SomedayMyGoodOleBoyWillCome Read online

  Jacey sidestepped to walk past him and he just stood there, bathed by the faint light from the porch. She needed time to regroup and gather her defenses. And this talk needed to just be over.

  You know it isn’t because you still have to tell him he is a daddy. The daddy of your child. Your child together, got that, Ms. Thing? TOGETHER, T—O—G—E—T—H—E—R, TOGETHER!

  Damn her conscious for talking.

  * * * *

  Derek was at a complete loss for ideas on how to pursue her from his current position. Jacey was the one, the only one, for him.

  As a young adult he had recognized that his feelings for Honey’s best friend had changed greatly. When he would see her, his hands got all sweaty and her warm beauty aroused him like nothing else could. It thrilled him to notice her secretly watching him when she believed no one would see her stolen glances. Many a childhood scar was acquired trying to secretly impress her ever watchful gaze.

  Jacey had been his first real crush and he got it at age fifteen. Over the years, after she had left Leeburg with her family, Derek found his mind would often wander to her memory. He wondered how she had changed in those years.

  The Corps had been an escape for him. Embarrassed by the way he had humiliated her, he felt a deep pain and the need to attempt to alleviate his guilt—plus there was the desire to get away from Leeburg. Derek hoped that the Marine Corps would give him that opportunity and allow him to let her memory go.

  Let her go. Let her go. His mind chanted.

  No!

  He couldn’t.

  He wouldn’t. Ever.

  Jacey Damia Thompson was the other half of his soul. She was the one who illuminated the darkness—his darkness, the inky blackness he had been surrounded by until that one amazing night spent with a woman in an Atlanta hotel. Waking alone, that darkness had returned to his life, but at least there was a guiding light of hope for he knew now there was a woman out there who made his world bearable.

  That darkness lifted upon hearing two simple little words: Hello, Derek. Like the beacon light from a lighthouse that shows ships the way through the night, those words brought the power of the sun back into his life.

  He loved her.

  She completed him.

  He could never let her go.

  The air sizzled with tension as Jacey moved past him. Inches barely separated them, and if you listened hard enough you could hear the crackling energy. One step past him and Derek made a decision.

  A decision that would forever change both of their lives. Their destinies were entwined. Separate they may have been strong, but they were unfulfilled. Together…they were one and would be unbeatable. He now realized that very fact and accepted it. Derek just had to convince Jacey.

  Therein lay the problem. Everything he had heard about her over the years bordered on headstrong, tenacious, and willful to name a few. Not to mention she was a Marine, known for being stubborn. So I have an uphill battle, because if I know Jacey, even if she does realize this right off, she will still fight it with every fiber in her. This princess of mine doesn’t like to admit when she is wrong.

  Before one step could turn into two, Derek placed an ironclad hold onto Jacey’s arm, effectively stopping her.

  “What?” Her whole body tensed beneath his touch.

  “This talk isn’t done.”

  “Yes. It. Is.” She spat each word.

  “Humph. Not by a long shot, Jacey. And you want to know why?”

  “Enlighten me.” She jerked her arm free from his touch and absently began to rub her arm as if she could remove the feel of his touch.

  How could she not see it? “Because we are bound together. We are connected by an undeniable and unbreakable bond.” The simple words were uttered in a surprisingly soft tone. Gentle even.

  “More than you know,” Jacey muttered under her breath. Derek heard her and his heart jumped as he realized that she too felt the bond.

  “I’ll let you go for the moment, Jace. Sleep well, my beautiful one, my princess.” With the utmost care Derek placed his lips on top of hers, which were still swollen from his earlier kiss. This kiss was so gentle it wouldn’t have hurt a raindrop. She melted into him and he nearly took it to the next level.

  All too soon he backed away from her. Wanting so much more of her. No other woman had ever come close to affecting him like this.

  “Goodnight, Derek,” she whispered as she headed back to the rickety steps to the old farmhouse. By the time Jacey and Derek—who had followed her back in—reentered the kitchen, Honey, Carson, and Uncle Frank had reclaimed their seats around the table.

