Resilient Love (Navy Love Series Book 3)

by jc santo

  Before long, we agree to head over to the strip for a late dinner. Our cab passes by the the fountains at the Bellagio and the rows of overly extravagant hotels and casinos. In the distance I can see the terrifying stratosphere, lines of other casinos and what I’m sure is plenty of other things to do in this crazy city.

  While I’m mesmerized by all the sights around me, I keep replaying conversations with Jo’s mom right before we left. Now that I’m aware we were set up on this little vacation, her odd line of questioning yesterday makes sense.

  Sitting at dinner at the Border Grill inside the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, I carefully broach the topic.

  “So, you’ve been to Vegas a lot?”

  Jo shrugs her shoulders, “Eh, a few times, four, maybe five. Why?”

  “Just curious. What’s uh, what’s the craziest thing you’ve done here?”

  “Uhh, nothing too crazy.” She thinks for a few seconds before finishing, “There was that one time my friend Stacey and I went to a Chippendale’s show, we were both selected to go on stage for lap dances and then got invited to go hang out with the strippers after the show. I’d say that was probably the wildest night in Vegas for me.”

  She acts unimpressed by this, while I, on the other hand, can feel my jealousy rising at the thought of other men having their hands on her body, even if it was for a show.

  I stab at my beautiful plate fish, silently stewing over something that happened long ago. My anger is interrupted by Jo’s unprompted laughter.

  “Wow, J.C., jealousy doesn’t suit you. Will you relax? It was a joke.” The humor in her voice instantly makes me regret my jump to anger.

  “You’re joking?”

  “About after the show and the lap dances, yes. We did go to the show, but didn’t get to touch the male strippers.” She winks and fake pouts.

  I place my hand on the back of her neck and pull her to me, my lips ghosting over hers.

  “Darlin’, I don’t wanna think about you touchin’ any other man. Your hands are to be on my body only, no one else’s,” with that I gently place my lips to hers just for a second before pulling away altogether and going back to my dinner. “And if you need a lap dance, I’d be glad to make that happen for you, just say the words,” I toss in with a wink.

  It takes her a few seconds to get her bearings back to return to her food. The flush of her cheeks and the shuddering breath she releases tells me she’s more affected than she’s wants to let on.

  “So, what’s up with the weird questions about Vegas?” she asks, keeping her eyes on her plate.

  “Well, I got an idea, but it’s definitely going to be the craziest thing you’ve ever done before. You up for it?”

  Jo loves a good challenge, and that’s exactly how she’s taking this. The determination in her face when she answers tells me that much.

  “Absolutely.”

  Jo

  Something is going on, I don’t know what, but I can tell J.C. has something up his sleeve.

  We finish up dinner and hail another cab, destination unknown to me. J.C. gave an actual address and not the name of a place, and frankly, I’m too lazy to look it up in my phone. The actuality is it won’t take long to get wherever it is we’re going, so I may as well enjoy the ride.

  The cab parks and we exit after J.C. pays. I turn around to see that we’re at The Little White Chapel...what the hell?

  Confused, I look to J.C. who grasps my hand.

  “What’re we doing here?”

  “Something crazy,” he says by way of explanation.

  “Are you shitting me? You want to get married?!”

  “Abso-fucking-lutely.”

  “J.C. we just got back on good terms…”

  “So?”

  “So I don’t know, I thought we’d date or something for a while, not rush into getting married.”

  “Jo, let’s look at reality. We’ve been together for a while now, just as long as Tess and Hunter. They’re already married and have kids. We just haven’t been as vocal or open about our relationship as them, but you yourself said that Marsh has known about us from the beginning. Reed knows. I’m sure everyone else in our group does too. Hell, half the squadron knows I’ve been off the market forever and that you’re the reason why.”

  “I don’t know, J.C…it’s a lot and fast. What’re people gonna say?”

  “People are gonna talk regardless of what we do in any situation, Jo. Might as well give them something good to talk about. And you apparently missed it in our room yesterday when I said that I’m in love with you, darlin’. If that deployment and our not speaking for six months taught me anything, it’s that I don’t ever want to be without you again. I know we have so much to work on still, but we’ll get through it all. So long as we’re together.”

  My mind races. Marriage? It’s something I’ve never considered up to this point in my life; but there is only one man I could see myself happily married to. And that is Jared Collins.

  We’ve had our ups and our downs, and I’m sure there will be more of each, but I can’t imagine going through life without him. Nor do I want to.

  It’s that thought that has me nodding my head up and down.

  Forty-five minutes later, we walk out of the quaint chapel as Mr. and Mrs. Collins.

  The ceremony was quick and to the point. Just the way both of us wanted. It’s not the ceremony or big elaborate venue that’s important, it’s whose eyes you're looking into while delivering those words.

  “What do we do now, wifey?” J.C. beams.

  “I’m up for whatever, husband.”

  With a sly smile, J.C. hails a cab and directs him to our hotel. His slight touches and his lips ghosting along my collarbone, neck, and ear are enough to send my hormones into overdrive. Making this twenty-minute drive seem more like a four-hour car trip.

