Read Tempted by the Soldier (A Falling for You Novel) (Entangled Brazen) Online
Authors: Nicolette Day
Tags: #tessa bailey, #road trip, #erotic, #wedding, #military, #new adult, #contemporary romance
Tempted by the Soldier (A Falling for You Novel) (Entangled Brazen) (16 page)
He lifted her hips, and in one swift thrust, pulled her down onto his cock. They both groaned at the contact, and his head fell back against the seat.
She began to move, and he reached for the buttons of her blouse.
Fuck it
. He ripped open the blouse, buttons scattering across the seat. Her eyes widened on a sharp inhale.
Even better the second time.
He grinned. “I’ll buy you a new one.”
He pulled her bra down and drew her breast into his mouth, tongue swirling around her nipple until she bucked against him, riding him so hard the truck rocked.
“Fuck, baby,” he groaned, and buried his face into her neck. He breathed her in. Ginger and vanilla.
Home
. He’d never let her go. Not ever. “You’re mine,” he growled. “I want to hear you say it.”
“Oh, God. I’m yours, Nate. All yours.”
He thrust hard up into her, and that was all it took. She came apart in his arms, her inner muscles clamping around his cock, demanding everything he had to give.
“I love you, Nate,” she cried. “Oh, God. I love—”
He smothered her words with a searing kiss, and exploded inside her.
“Lilly!” He stilled her hips, pouring himself into her.
Heart. Body. And soul.
…
Lilly lay across Nate’s chest and twined her legs through his, her heart soaring with happiness. They’d been lying in the cab of his truck in comfortable, sated silence for the last half hour.
He loved her
.
She burrowed her face into his neck, unable to keep the sappy smile from her lips. She could feel his warm breath in her hair.
She laced their fingers together, the perfect moment marred by a spike of sadness. “You’re still leaving.”
He shifted under her. “Baby, I signed the papers. There aren’t really a lot of options left.” He let out a sigh. “But even if I could get out of it, I need to do this. For me. To be able to come back a better man for you. I survived something that logic says I shouldn’t have walked away from. I was given a second chance. I want to do something with that. I want to save lives again. I can’t leave it the way I did. It can’t end like that for me.”
“What if something terrible happens to you?”
He gripped her chin. “That won’t happen. I won’t let it. I have too much to come home to.”
“What about Jace, and the bar?”
“The bar has always been Jace’s thing. Not mine. I’ll keep my shares, be a silent partner as always, but that’s it.”
She leaned up on her elbow and kissed him. “And that’s what you want?”
He brushed the hair from her eyes. “What I want is you. I want a reason to live, not an excuse to die.”
“You love me,” she whispered, kissing him again. “I can’t believe it.”
He grinned against her mouth, and caressed her hip. “Like I said. I have a weakness for smart-mouthed blondes who like to push my buttons.”
She smiled, and trailed her fingers playfully down his chest. “And what buttons am I pushing now?” she whispered, wrapping her fingers around his growing hard-on. She stroked it up and down, and he growled, flipping her onto her back.
“Princess, you just pushed the best one.”
Epilogue
“You have
got
to stop pacing,” Hayden groaned. “You’re making me dizzy.”
“So video something else,” Lilly said, refusing to take her eyes off the escalator leading to the airport baggage claim area where they stood. “You just happen to have the cutest baby in all of God’s creation right over there. Tape
him
.”
Lilly pulled her bottom lip between her teeth watching people and suitcases trickle off the moving stairs. Nate should be coming down them any minute.
He had been gone seven months. Seven long months of short letters and even shorter phone calls with crappy reception. Seven agonizing months of worrying every night if he was going to come home safe. And now he was in the same building with her. Somewhere.
In a few minutes there wouldn’t even be that space separating them. She’d be able to kiss him and touch him, and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was alive and well.
Her heart felt like it was going to explode. She’d had enough of waiting. She was ready for the man she loved more than life itself to appear so she could shackle him to their bed and never let him go again.
Behind her, Jace chuckled. “Hayden’s right. You have got to chill out, Lil. You’re even making Ben nervous.”
