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

by Rebecca Joyce

  God, she hoped he was there.

  Making her way toward the dock, she watched as men shouted as they readied their boats. Women and children laughed and giggled as they anxiously awaited the fun before them. With the sun shining and little wind, today was a beautiful day to be out on the water.

  She had made it to the end of the dock. Where his houseboat once sat, she saw nothing but water before her as she looked out to sea. He hadn’t left. Well, technically, he had, but he was still in the United States. She knew he would have to come back sometime, and with nothing else to do, she headed back to her truck and waited for him to return.

  * * * *

  Then sun was getting ready to set when Mason docked the boat and turned off the engines. After anchoring the lines, he grabbed his gear as his crew disembarked. No one said a single word. He knew they were wired for the upcoming mission, and he was, too, but he still couldn’t get his head straight. He felt as if he was missing something, that some important piece to the puzzle hadn’t been discovered yet. For the last five hours he had wracked his brain going over every detail, every intel report, and nothing had jumped up at him.

  Something still felt off.

  “Cap, Fish, Talkie, and I are gonna head on back. Gunny and Bird are riding with you, okay?” Rich asked.

  “Yeah, sure,” he mumbled as he followed numbly up the dock.

  “You okay, Cap?” Gunny asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Just so you know, you’re not the only one feeling it. We all know something is off,” Gunny admitted. Mason knew it took a lot for him to say that. From the start, they had all been molded and trained to deal with everything. The mission was their way of life. They knew the drill, and did what needed to be done to complete the mission. The mission was everything. Yet, this time, this time they all knew something was different. It didn’t feel right. None of them could put their finger on what was different, which had them all worried. That was not a feeling they needed going into a mission. Clear heads and a directive, that’s what was needed, not uncertainty and fear.

  Those ingredients were a disaster waiting to happen.

  Mason was putting his tackle box and fishing pole in the bed of his truck when he just happened to look over his shoulder and spotted her vehicle. He noticed her sleeping in her truck and smiled. “Give me a minute, guys. I’ll be right back,” he said, throwing his keys to Gunny, who smiled.

  “Sure thing, Cap. Take all the time you need.” Bird grinned as he, too, looked at the sleeping beauty from where he stood.

  Mason didn’t know what she was doing here. He was just happy she was here. He felt bad for not calling on her for the last week, but with the upcoming mission, he figured it was best to let things lie until he returned. He was never good with the mushy, heartfelt crap, and as much as he wanted to find out why she was angry with him, he just didn’t have the time to devote to what he knew was going to be a long, drawn-out conversation. So instead, he had given her space and prayed when he returned she would be more amiable toward him. He never expected her to come find him.

  He softly knocked on the window, trying not to scare her, but when she jumped and screamed, he just shook his head and opened the driver side door. “What are you doing here, buttercup?”

  Yawning, she replied, “Waiting for you.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I couldn’t let you leave without saying I am sorry.”

  “You drove all the way from Cedar Creek, just to tell me you’re sorry?”

  Mason frowned when he saw her beautiful eyes water, and before he could stop himself, he gathered her in his arms, holding her close. Her body wracked with sobs as she said, “Yeah, and to ask you not to go. I know I have no right, and that you are obligated, but don’t go, Mason. Please stay. I couldn’t handle it if something happened to you. You did your time. They can’t ask you to do this. It isn’t right. They can get someone else, someone who still wants to be in the military. Please, tell them no. It would kill me. We can figure this out. I know we can. Please, stay.”

  Mason just closed his eyes and hugged her tighter. This was why he chose to never be attached in the military. This was why he chose the Army over a family. Choosing between the two was unbearable to him. He knew he wouldn’t have been able to do his job if he was constantly thinking about his family at home. That strain was too much for one man or woman to handle. When he met Annabelle, he was retired, done with that part of his life, so making a connection seemed like the logical next step. What he hadn’t counted on was his old life coming back to haunt him. Now he knew what all those married soldiers felt when it was time to say farewell, and he commended them on their bravery, for their devotion greatly outweighed his.

