Pursuing Aries

by Linzi Baxter

  Sasha amazed me. “You’re one of the strongest women I’ve ever met.”

  “You’re not too bad yourself.”

  I chuckled and wrapped my arm around her, bringing her to my chest. Sasha tucked her head under my chin and draped her legs over mine. She idly ran her fingers up and down my chest. It took everything in me not to throw her over my shoulder and carry her to her room. I wanted this woman more than my next breath.

  “I think we’ve talked enough about serial killers and bad parents for the night. I know we haven’t talked much past our date tomorrow.” Sasha looked at the clock on the wall. “Well… our date is tonight now, but I was wondering if you wanted to come be my guest and watch our next launch in two weeks.”

  There was no hesitation I wanted to spend more time with Sasha. “Yes, I know NSS has launched a lot of rockets over the past ten years, but I’ve never gone to see one of them.” Every so often, I would see one when the launch was at night but never went to the facility to watch.

  Sasha mock gasped. “I’m not sure we can date.” She put her hand to her mouth. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say date… I’m not sure what we are doing…”

  I pulled her hand from her mouth. “I like you. You said earlier you liked me, and we went on a few coffee breaks and have a date planned for tomorrow. So, I would say we are dating.”

  Her pink tongue licked her lips. “I like that…” She smiled at me. “You make me feel like a teenager again, and I should’ve passed you a note asking yes or no.” Her laughter filled the room. It was like music to my ears after a bad day.

  Wanting to hear more of her laughter, I pushed my fingers into her side. Her body pressed farther into mine, causing her legs to grind against my length. “For the record, I would’ve checked yes.”

  Spending time with Sasha was what I needed, but it was the middle of the night. I needed to head home and get a few hours of sleep before heading into my meetings in the morning. SA Carson and Smith’s boss was coming down from DC to discuss the case and what we were going to do moving forward. “I’m going to head home and call it a night.”

  “Why don’t you stay here?”

  I couldn’t help but groan when she wiggled on my lap. Cuddling wasn’t something I did often, but it felt right to have Sasha in my arms. I didn’t want to go home, but I also wanted to take her out on a proper date before sleeping with her. “I’m not sure I can keep my hands off you.”

  Sasha ran her hand down my arm. “I like your hands on me, but you look exhausted. Take my bed, and Benji and I will sleep out on the couch.”

  “Not happening. Why don’t you go climb in your bed? I will sleep out here.”

  The large sectional was comfortable—hell, probably comfier than my old mattress at my house. After years of sleeping in remote locations in the Navy, I didn’t care much as long as the sheets were clean.

  “How about we both crash out here?” She pulled me down on to the couch next to her and draped the blanket on the back of the sofa over us. The second she cut the television, I fell asleep.

  Sasha

  The sun peeked through the living room window, waking me up. Events from the night before flashed through my mind. Brandon came over late and ended up staying the night. It was the first time I had a man stay at my house and we didn’t sleep together.

  He’d fallen asleep the second I turned off the television. I was glad he decided to stay instead of driving home. It would’ve been way too dangerous. The second he walked into the house, I knew he was exhausted.

  Benji was curled up in the blanket next to me, but Brandon wasn’t there. “Where did he go?”

  Benji didn’t reply instead licked my face before jumping off the couch and running to the door.

  The folders from the night before were gone, along with his keys and wallet. Sadness washed over me—he’d left without saying a word. I’d wanted to grab coffee with him before he had to head into the office.

  I still couldn’t believe I’d slipped about us dating. Maybe he wasn’t ready, and that was the reason he’d snuck out of the house while I was asleep.

  Not wasting any more time lying on the couch, I stood up and stretched out my sore muscles. The sofa was comfy, but nothing compared to my bed. The trip outside for Benji to go to the bathroom was quick. When I came back inside, I walked over to the coffee pot. Next to the coffee machine was a note.

