Anything For You: A Coming Home Short Story (5 page)

She shut down the insecurities whispering through her brain.

His arms came around her from behind, and he pulled her tight against him. His breath was hot on her neck, his arms like steel around her waist. She relaxed against him, resting her head against his shoulder.

“You’ve been quiet,” she murmured.

“Just thinking,” he said.

“About what?”

“This is our first Valentine’s Day.” He kissed her neck just below her jaw. “And I’m spending it on the couch with a bag of peas.”

She laughed quietly, her fingers tightening over his on her belly. “I’m actually fine with that. Not the peas part, but the couch part.”

“Yeah, I seem to remember you saying something about that before.” He turned her to face him. “I bought you something.”

Her mouth opened, but he stopped her, capturing her lips with his.

“Don’t argue.” He went back into the living room and came back with a large, flat box, decorated with red and silver paper.

“Shane...” She pulled apart the wrapping to reveal a leather-bound album. Engraved on the front in gold letters were the words Our Family. “Oh, Shane.”

He pulled her into his arms, cradling her against his chest. “We’ll have a family, Jen.” He kissed the top of her head. “And I’m going to be here to help you raise our daughter and our son or whatever combination we end up with.”

She blinked back tears, moved beyond words by his gift. She lifted her mouth to his, kissing him fiercely, her body molding to his in a perfect familiarity.

She was disconcerted when he eased back.

“Stop that. Or I’m going to end up with a potentially painful erection.”

She burst out laughing at his discomfort, then cupped his cheeks, rough with the day’s stubble. “Thank you.”

He shrugged, avoiding her eyes. “I thought you were still upset with me.”

She shook her head. “No. Just worried about you.” She stroked her thumb over his cheek. “I can’t stay upset with you very long.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” He smiled. “I love you, Jen St. James.”

She brushed her lips against his. “I love you, Shane Garrison.”

They settled on the couch. Jen rested her cheek against Shane’s shoulder, one hand curled over his tattoo-covered forearm. His skin was hot and familiar beneath her touch.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. And as she drifted between sleep and waking, she knew that no matter what, Shane would be the man holding her if she got sick again. He would be there for her. And she would do anything for him.

Which meant she needed to get him a fresh bag of peas.

Acknowledgments

Shane and Jen have been with me from the very beginning of my journey as a writer. They are the second couple I ever wrote and they refused to allow me to put them beneath the bed, no matter how many times I tried to move beyond that second book. There is a scene in BECAUSE OF YOU that is the first scene I ever wrote (obviously edited for public consumption).

I didn’t set out to have their story continue after the end of BECAUSE OF YOU but they continue to whisper in my ear when I’m not paying attention.

This story, like all of my work, wouldn’t be possible without significant support from people in my life. Sarah Frantz, thank you for being a wonderful editor who gets me. I always joke that your special skill is taking what I said and turning it into what I meant to say. Thanks for sticking with me, even when I put my foot in my mouth. Ericka Brooks, thanks for beta reading, for being a cheerleader and always giving me an honest assessment of when not to hit send. Caro Carson, you are the midnight line editor for a reason. Thanks for copyediting this sucker and making it squeaky clean. Megan Frampton, this story wouldn’t have even come to fruition if you hadn’t suggested it. Thank you so much for prodding me with the idea.

My family, pets and various hamsters continue to tolerate my writing. At least this way, I can explain the voices in my head without using medication.

I might not still be writing if not for my amazing agent and friend Donna Bagdasarian. Thanks for believing in me when I didn’t.

And last but definitely not least in this process, thank you to the readers who fell in love with Shane & Jen and who wrote me countless emails, asking if there was more to their story.

About the Author

Jessica Scott is a career army officer, mother of two daughters, three cats and three dogs, wife to a career NCO and wrangler of all things stuffed and fluffy. She is a terrible cook and even worse housekeeper, but she's a pretty good shot with her assigned weapon and someone liked some of the stuff she wrote. Somehow, her children are pretty well adjusted and her husband still loves her, despite burned water and a messy house.  Oprah has called her. True story. Her debut novel BECAUSE OF YOU launched Loveswept, the first Random House digital imprint. She's written for the New York Times At War Blog, PBS Point of View Regarding War, and IAVA. She deployed to Iraq in 2009 as part of OIF/New Dawn and is currently a company commander stationed at Fort Hood. Most recently, she's been featured as one of Esquire Magazine's Americans of the Year for 2012.

Photo: Courtesy of Buzz Covington Photography

Connect with Me

Website:
http://www.jessicascott.net

Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/jessicascott09

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/jessicascottauthor

Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5131118.Jessica_Scott

By Jessica Scott

Fiction

Because of You

Until There Was You

NonFiction

To Iraq and Back

Keep reading for an exclusive excerpt from

BITTEN BY DECEIT

by

Shawntelle Madison

All Emma had to do was open the car door. Seemed easy enough after driving all night through the Arizona desert. But how could she approach him after just one year? Three hundred and eighty-nine days to be exact. Long enough for most people to let go of a relationship. But the wolf inside her wouldn’t relent at the thought of moving onto someone else. She had been raised to know that wolves mated for life. Like the beast under her skin, she hungered to see him.

