Epilogue

Two Years Later

Gabrielle

 

Damnit. I must have slept straight through my alarm, judging by the way the sun streamed through the sheer curtains.

James was next to me, his warmth pressing against my back, a muscled arm draped around my waist. He had bulked up a little more since we’d started dating. His exercise regimen had become a lot more stringent as the Dolphins climbed the ranks.

I pressed a soft kiss to his forearm, momentarily distracted by the way that his muscles roped underneath his skin. Then, I tried to extricate myself from his grasp as gently as possible without waking him.

I had almost made it to the edge of his bed when he pulled me back, nestling me tight against his chest. “Where exactly do you think you’re going?”

His voice was a sleepy, husky groan. It still made my heart beat faster. In fact, it did so even more every morning that I got to wake up to it.

I turned to face him and traced his chiseled jawline with my fingers. “I have to get up, baby. I overslept.”

His beautiful eyes blinked open. I still couldn’t quite figure out what color they were. Though they shone a bright green that morning, golden flecks shining in the sunlight. “You didn’t oversleep, angel of mine. You’ve got the day off, remember?”

Of course.

I’d helped my boss on a big trial the week before, and he’d told me to take the day to relax. I nestled into James’s warm, hard body. My hand snuck down his side to see if other parts of his anatomy had woken up yet. Two years later and I still couldn’t get enough of him.

He groaned as my palm closed on his rock-hard morning wood. To my surprise, his hand clasped around my wrist, and he brought my palm to his mouth, pressing a light kiss to it.

A frisson of fear ran through me. I’d been working really hard lately. Had he lost interest? It wasn’t as if he wasn’t still getting it on a near daily basis. I mean, I really still couldn’t keep my hands off him, but what if that wasn’t enough?

He drew me closer and kissed me deeply. We’d let go of morning breath aversion about two weeks in. “Not today, angel. I got plans for us. If we start that now, I’m keeping you right here in bed until you have to leave for work tomorrow.”

“I see absolutely no problem with that.” My response was automatic and instantaneous. My nipples had already hardened, and heat pooled between my legs. 

I guided his hand up my thigh and to my sex. We slept naked most nights. The night before had been no exception.

“Oh God, you’re killing me here, Gabbi,” he growled as he rolled on top of me. His tip pressed against my entrance, and I trembled in the sweetest anticipation. “I already fucking hate myself for this, but we have to get going.”

My entire body protested as his weight disappeared from me. His sexy ass sauntered to the bathroom.

“You can’t hide from me in there!”

“Not trying to, angel. Now get that incredible ass in here so we can get dirty while we get cleaned up. Two birds, one stone and all.” The shower turned on. I scrambled out of bed so fast that I nearly fell on my face when my ankle got stuck in the sheets.

****

“So, what do you have planned that’s so important that I couldn’t sleep in on my first day off in like, forever?”

James placed a steaming mug of hot, sweet coffee in front me. I’d be damned if the man didn’t love me so much.

I still doubted his feelings from time to time, though he hadn’t given me one single reason to. In fact, he’d made it his mission to prove to me on a daily basis how much he loved me.

I wasn’t just talking about the sex either, though that remained spectacular.

“Told you earlier, I have plans for us today.” His head was buried in the refrigerator, fishing out yogurt and berries.

Mrs. W. had taken Harper to visit her family the night before. I had to admit that I missed the pink whirlwind and the tireless mother figure who somehow managed to rein her in.

“Better be some big plans for you to drag us out of bed when we have the place to ourselves.” I twirled a cherry with my tongue, and James stiffened, knuckles turning white as he gripped the counter. I loved that I still had that effect on him.

“Stop it, you insatiable woman.” Desire clouded his eyes.

I repeated the only words that sprung to mind, something he had said to me years ago. “Only for you, babe.”

I bit down on the cherry, locking my eyes with his. His lips parted. There. I had almost where I wanted him. Spending all day completely naked.

“Better be, but they are some plans. Can’t back out now.”

My curiosity piqued. “What are we doing?”

“Do you remember the jet skis?” Mischief glinted in his eyes.

