by Cat Johnson
She gripped the ice-cold steering wheel, knowing full well she’d be home just about the time the car started to warm up. Next teaching position she applied for was going to be in Florida. Or maybe Hawaii. That idea was sounding better by the day. Especially today when she’d forgotten her gloves.
Funny how she’d remembered to order flowers for Emma, yet she couldn’t remember to wear her damn gloves when she left the house. She’d been forgetting things a lot lately. This sit-around-and-wait game, wondering when Tucker would finally be coming home, was enough to make anyone a little scatterbrained.
“So what are you—” She’d been about to ask Emma what she had planned for tomorrow when her driveway came into view. The sight of Tucker’s truck parked there had her stopping mid-sentence and slamming on the brake. “Em, I gotta go.”
She hit the button to disconnect the call before she shoved the phone into her pocket. Swinging in behind his truck, Becca parked so crooked the car was nearly sideways. She didn’t care as she flung the transmission into park, turned the key to off, and nearly choked herself trying to get out with her seat belt still latched.
She finally freed herself and opened the door.
Where was he? She’d expected him to be waiting in the truck, but it was empty. Becca sprinted for her door. It opened just as she approached, and there stood Tucker, inside her apartment and dangling her spare key between two fingers.
“I see you’re still hiding this under the plant. I can tell you one thing, that’s gonna change now I’m back.” He looked so good in his jeans and a long-sleeve shirt with not even an inch of camouflage anywhere, it was enough to bring tears to her eyes. It was really over. He was back.
“Oh, my God, you’re home.” She flung herself at him so hard, she probably would have knocked over a smaller man.
He caught her easily, lifting her in his arms as he crashed his mouth against hers. The apartment door was still open, and her coat was still on, but she didn’t care. All she cared about was that he was back, safe and sound and kissing her again.
With her arms and legs both wrapped around him, she pulled away from the pleasure of his lips to say, “God, I missed you.”
“I can pretty much guarantee I missed you more.” He kicked the door shut and carried her toward the bedroom. “I gotta warn you, it’s been six months. First time’s gonna be insanely fast and probably not very good.”
And she could pretty much guarantee the second time would be very slow and incredibly good.
“That’s fine with me.” As if she could possibly care about that anyway, when he was home safe and about to make love to her.
“Do you know how much I love you?” He dropped her onto the mattress.
“Nope. I think you have to show me.” Pulling off her coat, she tossed it to the side and watched as he toed off his boots—cowboy boots, not combat boots.
The significance of that seemed enormous as she struggled to keep the tears at bay. She didn’t do a very good job.
Tucker kneeled on the edge of the bed, still dressed. “What’s the matter, darlin’?”
“It’s okay. Happy tears.” She forced a smile as proof.
“Hmm. I suppose there are going to be more of those coming. At least I hope there are.” Tucker grabbed her hand and pulled her upright until she was sitting on the edge of the bed with her feet on the floor. He reached into his pocket and dropped to one knee.
Realization dawned when he held the diamond ring in front of him. Her eyes widened. “What are you doing?”
She had a feeling she knew the answer, but she was too shocked to be sure.
“Rebecca Hart, will you be my wife?” He took her left hand and slid the ring onto her fourth finger. It was a tad big, but it would do for now.
Becca’s throat felt too tight for her to even try to speak, not that she would have been able to through the tears that flowed freely now. She managed a nod and what sounded more like a squeak than any actual word in the English language, before she grabbed and kissed him.
He sank his hand beneath her hair and cradled the back of her head as he angled his. His tongue plunged into her mouth. His weight pressed her to the mattress. She could feel the outline of his erection crushed between them.
Tucker pulled back just enough to ask, “So that’s a yes?”
“Yes.” She laughed through the tears.
“Good.”
Somehow, reality crept in through her joy. “But what about the university’s non-fraternization rules?”
He smiled. “They don’t count for married couples. I already asked.”
“You asked?”
“Mmm, hmm.” Tucker’s attention seemed to be wavering as he stared at her lips and pressed his pelvis harder against her. “Well actually, Logan asked your boss for me.”
She braced one hand against Tucker’s chest and held him back as he leaned toward her lips. “Is that why you’re marrying me? So we both won’t lose our jobs?”
He pulled back and frowned. “You are a crazy woman, do you know that? I don’t want to marry you because of a job. I want to marry you because I don’t want to spend another minute of my life without you. Afghanistan proved that to me. I was going to give up my billet at OSU and hope to get recruiting duty locally so we could be together—together and married. But then I thought, hell, maybe being married changed the rules. Turns out, it does.”
