Seal's Professor: A Military Roommate Romance

by Piper Sullivan

  I leave him waving and shouting in my rearview mirror and speed back to the hospital.

  Rob

  By the time I bust into Maddison’s room in the ER there is sweat pouring off my beard and I’m swallowing panic. Which is totally out of place in the serene and chill atmosphere inside.

  Marce is reading to Maddie as she looks at the pictures in an oversized book. There’s a little bandage on her arm covered in cats or dogs or something else little girls like.

  “Hey hon, are you okay?!”

  “Yes.”

  “What happened?!” I know at this point, I should calm the fuck down, the crisis is obviously over. But I can’t chill until I know how this happened. The question at the forefront of my mind is simple, who was responsible for this?

  “I cut my arm.”

  “How?”

  Marcy decides to step in, pushing me towards the door, “Let’s go talk to the doctor, Rob. Maddie, we’ll be right back okay?”

  “Okay.”

  I want to argue, but Marce’s grip is tight as she backs me into the hall.

  “What the fuck happened? Tell me now.” I keep my volume controlled but the intensity is the same.

  “It was an accident, Robert. Accidents happen.”

  “Did someone touch her?”

  “It was an accident.”

  “Who fucking touched her?!” My volume is rising back up, “WHO?!”

  A tiny voice comes from the hall behind me, “I did.”

  I spin around and find Aim, she’s fighting the tears welling up at the corners of her eyes. My heart sinks and she continues.

  “I…I.. didn’t mean to. They asked me to come up to talk at the school…but not because she did anything wrong… she did great. But I messed up and touched her shoulder and she hit a lamp and…and- and- I’m so sorry. I better go. I’m just so sorry.”

  I have to half run to catch her, “Aim, wait. Aim, please.”

  She stops, but she doesn’t turn around. I want to reach out and grab her, but I don’t want to make her stay if she really wants to go, so I just beg.

  “Aim, hon, it’s okay. I do it all the time still. It’s a miracle she hasn’t hurt herself before now. Please, Aim. Don’t go. She would want you here… I want you here.”

  When she finally turns, the tears she was holding back have started to fall, “I’m so sorry.”

  Now I hold her. “It’s okay. I swear it’s okay.”

  I feel her arms raise as she places her hands on my back and I take the cue to hold her tighter, “It’s okay, honey.”

  Then I don’t even give her a chance to wipe her nose before I tilt her head back and kiss her mouth.

  Amy

  “WHOA!”

  Marcy has never been good at hiding how she feels, and seeing her brother plant one on my sobbing face in the hallway of the ER makes her shriek.

  When I pull back to look, I see it’s not just Marce’s wide eyes looking at us, a few doors down, Maddie is peering out of her room.

  “Oh!”

  Rob hasn’t stopped looking at me despite the commotion, and I have to get his attention to turn to the right by moving his head with my hand. When he sees Maddison, he lets me go fast.

  I wipe my eyes quickly so she doesn’t think I’m upset. Rob, makes his best attempt at damage control as he heads for her room, “Oh, hey, um, Aim is here! I was really happy to see her.”

  Maddison’s face has an expression on it I haven’t seen before, I’ve seen her angry, confused, happy, but this was a totally new face that I couldn’t read. It suddenly dawns on me I should have checked with her before falling so hard for her Dad. I don’t want to do anything she doesn’t want.

  I try to follow Rob, but Marcy grabs my wrist and slows me down. I watch father and daughter disappear in the room as my best friend hisses in my ear.

  “What was that?”

  “We, we’re.. sort of…”

  “Shut the fuck up!”

  As mean as it sounded, Marce was elated. I don’t know why Rob always thought she’d feel like he was taking her friend. She knew how great it felt to be wanted, and she wanted it for me our whole lives. Now I think she’s as thrilled as I am...or as thrilled as I used to be. I try not to burst her bubble too hard.

  “But we haven’t said anything to Maddie yet. Do you think she’s upset about it?” I turn my worried eyes back to the empty open doorway.

