Military Romance Collection: Contemporary Soldier Alpha Male Romance (158 page)

Mike lunged. Ellie sprang. But just as quickly, she yelped as he lifted a handheld can of pepper spray and pressed the trigger, covering the dog’s grey fur with a stinging mist of orange.

The scent rose in the air, making Carrie’s eyes water. She lifted her arms to shield herself as Mike came into the kitchen and his meaty fists hammered down upon her, cracking her once in the cheek with a solid thump that left her seeing white sparkles and hearing bells. Darkness crowded the edges of her vision as she began to fall. And then, she heard a shriek of agony unlike any she'd heard before.

“My balls!” Mike squeaked. “Call off your dog, Carrie! Call her off!”

“I wouldn't worry about it, Mike,” she heard someone say. Jack! “Where you're going, you probably won't need them anyway. I'm arresting you for assault and battery. Drunk and disorderly. Breaking and entering. Pedophilia. Incest. And anything else I can pin on you.”              

Carrie opened her eyes to see her hero, Jack, stepping over Mike, who lay curled on the glass-strewn floor with his hands between his legs. Ellie stood over him, dripping foam from her orange-stained jaws. He moved quickly to the kitchen, fell to his knees beside her and he put his strong arms around her. Then he lifted her up to cradle her against his chest. In that moment, everything was better. No matter what had happened from that moment on, Carrie knew, she'd be okay.

“I'm so sorry, Carrie,” he said. “I wish I'd gotten here sooner. When I saw Mike's car in the drive, and the door off its hinges, I thought… I'm just glad I got here before he could do any more. Are you all right?”

“I'm okay. Just a little stunned.” She pressed her face into his chest. I shouldn't be doing this, she thought. He probably hates me for what I did, telling Sammy the truth. And I deserve it. She wrapped her arms around his neck. This may be the last time I ever get to hold him.

My hero. My Jack.

He somehow managed to stand with her cradled in her arms like a child. Carrie sniffled. The pepper spray was making her nose run.

Through blurry vision, she saw several more officers stream in through the broken front door. “Take him in, will ya?” he told them. “I'm taking her to the hospital to get her checked out.”

“What about the dog, Captain?”

“She can ride with us,” he said. Ellie took one final snap at Mike. He screamed again, curling into a tighter ball. Then she wagged her tail and grinned a doggie-grin at Carrie.

“Wuff!” she said and sat down, holding up her paw as if to say, I've got it under control. You kids go along now. Everything's fine.

Carrie snorted a laugh. Jack peered down at her and grinned. “Or not,” he said. “She can go to the station and keep an eye on the assailant. But you might want to wash her face with the hose, get that pepper spray off of her.”

Ellie shook her head as if in agreement, and sneezed.

Footsteps suddenly pounded across the porch and through the door. Samantha skidded to a stop in the doorway. “Dad! Carrie! Is everything all right?” She rushed inside, crunching over the glass on the floor. “Dad—I heard you call for backup on the police scanner and I knew you were here. What happened? Is Carrie okay? Oh my God, why are my eyes watering like this? It stings!”

“Go on, go back outside. It's all right,” Jack laughed and pointed to the door. “I'm taking her to the hospital to get checked out. You can come with us.”

Carrie realized he still cradled her in his arms, a ridiculous place for her to be. She smiled at Sammy and gestured at Jack with her chin. The girl giggled and rolled her eyes.

“You can put me down, Jack,” Carrie said.

“Not on your life. I don't care if I have to carry you everywhere, Carrie-da, I'm not putting you down until you promise me you'll stay in Rhode Island and forget about Texas.” He bent his head low and brushed a soft, sweet kiss over her lips. “I love you. Be my wife.”

Samantha stepped close and reached for Carrie's hand. “Be my mom.”

In that moment, cradled in Jack's arms with his daughter's hand clenched in hers, Carrie made her decision. She smiled at her new family. “I don't need to go to the hospital. Just…take me home.”

Chapter Twelve

              Five months later…

“I now pronounce you man and wife,” the minister said, and Jack swooped down to claim Carrie's lips with his own. He lifted her up and spun her around, much to the delight of their guests—a few of Jack's family members, a cadre of police officers, and friends of Carrie's who'd flown up from Texas. They applauded as Carrie beamed down into Jack's handsome face.

              “We did it!” she told him. “We're married!”

              “It's about time.” He let her slide down his body in a sensual, can't-wait-until-later way, then tucked her arm under his and led her down the aisle of the church, into the sunshine and bright autumn air.

Sammy walked behind them, beautiful in her rust-red, slinky bridesmaid's dress. So much like Michelle, and yet—different. My daughter, now, Carrie thought. Kind of like a friend, somewhat like a sister—but even more. When they paused outside in front of the church, she turned to see Sammy's boyfriend move to her side and grasp her arm in a loving way that would have once made Jack bristle. But Carrie had persuaded him that his daughter—their daughter— was capable of taking care of herself.

Even better, because of her experience, she'd decided that after she graduated from college, she wanted to be an advocate for victims of rape. Carrie had no doubt that Sammy's future clients would prosper under her guidance and help.

