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]. You can also find her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter!