Unbreak My Heart (Rough Riders Legacy #1)(110)

“I didn’t mean DT and Katherine were close, I meant Katherine and Boone were close.”

“Ah.” I nodded. “I wouldn’t know that either because Boone doesn’t talk about his work in Fort Hood or who he works with.” I waited for steam to come out of her ears.

“You’re not the brightest bulb, are you?” she sneered.

“I’m perfectly bright. Here’s a thought. Since you want me to know that you f*cked Boone and your friend Katherine f*cked him too, just say it outright instead of adding in all of the bullshit and expecting me to dig through it.”

“Me and Katherine weren’t the only ones,” she retorted.

“Again, what is the point of this? To make me jealous? To make me mad? To get me to pick a fight with Boone about his past that has nothing to do with me?”

“Why don’t you just admit you’re not Boone’s girlfriend? That you’re just some random chick he brought as his date to save face.”

“Why would he need to save face?”

Her eyes lit with triumph. “Because before he left for godforsaken Wyoming or wherever, he was complaining about having to attend this party, because he’d been told by the colonel he couldn’t skip it. He said he’d just pick some random chick off the street as his date. I’m betting that’s you.”

I smiled with complete condescension. “If I’m a random chick, you think you still have a shot at him? Really? With all that you’ve told me about how very many women he’s… close to?”

“You don’t know—”

“Oh yes, I think I do. Boone f*cked you once. You wanted more, even when you were aware he’s the quintessential ‘one and done’ guy. Maybe you fantasized he’d ask you to this event. So it pissed you off that he admitted he’d rather show up with some ‘random chick off the street’…than with you or any of the other base rats who’ve hit the ‘one and done’ threshold.”

“You think you’re so smart but you don’t know shit.”

“No, you don’t know shit. So I’ll let you in on a little secret, Janell. I am Boone’s girlfriend. I was his first girlfriend and I’ll also be his last girlfriend. See, we met in godforsaken Wyoming years ago. We lost track of each other. But we found our way back to each other. So I’ll admit the irony that ‘one and done’ applies to me too—but it’s like this; I’m his only one and he’s done with everyone else. I don’t care that you f*cked him in the past. But I do care if you put your f*cking hands on him now. Because if I see you lay a single finger on him? I will come after you with everything I have because he is mine. Get that? Mine.”

Not so ballsy, now, are you Janell?

I got right in her face. “Nod your head if you understand.”

“Yeah. I get it.”

“Good. Feel free to pass that around to any of your fellow base rats who have visions of Sergeant West’s combat boots under their bed.”

She practically ran away.

Right then I believed that blood could actually boil; mine rushed hot and fast and angry. My lungs were heaving. My heart raced.

I needed that glass of water. With a goddamned Crown chaser.

Strong arms circled me from behind, trapping me.

Boone buried his face in my hair. His body shook.

I turned my head toward his and hissed, “Are you laughing at me, you rat bastard?”

“No. Never. Jesus. I’m…” His lips found my ear through my tangle of hair. “I heard what you said to her.”

“And?”

“And I’m so f*cking hot for you right now that it’s taking every ‘deflect combat’ maneuver I ever learned to stop me from dragging you the f*ck out of here.”

“Oh.”

“Two hours. Then we’re gone.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”





“I almost rented a limo to pick us up after the party,” I murmured in Sierra’s ear as she slipped the keycard in the door.

“Why?”

“That’d be a classier way to fulfill your car sex fantasy that you keep bugging me about.”

Once we were inside the room, Sierra pushed me against the door and cupped my cheek in her hand. “What is going on in that head of yours, soldier? Why would you think a limo would matter to me?”

“Because sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever feel worthy of you.”

“How ironic. Because sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever feel like I deserve you.”

We watched one another.

“You deserve a man who celebrates everything about you that is uniquely you.” I turned my head and kissed the base of her thumb. “A man who loves you like you are the sunshine that fills his days and the moon glow that fills his nights.”

“How lucky I am that you are that man.” She placed her hand over my heart. “I love that I’m the only woman you’ve ever deemed worthy enough to share this poetic, romantic, utterly sweet side of yourself with.”

“I didn’t know it was there until you brought it out in me.”

“Show me without words.”

No idea why my nerves kicked in. I knew what Sierra wanted in bed; I’d become an expert at giving it to her. Hard, fast, dirty, greedy. Sometimes sweet and slow. Sometimes funny but always frequent.