  He knew that their actions had been witnessed by the other Mosers, but he wasn’t going to say anything about it and hopefully neither would they.

  “How’s Caleb?” Honey’s question broke through the tension.

  “He’s doing wonderful. Can’t wait to come down here, that’s for sure.”

  At the mere mention of Caleb, Derek’s whole body tensed up. After what they just shared, she was still into this Caleb guy? How was it possible if he knew Jacey felt their connection?

  “Caleb’s coming here?” Derek, along with everyone else, heard the animosity in his question.

  “Yes, he is my date for the wedding.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “I think you will like him,” Jacey continued.

  Not likely. “I’m sure I will,” he ground out from clenched teeth.

  “Well, I have to get some sleep. I’m exhausted and morning will come three hours earlier for me. So goodnight.” Jacey kissed Uncle Frank, Auntie Ro, and smiled at the other two men before walking out of the kitchen and heading for Honey’s room.

  Chapter Seven

  Jacey groaned with relief as she took off her heels. Opening one bag, she pulled out a black tank top and a pair of camouflage boxers. Finally comfortable, she folded up her clothes and put them in the bag she brought to hold dirty clothes.

  Jacey had just finished when Honey came in. In the dim light she could see the question in Honey’s eyes. “I can’t explain it, Honey, so please don’t ask.”

  A sly grin covered her friend’s face. “Hey, I don’t have a problem with it, I think it is awesome. Shelby might, but I don’t. Carson might, but I don’t.” White teeth flashed as she clapped her hands together with glee. “I can’t believe it, you and Derek. That was like your biggest fantasy. So was it worth the wait? How was that kiss? It looked hot.”

  “There is no me n’ Derek.”

  “Rriighht,” Honey drawled in disbelief. “According to what we saw, apparently someone didn’t let y’all two in on that news flash.”

  “Honey,” Jacey’s warning came.

  “I mean hellllooo, there was enough heat between you two out there to cook up a big ole batch of shine. Either that or run the electricity in the house for the next year, I’m not sure which.”

  Whack!

  The pillow came out of nowhere and hit Honey square in the face, and the pillow fight had begun. Just like when they were teens they battled back and forth, exchanging blows and laughing so hard the tears came. It was close to one o’clock when the two exhausted friends finally succumbed to the lure of the sandman.

  Four hours later, Jacey woke to the crow of a rooster. Rolling her head to the side allowed her to see that Honey still slept, but her dreams appeared unpleasant and harsh. It didn’t look too peaceful, whatever she dreamt about.

  Silent as the night had retreated, Jacey got out of bed and walked to the window. Already the humidity made her feel sticky. “Gotta love Georgia in July,” she whispered to the morning. Stopping in the bathroom briefly, Jacey then padded barefoot to the kitchen.

  It was no surprise to find Auntie Ro already up, greeting her with a kind smile and a hot cup of java.

  “Morning, shug.”

  “Morning, Auntie Ro,” she kept her voice at a whisper. “What are you doing up?” She pressed a kiss to her forehead as she pulled out a chair to sit down.

  “The q
uestion, young lady, is what are you? I heard you two last night. A pillow fight, at your ages?” Auntie Ro had one eyebrow arched in question.

  Jacey bit her lip and grinned apologetically. “Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you.”

  “Don’t worry about it. It does this old heart good to hear laughter like that inside these walls again.”

  “Why are you up this early, Ro?”

  “I was going to begin breakfast. So it is ready at seven when everyone else gets up. Besides, this is my favorite time of day.”

  “Well good, than you sit and enjoy it. I’ll start breakfast when I get back.”

  “No, you are a guest.”

  “No! I am family.” Jacey nodded her head in deference. “With all due respect.”

  Aurora grinned. “Right you are. Very well, I will just go sit on the porch and enjoy my coffee. Am I allowed to keep you company in the kitchen?”

