Field Stripped: 15 Steamy Military Romances

by Marissa Dobson

  The team had been sitting together in the office lounge shooting the breeze and hanging out. It was the calm before the storm, each of them knew it. New information had come in and they were getting ready to go to war. They were all biding their time because they only had so much of it before the team would be in motion to finally put the case involving the Hamiltons and Lang to rest.

  The situation as a whole was more than enough of a headache, which made dealing with Petty Officer Lance Roberts more of a nuisance. His name had come up several times over the last few days. The length of his antics hadn’t been revealed to the team. B.B. didn’t think it was a necessary step. The group already had so much on their plates to handle. Dealing with the ignorant mechanisms of a possible lunatic she didn’t deem important enough to bring to the team’s attention. Her lover and the father of her child apparently felt otherwise.

  “Bri, this situation with this Lance joker just got real. He’s up the ante.”

  That got everyone’s attention effectively off of what Brian was talking about and on to Eli. Eli hadn’t been in the room with them. He quickly came out of his office with a tablet in hand. From the moment he’d walked in the door of the building that morning his focus changed from doting on her to work. She should’ve known what he was up to. The man was a computer genius who was in love with her. There was nothing private or sacred when it came to making sure she was around to be with him for years to come. If there was a paper or electronic trail to trace, then he was the one to find it. Knowing that Lance had threatened her was enough of a reason to meddle in her life. She understood it because it was something that she would’ve implemented had the shoe been on the other foot. It didn’t mean she cared for the fact that he’d been snooping around in her shit.

  “How do you know that there is a situation in the first place, Prophet?”

  The look he gave her told her he wasn’t going to answer that question unless someone else on the team asked it because he knew she knew.

  “He did what was expected when a man makes an idle threat to one of the members of this team. Prophet has been tracking this man from the moment the first letter was received. Isa and Trig have been keeping tabs on his movements. His appearance at the gun range, the texts and phone calls were too close for motherfucking comfort, B.B., and you fucking know it.”

  Brian didn’t usually growl at them. It was a reaction that came into play when he was frustrated with the situation and he was angered because he didn’t have complete control over something. He did tend to growl in Isa’s direction, but that was expected. No man has control over the woman that holds his heart and is the mother of his child. Having B.B. willingly putting herself in harm’s way and neglecting to share vital information must’ve put him on edge.

  “I didn’t feel it was something that was detrimental to my day-to-day, so I didn’t bring it up.”

  The television screen flickered and the text appeared for all to see.

  Petty Officer Ass: I know what you’re doing or should I say who. I’m going to make sure that isn’t an option for you again. That’s mine.

  “How does this not have something to do with your day-to-day? He dropped off a letter to your apartment that didn’t have postage or your address on it. It means he was in the building.”

  Brian’s face hardened. He looked like he was going to blow a fucking gasket.

  “Look. I can take care of myself. There are plenty of threats and such out there in the world. We have bigger fish to fry. Maybe we can use this in our favor.”

  “Hell. Fuck. No,” was Eli’s response.

  That was a first. He was never harsh, cruel, or short with her.

  “Excuse me? What do you object to?”

  “Everything,” he and Brian said at the same time.

  “Don’t you think it would be best if you removed yourself from this operation? You are the object of the man’s obsession.”

  “What the fuck does that have to do with anything? Just because some sad ass has an unhealthy need for my photo to be on his wall or whatever doesn’t mean I can’t work this case.”

  B.B. knew what Eli was doing. His need to make sure she was okay was going to overrule his knowledge of her ability to take care of her damn self. She’d done so for years. This wasn’t going to stop her from fighting him tooth and nail on whatever he was trying to put in place. She could see from the glint in his eyes he had a plan and she wasn’t going to like it, whatever it was.

  “I don’t know what any of your plans are for the next few weeks, but …”

  She was sure her eyes were as big as saucers as she shot daggers at him.

  “Proph, don’t you dare do what I think you’re about to do.”

  The other members of the team sat back and just watched their byplay as if they were putting on a show for the team’s personal entertainment.

  “I’m not doing anything that you wouldn’t do if it were anyone else. If you were the client, B.B., what would you do?”

  He had her there and his smug ass knew it. His eyebrow rose a bit as he waited for her response.

  “I’m not some client. I’m one of the team.”

  “You’re also the mother of my child and the love of my fucking life. Do you honestly believe I’m about to let some mad man free reign to get at you? If you do, then you don’t know me that well.”

  Bastard had a point. If the roles were reversed, she would have him benched so fucking fast his head would spin.

  “This is bullshit.”

  “That’s my girl.”

  “Whoa. What just happened? I’m confused.”

  Hounder sat up on the couch he’d been lounging on and looked at the two of them in quick succession.

  “B. was just put on house arrest by Proph. I’m not taking first shift, even if it is in that mini mansion Proph calls home.”

  B.B. shot Eli a look that said she was going to kill him.

  “What did you expect? You know my place is more secure than yours. It’s the more logical choice. Don’t hate me, beautiful.”

