Just Like Love (Just Like This Book 2)

by Rebecca Gallo

  Subject: RE: Moving

  Cami –

  I’m sorry to be missing one more thing I know will be difficult for you. I want to be there to hold your hand through all of this. I’m happy you’re staying with Val for a little while. I’m sure you both want to spend as much time as possible in the house you grew up in before it sells.

  I ache for you, Cami, and I dream about doing absolutely everything to that gorgeous body of yours. I can’t wait to be completely consumed by your scent again.

  Yours, G.

  To: Garrett.Hammond@army.mil.gov

  From: CSorenson@mail.com

  Subject: Selling

  Honestly, I had reservations about selling the house because Valerie never does anything spontaneously. A part of me wants to hang on to it forever so that we’ll both always have a place to return to, but after reading your email, I know selling is absolutely the right thing to do. I’ve lived in this house with my parents and with Valerie. But this house isn’t my dad. In fact, on more than one occasion, he’d threatened to sell the place.

  Finally allowing myself to think about the future has been such a relief. I turned down an opportunity from my former boss to work as a pastry chef in his new restaurant concept in Napa, but maybe once we decide where to settle, I’ll be able to find a job as a pastry chef in another restaurant. What do you think?

  Love, Cami

  To: CSorenson@mail.com

  From: Garrett.Hammond@army.mil.gov

  Subject: What do I think?

  I think you completely ignored the part of my last email where I said I ache for you. Cami, I picture you every goddamn day with your legs spread wide, ready for me. Tell me what you desire, baby. I need to hear it.

  Yours, G.

  To: Garrett.Hammond@army.mil.gov

  From: CSorenson@mail.com

  Subject: Desires

  What do you want me to tell you, Garrett? Every night when I close my eyes, I picture you hovering over me, your familiar weight on top of me, filling me completely. So much of me is empty without you. You want my scent to consume you, but I need your hands on me, branding every inch of me with your touch. That’s what I desire, Garrett.

  As Garrett’s deployment neared its conclusion, I decided it was time to move out on my own. Valerie and I spent the better part of the past few months working our way through a punch list of items that needed to be addressed before we put our family home on the market. We managed some of the repairs on our own, but when it came time to update the bathrooms and replace the carpeting, we hired professionals.

  “I think it’s finally time,” I announced to Val as I flopped down on the couch next to her.

  “Finally time for what?” She was flipping through a travel magazine, marking items of interest with a black permanent marker.

  “To move out,” I declared.

  “Oh. Well, Garrett comes home soon, right?” She capped her marker and set aside the magazine before giving me her full attention. “Want me to help?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Apartment hunting with Valerie was the biggest mistake of my life. We bickered over the littlest of things.

  “Valerie,” I huffed, exasperated after we left the fifth complex. “I won’t be living there for long. I just need to find someplace adequate for Garrett and me until he finishes out his contract.”

  “Well, it could at least have a decent view of the bay,” she said, pointing at the concrete jungle surrounding us. I found it hard to argue with that logic.

  Eventually, I found a tiny one-bedroom with a fantastic view of Wollochet Bay. Valerie approved, despite the lack of granite countertops. The day after I signed my lease, we hired a couple of guys from my dad’s old crew to load up a moving truck and help us move furniture and boxes into my temporary home. Once the last of the boxes had been unloaded and they all left, I was completely alone for the first time in months.

  I sprawled out in the middle of the living room and sighed happily. It was almost perfect. All I needed now was the patience to last another month without Garrett.

  Chapter Six

  Cami

  Time seemed to simultaneously stand still and fly by in one confusing contradiction. While I watched the days pass by on the calendar, one after the other, everything else seemed to drift away — holidays, birthdays, anniversaries. Nothing was as significant as the day Garrett came home, not even my birthday.

  As I paced baggage claim waiting for my first glimpse of Garrett, I couldn’t be sure if he even remembered today was my birthday. I stood nervously at the bottom of a group of escalators, searching the faces of strangers as they passed by me. It felt like forever before I finally saw a familiar face among the crowd. Jackson.