  “Of course. I will be back by six.” Jacey set down her empty mug and slipped on her tennis shoes. “Thanks for the coffee, Auntie Ro, it hit the spot.” With a quick kiss for the elder Moser, she headed out through the screened-in porch and out into the early morning. After a few limbering stretches and a stop to her car to retrieve a bag, Jacey made her way over to a grove of trees for her workout.

  ♠

  “Morning, Derek, there’s a cup of coffee already poured waiting for you,” she called out to him the moment he walked into the kitchen.

  Auntie Ro never ceased to amaze him. “Mornin’, Auntie Ro.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead as he sat down in front of his coffee. “Lovely day.”

  “Seems to be so far.”

  They sat in companionable silence for about three minutes when Aurora began stirring her almost gone coffee. The clanking of the spoon against the porcelain mug made Derek jump and look up at her. She sat there, baldly watching him, waiting until he looked up. The noise had been intentional.

  “For such a ‘lovely day’ you seem to be up awfully early. Something must be plaguin’ you awful fierce. I rarely see you before seven. Something on your mind you wish to share with me?”

  “Just couldn’t sleep, that’s all.” He averted his gaze.

  “Humph. Must be in the air, ’cause not twenty minutes ago Jacey went outside.” Derek’s whole body went on alert at that bit of info. “’Course, she didn’t say much to me either. I guess I’m not who she needs to talk to.” Her eyes left her coffee cup and met Derek’s briefly as she pushed her plump body away from the table.

  One quick refill from the coffee pot and she headed to the porch where she would rest on the swing and continue her morning ritual. One hand on the door, she paused to add, “She will be back by six o’clock but I guess if one were to go look for her, the grove would be a good place to start.” Auntie Ro then left Derek alone.

  Thirty seconds later he was on his way to the grove.

  Derek set off at an easy jog towards the grove. He was expecting something, nothing—hell, he didn’t know—all he did know was whatever he had been thinking hadn’t prepared him for the scene he walked in on.

  In front of him was a woman that blew his mind. Jacey. At the present she hung from a rope on the tree—well, not really. She’d tied a rope around a thick limb with a loop at the end. Off the ground about fifteen feet, as in she had to climb the tree to get to the rope and lower herself that way. Her hand was twisted in the loop, holding her off the ground.

  Her legs were crossed at the ankles and her knees were held up to her stomach. She was doing one-armed pull-ups. She currently used her entire body weight as an opposing force and counter weight to build resistance and strength.

  She looked up, gave a shake of her head, then reached up with her other arm and began walking up the rope until she’d pulled herself onto the top of the limb. For a moment she straddled the branch while she deftly untied the knot so the rope would fall to the ground. Moments later, she swung down and landed gracefully yet silently on the ground before him. The woman never even flinched when she hit the ground.

  His mind sucked up everything she offered. He eagerly took in her flat stomach with the six-pack, peeking out from under the tank top that had crept up during her jump down. Firm breasts that were surrounded by the black fabric of her tank top. Her arms were full of strength, and yet it didn’t take away from her femininity. She was all woman. Hell, she was his woman and he aimed to keep her.

  Derek’s gaze moved downward. She wore a pair of shorts that beautifully accented her long, firm legs. Jacey had never looked better; her body was covered in a fine sheen of sweat, making it glisten in the morning sun.

  Brushing a loose strand of hair out of her face, Jacey took a deep breath and spoke, “Good morning, Derek.”

  “What in the hell were you doing up there? Don’t you know you could have fallen and gotten hurt?” He raged. So much for being calm and collected. One minute in her presence and he wanted to protect her. After he beat her for scaring him.

  “I’m fine, thanks,” she continued as if he had asked her how she was doing. Jacey reached into her bag and pulled out a towel to wipe off her face. Then she took a drink from a bottle of water. “And how are you?”

  “What were you doing?” Anger seemed to be the only way he was able to keep his desire under control.