“What kind of question is that?” I bit back the urge to roll my eyes at him.

“We’re saddling up the old horse today. I’m giving you another chance to beat me.”

“I won the last time!” I protested.

“No, we decided to go for lunch, and you insisted that I acquiesce to your demands. That’s not winning.”

“If you’re going to deny my winning, what’s the point of the competition?”

“I’ll give you a prize if you win, how’s that?”

“Ooh, can it be lunch at the Spanish place?”

“It’s better than that, but you have to win first.”

“Bring it, Skye.”

“Oh, I definitely will. Be good out there; I think you’re really going to like the prize.”

****

Sand stung my ankles as we stepped onto the beach. Save for a few tiny gusts of wind though, it was the perfect day for the beach.

We left our stuff in the car and headed, hand in hand, to the jet ski guy. “I haven’t seen you guys for a while.”

He was actually smiling at us as he retrieved our life jackets and keys.

Weird.

James pressed a kiss to my hair; some unfamiliar emotion was flashing in his eyes. It was gone before I could place it. He gave my hand a final squeeze and reached for his wallet. “Go ahead, angel. I have to settle things here.”

James didn’t have to ask me twice. I wanted that prize that he had promised. I had no idea what it was going to be, but if it was better than lunch at the Spanish place, I was winning it. “You’re on, Skye.”

I fastened the straps on my life jacket as I jogged to the yellow and purple jet ski that I favored, revving it up and shooting into the water before James had even started heading toward the shore.

It had been a while since we’d last been out here, but the smooth glide of the watercraft over the gentle swells was still familiar. I weaved around a little to get the hang of it, then spun my jet ski around in a spray of water to watch James approach.

I marveled at the man sitting astride the blue jet ski. The tanned, unmarked skin that I knew to be so soft under my touch. The hard ridges of his delectable body. The way his eyes shone as he skidded to a stop with precision just about a yard away from me. Lips that I would never stop kissing if I had a choice pulled up into a confident smirk.

More than anything, I marveled at the fact that he was mine. That he had been for two years and one month to the day. It was the second anniversary of the day he had first told me that he loved me, and we’d gotten my father’s blessing.

I doubted that he even remembered, but I would never forget that day. It was burned into my memory as the start of the best days of my life.

His deep, smooth voice pulled me from my wonderment. “Same terms as always. First one from the buoy and back to the other wins.”

“You’re on, Skye. Try not to get too wet back there.” I spun my jet ski with another spray of water and raced off, focusing my attention on winning that prize instead of the perfect specimen of masculinity that I would be winning it from.

James drew even with me as we approached the first buoy. I pulled back on the throttle and gunned it. The wind felt amazing in my hair. I felt freer and more relaxed than I had in a long time.

There was something about being out on the open ocean with a gassed-up watercraft and the love of my life hot on my heels that was positively exhilarating.

I shot past the second buoy first, throwing my hands up in the air in victory, an insanely wide grin spreading on my face.

I won! I can’t believe that I actually won!

James rounded the buoy not a second later, wearing a grin that made my heart race and skip a beat at the same time, if that were possible. Around him, it was. I was living proof of that fact.

“Well done, angel. Let’s get back to shore. You ready for your prize?” His eyes had taken on the turquoise hue of the water around him, shining with excitement. Whatever the surprise was, it was sure to be good.

“What? You don’t want a second chance to beat the master?” I joked, already pointing my nose in the direction of the shoreline.

I wanted that prize. I hoped that it involved the motel on the beach and then lunch at the Spanish place. That would be the perfect day off.

“Not today. Besides, we both know who the true master is.” He teased, but his heart wasn’t in it. He fidgeted with the choke chain, eyes pinned to the beach behind me.

James didn’t fidget. Ever. He didn’t get nervous, but he sure looked it as he gestured for me to take the lead and stayed close in my wake.

My heart pounded. If the prize was having that effect on him, it was bound to be downright amazing for me.

Once we reached the beach, he reached for my hand and wound his fingers through my mine as he guided me down the shore without a word. In the opposite direction of the motel.

