“I’m not understanding the problem, Kim.” He sighed, sounding frustrated.
“I’m not in your league.”
Now he appeared downright furious as he yanked off his scrub cap and stuffed it in his shirt pocket. His hair was such a mess. She wanted to run her fingers through it and straighten it out or play with it or something. She loved lying beside him for hours, talking and running her fingers through those silky locks. Or so she had all those years ago.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean? League? Are you kidding me, Kim?” He didn’t give her a chance to answer as he put his cup down and set both hands on her shoulders, holding her still. “You listen to me. Do you remember our plan? Do you remember my promise, our promise to each other?”
Of course she did. It was a promise that had haunted her for years. She slowly nodded.
“You were waiting for me to be a doctor and come back. We were getting married and having a family. I was going to take care of you. You were going to raise our children.”
“But it didn’t happen, and I feel so cheated. All I wanted was to be your wife, mother to your children. I didn’t get that, and now it’s…” She rested her hand on his arm. “You’re so much more than you set out to be.”
“Kim, dammit, stop making this so difficult. I’m tired, and I have no idea when I’m going to get out of here, and I don’t have the patience for this right now.”
A nurse poked her head through the doorway. “Dr. Siegel, the mother’s awake, asking for the baby.”
Bruce nodded. “Okay, I’ll be right there.” He dropped his hands and picked up the mug to drink more coffee. Then he reached for another muffin and stepped closer to Kim, watching her in his heavy-lidded way. He leaned down and tenderly kissed her on the cheek and then the lips.
She reached up with both hands and grabbed his cheeks to hold him to her, but he pulled away, gazing at her for another second.
“I gotta go. Thanks for the muffins, coffee, and coming by.”
She didn’t say anything as he hurried out the door and left her standing there alone. She glanced down at the Tupperware container and the uneaten muffins in there. She put the lid on the container and left it on the table, packing up the coffee and leaving, now even more confused than she’d ever been in her life.
Chapter Eleven
Three days had passed since she’d seen Bruce, felt his hands on her. She’d wondered whether he’d phone when he was finished or just go home and sleep, but then, she hadn’t known whether he was at the office or the hospital, and each time she reached for the phone to call him, she made herself hang it up. She couldn’t be the needy wannabe girlfriend, because the fact was she didn’t have a clue what she was to him. Yes, he still had feelings. Yes, they’d almost made love, but here she was, still alone. What exactly did that make them?
She’d just come inside the house, all sweaty and dusty from moving the last of the hay bales to the shed in back. Her arms ached and her back hurt, and she hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep in days. She climbed out of her grimy T-shirt and worn blue jeans, dumping them in the dirty clothes hamper along with the thick socks she wore in her work boots. She turned on the shower and waited for the water to warm up, then climbed in under the spray. She poured shampoo on her hair and scrubbed her scalp, leaning back, her head under the water.
“There you are.” The shower curtain ripped open.
She shrieked, covering herself as she stared at Bruce, who appeared as if he hadn’t shaved in days. He pulled off his clothes, slipped his glasses onto the counter, and climbed into the shower. The water was running down her face, and he moved her and ducked his head under the spray.
“What are you doing here?”
Maybe she was in shock after not hearing from him, but here he was in the shower with her, now running soap over his body, under his arms, and rinsing off.
He handed her the soap bar. “Wash my back,” he said, and he turned around and she stared at him. She couldn’t believe his nerve, his demand, but that didn’t stop her from lathering the soap and then running her hands over his back. She could feel how tight he was, and now she felt bad.
“Were you at the hospital this entire time?”
“Yeah. I grabbed a nap in one of the rooms. I needed to be there. It got complicated. Had to take the baby into surgery again. It happens.”
She pushed into his muscles and kneaded his shoulders.
“Oh, that feels so good.” He actually braced his hand against the wall. “The water’s getting cold. Hand me the shampoo.”
She handed the bottle to him, and he squeezed some into his palms, scrubbed his head, and then ducked under the spray. At least she’d already rinsed the shampoo from her hair.
Kim jumped out as Bruce turned the water off. He was behind her as she reached for a towel and handed it to him. He took it and dried her off, patting the moisture from her hair. He did it with such tenderness that it made her heart squeeze. Then he ran the towel over his chest, drying himself off. He dumped it on the floor and stalked to her, lifting her in front of him, and she wrapped her legs around his waist.
His mouth was on her, kissing her as he carried her to the bedroom and laid her across the bed. The man was ready for her. Evidently, he didn’t want to talk, and that was fine with her. She wanted to run her hands all over him, to touch him, but he was having none of that as he kissed her deeply. With her legs still around his waist, he traced one hand up her thigh, pressing her open wider, and he slid inside before she could catch her breath. He stopped there, holding himself still, watching her.
