A Soldier's Promise [The Armstrong Brothers of Cedar Creek 3] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic)

by Rebecca Joyce

  Tension thickened and Mason thrust recklessly. Labored breathing, slapping balls, urgent whimpers, and heartfelt pleas filled the silence of the room as a choir of voices might fill a cathedral.

  Mason’s body, sleek with perspiration, suddenly tensed, and his head snapped back in preparation. A deep, primitive growl and Annabelle felt hot sperm eject into her womb. Her mind conjured a vivid image of his rigid manhood pumping vigorously, unburdening itself within her body as her coil of need tightened even more. Her arms locked fiercely around Mason’s neck and her hips pressed upward, straining to gain that impossible closeness.

  The intensity of his climax tapering, Mason ground his pelvis against her spread womanhood. The pressure was the crucial nudge Annabelle needed, and resistance shattered in retribution. A scream of victory burst from her lungs before her trembling body began to thrash violently as it gorged on a satisfaction more purified this time by their union.

  It was a long time before heart rates slowed and breathing grew normal. With Annabelle’s stirring, Mason’s happy cock slipped out of its moist sanctuary. He drew himself up on his elbows and studied her expression of ecstasy. His gentle, affectionate kiss to her forehead opened Annabelle’s eyes. He smiled at her, once more awed by the healing power of love and lovemaking.

  Mason rolled over onto his back, his tucked arm wrapping around her to draw her against his side. Annabelle snuggled closer. She fitted her head in the crook of his shoulder and hooked a lazy leg over his. Gratified sighs and sweet kisses followed, sealing their sharing then leading them into serenity.

  As she drifted off, Mason watched as a trickle of hot fluid slipped through her swollen labia. Annabelle smiled up at him, like an angel, and pressed her damp apex against his muscular thigh that was wedged between her legs. Mason returned a listless kiss then allowed himself to plunge into the abyss of contentment.

  Mason sighed deeply. At last, satisfaction prevailed, and the world had righted once more. Just before he fell into deep sleep, her hand slid down and gently cupped his warm, drained testicles.

  Chapter Four

  Annabelle woke to find herself back in his bed. Stretching, she reached over, her arms hitting the empty side of the bed. Leaning up, she looked around the room, realizing she was alone. Somewhere in her mind, she knew he wouldn’t be lying next to her, while a small part of her wished he was. Thus was her life. She had gotten what she wanted, and so had he. That didn’t mean they were an item or anything. They were just two people passing in the night, and connected. That was all, and she knew she better not make anything else out of it.

  Getting up, she found the robe he lent her, lying at the foot of the bed. Donning it, she walked down the hall and stopped, looking at the scene of last night’s escapade. It was just a typical living room, but last night it had been so much more. Her face heated just thinking about what had occurred in this room, just mere hours ago.

  Stop it, Annabelle. He has his life and you have yours. Nothing is going to come of it. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, and stop hoping for something that will never be.

  Turning, she walked into the kitchen and found him leaning against the counter. Dressed in blue jeans, a black T-shirt, and worn cowboy boots, he looked tired, but utterly delicious.

  “Hi,” she whispered, blushing when he didn’t say anything.

  “I made coffee.”

  “Thank you,” she said, quietly moving around him. She couldn’t read him. He wasn’t giving anything away. Yet when she’d said “Hi,” he’d looked angry with her, as if last night was her fault and he wanted to forget it ever happened. She had never had this happen to her before. Hell, the only person she had ever slept with was her high school boyfriend, and she ended up marrying him. A lot of good that did, though.

  She didn’t know what the protocol was for the morning after earth-shattering sex. Was she just supposed to get dressed and leave? Was she supposed to talk about how good he was? This was all beyond her realm of comprehension.

  Taking the cup she assumed he left out for her, she quickly filled it with the hot brew. Looking around, she tried to find the sugar and creamer, but when she didn’t find any, she figured it was best to just drink it black. Taking the cup, she skirted by him and sat at the small kitchen table with her back toward him.

