“How can you sit here and make jokes? Why don’t you hate me?” Such a tragic insecurity in her voice.
“Part of me did for a little while.” Laura sighed gently. “You’ve made some mistakes but you can’t change those. All you can do is try to learn from them.”
Adorno nodded, her eyes filling again. “Thanks for sitting with me,” she said.
“You’re welcome,” Laura said. “Now we really need to get going. The brigade commander is waiting on you and last I checked, soldiers didn’t keep colonels waiting.”
“What’s he want to talk to me about?”
“Probably what’s going on with your husband.”
Anger clouded Adorno’s eyes once more as she pushed to her feet. Her smile was bitter cold. “Oh, I can’t wait.”
* * *
“Pass me the level?” Trent said from up on the ladder.
Laura handed it up, still bracing the pole in case it needed more adjustments. “Is it good?”
Trent paused, watching as the bubble sought equilibrium in the liquid. After a moment, it settled exactly where it needed to be. “Perfect.”
He handed her the level and climbed down, tugging off his gloves. He surveyed the construction site. “Not bad for six hours of work,” he said, stuffing the gloves in his back pocket.
Laura grabbed a broom and swept over the fine sand coating the paving stones. He watched her work, awed by her abilities with a hammer for most of the afternoon.
“So the plan is to meet up at first light tomorrow?” Carponti asked.
One side of Jen’s porch was now covered with a stack of lumber, and just below the porch four poles were curing in quick-drying concrete. A ten-by-ten space was covered with paving stones, interlocked and held into place by special sand.
“I’ll have breakfast and coffee ready to go,” Jen said, still looking shocked that they had managed to get the foundation set and the poles in the ground before complete darkness had fallen.
Shane grinned and wrapped one arm around her shoulders. “Stop looking so surprised. This is what we do.”
“You guys kick in doors, last time I checked,” Laura said. “Masonry and basic carpentry aren’t in that duty description.”
Trent glanced over at Ethan, who was busy still pounding away on a plank with a toy hammer. Emma looked far too serious with her little blue plastic saw. Her hair was sticking out over her head in a fuzzy black halo.
“The kids are going to sleep well tonight,” Laura said, stepping closer to him as Nicole and Carponti finished stacking the tools on the back porch.
“They will?” He looked down at his wife in the waning daylight. Her face was covered in dust, her skin damp with sweat.
“Oh, they’re going to be little monsters right before bedtime, but once they’re in bed, they’ll be out cold. They might even sleep in tomorrow morning.”
“I doubt that.”
Laura laughed and the sound did something to his insides. “Yeah, me too.”
“They had fun today.”
Laura lifted one shoulder and tucked her hands into her pockets. The motion stretched the old blue t-shirt over her breasts. Sweat ringed the collar of her shirt.
She looked beautiful. Sweaty and sexy all rolled into one.
“I liked working with you today,” she said softly. “I miss how well we work together on stuff.”
He swallowed and shifted, angling his body toward her. “Yeah, we’ve always done stuff like this well.”
She did not pull away or increase the space between them. Her gaze slipped down his body, to the dusty t-shirt that clung to his chest.
He reached for her then, brushing a spot of dust from her cheek. “I think we need to get the kids home,” he murmured.
“Yeah.” Her tongue flicked out, wetting her bottom lip. The light from the back porch glistened on the moisture.
There was commotion and activity all around them but it felt like a blanket of silence shielded them from the rest of the world. Her scent wrapped around him, sending arousal swelling through his veins.
He gave in to the temptation and leaned closer, intent on brushing his lips against hers.
Time hung suspended as their lips touched, a hesitant kiss. The sweetest pleasure gasped from her mouth, filling a void in his heart.
His hand threaded in her hair almost before he knew what he was doing and he shifted until her chest bumped against his. Her lips parted beneath his and the kiss abruptly turned sensual.
