Classified (The Elite Book 3)

by Brooke Blaine

  The graduation itself was held outside on the tarmac under the glaring summer sun, a makeshift stage in the center with several jets stationed behind it. Speeches were made by our commanding officers, as well as the head of NAFTA, and then Solo and I had been presented with our awards. We each received the Elite trophy, and the plaque that had been updated with our names would be seen by all who entered NAFTA.

  As proud as I felt to have made it through and come out on top with Solo beside me, the magnitude of what I’d accomplished no longer felt all-important. It felt good, don’t get me wrong, but even if I hadn’t won, I couldn’t say I’d feel any different than I did standing on the stage to the wild applause of my family and fellow trainees. Though seeing my father actually smile was definitely one of the highlights.

  “Christ, it’s a scorcher,” Solo said under his breath as he pulled at his collar. “Who thought long-sleeved uniforms in the middle of summer was a good fuckin’ idea?”

  “I think it’s almost over.” I nodded toward Commander Levy, who had taken over the microphone and seemed to be wrapping it up. Sure enough, a couple of minutes later, he said, “Congratulations, ladies and gentlemen,” and several confetti cannons boomed, coating the crowd with the colored paper. On such a hot day I wasn’t sure sweat and confetti was the best combination, but hey, it looked festive, and today was all about celebration, after all.

  “Finally,” Solo said, jumping to his feet. “The drinks and AC are calling.”

  Trophy in hand, I followed him through the crowd, which was quickly migrating to the auditorium for the reception, clearly as in jeopardy of heat stroke as we were.

  Once we were inside…sweet relief. I wiped the sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand and entered the room with Solo, only to stop in my tracks at the visual in front of us. The auditorium wasn’t just decorated for the occasion, oh no. There were so many balloons and streamers and photo background opportunities that it would suffice for any child’s birthday party.

  “Is there a petting zoo too?” Solo said.

  “I’m scared to find out. Come on.” I nudged his elbow. “Time for those drinks.”

  But we didn’t manage to get even two feet away before someone behind us called our names. I turned to see what Commander Levy wanted, but all I could focus on were the envelopes in his hand.

  38 Solo

  I KNEW EXACTLY what was coming when Levy stopped us from our much-needed trip for alcohol, and the envelopes he carried only proved it.

  He was about to give us our next missions. The time I’d carved out here with Panther had already come to an end, and once we opened those envelopes, everything would change.

  “Gentlemen,” he said, holding out his hands. “Congratulations on being top of the class. How does it feel?”

  “Well deserved,” I said at the same time Panther replied, “Incredible.”

  Commander Levy shook his head and tried to hold back a smile, but I knew he’d miss my antics when I was gone. I mean, who wouldn’t?

  “Well, no one can say you lack confidence, Solo, that’s for sure.”

  “I’m pretty sure no one’s said that since the first hop, sir.” The one where the massive rendition of my cock and balls were on display for everyone in the city to see.

  He let out a long sigh. “I see you’re going to make me regret this.”

  “Regret what, sir?”

  Commander Levy tapped the envelopes in his palm as he looked between the two of us. “As you know, the Elite is not just a training program for the best of the best. It also opens up job opportunities for those who do well, and you two weren’t just top of the class, you’re also two of the most talented pilots we’ve seen come through here. I don’t say that lightly or to blow up your ego”—he directed that toward me—“but to let you know that you have options, should you wish to consider them.”

  “Options?” Panther said. “Like the ability to choose our missions? Or destinations?”

  “It’s a little more than that.”

  Panther and I looked at each other, the confused expression on his face matching the way I felt.

  “Uh… I’m afraid I don’t understand,” Panther finally said for the both of us.

  After we set our trophies down on the ground by our feet, Commander Levy handed me three envelopes and then gave three to Panther. “Based on your strengths, we’ve been in communication with those who could offer you a different path in your career. It’s up to you to decide what that may be.”