  The water was forgotten as flames grew in her eyes. “Working out. Look, Derek, why do you have to make this so hard?”

  “Something’s hard.” All his anger melted away as he looked into burning eyes.

  For a moment Derek saw lust flare up in her gaze at his words, before she managed to get herself back under control.

  “Don’t be like this. Derek, we need to talk and get the air clear between us. Way too much tension. I don’t want everyone talking about it, not to mention I don’t want Caleb to see it.”

  “Caleb!” he spat. “You’re more concerned with him than me? Than with what is between us?”

  “He is my first concern.”

  “How can you say that when I know you feel whatever it is between us? It is—”

  Jacey held up her hand in the signal that he recognized as “quiet.” And it worked for he fell silent.

  She glanced at her watch and picked up her bag, shouldering it before she began again. “Derek, please.” If her hand signal hadn’t shut him up, her husky pitch saying please would have. Something in her tone told him she really needed him to do just that. So he did.

  Dark molten pools looked at him as she continued. “It’s just too much for me to constantly be on guard around you. We both feel this attraction, yes. I can’t deny that and I won’t. But I am here for Honey’s wedding; if she hadn’t asked me to come then we wouldn’t be in this situation.” She shifted her feet, as if wanting to be anywhere but there.

  “Hell, we would still be known to each other as Jack and Eric, nothing more than memories. I need to tell you something and I just need a bit more time. I’m sorry, but until I find a way to say this to you can we just dispense with the whole ‘getting back together thing’? I want to be able to be in a room with you and not…” Jacey trailed off not knowing how to continue.

  Derek smiled. “Not jumping each other? Being able to act like civilized adults?”

  “Yes. Exactly. You do understand.”

  “Understand, yes. Don’t like it, but I do understand. At least you aren’t telling me to stay away from you.” He tried for a small grin.

  “No. Besides, I hear you are with Shelby and I don’t want to create any waves.”

  “Princess, the second you drove back into Leeburg you began to create waves. Trust me on that one. Don’t worry about Shelby.” He bore his eyes into hers doing his best to show her without words he was dead serious about picking up where they left off.

  “I’m not worried about her.”

  “Right. All you have to do is say the word, you know that.” Even if you don’t verbally say the word, princess, it doesn’t matter. There can never be another woman for me.

  Jac
ey didn’t even pretend to misunderstand. “Walk with me, I have to go back and start breakfast. I need to make sure that you don’t tell anyone about our time together.”

  Hot anger lanced Derek again. “I know, you are with Caleb. I get it,” he snapped.

  Jacey nudged him, half friendly, half admonishing. “I was talking about our time together before Atlanta. You need to keep that quiet.”

  “Why couldn’t I find you afterward? You aren’t in any Recon group.”

  “I shouldn’t tell you this, but since you were there and know who I am, I will. But this is not to go farther than us. Understand?”

  “Of course, just between us.” And he didn’t mean just the talk she referred to, he also meant the physical.

  “You’re right. I’m not in Marine Recon. If you had my name, which you do now, and checked on me in the Corps, you would find that I am in a special administration unit. We go around to different bases and do security work.”

  “Admin?” He shook his head. “No way. Security? Is that what you call it?”

  “That is and will always be the official story.” Her endless gaze cut over to meet his stare.

  He stopped walking as dawning settled in, and he reached out towards her but not touching. “You’re in Spec Ops. That’s why you don’t exist.”

  “Yes.” Her gaze never wavered from his in the slightest.

  “Can you tell me which one?”

  She shook her head. “We don’t exist. I’m sorry, that’s all I can give you.”

  “How can you do that?”

  “I love what I do, the rush I get from it. I don’t know if I can explain it, and I’m good at it.”

  “I understand what you mean. Well, I know that you are good at it. You saved my ass out there and those of our unit.”

  “We all did. It wasn’t just me.”

  “You were the one I was following. Gladly, I might add.” He winked at her and added in response to her scowl, “You didn’t say anything about not flirting.”