Damn. Although it had been a while since we’d done anything sexual in a public place, maybe we were—   

He stopped abruptly, interrupting my dirty train of thought. I scanned my surroundings. A familiar rock outcropping confirmed what I suspected: we were at the exact spot where we’d sat when he’d first told me about Harper.

A quick glance at his expression told me that he remembered, too. Now that I thought about it, his expression wasn’t one that I could remember having seen before. The love suddenly shining in his eyes nearly floored me.

My knees buckled. My throat went dry. My heart stammered. My body trembled.

God, I loved him. So damn much. My heart soared in my chest as I drank his gaze in, beating like it wanted straight out of me and into him. Like a magnet pulled my heart to his.

James turned to face me, gathering both of my hands in his. Those unfamiliar nerves played in his eyes for just a second before they were gone. He took a deep breath, locking his eyes with mine as he sank to one knee.

My vision blurred. My heart raced. Everything in my world narrowed to those eyes and the man that was on his knee looking up at me with pure, unadulterated love. Adoration.

What the? He couldn’t be doing what I thought he was doing. It wasn’t possible. James didn’t believe in marriage. I’d always known that.

And yet… Hope surged through me. I blinked.

“I had a speech planned.” His voice cracked with emotion. Tears pricked at the back of my eyes. “But now, looking up at you, it’s all gone. All I can think about is how much I love you. How I still can’t believe that out of the millions of men on this planet, you chose me. How I will never know how I got that lucky.”

“James,” I breathed, heart hammering in my chest. I struggled to form thoughts, let alone words.

“From the second you walked up to me in that office and kissed the shit out of me, I knew that you were one of a kind. That there was no other woman like you. You intrigued me. I couldn’t stay away from you, even if I knew that I should. I remember the exact moment that I realized that what I felt for you was so much more than intrigue. That I realized that I had fallen in love with you. I remember the exact moment that I realized that, somehow, you loved me back.”

He squeezed my hands. My breath caught in my lungs, and my heart pounded like never before. I squeezed back.

“Exactly two years and one month ago, I told you that I loved you for the first time. Today, I’m asking you to let me tell you that, to let me prove it to you every day for the rest of my life.”

James unzipped the pocket on his board shorts and pulled out a ring. My hands flew to my mouth.

“I love you, Gabrielle Ralls. Will you marry me?”

His eyes were wide. His tongue flicked over his bottom lip. He held the beautiful, intricately designed ring up. Offering it to me.

I dropped to my knees in front of him. “Yes.”

A deep breath that I hadn’t realized he’d been holding escaped. The most radiant, beautiful grin spread on his face. Absolute joy shone in his eyes. He slid the ring onto my finger.

It fit perfectly. I gaped at it. Then at James.

I pinched myself. I wasn’t dreaming.

We’re engaged! James really wants to marry me! My inner cheerleader zoomed around my brain so fast that I felt slightly dizzy. My heart swelled. I laughed. I had never felt that way. I hadn’t imagined it was possible to be that happy.

James tugged me to him, wrapping his arms around me. “Thank God,” he whispered against my lips, pulling me in for a kiss that made my toes curl.

At that moment, I knew that he was mine. The bad boy star athlete that I had fallen in love with, and the incredible man that he had become, was all mine. Forever.

An errant thought broke free. “Wait, you actually let me win?”

“Totally worth it.” He smirked, lowering his lips back to mine.

That’s the end of the Expertise. Below I included 4 of my previous books to read as a free bonus.

 

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SECOND CHANCE

By Claire Adams

 

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

 

Copyright © 2017 Claire Adams

 

 

Chapter One

Roman

 

I grabbed my phone, checking the time before sliding it into my pocket. It was only about twenty minutes past eight; class didn't start till nine and the walk there from my apartment would take me fifteen minutes, tops. I could drive; that would make the trip even shorter. It was early in the morning, too, which meant I wouldn't have a problem finding a parking spot. Why not?

I grabbed my keys, chugging down the last of my protein shake and filling the blender with water. Ronnie had been right about that making it easier to wash after. I had to hit the gym every morning, whether I had early classes or not. I liked it, but even if I didn't, I had to because of football, even though finals meant I hadn't really been playing as much.

