nope. Wouldn’t ever get tired of waking up with her in his arms.
His eyes went to his overnight bag in the corner where a ring burned a hole in the side pocket. His buddies had taunted the hell out of him for waiting so long to ask her, especially since they’d been living together now for over a year.
Still, he’d wanted to be sure Nori had a chance to make decisions for her life without the pressure of feeling like she had to follow him around or change her career for him. Shortly after they started dating, she moved from D.C. to Georgetown, taking a job as a professor at a university. She told him she hadn’t been happy with her job, but part of him worried she would regret the move and grow to resent him.
But he couldn’t deny how much happier she seemed in her new role. When he saw her on campus talking to her students or giving a lecture, she seemed so energized. She would get excited when one of her students really seemed to connect with a topic. She’d come home and talk about their achievements; who got what internship or where one of her students was interviewing.
If she missed her work at the State Department, she didn’t show it.
And when he’d told her he was being recruited by HALO Security in Austin, she’d told him she would support him no matter what he decided. He wasn’t sure he was ready to leave the military at the end of his current tour, but the idea of a little steadier lifestyle and being able to settle into a life where he wasn’t called out halfway across the world routinely, appealed.
Not that a job at HALO would be a walk in the park. Sure, some of what they did was routine protection detail, but Nan and Ris had told him the company did quite a bit of kidnap rescue work nowadays, too.
He didn’t know if he was ready for civilian life, but knowing Nori would have his back no matter what he decided, meant everything to him. His dad had never supported him the way this woman who stole his heart did.
Bruno hopped onto the bed and nuzzled Heath’s neck with the top of his head before circling twice and lying down.
“Hey, buddy,” Heath said, scratching under the dog’s chin. They’d been talking about getting a brother or sister for the little dog.
He grinned. Whether that was a four-legged sibling or a two-legged one remained to be seen.
Nori stirred and let out a contented sound, making his heart trip in his chest. Fuck, it was probably a caveman mentality, but he loved knowing he made her happy. Wanted to make her happy for the rest of her life.
“Morning,” she croaked as she rolled in his arms. She always sounded like she’d swallowed a sand milkshake overnight, and not in a good way. It wasn’t that sexy bedtime voice men fantasized about. He could seriously mistake her for a fifty-year-old trucker who smoked a pack a day, but he loved it. He loved that she was uniquely Nori. That he got to see and hear her like this with her hair mussed instead of everything buttoned up and in place the way she was with the rest of the world.
He grinned and ran his hand down her leg again. “Morning, babe.”
Tonight, they would get dressed up and he’d take her to the Italian restaurant the owner of the bed and breakfast had recommended when he’d contacted her the week before. The restaurant was holding a table for them in a private corner of the outside patio. He would ask the woman he loved to marry him under the stars of the Lake Tahoe night sky.
For now, he was happy to look into her sleepy eyes and let her see how much he loved her.
“What are we doing today?” she asked.
He ran his mouth over her temple and breathed in the sweet scent of her hair. “I thought we’d grab a pi
cnic and a bottle of wine from that little deli down the street and spend the day hiking.”
“Yeah?” she ran her hand up his chest as she wriggled against him, and that was all he needed.
He’d been half-hard already just from holding her in his arms. Her touch did what it always did to him. Set him on fire and had him ready for her in an instant.
He rolled, apologizing to Bruno when the little dog slipped to his side. Bruno threw an affronted look their way.
Nori laughed, but her breath caught when he lowered his mouth to her nipple. He loved the way she arched her back when he ran his tongue around the stiff tip and how she sighed when he took her breast into his mouth and sucked gently.
“Heath,” she whimpered, pressing her hips toward him.
His laugh was rough and low. She had very little patience for his teasing. Unfortunately for her, he planned to make this last. He wanted her begging for release before he entered her. Wanted to feel that moment when she toppled over the edge as he entered her. Hear her as she panted out his name while she grabbed his hair and pulled hard because she lost all control.
He settled between her legs and worked his way down her body with his mouth. He loved the softness of her stomach, the way her legs came up around him, trapping him in place when his mouth made it to the apex of her legs.
She bucked beneath him when he closed his mouth around her, the taste of her making his cock pulse with need. Only after he had her writhing and moaning, he rose above her and pressed himself to her center.
No way could he stop his groan as he entered her. She was warm and wet and so damned right for him. Everything about this woman was so damned right for him.
She met him thrust for thrust, her nails digging into his ass as she pulled him into her.
“I...Heath...more,” she panted.
“Anything you need, baby,” he said, meaning it. He would give this woman anything she needed, for the rest of their lives if she’d have him.
He stilled inside of her as he watched her face.
She opened her eyes and smacked at his chest, never hesitating to tell him when she wasn’t happy in the bedroom. He loved that.
“Marry me,” he said, but it came out almost a whisper. “Marry me,” he said again.
Hope's Delta (Special Forces: Operation Alpha) (Delta Team Three Book 5) Page 19