  Good morning beautiful,

  I wasn’t sure what time you got up, so I got the coffee pot ready. All you have to do is turn it on. My boss texted early this morning that he needed me to come in. You were so peaceful that I didn’t want to wake you from your sleep. I will be back at seven to pick you up for our date. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes and jeans.

  Your boyfriend,

  Brandon

  P.S. Now, this letter makes me feel like we are in high school.

  I flicked on the coffee machine and pressed the letter to my chest. This was the first time anyone had written me a message. When I was in school, I had seen other girls getting them, but I was so focused on getting a scholarship for school that I’d never paid attention to the boys. Later, when I was in college, I’d made up for it, but college men never sent notes.

  With the note in hand, I walked back to my bedroom and placed it in my top drawer. It felt like the start of something special. My phone dinged in the other room. I hoped something didn’t blow up at work again. I shut the drawer and head back out to the living room.

  It was a text from Lily. She and Kaylene were ditching work early to come over and help me get ready for my date tonight.

  9

  Sasha

  Brandon pulled out the chair for me at the restaurant. I’d had butterflies in my stomach since this morning when Brandon left. We were on our first date, and I couldn’t figure out why I was so nervous. The night before, we slept on the couch together. That should have made me more nervous than dinner.

  Everything had gone perfect since he’d picked me up from home. He’d showed up with a white rose and a bottle of wine. We both had a glass before stepping outside to the waiting Uber.

  I had heard great reviews about the steakhouse but never had been there before. In the distance, I could hear a few waitresses singing “Happy Birthday.” Our perfect date turned sour when our waitress walked over. She brushed her hand across Brandon’s forearm.

  “I haven’t seen you here in a while,” she practically purred her words.

  “Jenn,” he ground out her name, “it’s nice to see you.”

  To keep myself from telling the waitress to remove her hands from Brandon, I reached to the middle of the table and tore off a piece of bread. The water boy had dropped it off and filled our glasses before Miss Touchy walked over to the table. I knew everyone had exes, but knowing they exist and seeing them are two different things.

  Brandon pushed Jenn’s hand off his arm and glared up at her. Point for Brandon. I couldn’t help but smirk up at the woman, but she didn’t even notice. Her eyes were only on him.

  “Is this your new partner?” Jenn asked in a whiny voice. I couldn’t believe the woman had the balls to ask him. I was dressed in a black dress, nothing two working partners would wear together. Before I had time to comment, she continued. “I saw on the news what happened. You know you can call me any time if you ever need to talk or anything…” she let the words hang in the air.

  Taking a bite of bread was a better option than decking the waitress. I lifted my brows and waited for Brandon to answer the question.

  “Jenn, can you grab my girlfriend and I a glass of the house wine?” Brandon didn’t even look at her when he asked. Then he reached across the table and grabbed my hands.

  After the waitress headed over to the bar, I couldn’t help but let out a laugh. What type of woman does that?

  Jenn stood over at the bar, shooting daggers in my direction as she waited for the bartender to fill our order. I wouldn’t put it past her to spit in my drink. I wasn’t so sure I
would take a sip. Hell, who knows what she’ll do to my food?

  She set the drinks down at the table, and said, “I will be back in a few minutes to take your order.” Jenn made sure to brush against Brandon again before walking away. I wasn’t sure how she didn’t see Brandon cringe every time she touched him.

  “Ex-girlfriend?” I tried to ask like I didn’t care. It was hard not to care. The woman was beautiful. Her white button-up blouse was undone enough so that when she bent over, I got a good look at her white lacy bra. Unlike me, she had boobs to fill out the shirt and make ample cleavage.

  Laughing, he looked over his shoulder. “Hell no! One thing I learned in the military is to stay away from the bunnies, and the same ones always come around police and firefighters.”

  “I don’t understand.” I shook my head. “That woman is beautiful. Any guy would want her.”

  “She’s a badge bunny.”