  Marce’s laugh is way too loud for the hall of a hospital, “PLEASE! All she’s done is ask where you are for the last thirty minutes.”

  “Really?”

  “Go.”

  Marce is pointing to Maddie’s room like an overly strict teacher, I half expect her toe to start tapping. I obey and slink into the doorway. Maddison is back in bed, her Dad’s orders, no doubt. I give her a little wave, “Hey princess, how’s your arm feel?”

  “Better.”

  There’s that expression I can’t read again. It makes my stomach sink.

  “Oh, good. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to, you know that right?”

  “I know.”

  A nurse bustles into the room and saves me, she has papers in her hand, “Okay, you folks are free to go.”

  Rob steps up and fires off his signature on each page. Maddison jumps off the metal bed, obviously more than ready to go, “Where are my headphones?”

  I look around until I spot them on a back counter and hand them over, her next question stumps me for a bit, “I can’t raise this arm, will you put them in for me?”

  I stare at the tiny earbuds and then back at her. I practice holding them with the tips of my fingers – trying to figure out how this was going to work.

  Then I remember what’s in my purse.

  “Oh! Hold on!”

  I dig in my bag until I finally find the fuzzy pink prize I’m looking for. When I saw them in the store the week before I bought them on a whim. I had no idea if it would work, but I figured it was worth a try.

  I show her the big soft sparkly winter gloves, “Can I do it with these? Would that work?”

  She thinks hard and finally decides they’re acceptable, “Okay.”

  I pull them on and grab the little earbuds. I move slowly, still not sure if she would have a negative reaction even with my hands covered in the thick pink fabric. But she doesn’t react at all, she remains stoic and calm as I fit them into her ears.

  I don’t think I was breathing during the entire process, because I let out a big sigh when I’m done, “There!”

  “Thank you. Can we go?” Before I can say ‘yes’ she reaches out and takes my hand. I freeze, looking down at her tiny hand inside the fuzzy pink monstrosity on my right one. It feels so strange – and so great.

  “S- sure. I think so.” That’s when I look over to see if Rob is done with the nurse. He is, and he’s staring at me with his mouth hanging open. I know that look in his eyes and I start to silently beg him not to try to kiss me right now.

  I can’t look at him anymore, so I turn to Marce who also has her mouth hanging open, but at least I know she doesn’t want to make out, “Um, can we go?”

  Rob answers for her though, “Yeah, yeah, sure.”

  Maddison doesn’t hesitate at all, pulling my hand, guiding me through the door and down the hall. Rob has picked up his jaw and is now grinning at me like an idiot. I can’t help but love it. When we get to the Charger she finally released my hand to climb into her car seat, and then she sits there giving me a look like she’s expecting something. I don’t know what it is so I just start my goodbyes, “Okay princess, I’ll see you soon.”

  “Will you buckle me?”

  “Oh, sure.” My instinct is to hesitate before I remember I have on the magic gloves. I still make sure my arms don’t brush her, but I maneuver her belt on without any issues. Once again, I breath and smile, I’m actually super proud this little idea has worked so well, “Okay! Bye, princess! I’ll see- “

  “You aren’t going home?” I recognize this expressi
on, disappointment.

  “Oh, yeah, I am.”

  “With us?”

  I’m a little confused, but I try to clarify, “To my house.”

  “Why?”

  “Because… I live there.”

  “Why?”

  I’m totally at a loss now. I look over to Rob, but all he has to offer me is a shrug. Thanks.

  “I don’t know what you mean, princess.”

  “Why do you live there? Why don’t you live with us?”

  “Oh… I… I have an apartment…” I start to try and remember if she banged her head when she fell. But the expression I couldn’t place comes across her features and her next question puts everything together in a way that tears out my heart.

  “But you’re my mom now.”

  “I...”

  Robs voice comes from behind me, “Give us a minute hon, okay? Play your music?”

  She shrugs and starts to gab at her phone, “Okay.”

  He closes her door and I start to spew, “I’m sorry about that, I guess she saw you kiss me and,”

  “It’s not just that. She loves you. I know how she feels.” I blink. Did he just say what I think he did? He continues, “Maybe you could come over for a while, just for her?”