Lilly turned and smiled down at the one-month-old baby Jace was cradling in his arms. He and Hayden looked exhausted. Blissfully happy, but exhausted. Ben blinked up at her and she grabbed his little hand.
“You get to meet your uncle today,” she cooed. “I think you’re going to like him. I know I do.”
She looked up and caught Jace exchanging a worried look with his wife. He’d probably spent just as many nights awake as she had, hoping and praying that his brother would come home safe.
Hayden lowered her camera and smiled. “It won’t be like last time,” she reassured him, and looked to Lilly. “Right? Tell him.”
Lilly nodded, and stroked Ben’s tiny hand with a fingertip. “Right.”
Jace kissed the top of Ben’s head, tension still evident in the stiff set of his shoulders. “I hope to hell you’re right.”
She knew his fears. The last time Nate had come home, he’d been utterly broken after having narrowly escaped death. This time had to be different. Nate had told her this was what he’d needed to do in order to heal, and she’d believed him. She’d trusted he would do everything in his power to come home safely and give their relationship a real shot.
“Lilly! I think that’s him.” Hayden tapped her arm and Lilly darted her gaze to the escalator where a pair of camo pants and black boots started to descend.
Her heart stopped, then sped into overdrive when the rest of him appeared. A black T-shirt stretched over a chest that looked even more chiseled and toned than the last time she’d seen him. Dog tags dangled around his neck, and his hair was buzzed even shorter than usual.
His lips split into a huge smile at the sight of her. He dropped his duffel at the bottom of the stairs and took off at a sprint toward her.
She squealed in happiness as he plowed into her, scooping her up into his arms and crushing her against his chest. She couldn’t stop the sob of relief that escaped her, but in a heartbeat it was muffled by Nate’s mouth crushing against hers.
She vaguely realized he was walking them away from the crowd as he parted her lips with his tongue. His two strong arms banded around her so tightly she had trouble breathing, but she didn’t want him to let go. Not even for a second.
She kissed him back and fisted his T-shirt, hugging, tugging, hating the barrier between them. “God, I missed you.”
He pulled away, breathing hard and laughing all at the same time. “I missed you, too, Princess,” he said, wiping the tears from her face with the pads of his thumbs. “You have no idea how much.”
Behind them, a throat cleared. “You guys might want to keep this reunion PG-rated. We have a kid now, you know?”
Nate smiled at Jace over her shoulder, and let her slip down his body at a slow, torturous speed. When her feet hit the floor, he leaned down to nip her earlobe and his fingers curled around the hem of her dress.
“I’m going to go make nice and meet my nephew,” he whispered. “But then I need to get you alone. We have a lot of time to make up for.”
Heat flooded her body and she stifled a groan of need. He kissed her cheek and pulled away with a satisfied smile, knowing exactly what he’d just done to her.
Jace handed the baby off to Hayden and pulled Nate into a back-slapping hug. “You look good, bro.” Jace’s voice sounded muffled against Nate’s shoulder. “You look…better.”
“I am better.” He pulled back and punched Jace on the shoulder with a grin. “You, on the other hand, look like shit, Pops. When was the last time you slept?”
Jace made a face. “We’ll see how well
you
sleep when you have one of these waking you up every two hours.”
Nate’s gaze shifted to Hayden and the baby. “Aw, Hayden, he’s beautiful.” He gave her a hug and took the baby.
Lilly’s heart melted at the look of pure awe on his face as he peered down into those little blue eyes.
“Hey, little man,” he murmured softly. “You know…I thought I’d have all these words of wisdom to give you, but somehow, I don’t think you’ll need any of them. You’ve got an awesome mom and dad. They’ll steer you in the right direction. And it just so happens you also have an amazing uncle—who’ll teach you how to give them hell. You don’t want to take it too easy on your old man. We don’t want him going soft on us.”
Hayden laughed as he kissed Ben’s tiny hand, then passed the baby back to her. “You did good, Half Pint.”
He turned back to Lilly, and a swarm of butterflies took flight in her stomach. The desire and unbelievable love shining back at her from his eyes were enough to make her lose her breath. Before she had time to comprehend what was happening, he took something Jace gave him, then dropped to one knee in front of her.
Her hands flew to her mouth. What was he doing? He couldn’t possibly be—
Could he?
Nate looked up at her, his heart shining through his tender gaze. His lips curved up, and her eyes flooded with tears for the second time that day. She let out a sob of happiness.
“Lilly, when I met you, I didn’t even know who I was anymore,” he said softly. “But you made me realize who I wanted to be. You made me want to be the kind of man who deserves to wake up next to someone like you every morning for the rest of his life.”
“Oh my God, Nate…”
“Being away from you the past seven months has only made me more sure of what I already knew. I love you. I love that you know every one of my buttons and just how to push them. I love that you challenge me and never let me get away with screwing up. I love how strong you are. How brave you are. How beautiful you are, inside and out. And I love that when I look at you, I see the woman who’ll be the mother of my kids someday. The only woman I’ll ever want, for the rest of my life.”
Joy filled her whole being. She wiped at the tears spilling silently down her face, and hiccuped another little sob, unable to summon words.
The crowd that gathered around them let out a collective sigh as he grabbed her hand and held up the open ring box.
“Marry me, baby.” He slid the ring from its velvet cushion. “Marry me, and I’ll spend the rest of my life making you happy.”
“Yes,” Lilly choked out, her throat tight and her heart overflowing. “Of course I will. Yes!”
He slipped the ring onto her trembling finger, and the crowd cheered. He wrapped his arms around her and then his lips were on hers, pouring a lifetime’s worth of love and passion into his kiss.
Beside them, Hayden’s camera flashed, and Jace walked up grinning, the baby over one shoulder and Nate’s duffel bag over the other. “Hey. Get a room, you two.”
Lilly pulled away, laughing through her tears of joy. Nate rested his forehead against hers, and the heat in his gaze ignited a need within her that she knew wouldn’t ever go away. A need that had been waiting a lifetime to be met.
“Need a ride, Princess?” he asked, his voice low and bad-boy sultry.
“Oh, yeah,” she whispered. “Take me home, Soldier Boy.”
Acknowledgments
First and foremost, a huge thank-you to the three amazing editors who helped me turn this book into a story that will always have a special place in my heart. Heather Howland, who I can always count on to listen to me ramble about people and places that don’t exist and help me turn them into something unforgettable. To Nina Bruhns and Kari Olson who helped to make this book shine, and gave it exactly what it needed. Thank you and big hugs to Katee Robert and the Rabble for accepting me into your awesome group, and giving me support, laughs, amazing excerpts, and pictures of sexy men exactly when I need them. To my mom and dad for always being my biggest fans and for cheering me on no matter what direction I decide to take in life. Thank you to my husband and two boys for taking this crazy journey with me and loving me even when the laundry isn’t done and dinner isn’t cooked. Thank you to my readers! You guys make all of it worth it. Thank you for loving my characters as much as I do. And last but certainly not least, thank you to the men and women who serve and sacrifice for our country every single day.
About the Author
A mom by day and a romance writer by night, Nicolette Day harbors a weakness for black and white mochas and books that steam up her Kindle screen. She grew up in a one-stoplight town in Oklahoma where, once upon a time, she only dreamed of becoming a writer. Nicolette now lives with her family in North Carolina in a town that has at least three stoplights. Learn more about Nicolette’s books on her
website
, or chat with her on
Twitter
and
Facebook
. And if you love young adult romance, check out Nicolette’s alter ego,
Tara Fuller
!
Discover the
Falling for You
series...
She wants one night, but he wants her forever.
a
Falling for You
novella by Nicolette Day
Jace Jennings has a problem. His best friend isn’t just leaving the country, she’s risking her
life
—just when he’s realized he’s in love with her. When fate traps them in the storage room of his bar, Jace offers Hayden the one thing she wants: a night of hot sex, no strings attached. But when the night is over, will Jace be able to let her go?
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