  She dared not turn around. She could feel his eyes on her. He was making her nervous. She wished he would just say something. Taking a sip of the bitter coffee, she inadvertently cringed as the thick brew slid down her throat. Laying the coffee on the table, she quietly stood, and turned to him. “Thank you for the coffee. I’ll go get dressed now.”

  She waited for what felt like forever, and still he just stood there, leaning against the counter, staring at her. Sighing, she quietly went back to his bedroom and closed the door.

  The moment she left, Mason finally let out the breath he was holding. He had stayed awake last night, just watching her sleep, her soft little wisps of breath tickling his arm as she curled into him. She was special. Even if they hadn’t slept together, he knew that the moment he laid eyes on her.

  After she fell asleep in his arms last night, he gently picked her up and carried her to the bed. He didn’t want her sleeping on the hard floor, and he knew his bed would be more comfortable for her. He marveled at how her little frame fit perfectly in his arms, as he walked her down the hall toward his room. Even standing before his bed, he was reluctant to let her go, but he did so anyway. He lay next to her all night, memorizing every inch of her face, every line, every freckle.

  She was stunning.

  Right before the sun rose, he quietly got out of the bed, trying not to wake her, showered, and dressed. He had always gotten up early even from a young age, from when he still lived with his parents. His dad would always wake him first, before the others. Together, they would get the morning chores done on the ranch, even before they had a single bite to eat. At the time he didn’t mind. He was the oldest and he figured it was his right to work beside his father.

  Those were the good times he remembered.

  That was until he realized what a true bastard his dad was. After he caught his father with another woman, he tried everything he could to distance himself from the man, even going as far as to enlist in the military right out of high school. Though his old man kicked up a fuss, throwing him out of the house, Mason never looked back, and moved on with his life.

  Though he missed his mother and brothers, they always wrote and kept him informed of what was happening out at the ranch. Over the years, brother after brother left. That was until one night he received the call from his mother, telling him his father had gotten a young woman pregnant.

  Stationed in Korea at the time, he was unable to help his brothers the way he wanted, but when his mother told him who took the baby after the mother died, Mason immediately set up an allotment for the child, his half-brother. Though he was halfway around the world, he did his part to help his family out. After doing what he could, whenever he visited, he always made sure the child wanted for nothing.

  For years, he watched his brothers raise the child, love him, and protect him, keeping him far away from the destructive power that was their father. Always gone, Mason felt as if he had abandoned his family in their time of need. Though nobody said anything, he just knew.

  That’s why when his last mission went badly and the military washed their hands of him, he decided to stay close, to make amends as best he could. The only problem was he felt like an outsider, always looking in, but never included. Oh, he knew his brothers loved him, and he loved them, too, but after being gone for so long, he was set in his ways, and most of the time he clashed with his brothers’ beliefs and ways of doing things. Where Mason firmly believed in shooting first, Michael preferred to talk, where Mark preferred to laugh. As for his other brothers, well, they weren’t around much, so he really didn’t know much about them.

  Then there was Henry, so young and full of life. His brothers had managed to do
the impossible. They gave Henry the life they never had, and it showed when Henry smiled. Though only a half-brother, Henry was all Armstrong. Tall, with a full head of black hair, Henry had the distinctive Armstrong steel-blue eyes. There was no doubting his lineage.

  After the mess with Rachael and her ranch, their father had finally found out about Henry, which caused quite a stir. However, thanks to Rachael and his mother, they stemmed the furry that was M.H. Armstrong. Since then, his father had seemed to mellow a bit, but when Mark almost lost Sarah, his father changed. Though he and the rest of his brothers were waiting for the vicious return of the tyrant they knew too well, it had been two years, and the old man seemed to settle into his new role as doting grandfather.