Athletes got a bad rep. Yeah, a lot of guys were only in college because they wanted to get into the draft and be able to go pro without working up through the minors. And, I'd be a liar if I said that wasn't me, too. A lot of people didn't realize just how fucking hard that was, though. College ball was the peak for most of the guys playing. We only needed like a 2.0 GPA to stay on the team, so if the football thing didn't pan out, you could hardly do anything else anyway.

I didn't want to have to use my degree, I wanted to play football. But if I did need it, I wanted to have graduated with something higher than a fucking 2.0. I grabbed my backpack and walked out the door. Living in a college town, there were tons of affordable apartments close to school, so the drive only took about five minutes.

Ronnie was already in the classroom when I walked in, head down, reading a textbook. Nobody else was in there with her. That was the thing with early morning classes – you could be a little late and people wouldn't get on your ass for it, but she was still early as fuck. She took this stuff seriously. She sat all the way up at the front of the classroom and went for all the tutorials, too, the stuff you would tease kids for doing back in middle and high school. It was paying off, though, because she had kept up her 3.8 GPA since her first semester.

She was wrapping her sophomore year, too, and the only reason we were in this class together was we had both ended up picking Western Civilization II as an elective. She was a Psych major because she was smart. I was a business major because I needed a degree in something and when playing football, the less involved your course load was, the easier it was to keep your GPA high enough to stay on the team.

Her hair was tied up in a bun and she was in a hoodie and jeans. Two tall coffee cups were sitting on the desk next to her textbook. "One of those for me?" I asked, walking up to her. She jumped at my voice, but smiled when she saw me.

"Hi, baby," she said, holding a cup out. I leaned down to kiss her.

"Hey, were you waiting for me?" I asked. I took the cup and drank deeply from it; it had been standing there long enough to not be too hot anymore. It was just your standard coffee, no sugar, but made with almond milk instead of cow milk. Ron would just get us the same order when she bought coffee. I wasn't even sure I could tell the difference, but it was supposed to be better for you. I just took her word for it.

"I was just thinking about calling you."

"When did you get here?" I asked. The sun was out and the light that was filtering into the room was catching the gold in her blonde hair. It was long and curly when she wore it down. She wore makeup most days, but not today; it would cover the light freckles on the tops of her cheeks when she did. Her eyes were the kind of green that made me think of spring, everything coming up fresh and new after months of freezing temperatures.

"Only about ten minutes ago," she said.

"You drove?" I asked.

"Car refused to start this morning. I walked,” she said as she shook her head. She had gotten her car at seventeen; it had been a piece of shit then and still was now. It practically stopped working during winter and when it did work, it would break down on her constantly. She liked it because she had gotten it herself as her first car, but I wished she wouldn't drive it. Acuras was supposed to be safe, but when they were that beat up, the safety measure had to go down some.

"Why didn't you call me? I would have picked you up."

"It's out of your way," she said, shrugging. "It's not that far walking."

"I'll take you home after class," I said. "I need to use the library anyway."

"Are you gonna be there till late like last night?"

"No. This close to finals, it's going to be packed."

"Good thing finals only last a week."

"Is it me or was this one the longest week we've had yet?"

"It's just you," she said smiling. "We're almost at the finish line, so the wait feels longer."

"Just one more week," I said wistfully. I knew she was right. It didn't change anything, though. I was looking forward to the semester ending, but I wasn't really that hyped about summer this year.

"Excited to go home?" she asked, as if she knew what was on my mind.

I would be if that was where I was going. I shrugged non-commitally. Both our families lived in Aberdeen. Early this year, we had talked about going on vacation together, just me and Ron. I wanted to take her to Glacier National Park to spend our days alone together in the woods while I had time before summer training started.

That really wasn't in the cards anymore. I had told Ron it was because I wanted to spend that time at home, instead. It wasn’t that much of a lie, but it wasn’t really the truth. I didn't like lying to her, but I had been doing it a lot this past month.

