Field Stripped: 15 Steamy Military Romances

by Marissa Dobson

  Sandra hummed and sucked harder and Zach convulsed, coming in hot bursts down her throat as she swallowed every drop and then licked him clean, while she hummed happily, and he shivered from the vibrations her humming affected on his dick. When he could stand it no more he wrapped an arm around her waist and dragged her up his body.

  “Holy crap, woman. I think you drained me dry.”

  Sandra licked her lips and kissed him softly. “I’ve wanted to do that since I first met you. You taste delicious, by the way.”

  Zach dove in and kissed her deeply, mating their tongues and rolling them over, placing himself once again on top. “You keep talking like that and I may never let you out of this bed.”

  “And that’s a problem, why?”

  “You are such a naughty girl,” he said with another kiss.

  It didn’t take Zach long to regain his strength and they made love again and fell asleep in each other’s arms.

  Rudely awoken at three a.m. by an elbow to the ribs, Zach glanced around in confusion. The soft, pliant bundle he had held in arms when he fell asleep was now a sweating, thrashing heap.

  “No, no, stop. Why are you doing this? We’re here to help you. Don’t you understand? Stop!”

  This time a fist flew at his face, awake enough to block it, he considered the problem. Sandra threw punches with her bad arm which was not a good thing. She could injure herself. He knew PTSD, and he knew better than to just shake her awake, he needed to control her movements and try to gently talk her down from the nightmare.

  Carefully working in close and avoiding her swinging elbows and fists, Zach got his arms around her and held her arms in place. Surrounding her in a bear hug, he held her close and talked quietly into her ear. “Sandy, I’ve got you. You’re safe. You’re home. No one is going to hurt you now. Everything is okay, little one. It’s okay. I promise.” She thrashed and continued to cry out for some time, but eventually calmed and then began to softly sob. She was awake.

  She turned in his arms and buried her face in his neck. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t think I’d have a nightmare with you.”

  He tipped her face up to look at him. “You have nothing to be sorry about. Do you have these nightmares a lot?”

  She nodded. “More than I like. I’m seeing a psychiatrist, and they are better than they were, but I still get them. I don’t know what I’m going to do. I hate feeling like this. I’m not a weak person. Really I’m not.”

  Zach shook his head. “You’ve been though a trauma. Getting shot is not a little thing. It would shake anyone. PTSD doesn’t mean you’re weak, it just means you’re human. You’ll work through it. I’ll be happy to help any way I can.”

  “I haven’t scared you off with my crazy?”

  “You are not crazy! Say that again and I’m gonna paddle your butt.”

  A tiny smile crossed her face. “Promise?”

  “Bad girl. Yes, I promise. I don’t mean to pry, but who are you seeing for the PTSD?”

  “Dr. Haslam.”

  “I know her, she’s really good.”

  “I like her, she’s easy to talk to.”

  “Have you said anything to her about seeing me?”

  “Well, no. This was really our first date.”

  Zach laughed. “Yeah, I guess it was, but Sandy, it definitely won’t be our last. I think you should tell her about us. She might want to see me, there might be things I can do to help in your recovery, or things I shouldn’t do. Okay?”

  “Yeah, okay. I’ll talk to her about it.”

  “Good, do you want to go back to sleep?”

  She leaned in and licked across his bottom lip, “Well as long we’re awake anyway, we may as well take advantage of the situation,” she teased.

  Zach met Caleb at the gym on Wednesday morning for their regular workout session.

  “Hey man. How are you? I haven’t seen you around much. What’s up?” Caleb asked.

  Zach threw his gym bag down in the corner, avoiding eye contact. He wasn’t quite sure how to broach the subject of Sandra with his friend. As one of Caleb’s patients it could be weird between them.

  “Yeah, I’ve been busy. I, um, met a new lady.”

  “Really,” Caleb said drawing the word out. “And you didn’t even tell your best friend. Man that’s cold.”

  “Sorry, bro, she’s special and I’m not ready to share. You know?”

  Caleb eyed him for a minute and then he nodded. “Yeah, I do know.”

