Feeling Hot (37 page)

“I know it’s hard for you when I’m gone,” Carson mumbled. “It’s hard for me, too. More than you’ll ever know.”

Something warm touched her arm, and Jen jumped, then relaxed when she realized Cash had come up beside her. Without a word, he took her hand, the warmth of his touch seeping into her skin.

Across the room, Holly’s eyes shone with unshed tears. “But I
don’t
know, Carson. You don’t give me any indication that you even miss me when you’re away. You just try to pick up where we left off. You act like my entire purpose in life is to sit at home and wait for you to get back.” She blinked rapidly. “But I can’t do that. I have a life too. My job at the restaurant, my work with Annabelle. I can’t just drop everything when you come home and make you the center of my existence. Especially when I’m not the center of
your
existence.”

“I know. And I’m a jerk for suggesting you quit your job. I don’t want you to do that. The only thing I want is for you to be happy.” His voice cracked. “And I do miss you when I’m away, Hol. You’re all I fucking think about.”

Holly’s tears spilled over, and damned if Jen didn’t feel all teary herself. As much as she hated intruding on this personal moment, she was so very touched seeing her brother lay himself bare like that.

Carson cupped his wife’s cheeks and swept his thumbs over the moisture there. “I want to make things better, but I need to know that you want the same thing. That you haven’t completely given up on me.”

“Of course I haven’t given up. I love you, you idiot.”

All the tension left Carson’s body. “I love you too,” he said roughly.

When Holly stood on her tiptoes to kiss her husband, Jen felt like a total voyeur. She squeezed Cash’s hand, signaling that it was time to sneak away, but Carson foiled their next attempt when he spoke up again.

“Jen, where’d you put that printout?”

“Shoot. I left it in the printer tray in my room. I’ll get it.”

Letting go of Cash’s hand, she dashed into her bedroom and grabbed the sheet of paper, which she handed to Carson once she returned to the living room.

“What’s that?” Holly asked.

“Our hotel confirmation,” Carson replied with a grin. “We’re going to Catalina.”

His wife looked startled. “What? When?”

“Now.”

“But I have to—”

“Work?” he finished. When she nodded, he shot her a guilty look. “Okay, now don’t be mad, but I called your boss at the restaurant and convinced him to give you a few days off. And before you freak out, know that I didn’t do it because I don’t respect or value your work.”

Holly stared at him, dumbfounded.

“I wish we could go away for longer, but I only managed to swing three days of leave. Still, I figured a three-day honeymoon is better than nothing.” He looked ashamed. “We didn’t make it on our Fiji honeymoon because the team got called away the day before we were due to leave.” He cursed under his breath. “And I kept assuring you we’d reschedule but it never happened, huh?”

Holly sighed. “No, it didn’t.”

“I know Catalina Island isn’t Fiji, but it’ll do for now, right?” His boyishly hopeful expression made Jen grin.

“Yeah, it’ll do.”

“And one more thing,” Carson added. “No sex.”

Holly’s brows soared. “Pardon me?”

“Baby, as much as I’d like to fu—” Carson glanced at Jen and backpedaled, “—to do a lot of things to you, the next three days will be about my new favorite word—communication. I’m gonna talk so frickin’ much you’re gonna wish I was a mute by the time I’m done.”

Holly laughed. “Can’t wait.”

They embraced again, and Jen was overcome with emotion as she watched them. She had to admit—her brother had done good. The mini-honeymoon had been her idea, but the heartfelt speech and uniform was all Carson. Apparently he wasn’t a total lost cause.

After the couple broke apart, Carson marched over to Jen and enveloped her in a bear hug that almost knocked the wind out of her. “Thanks,” he murmured. “I owe you one.”

“You know it.” She stepped forward to give Holly a quick hug, then smiled at her sister-in-law. “Have fun in Catalina. But don’t forget to make him grovel some more, okay?”

“Oh, I intend to,” Holly assured her.

Holding hands, the couple headed for the door. At the last second, Carson halted and turned to look at Cash. “Take care of my sister, McCoy.” He arched a brow. “You know what’ll happen if you don’t.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Cash said with a sigh. “There’s a pool right downstairs.”

As Holly and Carson practically floated out the door on a cloud of marital bliss, Jen glanced over at Cash. “I think that went well.”

The smile he shot her melted her heart. He was so devastatingly handsome, so sexy, so amazing, and she couldn’t believe she’d ever had reservations about being with this man.

Yes, their relationship would be hard. Yes, she might find herself waiting and worrying, the way her mother had done with the admiral, the way Holly did with Carson, but Jen now saw with perfect clarity why her mom and Holly had stuck it out for so long, why they continued to stick it out. Because when you found someone you loved with your entire being, you would do anything for them, suffer through anything, sacrifice and compromise and do whatever possible to make it work.

“I love you,” she burst out.

Cash looked startled, but then his features relaxed and he flashed her a devilish grin. “Of course you do. I’m pretty damn awesome.” Now he offered a mock frown. “And you thought I was only good for a fling. Jeez.”

Smiling, Jen stood on her tiptoes and looped her arms around his neck. “You’re good for a lot of things, cowboy.”

Cash lowered his mouth to hers, but stopped right before their lips could meet. “Hey, since we’re in a relationship, can I refer to you as ‘the old ball and chain’ from now on?”

She let out a heavy sigh.

“What?” he demanded.

“No woman wants to be called
old
, cowboy.
Jeez
,” she mimicked, “maybe you do need to practice talking to women.”

“Good idea.”

In the blink of an eye, he scooped her into his powerful arms.

“What are you doing?” Jen asked in surprise, clinging to his broad shoulders.

“Taking you to your bedroom.” Cash slanted his head, those blue eyes glimmering with heat. “You know, so I can practice talking. Then again, once I get you near a bed, I might have other plans for my mouth.”

