Page 51 of The Cold Ride

“They’re going to drop her off in the morning before church. We’ve got a snowstorm forecasted for tomorrow night. From what the weather channel is predicting, it’s going to be a doozy of a storm. So I think someone will be off school for a day or two.”

At my explanation, James smiled and his gaze landed on me and heated. “Understood.”

Inhaling a steadying breath, I said, “Amelia, go take your shower, baby. I’ve already packed your bag. And I’ve got some snacks for you to take with you to share.”

“Okay, Mom. This is great.” She raced down the hall to her room without a backward glance.

James swaggered over. Flutters swirled in my belly. It never failed to amaze me how much a cocky stare could make me agreeable to anything he wanted. “So that means we’re going to have all night together, just you and me?”

His dark gaze traveled down my body like a slow, lingering caress, lighting every molecule up inside me. “Yep.”

He caged me against the kitchen island. He skimmed his nose along my neck, then murmured in my ear. “Tonight’s the night then, babe. I’m going to take that ass.”

Pleasure spiraled through me. I shifted at the thought of his cock there. But I put a hand on his chest and shoved him away. We couldn’t do this with Amelia in the next room. Not that I budged him one bit. He was too solid for my slight pushing to have any effect. “Later. When it’s just the two of us.”

“She’s taking a shower.”

“And you think that will give us enough time? She’s going to be too excited to do more than a perfunctory wash. She’ll be out here in under ten minutes. You just wait.”

“I can do a lot in ten minutes,” he said in a growly bedroom voice that never failed to send tingles racing along my spine.

“Not if you want to eat tonight.”

“If we’re having pizza, we can order in. It will save time for other things.”

I pressed my thighs together to contain the throbbing. This man, with his testosterone-laden smirk, was seriously testing my willpower. “We’re not having pizza.”

“We aren’t? Then what are we having?”

“Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and peas with the pearl onions.” It was the meal he’d really wanted. And I couldn’t let him head back to base without making it for him. He’d done so much for Amelia and me.

“We... wait, really?” James’s shock quickly bled into pleasure. “You’re making that for me?”

He seemed so surprised that I would do this for him. “I told you I would. I didn’t until tonight because it’s not something Amelia would like.”

James cradled my face between his hands and kissed me with such startling ferocity I moaned. My heart tripped over itself. And I knew I still loved him. In fact, I loved him more than I did back then. More than the torch I’d been carrying for him all these years.

There’s a reason it never worked with anyone else.

Because they weren’t James.

He was the only man for me. The only one I wanted beside me. The only one I wanted a forever with. And I didn’t know if he would stay. He had to go back to base and do his duty. I knew that, and I was damn proud of him. He was loyal and braver than any man I knew.

When he was on leave, I wanted this to be the place he came home to. I wanted to be the woman he considered his. And I wanted us to be a family for real. Since he arrived, it felt like we were a family.

It wouldn’t be easy. There would be times when it would be damn hard. When I would lie awake at night praying and worrying because he was half a world away with danger all around him. But I would do it for him.

“You guys are kissing! Ew!” Amelia exclaimed and made fake gagging noises.

James finally lifted his mouth. He winked at me and then gave our kid the stink eye. “How do you think you came along, squirt?”

Amelia continued making the gagging sounds. “It’s weird and icky.”

James left me standing against the counter. He strode over to Amelia, pulled her into a bear hug, and pressed a kiss against her forehead. “You get a kiss too, squirt.”

My heart sighed. James and Amelia had really bonded. They were grinning with such love and affection it gave me hope that this could really work. Granted, Amelia had been on her best behavior since her dad had arrived. But it was a sweet moment I would remember forever.

Yet it also made me sad because I knew how badly I messed up. I should have fought harder, should have made him listen to me that day. But I didn’t. And that’s on me.

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