Authors: Adrianne Byrd
He expected her to know him—to know his heart. The fact she believed that he would purposely hurt her still tore at him.
“I heard you were being deployed here.”
Jett turned swiveled around before entering the locker room. “Maj. Johnson.” He straightened his shoulders. “Long time no see. I’m glad you survived your close call this morning.”
Johnson dropped his gaze. “I wish wasn’t the only one.”
“She not dead,” Jett snapped angrily. Truthfully he didn’t know who he was trying to convince Johnson or himself.
A sad smile ghosted around Johnson’s lips. “I pray you’re right. She a great asset to the 51
st
. She’s also one hell of a woman. Of course I’m sure that you don’t know much about that.”
Jett stepped forward, ready to pound the guy mouth in; but Johnson simply held his hands up in surrender. “I’m not going to fight you. You’re not worth it.”
The word so similar to what his father used to say cut Jett to the quick.
“She loves you know,” Johnson added. “Even after all this time, she still loves. Go figure.” Shaking his head, he turned and walked away.
Jett watched him leave; wishing that the man had fought him instead of causing more injury to his already battered heart.
In the locker room, Jett released his tears while standing beneath the shower’s pulsing rhythmic flow. The memories were no longer bittersweet; they were just painful.
He shut off the shower and dressed without having the memory of doing so. But when he stepped out his squadron and into the muggy night his gaze flew to the full moon hanging above his head.
Was it too much to hope that Sydney’s gaze upon the same moon? His lips quirked his use of the word: hope. Apparently, he wasn’t ready to give up on the elusive emotion.
“Sydney, if you’re out there just hold on, baby. I’m going to find you.” He wanted to say more but his raw emotion lodged in his throat. He wanted to pray but feared he’d forgotten how. Maybe he could bargain with God; promise to be a better man—do away with his pride.
In the end, he didn’t know what to do.
Jett closed his eyes and for the briefest of moments, the night’s slight wind felt more like a woman’s caress. Concentrating, he focused on the memory when he woke next to Mrs. James Colton. It was the happiest day of his life.
Chapter 20
Saturday October 12, 2003 MGM Casino 1100 hours
Jett moaned in his sleep and pulled the pliant soft body next to him closer. He could definitely get used to waking up this way every morning for the rest of the life—just as he could get used to Sydney’s smile and laughter. Captain Garrett challenged his mind, but ‘Hurricane’ Sydney did things to his body and soul that he dared not name.
She stirred in his arms and Jett nuzzled her neck. “Good morning, Sunshine,” he whispered.
Her lyrical laugh danced around his foggy head and he slid on a sly smile.
“Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?” she laughed.
“Uh, I’m not wearing any pants so what do you think?” He rubbed his morning hard-on against her adorable backside and roamed a hand over the cliffs of her breasts, down the flat plane of her belly, and then glided into the soft down between her legs.
Sydney sighed and opened her legs wider to give him better access. “Is this what you’re looking for?”
“Oh, yes.” Jett slipped his fingers into her slick passage and caressed the pink bud with slow tender strokes. “I want all of it.”
“Come and get it, Soldier,” she half dared and half teased him.
“Yes, sir, Captain.” He entered her from behind and had trouble trying to keep his eyes from rolling to the back on his head. This is what it meant to find the missing half of oneself. It had to be. Sydney’s tight body sheathed him perfectly.
“Oh, you feel so good.” She tightened her vaginal muscles and rocked back against him.
Jett deepened his thrust and couldn’t comprehend how each time he entered was better than the last. The thought didn’t make sense, since each thrust was as close to heaven as he would ever get.
Wanting a better view of her beautiful face, Jett abandoned the spoon position to roll her onto her back and jack her legs high over his shoulders where his thrust quickly morphed into a fierce pounding. He wanted—no, needed to get as deep as could—to touch her soul as much as she touched his.
“Yes...oh, yes,” Sydney panted, urging him on.
His body devoured hers. His mind transported him to another place that could only be described as spiritual.
Sydney released a long throaty cry as her body quivered deliciously and Jett could no longer maintain his control.
“Oh, God, I love you,” he chanted as he erupted violently inside of her. “I love you, I love you.”
Sydney clung to his broad back as he collapsed against her. As a reward, she peppered sweet kisses along his sweaty brow.
However, Jett’s brain kicked into instant replay and he realized the words he’d said during his climax and he registered that Sydney did not repeat the words back to him.
“That was a wonderful remedy for a hangover,” she whispered lightly, caressing his back and muscled butt cheeks. “I had this wild dream last night,” she chuckled under her breath.
“If it was a nasty dream, I want details.” He joined her laughter and hoped he was successful in masking his hurt.
“No, it was just crazy, yet at the same time it seemed so real.”
Jett rolled over onto his side and gathered her close. She may not share his feelings now; but in time, she will. “You have me curious now. What was it about?”
Sydney shook her head and snuggled closer. “No. You’ll just laugh.”
“I won’t laugh.”
Again, she shook her head but then climbed up from her comfortable nook to straddle him.
“Ooh.” Jett felt himself grow hard again. “Was this a part of the dream?”
“No, silly.” She splayed her hands flat across his chest and froze.
Jett tensed at her stricken expression and sat up. “What is it, baby? What’s wrong?”
“Oh my God.” She tried to scramble off his lap, but Jett locked an arm around her waist to hold her in place. “Oh, my God.”
“What? What?”
Sydney lifted her left hand as her features distorted into shock. “It wasn’t a dream.”
