Love, Mercy

by Brooke May

  And besides, if I were forced to dance, there is only one man aside from my dad who I would be willing to shuffle around with.

  “Please, go away.” If he notices the bite to my words, he doesn’t let on. Didn’t his parents ever teach him that no means no?

  “Come on.” If this is the only line he has, he is wearing it out far too quickly. I’m so over dealing with this man.

  “No,” I growl. Turning away from him, I take in the game playing on the TV over the bar. I don’t care that it’s golf because I just want this man to go away.

  “You can’t possibly know what you are talkin’ about.” A hand wraps around my wrist. My fists instantly clench as I ready to lay this man out. I know the owner, and I know well enough that he would never throw me out if I get into a fight with this guy.

  “Go. Away.” Since he’s clasped my left hand, I’m going to have to hit him with my right, which works for me since it’s my stronger arm. But just as I’m about to swing, a large wall is put up between the offending idiot and me. I’m pissed at the intrusion, but at least I’m free.

  And now I have to deal with yet another man, but one who thinks he needs to rescue me.

  Pulling in a lung full of air, I’m ready to berate the man when a familiar scent slams into me. My legs turn to jelly, my heart races, pulse quickens, and a thrill shoots through every nerve in my body.

  Chapter Three

  I’m slow on the uptake.

  Seconds tick by slowly as realization starts to settle into my mind. I know it isn’t the amount of alcohol I’ve consumed tonight. I’ve only had a single beer, and I nursed it while I ate my hamburger and fries at dinner.

  The smell wafting off the man who is giving me his back debilitates me in the most wonderful of ways, and I have missed that.

  I know this massive back better than I know my own body. I know the American flag tattoo that spans from one shoulder to the other and what it feels like under my fingertips as I hold him tightly.

  “D-Daxon?”

  His name stumbles out of my mouth as if I’m the drunk in this scenario. Tears begin to pool in my eyes. They burn and well up to the point that I need to blink, but I don’t want to. I’m afraid if I do, I may lose him. He may be a figment of my imagination. Something I have conjured up to help me rid myself of this annoying man who doesn’t understand being turned down.

  Before I can think better of it, including the possibility of launching myself at the man I was just trying to get rid of, I hurl myself into the strong back. There is no doubt that the scent is that of my man.

  “Oh, Daxon.” I sob, filled with so much happiness that he is here. I nuzzle my way closer to him, taking in the ever-present heat that he always radiates. I wasn’t sure when he would be able to come home again.

  After his first tour, he was moved to special ops and gets pulled away more often than his first position ever did. It takes him away from him in infrequent intervals, and I always worry about him a little more because he can’t tell me anything other than he is okay.

  “You’re here,” I murmur as I’m forced to release him and step back so he can turn to face me. The stoic expression isn’t one I was expecting to see. Normally, he is full of smiles and has no qualms about the fact he is happy to see me.

  “You weren’t home.” His deep voice to anyone else would imply that he is disappointed, but I know him better than he knows himself. He is just making an observation, but he is still thrilled to have me within reaching distance again.

  My shoulder hikes up because I have nothing to apologize for. “The girls wanted to meet up.”

  “I can see that.” A solid finger tucks under my chin, lifting my gaze to his. I have no issue staying fixated on his massive chest, but taking in his handsome, strong-jawed face is something I fawn over. “Hi, babe.”

  “Hi, handsome.” I don’t bite back my smile. I’m overjoyed at seeing my husband. But I can’t forget about the man I was just dealing with. “You didn’t need to help me. I was handling him.”

  “Yeah.” He doesn’t believe me. Or he does but doesn’t want to bother even thinking about the other man. “I didn’t feel that it would be much fun to collect you from the sheriff’s office.”

  “Duke would have let me off on a warning if Holt’s old man even called them.”

