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“Do what?”
“Kiss me,” she said softly.
“Two reasons. One, it seemed like the right thing to do at the time. Two, it was the only thing I could control.” His lips twisted, and he shook his head. “Except it backfired.”
Londyn frowned. “How so?”
He gave her a weak smile. “Now, I don’t even have control over my response to that kiss. All I want to do is kiss you again. Please, get in the truck before my lack of control results in yet another kiss.”
Londyn’s breath hitched in her chest. Every muscle, every nerve and every inclination urged her to follow through with her initial instinct. She leaned up on her toes, wrapped her hand behind the back of his neck and pulled his face closer. When her lips met his, she felt a shocking combination of raw desire and the feeling of having come home.
Nash sat in the passenger seat on the drive over to the ranch where the cattle drive would be filmed. He remained on high alert, aware of his surroundings at all times. More disturbing, he was aware of Londyn in the seat beside him. The scent of her shampoo wafted in the air. The feel of her lips against his lingered in his senses. How—in two days—could one woman get under his skin so completely?
Maybe the act of brushing her hair the night before was where it began. Unlike brushing his little sisters’ hair, working the tangles out of Londyn’s had been anything but brotherly. Her thick black hair, as much a part of her heritage as her high cheekbones and richly toned skin, had him thinking about how her black hair would look spread across a white pillowcase or cascading over her naked shoulders.
He’d had a major boner by the time he’d finished. Just thinking about running his hands through her hair had his groin tightening all over again.
He stared at the wide-open expanse of prairie land stretched before them. Places like this brought a calm he hadn’t felt in a long time. He could get used to this.
“What made you decide to join the Army?” Londyn asked, breaking the silence stretching between them.
“My stepfather. I had a huge amount of respect for the man. He deployed often, but when he came home, he didn’t try to take over from my mother. He shared the household chores, setting an example for us kids. He was strong and proud of his country and his contribution to protecting it and his family. I wanted to be like him.”
“He sounds amazing.” She stared at the road ahead. “I never knew my father. Thankfully, Gramps filled that hole in my life.” She sighed. “I grew up wanting to be like him. I miss him.”
“The thing about losing someone you care about is that you don’t ever lose them completely,” Nash said. “They’re always with you in your heart and in your memories.”
Londyn glanced his way, a frown denting her forehead. “Do you still have your parents?”
Nash grinned. “I do. Now that they’re empty-nesters, they sold their house, bought a motorhome and travel the country.”
“Where are they now?” Londyn asked.
Nash tilted his head, his eyes narrowing. “I think they were headed for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan this week. They’re making their way through all the national parks, concentrating on the ones up north during the summer, then moving south for the winter.”
“And your sisters? Where are they now?”
“Maddie lives in Seattle, working for a high-tech firm. She and her fiancé are getting married in December. They wanted a winter wedding in Whistler, Canada. Juju.” Nash chuckled. “Juliet. She hates being called Juju. She lives in San Diego with her Navy SEAL husband and has her own travel agency. She’s been all over the world, and she’s only twenty-seven.”
“What about sister number three?”
“Mona and I were the most alike. We were both into sports, and both of us wanted to follow in our father’s footsteps. I enlisted as soon as I graduated high school. She was always the smarter one. She went to college, joined ROTC and entered the Army as a Second Lieutenant. Where I learned how to jump out of helicopters and airplanes, she learned how to fly them. She kicks ass as a pilot.”
“You’re very proud of your family,” Londyn noted.
He smiled. “Damn right, I am.”
“As much as you love your family, I’m surprised you don’t have a family of your own.” She shot a glance his way. “At least, I assume you don’t.”
His lips twisted. “I don’t.”
“Why not?” she asked. “You can tell me to mind my own business. It won’t hurt my feelings. It’s really none of my business.”
“It’s okay,” he said. “I married a woman I met in Basic Combat Training. We were young, stupid and didn’t know what we were doing. Since neither one of us had much rank, the Army didn’t make it a priority to station us together. We spent the first two years of our married life apart. When I was deployed to the Middle East, she met a man who wasn’t in the military. She asked for a divorce.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not. We weren’t ready for commitment. We were so young we ended up outgrowing each other.” He shrugged. “We still stay in touch. She got out of the Army, had four kids and is happily teaching fifth-graders.”