Her tongue slipped between his lips and gently touched his. His wife was kissing him. This was the taste of love he’d been missing. The simplest, most potent pleasure.
He drank from her like he was a dying man. Her arms slid around his back, her nails digging into his flesh through the thin fabric of his shirt. Her body was soft and supple beneath his and he wished with all his heart that they were alone.
“You two should get a room!” Of course it was Carponti.
Trent broke the kiss but he refused to act like it was something he should be ashamed of. He stroked his thumb over Laura’s bottom lip. No words passed between them.
There was nothing that needed to be said that hadn’t already been acknowledged in the wicked heat of that single kiss.
* * *
“I cannot believe Emma spent a whole hour screaming,” Trent said, closing the bathroom door behind him and clicking the lock into place.
Laura sighed and stripped off her dirty pants, intensely aware that her husband was in the small bathroom with her.
“I can. I expected worse from both of them,” she said, reaching into the shower to turn it to full blast.
“Worse than that?”
“Oh, when they go supernova, it’s a nightmare.” She turned her back to him, unfastening her bra beneath her t-shirt.
“How do you cope with that?” Trent dragged his sweat-stained shirt over his head and Laura took in the lean strength of his chest as he leaned down to take off his socks. Another moment and he stood in their bathroom wearing nothing but dirty jeans and a smile.
Laura’s insides melted a little as her gaze dropped to the trail of dark hair that disappeared beneath the waistband of his jeans.
She turned away, testing the water temperature and wondering if he was going to follow her into the shower.
“On the really bad days I sometimes sneak a glass of wine after they go to bed.”
He slipped his glasses off and set them on the counter. His dog tags bounced against his ribs.
It was far too tempting to pretend that everything in their lives was normal. Instead she reached inside the shower and tested the temperature again. “It’s been a long day,” she murmured.
He didn’t say anything as she ducked into the walk-in closet to strip off her clothing. When she was undressed, she quickly stepped into the shower, closing her eyes as the steaming water sluiced over her head—the pressure of it pounding at the tension in her shoulders. She’d always enjoyed home improvement projects, but that didn’t mean her body didn’t protest at the end of a long day.
“Ah, Laura? What the hell is this?”
She wiped the water from her face and stuck her head out from behind the shower curtain.
And wanted to die of embarrassment.
Trent stood in the middle of their bathroom, holding a red plastic penis in one hand. He flicked a switch and a low buzzing filled the whole room, audible even over the sound of the shower. Laura cleared her throat, positive her face was redder than the vibrator Trent was holding.
“Well, ah,” she blew out a breath, searching for some words to explain. Heat crawled across her cheeks that had nothing to do with the hot water. “You’ve been gone a lot.”
His eyes widened dramatically. “Yes, but it still hurts to meet my replacement in person. What’s this model called, the Drill Sergeant?”
She stifled a horrified laugh. She couldn’t help it. “Would you please turn that thing off and put it away?” She pulled the shower curtain sh
ut again, praying that the next time she stuck her head out, the offending vibrator would be back in its box where it belonged. Damn it, she should have hidden it better. But the top shelf of the closet was the perfect place to keep the kids from finding it. Her husband?
Apparently not.
She turned off the shower and wrapped her body in a fluffy towel. Her husband was no longer standing in the middle of the bathroom but his silence made her suspicious. She was afraid to go looking for him because he might have more embarrassing questions about her, ah, deployment boyfriend.
She shook her head and reached for her toothbrush just as he emerged from the closet. She glanced down and choked. He’d stuffed the vibrator between the buttons of his jeans. The plastic penis hung out of his pants, and she burst out laughing. “That’s not funny! Put it away!”
“Hey, baby, why don’t we…”
“Trent! Give me that!”
She couldn’t remember the last time they’d laughed like this but damn it felt good. She whirled and lunged for it, not missing the fact that she was reaching for his groin and had her vibrator not been there, she might have gotten a handful of something else. She pulled the vibrator from his pants and stuffed it behind her back as he made a grab for it.
