Independence Day Release: Complete Army Ranger Collection
All 3 books of addictive military romance in the ARMY RANGER TRILOGY in one convenient, discounted bundle!
Here’s a “Fourth of July” teaser, from a scene when Maddy and Cory are watching (and, um, making) fireworks!
Maddy’s patio had a tall ‘privacy wall’ on each side; but, in a stroke of dumb luck, the patio faced south toward the park where, any minute now, the local fire department would treat her to a display. She positioned her chaise lounge between the walls and placed her iced tea on the ground beside her.
She stretched out on the chaise, wishing Cory could enjoy this with her. She knew that wasn’t going to happen; even if he ever agreed to watch, it would never be enjoyable for him. She felt a stab of guilt that she wasn’t with him indoors. He had the television on but she wasn’t convinced he was actually watching it; he didn’t have to tell her the volume was cranked to mask the sounds of fireworks. He was occupied/distracted—and not out getting drunk—and that was what mattered.
The first burst of lights made her forget her guilt and smile like a little kid. She really did love the Fourth of July fireworks; she’d only missed them once in her life, and that had been early in her residency. They were farther away than she’d hoped, though; by the time the sound reached her it was a muffled thump.
Some time had passed when she heard the hiss of her sliding glass door. She looked up as Cory hovered over her, then sank to his knees beside her.
Something was wrong, for him to come out here during the fireworks. She sat up. “What is it?”
“I’m sorry.” His voice was husky.
She laid back, touching his face lightly. He looked serious, but no more so than usual. How could she not forgive him when he looked at her like that?
He ran a hand up her leg. “You enjoying the fireworks?”
Cory ran his hand up her other leg, being sure to bring it suggestively close to her girly parts.
“Umm hmm…”
He ran both his hands up her sides, under her shirt until he was cupping her breasts. He leaned forward and nipped at one tip through her shirt and bra.
Her nipple responded immediately. He dipped his head, and she ran her fingers over his hair. His hands moved to the bottom of her shirt. He lifted it and kissed her stomach.
She tucked one arm behind her head as a spiderweb of color burst across the sky. Cory rolled the shirt a little higher, until it was bunched under her breasts. He ran his tongue from her belly button up the center.
Oh, she knew where he was going with this, and her pulse quickened. She shifted as he pulled the shirt above her breasts, leaving it bunched there. His breath quickened as he released the front clasp of her bra.
He brought his mouth to hers then, surprising her with the level of passion. He plunged his tongue into her mouth, demanding a response, as one hand cupped a breast roughly.
Then, just as abruptly, he ended the kiss, leaving her breathless.
He squeezed her breast, forcing the nipple to stand at attention. He blew lightly on it, then licked it. When he grazed his teeth across it she sucked in her breath sharply.
His mouth closed around her breast. She had never known a man who could get so much suction with just his mouth. The constant pull this way, then that, seemed to have a direct effect on her lower parts.
He switched breasts and gave the other his full attention, even as he snaked one hand down her belly and into her panties. Oh yes…
She shifted again to give him better access.
Good God, they were on the patio!
But that thought fled the moment his fingers found her sex. “Cory…” she breathed.
He caressed her there, and she gripped his hair as he took her higher, spiraling up, up. And all the time the lights and the sound bounced in the sky, like some benign drug trip, and she was aware of Cory’s anxiety, the tensing in his body when the thumps were louder…
He slipped a finger inside her, then two, reaching for that spot, that magical spot that would—
Her body constricted. “Ah!” She arched off the chaise as her climax hit her.
Then he was above her, yanking her panties down and off. He pushed into her in one quick thrust, then went still, his head tipped to her breast. Instinctively she clutched him to her. He began to move, above her and into her. She watched in wonder as the lights exploded behind him, making it look as if he were wearing a halo.
His pace was hard and fast, as if he were running a marathon (and maybe he was). It didn’t take long. He growled low in his throat, then gasped her name as he went rigid with his release.
He collapsed onto her, panting, his body sticky with sweat.
She ran her hands down his back side to cup his ass, and he shivered. The sky was dark now, the silence broken only by their own ragged breaths.
You’re safe here, she wanted to say.
But instead she just held him close.