  Still, through it all, Mason felt like an outsider. That was until yesterday. For the first time in his life, he actually felt like he belonged to something. Meeting Andrew and then his mother was a happy day for him. He had never laughed so hard in his life. He loved how it made him feel, and when that skunk sprayed her, the memory of her face would forever be etched in his mind. Yet, it was the way she looked at him as she allowed him to love her.

  As much as he’d wanted to say something to her when she’d walked into the kitchen, all words had fled, and what was left was a two-hundred-and-twenty-pound gaping idiot. She looked so beautiful in the morning light with the early rays shining brightly on her hair, like glimmering gold. Her soft skin, so pale and creamy, looked like butter, but it was her eyes that captured him and held him hostage. He could drown in her depths. Yet, when given the opportunity to be witty and smart, he just stood there like a lump on the log and the only words he could form were, “I made coffee.”

  You are a fucking moron!

  Good at taking orders and giving them, he wasn’t good with women. Never had been. That was his one downfall. Well, he knew he had many more, but with a woman he liked, he ended up being a stammering idiot, or he totally ignored them. Unlike his suave brothers, Mason lacked the social skills to have a relationship, and as he watched Annabelle leave, he kicked himself for being the buffoon he was.

  When he heard the bedroom door open again, he pushed off the counter and walked over to the sink, putting his cup in it.

  “I’m ready to get Andrew and go home.”

  Turning, he looked at her and nodded. His mouth dry, he dared not to say anything, too afraid of what may come out of his mouth. Picking up his keys to his truck, he motioned for her and they silently left.

  Mason dropped off Annabelle and Andrew at their house. After telling her he needed to run into town for supplies, he told her he would be back in a couple of hours. Quickly getting what he needed, he headed back over to Michael and Rachael’s place. He desperately needed to talk to Mikie. Figuring since he had been married the longest, he just might have some advice for him.

  He pulled into the R & R Ranch and smiled. He loved being here, but the goal for today was to sneak in and out without being snagged into staying to help out, or heaven forbid, to eat. He never could figure out what Rachael’s deal was with food and baking, but the damn nosey woman cooked and baked up a storm, and whenever she had a surplus, she insisted he stay and help eat it.

  For the last couple of months, Rachael had been on his ass about quality family time, and work. He had managed sometimes to duck out before she got her claws into his backside, but for some reason he wasn’t feeling that lucky today.

  He knew it was either suffer through another family meal or get his ass chewed by his sister-in-law, and that was something he didn’t relish, so he figured if she snagged him, he would eat quickly and take some of it home. Before getting out of his truck, he removed his gun and placed it in his glove compartment.

  He walked into the house to find a very angry five-year-old yelling and screaming at Henry. Smiling, he just walked past them and let Abigail have at him.

  Rachael was in the kitchen, busy finishing lunch, moving from cabinet to cabinet, ignoring the fighting in the living room. So, Mason pulled out a chair, and watched Rachael and listened to Henry get his butt chewed.

  “Need some help?” he asked softly after a couple of minutes, but she didn’t answer him. Getting up, he walked over and made his presence known. Rachael screamed and started hitting him with a dishrag.

  “What have I told you about sneaking up on me like that? You damn near gave me a heart attack!”

  Mason just smiled, pulling the earphones out of her ears. “Then turn off the music.”

  “Sorry, trying to drown out those two in there. They have been going at it for the last hour.”

  “What’s the fight about this time?” Mason asked with a smile.

  “No clue. Hey, do me a favor and go get Michael, would ya?” she asked and went back to what she was doing. Sighing, he walked down the hall and into the den. Michael was sitting at his desk going over the year’s cattle prices.

  When Mason walked in, Michael asked, “When did you get here?”

  “A couple of minutes ago,” Mason replied. “I need to talk to you, if you can swing it.”

  “Take a seat. I will be done in a minute.”

  Mason walked over to the couch and smiled. There in the little playpen, sitting quietly, was Savannah with her corkscrew blonde curls that bounced whenever she moved her head. Almost eighteen months, she was the spitting image of his brother Matthew. Her big blue eyes sparkled, and when she smiled, her whole face lit up.