  I had heard the term before on television, but I didn’t think it was a real thing. Women went after men who were in the military or law enforcement because the benefits were so good and they might not have to work.

  “How do you know for sure she is a badge bunny?” I glanced toward the bar, where she was still watching our every move. “The way she’s acting, I would say more like a crazy person.”

  Brandon barked out a laugh.

  I took a deep breath. “I know you wanted to eat here, but do you think she will poison my food?” I felt like it was a valid question.

  “Dammit.” Brandon eyed my wine glass for a second. “You’re right. We shouldn’t take a chance.” He stood up and reached a hand out to help me up. Then he grabbed his wallet and tossed three twenties on the table. “That should cover the bill.”

  The waitress made a beeline in our direction.

  “She’s coming for us,” I joked.

  Brandon glanced over his shoulder and smiled. “Then let’s run.” Unlike me, he wasn’t joking. Still holding my hand, he took off at a jog. Luckily, I’d spent years working in high heels, so I was able to keep up as we booked it out of the restaurant.

  He didn’t stop when we made it out the front doors. I could faintly hear Jenn yell his name. This was the most fun I’d had in a long time. I’d never thought I would find myself running from some crazy waitress. I didn’t even care that I didn’t get to eat the food. There was no way in hell I would ever step foot inside that restaurant again.

  A couple streets down, we found a little hole-in-the-wall diner. We were both dressed for a five-star restaurant, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy a burger.

  I tugged Brandon toward the door, and he looked up at the sign, “You sure you don’t want to go somewhere nicer?”

  The sign in the windows said the place had the best pumpkin pie in America. “And miss out on that?”

  Brandon shook his head and followed me into the diner, where only one booth in the corner was open. I slid in, and instead of slipping into the other side, Brandon slid in next to me.

  An older woman came over and set two glasses of water on the table. “Welcome to Dollie’s Diner. Our special is a bacon burger wrapped in dough and fried. We also ha—”

  “I want that,” I told the waitress before she could read off any more specials.

  “I’ll have the same, and a slice of the Americana’s best pumpkin pie.”

  She smiled down at us and walked back behind the counter to put our orders in. It didn’t matter how expensive the food was. I just wanted to spend time with Brandon, and the vibe of the diner had me more relaxed than the upscale restaurant.

  Brandon rolled up his sleeves, showing the bottom of a tattoo.

  “Tell me about this.” I ran my fingers along the bottom.

  He rolled his sleeve up farther so I could see a significant portion of the tattoo. The colors of the flag were vibrant red and blue. In the center was a black combat boot wrapped with the flag and four silver dog tags. The tags had dates instead of names.

  I ran my finger over each one. “Were they your teammates?” I whispered.

  Sighing, Brandon rested his hand on my thigh and ran circles with his thumb against my skin. It was making it hard to concentrate.

  “They were my brothers,” he said quietly with a far-off look in his eyes.

  “I like how you remember them.”

  He cleared his throat and pulled his shirt back down, so only the bottom of the boot was on display. “How about you? Are there any hidden tattoos on your body?”

  I close my eyes and try to concentrate. He ran his hand up the inner side of my thigh, and his touch was making my body hum.

  Resting my head against the back of the booth, I took a couple deep breaths. “Yes. One on my back shoulder. It’s a picture of the first rocket my software helped program.

  “Here?” Brandon asked as he gently ran a circle around my shoulder.

  The waitress walked over with two huge fried burgers and a plate loaded with fries. I had no clue how I was going to eat a quarter of the food, but my stomach growled the second she set it down. Earlier, I’d been too busy getting ready for the date to even eat anything. The first thing I had all day was a couple pieces of bread across the street.

  “We could have probably shared one of these,” I muttered as I sank my teeth into the burger. Ketchup squirted out the side, onto my face.

  Brandon ran his thumb across my lip. Everything he did turned me on more. I didn’t know how much longer I could wait.

