Welcome Home, Soldier: A Military Romance by Ann Harlow
After serving overseas in the military, Captain Tom Reilly arrives back home in California, excited to be reunited with his fiancee, Susan Jamison. They have not seen each other for two years and Tom wonders if the spark between them still remains. He wants to get back to the way things were but worries that he is not the same man he used to be.
Susan is overjoyed to see the man she’s going to marry. That joy, however, is overshadowed by a guilty conscience. Susan has been keeping a secret from her fiance, one that will have a big impact on their relationship and future. The fear of losing him due to her trepidation has kept her from being completely honest with him for quite some time. When she finally reveals the truth to Tom, will it bring them closer together or ultimately drive them apart?
Welcome Home, Soldier is a 33,164 word contemporary romance novella.
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FacebookAbout the author:
Ann currently lives in Nevada with her family. She likes to experiment with writing romance and erotica when she's plagued with insomnia (which is often). She is also working on some thriller/horror novellas.
What inspired you to write your book?
Ann wrote this book back in 2003 when she was twenty-four years old. She was relatively new to writing and since her friends and family knew her to only be a horror/thriller fan, she wanted to try her hand at something new. So she spent two days writing this novella with no idea what she would do with it. She let it sit, collecting dust, in her filing cabinet until 2018 when she finally decided to just self-publish it.
Here is a short sample from the book:
While Tom socialized with the guests, Susan made herself scarce for the moment. She entered the bathroom near the master bedroom and shut the door, ensuring her privacy. Looking at herself in the mirror, she made sure to check her makeup, which was minimal these days. She no longer had the time to pamper herself as she once did. A touch of mauve lipstick here, a little powder there and some mascara were all she usually needed. She was stressed, however, about quite a few things so her face was the least of her concern. She knew she was going to have to tell Tom about the little secret she had been keeping from him, but she would rather wait until dinner for that. She was not sure how he would handle it on top of everything else and she did not want to risk telling him in front of his family. Time was running out, though. If she didn’t tell him by tomorrow, he’d find out for himself and she didn’t want that to happen before she could talk it out with him.
Washing her hands in the sink, she let out an exasperated sigh. Perhaps things will all work out for the best, she thought, who knows? She turned the ring on her finger thoughtfully, gazing down at it with blue eyes reflecting off the diamond. We should have gotten married a long time ago. Perhaps then I wouldn’t be feeling such guilt about everything. I hope Tom understands my reasoning. She doubted it though, considering Tom had been raised as a catholic. He’s not completely devout though. He wouldn’t have slept with me before marriage if he was. This thought reinstated her confidence a bit. Tom was a responsible man. He knew there were consequences to every action, just as there were rewards. She just hoped he could live up to all of his responsibilities, was all.
After her silent pep talk was over, she was ready to face whatever came her way, head on. She could do it. She had accomplished so much in her life already. This would be a cinch compared to earning her masters or surviving each day with the knowledge that her fiance was in battle. She pulled open the door, ready to exit but halted quickly at the sight of Tom just outside the bathroom. Her heart stopped momentarily as his presence startled her and she placed a hand to her chest.
“Tom, you scared me,” she said, catching her breath. “Don’t do that.”
“Sorry, I was just about to knock,” he replied.
“Oh, you need to use the restroom?” She asked, hitching her thumb backward toward the toilet.
“No, I was coming to see you, actually,” he answered. “Can I talk to you for a second?”
“Sure,” she replied and began to move forward out into the hall.
Tom nudged her back into the bathroom though, looking back toward the parlor with a quick glance before shutting the door behind them.
“Had to make sure no one’s coming,” he said, as he locked it and turned to face her.
“Need some private time, Captain?” Susan asked with a flirtatious smile.
She fingered his tie with her index finger before pulling it out of the stuffy jacket. Biting her lower lip, she undid his top shirt button delicately to give him breathing room. Then she turned away and took a step toward the shower, until he grabbed her hand, pulling her back to him. He did so quickly, causing the front of their bodies to collide rather roughly.
“Oooh!” Susan exclaimed, before giggling softly.
“Just have some catching up to do is all,” Tom replied, as he cradled her against him, his hands on her lower back.
“Is that so?” She asked a bit surprised at his obvious desire.
“Hmmm,” he nodded.
“I hope you save some for later because you have a long night ahead of you, soldier,” Susan suggested.
“I’m looking forward to it,” he returned.
She wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him with a pleading look in her eyes. Tom took this as his cue and bent his head to kiss her.
It was a small kiss with closed mouths, gentle and slow and this time Susan shut her eyes and reveled in the feel of someone’s lips touching her own after two long years. The sensation was nearly overwhelming and if Tom’s family hadn’t been down the hall, she would have ripped his clothes off and gotten reacquainted with his body right then and there. His family was just down the hall, however, and this made it a bit awkward to lose control of her willpower and give in to her desires. She pulled away, but not too quickly. She didn’t want him to think she was rejecting him. She found his look was one of bewilderment.