  She huffed and rolled her eyes before speaking.

  “I don’t exactly hate you, but if you were fire and I had water, I’d drink it.”

  “Well, shit. That’s cold as hell.”

  B.B. cut her eyes at Hounder before turning her penetrating gaze to the man who believed he was doing the right thing for her by making his suggestion.

  The team got together and decided a makeshift schedule for the job of her babysitter as she checked in with the Hamiltons.

  B. Hamilton: All good here. Enjoying peace, quiet, and solitude.

  She smiled and quickly responded.

  B.B.: It’ll be over soon. You won’t know what to do with yourself with all of the drama out of your life.

  B. Hamilton: You’re probably right. Thx for checking in. Night.

  B.B. hoped that what she’d said was an accurate statement. She couldn’t see any of this going on any longer than a week at the most. If it went beyond that, she might just shoot someone at random on principle.

  B.B. climbed into bed and tried her best to put as much space between herself and Eli as possible. They’d been having mini arguments all afternoon into the evening. He didn’t like the fact that he knew she was keeping something else from him. He’d stated that he knew there was something much bigger than what she’d shared about the stalker going on with her. She, in turn, told him that a lot of time had passed and maybe he didn’t know her as well as he thought he did.

  It all culminated into a tumultuous coming together that had her praying Trig couldn’t hear them from the kitchen where he said he’d be hanging out for a while. He drew the short straw since everyone else had plans. Eli wasn’t going to be home with her for more than another hour. They’d gone by her apartment before coming home for dinner and he’d literally fucked her into submission on her balcony. The neighbors had quite a sound bite after that joining of bodies. He hauled her ass back into the apartment to collect things fo
r her and Camille before driving them to his place.

  “Three and a half months, Lindy. It’s been three and a half months of this psycho sending messages, emails, trinkets, and shit. I allowed time for shit to taper off. You’re mine, Lindy. Mind, heart, body, and soul belong to me. We just have to make it official. You know it and I know it. I don’t make quick decisions and I don’t take kindly to assholes make what’s mine feel uncomfortable. I know you won’t admit it, but this whole situation makes you uneasy. Here is where you’ll be until we can apprehend this bastard.”

  She’d shrugged as he’d climbed out of the bed to get dressed. He was so quiet she didn’t realize he was still in the room until he was speaking again.

  “I thought I’d seen all of your tattoos. I guess I was wrong. The one that is the left side isn’t one I recognize. Who is this ‘Lil’ Pip’ that is riding on the bird’s wings, bella?”

  B.B. didn’t respond. Instead, she pretended to have fallen asleep. Increasing her sound of heavy breathing, she faked it until she had actually drifted off to sleep.

  Lil’ Pip’ wasn’t up for discussion. She hadn’t spoken to a soul about that situation and probably never would even though her family vehemently disagreed on the subject. It was her life and her tale to tell when she was ready to share it.

  Chapter Five

  The Asshole Stalker

  “Close the fucking door! My head feels like it’s trying to split open from the inside out then back again.”

  B.B. had been sitting in the living room of Eli’s house in complete darkness. Her last two nights there had not warranted her any sleep. All she kept thinking about was Lance. Eli had been so busy with work things that he hadn’t been around much. Camille had asked her if they would be able to have a whole day together as a family. She knew it would be a possibility once things settled down and hoped it would be soon. She missed her man. Sam’s soft padding through the house sounded like she was the Jolly Green Giant and not the petite meat that she was. All B.B. wanted was to be left alone, even if her thoughts kept drifting back in time to years ago when she was much younger.

  Having Lance star in her thoughts was not kosher and pissed her off, but her mind kept taking her there so she allowed it to drift back even if it further fed her migraine.

  Lance was that guy. He was the guy that every other male wanted to be and every female wanted to marry in high school. He appeared to be the one that everyone loved. That was one of the major reasons that had attracted B.B. to him. She’d been the center of attention on many occasions, but he had the right kind, the good kind of attention. It was a surreal feeling to have people look her way and smile. The fact that a lot of them began to speak after learning that she and Lance had been a couple for some months was even more shocking. When she was with him, she felt as if all of the drama of her childhood and her drunk, abusive mother had just melted away.

  The two of them were practically attached at the hip. Where one went, the other was sure to follow. No one was surprised when she changed her mind about joining a branch of the U.S. military to attend the college that Lance was attending. She hadn’t realized she’d been manipulated into changing her mind until the day the blinders were taken off and she saw Lance for the controlling ass that he was. None of it was revealed until after he got his taste of that first piece of college ass.

  B.B. had made her decision to attend college at the last minute so she’d missed out on some of the awarded scholarships and a good chunk of the financial aid. As such, she couldn’t afford campus housing. Lance had suggested they live together. He’d been acting weird after they’d come back from winter break. In fact, she realized she hadn’t seen him much during their hiatus from the university. She’d been curious about his whereabouts and when he was planning on returning to the apartment. Her schedule for classes changed, which meant that her work schedule at the student union had to change. B.B. had been looking forward to getting back to the apartment and resting up before her workload truly began that first week back on campus. What she found shocked and amazed her.

