November 5, 2013; Forever Yours/E-Novella; $0.99; 978-1-4555-5424-9
There's
nothing in the world Army Sergeant Vic Carponti loves more than his
wife and his country. Smart-mouthed and easy tempered,
he takes everything as a joke . . . except his promise to come home to
his wife, Nicole, for Christmas. As he prepares to leave for his latest
deployment into Iraq, Vic will do everything he can to shield his
beautiful, supportive wife from the realities of
war . . . and from his own darkest fears.
As a career army wife, Nicole Carponti knows just what to expect from her husband's tour of duty: loneliness, relentless worry, and a seemingly endless countdown until the moment Vic walks through the door again. But when the unthinkable happens, Nicole and Vic's bond is tested like never before and changes everything they believe to be true about the power of love and the simple beauty of being home for the holidays.
As a career army wife, Nicole Carponti knows just what to expect from her husband's tour of duty: loneliness, relentless worry, and a seemingly endless countdown until the moment Vic walks through the door again. But when the unthinkable happens, Nicole and Vic's bond is tested like never before and changes everything they believe to be true about the power of love and the simple beauty of being home for the holidays.
Excerpt
“You’re not serious.”
Carponti turned around, his shoulders
covered in flecks of red hair. “What?”
Nicole grinned as she leaned against
the door. “Garrison is going to kill you.”
“Garrison is going to love my new
hair cut. It looks just like his.”
Nicole arched one blond eyebrow.
“Except for the bright red fuzzy patch in the center of your head.”
Carponti shrugged and rubbed his hands
over his freshly shorn scalp. “I can’t wait to see what the
sergeant major says.”
“Isn’t he going to be mad?”
Carponti brushed the hair off his neck.
“We’re going to war. My hair isn’t on the list of things he’s
going to worry about.”
Nicole looked down at the pile of hair
on the floor and sighed. “Then why do it?”
Carponti smirked. “Because it’ll
get a rise out of him and I live to make his blood pressure go up.”
She laughed. “You need a hobby. Other
than blowing things up.”
He sidled across the room and hooked
his thumb into the waist of her jeans and tugged her close until
their hips met. “I have a hobby. Keeping you well satisfied.”
She sniffed but her lips curled at the
edges. “You’re going to be derelict in your duties for a while.”
“But I’ll be home soon enough and
then I’ll make up for it.”
“I think I’m going to need a
deployment boyfriend.”
He grinned wickedly. “Did you already
get one?” He backed her up against the wall, his body hard against
hers. God but she loved this man. “Can I see it?”
A slow flush crept over her face and
she tried to look away. He threaded his fingers with hers and lifted
her arms over her head. Her back arched with the movement.
“Please?” he whispered against her
lips. “That would be an awesome memory to take with me downrange.
Just think of me, alone in the middle of the desert. One visual of
you with your deployment boyfriend and it could make a lonely night
go by so much faster.”
Nicole giggled until the laugh
overwhelmed her and she was gasping for air. He released her hands
and she threaded them around his neck. She buried her face against
his throat and laughed.
“There’s something really wrong
with you,” she said when she could breathe again. “I’ll send
you a video.”
He brightened instantly. “Really?”
“Yes. And dirty letters.”
“Promise?” He nibbled along the
edge of her jaw, guiding her slowly backward toward their bed,
stacked high with his two duffle bags and all the crap he still
hadn’t packed.
But he didn’t care.
“I promise. And you’re going to be
late.” Her voice caught in her throat.
“Screw it,” he whispered. “This
is the last chance to make love to my beautiful wife before I have to
go traipsing across the desert like Lawrence of Arabia.” He nibbled
at her earlobe while his hand slipped down her belly to the moist
head between her thighs. “Tell you what. You send me a picture of
yours and I’ll send you a picture of mine. Maybe I can get him a
little horse and saddle and send you a picture. Maybe a Barbie camel.
I can put him in a little man dress.”
She laughed and Carponti’s heart
swelled in his chest at the sound of it.
“I’m going to hold you to that.”
She traced her fingers over his scalp, her body soft and warm against
his erection. “I want a picture of him in a man dress in exchange
for a video of the deployment boyfriend.”
Her legs bumped into the back of the
bed and he followed her down. Tangled between the duffle bags and his
uniforms, he made love to her one last time before he got on a plane
and headed to war.
Author Bio:
USA Today bestselling
author Jessica Scott is a career army officer; mother of two daughters,
three cats and three dogs; wife to a career NCO and wrangler of all
things stuffed and fluffy. She is a terrible cook and even worse
housekeeper, but she's a pretty good shot with her
assigned weapon and someone liked some of the stuff she wrote. Somehow,
her children are pretty well-adjusted and her husband still loves her,
despite burned water and a messy house.
She's written for the New York Times At War Blog, PBS Point of View: Regarding War Blog, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. She deployed to Iraq in 2009 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom/New Dawn and has served as a company commander at Fort Hood, Texas.
She's written for the New York Times At War Blog, PBS Point of View: Regarding War Blog, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. She deployed to Iraq in 2009 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom/New Dawn and has served as a company commander at Fort Hood, Texas.
She's pursuing a PhD in Sociology in her spare time and most recently, she's been featured as one of Esquire Magazine's Americans of the Year for 2012.
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