Just because you had a good reason for doing something shitty didn't stop it from still being a dick move. It was all for nothing in the end, anyway. We weren't going on vacation together, and I wasn't even going to end up going home.

"Wanna head out?" I asked suddenly.

"What? Now?" she asked. I nodded. "Are you asking me to ditch class?" She sounded like she thought I was kidding, but she had a smile pulling the corners of her mouth.

"Yeah. Let's go."

"Where? We have class."

"It's the last one before finals, we've covered the entire outline already. Beckett isn't going to come in here with new material," I said. A few other people had filtered into the classroom, but it was still mostly empty.

"What do you want to do?" she asked.

"Go to my place?" I suggested. It didn't really matter what we did when we got there. I mostly just didn't want to be in class anymore. I wanted to spend some time with her. We had the class together, but that was her, me, fifteen other students, and Professor Beckett. School was letting out and in a perfect world it would be her and me in a cabin in the woods, but shit was a little different this year. Because of finals, times like this were the only ones we had when we weren't in class or studying. It was not enough. Nowhere near enough.

She shrugged her shoulders and closed her textbook.

"I'm never doing this with you again," she said with a glint in her eye. She packed up and grabbed her coffee. I took her hand, and we were back out the door before Professor Beckett and the rest of the class showed up.

Instead of my place, we went to hers. Her roommate ended up being home, but it didn't matter. We weren't staying long. I had an idea where we could go.

The park wasn't that big and was edged on one side by some woods. When it was winter and the trees were bare, the little clearing was easy to make out. There were stumps along the tree line that I had watched get covered in moss and lichen in the years that I'd been coming here. I hadn't known how Veronica would react the first time I brought her. It was back when we were still pretty casual, before I had asked her to be my girlfriend.

Her best friend and my sister happened to be the same person, so I had her to thank for letting me know that picnics were one of Ron's favorite things to do. She kept a blanket and basket in her car for that reason. We grabbed those before we left and after buying some sandwiches and pastries at her regular coffee shop, we were walking through the trees to our spot.

We had never been interrupted and since neither of us had ever brought anyone else there, it felt like it was ours. It was about as private as we could get while being outside in a public park. The only thing I sort of wished it had was a stream or something; we weren’t near the river. Water always made places look better. Ron and I had talked about it a lot. She wanted to swim in each one of the five oceans, and I wanted to do it with her.

She gave me half her sandwich since she wasn't that hungry. As we ate, she started asking me about summer classes and football training, but I changed the subject. I wasn't going this year and I didn't want to tell her why...not just yet. She tried to pull her textbook out again, but I took it from her, stashing it in my backpack till it was time to go. I was feeling selfish. I didn't want to share her. 

Doing so reminded me that I had something for her. I told her to close her eyes.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Don't look," I said. The small rectangular box had been in my bag since last weekend when I had bought it.

"What is it?" she repeated, eyes shut like I had asked her. I popped the box open and looked inside. A light pink stone on a gold chain. I had wanted something that would remind her of me, but got something that made me think of her instead. It was pretty and feminine, like her. The lady at the store I had gotten it at said the stone stood for love, and that was enough reason to get it.

"Give me your hand," I instructed. Her fingers closed around the box as she opened her eyes.

"What's this for?" she asked.

Something that reminds you of me whenever you look at it, I thought. That would sound better than having to tell her what it really was: a going away present. I didn't want her to think she was getting it because I wanted to butter her up before I made her upset. I don't know, maybe the more I told myself that, the more it would sound like the truth.

"I just thought you'd like it," I said instead. She opened the box and I watched her face break into a smile when she saw the necklace. "Oh my God, Roman, are we celebrating something?"

"No celebration, I thought it would look good on you. Put it on." She took it out and undid the little clasp at the back. I helped her fasten it around her neck.

"Thank you; it's so pretty," she said, touching the stone.

"I'm glad you like it."

"Now I wish I had something for you," she said. Time – that was what I needed from her. I didn't need a present. Or maybe she could tell me how the fuck to say what I needed to say without completely wrecking what we had together.

