My Ranger Weekend

by Lowrance, J. D.

  My Ranger Weekend

  By J.D. Lowrance

  Copyright © 2014 J.D. Lowrance

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Cover: Fotosearch/Getty Images

  This ebook is intended for adult readers only. It is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. If you’re reading this ebook and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it to the author and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  DEDICATION

  I want to dedicate this book to my husband. For all the reads and re-reads. For all the late night talks and dinner date conversations on where this story was going. Without you none of this would be possible. I love you.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  DEDICATION

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  EPILOGUE

  FLINT’S PLAYLIST

  OTHER WORKS BY J.D. LOWRANCE

  CHAPTER ONE

  Flint

  One Republic’s “Counting Stars” blared from the bar’s speakers as Jerry handed me a beer. I think his name is Jerry. He spotted Romeo and I the minute we walked into the bar. A shot of cheap whiskey and now a beer later he was regaling us with stories of his glory days in the Marines. Oorah!

  Romeo loved this kind of attention. Hell, who I was kidding, he loved any attention whenever we had a weekend away from the base. Things were pretty intense right now as we just finished training for the six-month op we leave for on Monday. Location was on a need to know basis and my grunt ass did not need to know. Whatever. This was our last weekend of freedom and fun for six-fucking-months. Watch out ladies here we come!

  I knew we would see mad-action this weekend. There was never a time when the women could resist whatever came out of Romeo’s mouth. I thought he was annoying as hell with his so-called charm, but it always got me laid so who was I to mess with a good thing. Hell, my size alone intimated most women so I hung back and let Romeo reel them in. I was built like a bull with all those years on the family farm. Attention followed me wherever I went; both good and bad. The good kind from the willing ladies and the bad from the jackasses who were always sizing me up and thought they could take me. My four years in the Army, and now two with the Rangers, have taught me to control my temper and my reaction to those meatheads, but sometimes they just got under my skin. Well tonight would be no different. Romeo was already in full charm-mode practicing his tricks on poor Jerry, while a table full of jarheads were eyeing me up. It would just be a matter of time before trouble with a capital T rained down on this bar.

  Romeo turned to scan the bar before his eyes landed on the brunette at the bar. Don’t get me wrong, Romeo was a looker and a ladies man through and through. Jonathan Michael Miller, aka Romeo and always my partner-in-crime. Tonight, he dressed to impress sporting a tight, short-sleeve t-shirt with a damn green-haired Oompa-Loompa on the front that said “Big Things Come in Small Packages.” Besides our identical buzz cuts, we could not be more different. Romeo was as wide as he was tall and he swore up and down that he did not have a Napoleon complex. Yeah right! What he lacked in his five-foot-five frame he made up for in heart and toughness. I, on the other hand, was a tall motherfucker at six-foot-three. A jacked, good-ol’ boy from no-where South Dakota where there are more cows and fields than people.

  Romeo joined the Army at 18 to stay out of trouble and I joined at the same age to get into some. My whole life was filled with quiet and solitude as I worked on the family farm, but here with people like Romeo I was a part of something bigger than feed schedules and tractor pulls. I needed the freedom that came from being uprooted at a moment’s notice and sent to only God-knows-where. Now six years later I was a Ranger for that specific purpose and nothing was going to change that.

  I loved this part. I hummed along singing the words in my head. “But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard, Said no more counting dollars. We'll be counting stars, yeah we'll be counting stars.”

  “His name is Jerry, right?” Romeo asked, interrupting my sing-along. Shit. Jerry was already back at the bar. I needed to pay attention when people gave us shit.

  “I think so,” I responded, eyeing Jerry as he barely made it onto the stool.

  “Dakota, did you see that brunette at the bar?” Romeo nodded towards the point of the L-shaped bar. “Hot, ain’t she?”

  “More your speed than mine,” I laughed as I gulped down my beer. Yeah, he had a fetish - women.

  “More cushion for the pushing baby,” he yelled to no one in particular as he finished off his beer, slamming the bottle on the table. The table of jarheads next to us turned around eyeing us up once again. Oh God. It was going to be one of those nights. I guess I owed it to Romeo since last month he had to practically carry me home after I made an ass of myself getting both of us kicked out of that shitty dance club where there were more cougars than a fucking mountain range.

  “Whatever you say Romeo,” I said as I looked around the bar. The band was setting up, testing their mics and amps. All dudes except for the lead singer who looked to be in her early twenties. She was cute with a good body but the big, frizzy hair did nothing for me.

  “Need another?” he asked as he stood from the table. I nodded as I lifted my bottle downing the last of my beer. “Be right back,” he said as he sauntered up to the bar right next to the curvy brunette. He whispered something in her ear that caused her to blush and playfully slap his arm. He must have acted hurt because she started to rub the fake injury. I saw him jerk his head in my direction as four beers were placed in front him. She did a quick look around the bar before she leaned into him to say something. With a shrug of his shoulders, Romeo grabbed the beers and headed back to the table. He caught my eye and wiggled his eyebrows. What a d-bag.