  They hadn’t been back two days when she was sucker punched with reality. Classes were starting three days later, but her work schedule had been implemented and she had to abide by it. B.B. had known the boxes and bags of her life were waiting on her to unpack them and get settled. Her mind didn’t focus on that. It focused on the nice, long shower she planned on taking. Walking in her front door, she dropped everything and began pulling things off. As she moved to unbutton the first button of her blouse, she heard a moan coming from the bedroom. She didn’t know why, but she picked up her phone and made her way to the bedroom that she sometimes shared with Lance.

  As quietly as she could, she pushed the door open. Her phone was at the ready with the camera option set to record. When she swung the door wide, she’d been expecting to possibly find him masturbating. Technically, that was what she found. Her phone recorded the events that followed for almost four minutes because she hadn’t realized she’d never hit the button to stop it.

  What she witnessed was five people screwing on the bed. Two faces were settled between the legs of one person’s. Lance had some female straddling his face and that female’s face was buried in another’s twat. The owner of that twat was kissing another female and fondling her tits while she was being banged from behind by another guy. The entire time all of this was happening, Lance kept a steady stroke on his cock. The sounds of moaning increased exponentially when she’d opened the door. They had apparently been at it for a while because discarded condoms were tossed in a corner. When one of the slut’s voice began to rise in pitch, she snapped out of her trance.

  “I’m coming,” she called out and someone silenced her mouth with some part of their anatomy.

  “Yeah. Do it. I’m about to join you,” the other male’s voice responded.

  His jeans had been pulled down only enough to expose himself. She recognized the voice of one of Lance’s good friends. They said that he was the “pure” one. Watching him slam deep within the oh-so-willing female didn’t say “pure” one to her. Lance’s growl that said he was about to join the other two had her stepping back while leaving the door open. B.B. stopped the recording and snapped a couple photos. Turning on her heel, she sent the two fucktard males the pictures with a caption of “Hope you had a fucking good time with those hoes.”

  She had several ways to end the message, but none seemed to fit right. Instead, she ended it just like that. His bag was on the floor, so she rifled through it and found his work and class schedule. His phone was vibrating when she picked up the bag. A message from some chick named “Madge” floated across the screen.

  Madge: My mouth. Your stiff piece. Usual spot. Twenty before practice. BJ to get you hype.

  The “usual spot” was where exactly? How long had this thing been going on? B.B. dropped the phone and made note of when he wouldn’t be in the apartment. The video was sent as an inbox message on Facebook. Within two days, she had all of her stuff out of that apartment and had herself settled into her old bedroom at home. Lance had tried to contact her several times. He’d sent messages via email and inbox. His number was blocked on her phone so he couldn’t call. She’d made the mistake of opening one of the many messages he’d sent. It was one of those “please forgive me because I love you and I need you in my life” messages.

  Her reply was to send him one of the photos that she had on her phone. He’d respond by calling her out her name then she’d go back to ignoring him. When her friends asked her why they’d broken up, she couldn’t attempt to relay the details of what happened. How could she clearly describe what she saw without becoming violently ill? In the end, she just said things didn’t work out for some people. Boy was that an understatement.

  The other side of him didn’t show up until much later.

  Chapter Six

  The Reynolds

  B.B. had been a complete grouch over the last month or two and it was starting to show on the tea
m members’ faces. As a result, she was being given a wide berth, which made her feel bad. She woke up that morning feeling like she owed everyone an apology starting with Eli. He’d taken to sleeping in the room with their daughter or on the living room couch.

  B.B. moved about the kitchen in quick and precise motions. To a person that was watching her, she looked like she was some type of erratic spaz. It was the first time the three of them would be together under one roof and no one was running off to practice, work or anything else. She was a nervous wreck. Inside, everything was a coil, tightening and threatening her very existence. There was news to be shared and she didn’t’ know how to share it. She hadn’t told the most important person because it was going to be a surprise.

  “Mommy, that’s not right.”

  Her little girl’s voice snapped her back to reality. Looking down and focusing on what she was doing, she saw that she was pouring orange juice on her daughter’s cereal.

  “No, that’s not right. Is it, Cami? Mommy’s brain is somewhere else today.”

  B.B. looked at this little version of love that was the result of two hearts joining in the most unexpected of ways. B.B. saw that her auburn curls had been passed on to this smaller version of herself and so were her big, green eyes. Camille’s inquisitive mind was all her father’s. The need for glasses came from his side of the family, as well. The cute, pert nose was from B.B.’s side. So were the beautiful, kissable lips. That mouth … oh that sassy mouth of Camille’s came from her momma.

  “Ma, where did you leave your brain if is not with you? Could you walk and talk and breathe if it wasn’t with you? I don’t think anybody would be silly enough to leave their brain somewhere else. That must mean they aren’t too smart.”

  Yep, that was all her father. It was questions like those that made B.B. wonder if her child was actually five years old. How could someone so young deduce such things?