  It was Zach’s turn to stare. “Oh ho, are you holding something out on me, bro?”

  “Not really. I met a woman too, but I haven’t asked her out or anything. It’s complicated. She’s enlisted and I’m an officer. It could put us both in a jackpot, but I really like her.”

  “Is she in your command?”

  “Of course not. I would never be that stupid.”

  “Well, the Army frowns on it, but if she’s not in your command, they mostly look the other way, as long as she’s not married.”

  “She’s not, but she is a patient.”

  The hair on the back of Zach’s neck stood up, he and Caleb had been attracted to the same kind of women in the past. Sandra was his patient, and she was enlisted. Please God, don’t let it be Sandra Caleb was attracted to.

  Looks like keeping Sandra’s identity to himself was not an option. Zach straddled the bench press backwards, draping his arms over the weights and faced his friend, doing curls. “Caleb? Hold up a minute.”

  Caleb paused mid-curl and then dropped his arms, facing Zach with a raised eyebrow. “What’s up?”

  “I didn’t want to bring this up, because I didn’t want to complicate matters until I was sure where we were going, but…the woman I’m seeing, she’s one of your patients.”

  Caleb set the weights down on the mat and walked over to the bench press. “Seriously? You’re seeing one of my patients and you weren’t going to tell me? What the fuck, man. Bros over hos.”

  Zach punched him in the arm. “Don’t talk about her like that. She’s not that kind of girl. And that’s precisely why I was going to wait to tell you. But now? Well, I’m afraid it may be the same girl you’re crushing on, and that ain’t gonna fly, man.”

  Caleb placed both hands on the weight bar and stared down at the floor. “Don’t even tell me, Sandra O’Donnell, right?”

  Zach heaved a sigh. “Got it on the first try.”

  Caleb lifted his head so they were staring straight into each other’s eyes. Zach could see the sincerity in his friend’s gaze. “Okay, well you’ve solved my moral dilemma then, haven’t you? I would never poach your territory. A bad idea anyway.” He shook his head, “I shouldn’t have even been considering it.”

  Zach placed a hand on his shoulder. “It would have been complicated, for you both. I’m sorry, man. But then again, I’m not,” he said with a smirk. “I really dig her.”

  “Aww, man rub it in, that’s not cool.”

  “Are we good?”

  Caleb smiled his killer grin. “Of course. Maybe we can double next weekend.”

  Zach laughed. “Well, you got over that fast. That sounds good. I’ll see what Sandy wants to do.”

  Sandra sat in Dr. Haslam’s office, curled in the corner of the cliché couch and not saying much. In a depressed funk, she didn’t feel like talking. She’d promised Zach she would tell Dr. Haslam about their relationship, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to do that now. She wasn’t sure she should even continue the relationship. It wasn’t fair to him. A good man like Zach could do better than her. He deserved better than a broken soul like her.

  Who wanted to sleep with a woman who started hitting them in the middle of the night? Jesus Christ, she could have really hurt him. She might be a trained soldier, and yeah, Zach could hold his own; big as a tree, and a soldier too. But when she attacked him in his sleep, then what? He couldn’t defend against an attack he wasn’t expecting.

  What did this stupid shrink do for her anyway? Breathing exercis
es, relaxation techniques, and trying to release her tension through exercise or throwing things. Yeah that one really worked, she had thrown her stuffed animals all over her room, and then had to spend half an hour picking them up. That just frustrated her more, and she ended up in a crying fit. She was just plain fucked up and should probably keep her distance from Zach before she ended up screwing up his life too.

  “Sandra, what’s going on? Staring at your hands isn’t doing us any good, you need to talk to me. I can see the wheels turning in your head. Tell me what’s going on in there.”

  Sandra looked up and met her eyes. “The nightmares aren’t getting any better. I woke up swinging this weekend, fighting imaginary enemies in my sleep.”

  Dr. Haslam quirked a look at her. “If you were sleeping, how do you know you were striking out? Did you hurt yourself?”

