Danger Close (31 page)

“If she’s anything like her mother, then probably,” he said with a grin, a pang hitting him square in the heart when he saw the way her eyes went all soft and tender at his words. “All that’s at least a year out though.”

Her expression turned glum. “I know. It’s a long time for us to be apart. A lot of relationships don’t make it through a deployment that long.”

“Yeah, but they haven’t faced what we already have.” And nobody understood what it took to get through a deployment better than him. He smoothed a hand over the length of her spine. “Done a few myself, sweetheart, so I might be willing to wait for you if you asked me to.”

Those gorgeous green eyes lifted to his. Held. He could see the hope there, and the trace of uncertainty. “Would you wait for me?”

He planned to banish that uncertainty once and for all. Where his feelings for her were concerned, he never wanted her to have a moment’s doubt about them again. “Yes,” he answered simply. “For as long as it takes.”

Her answering smile seemed to light up the room. “Then you’ve got yourself a deal.”

Cupping her face between his hands, he lifted his head from the pillow to cover her mouth with his, sealing that vow with a long, slow kiss.

Fifty-four weeks later

Shouldering her heavy duffel, Erin stepped off the jetway and into the waiting area at the gate with a mixture of excitement and anticipation humming inside her. It had been almost five months since she’d last seen Wade and now that she’d officially completed her contract with the Army and her honorable discharge was in the works, they could finally begin their life together.

The Billings airport was surprisingly busy considering it wasn’t even six in the morning yet. Most of the waiting lounges at the gates were full as she passed by. She walked at a fast clip, winding her way through the slower moving foot traffic on the way to the baggage claim area.

The crowd all gathered in a bottleneck at the doors and she impatiently lifted up on her toes to scan the area around the luggage carousels. Lots of people stood waiting for their loved ones, but she didn’t see any sign of her parents or Wade. Her flight had landed a bit early though, so she supposed she couldn’t be disappointed they weren’t here yet.

Once inside the baggage claim area she made her way to the correct carousel and went back to scanning the crowd. Still nothing.

A little bummed out, her excitement faded as she stopped looking and went to stand beside the carousel. Ten minutes later the bags started loading onto the conveyor. Hers was practically the last one out. She grabbed it and turned to face the exterior doors.

And broke into a huge smile.

Her parents, both grinning back at her, stood by the exit holding a big banner that read
Welcome Home Lt. Kelly!
. Hairy sat patiently next to them wagging his tail, a bandana with an American flag motif tied around his neck. She rushed straight to them and grabbed them both in a double-armed hug while Hairy leaned against her leg, his whole body wriggling in excitement.

“God, it’s so good to see you guys,” she said as she stepped back to give Hairy a proper petting. Even better to know she was moving forward with the next chapter of her life and getting to spend it with the man she loved. “Have you heard from Wade? I thought he was—” She broke off when her father nodded meaningfully behind her.

Turning around, she stared, almost didn’t recognize him for a moment without the heavy facial growth she was so used to. One hand flew to her mouth.

Wade stood beside her luggage holding a huge bouquet of red roses. Her heart rolled over in her chest at the sight of him.

He was dressed in a black button-down shirt and dark jeans that hugged his long muscular legs, and, lord have mercy, the black Stetson pulled low over his forehead nearly did her in. Dropping her hand from her mouth, she raced over and flew into his arms. Chuckling, he lifted her clear off the floor and kissed her. She distantly heard people clapping, knew they were staring and didn’t give a damn, elated to know Wade felt the same.

Winding her arms around his sturdy neck, she broke the kiss to stare up into his deep, dark eyes. “Hi.”

“Hi, sweetheart,” he murmured. “You miss me?”

My God, that hat on him. He was a dark and dangerous cowboy commando, the snug shirt molded to a powerful body that could dish out pleasure or pain in equal measure. He was straight out of her hottest fantasies and it was so hard to comprehend that he was all hers. The past five months since her last visit home when she’d gone overseas again had been almost unbearable. “More than you’ll ever know.” True to his word, he’d waited for her through the rest of her previous deployment and the entirety of this one. She loved him even more for that.

One side of his mouth tipped upward and he arched a dark eyebrow. “Talk is cheap. Prove it.”

She tugged on the brim of the Stetson, unable to wipe the smile off her face. “Oh, I will later, handsome.”

He led her out to a shiny new black Ford pickup and drove her to the restaurant to meet her parents for a long breakfast. By the time it was over, she was more than ready to get to her cabin and spend some quality alone time with Wade, naked.

“So, you said you had a surprise for me?” she said as he drove down the highway.

“I do.”

She couldn’t get over how different he looked without the beard. Younger. His face all hard angles and planes. She was looking forward to exploring every inch of it and the rest of his body with her hands and tongue. “What is it?”

“You’ll see.” A secret smile played around his mouth but he didn’t say anything else.