  Oh, shit. My blood pumped harder through my veins to catch up with the rapid pace my heart was beating out. I didn’t want to get my hopes up that Panther and I could somehow end up in the same place, but…fuck. What if that was exactly what these envelopes meant?

  I looked at Panther, who was still staring down at the letters in his hand. When he looked up at me, I could see the hesitation and excitement in his eyes.

  “Please,” Commander Levy said, gesturing for us to open them.

  I tore into the first one, trying to hide the fact that my hand was shaking, but fuck, this was my future, something I’d never given much thought to before Panther but was now all I could think about.

  Please don’t be the maintenance crew of the next Elite team.

  I read over the letter quickly, but when the full scale of what it said hit me, I had to read it again.

  I jerked my head up. “Are you serious?”

  “Like I said,” Levy replied. “Don’t make me regret this.”

  “What does it say?” Panther asked.

  What I held in my hand left me speechless. I handed Panther the letter, and as he read over it, his jaw dropped.

  “Holy shit,” he said.

  I nodded. “I know.”

  “This is for real?”

  “While Solo may be a bit of an unorthodox choice for our teaching methods, we believe his outside-the-box thinking could prove useful for future Elite trainees,” Levy said.

  “You’re offering me a job here?” I said, needing clarification even though I’d read the letter twice. “As an instructor?”

  Commander Levy inclined his head. “If you’d like to join us, we think you’d be an asset to our team. Provided you stay within the parameters, of course, but your growth over your time here hasn’t gone unnoticed.”

  “Sir, are you telling me you think I can color in the lines now?” I couldn’t help the massive grin I gave him, because he had lost his damn mind. Never in a million years had I expected anyone to hand me an instructor position, and never one at NAFTA. But I would take it in a heartbeat—depending, of course, on what the rest of the envelopes contained and what Panther chose.

  Commander Levy finally cracked a smile. “I’m telling you there’s potential in you, Lieutenant Morgan. Don’t let me down.”

  I quickly tore open the other two letters, one an instructor position in Charleston and the other my choice of missions. By the end of the third letter, my head was spinning, but I still needed to know what Panther’s options were before I made any decisions.

  Nudging him in the side, I gave him a small smile and nodded toward his unopened envelopes. “Your turn, Lieutenant Hughes.”

  He swallowed as he slid his thumb beneath an opening in the envelope and made a clean break. As he read over the letter silently, my anticipation got the best of me.

  “Okay, you’ve got to read that out loud, for the love of God,” I said. “What does it say?”

  “It’s an offer…to join the Blue Angels.”

  “What?”

  “The Blue Angels.” Panther looked at me. “They want to offer me a spot in their upcoming season.”

  Now my jaw dropped. “Wow.”

  “Yeah…”

  “I don’t imagine it gets much better than being a badass showpiece for the Navy.”

  “It’s rare for anyone to get an offer from them,” Commander Levy said. “But the chief happened to have a meeting here the day you won against your father, and let’s just
say she was impressed.”

  I let out a low whistle. “Talk about good timing. They’ll be lucky to have you.”

  “I didn’t say yes yet,” Panther said.

  “What’s gonna beat that?”

  “I don’t know, let me look.” The next letter he read out loud for my sanity, and it was a choice of missions also in prime locations. I skimmed my letter and compared it to his. We matched on two.

  That was something. It wasn’t the Blue Angels, but it was more than we’d hoped for. With hope flaring inside me, Panther opened the third envelope, but he didn’t get a chance to read it out loud when I saw the same words that had been on mine.

  “No fucking way,” I shouted, jumping in the air, and when everyone in the near vicinity turned my way, I waved them off. “Nothing to see here. Carry on.”

  Panther looked up at Commander Levy. “You want me as an instructor here too?”

  “We’d be crazy not to ask you. You exhibit the ideal conduct, skills, and talent of an Elite winner and of the Navy.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Panther said, and then read over the letter again. “Wait—does this offer mean only one of us can accept it?”