Her breath caught in her throat as her awareness of this man struck her, reminding her of how much she’d once loved him.
She still did.
He bunched his fists at his sides like he was fighting the urge to reach out to her. Then suddenly he moved, skimming his fingertips across her forehead, brushing her hair behind her ears. Her breath caught in her lungs as she dropped the vibrator in the sink behind her. Trent took advantage of her position and backed her up against the counter. They breathed in quiet gasps, the only sound over the rapid-fire beating of her heart. His fingers splayed across her hips and she shifted beneath him, spreading her thighs to hook them around his hips. But he held himself back, sliding his palm up her thigh and cupping her slick heat.
“It’s a shame,” he murmured.
She stilled. “What is?”
His thumb slid over her exposed hipbone—a light, teasing caress. “That you never sent me another video.”
“Video of what?” Her breath hitched as he leaned in, nibbling on the edge of her jaw. His fingers danced over her belly, sliding closer to where she was wet and aching for him.
Her fingers clenched on his shoulders, spasming as he traced her collarbone with the tip of his tongue. His breath was hot on her skin, cooling the moisture from her shower.
He nuzzled her ear while he slid the tip of one finger over the seam of her slick heat. “Another one of you touching yourself,” he whispered.
In some dim part of her brain not lost to the intense pleasure of his touch, she recognized that she was completely naked beneath her towel while he was still wearing his jeans. “You’re wearing too many clothes,” she murmured, nipping at his ear lobe.
He tensed as she dragged her hands down the crisp dark hair of his chest and reached for his pants. Her fingers trembled over the zipper momentarily before she quickly pulled it down and tugged his boxers and his jeans to the floor, freeing his erection.
He turned her so that she was facing the mirror. Then he stood behind her, his lean, strong body molded against hers as his hands drifted down her sides and over the towel that was the last barrier between them. She dropped her head back against his shoulder, closing her eyes as intense sensations overwhelmed her. He scraped his teeth over her neck, then something cool and soft dragged up her thigh.
She glanced down to see him sliding her vibrator against her skin, tracing it beneath the edge of her towel. She held her breath even as her face flushed.
He nipped at her ear, his breath warm against her damp skin. “So how often did you, ah, use this?”
She gasped as he traced it over her damp skin. “Why? Jealous?”
He tugged at her earlobe with his teeth. “You have no idea.”
“Trent—”
He slid one hand up her throat, turning her mouth until he claimed her lips. The tip of the vibrator teased the edge of her intimate flesh. The idea of him doing this to her…
She didn’t want it. Not right now. At this moment, she wanted her husband’s hands on her body, her husband’s flesh filling her. Tonight, she wanted this man—the only one she had ever dreamed of.
She turned in his arms, tugged the vibrator out of his hand and dropped it back into the sink.
Then she dragged her fingers through his hair and pulled him closer to her. He tugged her towel out of the way and leaned against her body until the counter dug into her lower back, a delicious swipe of pain mixing with the thrill of his hands on her.
Slowly, slowly, he pushed his hands over her thighs, urging her to part for him. She arched and tried to shift, but he stopped her, holding her between his strong hands, his eyes darkening as he leaned back and simply took her in.
Her arms were braced against the counter, her breasts heavy and full. Her back arched, her intimate flesh exposed. She was more than beautiful.
She was the center of his world. She balanced him, kept him grounded. And he’d been running from the one person he needed more than anyone else.
He kissed her lips, her collarbone, the gentle swell of her breast. He kissed a trail down her neck, moving ever lower until he reached the apex of her thighs, giving a gentle press of his lips to the warm, wet sanctuary he craved.
He sank to his knees in front of her and nuzzled the inside of her thigh. Her sex was the deepest swollen pink, liquid glistening on her skin, her soft curls. Arousal shot, hard and fast, through his blood at the scent of her, warm and musky and inviting.