  “Happy Birthday!” His exclamation was followed by a crushing hug that left me breathless.

  “Thank you,” I murmured into his shoulder. He set me down, and I was able to get my first good look at him. He was leaner than Garrett but still filled out his uniform. His sandy brown hair was lighter than I remembered, and his bright blue eyes stood out against the golden tan of his skin.

  “You’re going to remember this one forever, aren’t you?”

  “The only thing that matters today is Garrett is home.” My eyes kept shifting back to the escalator. I felt like I was barely breathing.

  “Hey.” Jackson’s hand latched onto mine, and he shook it lightly. “He’ll be here. Don’t worry.”

  I gave Jackson a weak smile and tried my best to ignore the hot stinging behind my eyes. “I’m so happy you’re safe, Jackson. Really. But …” But it’s been hard, I wanted to tell him. It’s been so absolutely miserable living without him. And waiting for him to appear in the sea of people bustling through the airport was the most painful thing of all. It was like waiting for my next breath, for my next heartbeat.

  The world started to spin again the instant I caught sight of him.

  A flash of dark hair.

  A smoldering gaze.

  Broad shoulders.

  My knees weakened and trembled as we finally made eye contact.

  Garrett dropped his pack and rushed toward me, scooping me into his arms before my knees touched the floor. Our bodies fit together perfectly, like two pieces of the same puzzle. We were incomplete without each other, and now we were finally whole.

  I buried my face in his jacket and let every emotion pour out. My body trembled as Garrett held me tightly. He whispered soothing words in my ear, but I heard nothing over the sound of my heart starting to beat again.

  “Just like this.” He sighed into my hair, then breathed in deeply and hugged me tighter before placing me gently back onto my feet. He gazed down at me with those big chocolate brown eyes that told me exactly how he felt. Relief and exhaustion swirled with hunger and desire.

  “What?” My voice came out in a breath. I was anxious for him to kiss me, to finally feel his lips against mine.

  “I pictured seeing you again, and it was just like this.” He placed two fingers under my chin and tipped it up before leaning down and brushing his lips against mine. It was barely a kiss, more like a memory, and it didn’t satisfy the ache deep in my belly. He must have heard my whimper of protest because he smiled slightly. “Happy Birthday, baby. When we’re alone, I’m going to fucking devour you.”

  Garrett grabbed my hand and pulled me back to where Jackson stood waiting in the midst of the bustling crowd. “Let’s go,” he said to Jackson with a jerk of his head.

  We walked toward the luggage carousel where bags were being deposited one by one. Garrett kept me close with an arm draped possessively across my shoulders. I was perfectly content to be back within arm’s reach. When he noticed his bag popping out from the top of the carousel, his arm slid down my shoulders to take hold of my hand. He reached out and grabbed the large black duffel with one hand and deposited it soundly on the floor while we waited for Jackson to claim his own bag.

  “Can you drop Jackson off at base?” Garrett asked. His voice was
quiet and almost emotionless, but with his body close to mine, our hands so close yet barely touching, the way his words filled my ears and the way his breath tickled my skin, it was hard to remain in control.

  “Sure,” I told him as I popped the trunk of the car. Jackson slid into the back seat as Garrett placed their bags inside.

  The drive to Ft. Lewis was noisy, filled with Jackson’s random chattering about all of the things he was longing for after being away for a year. Starbucks coffee. McDonald’s french fries. Ranch dressing. Garrett endured it all with a tight smile and the occasional eye roll. Sometimes Garrett and Jackson seemed so similar in age, and sometimes, like now, it was apparent that he was younger. My hands squeezed the steering wheel tightly because they itched to reach out and touch Garrett. It was hard to concentrate on the road because every few seconds, I kept glancing over to make sure that Garrett really was home.

  My mind wandered easily back to the last time I saw Palmer and the ugly words that tumbled cruelly from his mouth. Was he right? Garrett still seemed so far away. It was unrealistic for me to think Garrett would be the same when he returned home, not after spending weeks imprisoned. But how different would he be? How difficult was it going to be to the find the man I fell in love with?

