At last, she shook her head, and that sad look was on her face again. “Don’t you get it? Life is short. Yeah, you could get hurt out there, but you can’t live your life afraid of that. You do your job and put that fear into a little compartment to look at another time. Living can be scary. Loving can be terrifying. Sometimes you just have to go for it. So yeah, life is short, Ren. Far too short. And don’t think for a minute I’m going to let you walk out that door without me saying that I love you. You can leave, but not before you know the truth.”
This little moment of reality was like a punch in the gut.
He stared. She stared. Tears started to pour from her eyes again, and Ren knew in that instant that if he only had a handful of tomorrows left, he wanted to spend them with her. Words were useless, senseless things so he reached for her, and when she wrapped her arms and legs around him, he felt at home, something he had never experienced before.
“Sadie. My sweet, sweet, Sadie.”
Ren gripped her bare ass and kissed her, all the savage intensity, all the love in his heart ripping through his system focused on her and this moment. She’d won, but then so had he. His lips took hers with punishing force, and he sent his tongue deep to taste the spicy flavor of her mouth. Cinnamon and sugar, a potent combination that made his cock go hard behind the fly of his jeans. Nipping at her lip, stroking her tongue with his own was simply not enough.
He carried her to the bed and laid her down in the midst of the covers. “You win, my darlin’. You win.”
“Oh, goody. I love to win,” she whispered, and suddenly Ren laughed. He laughed so hard his belly tightened. Sadie stared at him like he was a crazy man, but it didn’t matter. Joy climbed up from his gut and burst out like some goofy song, and soon she was giggling, rolling around in the messed-up bed like a little girl who’d just gotten the best, most bad assed surprise of her life.
Still grinning, Ren stripped off his clothes and looked down at her. She finally composed herself to beam a soft, watery smile at him. “I love you, Ren. I love you so much I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.”
All humor faded into something warm and cozy that curled tenderly around his heart. He’d always thought it was only women who craved that whole happy-ever-after thing, but Ren was fast learning that men wanted it, too.
Okay. He’d take it. He’d take her.
Naked, he crawled into the bed beside her, wrapped her up and pulled her in. “I’ve always loved you even when I was that confused kid back in Oklahoma. I’d thought those feeling would fade over time, but it never happened.” He kissed her softly then stared straight into her eyes. “I can’t tell you how many nights I spent tucked in some cave in the desert with you uppermost in my mind. Sometimes, I think it’s the only thing that kept me sane. There is no one on the planet who means more to me than you, Sadie Ballew. You had my heart then and you have it now.”
“Hooyah.”
Ren rolled over her, kissed her again, and his breath sped as need for her, the chance to show her his love not only in word but in deed roared through his body. His erection tightened against her soft belly, and hot to give in to the sensation, Ren rubbed his cock against her pussy, loving how damp she was, how ready. Lust crawled over his flesh as he broke the kiss to trail his tongue over her throat and lower to finally take a puckered nipple into his mouth to suck.
He had plenty of ideas as to sexual positions, but missionary suited him mighty fine right now. Sadie wouldn’t have it. She pushed at his shoulders, prodded him to slide off her, and before he could question her actions, she sat astride him. Her smile was brilliant, sexy, and she leaned down to brush biting little kisses over his cheeks, his forehead, his nose and chin.
“Let me,” she whispered against his lips. “You can go all take-charge-SEAL later. Okay?”
“You’re the boss.”
“No truer words, Ren. No truer words.” Sadie pressed her lush curves against his body, teasing him to the point of madness as she kissed her way over his chest and abs. “Strong. I love how strong you are.”
She filled her hand with his cock, and yes, yes. Hot damn, she knew how to touch him. Manipulating his dick, brushing her thumb over the head, Sadie moved lower to take him in her warm, wet mouth. The sucking action, the long licks with her tongue almost carried him over the edge. Playful fingers found his tightly-drawn balls.
“Sadie.”
She released his raging-hard cock with a soft pop of sound and gazed up the length of his body. “Condom. Now. Do your patriotic duty.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Ren reached out to snatch up a rubber, ripped the package, and handed her the protection. Once he was covered, she moved to straddle him. Oh, hell no. Not this time. It wasn’t every day that a man told the woman of his dreams that he loved her. The sex was going down his way. “Uh-uh, sweetheart,” he said before rolling her from his body and positioning himself between her thighs. “Hang on for the ride.”
Taking his erection in hand, he dragged the heavy head of his cock over the drenched flesh of her pussy. He thumbed her clit, rubbing, circling, and within seconds, Sadie began to thrash beneath him. Slowly, he entered her damp, wet heat, loving the way her body clenched around him. Seated to the hilt, need running wild in his blood, he paused to look at her.
How could he have lied to himself that leaving Sadie was best for either of them? Dumb. Reckless. He might have lost any chance at happiness, and there was no doubt this woman was made by God just for him. “I love you, Sadie.”