“Wow.” It was a lot to absorb in a short amount of time.
He brushed one finger down her cheek. “You okay now?”
She flicked the remainder of a tear away, and the sparkle of the diamond caught her eye. “Yes, very okay.”
“Good.” He ran both palms down her sides and groaned. His eyes narrowed. “Can we get naked now?”
“Yes.” She couldn’t think of anything she wanted more.
Her cell phone rang in her pocket, where it had lived steadily since November when Tucker had told her to keep her phone nearby in case he could call.
“Give me.” He held out his hand and raised a brow.
She wiggled the phone out of her pants and handed it to him.
Tucker glanced at it and then hit the button. “Hello, Emma . . . Yes, I’m back and I’m about to ravish your sister. It’s probably gonna take all night, so don’t call her. She’ll call you. Oh, one more thing. We’re getting married. Talk to you soon. Bye.”
She heard Emma’s squeals as Tucker disconnected the call and then went another step and pushed the power button, shutting the phone completely off. He glanced back at her as he tossed it onto the nightstand. “Thought I’d throw her a bone and give her the good news.”
Becca laughed. “You’re probably going to drive her completely insane, telling her that and then shutting off the phone.”
“She’ll get over it.” He shrugged and crawled back over her body until he hovered above her. “Now where were we?”
At the start of a brand-new, wonderful life together. “About to get naked, I think.”
Tucker leaned lower. “Oh, right.”
Don’t miss the next book in Cat Johnson’s Oklahoma Nights series, Two Times as Hot, coming in October. Read on for an excerpt from chapter one, as plans for Becca and Tuck’s wedding get under way . . .
“This’ll be your first time meeting Bec’s sister, won’t it?”
Logan dipped his head in a nod. “Yes, sir. It sure will be.”
“I’m not worried about Emma fitting in. Everyone loves her. It’s the rest of the relatives I’m concerned about.” Becca screwed up her face into a scowl. “My father, Mr. Punctuality, is beside himself they’re not here an hour early and it sounded like my mother was already well into her sherry. She bought a bottle at the duty-free shop at the airport.”
“Sounds like a hell of a start to a party.” Jace walked through the door and scooped Becca into a hug that lifted her feet right off the ground. “Hey there, darlin’. You look great, as usual.”
Speak of the devil . . . Jace gave Becca a kiss and se
t her on the ground.
Becca laughed. “Save some of those compliments for later when my relatives from New York are here and I’m tearing my hair out. I may need to hear them.”
“You got it. And just send me the signal and I’ll sneak you some booze too, if you want it.” Jace winked at her and slid a flask out of his pocket.
“I’ll keep that in mind. A visit with my parents might require some alcohol.” Becca glanced at Tuck. “I’m going to go see if your mom needs any help in the kitchen.”
“Sounds good, baby.” Tuck nodded.
Jace watched Becca leave as he walked over to Tuck. He stuck out one arm to shake the groom’s hand. “Hey, man. How you holding up? I got the truck filled up with Diesel and coolers full of ice-cold beer. It’s parked right outside, just in case. You ready to bolt yet?”
Logan shook his head. Typical Jace. As changeable as the wind. Sucking up to the bride with one breath, and offering to help the groom escape with the other.
Tuck’s gaze cut to the doorway Becca had left through before he answered, “Not at all. I’m loving every minute of it. Nothing more fun than planning a big ol’ wedding. You want a beer? I’m getting myself another one.”
Logan glanced at his own bottle. He wasn’t even half way done with his own beer yet but Tuck’s was empty. Tuck might pretend he was calm, cool and collected about the wedding and all it entailed, but the empty bottle told another story.
Out of town relatives. Nervous brides. Rentals. Last minute errands. Saying I do for the rest of your life . . . Yup, Logan sure was happy he’d be on the ushers’ side of the altar rather than directly in the line of fire like the groom.
“Definite yes on the beer.” Jace answered Tuck and turned to extend a hand toward Logan. “Lieutenant Colonel Hunt, sir. What’s the status of the Oklahoma State ROTC program?”
Logan laughed as Jace lowered his tone of voice and spoke more like a battalion commander than a bull rider. “A little slow right now since we’re between semesters for the summer, but thanks for asking. How you been, Jace?”
“Good. Rodeoing quite a bit now that it’s summer. Dragging Tuck with me when I can convince him to ride.”