  “Relax, baby. I’m not going anywhere,” he said with an easy smile before placing his hand on my thigh. Some of my tension dissipated.

  “Can we please stop at a Starbucks?” Jackson’s whine from the back eased the remaining tension.

  “Dude, you are such a girl,” Garrett teased him.

  “Whatever. I need an iced venti caramel macchiato,” he responded.

  “Whatever you want, Jackson,” I chimed in before getting off at the first exit promising a Starbucks.

  We approached Ft. Lewis almost an hour after the coffee detour. Garrett directed me to park, and he got out to help Jackson with his bag. I followed him and witnessed their “macho” goodbye, which consisted of a firm handshake and several thumping black slaps. Jackson turned his attention to me and kissed my cheek lightly before pulling away with a wink.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” Jackson told Garrett with a nod before he turned and headed toward the barracks.

  Garrett and I stared at one another for a tense moment before he took a few steps forward, placed his hands firmly on my shoulders, and pressed his forehead against mine.

  “I missed you,” he whispered.

  “I missed you too,” I said.

  “Let’s go home.” He stepped back abruptly and opened the passenger door before sliding inside. I stood there for a moment, before rounding the car and returning to the driver’s seat.

  Nervous butterflies sprang to life inside my belly. Garrett and I were finally alone together, and there was so much I needed to tell him. But the words were stuck, and I wasn’t going to leave this parking lot without getting what I wanted.

  “Garrett,” I said, my voice firm. His eyes slid across the car to me. “Kiss me,” I pleaded. It was all I wanted; to feel his lips on mine, claiming me once more.

  With one hand gripping the back of my head, he pulled me close and covered my mouth with his, finally sealing our reunion. His tongue swiped at the seam of my lips, demanding access. I wound the lapel of his jacket around my fingers as I opened for him. This was the kiss I had been waiting for, the kiss I’d yearned for deep inside. His free hand traveled the distance between us and wrapped around my waist, pulling my body flush against the console. I was practically feral, ready to climb across the car and into his lap but somehow, I remained in control.

  We broke apart with heavy breaths, and absently, I traced the path of his kiss across my now bruised lips.

  “Cami,” Garrett said hoarsely. I faced him, still in a daze from his searing kiss. “I’m sorry I didn’t stay safe.”

  All the pent-up heat and desire that had burned brightly in his eyes was gone. Instead, it had been replaced with pain. I leaned toward him and placed my hand lightly on his cheek. “You don’t have to apologize to me, Garrett.”

  He covered my hand with his and nuzzled my palm before placing a soft kiss on it. “There’s so much I want to tell you, Cami.”

  “We have plenty of time. Let’s go home, okay?” I swallowed down the hard lump that formed in my throat. Stay strong. I wished I could admit to him that, for an entire year, I hadn’t been the strongest person ever. But confessing my failures was going to be difficult.

  “Say something,” I finally said, trying to break the suffocating silence filling the car. “Tell me something.”

  “What do you want me to tell you?”

  “Anything, Garrett. I just can’t take the quiet anymore.”

  “Jackson is married,” he said.

  “What? I didn’t even know he had a girlfriend.”

  “He doesn’t.”

  “Well, not anymore. He skipped that step and went right to wife.”

  “He wasn’t dating this woman,” Garrett explained.

  “Then how did he wind up married?”

  “He and Palmer went to Vegas while we were on leave last year. He says he doesn’t remember getting married.”

  It was hard not to laugh as I pictured Jackson, ridiculously drunk, getting married in a cheesy Las Vegas wedding chapel. “How did you find out?” I asked.

  “He was served with annulment papers while were stationed overseas.”

  “Oh no.” The thought of Jackson getting married in Vegas seemed fitting, and I couldn’t contain the burst of laughter that erupted from deep in my belly. “I hate to say it, but that’s such a Jackson thing to do.”

  “He gets himself into so much trouble,” Garrett said with a grin. “I don’t know how he does it.”