“What’s the matter?” He asked, looking at her with eyes almost as blue as her own.
“Nothing,” she shook her head, causing her pale blond hair to fall into her face, “except your mother and brother and everyone else is right outside.”
“Forget about them for a minute,” he suggested, trying to recapture her lips. “I have.”
“I can’t,” she said, moving her hands to his shoulders to rub them. “It feels… funny.”
“Well, that’s a first,” he said, leaning back a bit, “you never felt funny before.”
He seemed a bit aggravated in her opinion, and she became defensive because of it.
“That’s because we’ve never made out in your mother’s house,” she replied.
“What’s the difference?” He asked. “One place is as good as the other.”
“I don’t want to get caught in the act, Tom, alright?”
“We’re not gonna get caught,” he assured her. “No one’s going to walk in. The door is locked and, in case you haven’t already noticed, everyone is preoccupied with the champagne anyhow.”
When she didn’t reply, he added, “and who cares if we do get caught? They’ll understand.”
“That would be extremely embarrassing,” she admitted.
She did not want Tom’s entire family to know they were hiding out in the bathroom, doing indecent things. That’s exactly what Tom wanted, she knew. Suddenly it all came back to her and she could read him like a book again. She, on the other hand, would prefer to wait until they got home, where they could have some privacy.
“Susan, do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this?” He inquired, sounding a tad weary. “I haven’t touched another woman since I’ve been with you.”
“I know,” Susan said, “and I appreciate that. Believe me, I do. But I don’t want to come out of this bathroom looking completely conspicuous and have your family think I’m some floozy who can’t keep her legs shut.”
She felt as if they already had that opinion of her and she didn’t really want it to worsen.
“We’re engaged, Susan! They’re not going to think badly of you. We’ve been together for how many years now?”
Susan, not wanting to argue, decided she should simply compromise with Tom. It was his day, after all, not hers. She had to think about him and what he wanted, at least for today. So, wanting to please him, she considered giving in.
“So… just, come on,” he gently urged, taking her hands in his and bringing them to his well defined lips. He looked at her from beneath hooded lids, kissing her knuckles as his eyes burned into her. “Give your soldier boy a homecoming he’ll always remember.”
Susan opened her hand and caressed his cheek, which was beginning to darken from the daily appearance of stubble. The mustache she had last seen him with was gone from his face, making him appear younger now that he was clean-shaven.
“Then you can laugh at me when I walk back out there with a big, dopey grin on my face,” he said.
“Aww, but you look so cute that way,” she replied.
“Yeah right,” he scoffed, rolling his eyes.
“Hey, at least it tells me that I’ve done my job right,” Susan explained.
“You always have. You don’t need any help in that department,” Tom informed her.
“Thank you,” she said, tapping the tip of his straight nose with her fingertip.
“You’re welcome,” he purred as he kissed her again.
This time, it was slow and sensual, reawakening their senses as Susan allowed him entry into her private realm. She moaned softly as his tongue slipped into her mouth, a perfect expert in its maneuvers. With her eyes closed, she touched the tip of her tongue to his as an invitation to continue. Like Tom, Susan had touched no one else intimately since his departure and the feeling of relief that came from Tom’s passionate kiss was most welcomed by her. Her body stiffened slightly before going rather limp in his arms. She was like an alcoholic who had just been given a sip of vodka after being without it for a week or two. It felt so good to connect with someone again. She had always shared much more with Tom than just a physical attraction. They had known each other for so long that their minds were almost in sync, as well. There had always been a strong bond between them. It had even been present when he had been so far away in physical form. Now that the physical connection was being re-established, Susan somehow felt whole again. It was a wondrous feeling and she never wanted it to end.
Tom, like Susan, had missed the intimate contact greatly. Where he’d been stationed, it had been possible for him to stray from his morals and get a girl for a quick romp, but he’d refused to. Susan was the one and only woman for him. That had always been clear. Now that he had her, he didn’t plan on letting go. He hugged her tighter and deepened the kiss, replacing the gentleness with a fierce passion. He was pleased to find her so agreeable, opening her mouth wider for better access. Their tongues entwined, they spent a good minute with their lips locked. As they kissed, Susan felt the blood rush to her face in a hot flood of lava-like desire. What had seemed awkward several minutes ago now felt completely right and she was sorry she had tried to put an end to it. Releasing her lips, Tom moved his mouth across her cheek in a quick gliding motion before showering her jawline with fiery kisses. She felt him take her earlobe into his mouth momentarily, causing her to smile as he applied some suction before letting it slip back out again. He then paid special attention to the area of her neck right below her ear. Her head tilted back so he could move inward with less difficulty. Susan’s entire body felt as if it had just been set aflame, from her head down to her toes. When Tom’s hands moved from her lower back downward, her heart began to beat frantically.
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