  The sexual desire has been off the charts all day between us, I honestly didn’t think it could get any higher, but marriage seems to have kicked it up a few more notches.

  I rub my thighs together in a lousy attempt to cause some friction where I need it most, but of course it doesn’t bring the relief I want, only amps up my desire even more.

  J.C. chuckles beside me.

  “Darlin’,” his warm breath cascades across my neck as he speaks, “You keep that up and we’ll consummate this marriage right here in the back of this shitty cab.” I arch an eyebrow but he quickly shuts down any argument I may have. “Not happenin’, Jo. Don’t you worry, I’ll take good care of you as soon as we get to our hotel room. I’m desperate to feel that beautiful body of yours again...against my mouth, my tongue. Under my hands and wrapped around my cock.”

  Fuck. Me. This has got to be the longest fucking cab ride of my life.

  The moment our hotel room door clicks shut, J.C. is on me.

  It’s been over six months since I’ve felt this man’s hands touched me, but my body instantly responds to his touch without missing a beat.

  My purse and the room key are carelessly tossed; our only focus being making it to the bed before we completely ravage each other.

  I pull J.C.’s shirt over his head as he pushes my jeans down my thighs. He lightly pushes me back, causing me to fall onto the bed, and fully removes them from my legs. Next he unbuttons his jeans and discards them into the growing pile on the floor.

  His lips quickly find mine again, cascading kisses to them and down my neck.

  Pulling back, he takes my face in his hands and gazes into my eyes.

  “Do you know how much I missed you? Fuck, I don't ever want to be away from you again, Darlin’”

  I smile. “Show me how much you missed me.”

  He does just that, laying me back as he runs his hands along my arms and down to my panties. In one fluid motion, they're pulled off, followed just as quickly by my bra and his boxers.

  My body hums with anticipation and excitement as he settles himself on the floor be
tween my legs.

  “Fuck, I’ve missed this pretty pussy.” With that he swipes his tongue from top to bottom in one fluid motion, causing my back to arch and a moan to fall from my lips. “I can see how wet you are, darlin’. You’ve waited on this just as long as me, huh?”

  I should be ashamed at just how wet I am, but I could not care less. If this man is touching me, there’s a good chance I’m wet from it.

  He doesn’t give me an opportunity to respond, his tongue quickly goes to work on me, licking and sucking my clit, pulling an orgasm to the surface within minutes.

  I thrash my head from side to side, calling out his name while I grip my hair in both fists and lock his head in place with my thighs.

  My orgasm subsides, but it does little to slow my sex drive. I’m already itching for another one. Unlocking my legs, I grab his shoulders and guide him up my body where I’m waiting to devour my taste from his lips.

  “Jo, baby,” he says between kisses, “I don't have any condoms with me,” he says once he completely covers by body with his own.

  My pulse races and I have to stop the grunt from escaping at my sexual frustration. Before I can say anything though, I'm stunned silent.

  “I don't want to wear them anymore. You're my wife, I love and trust you and you will be the mother of my children one day.” he looks at me expectantly, waiting for my vote.

  “I've never had sex without a condom, who better to be the first man to go bare than my husband?”

  He nods and slowly pushes inside me, stretching me to accommodate his size.

  A deep groan comes from his throat just as he fully plants himself all the way inside me.

  “Jesus, you feel amazing, baby.”

  He plants another kiss to my lips and slowly starts moving his hips. He slides almost all the way out, then pushes back in fully again. It’s a gruelingly slow but sensual pace. I feel everything; the firmness of his thighs as he thrusts, the tightening of his abs, the hot breath against my neck...all of it making the experience that much more sensual and sexual.

  I raise my hips to meet him with each thrust, our breathing heavy and the slight pants coming from each of us being the only sounds echoing through the room.

  J.C. pulls a nipple into his mouth, swirling his tongue around and causing my back to arch from the intense pleasure of it. His tongue is the catalyst to my orgasm; I cry out as it racks through my body.

  My moans send J.C. into his own orgasm, calling out my name as his pleasure consumes him.

  He quickly goes to the bathroom, brings a warm washcloth out, and cleans me before tossing it back and climbing in behind my satisfied body.

  “Fuck, what better way to experience going bareback for the first time than with your wife.” He pulls me more into his arms. I smile even though he can't see it and nod my head in agreement, exhaustion already taking over.

  It does bring me great joy to know that we shared a first with each other.

  I'm almost asleep when I hear him speak again. “Jo, baby, we've been married for about four hours, we've consummated it and I've confessed my love for you three times now and have yet to hear the words from you…”

  I turn to face him, trying to gage his mood. Thankfully, I'm met with a glint in his eyes and a smirk on his lips.

  “You know I love you—Suga.”

  We both laugh at my poor attempt at his southern dialect. He called me Suga the first time we met and ever since, I've teased him by calling him that.

  I feel much more like the ‘old Jo’ that everyone has been missing, and I'm very much aware that the man who has his arms wrapped around my waist is responsible for that.

  I know some will believe that we rushed into this marriage, and that’s fine. Love doesn’t work on anyone’s schedule. I know in my heart that my family and our friends will be happy for us. Anyone who is familiar with us and our relationship, even with all the drama we’ve been through, knows that we truly do care for each other.