  The brief reprieve from the awkward tension didn’t last long, and it returned quickly.

  “Cami.” Garrett said my name so softly I didn’t hear him until he said it again. “You’re too thin.”

  Self-consciously, I looked down. My shorts were a little baggier and my shirt was a little looser, but when I looked in the mirror, the only noticeable change was the dark circles under my eyes. “No, I’m not,” I replied casually.

  Garrett growled next to me. “I want you to be honest and tell me everything that’s happened while I’ve been deployed.”

  “Garrett, I really don’t want to relive all of that right now,” I deflected.

  “I told you I would carry all of your burdens, Cami, and I meant it.”

  “It’s my birthday, and all I want to do is celebrate the fact that you’re finally home.”

  I took my eyes off the road for a moment to give him a smile I hoped masked all of the ugly truths waiting to be confessed, but the sadness in his eyes told me I failed.

  “Have it your way,” he said with an exasperated sigh.

  Chapter Seven

  Garrett

  Jasmine. The scent hit me even before I saw Cami, and the moment I took her into my arms, I was completely overwhelmed by it. She made me come unglued, yet she was the one keeping me together. Seeing her made me feel simultaneously weak and strong. Weak because of the guilt I carried over not heeding her one request: stay safe. Strong because every fissure of my body and soul seemed to mend now that I had Cami back in my arms.

  Jasmine. Cami’s familiar scent surrounded me in the car as she drove us to Ft. Lewis. I couldn’t get enough of it, and I knew once we were finally alone together, I’d let her cover me in it. She lit a fire deep inside me, and I wanted to be completely consumed in everything uniquely Cami.

  My hand remained firm on her bare thigh as we drove in silence to the apartment she had rented. I committed to memory exactly how she looked with her hair in glossy waves and her skin soft and smooth. But she was thinner now, and there was a new sadness in her eyes. She was keeping secrets too.

  As we crossed over the Narrows Bridge into Gig Harbor, memories of my captivity flooded my mind. The images were a blur, but the emotions were palpable, it was like experiencing them all over
again. The loneliness and helplessness I felt were profound. I tried to shake myself free of the waking nightmare and found myself gripping the door handle tightly.

  “Garrett?” Cami’s voice was full of concern.

  I wiped the sweat along my brow and swallowed the fear creeping up inside me. “I’m fine,” I lied. Maybe I would have to hold my demons a little while longer.

  The moment we crossed the threshold of Cami’s apartment, all my fear and anxiety suddenly vanished. I was ready to reclaim what was mine, ready to taste her, smell her, surround myself with her. After a year apart, there was no holding back. I pressed her against the wall and ghosted my lips across the exposed skin of her shoulder.

  “Jesus Christ, I missed you, baby,” I breathed out. I couldn’t breathe in her scent fast enough. I wanted to absorb her sweetness and taste her skin until she gasped for air.

  We were magnetic; our bodies and lips gravitating toward each other until a connection was finally made. I devoured her mouth in a crushing kiss that only deepened as she twisted her fingers tightly into my hair. I squeezed her firm cheeks in my hands and pressed myself against her. I was painfully hard, and I knew she was probably dripping wet beneath her shorts.

  “I can’t stand it, Cami,” I groaned, breaking our kiss and releasing my hold on her. She dropped softly to her feet as I took one step back. “I can’t wait another minute to be inside you.”

  She nodded her agreement silently and started to pull her tank top over her head, revealing the plain white lace bra beneath. My mouth watered, and I closed the distance to cover one perfect lace-covered peak with my mouth. She tasted sweet and smelled like heaven. I dropped to my knees and grasped the waistband of her shorts between my fingers. With a flick of my fingers, the button holding them closed popped open. I didn’t bother with the zipper and simply tugged until they pooled at her feet.

  The sight of her pale pink panties flipped an animalistic switch inside me. My fingers grasped the waistband and pulled them free. I buried my nose in her mound, breathing in her musky arousal. She writhed against the wall, pressing her hips forward against my mouth. There wasn’t time for foreplay; there was only the urgent need to connect.