  Those men and women were the true heroes.

  “Come, buttercup. I’ll drive you home,” he solemnly said, then kissed the top of her head. “Give me a second. I need to let the guys know.”

  By the time he reached her home, it was dark. The Texas night sky was lit brilliantly with thousands and thousands of stars. He could hear the crickets chirping as they sang for the night as the wind gently blew through the trees. For all intents and purposes, it was a calm, beautiful night made for rocking on the front porch with a loved one. Only, his loved one slept curled up next to him.

  After parking her truck, Mason turned off the ignition and just looked at the beautiful woman sleeping next to him. It was one of those magical moments in life, which he didn’t want to break. The thought of waking her, only to say good-bye, tore something inside of him, but he knew he couldn’t sit in her truck until dawn. As much as he hated it, he gently stroked her shoulder, and whispered, “Annabelle?”

  “Hmm.”

  “We’re home.”

  Stretching, she sighed and said, “Already?”

  “Should I have taken the long way home?” He chuckled, but didn’t really feel it. He saw the look on her face and wondered how she would react if he told her that in just over six hours, he would be wheels up and headed into harm’s way. Would she worry, be upset, miss him? He thought about her a lot and what was going on in her mind. In the short time they had been together, she had come to mean everything to him, and he just couldn’t bring himself to tell her that he was leaving and might not return. He hated the way this situation made him feel. He knew even then that he could only concentrate on one thing. It was bad enough to tell his mother and brothers, but to tell the one woman in the world that held his heart, that was something he thought he would never have to do. Yet, he sat there, looking at her beautiful face, and he knew he couldn’t leave without saying good-bye.

  “Baby, I have to…”

  “No. Please don’t say it. I already know. I knew when I drove all the way to Galveston. I knew when I saw your boat missing. I knew when you first told me about it all,” she whispered as she turned to him, moving her face closer to his. “Mason, you are a good man, an honorable man. I knew that the first moment I met you. I never dreamed I would find a man like you. I fantasized about you long before you came into my life. You are kind and loving, one of the smartest men I’ve ever known, but you are also a soldier, and I’m a better person for getting the chance to know you. I know the drill, and I know you can’t tell me anything, but know this. I will be here when you come home.”

  Mason was speechless.

  Her soft little hands cupped his face. “I love you, Mason Harold Armstrong. You come home to me.”

  That was all it took. Mason wrapped a hand around the back of her head, drew her to him, and kissed her with everything he had left to give. Parked in front of her house, among the cottonwoods and crickets, he kissed her ravenously as his heart burst with joy.

  She loved him.

  Sucking her tongue into his mouth, Mason moaned as she pressed her chest against his. Her taut nipples poked him hard through her shirt and bra as she rubbed them against him. God, he loved this woman. He would never get enough of her. He pulled her closer, and she raised her leg and
straddled him, her hands frantically trying to touch every inch of him. His hands cupped her luscious ass and squeezed as her pelvis rocked against his hard cock. He could already feel the zipper digging into his shaft. And for once in his life, he was grateful for going commando.

  Grabbing the hem of her shirt, he lifted it as she ripped apart his button-up. Mason grinned, thinking how sexy she was when she had a purpose, and her purpose was him.

  Desire overwhelmed him as he stared at her heaving chest. He could see her perky nipples poking into the thin material of her barely there lacy bra, which was utterly inadequate for holding the swell of her ample breasts. As far as he was concerned, every bra she owned should look just as exquisite as the one she wore.

  “I need you,” she panted as she trailed kisses up his chest toward his neck. “Please love me.”

