One E-mail: (BBW Romance) (One Soldier Series) (3 page)

I blew out a steady breath
, clutching tightly to my oversized purse as I stepped into line with the other passengers, steadily strolling down the exit ramp. The moment I crossed the threshold into the airport, my heart rate doubled.

Conversations blurred together; no one color, no one vendor and no one passenger stood out in the crowd. They weren’t who I’d waited months to see. They weren’t
the one I’d anxiously waited to hear had returned home safely. Every time he went out on a mission, every time he didn’t write to me for a few days, I worried; my body clammed up in fear, like it was doing now.

He’d already seen me. He knew I had plenty of excess sexiness, he knew I wore glasses, and he knew I had quirks; he knew everything I might have been embarrassed by, yet it didn’t matter. I was still shaking. My heart was still thundering in my chest, banging against my rib cage and knoc
king every breath I took short.

Because he knew all of thos
e things and wanted me anyways.

Because I hoped I still w
anted him too after seeing him.

Chemistry
is a funny thing. Connections don’t always carry over.

And I wanted it to. I wanted to want him. I
prayed my heart felt the same. I longed to melt into him and have my body resonate his arms as its new home.

I blew out a shuddering breath and trudged
forward, moving with the crowd towards the baggage claim, where I would meet my soldier for the very first time.

Chapter Sixteen

Taylor

I glared at my younger brother. He was twenty-two years of annoying as he stood beside me, hands shoved casually into his jean pockets. “You really didn’t need to tag along,
Tater Tot
.” I couldn’t resist the jab.

Tate rolled his eyes
at my childish tease. “I’m here as a favor to mom. I told her I’d check this girl out; you know, make sure she’s not a psycho before you bring her into our home.”

I
glowered at him, getting little more than a chuckle in response from him.

“Ten years into adulthood and she still treats
you like an irresponsible teenager.” He was enjoying this.

It did me no good to argue with him. Every soldier knew when to pull back.

“Be glad there’s only one of her,” he continued.

I grunted, but
, again, said nothing.

I folded my arms over my chest, fighting the urge to pace. Tate’s presence was only adding to my nerves. This meeting was months in the making. I’d e-mailed Maddie every chance I got while overseas. Once, I’d even walked two hours to another camp to access the
Internet. She was an addiction. There was something in her tone, something in the way she wrote to me that was alluring and comforting, in the best and in the worst of my time away.

She - her e-mails - kept me hanging on. I fought to stay alive to read another one, and to write another one. There was something about the woman herself that drew me in and had me obsessing like an idiot over what I’d written, especially when she didn’t respond quickly. No other woman had that affect on me. Only her.

I checked my watch again. Her flight had landed fourteen minutes ago.

Tate snickered. “Damn, bro. It’s that serious?” He threw his hands up in surrender when I
snarled at him like a caged animal ready to pounce.

Every second that passed with him had me wishing I’d flown to see her instead. There was something in me that wanted her to meet my family though. I’d never been this serious about a woman, especially one I hadn’t even met.

But I’d seen her picture. When I walked to the other camp, I’d discovered they had a printer and printed it out. I handled it every day. She thought she looked rough, but I only saw her beauty: carefree curves, a sexy pout and hair any man would happily thrust his fingers into.

I studied the horizon, waiting anxiously for a new swarm of passengers to enter the baggage claim. The moment the crowd came into view, I stood taller, stretching to catch a glimpse of her.

Tate did the same automatically, searching for her. The action irked me. He didn’t even know what she looked like.

Then I saw her.
And nothing else mattered.

I swallowed hard.
My heart picked up its pace, beating faster and harder than it ever had on the battlefield. She was a hell of a lot better than the picture.

“Huh. I didn’t think you went for big-”

I elbowed the shit out of Tate. I swore I was going to kill him before the day ended.

“Fuck, man! I was going to say she’s pretty, for a big girl.”

I cut my eyes at him. Anger boiled in my veins, burning through me. I spoke through gritted teeth. “You implied a hell of a lot before that.”

His groans of pain morphed into spurts of
laughter. “Oh! She’s got you by the balls, dude.”

I took a deep breath
, praying silently for patience, patience to not bludgeon my own brother, and patience not to drag Maddie and her sweet curves into a dark corner and have my way with her immediately.
Fuck.
The pressure in my groin was rapidly becoming uncomfortable.

I cleared my throat, adjusting my jeans before stepping into her line of vision.

She cocked her head, her hair kissing the lower swell of one breast as she did so. She pointed a finger, raising a questioning brow in my direction. There was something so innocent and sexy about the move, but then again, the woman herself was innocent and sexy.

I took her in, from her neon pink pedicure to her soft brown eyes and all of her dangerously rounded curves in between. She was more than I ever imagined and yet not in an overwhelming way.

My flesh tingled and the drive to touch her, to hold her and feel her, took over, forcing me to close the distance between us. I was standing before her in three short strides, gazing straight down at her, directly into her brown depths.

She blushed, biting back a nervous smile as she looked up at me. “You’re a little bit sexier than I thought you would be.” Her eyes glittered, sparkling as the sun reflected through the windows on her.

Tate snorted as he moved near me. “Oh, brother.”

I backhanded him, feeling his presence without
confronting him. He couldn’t ruin this. There was nothing he could do to interrupt the current of electricity sizzling between her and me. It was a cheesy romantic comedy moment that had me pining for more.

I lifted my fingers and trailed the tips down her soft skin below her glasses. Her cheeks flushed beautifully as she unconsciously leaned into my touch. She felt like
warm satin. I slid a few strands of her hair across my palm, as I got lost in her. There was nothing rushed about the moment. And, for once, I didn’t feel the need to speed things up, crowd or not, disgruntled brother or not.