  “You don’t think I can eat this?” He pointed to his burger before taking a large bite. Like mine, his burger oozed cheese and ketchup, but I was lucky enough for it to only be on my face. A big drop of ketchup hit his navy shirt.

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “Now I understand why people go to nice restaurants for first dates. No chance of looking like a slob while eating.”

  “Slob?” His left brow arched. “I look perfectly fine.”

  “Yes, you do.”

  For the next half hour, we worked on eating our burgers and talked about my work. I could only finish a quarter of my burger. I had no clue where Brandon put the food, because the man ate the whole thing, including some of my fries. The waitress walked over and dropped the pumpkin pie on the table.

  No matter how full I was, I always had room for dessert. I reached for my fork, but Brandon already had a bite of pie on his fork heading for my mouth. My lips wrapped around the delicious bite. I enjoyed the spice of the pumpkin pie and little bit of whip cream.

  I heard the hitch in his breath as I moaned. His pupils dilated, and he shifted in the seat next to me.

  “Do you want to take the pie to go?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  We were heading back to my place because it was closer. I didn’t know if I could wait for the Uber ride back to his.

  The waitress came over with the check and a box. Brandon paid the bill, and I followed him out onto the street but before I could reach to pull out my phone, his lips crashed against mine. “I want you.”

  Instead of answering, I deepened the kiss as his arms wrapped around me, pulling me in closer. When I pulled back, he leaned back in for a quick kiss.

  “You want to come back to my place?”

  Brandon ran a hand through his hair. “If I come over I’m not going to keep myself under control like last night. Are you sure you’re ready?”

  I’d been ready the first time I’d seen him in Jacob’s office. Back then, it was because he was hot and I wanted to scratch an itch, but the more I got to know him, the more I wanted to spend time with him.

  “Yes.”

  10

  Sasha

  The door to my apartment barely clicked before Brandon had me pressed against the hall closet door. The only thing that broke up our kiss was Benji barking at my feet. Brandon pulled back and rested his forehead against mine. “I will take Benji outside really quick.”

  He grabbed the leash off the coatrack and snapped it to Benji’s collar. I couldn’t stop staring at his
rock-hard ass as he bent over, taking care of my dog. With each second I was with him, I fell for him more.

  Before heading outside, he stopped and pressed a kiss to my lips. Benji barked, letting everyone know he needed to go out. While they were outside, I went to the cupboard and pulled down two wine glasses and opened a bottle of red wine. I grabbed the pie and put it in the fridge.

  Brandon and Benji were coming back through the door. He reached into the dog treats and pulled out one of Benji’s bones he would chew on for hours and leave us alone. The little corgi leaped in the air, trying to grab the bone. Brandon took it over to his bed in the living room and put it down.

  When he came back in the kitchen, Brandon wrapped his arms around me. “Now, where were we?”

  I nodded over to the wine. “I poured us both a glass.”

  He ran kiss along my neck, sending a shiver down my spine. When I stepped to the side to get my glass, I noticed the stain on his shirt from the ketchup. My fingers reached for his buttons, and I slowly worked each one open. “I’ll throw this in the wash so it doesn’t stain.”

  Brandon’s lips turned up. “I really don’t care about a stain, but you can keep unbuttoning my shirt.”

  My fingers trembled with need with each button I undid. As I worked my way down, my fingers brushed against his washboard abs. For a man who ate a lot, he was in excellent shape. When I got to the last button, I worked my fingers back up his chest and ran them over his shoulders, pulling his dress shirt off.

  It was the first time I had seen him without a shirt, and the man was even sexier than I imagined. I ran my finger over a circular scar in his upper chest, not too far above his heart. “Is this a gunshot wound?”

  “Yes.” He pulled my wandering hand from his chest, brought it up to his mouth, and kissed it. “I got it the same day I lost my brothers.” I knew he didn’t mean his blood brothers, but the SEALs he served with.