"Think of it as an early birthday present," I said lightly. She was going to be twenty-one early next month and honestly, I wasn't going to be there then to give it to her on her real birthday... But right now, when she was happy and we were spending what had to be one of the last times we were going to get to be together like this, it wasn't the right time for that announcement.

"I love it," she said happily. 

"I should have gotten it engraved or something," I said, gently touching the stone.

"And a matching one for yourself."

"I don't think pink's my color," I joked.

"Your initials on the back of this and mine on the back of yours, so you're always thinking of me when you have it on you," she said softly. "At school...work...in battle."

"In battle?" I scoffed. She shrugged slightly.

"You know, if you ever got deployed."

"Not everyone gets sent to a combat zone when they're deployed," I told her.

"But do you think you will?" she asked.

"I don't know. Nobody knows. You just go where they send you."

"That's crazy," she said, shaking her head. I shrugged.

"That's the price of freedom," I said flatly.

"That doesn't change how fucked up it is," she insisted. "I don't know what I'd do if you ended up going over there."

"Going over there is kind of the whole point," I tried to say light-heartedly. She sounded like she was getting upset.

"I know, but I mean, what if something happened to you?" She didn't go into detail, but she didn't have to. I got it. Something happening was anything happening. Losing a leg, or an arm, or my life... The first two were probably a little worse than the last one. I mean, if you die, then you're dead, you don't have to remember what happened to you every day from your wheelchair because you can't walk anymore.

"A lot of guys come back just fine," I said. "Not every vet gets blown up."

"You can't go to a war zone and be just fine. That has to change a person," she said, sighing.

Well, shit. I shut up. I couldn't tell her. What the hell was I about to say? Well, lucky you, Ronnie, guess who got their warning order and has to leave in ten days? I had known for a couple weeks now, and it still wasn't the right time to tell her.

It wasn't like it would blindside her or anything, she knew I was in the army. Right at the end of the semester with finals coming up, I didn't want her to have to worry about this shit, too – because she would worry. And, not a normal kind of worry, either. That was who she was.

She could obsess about things sometimes. She was already worried about something happening to me, and we hadn't even discussed me going anywhere yet. I would have to tell her eventually – there was no way I could just ghost her – but right before finals was the wrong time to do it. She had to concentrate on getting through the semester. We both did. After that, I'd figure it out.

"I knew that when I enlisted," I said soberly.

"Are you scared?"

"No," I said shaking my head. "Right now? I'm more afraid of finals than that."

"There's a chance you'll never have to go over there, though, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, there is."

"I hope you never do," she said, looking down at the blanket.

"Damn, Ronnie. Shooting down my military career before it even begins?"

"I support you. I just hope you never have to put your life in danger."

"I could die walking out of my apartment tomorrow morning."

"That's not the same thing. You do that every day, and you're not getting shot at while you do it."

"Wow, Ronnie. Tell me how you really feel," I said jokingly, leaning back on my elbows.

"No, it's not like that."

"I'm hurt," I said, putting a hand over my chest dramatically.

"I'm just worried. I don't want those assholes to take you away from me." She came closer, lying on her side to look at me.

"I don't want them to do that, either. They can't keep me forever if I do end up going. I have to come back," I said.

"What am I supposed to do when you're gone?"

"Mail me pictures of your tits," I suggested. She giggled and wrinkled her nose.

"So you can pass them around to all your buddies?"

"So I can remember what's waiting for me when I get home," I said. Fuck, I thought, realizing it. She would have to wait for me. I wasn't even sure when the hell I would be back. Less than a year? Three years? Longer than that?

"I'm always happy to see you. You don't have to leave to make me appreciate it when we're together," she said quietly like she was talking to herself. I didn't know how much she had thought about what would happen if I went overseas. She put her hand over the one I had on my chest. Her smooth, slim fingers laced through mine. "I love you," she said.

"Aren't you glad you cut class with me now?" I asked. She giggled and leaned over to kiss me. Her lips pressed against mine softly, innocent…at least at first. I held the back of her neck and ran my tongue along her lips to get her to let me in. I wanted more. She sighed as her lips parted. I deepened the kiss, rolling us over so I was on top of her.

I loved her too, and I was going to show her how much I did.