  All of a sudden, Marcy’s laugh cuts through the parking lot, “HA!” Nothing is funny, it’s the laugh of a sister’s sarcasm. It makes Rob crack a smile and fess up, “Okay fine, for me too.”

  “Oh sure. Yeah.”

  When he walks me over to my car and we are well out of earshot and eyesight of his little sister and Maddie, he finally gets to let out that kiss that had been building in him since the emergence of my pink gloves. In fact, I forget I still have them on when I reach up and hold his face with the fuzzy palms. I expect him to say something romantic when he pulls away. Not, “What the fuck?!”

  I open my eyes and see he’s not looking at me anymore.

  Rob

  The dents along the trunk of the Nissan are new, I know they are. I would have seen them before. When Aim isn’t around I always give her car a mini inspection just to keep her safe. I would have seen these fist sized indentions for sure.

  I storm over and look closer, “What is this?”

  When she starts to shuffle her feet, I know the story isn’t going to be good. “Oh, yeah. I ran into that guy again.”

  “Guy?”

  “Yeah, you remember?”

  Then I did. I remembered the first night I reconnected with her weeks ago and the guy I had to check outside the club. My rage meter goes from two to ten in less than a second. I knew I should’ve put him the hospital.

  “What!”

  “Yeah, when you didn’t answer the phone I tried to find you at Avenue and he was there, but it’s fine.”

  “He did this? Did he touch you?”

  I’m way thrown off when she starts to laugh, “Yeah, but I touched him harder.”

  Okay, that’s it. We need to talk. I jog over and ask Marce to drive the Charger home so I can drive Aim to our place, she says yes right away, but not before punching me in the arm. If I wasn’t still fuming inside over that asshole with the bad aftershave I probably would have slugged her back.

  When I sit in the driver’s seat of the shitty Nissan I decide right then it wouldn’t do, I was going to get Aim a better car tomorrow. This thing is way past its prime and now it’s peppered with reminders of that little shit who tried to touch what was mine.

  I start the decidedly temporary car and prepare myself not to rage too hard, “Okay what happened?”

  “You did.”

  “What?”

  “You warned me someday I might be in a bad situation and taught me what to do if I was. And I did it, so thank you.”

  “He tried to pull off you somewhere…”

  “I didn’t want to go.”

  I swallow hard and decide to have a meeting with my security team. If that piece of shit ever comes around there again he wasn’t going to be banned, he was going to be… detained. I keep my cool to the best of my ability.

  “Did you hit him?”

  “Yep!”

  She’s laughing again, to be honest, I’m glad she’s not traumatized.

  “Aim…”

  “Trust me, you’re a great teacher. And he won’t be walking right for a while.”

  “We should file a report.”

  “Sure, they can put out an APB on a smelly guy with a limp.”

  “Aim… “

  She reaches out and rubs my back, like I’m the one who needs comfort, “I’m okay, Rob. You taught me how to be okay.”

  I want to teach her more than that. I want to teach her to know she’s beautiful, and smart, and strong, and worth anything anyone ever does for her. Worth what I do for her. And I want to do everything for her. Not because she needs it – because she deserves it.

  “Why don’t you live with us?”

  Now she lets out a big laugh, “Hey, Maddie.”

  I realize that sounded crazy and try to recover, “I mean, Marcy said your rent was high, I just thought, my place is too big for just me and her, and you don’t have to marry me or anything.”

  “I would.”

  “Live with us?”

  “Marry you.”

  I have never been so grateful for a red light, because it lets me fully look at her. The insecure aura she always gives off is gone. She isn’t crying or stammering – she’s just… mine. She pulls off her pink gloves and shoves them into her purse, “But I need to go to my apartment first.”

  Now it’s my turn to laugh, “Before you marry me?”

  “Shut up.” Even though she’s teasing, I do shut up. I’m afraid if I don’t I might say something to fuck up this perfect life I’m building in my mind.

