The Officer Breaks the Rules (23 page)

“And the other?”

He gave her a knowing smile. “I thought that was obvious. No? Maybe I shouldn’t be
surprised, since I kind of botched shit up with us before.”

“Kind of?” Madison placed her hands on her hips, starting to resemble the spitfire
he knew and loved.

“Okay, totally. I screwed up. But I’m male. It’s in our DNA to screw up. Just like
it’s in the female DNA to forgive us our transgressions. So, you have to forgive me.”

“Have to, huh?” Taking a few steps forward, she stopped just in front of him. “Go
ahead and spell it out for me. What’s the other important thing?”

“You. You’re the important thing. I love you. I’ve loved you longer than I ever wanted
to admit, because it was terrifying to acknowledge that and know it would never go
anywhere. But we can. I know you are set on staying in the Navy. If it’s what you
want, I will be there for you one hundred percent.”

One corner of her lips tilted up. “You won’t feel bitter, following me around when
I change duty stations? Waiting back here if I deploy?”

“Please. Will I get to do this whenever I want to?” Taking a chance, he reached around
her back, hauled her to him, and kissed her until he had to catch his own breath.

She arched her back and looked up at him. “Anytime you want.”

“Then I’m good.” He kissed her again, not caring when a group of chatty nurses who
hovered by the side door for a smoke break giggled.

Madison wrapped her arms around him, breaking off the kiss and burying her face in
his shirt. “I missed you.”

“Missed you too, Mad.” Careful to not ruin her work-required bun, his fingers caressed
the back of her neck. “Are you going to say it back?”

“Say what back?” she asked, laughter in her voice. He squeezed her nape a little and
she squealed. “Okay, okay!” She looked back up at him. “I love you.”

He kissed her again, gently, fleetingly. “I love you too.” God, it felt good to say
it out loud.

“You don’t expect me to move into that hellhole of an apartment, do you? Not even
a woman’s touch could salvage that place.”

He chuckled. “No, I don’t. We’ll talk about it later.”

“Later?” she asked hopefully.

“Much later. Far as I’m concerned, we’ve got a forever’s worth of later.”

“Sounds good to me.”

From
The Officer Says “I Do,”
available now from Sourcebooks Casablanca

Chapter 1

Timothy O’Shay was positive of one thing.

He would be dragging his friends’ drunken asses out of a ditch before morning if things
progressed the same way the rest of the night.

“Twenty!” Dwayne crooned next to him. Whenever D drank, his southern accent only became
thicker until it was all twang. If someone wasn’t careful, they could easily take
Dwayne for an idiot. Big mistake.

“Twenty-one. Sorry, sir,” the blackjack dealer said in a monotone voice before sweeping
a crestfallen Dwayne’s chips away.

Somewhere else in the casino, a siren alerted to a slot machine winner. The sound
seemed to rub the loss in Dwayne’s face as he scowled more.

“You’re going to lose everything you have on the last night in Vegas,” Jeremy warned.
Not drunk, but plenty buzzed, he seemed to be slowly working his way toward the hammered
side of life.

Since Tim had zero intention of using his last night of pre-deployment leave on babysitting
their drunk asses—again—he shoved Dwayne until he tumbled out of the chair. “Grab
some food to soak up the keg in your stomach. I’m not hauling you around by your shirt
collar for what’s left of leave.”

Tim loved his friends like brothers. Meeting them in The Basic School was the best
thing that had happened to him, to all of them. But often their fondness for free-for-all
fun led to more problems than good times. Tim’s tendency toward moderation and keeping
a cool head kept them out of hot water more than once.

“Tim, let me borrow a few more bucks.”

“And watch you lose my cash as fast as you lost yours? Hell no.” Tim made another
modest bet and watched as he broke even with the dealer. Unlike Dwayne and Jeremy,
Tim was about to leave Vegas with the exact amount of cash he entered it with. Moderate
play and moderate drinking ensured he never played too deep.

Moderate. The story of his life. Hard to shake the “play it safe” feeling when your
entire life in the Marines consisted of just that. But then again, if he wasn’t willing
to play nanny to the two boobs he came with, they’d all be knee-deep in shit.

“Bet your own cash, then. It’s our last night,” Jeremy reminded him as he doubled
down on his next hand.

“I am betting my money, Jer. And I’m doing just fine without a drunken Statler and
Waldorf in my ear.”

“Statler and who?” Dwayne asked.

“The Muppet hecklers, you idiot,” Jeremy shot back.

“Both of you knock it off,” Tim started. “I’m not going to—”

He cut off, turning his head to follow a woman who passed behind the table, headed
toward the slots. She was tall, her head high, and she floated more than walked. A
thick mass of chestnut curls rioted down her back, almost covering her bare shoulders.

“Tim. Earth to Timmy.” Jeremy waved a hand in front of his face.

Tim slapped it away and snapped, “What?”

“You’re daydreaming and the dealer’s waiting.”

“Oh, sure. Right.” Trying to find the brunette again, he shoved some chips out in
front without counting. Jeremy whistled and Dwayne muttered a curse, but he didn’t
take his eyes away from the hunt. She must have slipped down an aisle of slots.

And why did he care? One woman, one night. In the end it amounted to nothing.

“Congratulations, sir.”

“Holy shit,” Jeremy breathed next to him.

Dwayne slapped his shoulder. “That was some playing, bro.”

Huh? Tim looked down and saw that instead of his normal modest bets, he’d shoved almost
three hundred dollars in for the hand. And won.

Holy shit indeed. He could have lost three hundred dollars and never even realized
it. A cocktail waitress bent over to hand Dwayne the whiskey he’d ordered. Tim grabbed
the glass first and tossed the drink back. The burn down his throat only ignited the
adrenaline that was blazing low in his gut.