  “Duke is only a deputy, and Holt’s dad would have started placing bets on how long it would take you to make the man cry.” When he pulls me to him, all other conversation fades away when his lips capture mine. I don’t care that we are in public. My arms wrap around his corded neck, dragging him down closer to me. His massive hands my hips, anchoring our bodies together as I give him just as much as he returns.

  He tastes so good. Like crisp spring water after a long, hot hike. God, I’ve missed this man.

  “I wanted to surprise you.” He pulls away, but only a breath is between us. “But that didn’t pan out, and I had to go search for you.”

  “I’m unpredictable. You know this well.” I’m breathy; I want more of him. I want his lips to return to mine.

  “Yeah, it makes it a massive pain in the ass to surprise you like you wish I would do after you watch all those YouTube videos.”

  “Well, how about we go back to my place, and you can show me how much you’ve missed me?”

  “Your husband isn’t home?”

  “Not at the moment, but I’m more than willing to rectify that.” Pulling a twenty out of my purse, I slide it across the bar to one of the bartenders and then grab Daxon as I lead him out of the bar.

  Chapter Four

  It has never been this difficult before to unlock the front door.

  Daxon’s lips are on my neck. My hands tremble as I attempt once more to slide the key into the lock. I have to grab the doorknob with my other hand in a failing effort to stabilize myself to unlock it.

  I’m overzealous for this moment.

  My car was left behind at the Grizzly. Daxon didn’t give me a choice. He scooped me up in his big strong arms and ate up the pavement to his truck in long strides. My hands were all over him on the drive back to our little home. And now was his turn to reciprocate.

  Just as his large hands wrap around my waist and his fingers begin to brush against the smallest hint of my exposed flesh as he tries to dive into the front of my slacks, I get the door open.

  Turning around, wrap my arms around his neck once more, and my lips seal over his as I drag him into the darkened depths of our home. I want to crawl up this man like no other.

  Once past the threshold, Daxon kicks the door shut. One hand abandons my waist so he can reach behind him and lock it. We may not live in a big city, but there are still occasional break-ins.

  My purse tumbles to the floor, and I kick off my heels with reckless abandon while I work his shirt free from his jeans. I’m so consumed by him that I back us right into the couch.

  And then a thought hits me. It takes everything in me to free my lips from Daxon’s.

  “Wait, Trigger.”

  “He’s in the laundry room.” He leans into me, causing my back to dig into the back of the couch. “I put him in there when I came here first to surprise you.” His kisses are hungry against my neck. I’m lifted onto the couch, my legs spreading with ease to accommodate his larger frame.

  “Good thinking.”

  I pant, my head falling back to grant him access to my neck and my back arches as the buttons of my shirt are gently released, exposing my black lace bra.

  “I didn’t want him to eat the flowers I brought you,” he mumbles. Those glorious lips of his skim across the swell of my breasts with each word.

  “Oh.” I moan. He doesn’t have enough hair for me to grab so my fingers dig into the fabric of his tight shirt instead.

  The cool air of the room doesn’t have a chance to even touch me because his warmth is instantly there. His hard, taut body fits perfectly against mine as he kisses me on the lips once more. Our tongues duel with one another. My shirt is
removed. My bra doesn’t last much longer after that. His heated hand splays out across my back, supporting me as I lean back.

  “I’ve missed you so fucking much, Mercy.” He growls into my mouth before he is gone.

  Watching under hooded eyes as this powerful man sinks to a crouch between my legs is thrilling. My heart rate doubles, my breathing hitches, my nipples pebble, and my lower muscles clench at the knowledge of what is to come.

  “I’ve missed you, too,” I whisper as I lift my butt enough to allow him to free me from my slacks and matching black lace thong.

  “Fuck, Mercy.” He growls. “Knowing you wear this when you don’t know I’m going to be home is going to make it difficult not to get hard when I leave again.”

  Ice shoots into my chest with the thought his words provoke. I don’t want to think about him leaving again. Not here, not now.

