by Susan Stoker
Coach calmed down. “Is he chaptering out of the Army then?”
Truck nodded. “Yeah. Says he’s gonna move to Idaho to get away from people for a while.”
Ghost shrugged. “Can’t say I blame him much. People suck most of the time.”
“That’s not true,” Rayne protested. “I think all of you guys are pretty cool.”
“Present company excluded of course,” Ghost elaborated with a smile, kissing Rayne on the side of the head.
“He says if we ever need him, he’ll be here in a heartbeat. And he means it. The man was gutted when he lost his team. He needs us, and I for one have no hesitation in calling him if we need backup. Just like with Rock, it can’t hurt to have a brother on the outside to have our backs,” Truck said almost absently.
“And he’ll have ours in return,” Coach said fervently.
Choruses of “absolutely” and “of course” were muttered amongst the Delta Force operatives.
“So, when are we going out?” Harley asked the group of women gathered around her, trying to change the subject and lighten the mood. “We were gonna have a girls’ night out, and we didn’t get to yet. And I still need to get a dress for the Army Ball.”
Emily, Rayne, Mary, and Montesa all started talking at once. Arguing about when and where they should go.
Coach held a hand to his mouth and whistled, stopping the chatter and getting everyone’s attention. “How about we let Harley fully recover before we start talking about going out and getting drunk? Not sure that’s in her best interest at the moment.”
“Coach, I’m fine—”
“You just got out of the hospital this morning.”
“So?”
“How about this. When you can sit up without falling asleep, eat an entire order of Hunan spicy chicken, and play a marathon game of This is War with me, like we did on our first date, then you can plan this girls’ night out with my blessing and make plans to go shopping.”
Harley looked up into Coach’s eyes. He was sitting next to her on the couch. Actually, “next to her” probably wasn’t the right description. She was practically in his lap. He had his arm around her shoulders, rubbing the back of her neck, and his other hand was holding hers, resting in his lap.
She would’ve protested, but she saw the worry in his eyes. It looked like he’d aged ten years since the morning she’d disappeared. Yes, she had been the one hurt and missing, but he’d been the one who had clearly suffered.
He’d told her late one night in the hospital, when she couldn’t sleep because of the pain in her arm that he’d dreamed about her pleading for him to find her. Harley didn’t know exactly how the spiritual thing worked, but it was obvious, at least to her, that the coyote, which mysteriously was never located, had been instrumental in making sure she’d been found. Harley had wondered more than once if it was somehow Jenny or her parents who had intervened and lent a hand in the search for her. Whatever the case, Coach had certainly done everything he could to find her…including almost getting arrested.
“Okay, Coach. When I can realistically reenact our first date, then we’ll plan our night out.”
“Thank you, Harl.”
“Okay, visiting time is over,” Emily declared. “Annie is probably driving her gym teacher nuts by now. She was nice enough to babysit her long enough for us to get Harley settled, but if I know my daughter she’s probably made her teacher recreate the obstacle course she loves so much in the backyard.”
Everyone laughed, but no one disagreed. Emily was probably right. Annie was a handful, but everyone loved her.
“Since we’re all here, I have something to say,” Fletch said suddenly.
Everyone turned their eyes to the man, who suddenly looked nervous.
He turned to Emily and took her hands in his. “Everything that happened to Harley made me realize how short life is, and I might’ve adopted Annie, but I haven’t officially made you mine yet. Miracle Emily Grant, will you marry me?”
Harley’s hand came up to cover her mouth and tears gathered in her eyes. She couldn’t believe Fletch was asking Emily to marry him right now, in front of them all.
Emily didn’t make him wait for her answer. “Of course I will!”
“Soon,” Fletch demanded.
Everyone chuckled, including Emily.
They put their arms around each other and she looked up at him. “Any day. Any time. Name it, and me and Annie will be there.”
“Soon. I don’t want to wait.”
“I’ll work on it.” Emily paused a moment before asking, “Can we invite that guy, Fish? And Tex? And maybe your SEAL friends?”
“I don’t see why not,” Fletch told her. “I can’t guarantee they’ll be able to make it, depends on when it is, but we can certainly ask.”
“Good,” Emily said with satisfaction. “I’d like to meet some of the men you work with. To thank them for having your back.”
The couple stared at each other for a moment, then kissed. It was a long, passionate kiss. Harley glanced over at Coach.
He was looking at her, and not at his friend.
“Are you all right?” Harley asked softly.
“You’re safe and back in my arms. I’m perfect,” Coach replied.
She smiled at him, then closed her eyes in contentment. She opened them again as she heard everyone congratulating Fletch and Emily and gathering their belongings. Harley hated to see everyone go, but she was exhausted. Coach was right, it would take a while to get her stamina back.
“Thank you all for coming over,” Harley told everyone as they got ready to leave.
Each of the men came over and kissed her on the cheek, much to Coach’s chagrin, and the women merely waved.
“Truck, can you give Mary a ride?” Rayne asked, not so innocently. “Ghost and I have some errands we need to do on the way home.”