  “Wait for it,” he mumbled as he turned back to the brunette and pointed to the two open chairs. He even pulled one out gesturing to her to come and sit down. A smile teased her lips until she finally stood and made her way over to our table. “Told ya,” he bragged as we both stood up to greet her.

  “Dakota, this is Reggie,” Romeo said as he placed one hand on her lower back making his claim. “Reggie, Dakota.” I took the hand she extended as she said, “Nice to meet you.”

  “Same here,” I responded as we all sat down. She was much prettier up close with bright blue eyes and a dimple in her left cheek. She had curves in all the right places and dressed to play them up. She sat across from me as Romeo took his seat to my left. I always faced the entrance of a place. It was a quirk of mine that Romeo got over trying to get me out of. Tonight was no different.

  “She is waiting for her friend Ryan,” Romeo stated. Greeeaaat. Instead of playing wingman and getting stuck with an ugly chick, I was it for a fucking dude. Just wonderful.


  “You know Dakota here would probably be interested in Ryan,” he said and he covered his laughter with a cough into his fist.

  “Here let me help you with that,” I barked as I slapped him on his back. That earned a beautiful laugh from Reggie. “We’ll see,” was all she said as Romeo handed her a beer.

  Little fucker. He thought he was so funny running his mouth all the time. I did a quick scan of the bar one more time before I started to get up to go take a leak. There was nothing worth waiting for at the table. Ryan! What a joke.

  The bar’s front door opened and I naturally looked to see who was coming through when I saw the most attractive woman I had ever laid eyes on. Damn. It was lust at first sight. My whole body tightened in anticipation, including my cock which stood to attention. Holy shit. She was perfect. She said something to the bouncer as she handed him her cover. Just damn. Her tight body was completely covered but I could see every curve. She was wearing black leggings with knee high black boots with heels so tall it added four or five inches to her height. They made her legs look like they went on forever. I suspected that her head would rest right under my chin if I were to bring her body against mine. Her light blonde hair was parted to the side and flowed in soft curls down the front of the sparkly sleeveless top that hung off one shoulder.

  Look at me. I shouted in my head as she eyed the bar. I wanted to see her face and the color of her eyes but she was being stubborn with her attention. She was obviously meeting someone as she craned her neck to try and see every face. Was she looking for someone? Did she have a boyfriend? Why did I care? Women like that did not come to a bar alone. I bet her boyfriend was waiting for her, probably drooling like me. Finally! She was heading straight towards me but still no eye contact. Before I knew it she passed us but did not get far when Reggie called out, “Ryan.”

  Ryan’s a chick? A hot-ass chick.

  Ryan

  Reggie was going to kill me. I was always late but this was even bad for me. She hated to sit at a bar alone and was going to be so pissed that I was later than late. I ran across Main Street and dashed into O’Malley’s Pub only to be stopped at the door.

  “ID and three bucks,” said the oversized bald bouncer with gauges in his ear lobes. I think I could fit at least three fingers, maybe four through there. “Band tonight,” he finished as I tried to pull my attention back to his face and not his freaky-ass ears.

  “No worries,” I assured him as I fished in my back pocket pulling out my driver’s license that was wrapped in cash. I pulled the license out and handed it to him as I counted off three ones. He exchanged my license for the three bucks. “Happy belated birthday,” he said with a smile, revealing two gold front teeth. “Thanks,” I murmured as I slid past him and into the dimly lit pub.

  This was by far my favorite bar in Santa Ana for its authentic Irish look. The traditional wooden bar reminded me of all the pubs Reggie and I visited while in Dublin. A sense of longing hit me as I thought of our time there. I was living the life away from my crazy ass family and their drama, but now I was home and I was being drawn back into the nightmare that was my life. My new car was proof. I could keep it as long as I accepted my invitation to join USC’s Gould School of Law. Reggie was my only salvation through all of this; my next door neighbor and best friend since kindergarten. She kept me sane when my parents went crazy.

  And yet I could not find her. Where in the hell are you Reggie? My eyes went straight to the bar stools as my gaze traveled up and down the length of the bar. None of the patrons even resembled Reggie. Maybe she escaped to the bathroom? I started to make my way into the bar when I heard my name being called. It came from behind me so I quickly turned around to find Reggie sitting at a table with two rather good-looking guys, correction one good-looking guy hanging on Reggie and one hot-ass mofo of a friend. Stop drooling.

  “Oh my God, Reggie,” I said as I walked up to her, “I am so sorry that I am late.” She stood up and we embraced in a quick hug. I kept my hands on her shoulders as we separated. “Please don’t be mad. I lost track of time and then I could not find anywhere to park.”

  “Sketching or sewing this time?” She asked playfully as I released her and knew she was not mad. The guys definitely saved me.

  “Sketching,” I admitted sheepishly as I tucked some hair behind my ear.

  “Well, hello there,” came from next to me along with some throat clearing as I realized we had a captive audience. I turned to find that both guys were standing, which was pretty comical at first glance. It was like looking at Austin Powers’ Dr. Evil and his mini-me with their identical brown haircuts and blue eyes. Definitely military with their high and tight buzz cuts.