  Crap, she’d screwed up. Now she’d have to tell Dr. Haslam about Zach. “I wasn’t alone. I was with a man, and I could have hurt him. I’m so screwed up I can’t even have a relationship.”

  “Okay, now we’re getting somewhere. This is why you’re so down today. You’ve met someone. Can you tell me about him?”

  “It doesn’t matter. I’m not going to see him again.”

  “You don’t strike me as a ‘one-night stand’ kind of girl, Sandra. And your word choices are important. You said ‘relationship’ so this man meant more to you than that. Why aren’t you going to see him again? Did he break it off after the incident?”

  Sandra looked back down at her hands in her lap. “No—” after a long pause she continued. “He was very supportive. He’s a soldier too, and in the medical field. He actually knows you he said, but he’s too nice a guy. He deserves better than to be saddled with someone broken.”

  Dr. Haslam leaned forward and took her hands, Sandra raised her head, tears sliding down her cheeks.

  “First off, my dear, you are not broken. Vases break, you are a woman, you are strong, you are dealing with a trauma and it will take time to overcome, but you are not glass that needs to be pieced back together, you are a human being that just needs to learn to cope with her emotions. Second, and this is a big one, you can’t make decisions for other people. If this man wants to be part of your life, and is willing to help you, why do you want to reject him? Think about it, Sandra, and think hard. Are you really trying to save him from something, or are you guarding your heart from possible pain?”

  Sandra shook her head as the tears poured faster down her cheeks. No, that wasn’t true, was it? Zach’s well-being, not her own, concerned her, right?

  Dr. Haslam moved to sit next to her on the couch and took her in her arms. Sandra laid her head on Dr. Haslam’s shoulder and cried in earnest. As the tears flowed, so did her emotions. Could the doctor be right? Did she guard her emotions and allow fear to control her? If she let Zach into her life, it opened her up to another possible loss. She’d already lost so much. Could she survive losing him too?

  If she called it off, never let it start, really, then she had control. The one thing that felt missing in her life over the last month. God, she had turned into a chicken shit! Her daddy would kick her ass if he found out.

  Once that realization struck her mind, resolve filled her. Dr. Haslam is right. I’m not broken glass; I’m a strong woman. My daddy raised a fighter. I don’t give up. Don’t know the meaning of the word. I’m a fighter, and I’ll fight this. It’s my life after all! Zach is worth fighting for. A peaceful life is worth fighting for. Getting back to my old self is worth fighting for. I’m a survivor!

  She stemmed the waterworks and sat up, swiping the tears from her face with a swift sweep of her free hand.

  “You’re right. I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m not a quitter.” She sat back and faced Dr. Haslam. “Zach suggested joining us for a session. He thought maybe he could help with my therapy. Do you think that would be a good idea?”

  Dr. Haslam smiled. “I think that’s a fine idea. It sounds like this Zach is a good one. Who is he? You said he knows me.”

  “Sergeant Zach Winters.”

  Dr. Haslam’s smile grew. “Oh my, you are a lucky girl.” The psychiatrist laughed. “Have him check his schedule and see if he can join us for your session next Wednesday.”

  “Okay.”

  “In the meantime, I know you don’t think the exercises are working, but they take time. You need to re-train your body to deal with stress responses, so keep them up. And don’t worry about hurting Zach if you are together, that man is a bear and a trained soldier. He knows what to expect now, and he’ll be vigilant. What happened after your nightmare when you were together?”

  Sandra could feel herself blush to the roots of her hair. “He held me until I woke up, talking softly to me. He had me in a bear hold so I couldn’t swing at him.”

  “See, I told you he knew what to do. That is exactly what I would have recommended.”

  “I won’t press for what happened after that, but sex is a good tension reliever too.” Dr. Haslam laughed.

  Sandra’s face burned, deep purple probably colored her skin by now. “Umm, yeah…well.”

  The good doctor looked at her watch. “That’s our time for today, and I think we made some real progress. Remember, you can always call me if you need to talk before our next session. I’m always here for you.” She tipped Sandra’s chin up so they were face to face. “Got it?”

  “Yes, Ma’am.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you next week. Call the office and let them know if Zach will be joining us or not.”

