Seth

I head back to Jacksonville, my heart heavy and my duffel bag lighter now that those letters are in her possession. I guess I expected a phone call or something by now, but it’s been hours and she still hasn’t texted me. I hung out all day at Jase’s until time ran out. I have to be on base at six tomorrow morning.

Though I don’t want to give up on us, I’ll concede defeat for now. Well, maybe not defeat—more like a setback. Yeah, I can overcome a setback.

“She just needs time,” I remind myself for the hundredth time. But I need her now. I’ve wasted seven years by staying away and don’t want to waste a second more.

As I drive by Gardner’s, I slow my truck down, torturing myself with one last look before I head out of town with the hopes of seeing Rowan’s car. A light shines from one of the office windows and I frown. There are no other cars in the parking lot.

“You’re not supposed to be on,” I mutter. Rowan’s pretty damn particular about stuff like that. Either someone forgot to switch it off, or someone is up to no good. No one is allowed to work on Sundays at Gardner’s. That’s been my grandparents’ rule for sixty years, and Rowan carried it on.

Parking my truck, I let my headlights shine inside, but I don’t see any movement. I get out, taking my key with me, but remain on high alert. One of Rowan’s charity cases could be double-crossing her right now and robbing Gardner’s blind.

The door opens behind me, and I whirl around, ready to fight off whoever’s been messing around in here.

With a sharp cry, Rowan launches herself at me, almost bowling me over as she wraps her arms around my neck. I forget all about the light in the back office. “I thought you’d left. Oh, God. Seth. I thought you left me again.”

“Are you okay?” I hold her in my arms tightly, never wanting to let her go. I don’t understand what’s going on. I thought for sure she’d be glad to have me out of her life.

“Yes. No. I don’t know. I read your letters, Seth. All of them.”

My heart slams against my chest, repeatedly. “And what did you think?”

“I don’t think.” She sniffs, and looks up at me. The pain in her beautiful blue eyes cuts through me. “Right now I don’t want to think at all.”

She slams her mouth against mine, ripping at my clothes. I help her, and for good measure, I pop the buttons off her jeans. She shimmies out of them, and then shoves my jeans down. A tug here, a rip there, and soon we’re both naked and breathing hard. She drops to her knees and takes my cock into her sexy mouth. I give a hoarse shout and slam my hands into the wall behind her. Every stroke, every lick of her tongue, has me on edge. She tugs at my balls, lightly scraping at them with her nails.

“You’re killing me, baby,” I growl.

Her response is to take me deeper. I let out a groan when I hit the back of her throat. Gazing down at her, I watch as her sexy mouth travels up and down the length of me. She releases my cock from her lips with a sexy little popping sound.

“Tell me what you thought of my letters,” I demand, lifting her up on the counter.

She spreads her thighs and pulls me closer. “They were beautiful. Perfect.”

I kneel on the floor and bury my face into her pussy. She’s dripping wet from sucking me off, and if that’s not an ego booster, I don’t know what is.

Rowan tugs at my hair. “I’m going to come.”

I jump to my feet and half pull her off the counter, sliding into her wet heat at the same time. “Holy fuck, baby.” I lean my forehead against her shoulder. “You feel so damn good.”

“Stop talking so much,” she says, wrapping her legs around my waist.

Like a machine, I start to move inside of her, relishing the feel of her hot walls clenching at me and trying to milk me. I search for Rowan’s lips, devouring her mouth as I slam into her. Her tight nipples scrape against me. My dog tags hit my chest each time I slide in balls deep.

She tightens around me and begins to chant my name. My orgasm rushes over me and I shove deep, emptying myself into her. I give her everything, holding nothing back as she moans the words I haven’t heard in seven years.

“I love you, Seth. Love you so much.”

“This mean you forgive me?” I ask.

She nods. “Yes.”

I glance at where we’re still joined, condom free. “This mean you’ll forgive me if I get you pregnant?”

Her eyes go wide and then a small smile plays on her lips. “I’m on the pill. We’re good, unless you have—”

“Nope.”

“Me, either. My brother raised me to be a safety-first type of woman.” She gives me a rueful look as I pull out of her. “Until you.”

“Same for me. He bought me my first pack of condoms.”

Rowan makes a face.

“They weren’t for us. I didn’t lose my virginity to you.”

“I lost mine to you,” she says and hops off the counter.

“So I get to be your first and your last.” I help clean up the mess we made.

“Maybe.”

I gather her close to me. “You have to make an honest man out of me.”

“I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about,” she teases.

“For the love of God, would you please ask her to fucking marry you so I can get out of here,” Boyd shouts from his office.

Rowan bursts out laughing. “Sorry, Boyd. We’re dressed.”

“I’m never using that counter again.”

“I’ll clean it,” I tell him.

“Not enough bleach in this world to erase the two of you going at it from my brain.”

“Try,” Rowan shouts. “Three extra vacation days, if you never mention this to anyone.”

“Give me a week and you got a deal,” he counters.

“Let me ask the owner,” she says.

I shake my head. “I might be the owner, but you’re the one who’s in charge.”

She gives me the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen. “Deal, Boyd.”

“Excellent, but Little Boss, I need you and Seth to get the hell out so I can leave with some dignity.”

“He’s so strange,” I say as we walk outside.

“I’m pretty sure he was changing his clothes in his office. He doesn’t follow the no-working-on-Sunday rule,” she says.

“What did you think about the whole marrying me comment?” I ask lightly.

Rowan wraps her arms around my neck and looks up at me. “Marriage might be for me. Always wanted a couple of dogs.”

“What about someone to help you take care of those dogs?”

She cocks her head to one side. “Can he take care of me, too?”

“Anything you want, baby.” I kiss her, right in the middle of the parking lot, as snow begins to fall. “Looks like I might get tomorrow off. I’ll have to call my commander.”

“Tell him I’ll be sure to keep you busy.”

We lace our hands together and walk home in the snow, leaving our cars and our past behind.

Chapter 17

Rowan

“Holy shit, that hurts,” I grumble at my brother.

“Stop being a pussy,” he says. “You wanted ink, so I’m inking your ass.”

“Not literally.”

“If you don’t sit still, I will literally ink your damn belly button.”

“Sorry.” I try to be as still as possible by concentrating on the ceiling above me. The whirring of the machine lulls me, until the needles start scraping at my skin, over and over.

“You don’t have to do this,” Seth whispers.