One shot wouldn’t kill him. He wouldn’t lose control from one shot.

“Do it again,” Dwayne encouraged. His friend was starting to sound less sloppy, more
like his normal good ole country boy self.

“Are you crazy?” Tim asked. “I could have lost that entire thing!” And why, when the
thought should have been a cold wake-up call, did the fear thrill him, just a little?

“That’s why it’s called gambling,” Jeremy pointed out. “Don’t be a pussy. Do it again.”

“You two are nuts.”

Jeremy grabbed his wrist in a tight grip. “If you lose, I’ll pay you back every penny,”
he muttered in a low voice.

“What the hell has gotten into you?” Tim started to scrape his chips into the palm
of his hand. Maybe he could catch up with the hot brunette before she got too far
away. Playing all or nothing wasn’t his style. Never had been. Measured risks made
him a good officer and kept his ass out of trouble.

“Place your bets, gentlemen,” the dealer intoned over the clang of another winning
alarm bell somewhere in the slots section. Where his anonymous woman had disappeared
to. Where he was heading.

“You have spent the entire trip playing nanny. And don’t pretend you haven’t.”

“Someone has to,” Tim grumbled. And yeah, it grated just a little that even if he
wanted to have fun, it wouldn’t be possible. Not with his two friends always being
the first to sign up for Party Mascot.

“And we love you for it. But it just occurred to me that while you’re babysitting,
you’re not having as much fun.” Jeremy took the glass of Jack and Coke and pushed
it in front. When Tim stared at him, he motioned to the glass. Tim took a sip, then
a gulp.

“Place your bets.” The request was more forceful.

“Hold on,” Jeremy shot back, then faced Tim. “Do this. You’re my best friend. You
need to live. For one fucking night, stop thinking about what can go wrong. We have
seven months in Afghanistan to worry about that. Have fun and let go. Don’t be a pussy;
just go for it.”

Let go. It sounded like heaven. And really, if Jeremy was going to pay him back, was
it really that much of a risk? For one night, he could act a fool like his friends
normally did and worry about the consequences later.

He took all of one second to debate. He stole Dwayne’s shot of tequila, ignoring Dwayne’s
protests, and tossed it back, adding to the burn of whiskey. Then he shoved his pile
of chips forward.

“All in.”

Another book, another set of acknowledgments. These things always scare me, as I worry
about forgetting people. So to you, those I forget and regret not listing, you are
first. Thank you, for whatever you have done to help me get to this point! I’m sure
you know who you are.

My family, you are all amazing. Your support is rivaled by none, and a writer (or
a woman) could not be more lucky.

My husband must get an extra-special nod in here for taking me to the gun range and
showing me how to shoot a pistol. The man has the patience of a saint. (Also? It turns
out I’m not a terrible shot. Just so you know…)

My critique group, you are all a bunch of angels. And my critique partner in crime,
Keri Ford, thank you for helping me put my best foot forward.

Emmanuelle, you’re unbelievable. And to the team at Sourcebooks, from cover art to
promo to my editor Deb… you guys have been wonderful.

Lastly, as always, all mistakes are mine and mine alone. I’m pretty sure there shouldn’t
be any. I ordered them all removed. But, you know, just in case…

Jeanette Murray is a contemporary romance author who spends her days surrounded by
hunky alpha heroes… at least in her mind. In real life, she’s a one-hero kind of woman,
married to her own real-life Marine. When she’s not chasing her daughter or their
lovable-but-stupid Goldendoodle around the house, she’s deep in her own fictional
world, building another love story. As a military wife, she would tell you where she
lives… but by the time you read this, she’ll have already moved. To see what Jeanette
is up to next, visit
www.jeanettemurray.com
.

SEALed with a Promise

by Mary Margret Daughtridge

Navy SEAL Caleb Delaude is as deadly as he is charming

Professor Emmie Caddington’s quiet intelligence and quirky personality intrigue him.
When he discovers that her personal connections can get him close to the man he’s
vowed to kill, will their budding relationship be nothing more than a means to revenge…or
is she the key to his salvation?

Praise for
SEALed with a Promise
:

“This story delivers in a huge way.”
—
RT Book Reviews

“A wonderful story that will have readers experiencing a whirlwind of emotions and
culminating with an awesome scene that will have your pulse pounding.” —
Romance Junkies

“What an incredibly powerful book! I laughed and sniffled, was turned on and turned
inside out.” —
Queue My Review

For more Mary Margret Daughtridge, visit:

www.sourcebooks.com

SEALed with a Ring

by Mary Margret Daughtridge

She’s got it all… except the one thing she needs most

Smart, successful businesswoman JJ Caruthers has a year to land a husband or lose
the empire she’s worked so hard to build. With time running out, romance is not an
option, and a military husband who is always on the road begins to look like the perfect
solution…

He’s a wounded hero with an agenda of his own

Even with the scars of battle, Navy SEAL medic Davy Graziano is gorgeous enough to
land any woman he wants, and he’s never wanted to be tied down. Now Davy has ulterior
motives for accepting JJ’s outrageous proposal of marriage, but he only has so long
to figure out what JJ doesn’t want him to know…

Praise for
SEALed with a Ring
:

“With a surprising amount of heart, Daughtridge makes a familiar story read like new
as the icy JJ melts under Davy’s charm during a forced marriage. The supporting cast,
including one really unattractive dog, makes Daughtridge’s latest one for the keeper
shelves.” —
RT Book Reviews
, 4 stars

For more Mary Margret Daughtridge, visit:

www.sourcebooks.com