Jett’s gaze slowly followed to her hand and the simple silver band that he’d purchased from an Elvis Presley impersonator.
“We’re...we’re...”
“Married,” he finished for her. Did she truly believe it had been a dream?
She blinked as if seized by a sudden case of epilepsy and her voice rose to newly discovered notes. “We—we can’t be married.” She successfully won her freedom and leapt to her feet, but wobbled for her balance. “What the hell were we thinking?”
He hesitated as he recalled the events of the previous night. Admittedly there were a few holes in his memory, but he certainly remembered Sydney asking
him
to marry her.
Sydney raced from the bed and began picking up her clothes that were scattered across the room.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“What does it look like?” She snatched one of her shoes off the top of the television set. “Married? Me? Us?”
Jett winced but tried not to read too much into her statement.
“I mean we hardly know each other,” she ranted. “You know what I mean?” Her large inquiring eyes sought his and then waited for affirmation.
He was able to give it and he was at a loss on what to do.
Sydney stopped darting about the room and eyed him suspiciously. “Why are you so quiet?”
Jett shrugged and casually leaned back against the pillows. “I just fail to see what the problem is. You asked me to marry you. I said ‘yes’ and we raced out and got married.” He slid on a smile. “If my memories serves me correct, we even consummated the marriage quite a few times, too.”
“
I
asked you?”
“You were adorable, too.” He winked.
She stared at him as if he’d lost his mind.
“C’mon.” He shrugged again and climbed out of bed. “Being married to me isn’t the worst thing in the world.”
“How could we get married without a license?” she asked, ignoring his last statement.
“You made sure we got one of those, too.”
She looked faint. “I need to sit down.”
Jett took the fact that she hadn’t succeeded in fleeing the suite as a good sign. “Frankly, I think we should upgrade to the honeymoon suite,” he joked.
“This isn’t funny,” she mumbled and hid her face behind her hands. “We have to find a judge or something.”
Her words were like a punch in the gut. “If that’s what you want to do...”
Sydney jerked her head up and glanced over at him. “What I want to do? That’s the only thing to do, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, sure. Of course.” This time, he glanced around and began gathering his stuff.
She watched him. “Are you upset?”
“No,” he barked a little too loud. “I’m going to jump in the shower.” Without another word, he walked into the bathroom and slammed the door.
Sydney jumped and stared at the door. She listened as the water came on in the shower. The need to go to him was nearly overpowering, but the truth of the matter was she was scared.
She had never been in a serious relationship in her life. Her career had been all she lived and breathed. Now, she was with a man who obviously affected her thinking.
I proposed to him?
Maybe she did remember something like that. She was on a roll at the craps table and—she shook her head.
What the hell was I doing playing craps?
She glanced down at her hand and stared at the simple silver band. “Love me tender, love me sweet, never let me go,” she sang softly and then realized what she was doing.
Married?
A smile fluttered across her lips. As she allowed the reality to settle in, it didn’t seem so outrageous as it did ten minutes ago. The idea of Jett belonging to her or she belonging to him sent a nice little thrill through her.
She remained on the bed while her thought chased each other in circle in her head. Next, she analyzed her emotions, but there were too many. Jett challenged her, annoyed her, and even angered her. Yet at the same time, he was funny, cheesy, intelligent, sexy, sensitive, a great kisser—and damn good in bed.
She cared for him.
She liked him—no, that wasn’t right. What she felt was much deeper than that. Sydney glanced up at the door and finally stood from the bed. Entering the bathroom her gaze cut toward Jett’s fuzzy figure behind the shower’s glass door.
Jett kept his head low beneath the showerhead and didn’t seem to notice her entry.
My husband.
Her body tingled as she moved toward him and then opened the door. His beautiful eyes that she’d come to love smiled back at her.
“It’s about time you showed up.”
Chapter 21
“You’re what?” Steven blasted into the phone. “When...who...what in the hell were you thinking?”
Sydney held the receiver away from her ear but had no trouble hearing her brother rant and rave. “Look I know you’re upset-”
“Me? What do you think this is going to do to mom?”
She didn’t have to think too hard for that answer, her impromptu marriage would devastate her mother.
“You’re her only daughter,” Steven reminded her-as though she’d forgotten. “She’s been planning your marriage since you were in diapers.”
“I know. I know.” She glanced around the empty hotel suite. Jett volunteered to retrieve the overnight bag from her car. He’d only been gone for a few minutes and already she missed him.
“Who in the hell did you marry? Please say not some bum you found on the street.”
“That’s not funny.”
“Good. I wasn’t trying to be.”
A long pause hung in the air and Sydney figured it was safe to place the phone back against her ear.
“Well?” her brother asked. “Who is he?”
“His name is James Colton.”
“Colton. Colton. Why does that name sound familiar?”
Sydney cleared her throat. “Lt.
Jett
Colton.”
“The
asshole
that kissed you a couple of months ago in class?”
She shrugged and fidgeted with the phone cord. “He’s not an asshole.” The last thing Sydney expected was the sudden roar of laughter. “Stop. It’s not funny.”
“Oh, yes it is,” Steven argued through his mirth. “I don’t know this guy, but I have to respect his game.”
“You’re doing your male bonding thing a little early, aren’t you?”
“Seems to me I’m late.”
“Fine. Fine.” She rolled her eyes in annoyance. “Chuckle it up. You’re probably just upset that I beat you to the altar. Speaking of which, when is the big day?”