  “Yes,” he replied huskily as he pulled down the lace material and exposed her breasts. His hands filled instantly with her plump mounds, all soft and warm like clouds basking in the sunshine. Rolling her nipples with his fingers, he squeezed them gently, applying just enough pressure to elicit a soft moan from her kissable mouth. She raked her tiny hands down his chest, sending electric shocks straight to his dick. He wanted her like no other. She was it for him. If he were to die tomorrow, he knew he would die a happy man, just because this woman loved him.

  His hard cock twitched as she ground her pelvis against him. God, she was slowly killing him with her passion. Shirts were discarded as Annabelle stood up on the floorboard to unbutton her shorts. After helping her peel them off, he ripped her matching lacy panties off. He couldn’t wait any longer. He needed her. He needed to feel her heat as he slid his fingers between her long legs.

  The room in the cab of her truck was not ideal for what he wanted to do with her, but there was no stopping now. Reaching down beside him, he found the latch and lifted, moving the driver’s seat all the way back. Quickly feeling for the reclining button, he pushed it, and before he could tell her to hang on, the driver’s seat was lying completely back, with her upon his chest.

  Oh yeah, this works better.

  “Come here, buttercup. Let me taste that pretty pussy.”

  Mason couldn’t wait to taste her well-trimmed pussy. Her aroma filled the small cab. Even in the dark of night, he could see the glistening juices of her labia. She was pink, swollen with desire, and she was very wet. He helped her up and over him as she carefully straddled his face. Thank goodness for her small stature, because if she were any taller, this would never work. But his little buttercup was perfect. His hands helped to steady her as her pussy lay just above his mouth. Her juices sparkled as he swiped a lick with his tongue, and she moaned.

  The instant he tasted her, he let go of everything he had been thinking of. Every regret, every unwanted thought, every indecision fled. All that was left was her. Instantly, she became the center of his universe.

  There was no foreplay, no slow buildup, as he latched on to her pearly nub and sucked. Her screams filled the cab of her truck as he devoured her essence. As she writhed and panted above him, he held onto her for dear life, taking what she offered.

  He was in heaven. Her juices flowed freely as he continued to lick and suck on her. Her small grinding motion accelerated when his tongue delved into her hot core. She was warm, and sultry, and she tasted like heaven. His hands cupped her ass as his fingers kneaded and caressed her soft globes, and with a scrape of his teeth, she shot off like a firecracker, exploding into his mouth.

  Panting hard, she tried to move away from him, but he wouldn’t let her. This was where he wanted to be, between her legs, always. This was home, would always be, forever. Gently helping her off him, he looked at his woman. She was stunning with her hair tousled, face flushed, and her eyes filled with lust. He did that to her, only him.

  They were just two lovers anxious to get at each other like a pair of rutting animals as he quickly unzipped his pants. With a little help from her, his jeans were soon down around his ankles. Leaning back again, with his cock aimed at the sky, Annabelle climbed over his hips once more, grabbed his cock at the base, eased the head up to her slit, and impaled herself on him.

  “Oh fuck,” he growled. He gasped and moaned as Annabelle quickly engulfed him with her cunt. He would never get over the feeling of being inside her steamy-hot core. She was flash fire, all searing, and soft as silk.

  Never taking his eyes from hers, he lay there and watched as she slowly began to move on him. He never tired of watching her. She was the beginning, the middle, and the end for him, and she had him wrapped around her little finger for life. He wanted to be a better man because of her. He wanted to be her sun, moon, and stars, because she was that for him.

  Her powerful legs tightened as she picked up the pace, her pelvis grinding his. Lost in the euphoria of their mating, Mason thrust his cock forward, filling her completely. The pleasure she gave him unmanned him. Reaching up, he grabbed her face and kissed her for all that he was worth. Tongues dueled as she rode his cock, their juices sloshing, skin slapping, the air dripping in their mating.

  Pleasure flowed back and forth between them as his shaft relentlessly churned in Annabelle’s cunt. When she threw her head back, swishing her long, glorious golden locks, he could see the grimace of her impending orgasm written on her face.