Leaving it for the moment, she filled him in on everything that had happened since their last Skype call eight days ago. Ace, Ryan, Jackson and Honor were still over there. That Night Stalker pilot, Liam, was as well, but whatever had broken them up had hurt Honor so badly she’d kept her distance from him ever since she’d found out he had returned to active duty after being wounded in that mission last March.

Erin stopped talking when Wade took an exit two miles before the one to her parents’ ranch. “Where are you going?”

“Someplace I want you to see.”

Her surprise? She tried to puzzle out what it might be as they drove away from the highway and south to the rolling ranch land. At a driveway marked by a bright red mailbox, he turned up it and a tidy, two level log house came into view. The property was beautiful and well maintained. “What’s this?” she asked him.

Wade parked in front of the house and killed the engine. “Come on.”

She hopped out and followed him up the front steps, excitement flaring through her. Fishing in his hip pocket, he came up with a key and handed it to her. “Open it.”

She smiled, took the key and pushed open the front door. “Ohhh…” It was beautiful. Dark wood, tall windows and what appeared to be a newly renovated kitchen with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances.

“Barn’s out back, and there’s a creek about a half mile to the south. You can see it from the master bedroom window upstairs. Property’s twenty-five acres.” He walked up and slid an arm around her shoulders. “Whaddya think?”

She turned, realized she had her hands on her cheeks. “Is it ours?”

“If you love it, it is.”

Oh my God.
A lump formed in her throat. “It’s beautiful. Oh, man, I love it. But how can we afford it?”

“I’ve got plenty socked away in investments. My cost of living was pretty low when I was living in Afghanistan all those years,” he said dryly, “so I’ve got enough saved up. And my new salary’s not too shabby, either.”

She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Seriously? We could have this?” She was already mentally decorating the place and imagining her in the kitchen while the kids—a boy and a girl, because she was certain Wade was meant to have a daughter as well as a son—sat at the island and did crafts or homework.

“Yeah,” he said with a grin, bending to nuzzle the sensitive spot just below the edge of her jaw, making her shiver as a tidal wave of heat roared through her. “Want to check out the master bedroom?”

“Later,” she managed, grabbing him by the shoulders to kiss the hell out of him.

Wade groaned and seized her by the hips, lifting her as he walked her backward and set her atop the island. Erin wrapped her legs around his waist, rubbing the hot glow between her thighs against the ridge of his erection. She grabbed the halves of his shirt and yanked, sending buttons flying.

He laughed against her mouth and cupped her bottom to bring her up even harder against his groin, then shrugged the shirt off. “Sure you don’t want to christen the bedroom first?”

“No, later,” she repeated on a gasp as he reached beneath her T-shirt to cup her breast, his thumb rubbing over a hard nipple. “Right now I want you to strip down and do me right here on this island.” Her heart pounded at the thought of feeling him inside her again after so long. Just looking at him made her want to jump him, but knowing he’d waited so long for her and had planned all this as a surprise…

All of her dreams were coming true, and all because she had him. Now he stood there before her in nothing but his Stetson and a pair of jeans. She licked her lips in anticipation. Damn, she’d never get tired of that view.

Wade reached up to push the Stetson off but she stopped him and shook her head. “Nuh-uh, cowboy. The hat stays on,” she ordered, and dragged him back down for a scorching hot kiss.

—The End—

Titanium Security Series
(romantic suspense) Ignited

Singed

Burned

Extinguished Rekindled

Bagram Special Ops Series
(romantic suspense) Deadly Descent Tactical Strike Lethal Pursuit Danger Close

Suspense Series
(romantic suspense) Out of Her League Cover of Darkness No Turning Back Relentless Absolution

Empowered Series
(paranormal romance) Darkest Caress

Historical Romance
The Vacant Chair

A big shout out to my readers, who encouraged me to write this story in the first place. I loved writing about Wade!

As always, Katie Reus and Julieanne Reeves, you are both fantastic and I appreciate your help and support so much.

To my long-suffering husband and amazing proofreader, you rock on with your eagle eye!

And last but not least, to my editor at JRT Editing, a thousand thank yous for helping me strengthen the story even more.

NY Times and USA Today Bestselling author Kaylea Cross writes edge-of-your-seat military romantic suspense. Her work has won many awards and has been nominated for both the Daphne du Maurier and the National Readers’ Choice Awards. A Registered Massage Therapist by trade, Kaylea is also an avid gardener, artist, Civil War buff, Special Ops aficionado, belly dance enthusiast and former nationally-carded softball pitcher. She lives in Vancouver, BC with her husband and family. You can visit Kaylea at
www.kayleacross.com

• Title page
  
• Table of Contents
  
• 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
  
• Chapter Sixteen
  
• Chapter Seventeen
  
• Chapter Eighteen
  
• Chapter Nineteen
  
• Chapter Twenty
  
• Chapter Twenty-One
  
• Chapter Twenty-Two
  
• Chapter Twenty-Three
  
• Chapter Twenty-Four
  
• Epilogue
  
• Complete Booklist
  
• Acknowledgements
  
• About the Author