“I don’t need him to—”
“Sure. No problem,” Truck interrupted with a grin.
“Dammit, Rayne,” Mary began, but Rayne simply ignored her.
“Thanks, Truck. We’ll see you later. ‘Bye!” Rayne waved and pulled Ghost out of the room before her best friend could protest further.
Harley laughed as Mary huffed and crossed her arms. It was amusing to watch the…relationship…if that was the word, between Mary and Truck. He was a big man, he towered over the smaller woman, but Mary didn’t put up with any shit from him. It was almost as if she protested too much, however. It would be fun to watch those two in the future. If Harley was the betting sort, she’d put money on Truck. He had a certain gleam in his eye when he looked at the other woman.
Fletch and Emily came over to say their good-byes.
“Congratulations you two,” Harley told them earnestly.
“Thanks,” Emily replied, her smile stretching from ear to ear.
“When you’re feeling better, you can help Emily plan the wedding, sound good?” Fletch asked.
“Okay, but I’m not sure I’m the best person to ask. I only own one dress and I suck at decorating. But I’ll give it my best shot,” Harley said honestly.
“It’s going to be laid-back,” Emily told her firmly. “A quick ceremony, then a big party. Nothing fancy or stuffy. So all I really need is someone to make sure I don’t go overboard.” Hugging her briefly and carefully, Emily said, “I’m glad you’re all right.”
“Me too,” Harley responded, feeling Coach squeeze her hand.
“See you tomorrow,” Coach told Fletch.
The couple left and the others followed suit until it was only her and Coach.
“How are you doing, Harl?” he asked in a low voice.
“I’m good.”
“No pain?”
“I didn’t say that. But it’s not bad.”
“Not good enough,” Coach told her as he suddenly stood, cradling Harley.
Instead of protesting, which she probably would’ve done in the past, she simply laid her head on Coach’s shoulder as he easily car
ried her into his bedroom.
“I love you, Harley.”
“I love you too, Johnny.” Her words were soft and full of love.
“Move in with me?”
“What?”
“Move in. I can’t imagine not being with you every morning, or coming home to you each night.”
“Don’t ask because you feel guilty, or because you’re scared if you let me out of your sight I’ll disappear again. It was a freak thing, Coach. It won’t happen again.”
“I’m not asking because of that. I can’t deny that I’m going to worry about you incessantly. You’re gonna get sick of me texting and calling all the time to check on you. But I’m asking because I missed you. The thought of never seeing you again ate at my soul. Life is short and I don’t want to spend mine without you.”
“Shit, Coach. How can I say no to that?”
He smiled with an almost evil grin. “You can’t.”
Harley smacked him in the shoulder as they settled on the bed. “You manipulator.”
His smile disappeared and he leaned over her until she lay back on the bed. His face was above hers as he said, “I love you. I want to spend my life with you. I’m not trying to manipulate you in any way. If you’re not ready, you’re not ready. It’s fine. But I want to marry you. And not because Fletch asked Emily tonight. I—”
“Yes. I’ll move in. Or you can move in with me. I kinda like my place better.”
“Deal.”
“Thank you for not giving up on me. I know you weren’t the one to find me, but it wasn’t because of lack of effort on your part.”
“Damn straight. Oh, and you should know something.”
“Yeah?”
“Hollywood is picking up your new car tomorrow.”
“Coach!”
“Don’t ‘Coach’ me. It’s gonna be a Highlander, just like mine. It has GPS technology so if you’re in a crash, the service calls the cops automatically. They can find you with a touch of a button. Give this to me, please.”
“Okay.” Harley nodded. “To tell you the truth, it’d make me feel better too. But I’m not letting you pay for it.”
“Too late.”
“No. No way.”
“How about a wager?”
“A bet? What kind?”
“We play a video game of my choosing. If I beat you, you won’t say anything else about the car. If you win, I’ll let you pay me back for half.”
“That’s not a deal. If I win, I pay for all of it.”
“Nope, take it or leave it.”
“Fine.” Harley yawned and blushed. Dang it. She was still so tired all the time. “What game?”
Coach moved off her and reached for her shoes. He removed them, then gently helped her out of her sweats and T-shirt. He tucked her under the sheets, careful not to jostle her arm. She settled on her good side, her cast resting on a pillow in front of her. She heard Coach stripping and snuggled into him when he curled behind her.
“Bejeweled.”
Harley tried to whip her head around, but he kissed the back of her head, keeping her in place. “Bejeweled? That’s not a real video game.”
“Too bad.”
“You suck,” Harley told him with a grumble. “I hate that stupid game.”
“I know. And I’ve been practicing.”
“Figures.”
They were silent for a while before Coach whispered in her ear, “You’re everything to me, Harley Kelso. You scared me, and I don’t scare easily. I love you.”
“I love you too, Johnny. When I get this cast off?”
“Yeah?”
“I want to recreate our first time.”
She felt Coach smile into her hair.
“Deal. But I have a feeling you’re not gonna be able to wait that long. Starting tomorrow, we’ll get creative.”
