by Tess Summers
When they finished their meal, they lay down on the bed. Ron wrapped his arms around her middle and put his head on her chest while she stroked his hair.
He couldn’t tell her much about where he’d been or what he’d been doing, so that part of their conversation was brief. He did tell her he wasn’t sure when he’d have to go again, but knew it was going to be soon.
That made her melancholy so she changed the subject.
“I’ve found a few houses in my search. I wish you could stay and let me show you them tomorrow.”
He hugged her tighter and absent-mindedly kissed the skin on her chest.
“Come home with me in the morning. We’ll come back together Friday night and look at them Saturday,” he suggested.
It was tempting, Friday was only the day after tomorrow. She wanted to spend more time with him, especially if he was going to be gone again soon. Not seeing him for three weeks had been torture.
“I want to, I’m just worried they’ll be sold before the weekend.”
She felt him nod his head. “I get it.”
They laid there in silence until he lifted his head, “So when are you coming back to San Diego?”
He had such a lost, little boy look on his face that her heart melted.
“How about if I show you online the ones I’ve narrowed it down to, and you and Danielle can help me come up with a decision tonight. I’ll put an offer in first thing in the morning and fly home with you. I will need to come back this weekend though, if you’re still willing to come with me. I’d like to show you the house in person, as well as introduce you to my daughter.”
He was grinning now like a happy kid on Christmas morning. “I think that is a terrific plan.”
****
Ron
Brenna showed Ron the properties she was interested in. The woman had impeccable taste. He liked that she knew exactly what she wanted and pointed out each place’s strengths and flaws. There was one she was obviously leaning toward, even if she didn’t realize it herself.
“I think you should go with the one on the mountain. You’ve not only got amazing views from your backyard, but spectacular city views, too. The house and yard seem like there’s relatively little upkeep–which could be especially important if you’re not here all the time to take care of it. And I think you’ll want the pool in the desert heat.”
He could envision himself there with her, looking at the city lights at night from the patio while holding her close, having breakfast by the pool, or lounging around on the couch reading in the great room that faced the mountains.
“That’s Danielle’s favorite,” she beamed.
Ron leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Darlin’, it’s yours, too. You should hear how you’ve talked about it.”
She shrugged sheepishly. “Yeah, I think you’re right.”
He hugged her around the shoulders. “It’s a great place. I can’t wait to see it in person.”
She said she was going to write an email to her realtor, Graham, outlining her terms, and explaining she’d need him to come to the office early so she could sign the paperwork before getting on the plane. He closed his eyes while she was tapping away on the keyboard. He must have fallen asleep because the next thing he knew, she was snuggling in next to him, and the lights were off. He heard her whisper, “I’ve set the alarm, so sleep tight, baby.”
With her in his arms, he knew he finally would be able to. It’d been three long weeks since he’d had a good night’s sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Brenna
They were waiting to board the plane when Brenna got a text from Graham telling her the contract had been accepted.
Ron smirked. “You should have offered less.”
Brenna shook her head. “No, my offer was fair, and was the most I was willing to pay. Graham must have a done a good job conveying that, which is probably why they didn’t counter.”
He slid his arm around her waist and kissed her temple.
“Well, congratulations.” He lowered his voice and said in her ear, “I can’t wait to help you christen every. Single. Room.”
“Even the laundry room?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Especially the laundry room, are you kidding me? The washer is the perfect height to sit you on for a little spin cycle of your own.”
She shook her head with a giggle. “Oh great. Now every time I do laundry, I’m going to get turned on thinking about that.”
“Wait until you’re actually remembering it, not just imagining it.”
“You must have some dirty clothes in that duffle bag,” she teased.
“At least two loads worth. Wanna go to my place and wash them before I head to the base?”
“I can’t think of anything I’d rather do than help you with your laundry.”
He leaned closer to her again. “We are talking about having sex, right?”
“Your whites will never have been so white, General,” she whispered in his ear.
She smiled when she heard him mutter under his breath, “Fuuuuck.”
“Yeah, baby, that’s the idea.”
The corners of his mouth turned up, and he shook his head. “Darlin’, I think I’m in trouble when it comes to you.”
She sighed and grimaced slightly. “Likewise, baby,” she whispered. “Likewise.”
Ron grabbed her hand and kissed it. “Hey, that’s not a bad thing. At least not for me.”
With a slight smile, Brenna squeezed his hand. “Not a bad thing at all.”
Yet, she wasn’t convinced her heart was going to make it out in one piece.
****
Their plane had arrived early in San Diego, and they were at Ron’s home in no time. It didn’t hurt that he had been speeding the whole way.
She hadn’t been sure what to expect of his house, but looking around, she realized that, as with everything of his, it suited him perfectly. It was very masculine with dark wood and rich colors; a sharp contrast to her bright and light beach house. His study was by far her favorite room, with its floor-to-ceiling bookshelves; it even had a rolling ladder you slid around the walls to reach different books from higher shelves.