  “I like the thought of you thinking about me.”

  “I know you do, babe.” I’m completely bare; he’s still clothed, but that line of thought goes out the goddamn window as his hands spread me wider, and he skims his way up my inner thigh until he reaches my apex. “So fucking much.”

  I feel his lopsided grin against my flesh before he places a kiss on my glistening pussy. I’m gone at the simple touch.

  “Oh, Daxon.”

  He says no more. His talented mouth does enough of that as he first nibbles on my throbbing clit. My pussy is clenching and growing needier. I’m overwhelmed with sensations that I haven’t felt since the last time he was home.

  Giving myself pleasure will never amount to what this man can do to me.

  I brace myself on the couch, doing my best not to fall backward onto the cushions below. My fingers dig into the fabric of his shirt while I imagine it is his strong shoulders instead. I want to mark him before he leaves me again. I nearly jump off the couch and onto his face when his tongue spears into my core. His growls vibrate through my body, bringing me that much closer to my release.

  I love how he tends to me first, and since it has been a while, it doesn’t take me long before stars begin shooting in my gaze, and I scream out his name. And then I am falling. My back lands on the cushions, my legs are up in the air, and I have no time to process what is happening because seconds after I open my eyes, I’m gifted with a rushed but enchanting strip show.

  Quickly, I right myself, my body falling into the plush cushions once more and deeper into the couch he can’t stand, I watch as my present unwraps itself. His muscles ripple and move as he pulls his shirt over his head, and then they bunch while he works the buckle, button, and zipper of his jeans. He is bare underneath. No underwear means he can come back to me sooner.

  I may not understand why he doesn’t like to wear any underwear, but I’m not going to question him now.

  My post-orgasmic bliss leads straight back to thrill as he stalks over to me.

  “You are perfection, Mercy.” His deep timbre has me squirming.

  “You aren’t bad yourself.” My head tilts back to keep my gaze with him as he leans forward and I am once more in his arms. My legs wrap around his waist, and we turn so I am on top of him. His steely length nestles between my folds, but that isn’t where I want him.

  We haven’t used a condom since before we were married. And I’m not on any form of birth control either. If a pregnancy happens, it happens, and we will embrace and love that child like no other. Once he is seated, I lift my body and help guide him into my body.

  Slowly, I sink, filling every inch of my pussy with him. There is nothing more perfect than to have us joined like this.

  Daxon’s head falls back as a groan erupts from him. I wait a moment, soaking it up before I begin to move. As I gyrate over him, using the strength in my legs to rock my body, Daxon’s hands roam my body. He cups my breasts, kissing them, licking and sucking each in turn before he reaches down to cup my ass.

  My thrusts are slow and steady and then quick and reckless as I get closer to my next release. Daxon isn’t too far off either. My body falls apart over him, my inner muscles clenching him to the point that even the rest of my body can’t move.

  Yearning for his release now, Daxon is off the couch and flips me onto it before he begins to thrust into my body wildly. My legs loosen and are lifted over his strong shoulders as he drives into me at a relentless pace.

  My body is jostled and brought back up to another high. I fall apart, my body going lax at the same time that he roars.

  Silence follows; my breathing is shallow and barely audible. My eyes droop until they close. They don’t open when he bends down and picks me up. My arms are noodles as I drape them over his shoulders on our way to our room.

  Chapter Five

  Calling into work isn’t something I do all too often. Even when I don’t feel well, I drag myself into the office because it beats sitting around my house with a dog who tries to eat my used tissues.

  Today is an exception.

  Today, I’m spending the day with my husband so I can have a three-day weekend with him. Neither one of us knows how long he will be home, so I plan on using all the time I can. If I hadn’t already put in for my vacation days this year, I would have taken them this week to be near him.

  I don’t want to leave him for any period of time. That includes going to work for a few hours during the weekdays. As much as it saddens me, I can’t press pause on my professional life whenever I want just to be home with him.