              Their guests began moving down the steps. The first one to shake Carrie's hand and congratulate her was her new boss. “Don't have too much fun on your honeymoon,” Daniella said. “O'Hare's trial is coming up in a couple of weeks, and I want my best reporter there to cover it with the inside scoop.”

              “Wouldn't miss it for the world.” Because of Carrie's in-depth reporting, women had been coming forward to tell of their own experiences with Mike, from former co-eds accusing him of date rape to secretaries telling stories of harassment and sexual advances. It was a story which had quickly turned viral, then national, and in no time at all, she’d been hired by a news syndicate for a steady salary that surpassed her former freelance pay by thousands. Which was ironic, because now that she had a well-paying job, she didn’t really need it anymore. Not to survive, anyway.

On the other hand, it had come in really handy when she decided to buy back Nana’s furniture. And pay someone else to paint and wallpaper the little house.

The new appliances were due to be delivered any day.

“Come on, Carrie-da. The photographer’s waiting. We can greet everyone at the reception.” Jack tugged at her hand.

“But—”

“Shh. If I don’t get you into that limo in about five seconds, they’re going to see more of me than they ever expected. Or wanted. Come on.” He pulled her down the sidewalk and into the car; she landed on his lap with a laugh and a bounce. Jack pushed the button and the privacy window between the back seat and the driver began to go up. “Take us to our reception hall,” he told the man. “But go slow. There’s no rush.”

Carrie waved out the window to their friends and family as the limo pulled away from the curb, then turned to him as soon as the privacy window reached the car’s ceiling. “You’re terrible,” she told him.

“I’m dying,” he said. “For you. Come on, Carrie-da. Let me see what you’re wearing under this dress.”

“Granny panties and spanks.” She moved to sit on the seat beside him. “You know…”

“Uh-huh.” He began to nibble on her neck. “I don’t believe you.”

“You should.” She squirmed as her nipples pebbled and her feminine core swelled. “Shouldn’t we wait until tonight?”

“I’ve been waiting long enough.”

“A whole week, Jack? Really? Besides, it was your decision not to sleep together when Sammy came home from college until after we got married.”

“What-ev.” He imitated their daughter’s latest catch phrase, and began sliding his hand up her leg. Then he paused, lifting his lips from where her neck met her collarbone. “Although I’ve seen the way that boy looks at her. You don’t think I noticed, but he’s just searching for an excuse to get my little girl into his bed.”

Carrie blew a raspberry at him. “Yeah. He looks at her the way you looked at me when we were that age.”

“The way I look at you now, too. My point exactly.”

“He loves her, Jack.”

“Uh huh. And you know what?” He nipped at her again, and began sliding his hand up past her knee.

“What?” She shivered as he tugged her strapless wedding gown down past her breasts to her waist with one hand, while slipping the fingers of his other hand up her thigh.

“I love you. Let’s stop talking about that little pervert and pay attention to what’s going on right now. Ooh. A thong! I knew it.” He breathed against the lace of her bra and bit at one of her nipples. 

              She gasped as a blaze of heat moved down her body to her center. “Jack,” she moaned.

He moved then, to sit on the seat beside her. Then he grasped her around the waist and lifted her up onto his lap, facing him with her knees on either side of his thighs. “You know what I like about thongs?”

She blinked at him and shook her head as he pulled up her wedding gown until the material bunched around the top of her thighs in the front. She’d spent a thousand dollars for it, and kept it hung and bagged so carefully so it would be perfect for their wedding day, and now her husband was wrinkling the satin and crushing the lace. And she didn’t care.

“It’s easy to do this.” He pushed the crotch of the thong aside and began to stroke at her clit.

“Jack…”

“Or this.” He managed to unzip his fly and pull his hardened length out of his trousers; in moments, he’d lifted her off his lap and Carrie felt him penetrating her to the fullest. She began moving against him, tilting her pelvis back and forth in a steady rhythm.

It was Jack’s turn to moan. “Carrie-da…”

She placed her hands on his shoulders and arched her back so that her breasts rose; in moments, he’d opened her bra and it fell away. His breath and mouth were hot and wet as he suckled on one nipple and then the other, toying and teasing until she came, clenching around his hard cock. Jack’s hands tightened on her hips and then he thrust upward, groaning, with his face buried in the place between her breasts. She felt his dick pulsing inside her and she pressed down so he was completely buried inside her passage.

When he was replete, she pressed her cheek to his forehead and wrapped her arms around his neck. They sat still, panting.

“Wow,” Jack said then. “We should do it in cars more often.”

She laughed and moved off his lap, then turned to look out the window. “We better get decent. We’re almost there.” She tried to smooth her dress, then gave up. It didn’t matter. She was Jack’s wife and she was going to be with him for the rest of her life—a gown didn’t matter one bit.

“Bah. I told him to drive slow.” Jack helped her fish her bra up from the floor of the limo and even to put it back on. She tucked him back into his trousers with an extra squeeze and tug that promised more fun, later. By the time they’d arrived at their reception, no one but their limo driver was the wiser to their passion.