  When she saw her uncle, Mason watched as she grabbed a hold of the playpen and pulled herself up. Reaching her little chubby arms out, Mason didn’t have the heart to tell her no, so he picked her up.

  “You are spoiling her,” Michael said, not even turning to look.

  “So what?” Mason said as he kissed the little girl.

  “Rachael wants her to learn to walk. If you keep holding her she won’t learn.”

  “She will learn when she is ready. How do the cattle prices look this year?” he asked, playing with his niece.

  “Not as good as last year, but profitable.” Michael closed his books, and turned to face him. “So what’s up?”

  Sighing, Mason really didn’t know how to start this conversation. It was weird asking his little brother for help with women. Yet, it was either Michael or Mark, since he couldn’t stand Mitchell. Taking a deep breath, he just blurted it out. “I slept with Annabelle last night.”

  Mason watched as his brother’s eyes widened then closed to hard slits. “You slept with the new school teacher? Andrew’s mother? The woman you were supposed to be hospitable to last night?”

  Mason just nodded and kept quiet. He knew that Michael needed time to process what he had just said, and well, he needed to also, but when Michael ran his hands through his hair and gave him a dirty look, Mason knew he was not going to like what his brother said next.

  “Fuck, Mason! What is your problem? All you had to do was be nice to the woman and give her a safe place to stay for the night. You were not supposed to fuck her! Shit! Wait until the judge hears. You know, he looked high and low for the perfect schoolteacher, one that was above reproach. Do you know what this is going to do to her when this comes out? She could lose her job! Why? Tell me why you did it.”

  “I had another nightmare,” Mason whispered, holding Savannah close to him.

  “And that makes it right!” Michael shouted, jumping to his feet. “Look, Mason, I get it, you have done some messed-up shit, but just because you have a nightmare, doesn’t give you the right to fuck anyone who is available. This doesn’t make any sense.” Michael stopped, and turned and looked at him in a way that had Mason shifting in his seat. At the moment, Mason knew coming to Michael was a bad mistake. His brother could always see too much. Nothing ever got by him. “You like her!”

  Mason looked away from him and whispered, “Yeah.”

  “Wow,” he said, sitting back down. “We never thought, I mean, you never mentioned a woman before. We just assumed you would die a bachelor. Shit, Mason, you’re forty years
old. She can’t be any older than, what, twenty-nine? She is young.”

  “I know, but I feel, really feel when she is around. I can’t explain it, Mikie. When I first saw her, I just felt this pull. I wasn’t expecting anything. Shit, you know me. I can’t stand people. Hell, just talking with you about this is making my skin crawl, but when she smiles at me, I just feel.”

  “You love her,” Michael whispered, smiling.

  “From the moment I first looked into her pretty brown eyes. She had me.”

  “So what are you going to do? You’re not the most eloquent speaker, Mason. Have you talked to her yet?”

  “When she woke up this morning, I told her I made coffee.”

  Mason watched as Michael tried unsuccessfully to control his laughter. What was it about his brothers? They always found him funny. He didn’t get it.

  Coughing, Michael said, “Sorry. So what are you going to do?”

  “I don’t know. I need help, because right now, all I want to do is run back over to her place and stay, permanently. She makes the nightmares go away, Mikie.”

  “All right, give me a day or two to think of something. Wow, this is just…wow! Wait until Rachael hears this. She is going to scream the roof down.”

  “No. You can’t tell her. She’ll drive me crazy. I can barely handle the family dinners. If she knew about this, I would never be rid of her.”

  “All right, I won’t tell her, but she will find out eventually, and when she does, you just better make damn sure you have Annabelle secured right where you want her. ’Cause not even the hounds of hell can stop my wife when she is on a mission.”

  “Rodger that.”

  Thinking the conversation was over, Mason had just turned his attention back to Savannah when her father roared with laughter.

  “What’s so funny?” he asked.