  But today is different.

  There is no lounging around the house or getting our fill of one another. That isn’t how we are. We made love a couple more times last night, once in the shower, and the other in our bed before we finally found sleep in one another’s arms.

  We were up before the sun, had a lunch and our camel packs ready to go, and watched as Trigger loaded into the truck for our day trip into the mountains.

  Fishing or even taking in the wildlife weren’t our focus. It is a hike to our spot. The rocky ravine decorated with pine trees and small spots of grass that overlook the stream below is our purpose today. Since he got his license, Daxon has brought us up here at least once a year just to sit and enjoy one another. Sometimes we see animals below going to water to drink, and on one rare occasion, we watched a bear chase some elk.

  Not only are our names carved into a tree we have always found ourselves under, but the stone under us. It may seem like a regular spot on the mountain that you have to hike to, but to us, it’s our place.

  The hike itself doesn’t take us long. Daxon found it one hunting season and started bringing me here the following summer.

  “How long do you think I’ll have you for?” Putting my camel pack down, I stare out at the scenery before us. It takes my breath away every time. I typically have an aversion to heights, but knowing that I’m here with Daxon, I know I have nothing to worry about.

  And just as he knew my stomach was beginning to pitch from how far up we are, Daxon’s arms wrap around my middle, and he was pulling me back into his strong chest.

  “You know that answer.” His chin rests on my shoulder as he bends down closer to me. “We can only live in the moment for now.”

  Sighing, my hands find their way to his arms. “I know, but I would like to think of the future.”

  “I’ve been putting some thought into that myself.” His statement pierces my chest, but this time, it contains trace amounts of excitement.

  “Oh?”

  “I’m not sure when I will hang up my gear, but I may go to school. I don’t know where to begin with what I want to do.”

  “I can see you becoming a personal trainer, maybe a furniture designer, you make great things out of trees, or even a high school gym teacher.”

  “I’m not that good around kids, Mercy.”

  He isn’t fooling me. He’s wonderful around kids. Now teenagers, on the other hand, are a different story. As if the simple word kids has the power to conjure something in front of me, my head begins to think of children. I’
m settled enough in my career that a kid or two would be welcomed, but I’m not sure he’s there yet. I know he wouldn’t want to miss a moment of any of their lives, and I’m certain he isn’t ready to retire yet.

  “What’s wrong, babe?”

  “Hmm?”

  “You locked up as if I’m ready to push you over the edge.” He chuckles, turning me so he can get a better read on me. “What’s going through your mind?”

  And being who I am, I don’t keep anything from him. I think that’s why we have worked as well as we do have. One hundred percent honesty at all times. The only exception is his job and good surprises.

  “I was thinking about kids.” There isn’t even a flinch at the word. His concerned gaze softens and if it were possible, it intensifies in warmth.

  “I think about that all the time when I’m gone.”

  “You do?”

  “Of course. Why wouldn’t I want a little girl who looks just like her mom or a little boy who will be just as protective of you as I am?”

  “But the military …”

  “And then I think about how if I were gone, I wouldn’t get to see them grow like you do and wouldn’t get to know them like I want to.” His warmth still shines through even with the sadness edging in.

  “Would you retire if kids came into the picture then?” I pause for half a heartbeat before I add. “I don’t want to take you away from your passion or anything, but–”

  “Mercy, babe, relax.” He doesn’t chuckle when he lifts my chin so I’m looking at him once more. He pulls us over to our tree and drops to the ground before settling me onto his lap. The wind is strong today, and with the lack of cover, it cuts past my sweaty back.

  “You mean the world to me, Mercy, and so will any children we have, but I’m not ready to give up my career in the military. I’m good at what I do, and yes, it does keep me from you, but you are the most understanding and loving woman I could ever ask for.”

  “Because I know what it means to you.”

  “Because I live not just my dream but yours as well. I love you so much.”