“Look at you, soldier boy!” She greeted me, standing on tip toe to kiss my cheek. It had been two days since I’d seen her, and all I could think was that I’d somehow forgotten how fucking beautiful she was. Her hair was down around her shoulders, the dark blonde waves curling at the ends. She wore a simple black shirt with a low, round neckline and faded blue jeans that looked as soft as butter.
“I hope this is okay.” Stepping back, she swept a hand down her front. “I was wearing a dress, but when plans changed, I thought this might be more appropriate.”
“You look ... breathtaking.” I pulled her closer, unable to stop myself from kissing her. Her lips were soft and inviting, and they tasted faintly of strawberry. “And perfect.”
“Isn’t she gorgeous?” Leah rounded the corner, carrying Emma on her hip. The baby looked as though she was freshly bathed, her pale blonde hair damp and curling. She was dressed in one of those one-piece deals that covered her little feet, and even I had to admit she was cute. “And thanks to you being late, I had help giving the princess here her bath, since her grandma went back to California today and her daddy wasn’t home yet, either. Did you two get stuck in the same deal?”
I bit the inside of my cheek. “Kind of.” I wasn’t going to complain about Kade to his wife and sister. That would’ve been completely uncool. “Is it okay if I take Jacey with me now? I don’t want to leave you shorthanded with the kiddo there.”
Leah chuckled. “The kiddo here, as you call her, is heading to bed right now. I’m fine. You two go have fun.”
I didn’t have to be told twice. Taking Jacey’s hand, I led her to the car. “Sorry about my uniform. Once I was done, I didn’t want to waste time changing. I just wanted to get over here and pick you up.” Opening the passenger door, I stepped back to let her climb inside.
She touched my arm, right where the camouflaged material met my tanned skin. “I don’t mind a bit. You’re a soldier, Owen. It’s part of who you are.” She grinned wickedly. “Plus, you look so freaking hot in those BDUs. It just makes me want to unbutton you and see what’s underneath.”
What was underneath my uniform pants stiffened even more at her words. “I guess that’s a ringing endorsement. You know, I can wear this every time we’re together, if that’s the reaction I get.”
Jacey trailed her fingers down to my hand. “Owen, you make anything look damn good. Now get in this car and drive me to the diner. I believe I was promised chocolate chip cookies, and my mouth’s been watering ever since you said that.”
I sketched a small bow. “Absolutely, mademoiselle. Your wish is my command.”
* * *
The diner was quiet and nearly empty, just as I’d hoped. Jacey and I both decided to forego coffee for glasses of ice cold milk to go with the huge chocolate chip cookies we’d ordered.
“Oh, my God, it’s still warm from the oven.” She closed her eyes and moaned, and I was millimeters away from crawling across the table and laying my body on top of hers, kissing her until neither of us could breathe.
I cleared my throat. “Jacey, honey, if you keep making sex noises about that cookie, I can’t be responsible for what I might do. You’re making it very hard to keep my mind on anything but getting you naked.”
She tilted her head, eyes wide and innocent. “Oh, those aren’t my sex noises.” Leaning forward, she dropped her voice to a whisper. “My sex noises are much louder and much more ...” She dragged the tip of her tongue between her lips. “Explicit.”
I swallowed hard. “Jacey.”
She smiled. “Yes?”
“You’re killing me.”
Lifting her cookie, she took another bite and chewed slowly. “I’m sorry, Owen. I’ll try to be good now.” Even as she made the promise, I felt the toes of her bare foot rubbing sensuously along the backside of my calf.
Sighing, I broke off a piece of my own cookie. “Tell me more about why you moved out here to Virginia and what you’d like to do now.”
“The first part is easy,” she answered, wiping a few crumbs off her lips with the paper napkin. “As I told you the other day, Kade wants Leah to finish her degree, so he asked me if I’d consider moving in with them for a while to help with Emma.”
“That’s why he asked you. Why did you say yes?”
She twisted her napkin between her fingers. “I love working with makeup. I enjoyed the artistry of it. And I liked the people who I worked with at first. Then my client list shifted to more upscale women who wanted to look perfect instead of interesting. It was so boring. I began getting restless, and one day I lost it. I told off this lady who kept insisting that I make her look like Emma Stone. I knew right at that moment that I couldn’t do it anymore. I was done. The next day, Kade called to see if I might consider coming out here. The timing couldn’t have been better. I said yes because I’ve never lived anywhere but SoCal. I said yes because I thought I might find more options out here. I said yes because I hoped I’d find my future here.” She shook her head. “That sounds so immature, doesn’t it?”
“No.” I caught her hands in mine, squeezing gently. “It sounds like a woman who embraces adventure.”
“The second part is harder. What I want to do next is the question that keeps me up at night. I don’t know. I majored in English, but I never finished college, because my makeup gig took off. I love kids, but I don’t want to teach. I enjoy art, but I’m not talented enough in any particular medium to make that work for me.” She lifted one shoulder. “I’m at a loss. I keep waiting to find the one thing that makes me say,Aha! This is what I’ve been looking for. So far, nothing has.”
I studied her, watching the play of the artificial lights on her hair and face. “What is it that brings you joy?”
Jacey caught the corner of her lip between her teeth. “I think ... whatever I can do to show others the real beauty they possess, regardless of what they see as their faults and flaws ... that’s what makes my heart sing.” She winked at me. “Well, that and chocolate chip cookies.”
“There you have it.” I finished the last bite of my cookie. “You need a career that lets you eat cookies every day.”
“Sign me up.” She took a long drink of her milk. “Okay, that’s enough about me and my quest for the meaning of life. Let’s talk about you for a change. Tell me how you ended up at West Point.”