  “Yes, Ma’am. I’ll make sure to do that. Thank you for today. I really feel better.”

  They both stood and Dr. Haslam embraced her. “That’s what I’m here for, sweetie. Have a good week.”

  Sandra left with a smile on her face and a much better outlook on life. She’d arrived at the doctor’s office in the worst depression she’d been in since the accident and left feeling the best she’s felt in a month.

  It was amazing how just changing your mind set could change your whole perspective on life.

  Chapter Four

  Her mother looked up from her magazine as Sandra wheeled into the waiting room.

  “Hey baby, ready for physical therapy?”

  With a smile cracking her face Sandra replied, “Full speed ahead, Momma. Let’s get goin’”

  Moving around to take control of Sandra’s chair, her mother said, “You seem to have had quite an attitude adjustment. I’m glad to see your mood has improved.”

  Sandra nodded. “I’m sorry, Momma. I know I haven’t been the easiest person to be around lately.”

  Her mother stopped pushing and leaned down to kiss her cheek. “I love you, baby. Easy, hard and everything in between. We’ll get through this, just like we’ve gotten through everything else life has thrown at us. I survived three children with chicken pox at the same time. I can certainly survive a little PTSD.”

  Sandra laughed. “Oh, Momma, only you would compare PTSD to chicken pox.”

  “Well at least now I won’t have to duct tape oven mitts to your hands to keep you from scratching. Will I?”

  “I certainly hope not.” Sandra laughed.

  They entered the gym and Caleb looked up, locking eyes with her. He sauntered over with a cocky swagger and a cat that swallowed the canary grin. What the hell was that about?

  “I’ll take her from here, Mrs. O’Donnell. See you in an hour.” He dismissed her mother and pushed her toward the workout equipment. “So, a little birdie tells me you’ve been keeping secrets from your physical therapist,” he said.

  Looking over her shoulder, she quirked a brow at him. What the hell is he talking about?

  “I worked out with Zach this morning and he told me you two are dating.”

  Oh my God, if Zach kissed and told she was going to kick his fine ass from here to kingdom come! She cleared her throat. “Yes, we went out on a date. One date. I don’t know if you’d call that dating.”

 
“Well he certainly does. In fact, we talked about maybe double dating this weekend. Think you’d be up for that?”

  Sandra gave Caleb her sternest look. “If Zach wants to go out with me this weekend, I think Zach should be the one to ask me, don’t you?”

  Caleb just laughed. Her ire obviously wasted on the man. “Oh, you’re a pistol, aren’t you? Okay, I’ll tell the big man to make the invite. I’m sure he was going to anyway, I just thought since I was seeing you first, I’d make my play.”

  “You just wanted to make me uncomfortable, you mean.”

  Caleb clutched his heart. “You wound me! I would never.”

  “Yeah, and bears don’t shit in the woods.”

  Caleb laughed. “You know you shouldn’t taunt your physical therapist. I’m about to put you through your paces.”

  “Bring on your worst, lieutenant.”

  “Oh, you’re asking for it now, soldier!”

  The session went great and the best news of the day, she no longer had to wear her sling. She still couldn’t lift her arm above ninety degrees, and that frustrated her a little. Caleb said she progressed at the normal rate and her strength and mobility improved daily. Impatience should have been her middle name. She needed to learn to rejoice in the small victories, like getting the sling off, and stop lamenting what she considered failure. In other words, win the battle and work towards the war. They headed straight from P.T. to the orthopedic surgeon’s office, and if her luck held, they would to allow her to remove the immobilizer on her leg today too. That would have her back on her feet, with two usable arms. Hallelujah! She would feel almost normal again.

  Sandra walked out of Dr. Schneider’s office a half an hour later. She held a cane in her left hand to help keep her steadied and balanced, but she on her own two feet, and walking on cloud nine.

  “I want to go down to the fourth floor and see Zach before we leave, Momma. I want to show him I’m walking. Do you mind?”

  “Of course not, baby. I’ll go get the car, stow this wheelchair, and pull around front. You can meet me outside.”