The rest of the day passed quickly, and then as the sun began its descent, they were on the way to the airport and their honeymoon. Settled beside him in the front seat of Jack’s pickup, Carrie looked out the window at the scenery. Things had changed during the years. She didn't even recognize most of what they passed. The old farm, with the stone wall and the incredible view of the Newport Bridge, was the same. But the houses lining the road were new. And the businesses. Especially the strip malls. She realized they were close to the kennel where Nana had kept Ellie.

              A pang sluiced through her. She turned to look at Jack. “You don't suppose anyone will find Ellie while we're away?”

              “Maybe. I've called every shelter and kennel in the state, Carrie. If she's found, she'll be okay. They'll take care of her until we get back.” He put his hand on her knee.

              “It's been five months, Jack. Ever since that day she bit Mike.” She rubbed the bright gold band shining on his ring finger. My husband. She smiled, despite her sadness at losing Nana’s dog, and lifted his hand to her lips. “We should have taken Ellie home with us instead of letting one of your officers lock her in a bedroom. I knew better. I knew she could get out—and with the glass on the front door broken, there really wasn't anything to keep her in once she opened that bedroom door.”

              “I've never known a dog who could open a doorknob before,” Jack said.

              “I've never known a dog who could talk.”

              He gave her a sidelong grin, clearly not believing her. Carrie gave his shoulder a gentle whack.

              “She could! Not well, but… I know. It sounds crazy. But sometimes, she almost sounded like Nana.” Carrie sighed. “I guess I was just missing my grandmother, and Ellie was my last living link to her. That, and she had the same eyes.”

              “The same…eyes.” He snorted. “Ooookay, Carrie-da. Whatever you say.”

              Carrie stuck her tongue out at him. He laughed again and reached out, pulling her close so they pressed together, thigh to thigh. She rested her head on his shoulder. “I still wonder why Nana’s lawyer had no idea she existed. I mean, someone had to take her to the kennel.”

              “Maybe Nana did, the day she went skydiving.”

              “Maybe. But why? She was jumping out of an airfield in Connecticut, Jack. Less than forty minutes away. And she certainly didn't expect…” To die. She shook her head. “The other thing is—how did the woman from the kennel know my cell number?”

              “Emergency contact number. She couldn't reach Nana, so she called you.” Jack shrugged.

              “What about the lawyer?”

              “Maybe your grandmother didn't consider Ellie an asset.”

              “No doubt. Who would?” Me, Carrie realized. “You know, Jack, if it wasn't for Ellie, you and I probably would never have talked to each other. I would have come home and then gone back to Texas.”

              Jack sobered. “You're right. And if she hadn't gone to your grandmother's grave that night, then I wouldn't have had gone to your house. Where, you'll remember, I kissed you.”

              “And I pushed you out on your ass.” Carrie giggled, then reached up to kiss his cheek. Then she settled her head back onto his shoulder. “And—if Ellie hadn't swallowed my phone, Sam wouldn't have gotten the idea to come to my house and make me come over for zucchini—”

              “Okay. Ellie was an asset,” Jack said.

              “Even though she practically wiped out my entire life savings. Not that there was much to begin with, but…” She smiled. Not much was an overstatement. “I have a feeling that if we hadn't managed to talk to one another, Ellie would have continued to destroy the neighborhood until I had no money left and had to stay.”

              “Lucky for us.”

              Carrie nodded and looked out the window. She recognized where she was now. Heavenly Doggie Kennels was in the next strip mall…except…

              It wasn't there.

              Instead of the white brick building that had been there before, there stood a decrepit, old building with Keep Out signs posted on it.             

She sat up. “Jack! Stop the truck.”

He pulled to the curb. “What's wrong?”

Carrie looked around, frantic. There had to be an explanation. Maybe it was because it was almost dusk…?

But, there was the drugstore across the street. Carrie distinctly remembered it.

She got out of the truck and hurried to the place where she could have sworn Dog Lady had stood, holding Ellie on her knotted pink leash. Yes! There. Right there. Because there was the tree where Ellie had first spotted the squirrel and they’d had to struggle to stop her from breaking away. Carrie had a weird sense of disorientation, a memory of a place that wasn't a place. She stood where she'd stood, and everything was different, yet the same.

Jack came to stand beside her. “You look like you've seen a ghost. What's wrong? Are you okay? Are you going to be sick? What's the matter?” He put a protective hand on the small of her back.

She turned to look up at him. “This is…this is where Heavenly Doggie Kennels was.”

He shook his head. “Carrie-da, I make it my business to know all the kennels in my jurisdiction. I like to make sure they're up to code, that they're safe for the animals…”

A hero, even to his canine charges. Carrie nodded. Thank God. She'd made a mistake. “So you know where it is.”

“No, Carrie-da. I—there is no Heavenly Doggie Kennel.”

She had the strange sensation of the ground beneath her feet tilting and swaying like the deck of a ship's in a storm. No, wait a minute. Impossible.

Her husband reached out, grasped her and pulled her close. She leaned into him, clinging so she didn't collapse. “But I saw it, Jack! I saw the sign with the pink poodle on it. The dog had wings, for Pete's sake, and it was floating on a cloud. I remember thinking how ludicrous it was.”