“Just don’t break him, please. Tuck may be a bull rider part time, but full time he’s one of my soldiers, and one of my department’s best military science instructors. I need him with two good working legs for when we go back to working out with the cadets. Got it?”
“Sure thing. Let’s just hope Becca doesn’t break him during the honeymoon.” Jace waggled his eyebrows. “As for rodeo, he usually ends up getting his ribs broken when he wrecks, not his legs, so we’re good. Broke ribs hurt like a son of a bitch, but he can still run with ’em.”
Jace grinned and accepted the beer Tuck handed him. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, Jace. And I only broke my ribs once or twice, thank you very much.”
“Once or twice, my sweet ass. You can’t seem to keep yourself out from under hoof. You’re too tall for a bull rider, if you ask me. You need to be small and quick like me. You should have stuck with team roping.”
Watching the two men bicker, Logan sipped his beer and stayed out of the fray. He wasn’t about to enter that debate. Bull riders were crazy.
Sure, Logan had joined the Army knowing there’d be times during his career he was going to be up against an enemy who wanted him dead, but to get on the back of a bucking bull knowing you were going to be thrown in the dirt every damn time? Nope. Not for him.
While Jace and Tuck continued to banter—something about which bull Jace drew last time he rode—motion out in the driveway caught Logan’s eye. He turned to watch through the window as a hot as hell woman in a short, black dress reached one long, bare leg out of the car. She stepped out of the open passenger door and even doing nothing but standing in the driveway, she was sexy enough to make a man take notice. Her blond hair and resemblance to Becca told him this must be her sister Emma.
Logan glanced at Tuck and wondered how bad of a friend he was that Tuck’s soon to be sister-in-law was giving him a hard-on. Just from his thinking about what the curves that dress accentuated so nicely would feel like beneath his touch.
Imagine if he ever actually got his hands on her?
An older woman and man got out of the front doors of the sedan and joined the blonde. They had to be Tuck’s new in-laws. Their presence should have diminished Logan’s amorous fantasies about Emma. It didn’t. It seemed Emma had captured his attention and she wasn’t letting go. He managed to block her parents right out as he wondered what her hair would feel like against his cheek while he ran his tongue down her throat.
“Hey, Tuck. It looks like Emma’s here.” Jace came to stand next to Logan at the window. He let out a slow whistle. “Boy oh boy, is she looking good.”
The tone of Jace’s voice made Logan turn to get a good look at him. The man had a knowing expression on his face that didn’t sit well at all. “You know her?”
“Ohhh, yeah.” Jace dragged the two short words out to be obscenely long. What the hell was that about? Logan’s brows rose. He turned to glance at Tuck.
“Emma was here with Becca the first time she came to Oklahoma for the job interview at OSU. You know, the night she and I met at the rodeo,” Tuck had answered without Logan having to ask, but that sure as hell didn’t explain the rest. Such as why Jace was acting as if he and Emma had done more than just meet that night?
Those were details Logan was more than interested in having. “Yeah, I remember you telling me about the rodeo.”
But not that Jace and Becca’s hot sister from New York had had a little one night rodeo of their own.
Of course, Jace liked to exaggerate. It didn’t matter if it was about conquering a bull or a woman. Logan had known the man for years through Tuck. Since the two had ridden on the rodeo circuit together before Tuck had enlisted in the Army. If nothing else, he knew Jace could throw the shit with the best of them. It was very possible nothing at all had happened between Jace and Emma, except in Jace’s own overactive imagination.
He decided to run with that theory and see how things progressed. It was far better than the alternative—assuming Jace had a prior claim and having to back off. A lot could happen over a short period of time. Look at how one night between Tuck and Becca had changed both of their lives. Logan had an entire weekend and a wedding reception to work with. There’d be sentimental speeches and tears, music and a fully stocked bar. Everything to put the partygoers—and Emma—in the mood for romance.
Not to mention Logan had Tuck on his side, pulling for him, putting in a good word. At least Tuck had better be on his side. Jace was Tuck’s friend, yes, but Logan was like a brother. Not to mention his boss and a superior officer. If it came right down to it, Logan would pull rank. Hell, he could order Tuck to put in a good word for him with Emma or else.
When it involved leggy blondes with curves like Emma’s, a man had to bend the rules a little sometimes.
BRAVA BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2013 Cat Johnson
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
BRAVA and the B logo are Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.
ISBN: 978-0-7582-8538-6