He kissed her then, gently, tracing his lips and tongue down her soft skin, licking at the moisture that still dripped over her flesh from her shower.
Her gasp was the sweetest pleasure. And then he parted her with his tongue and her response was beautiful and it shoved aside the darkness in his soul. She arched gently beneath his mouth, her hips hesitantly rocking as he slid his tongue through her soft sex.
When he suckled her, she cried out, his name on her lips, her hips jerking from his grip. Trent went absolutely still except for the movement of his mouth over her body as he savored the taste and feel of her beneath his tongue. He angled his head until she opened completely for him, surrendering in body as well as spirit. She was here. She was his. And by God, he was going to remind her of everything good between them.
Laura didn’t dare open her eyes. She knew what she would see. Her husband’s mouth where only her own fingers had been for so long. His tongue traced over her swollen sex and an urgency built inside of her. Finally she looked down at him.
The sight of his mouth on her was more powerful than she could have imagined. His hands spanned her hips, holding her in place on the edge of the counter. One of her calves was draped over one of his strong, wide shoulders. And his mouth moved, sliding through her heat and drawing out her pleasure.
She threaded a hand through his hair.
He looked up, their eyes meeting as he pressed his lips again to her most swollen heat. His gaze locked on hers, he traced his tongue over the swollen core of her body. A hot, possessive pleasure swept over her as he slipped one finger inside her, teasing her with the lightest friction while his tongue drove her wild. She fisted her hand in his hair, rocking against his mouth, her release there, just there. She closed her eyes, dropping her head back, and let the pleasure come, hard and fast through everything that she was until she thought she’d come apart in his arms.
Pleasure still shuddered through him when he carried her to the bed. His skin was slick with sweat. He laid her down on the bed, needing just to feel her with him, but she smiled and urged him onto his back.
Everything felt right and good and real between them. As though their separation had been nothing more than a nightmare, still lingering, still trying to crawl into the bed with them.
Feeling mischievous, s
he crawled into his lap. Bracing her hands against him, he smiled up at her in the dim light, his eyes dark and serious in the shadows. She arched against him, the apex of her heat brushing against the hair on his thighs. The sharp scrape of pleasure at her core made her body melt with new arousal.
He made a sound deep in his throat and it rumbled through his chest. His palms skimmed her thighs, coming to rest on her hips. They were twined together, already naked. A slight shift of her hips and he would be inside her warm, slick heat.
He tried to lift her hips but she arched away from him. He scowled. “Games, Laura?”
“Now it’s my turn.”
His throat moved as he swallowed, his body tense and oh so ready. “So what do I have to do?”
Her laugh was husky and sensual. Throaty and filled with feminine power. He’d always loved that about his wife. He loved how they’d grown together, learning to pleasure each other’s bodies. He could still remember the first time they’d made love. It was a hot, sultry night. He’d brought sleeping bags for the back of his truck. Somehow, he’d made her come that night and he’d gotten hooked on watching her. He loved seeing her lips part, her breath come in quick, harsh gasps.
He’d loved watching her come earlier. She’d been spread open and gorgeous and when her orgasm had spilled across his lips, his fingers, he’d damn near exploded without a single touch to his cock.
Now? Now she rose naked above his body and Trent was lost in a sea of memories that mixed potently with the reality of her touch.
Her hips filled his palms but he didn’t try to guide her to his cock. He wanted to let her take the lead.
They’d played this game before. So many times. He loved letting her have her way with him. There was something so beautiful in the way her body rose over his, the way her sweet sex slid down onto his erection.
This was everything that was right between them. Everything that had not been twisted and ruined by the war. She dipped her hips lower and he held his breath in anticipation. Waiting for that first caress of her sex against his cock.
There. Smooth, warm silk spread over his erection, embracing him gently as she slid against his length, not yet taking him in. Her lips parted, her eyes closed. Her gasp was pure pleasure.
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