Free Impulsive (The Soldier's Firm Hand) by Amity Wilde Page B

passion.
    Deep inside, he seemed to grow and fill me until I could barely stand it. His hips struck my tender thighs as he plunged into me. So close. My breath came in rapid pants, legs trembling.
    “More,” I gasped. “Give me more.”
    His response was a harsh growl before he put a hand on my shoulder and took me with a wild ferocity that was nearly feral. I cried out at the intensity, and again when his other hand landed on my bottom with a smack that I felt reverberating in every last corner of my body.
    That unexpected sting of pain dropped into me like the last piece of a puzzle, and I exploded around him with an ecstatic cry. He moaned as my velvety channel pulsed around him, pulling him deeper and squeezing tight.
    Jared’s hands dug into my waist as he gave in to my body’s primal urgings for his own orgasm. With one last plunge, he clutched me tight and emptied himself within me. His throbbing release felt like a second heartbeat in my core, and I was shocked by how much I wished I could’ve felt him fully, skin to skin.
    This was more than just good sex. I’d been right to worry about losing my heart to him, because in only a few short days, Jared had managed to turn my life upside down and make me long for a future very different from the lonely track I’d been on.
    Afterwards, cradled in his arms, I whispered, “Is it too soon to say I think I could love you?” I tensed, afraid my impulsive moment of honesty would leave me vulnerable to rejection.
    He kissed the top of my head, quiet, but not letting me go or pushing me away. “It was never too soon, kitten, because I think I was already a goner when you fell at my feet.”

Epilogue
    *** Jared ***
    “W hat do you think, are you next?” Grant fiddled with his tie as they stood at the altar, waiting for Janie to emerge and walk down the aisle.
    Jared grunted noncommittally, but standing there in front of their friends and family, he had to admit that it was hard not to imagine being in his brother’s place. They hadn’t made any plans yet officially, but he knew without a doubt that Lauren was the woman for him. It was just a matter of timing, and figuring out how to make it work with their very different lives.
    And hoping she’d say yes.
    The three months they'd spent apart while he was in training had felt like forever. He’d only been home for a couple of days now, and they still hadn’t spoken alone more than once or twice since she came into town for the wedding. The bachelor party, rehearsals and an endless stream of errands his mother assured him were essential had been eating up every spare minute.
    Admittedly, the few times he had managed to drag her aside were infinitely better than the email and the video calls they’d been making do with, but he’d hoped Grant’s wedding would give them a chance to reconnect, not just pass each other in the hall on their separate duties. How many things did you really have to photograph? In ten years was anyone going to care that they’d documented some of this stuff?
    Not that he said that to the bride. He’d seen what had happened when his father had suggested not needing matching tuxedos.
    The music started, the doors at the back of the church opened, and while everyone else was oohing and ahhing over the bride, Jared only had eyes for a certain photographer that was flitting around like a butterfly in a garden full of flowers.
    Lauren snapped a picture of him and Grant, and for a moment their gazes met over her camera and everything stopped. She smiled shyly and looked away, quickly going back to work but leaving him choked up.
    Jared coughed and stood up straight, trying to hang onto the shreds of his dignity.
    “Oh yeah, welcome to the club. You’re doomed, bro.” Grant whispered.
    He smiled and spoke through his teeth. “Shut up, squirt, or I’ll have those pictures I took at your bachelor party added to the album. I happen to have an in with the photographer.”
    “Go right ahead.