Emma reached for the door handle, watching her fingers tremble. She closed her eyes to avoid seeing the gauze wrapped over her wrist.

Sitting here and hoping wouldn’t make Kyle magically appear. She had to find him. But she couldn’t push away the black thoughts of last night. Her thoughts were plagued by memories of her crazed pack members circling her and holding her down while the pack alpha bit her. Kyle couldn’t see her like this. With what she hoped was a confident smile, she raised her chin and straightened her back. She could do this.

The hot August sun cast a noon day shadow as she walked toward the gas station. All the while, she couldn’t help but notice that the town of Stone Ridge didn’t offer much: a small grocery store, diner, and a few older buildings. None of them would possibly keep the heat at bay.

A sliver of pain sliced through her gut, forcing her to lean against a mailbox. The metal warmed her side, but it was far too easy to ignore it. The bite’s effect had begun—and soon other symptoms would come: madness, a fever… She dared not to think that far ahead.

The pain retreated enough that Emma could continue her search for Kyle. She didn’t spot anyone outside the gas station. But the place wasn’t exactly a tourist trap. The lone air pump was crooked and the two fueling stations were grimy with dirt and rust. A few months ago, a friend had mentioned he’d seen Kyle near here. It was still a gamble. But a town as small as Stone Ridge would still need a mechanic, and that was Kyle’s calling.

The station’s garage doors were shut, the square windows smudged with dirt. No one lingered behind the counter inside. When another pain from the bite’s infection stabbed her belly, she blinked twice before opening the door. What if he didn’t want to help her? What if she’d left her younger sister behind for nothing? Maybe she should turn back and forget she ever knew Kyle, but she couldn’t. Meg’s life was at stake. Others waited as well, hiding in the shadows, praying they wouldn’t be bitten. Someone had to help. Emma couldn’t save them all by herself. Not now. Not since she was infected. And Kyle was the only one she could trust, but that meant she had to take this first step and ask for help—if she could find him.

Determined, she pushed forward and entered the gas station. Her eyes flitted to the food on the shelves. Chocolate chip muffins, candy bars, a whiff of the mouthwatering pizza under heat lamps in the corner made her stomach growl. She hadn’t eaten in a while, but it didn’t matter—she had to search for Kyle.

Then she caught in the air a faint mixture of sandalwood and leather that brought back memories of the passion between them before he’d left. Kyle’s smell. The scent increased as she went into the connected garage. She scanned around two minivans, even checked the small office in the back, but couldn’t see him anywhere. His scent had faded just enough that she realized he’d been here mere moments ago, and she’d barely missed him. Damn it.

A hand locked on her shoulder. “What are you doing here, Em?”

Kyle’s deep voice coursed through her before she turned to face him. When their eyes locked, pleasure followed by the burn of hate coursed through her. No matter how much she longed to see him after a year, the poison of the alpha’s bite drew her closer to madness.

The fine lines of Kyle’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t speak. He looked as intoxicating as she remembered, his dark brown hair a bit longer and that rough edge he’d always had still visible in his stubble and skeptical gaze. His partially opened shirt revealed a chiseled torso. When he backed up to leave a healthy distance between them, his shirt’s missing sleeves offered her a view of the muscled curves of his arms.

“I know this is a bad time and all. But I need to talk to you, Kyle.” She stepped forward, but he didn’t shift. “I’m in trouble.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed, as if she could see him mentally waffling with the up and down motion, but then he left her to work on one of the vans.

As she watched him retreat, she couldn’t help but think she should’ve approached this differently. She should’ve expected him to turn her down after she chose to remain behind in Hadley when he’d been forced to leave town. She’d had the chance to go with him, yet she didn’t.

“Look, I—”

“You need to leave,” he said. “Whatever trouble you got, I don’t need to hear about it.”

She wanted him to face her. To look her in the eye when he turned her away. “This isn’t only about me. Our pack has fallen in a big way. I don’t know where to go for help.”

“Talk to your pack leader. You chose him over me.”

“It was never like that between Liam and me, and you know it.”

His gazed flitted over her before he fumbled through the rack. “The way I see it, your pack leader convinced you to find me so he could rub you in my face. It’d have been better for him if he hadn’t waited a year to do it though. ‘Cause by this point, I don’t give a damn.”

Emma bit the inside of her mouth to keep from cursing. Kyle’s anger floated off him in waves and pounded against her skull. She had come here for a reason. Getting angry over his bitterness wouldn’t help Meg or the others who hid from Liam.

She tore at the gauze on her wrist and revealed the bite mark. The skin around the wound was mottled with purple streaks and bright red splotches from the spreading infection. With the protection removed, the flesh burned as if heated by fire. Her body had held on so far, but how much longer did she really have? Would it be long enough to see Meg again?

Kyle raced over to her, stood before her, and she gasped when he snatched her wrist to inspect the wound.