“I want you with me,” he said. “Any questions? Are you still confused about whether I want you?”
She couldn’t get her tongue to move, so she nodded, and he moved again. “I want children, Bruce. I want a lifetime with you,” she said as he moved inside her harder, pushing her into the bed.
“And you’re going to have them. We’re going to have them.” He leaned down and ran his tongue over her nipple, sucking it as he moved harder and faster.
She’d never in her life felt something so magical, with such love. She’d never had this connection with Craig. She ran her hand over his cheek, and he turned his head and nipped her palm with his teeth. He rode her hard until she felt herself coming apart. She screamed out his name as he watched her, smiling at her as she lost control under him, and he kept moving harder, faster. Then he shouted her name roughly before she felt the warmth spill into her.
He was still thick and long and buried inside her when he rolled to the side, taking her with him. She waited until she regained her senses, her breath, and until her heartbeat slowed from the frenzy Bruce had just taken her on. She licked her lips, tasting him on her. It was a taste she wanted every moment of every day.
“I’m so glad you came over.” She ran her hand over his back and lower, over his magnificent ass. She loved feeling that rounded perfection.
He didn’t say anything as she leaned against him. He was still buried inside of her, and then he started snoring. She looked up into his beautiful face and realized he’d fallen asleep.
Chapter Twelve
A kiss on her cheek brought her awake. She blinked, looking up at Bruce, realizing he was dressed and holding a coffee, smiling down at her. Well, not really dressed. His shirt was unbuttoned, showing off his amazing chest, and he was wearing his jeans minus a belt.
“Hey there, sleepy head,” he said.
She realized it was completely dark. “What time is it?”
“Almost midnight.”
She started to panic, as she’d left her horse on the pasture, which wasn’t a good idea this time of year when it was just her. “I need to bring Chloe in. She never stays out on the pasture all night.” She threw back the covers and remembered she was naked.
Bruce stopped her with his hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay, I already got her. Heard her out there and didn’t want to wake you.”
She didn’t know what to say. He
was no longer a country boy, now a big-city doctor who still lived in town. Maybe it was the way she frowned that had him leaning down and kissing her again.
“Don’t look so worried. I do remember what happens on a farm, and I also know you’re particular about your horse. I suppose I’m going to have to get used to her.” He moved her legs aside and sat down beside her, setting his coffee mug on the night stand. He leaned over her, resting his arm over her legs. “Listen, we missed a lot of years. Let me ask you something, Kim: Do you still want me?”
She couldn’t help herself from reaching up, touching his sleep-tousled hair, looking at the face she hoped to see for a lifetime of mornings, afternoons, days, and middle of the nights. Whatever crazy schedule he had, she wanted it all. “Of course I do. I want forever with you. I want to be selfish and have everything with you. If I could have back all those missing years, I’d want them, too.”
His expression turned solemn. “Can’t have that, Kim, but what I can give you is tomorrow and every day after that.”
A lump jammed her throat, because she hoped he was asking her for forever. It was all she’d ever wanted. She nodded again. “I would like that very much, and I don’t want to spend another day without you.”
“Kim, would you marry me, be my wife and my friend and the mother to my children?”
A tear slipped down her cheek as she looked at the only man she’d ever loved—the only man she could ever love. “You are the love of my life,” she said. “I knew it the first moment you kissed me, and it can’t disappear, and there could never be anyone else. I was meant for you. Yes, I’ll be your wife.”
He leaned in and angled his head so slowly, watching her with lazy eyes that allowed her to feel what he had planned for the rest of the night. And then he kissed her.
The End
I hope you enjoyed reading His Promise, a short novella about Kim and Bruce two characters who were introduced in The Deadline. There will be a brand new full length coming out in the fall for Kim and Bruce when they start a family.
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What’s next is a new single title, ONE NIGHT.
One date. One night out. Becomes a night she’ll never forget.
Available June 30 from all retailers. Pre-order is now available.
Visit my website at www.LorhainneEckhart.com for all available links.
About the Author
USA Today bestselling author Lorhainne Eckhart’s books have been described as Longmire meets old-school Dallas, and she recently received the 2013 Readers’ Favorite Award for Romantic Suspense for her title Lost and Found. With over thirty titles under her belt, she is frequently a Top 100 bestselling author in multiple genres, such as romance, western, and mystery/suspense. She has written multiple series, including The Outsider, Walk the Right Road, The Wilde Brothers, Saved, and her most recent addition, The Friessens: A New Beginning.
Lorhainne lives on sunny Salt Spring Island with her family, where she is working on her next novel.