“Oh my God. I would never leave this room!” Brenna exclaimed as she walked in and spun around to take it all in.
Browsing through his collection, she found the majority of his books were nonfiction with historical and political references. Also, very fitting of him. There were also several classics, and she wondered if they were placed there to make him look less one-dimensional with his tastes.
“Pride and Prejudice?” she teased.
“Hey, I had to read it in college, and it turns out that I really enjoyed it, much to my surprise. It had some valuable life lessons about not judging too soon or behaving too proudly.” He paused with a smirk. “And how to find a happy medium when peoples’ lives are vastly different.”
Ron continued with a wink. “Would you like to borrow it?”
Point taken, General.
“No, I’ve been busy. Writing.”
He grinned from ear-to-ear as he picked her up and spun her around. “Brenna, that’s terrific! Definitely cause for celebration. How about Evangeline’s tonight?”
She cocked her head, her feet still dangling off the ground. “Don’t you have to work late since you’re going in late?”
Kissing her before setting her down, he replied, “No, I’ll be done at five. Trust me, Uncle Sam has gotten more than his fair share of my time these last few weeks.”
He continued the tour of his home, with the next stop being his bedroom. The first thing she noticed was the beautiful four-poster bed, sans the canopy.
“It’s been in my family for a few generations. I don’t know if I would have necessarily picked it otherwise,” he told her when she began running her fingers over the smooth wood in obvious awe.
Tracing his plaid comforter behind her as she walked around examining the bed, she said, “Really? I th
ink it suits you.”
He jerked his head at her. “Oh? How’s that?”
Brenna smiled. “It just fits with the rest of your décor. Very masculine, but still elegant. It’s an amazing piece that catches your eye the minute you walk in the room, and when you get closer, you can really see the craftsmanship. You know it’s the real deal and not a knock-off.”
She ran her hand up the column at the foot of the bed. “No wonder it’s lasted for generations.”
His eyes were twinkling while he watched her admiring his bed, and he closed the distance between them.
“I know I promised you the spin cycle, but you’ve just convinced me there’s no better place than my bed. I think we should lie in it and admire the craftsmanship. Naked, of course.”
Rubbing his growing bulge over his pants, she teased, “I don’t think I’ll be able to admire anything but your craftsmanship if we’re naked.”
Ron wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him. “Oh yeah? So you like my wood?”
She giggled. Boy this conversation had gone south fast.
Trying to sound sophisticated, she managed, “Mmm hmm, it’s a most impressive piece.”
He was smirking when his lips found hers. In between kisses, he uttered, “Well, it is a hardwood, they tend to be quite durable.
They were naked in no time, and as she turned to climb up on the high bed, he stopped her, bending her over the mattress with her feet on the side rail, kissing her neck and shoulders. She realized how exposed she was, and at the perfect height for him to fuck her when he began to press his cock against her. His mouth trailed down her spine and ass while he caressed his hands over her body in a wide circular motion.
“Mmm, that feels nice,” she murmured with her eyes closed.
He plunged his face into her pussy from behind.
This is new.
And oh my.
As he lapped in between her folds, she found herself pushing back against his mouth; prompting him to use both hands and spread her apart while his tongue went to work.
Oh damn, that feels good.
She gasped out loud when he began to fuck her with his tongue. The things he was making her feel were incredible, and she just laid there, not caring that her ass was in the air and her legs spread wide for his face to dive deeper into her pussy. At that moment she understood what it truly meant to have no inhibitions. How odd and wonderful that she felt this way with a man she’d known less than a month but never once did with the man she was married to for sixteen years.
And she hadn’t even been drinking.
Ron reached up and began to massage her clit with his middle finger. She felt her entire body relax, and she melted against him, feeling like a puddle of jelly on his bed. Everything he was doing to her felt… perfect. Would he mind if she asked him to do this for, say, the next two hours before he went to work? Because holy hell, she didn’t want him to stop. Maybe ever.
How does the saying go? All good things must come to an end? Fortunately for Brenna, the consolation prize for it ending was an orgasm.
He began to dart his tongue faster in and out of her pussy while his fingers picked up speed. Her previously relaxed body began to tense as the sensation of coming began to overtake her entire being. With a deep plunge of his tongue and rapid stroke of her clit, the most amazing orgasm of her life took hold of her. Her body shook at the peak of her climax, and it felt like it was lasting forever.
In a good way.
What the fuck had he just done to her? Besides ruin her for any other man.
And how the hell was she supposed to match that for him?
He bit her ass before she felt his cock enter her.
She lay with her eyes closed and relished how wonderful he felt inside her. She almost felt guilty for being such a lazy fuck. Almost. But it was his own fault for doing what he had just done to her.
He put her legs together while continuing to move his cock in and out of her. Just that simple change made everything feel differently. But still ah-mazing. Maybe even better?
