Chapter 1
Bianca Mason cupped her hand above her eyebrows, squinting. The sun was setting behind the airfield where several hundred fighter pilots were disembarking from a large C-17 in the distance. The glare made it hard to see and Bianca was becoming impatient. Next to her, Bianca’s best friend Andrea bounced in anticipation; her man was coming home. Bianca rubbed her hands over her biceps, tiny goose bumps covering her rich brown skin. The air was turning cool as the sun began to dip, but it was still summer, late summer, and Bianca forgot to bring a sweater.
Andrea continued to bounce and despite her attempts to quash it, Bianca became annoyed. Maybe she was jealous. She had no man to come home to her, so she kept her mouth shut and was there for her friend. After what seemed like forever, the men and women began to move closer, their faces suddenly becoming visible in the setting sunlight. Andrea spotted her husband and squealed, grabbing Bianca’s hand tightly to keep from running towards him. The U.S. Air Force had strict rules to be followed when soldiers were coming home and they weren’t to be approached until they reached a certain point. Bianca fought the urge to roll her eyes. She was becoming angry at herself for being so aggravated with her friend, but being thirty and alone was starting to grate on her.
Drowning out the sobs of happiness from her friend, Bianca looked around at all of the faces of the returning pilots. They were mostly men, between the ages of nineteen and thirty, but she saw a few women in the bunch. Bianca watched them proudly and realized she was being silly with her jealousy.
“I’m so happy for you that Jay is coming home,” She said to Andrea and Andrea embraced her, taking care not to bump her large pregnant belly against Bianca. Andrea was lucky enough to get pregnant when Jay was home on leave for Thanksgiving.
Bianca fought another surge of jealousy at Andrea’s predicament. Children and a husband were what she had dreamed of since she was a girl and it seemed everyone around her was living that dream except for her.
“And just in time too,” Andrea replied, rubbing a hand over her large stomach.
Bianca nodded in answer. That was the truth. Andrea was days away from her due date and the return of Jay’s squadron couldn’t have come at a better time. Andrea returned her attention to her approaching husband and Bianca resumed her people watching. The faces of the family and friends surrounding her, waiting for their loved ones made her smile and forget about herself and her pettiness for a bit. These people missed and feared for their loved ones for a long time and they deserved this moment, who was she to belittle it. As the men and women moved even closer and Bianca scanned the crowd her face settled on one man and she took a second look. His clear blue eyes bored into hers as if he was looking directly at her. She felt her face flush with foolishness. He was probably looking intently for his wife and family and she was getting carried away. He moved closer with the crowd and she found it hard to look away. He wasn’t gorgeous but he was handsome. His rugged good looks were punctuated by his unruly dirty blond hair that hung over his eye and she longed to push it away. A scruff of a beard shadowed his jaw in the same color as his hair and added to his aura of masculinity that made Bianca’s heart begin to pound in her chest.
A voice from next to her pulled her from her reverie and Bianca swiveled her head to realize Andrea was talking to her.
“What?” She asked absentmindedly, her thoughts still on the man she spotted in the crowd.
“I said, Jay is almost here,” Andrea squealed with excitement and pointed to the crowd moving towards them. She was right. The men and woman were fast approaching the rope that was set up to contain the crowd. Andrea’s anticipation was palpable but all Bianca could focus on was the man whose whereabouts she lost when she answered Andrea.
Bianca scanned the area as the crowd of people began to scream and whoop with excitement. He was gone. She lost him. It was probably for the best anyway. There was likely a woman with children waiting for him on this side of the ropes. Defeated, Bianca turned back to her friend, gripping her hand in support as she bounced from one foot to the next as her husband approached the rope.
“You better settle down, you’ll bounce that baby right out,” Bianca said with a laugh. She came here for Andrea and that’s what she needed to focus on. When did she get so selfish?
“Ha-ha. I wish. He’s due in three days, I’d be happy to deliver today. Especially since Jay is finally home.” Andrea countered, her eyes never leaving Jay’s.
Bianca sighed as the crowd’s volume hit a crescendo. To have a love like Andrea and Jay’s was all she ever hoped for. Maybe someday…
Suddenly the time was upon them and in the middle of her reverie, the men and women came through the ropes and collided with their families. Sobs and tears sounded all around her as men lifted their wives and children, mothers and siblings, from the ground and into their arms. Women fell on their children with hungry gazes, drinking in the faces they missed for eighteen months. It really was a touching moment and despite her resolve, Bianca crumbled into a pile of tears. Next to her, Jay lifted Andrea into his arms, their mouths joining in a passionate kiss and Bianca couldn’t help the pang of longing that ripped through her at missing out on her own great love. With another sigh, she stepped back, giving the couple some privacy. She slowly made her way to the fringes of the group, feeling awkward without someone there to hold onto after a long absence. Bianca turned, her eyes absently scanning the crowd for the man she locked eyes with earlier. He was nowhere to be found and Bianca didn’t fight the disappointment that engulfed her. It w
as time for her to head to the car and give Andrea and Jay their moment to reunite; she needed some time alone to deal with her warring emotions anyway. Running a hand through her head of tight black curls she pivoted and ran straight into someone’s rock solid chest.
****
Alex Johansen looked down at the short woman with the chocolate colored skin who slammed into him. It was the same woman he had seen when he was making his way to the ropes several moments ago. His heart slammed in his chest as she met his eyes with her rich brown ones. She was beautiful in a wholesome and comfortable way. Her hair was wild around her tiny heart shaped face and her full lips made his dick twitch with anticipation of meeting them with his own. He was being silly; he had to remind himself that he was not the person she was here to see. Being deprived of a woman for a year and half was getting to him.
“I’m sorry,” She muttered, pushing away from him with embarrassment.
“It’s okay, I’m the one not paying attention to where I’m going,” Alex said, reluctant to let her go.
She brushed her hands over her thick mop of curls nervously and took a step back. She was so short she had to tilt her head all the way up to look him in the eye. Alex tried to keep his gaze from traveling to the dip in her tank top that gave way to an abundance of cleavage, and focused on her face. Either view was pleasant, but after being deployed for eighteen months he couldn’t keep his eyes from traveling down.
“If you’ll excuse me,” She mumbled, brushing past him and heading toward the parking lot.
“Aren’t you waiting for someone?” Alex asked, following behind her slowly. His gaze traveled down her petite and obviously curvy body and stopped on her ass. Her cleavage was not the only area that he couldn’t keep his eyes off of.
The woman shook her head quickly, a look of sadness passing across her face. “I was here supporting a friend while she waited for her husband.” Her voice was small like she felt self-conscious about that.
Alex’s brows arched in surprise; maybe it was his lucky day after all. “Well isn’t that a coincidence. I had no one here to meet me so why don’t we walk together.” He fell into step beside her and noticed her demeanor changed after his revelation.
“Who are you here for?” Alex asked after several moments of silence.
She turned toward him and leveled those deep brown eyes at him. Alex’s libido kicked into high gear and he reminded himself he had just met this woman.
“My friend Andrea’s husband, Jay Romero, just came home.” She said an air of confidence in the way she walked and talked as she found her voice and spoke up. A few moments earlier she had appeared timid and sad but that seemed to have vanished.