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Summer Rhythm
Brandy L Rivers
Copyright © 2015 Brandy L Rivers
brandylrivers.com
Cover Design by Brandy L Rivers
Edited by Shaner Media Creations
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
Chapter One
Stepping into the club, Chloe got lost in a daydream. A familiar song sent her heart racing. She glanced up and her eyes locked on her biggest regret.
Molten chocolate eyes, shaggy brown hair, and perfectly curved lips twisted in a sinful smirk. That sexy mouth, and talented fingers—and damn, the man could play an instrument.
A smoldering stare locked on hers for a brief second and hope ignited with her desire. Then his brow furrowed as he looked away. Closing his eyes, Doug Walsh threw himself into the music like he wanted to banish her from his mind.
She couldn’t blame him.
Karma was a cruel bitch. Doug was even hotter than the last time she saw him, seven years ago. A twinge of guilt thrummed through her.
She had cried on his shoulder after graduation. He’d awakened feelings she’d tried to bury because she had a boyfriend through most of high school. One who dumped her when she didn’t want to go to another stupid societal party with her parents, instead of having fun with her graduating class. Doug made her feel special, wanted, even loved, and she couldn’t resist making the first move. Knowing she was going to college across the country while he stayed behind, she bailed on him before he woke up.
The very next summer, she fell for him even harder. She tried to make up for her mistake and landed back in bed with him. He fell asleep holding her like he never wanted to let her go. Her doubts crept in and she ran all over again.
Chloe turned with the intention of walking out the door. Someone looped their arm through hers and dragged her toward the bar.
“Thought I mentioned your favorite mistake was playing tonight,” Jackie sing-songed. They’d been best friends since kindergarten. As much as Chloe loved her, Jackie was going to torture her about Doug.
Hopeless, she looked over, carefully avoiding the stage as she twisted the ends of her hair. “If you had, I wouldn’t have come.”
With a dejected sigh, she climbed onto a stool and dropped her chin into her hand. Nodding at the man behind the polished wood counter, she ordered, “Hard cider, please.”
The bartender dipped his head in acknowledgement.
Jackie nudged her. “Why not? Clearly you’re still hung up on him. I saw your reaction.”
“He probably hates me.”
“Nah. He never let your bolting slow him down.”
Her mouth fell open. “Are you saying Doug turned into a man-whore?”
Jackie’s brow scrunched. “Not exactly. Though he doesn’t have a problem picking up women.”
“That’s karma for you.” Chloe turned to find her drink. Tracing the disposable coaster, she took a sip from the tall glass before asking, “Why did you invite me here?”
“Figured it would be like old times. Only without having to sneak into bars to watch Nights Embrace play.”
Chloe giggled. “What the hell. He’s already seen me and the worst he can do is ignore my sorry ass.”
A smirk lifted one corner of Jackie’s mouth as she looked to the stage. “Doubt he’ll ignore you for long. He can’t seem to keep his eyes off you.”
Unsure what to say, she kept her mouth closed. It wasn’t like she could turn back time and stay with him.
Jackie led her to the stage. Chloe’s eyes landed on the lead singer of Nights Embrace. Roxy was pregnant—like way pregnant.
“Holy shit!” Chloe leaned in to ask, “Tell me Jordan didn’t knock her up.” He was a cheating bastard last she’d heard.
“Not a chance. She dumped him years ago. Though Jordan’s not the ass he used to be. Roxy married an Irish hunk from a different band.
You’ll have to come early enough to see his group play sometime. But he’ll be singing the last song with Roxy.”
“And the guys? What have they been up to?”
“Like I said, Jordan straightened up his act. He even has a girlfriend. Mike’s with a feisty woman, they’re perfect together. And Doug still flies solo.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You like to pour salt in my wound, don’t you?”
Jackie shrugged, attempting an innocent smile as she glanced up briefly. “You’re here for good, right? You’ve always wanted to fix things? Well, now’s your chance.”
Chloe repressed a groan. “He won’t even look my way.”
“Yeah, because he wanted more than one night, and you bailed on him. Twice.”
“I did, unfortunately. Can’t blame him if he ignores my existence.” That’s why she’d tried to forget the boy who stole her heart with his big brown eyes, and passion for music. He wasn’t afraid to be himself.
For too many years, she’d tried to please her parents. Being across the country helped her realize she needed to live for herself.
Chloe had made it into Brown University and graduated at the top of her class. Then she went on to medical school against her parent’s wishes. Had they paid attention, they would have realized she ditched the idea of being a lawyer before her first day of college. Her mother had always been more interested in trying to get Chloe to fit her mold.
She came back to Seattle exactly once during her college years. Her first summer break, when she got swept up in Doug on a warm, lazy evening. Then she remembered the next seven years she’d be in Rhode Island, across the country. Last thing she wanted was a long distance relationship as a distraction from her studies.