  “More, Mason,” she panted. “Yes, give me more!”

  Fascinated, Mason watched as her pendulous breasts bounced on her chest and the sweat of lust shimmered all over her body. He could see her starting to shimmy and shake as her climax began to come to a head. She buried her head in his shoulder and he held her tight as it washed over her.

  “Oh, Mason, yes, Mason, oh yes, Mason,” she wailed. It was all he could do to keep from spewing right then, but he managed to maintain his control.

  Once Annabelle’s convulsions settled down, she looked at him with an odd look, hot but odd. He just smiled at her. “I’m nowhere done with you, buttercup. I’ll never have my fill,” he whispered. He gently pulled her off of him, and she whimpered slightly at losing his cock, but he simply leaned her back against the dashboard. He gazed in lust at her widespread legs, with the gaping pussy between them, red and waiting for him.

  Mason got up on his knees on the seat, between Annabelle’s legs, gripped his cock tightly, and drove it home once again.

  Chapter Eight

  Annabelle threw her head back and groaned loudly as Mason began to fuck her hard, driving his fat cock back and forth in her creamy cunt with all the power his muscular hips could produce. He held her by her chest as she wrapped her arms around his back, pulling him closer to her and kissing him passionately.

  She could feel the tingle in her stomach that told her she was getting close. She was sitting on the edge. Her head thrashed about and her body jerked as he hurtled her frantically toward another release. She would never get enough of him. She loved him, truly loved this man and everything he was. She knew the real man beneath the façade. With one look into his sultry blue eyes, she was his willing slave.

  She wanted this night with him to last. She needed to give him something to remember, to hang onto, before he left. She hated the thought of what was about to happen to him, but knowing his deep devotion to his country, the only thing she could do was give him her unwavering support, and pray that when it was all over, he would come home to her. She refused to think of the alternative, because if she did, she knew she would fall apart.

  Her cries, moans, gasps, and squeals filled the cab as he fucked her relentlessly. She could see his eyes squeezed shut as he teetered on the brink. He was holding back, waiting for her. “Let go, Mason. I’ll catch you,” she panted, raising her pelvis to meet his thrust. “Give it to me.”

  His body twitched as if he had grabbed a live electrical wire. She felt the thud in her stomach that told her she was over the edge, and with a grunt and a long groan, Mason lurched forward and stilled, emptying himself into her. The first pulse of his cum sent he
r over, and she screamed out his name as her pussy convulsed, milking him as he emptied himself deep into her clenching pussy.

  Sweaty bodies slipped and slithered together as they spent themselves in and on each other. She must have felt thousands of shocks as her cunt spasmed around him. Panting hard, she let the wave of lust pass over her. She didn’t stop Mason when he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her along with him as he leaned back against the seat. Finding her spot, she nestled her head against his shoulder, and before she could stop herself, tears started to flow.

  “Oh, baby, please don’t,” he said, his voice gravelly as if he, too, were overcome with what was about to happen.

  “I don’t want this to ever end,” she said through her tears. “I love you, Mason Armstrong, and I’ll love you forever.”

  The second she felt him tense beneath her, she knew she wasn’t going to like what he said next. Of course, she also knew that whatever he was about to say, he was doing for her benefit. When she was younger, she had heard the stories about her uncle, how he would distance himself from those he cared about. He didn’t mean to be cruel or hurtful, but doing what he did, he couldn’t go into that with those he loved on his mind. It was a volatile mix. Therefore, she readied herself for the words she knew he was going to say.

  “Annabelle, listen, I need to say something, and I need you to understand,” he began as he lifted her off him and started to put his clothes back on. “I don’t know when I’m coming back. I don’t want you to put your life on hold for me. You are so young and vibrant, and you have Andrew to think about. What we’ve had has been the best time of my life, and I will never forget that, but, baby, I can’t ask you to wait for me. It’s wrong, and I won’t do it.”