  “It’s extended to the both of you separately, so one or both of you can accept a position with us. On your own, the two of you are damn fine fighter pilots, but together you’re a force that almost can’t be beat. That’s something we could use here.”

  With wide eyes, we looked at each other. This couldn’t be possible, could it? That we could somehow end up in the same place at the same time? Finding a way to stay together had been impossible ten minutes ago, and even now, with the letters in our hands, the offers in writing so that we couldn’t say we’d imagined it…it felt unreal.

  When neither of us could say anything, Commander Levy cleared his throat. “Understandably you’ll need time to review your options, so please take the rest of the weekend to think it over. We’ll need your decisions first thing Monday morning.” He went to turn away, but then added, “Of course, if you choose not to reenlist, you also have the option to take on a civilian job.”

  “That won’t be necessary, sir,” one of us said, but I couldn’t tell if it was me or Panther because my whole body had gone numb. I couldn’t feel a fucking thing.

  Commander Levy gave us one last nod. “Enjoy the rest of your evening, gentlemen, and congratulations again.”

  Panther and I didn’t move a muscle as Commander Levy walked away. Maybe Panther was as dumbstruck as I was. Actually, there was no maybe about it. I could feel the shock pouring off him, and it was long after Levy had left when we finally turned to face each other.

  “I don’t think I’m processing what just happened,” Panther said.

  “Neither am I.”

  “Did we really just get offers, plural?”

  “We did.”

  “So I didn’t just make that shit up?”

  I shook my head. “Nope.”

  “Fuck me.” When Panther tried and failed to shake off the dazed look on his face, I wrapped my arms around him, uncaring of who was around or the fact that we were in the presence of some of the higher-ups that had just offered us a job. I needed to hold him, my anchor, the one person who could keep my feet firmly planted on the ground even when my head and ego were swelling to the size of a hot-air balloon.

  “We did it,” Panther said. “You and me.”

  I pulled back just enough to look at him. Those blue eyes were lighter than I’d ever seen them before. Pure, unfiltered happiness radiated from them, and I grinned at the excitement vibrating out of every pore in his body. Hell, it matched my own.

  Unable to stop myself, I kissed him, stealing his breath and taking it for my own. His mouth opened without hesitation, hungry for what so obviously belonged to him. The kiss was both velvety soft and utterly ravenous, melting my brain to liquid the way only Panther could do. Minutes, hours, they meant nothing when we joined together like this.

  “Get a room!” Gucci shouted, and cheers and whistles followed.

  Reluctantly, I let my lips fall from Panther’s, a temporary pause, because they’d be right back on him in a few hours.

  “You know.” Panther cocked his head, his arms still firmly around my waist. “I think I’m liking this winning thing.”

  It wasn’t what I’d expected him to say, and laughter bubbled out of my throat. “Yeah? Well, I think we’re gonna be pretty damn happy with this winning thing when it’s all said and done.”

  “Mhmm. I guess we have a lot to think about, huh?”

  “Yeah. I guess we do.”

  As we stood there wrapped in each other like no one else in the room existed, I knew that no matter what we decided, this thing we had, this bond, was stronger than whatever job we took, whatever obstacle we faced. Nothing in the world had ever been so right since we’d found each other, so whatever happened next? Piece of friggin’ cake.

  “Tell you what,” I said. “How about celebratory drinks first, make the hard decisions later?”

  Panther’s handsome face broke into a brilliant smile, the one I lived and died for. “With you? Abso-fuckin’-lutely.”

  Epilogue

  2.5 YEARS LATER

  PANTHER

  “HOW THE HELL did all this stuff fit in our tiny-ass apartment? Are you sure they didn’t pack up someone else’s house?” Solo craned his neck up at the full-to-overflowing moving truck that had just arrived and shook his head. “That can’t all be ours.”

  “It better be. We’re paying these guys by the hour.”