Chapter Seventeen

Madelyn

I was absorbed in him. He was tall, dark and dreamy. He was a far cry from what I’d set myself up for.

When he wouldn’t send me a picture of himself, I’d set myself up for a short, skinny weakling, the r
unt of his pack; someone with a military career but not a military body.

Damn was I wrong.

He was at least a foot taller than me with a shaved head and the hottest five o’clock shadow I’d ever seen on a man. His t-shirt grazed his muscles, hinting at the bulk of him; the cords of his arms beyond his sleeves made me wet. I wanted to rip the article off of him and dowse him in water before rubbing myself against him.

Sweet cherry pie indeed,
I would bake for him any day.

And the chemistry I’d been so concerned about was not only present, but amplified. Somehow attaching this man with the words in the e-mails only made me want him more, only intensified my desire for him. This farm boy turned soldier had bra
ins, wit and sex appeal galore.

My skin
burned where he brushed his against it. I felt suspended in mid-air, frozen in place before him, caught up in the glory of him.

After
what seemed like so long, I was finally here. After what felt like so long, he was finally home. After so long, we were together, and there wasn’t a more perfect moment in time.

I startled as a bell rang out across the
space, breaking the moment. My luggage was about to be dumped onto the conveyor belt, yet I didn’t move.

“Hi.” His voice was deep, masculine, and seductive enough to make my toes curl.

“Hi.” I averted my gaze, feeling my cheeks color even more as I breathlessly returned his greeting.

He
crooked a finger beneath my chin and lifted my face up to him again. “You’re much prettier in person.” This time I heard his sexy Southern drawl, the one you always imagine a cowboy having.

I fought back a smile, but lost. “You’re much prettier than my imagination.” I
cracked, chuckling. “You don’t even want to know what I was dreaming up for you.”

He laughed, his
face lighting and hazel eyes twinkling. “Now I have to know.”

“Nah. A girl has to have at least o
ne secret to take to her grave,” I teased.

He leaned in, lacin
g his fingers through my hair, raking it back. His palms cradled my head gently, making me feel adored. His breath at my ear sent chills chasing down my spine. “Not if I can help it.” He pressed his lips to my neck tenderly, eliciting a shiver from me. “I want to know all of your secrets, Maddie.”

My breath hitched. Warmth swarmed my body, pooling low in my stomach.

I didn’t see the crowd. I didn’t hear the crowd. The others were insignificant in comparison. I only felt him. I only knew he was there.

…until the man beside him slapped his arm. “Get a room, bro.”

Taylor straightened, his smile disappearing behind a scowl as he turned. Any man, or woman, in their right mind would back off at the sight of him. When I pictured a hard soldier, this was what flashed in my mind: lips sneering, nose scrunching, eyes piercing, brows furrowed dark and dangerously. He was a fierce warrior you wouldn’t survive.

I was intimidated, but the guy was not.

“You should lay off the hot and heavy before we get to mom’s.”

I frowned.
Mom’s?

Taylor blew out a heavy breath. “Maddie, this
inconsiderate asshole is my brother, Tate. He’s like a damn leech I can’t get rid of.”

Tate gave me a charming smile, only to rile Taylor up more it seemed. “Hey.” He thrust a hand towards me.

I shifted my oversized purse and closed my hand around his. “It’s nice to meet you.”

He looked me up and down. “The pleasure is all mine.” He winked.

Taylor seethed, knocking Tate’s grip of my hand. “Go wait in the truck.” There was no arguing with his tone. He spoke it as an order delivered by a well-trained drill sergeant.

“Hell n
o. I ain’t sittin’ in that heat,” Tate scoffed.

He looked so different from Taylor. He was a good four inches shorter with dirty blonde hair that kissed his brows, brown eyes that had a steady gleam of mischief in them and a build that was athletic but lacked the powerful bulk that Tay had. While Tate came off as cocky, you could tell he was overcompensating for his insecurities, the ones he didn’t want anyone to know existed
, whereas Taylor was solid confidence, quiet assurance that needed no support. They were opposites in most ways with no similarities, until Tate scowled.

There was a minute err of familiarity in the furrow of his brows, in the curl of his upper lip and the flare of his nostrils when he was irritated. And there was something that warmed my heart about that. He was an extension of Taylor in that tiny way, and my soul recognized it.

Taylor closed his eyes for a moment, as if to pray for patience, before he focused on me. He grabbed my heavy purse and interwove his fingers through mine. “Let’s go get your luggage, beautiful.”

My
insides melted. The way he said it sounded so natural, just like in his e-mails; it flowed right off his tongue and clutched my heart. He’d wrapped himself around my heart with every e-mail he sent. And meeting his brother only added depth to the man I knew. I struggled not to laugh at times because I could tell he wanted to punch Tate, but he proved he had more self-control than all of us every time he didn’t.

I stood next to him, trying not to squeal with delight as he soothed his thumb over the back of my hand. He was so strong, so calm
, a force to be reckoned with in ways and a pillar of serenity in others. He was intimidating, and yet, in the same moment, he was reassuring.

My heart thumped rapidly,
simultaneously enticed and quieted by his presence. I nearly missed my bright pink luggage, lost in the sight of him, the feel of him beside me, and the reactions he stirred. “That one!” I moved forward to grab my bag, but Tate proved helpful, snatching it up quickly. “Thanks.” I gave him a small smile.

Taylor nodded his approval to his brother. “Now, get in front
. I don’t want you starin’ at her ass the whole time.”