  I'm equally excited and nervous to tell everyone what we've done, especially Mom, she’ll be thrilled. Somewhere in my mind, I can’t help but to think that she knew something like this would happen when we went away together.

  With that thought, I fall asleep knowing we still have a long road ahead of us but finally seeing it in a positive light instead of a negative one.

  Jo

  Packing up to head back to Los Angeles, my nerves begin to get the best of me. While I was confident lying in my husband’s arms last night, now I’m questioning this impulsive decision.

  Well, not the decision; I’m married to Jared freakin’ Collins, I won’t ever regret that choice.

  I’m worried how my family will take the news. What if my brothers hate this idea? What if Mom is upset that she wasn’t present for it?

  J.C. must sense my hesitation and nervousness. Without a word spoken, he gets up from where he’s been casually lying on the bed watching television, waiting for me to finish, and pulls me into a hug. With my face pressed against his strong, wide chest, he strokes my long hair and whispers all the reassurance I need to hear.

  “Stop stressing, I’m with you through this darlin’. I’ll always be with you.” He pulls my chin up with his hand to look into his eyes. “You okay? What’s goin’ on in that gorgeous head of yours, wife?”

  “Just nervous.” I pull away to continue with my packing, but I don’t get far before J.C. is on me again, halting my plan. He watches my face as I look around, trying to avoid expressing my concerns. I roll my eyes when I finally cave, knowing he’ll stand here with me until I tell him what’s going on.

  “What if Mom is mad that she wasn’t here? What are my brothers gonna say? And everyone back home? I can’t believe we got married like this without telling anyone.”

  “Do you regret it?” he asks quietly while staring into my eyes.

  There isn’t a second of hesitation in my answer.

  “No.”

  He visibly relaxes and whooshes out a breath I didn’t realize he was holding.

  “Thank fuck for that. Now, as far as Pat goes, do you honestly think I’d ask you to marry me without gettin’ permission first?”

  My eyes widen as I realize that this entire weekend was staged. Everyone was in on it, my entire family.

  “Are you kidding me?” He shakes his head while beaming that panty-dropping smile of his. “Jared Collins! You planned this?”

  He shrugs his shoulders as an answer.

  “I didn’t plan anything, necessarily. Your family sprung this trip on us, I just used it to my advantage. We had the perfect opportunity to do it, we worked through a lot of our issues and finally admitted we want to be together, so why not?”

  I shrug my shoulders; I don’t want him to think I regret our decision to get married because it’s far from that. There’s just a lot to take in right now.

  “Then how did you get my mom’s permission?” I ask.

  “Her and Christina were asking a ton of questions while you were at the store...well, some of them referred to us and our future…”

  I nod, encouraging him to continue.

  “Your mom flat out said she’ll be happy the day we get it together and get married. I took that as her approval.” He hesitates for a second before continuing, “Right? That was her way of giving me permission to marry you, right? That’s what I thought it was, a subtle hint.”

  I giggle at his sudden insecurity.

  “I’m sure that’s what Mom was doing was giving you a hint that she’d be okay with this.”

  There’s still the possibility that our choice to get married could easily be misinterpreted as a drunken night in Vegas or just a mistake, a poor choice in judgement, but as long as J.C. is by my side, I’ll defend our marriage.

  It doesn’t matter if anyone else understands or not, we love each other. No, we haven’t had the traditional order of a progressing relationship, but this is the path that was handed to us. And
one that, although at times has been rough, I’m not ashamed to have taken. I’ll walk anywhere with J.C., just as long as he’s beside me.

  J.C. kept the mood light on the drive home; he even did a couple rounds of American Idol with me. However, I’m sworn to marital secrecy on that one.

  And Marshall and Tessa will be sworn to friendship secrecy as soon as I tell them about my husband rocking out to Shania Twain’s That Don’t Impress Me Much.

  The best part, though, was hearing his southern accent come out as he sang along to T-shirt by Thomas Rhett though. The accent and the meaning of the song were enough to make me wish we had time to pull over on the side of the road for a little quickie.

  My husband.

  How crazy is that?

  We pull up at my mom’s house shortly before dinner time. J.C. ensured that we would make it back before Kandice left for the evening. I won’t lie and claim that that move didn’t cause butterflies in my stomach; I love that he’s so caring of my mom.

  Whatever was said between the two of them the other day before I arrived home seems to have made my mom even fonder of him and vice versa. As much as it drives me insane to be out of the loop of what brought them closer together, I love the bond they’ve formed. Mom already adored J.C. but now I think she might choose him over me if it came down to it.

  I can only assume the conversation they had included our trip to Vegas. I don’t know why I didn’t connect the dots and figure out that everyone in my family had to have a hand in this entire thing. Miguel with booking the King size room, mom insisting I leave her, Christina pushing me to go shopping before we left. The realization hits me as soon as J.C. opens my door.

  “They know don’t they? My whole family knows about the wedding, right? That’s why they were all for me going away with you.” I playfully smack him in the chest and he feigns an injury.