Her laughter followed them all the way to the bedroom.

About the Author

A RITA-award-nominated author, Elle Kennedy grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, and holds a B.A. in English from York University. From an early age, she knew she wanted to be a writer and actively began pursuing that dream when she was a teenager. She loves strong heroines and sexy alpha heroes, and just enough heat and danger to keep things interesting!

Elle loves to hear from her readers. Visit her web site
www.ellekennedy.com
or send her a note at
[email protected]
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Look for these titles by Elle Kennedy

Now Available:

Bad Moon Rising

Dance of Seduction

Midnight Encounters

Going for It

Red Hot Summer

Hot Summer Nights

Hidden Desires

Out of Uniform

Heat of the Moment

Heat of Passion

Heat of the Storm

Heat It Up

Heat of the Night

The Heat Is On

Hot and Bothered (print anthology)

Welcome to Paradise

Welcome to Paradise

Take Me Home Tonight

Born to be Wild

Coming Soon:

Getting Hotter

It’s all about the thrill…

The Heat is On

© 2011 Elle Kennedy

Out of Uniform, Book 6

As a Navy SEAL, Matt O’Connor specializes in Bad Boy. At least, that’s what he thinks…until he finds himself face down on the floor during a bank robbery, arguing with a sexy, bad-girl blonde who wields her sharp tongue with surgical precision.

Just like that, Matt begins to wonder if maybe the idea of settling down with one woman isn’t as crazy as he thought. 

Savannah Harte is addicted to first kisses and whirlwind romances. Once the thrill is gone, though, she’s outta there. She’s eager to follow the adrenaline rush she feels with Matt into the nearest bed, but when tangled sheets begin to feel like tangled heartstrings, her first instinct is to cut him loose. There’s only one problem: Matt’s not going anywhere. And not even a steamy threesome seems to dull her growing feelings.

Which leaves Savannah having to decide what she wants more. The casual thrill of now…or the scary thrill of forever. 

Warning: This title features a hot threesome with explicit sex, a bad-girl heroine, and two Navy SEALs guaranteed to make you sweat. 

Enjoy the following excerpt for
The Heat is On:

For the first time in his life, Matt was actually nervous about a date. As he stepped out of the shower, dripping water all over the bathroom mat, he suddenly wondered if he should ask Annabelle to come downstairs so he could ask for clothing advice. Jeez. What the hell was wrong with him? He could seduce the panties off a nun, for fuck’s sake. Women freaking loved him. If he was the kind of guy who ticked off notches in his belt…well, he’d be on his tenth belt by now.

But Savannah made him feel like an anxious teenager again. It wasn’t just her looks that captivated him, though her smokin’ body did make his mouth water. She was just so…self-assured. She seemed to know exactly who she was, completely comfortable in her own skin, and her easygoing attitude and sharp wit were a total turn-on. He didn’t usually think beyond the first date, but with Savannah, he already wanted more, and they hadn’t even gone out yet.

Which was why he couldn’t have sex with her tonight. As much as he wanted to, as much as his body throbbed with arousal at the mere thought of her, he needed to force himself to keep his hands off her this evening. It was messed up, but he feared that if he slept with her so soon, this fascination would disappear, and he wasn’t ready for that to happen yet.

Another first—he wanted to get to know a woman before he screwed her.

God help him.

Deciding to forgo calling Annabelle—he wasn’t in the mood to be ridiculed—he strode into his bedroom and threw open the closet door. As he dressed, he marveled at the silence in the apartment. Ever since Ryan moved upstairs into Annabelle’s place, Matt was living solo. Made it easier to bring chicks back here without worrying about keeping Ryan up, though he didn’t do it often. He didn’t like having women over. They always wanted to stay when he only wanted them to leave.

Clad in a pair of jeans, a black T-shirt and an open blue button-down, he grabbed his keys from the basket on the hall table and left his second-floor apartment. He took the stairs two at a time, suddenly eager to get going and see Savannah again. The black Dodge four-by-four he’d just signed the lease on had decent speed, and he made it to Savannah’s shop in less than fifteen minutes. Shutting off the engine, he took a deep breath and hopped out of the SUV. There was a separate entrance to Savannah’s upstairs apartment, with a small intercom mounted on the wall. He buzzed, then waited until her chirpy voice said, “Come up.”

Uh-oh.

She wanted him to come upstairs?

That wasn’t part of the plan. He’d hoped to wait down here for her, then drive her to the classy bar he’d researched on the web. He was kinda scared to be alone with her. At least with other people around, he wouldn’t be able to rip her clothes off and devour her body the way he so desperately wanted to.

Gulping, he opened the door and climbed the narrow staircase up to the second floor. Savannah’s door was painted a bright yellow, and it swung open the moment he reached the landing. She appeared in the doorway, wearing a pair of tight black yoga pants and a loose red T-shirt that didn’t hide the fullness of the breasts beneath it.

“Hey,” she said with an easy smile. “I figured we’d stay in, if that’s cool with you?”

Another gulp. Crap. Looked like he needed to conjure up some willpower. Pronto.

In a strained voice, he said, “Sure.”

Savannah gestured for him to come inside, and when he stepped into the apartment, he immediately saw her personality splashed all over the place. Mismatched furniture, some modern, some antique, filled the spacious living room. Colorful abstract paintings hung on the wall, with the occasional breathtaking landscape sandwiched between them. A small kitchen was tucked off to one side, and the living area was separated from the sleeping area with a see-through Japanese screen that featured bright pink cherry blossom trees. He caught a glimpse of a large futon with a bright magenta bedspread, but tore his gaze away. He couldn’t focus on the bed. Beds meant sex. And he was determined not to sleep with Savannah Harte until he figured out why he liked her so much.