“I like the way you think.” Harley couldn’t stop smiling. She had it all. A great career, a man who loved her, loving siblings, and now a whole new set of friends. Life was good.
“Good night, Harl.”
“Good night, Johnny. Good dreams tonight, yeah?”
“Oh yeah. Nothing but from here on out.”
“Agreed.” Harley fell asleep within moments, safe in the arms of her man.
Epilogue
Harley moaned as Coach hovered behind her. She was on her knees on their bed, her hands resting on the headboard, her legs and Coach’s hands on her hips holding most of her weight. Even though her collarbone and arm had been declared healed that day by their doctor, Coach hadn’t wanted to put any of her weight on them.
“Coach, please, I’m dying here.”
“You want me?”
“Yes!”
The word was hardly out of her mouth when Coach pushed inside her with one hard thrust. She bent over, arching her back, taking him even deeper. Harley loved when Coach took her from behind. The position made it seem as if he was so much farther inside her than when they did it any other way. She groaned loud, knowing Coach loved to hear her.
“Oh my God, that feels amazing.”
Coach thrust lazily in and out of her, taking his time. Harley tried to push back against him, but he held her hips still, so she couldn’t do anything but take him at his speed. She felt one of his hands move down to where they were joined and gently rub against her clit.
“Coach, seriously, quit fucking around. Please. I need you.”
He pulled out and Harley moaned in complaint. Before she could say anything, he flipped her and crouched over her.
“You’ve been on the pill for a month and half, yeah?”
“Uh huh.”
“I want to take you bare.”
Harley stilled. After all this time, they still hadn’t made love without Coach wearing a condom. He hadn’t wanted to take the chance of getting her pregnant, especially when she was still recovering from the accident. She’d started on the pills before it had happened, but since she’d missed so many while she’d been missing and in the hospital, he’d refused to ditch the condoms.
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
Harley’s breaths sped up. “Yes, please. I can’t wait to feel you.”
Coach reached for the condom covering his erect cock and peeled it off. He dropped it off the edge of the bed, not caring where it landed.
Harley reached out a hand and stroked him, loving how he felt hard and soft at the same time. Without breaking eye contact, she brought her hand down between her legs and inserted two fingers into herself, making sure to coat them with plenty of her juices. She then brought that hand back up to his dick and stroked him.
“Harley,” Coach moaned, his head falling back for a moment.
“Gotta make sure you’re sufficiently lubricated since you don’t have the condom.”
Her words made Coach smirk, but he didn’t say anything, merely brushed her hand away from his length and braced himself over her once more.
He picked up a pillow and shoved it under her hips, raising them so she was tilted up toward him. Notching his cock against her wet folds, he pushed himself between them, not entering, but making sure her juices coated him instead.
“I know I’ve said it before, but I would move heaven and earth to keep you safe. If you disappear again, nothing will keep me from finding you. I don’t want to live my life without you, Harley. I love you. Will you marry me? Become Mrs. Johnny Ralston?”
“Yes.” There was no hesitation in her words at all.
Coach pushed into his fiancée until he couldn’t go any farther.
They both breathed out in ecstasy.
“Does it feel different?” Harley asked.
“Yeah. Fuck yeah.” And Coach moved. “It’s amazing.”
It was obvious that being inside her bareback was exciting for him, because Coach thrust into her again and again, harder and harder, each thrust making Harley’s tits bounce up and down on her chest.
“Unh, I’m not gonna last. Make yourself come,” Coach o
rdered, lost in the pleasure of the skin-on-skin contact.
Without hesitation, used to masturbating in front of Coach by now, Harley frantically rubbed her clit as he took his pleasure.
“Harl, God. Please say you’re close.”
“I’m close, just a little…more…”
Harley felt the orgasm swallow her up, but did her best to keep her eyes on Coach. His teeth were bared and the veins in his neck were standing out in stark contrast to his normally smooth skin. He grunted and made noises she’d never heard from him, before thrusting inside her as far as he could go and holding himself still.
When he finally looked back down at her, Harley was smiling up at him, running her hands over his chest soothingly.
“I’m thinking you like taking me without a condom.”
“I’m never using one again,” Coach said, completely straight-faced.
Harley smiled wider. “Okay by me.”
Coach eased down next to her and drew her into his arms. “You’ll really marry me?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
Harley shrugged. “Whenever.”
“Cool. We’ll figure it out.”
“I gotta warn you though, Montesa is going to want to go all out.”
“Damn,” Coach swore, but smiled as he said it, letting her know he was teasing. “Here’s the thing. I want you protected. I want you to have all the benefits that come with being married to an Army guy. What would you think about us having a civil ceremony so I can file the paperwork with the Army…then we can take our time in planning a huge shindig?”
Harley smiled. “Can we keep it a secret?”
Coach quirked an eyebrow at her in question.
“I’m not ashamed to be married to you, but I don’t think Montesa or Davidson would understand and—”
“Of course we can,” Coach said immediately, understanding where she was going. “My commanding officer will know, and probably the guys too, but I’ll swear them to secrecy. I won’t even let Ghost and Fletch tell Rayne and Emily. That work?”