“Oh, Ren.” She twined her legs around his hips, brushed her hands over his chest, and lovingly stroked his cheeks. “More than life itself. I love you so much.”
Slowly, he pushed into her welcoming body. In. Out. In. Out. He wanted the moments to last, but love for her and that aching savage need suddenly overwhelmed him. Ren slammed hard then repeated the action as Sadie writhed and clung. Up, up, he took her climbing with him into a well of pleasure that shook him with its intensity.
Sadie’s body quivered beneath him as her cries filled the room. He took her higher, leaving her teetering on that high wire before she finally gasped and fell apart against him. Ren grit his teeth as lust consumed him, and in a blast of hunger, he followed her to the edge of the world and back.
****
Early the next morning, they lay in exhausted sleep only to be rudely jarred awake by the insistent jangling of Ren’s pager.
“Fuck.” Ren mumbled the word then rolled from Sadie’s warm body to grab the thing.
“You have to go.”
Her words were softly spoken, and the tinge of worry and sadness was unmistable. Their time was over. At least for a while.
“Yeah.” Ren scrubbed his face and reached for his cell phone. He punched in Coyote’s number. “Pick me up outside the hotel where I’m staying.” He rattled off the address then listened. “Okay. Meet you out front in twenty.”
Ren stood from the side of the bed. “I have to go.”
“Yes. Yes I know. How can I help?”
As he walked toward the bathroom, he glanced over his shoulder at Sadie, hating everything about his quick leave-taking. “Could you make sure everything is in my bag? I packed most of it up last night but could you double-check?”
“Of course. Grab your shower.”
A few minutes later, he emerged from the steamy bathroom to see Sadie standing quietly on the balcony. He pulled on some clothes, clipped the pager into the waistband of his jeans, and set his small bag at the foot of the bed before heading out to joint her. “Some of the team will be here in a few minutes. I don’t have much time.”
Sadie turned with a little cry and launched herself into his arms. Tears drenched the front of his T-shirt, and the only thing he could do was hold on for dear life. Every moment was precious, and they were passing faster than a speeding bullet.
“Don’t cry, honey,” he whispered into her hair. “I don’t know where I’m going or when I’ll be stateside again, but you’d best be ready for it. Shh. Shh. Now listen to me. I want you to go back home and make some plans.”
“Plans?” She looked up. “What kinds of plans?”
Ren kissed her quickly, his heart in his throat. “Marriage kind of plans. You know the drill. Church. Flowers. All that foo foo frilly shit you ladies like. What kind of ring do you want?”
Sadie cocked her head. “Big. Sparkly. Ostentacious. That’ll do it.”
Ren grinned then felt it fade. “I’m asking you to marry me, sexy Sadie. Will you? What do you say? I promise to love you forever even though I won’t be around every day to tell you so. Does that sound like a deal?”
She nodded, her eyes brimming. “Sounds like a hell of a deal to me. I love you. Please come back to me.”
“Count on it.”
With one last kiss, he was out the door. Please God don’t let him cry in front of the team. He’d never forgive himself though he knew
they
would. A black SUV waited out front. Ren opened the door to the sound of down and dirty rock blasting from the radio, and after tossing his bag inside, he looked up.
As he expected, Sadie still stood on the balcony, watching him, and he knew she was struggling, too. Suddenly, she smiled, giving him the best kind of image to carry with him into the field. In true Sadie-style, she kissed her fingertips and threw the invisible kisses his way. Yeah, there was a knot in his throat, but there was also the best kind of happiness curling warmly through his body.
Staring up at the woman he loved, he laid his palm over his heart in silent salute. He was leaving it with her. It would be safe until he returned. He knew it.
With one final glance, he climbed aboard and headed off into the unknown. He’d left for battle before, but this time it was different. He’d return one day soon, when the world was safer and the violence was tamed, to claim his future and his love.
It couldn’t come soon enough.
About the Author
Regina Carlysle is a multi-published, award winning author of erotic romance. A lifelong Texan, she is the over indulgent mom of two grown kids. Though these days she lives in sunny Florida, she hasn’t forgotten her west Texas roots and most of her naughty stories, both contemporary and paranormal, involve rugged men and the sassy women who love them. When Regina isn’t penning her next novel, she loves chatting with friends and hanging with her kids (who happen to be the coolest people she knows).
Visit Regina at
www.reginacarlysle.com
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Also Available
Coyote Heat
by
Desiree Holt
A wild weekend in Key West with Team Arapaho is just what Navy SEAL Miguel "Coyote" Cruz needs after a tough mission. Cold beer and hot women. The last thing he expects is to meet a woman who singes his body with the slighted touch and stokes the fire in his guarded heart. Too bad she's determined not to fall for a military man.
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