Her clit was being stimulated in a whole new way and seemingly out of nowhere, another orgasm overcame her.
That’s it–this bed is definitely magical. He is never getting rid of it.
He was grunting how she had come to know meant he was going to climax. He pushed into her hard and harshly whispered, “Fuck!” a few times before she felt him spill his seed deep inside her.
Falling forward on top of her, he enveloped her body with his and held her. Kissing her back, shoulders, and neck, he murmured how sexy she was before pulling out and retreating to the bathroom. She didn’t move until he brought her a towel to clean herself with, then scrambled under the covers once she had.
Ron joined her and, as always after sex, he was holding her.
That’s when she started to cry.
What the hell is wrong with me?!
He had to be wondering the same thing, but just hugged her tight and let her continue, not saying a word as he stroked her back and hair.
Finally, she stopped.
“Better?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said sheepishly, wiping her eyes with the sheet.
“Want to tell me about it?”
Not really, but she probably owed him some kind of explanation.
“I don’t think I realized how much these last few weeks had affected me; how worried I was –not only about us, but about your safety, too. Or just how much I’d missed you.” She hesitated. “Or how much I care about you. It all kind of hit me at once and, I guess, that was my brain’s way of handling it.”
He was frowning and seemed to be choosing his next words carefully.
“For the record, however much you missed me, I missed you ten times more. But I hate that you were worried, and I wasn’t able to reassure you I was okay. That we were okay. Unfortunately, I don’t see my situation changing in the near future. I’m concerned I’m asking too much of you to stick with me.”
She sat straight up like a shot.
“What are you saying?”
“Darlin’, I know this life isn’t for everyone…”
She interrupted. “Don’t you dare do this to me right now, Ron Thompson. If you break up with me after I just told you how much I care about you–that would be the cruelest thing anyone has ever done.”
He reached up and stroked her face, then sat up to be closer to her, smiling in a way that she had never seen him do before. Tracing her bottom lip with his thumb, he appeared lost in thought and didn’t say anything.
Oh fuck. Did I just screw this up royally?
Finally, he spoke.
“Brenna, you mean more to me than I ever thought possible. But I want you going into this with your eyes wide open about what being with me is like. This past month would be considered pretty typical. Yes, sometimes I know ahead of time that I’m going to be leaving, and sometimes I am even able to communicate while I’m gone. But there are a lot of times that I’m called out and leaving the country within a matter of hours. I don’t want you resenting me six months from now when I’ve missed your birthday, or when you’re alone again for weeks at a time without a word from me. I’d rather we end as friends now than have you hate me in a year.”
She knew exactly what he was saying, but her soul wanted to believe she could be satisfied with what he could give her. That she was strong enough to handle his absences. She did it with Danny all those years. Yes, it was different, because all she had to do to know Danny was safe was turn on ESPN, but she spent many nights worrying–just for different reasons. Wasn’t being with Ron worth all the other stuff?
Or was he just going to break her heart in the end, too?
“I’m not going to lie, you being gone was torture. Partly because I didn’t know if you were okay, but mostly because I missed you. I can’t imagine my life now without you in it. But I’ll admit I’m not exactly sure what having you in my life looks like going forward. Do I play the part of th
e dutiful major general’s girlfriend and roll bandages while pining for my Marine? Or do I carry on with my life, and when we’re both free, we’re together? And if so–what does that mean? Are we monogamous? Can I even ask that of you, not knowing anything about the conditions you live in when you’re gone? When you’re home–are we dating, meaning you’re calling me and asking me out, or are we living together to take advantage of our limited time? If we’re living together–where are we doing that, and what does that look like?”
He took a deep breath. “Damn, woman, you sure do like to have your ducks in a row.”
“I just need to know where we stand.”
He looked at the clock on the bedside table. “I’m sorry to do this, but can we talk more about this tonight? Let’s both take the afternoon to figure out what we want from each other and how we can make this work. You channel your inner Elizabeth Bennet and I’ll channel Mr. Darcy and we’ll find a happy medium.”
She gave a weak smile and nodded her head.
“Brenna, I care about you, but I want to make sure you understand what being with me entails.”
She closed her eyes and sighed. “I care about you, too. I know this will be hard.”
“It doesn’t have to be. We just need to get things figured out. I know I’m asking a lot of you, given my position with the Corps, but if you’re up for it, I think what we have is worth the effort to make it work.”
She snuggled against his chest. “It is.”
He held her and stroked her hair until she was half-asleep. She felt him get out of bed but was too emotionally exhausted to follow suit.
After a few minutes, he whispered against her cheek, “I’m going to the base but sleep as long as you want. I’ll call you later about dinner.”
She gave a groggy acknowledgment that she’d heard him, then rolled over and burrowed into the covers. She didn’t want to think anymore, she just wanted to lie in his beautiful bed that smelled like him and not worry about anything.
So that was exactly what she did. At least for an hour.