  When I pull up to her building she motions with her head for me to follow. I try not to get too overwhelmed by her ass as I follow her up the stairs. It’s eye level and more than close enough to grab, but once again, groping her in public might be a ‘fuck this up’ move. I control myself.

  The sight of her place gives me a mix of emotions. It was so small, most of her electronics are outdated and worn down, but it’s amazing to be among her things. Everything smells like her, everything is a memory or a memento. I start to imagine how all these things would look at my place.

  She doesn’t pause on her way to the bedroom and the man in me is hoping she wants to get more than a toothbrush. I was more than ready to give it to her. But I find her trying pull a broken mirror off the wall.

  Amy

  I pull as hard as I can, and while a few lose shards of glass fall, the mirror won’t budge.

  “Damn it.”

  “I can get you a new one.”

  I try not to seem like a looney as I explain, “Yeah, but I need to get this one down now. I just really need to.”

  That was all I had to say, Rob was moving me to the side and sizing up the mirror in a flash. Contentment filled me as I realized this would be my life now, Rob making sure I had everything I needed, and everything I wanted. As the mirror releases its grip on the wall, he looks at me triumphantly and it hits me that what I want right now is him. What I need is him.

  I take the busted frame out of his hands and toss it to the side of the room before I fling myself into him. One hand rubs his cock through his jeans and the other grabs the back of his neck, helping me reach his mouth with mine. He doesn’t seem surprised, if fact the speed with which he has me lifted onto my bed makes me think he was hoping this would happen.

  I wrap my legs around his waist and he moves on top of me. My body knows that’s where they need to be to make me complete. Between kisses he runs his lips across my cheek to whisper in my ear.

  “I love you, Aim.”

  I don’t hesitate at all to admit what I’ve felt all my life, “I love you too.”

  Then in a burst of energy the man I know I’m going to marry flips me onto my stomach and pulls me to my knees. I am beyond confused until I fee
l his hand under my skirt pushing my panties to the side and his fingers surge inside of me, I’m already sopping wet for him and he slides his in and out of me with ease.

  “Oh!”

  The sporadic attention he dips down and gives to my clit is making me shake. I have to let my weight go from my trembling arms and sink my face into the bed, arching my back as much as possible. All I can do is let him overwhelm me with his touch.

  I didn’t even hear him undo his belt, I must be in too much ecstasy, but suddenly his fingers are replaced by his throbbing cock. He moans as he thrusts it into me with force. There is no pause at all as he grabs me by the hips and begins to bounce himself off my backside. This angle lets him in deeper than I could take him this morning and I’m glad he can’t see the look on my face, because I’m sure it’s ridiculous.

  I didn’t know anything could feel so perfect.

  I love the rawness of his passion, the way he’s taking me just the way he wants to – the animal nature he’s drawing out of me is carnal and I love it.

  I love him.

  Rob

  I love her.

  And I love the way her ass bounces as I pound myself into her, it’s making me wild.

  Sliding my hand around her hip and underneath I find her clit and massage it as well as I can without slowing the pace of my thrusts. The sounds she makes as I rub her are almost frantic and it makes me even hotter. It doesn’t take long before that familiar pull grabs my cock, telling me I touched her just the way she needed me too.

  I stop breathing as I feel my dick swell thicker than I ever remember it being before. I push against her as hard as I can without knocking her down. As she pushes back, I explode. A low groan builds into a growl and I come with earth shattering force. Every hard pulse produces moan after moan I can’t control, her orgasm milks me until there is nothing left to give.

  When I pull out, she doesn’t move, she just stays there on the bed totally spent, shaking with her face in the covers. After a second I realize she’s not going anywhere, so I slowly lift her up, turning her around as I pull her against my chest.

  I try and be overly gentle now, reminding her I’m capable of tenderness. Hoping I didn’t freak her out. Showing her I wouldn’t have to take her like a savage every time. Even if that’s exactly what I had to do this time… she was bringing out the primal side of me in the best way. That same primal urge wanted to take care of her, to protect her, to take her home.