  “Dakota, Romeo,” said Reggie, “this is my best friend Ryan Wethers.”

  “Hi guys,” I replied, giving a short wave as I bit my bottom lip to keep from giggling. The one named Dakota was really tall where Romeo was pretty short. I knew I was taller than Romeo barefoot. Poor thing. I bet Reggie loved it since she was barely five foot one.

  “Please join us,” Dakota said as he pulled out the chair next to him waiting for me to sit down. Lordy lordy. My early assessment of hot-ass mofo was on the mark. He was straight-up gorgeous. The red t-shirt he wore hugged his body just right, showing off his broad shoulders and muscular build. Without the military hair cut I would have pegged him for a surfer boy with all that tanned skin and tight body. Butterflies erupted in my stomach as I took the seat he offered. A deep breath did nothing but cause them to take flight as I inhaled the distant scent of man; a unique blend of soap and cologne. It enveloped me making me feel warm and fuzzy all over. He smelled amazing and all male.

  “Thanks,” I said as I took the offered seat and found a beer already waiting for me. “And for this,” I said as Reggie and I clanked our bottle necks together. The cold, amber liquid helped dampen the butterflies as I drank it down. I could feel Dakota’s eyes on me as I heard Reggie’s laughter at something Romeo was murmuring to her. I glanced over and found them huddled together. Another pull on the bottle and then my eyes followed it to the table as I peeked over at Dakota who was tearing at the corner of his beer label.

  “So,” he said pulling my gaze to his . . . WOW . . . the brightest blue eyes I had ever seen. Correction - they were the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen. I got that compliment a lot with my weird eyes but his were stunning. They had the thickest, darkest lashes I had ever seen surrounding them. My eyes had a mind of their own as they started to peruse his face. High cheekbones, check. Straight nose, check. And totally kissable, full lips, double check. Just wow. A small smirk appeared on his lips as I was sure my gaze had wandered on for longer than what was socially acceptable. My cheeks flamed red.

  “So,” I responded, my eyes back to his.

  “You are definitely not the type of Ryan I was expecting,” he said as he leaned forward with both elbows on the table. The movement brought another whiff of his scent so I took a deep breath and held it. Like a moth to a flame I felt drawn to him; leaning towards him trying to get closer.

  “Yeah, well, I am an only child and my father refused to even consider that I might be a girl, so he only picked out boys’ names. So Ryan was my mother’s best choice,” I replied. “Are you from one of the Dakotas or do your parents have a weird obsession with gigantic carved heads in the side of a mountain?”

  He chuckled, causing those butterflies to become active once again. “I will go with A,” he laughed. “I am from there. But they did have a weird obsession now that you mentioned it. We went every summer when I was a kid.”

  “North or South?” I asked, resting my chin on my hand while the other hand turned my bottle in circles.

  “South,” he answered. “What about you? Where are you from?” The lighter sparks in his eyes glowed, showing his genuine interest.

  “This great state of California. Born and raised the next town over.” His smile grew and I felt myself responding with one of my own. “What?” I asked, feeling a blu
sh creep into my cheeks.

  “You are absolutely lovely,” he said as he reached over and grazed his index finger over the back of my hand. His touch sent sparks up my arm straight to my heart, causing it to beat erratically.

  “Thank you,” I whispered, lifting the hand he was touching to run it through my hair as I tried to hide my reaction to him. Our eyes never left one another as I took another drink of my beer. “So,” I mimicked him from earlier trying to calm my racing heart. “The hair is either a major fashion statement or are you in the military?”

  “Definitely military.” His smile was gorgeous. “Army Ranger to be exact.”

  “And Dakota is your nickname obviously,” I said, drawing out the last word. My body shuddered at his deep chuckle as heat raced down my spine and into my core.

  “You would be correct,” he said, giving me a panty-melting smile. “My name is Flint, Flint Emerson,” he paused as he brought my hand to his lips. “And it’s very nice to meet you Ryan Wethers.” Oh boy!

  CHAPTER TWO

  Flint

  A solar eclipse in an endless blue sky. Her eyes were the most remarkable things I had ever seen. They were pale blue on the outside with a golden halo around the iris making it look like one of those photos you see of a solar eclipse. The ones where the moon blocked the sun but the honey colored rays still shone around it. They were mesmerizing. I could not seem to look away.

  “You have beautiful eyes,” I said, gaining me a small smile. It was a compliment she got a lot.

  “Thank you,” she responded. “Yours are pretty amazing as well.” I smiled at the praise that I got from women all the time. The band interrupted our little bubble of conversation by playing their first song and from the way Ryan’s eyes lit up, it was something she knew and liked. The song pulled Reggie out of her Romeo haze as she looked right up at Ryan with a big smile on her face. They both treated their bottles like microphones and belted out the opening lyrics. They both sang along, acting as though they were putting on glasses as they continued to sing. “You got designer shades, just to hide your face and you wear them around like you're cooler than me. And you never say hey, or remember my name. It’s probably cuz, you think you're cooler than me.”