  “Shiiit. Maybe we should’ve bought a bigger place.”

  I hooked my finger over the waistband of Solo’s jeans and tugged him toward me so he faced our amazing view instead of the overwhelming pile of stuff we were leaving the movers to deal with. “Look at this place. If you think there’s anything better in the world, you can think again.”

  Solo looked over my shoulder, and I knew he was taking in our dream house and the unbelievable views. “We’ve waited two years for this. I wouldn’t care if we moved in with just a mattress and some ramen. It would still be worth every second of living on base to finally get here.”

  “And worth every penny we spent on the extension, which you haven’t even seen yet.”

  I leaned in to nip at his lower lip and grinned. “Then I guess you should take me upstairs to see our bedroom, Lieutenant Commander Morgan.”

  “Mmm, I like the way that sounds coming out of your mouth.” Solo placed a quick kiss on my lips, grabbed my hand, and waved at the movers, who were currently lowering the ramp to start the load-in. “Thanks, guys. Everything’s labeled.”

  He didn’t stick around for a response, making a run for the front door so fast that my arm nearly came out of the socket as I was dragged behind him. I lost my grip on his hand as we stepped inside, and he bounded up the stairs to what had originally been a small loft and storage space, but that we’d both agreed when we bought the house would be the perfect master bedroom. Getting the work permit alone had taken over a year, and add in all the time spent building the addition and it had taken much longer than expected, but the timing couldn’t have been better in the end. With my tour schedule with the Blue Angels coming to an end, it meant my weekends were no longer dedicated to air shows around the country. Despite my time with them being a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that had been nothing short of incredible, I was looking forward to sharing more than just four nights a week with Solo.

  Here. In our gorgeous dream home in Mesamir. No big deal.

  “Close your eyes,” Solo said from the landing, watching me climb up to the top.

  “I can’t close my eyes. I’ll trip.”

  “Just do it. I’ve got you.”

  I stopped moving and did as he said, and a few seconds later Solo’s warm hands wrapped around mine, guiding me slowly up the rest of the way. If he wanted to build anticipation, he had me.

  “This is what I get for letting you take over the project,”
I said, carefully finding my footing on the steps.

  “Letting me? Just when do you think you would’ve found the time to mastermind such a feat?”

  “You of all people should know how well I multitask.”

  Solo clearly got the sexual innuendo loud and clear, because he let out a tortured moan. “Fuck yes I do, and you’re going to thank me when you open your eyes. You can do that in a whatever form of payment you’d like: on our killer new bed, in the shower, bent over the kitchen island—”

  “I get the picture.”

  “Not yet you don’t. Okay, you’re on the landing now, but keep your eyes closed. Promise?”

  “I promise.”

  Solo let go of my hands, and I felt him move in next to me. “Ready? Okay…open them.”

  The first thing I noticed was that I was staring straight ahead at the sky, because one entire wall of the bedroom had been turned into glass. The result was stunning, all that blue sky melting into the ocean below us…

  “Wow,” I breathed. “This is…” I didn’t have the words, and I hadn’t even seen the rest of it yet.

  Solo laughed and reached for my hand. “Speechless, huh? Just wait.”

  He led me into the bedroom, and I tried to take it all in, but damn, there was so much to blow my mind that I barely knew where to start. Luckily, Solo was good at picking up on my thoughts and began to point out the new additions.

  “We were able to track down the same wooden floors that were used in the rest of the house, which is a good thing, because I know that non-matching shit would’ve eventually driven you crazy.” He pointed to the bed, a massive focal point of crisp white sheets and a million pillows in varying shades of grey. “A California king, perfect for those sexy, long legs of yours.”

  I sat down on the edge of the bed, ran my hand over the charcoal bedspread neatly tucked in on the lower half, and practically purred. “Oh, babe. You really do love me.”

  “More than you could possibly know.”

  “I think you’ve done a pretty damn good job of showing it.”