“Fuck, C, I can’t wait. I have to be inside you. Now.”
He looked at me questioningly and I gave a nod. He lifted me so my legs were wrapped around his back, then I leaned back against the door and slipped my hand between our bodies to move my knickers aside and guide the tip of his cock to my slick entrance. Once satisfied it was going nowhere but deep inside me, I slipped my arms around Phil’s neck and lowered myself onto him.
Our moans filled the room as he filled me. Giving me a couple of seconds to adjust, he began to thrust inside me, his pubic bone slapping against my clit with each movement. I buried my face in the crook of his neck and held on for dear life as his powerful body catapulted us both to heaven. Before long, I felt his entire body stiffen and I knew what was coming. Moving my head slightly, I whispered into his ear.
“Come for me, baby.”
He needed no more prompting than that. His cock leapt and spurted inside me, and an almighty yell issued from his kiss-swollen lips. His fingers dug tightly into my ass, sending a wave of tremors through my pussy. We groaned together then, panting. Phil carried me over to the table where he’d put his wallet and gently lowered me onto it. Grasping the base of the condom, he pulled out of me.
“Fuck, C,” he said, looking at me with an expression of total awe. “That was incredible.”
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. I simply didn’t know where to start.
Phil’s brain was obviously working on the same problem as he disposed of the condom. He continued to look at me, then a little crease appeared between his eyebrows.
Moving to sit on the table beside me, he took my hands in his and said, “Christina. We’ve both fucked up, all right? I know it was mainly my fault, so I’ll allow you to hold it against me for the rest of my life, but I love you. I’m not saying it won’t be tough, but I’d rather have it tough with you than easy without you. What do you say?”
“I say we’ve got an awful lot to talk about, but yes. I love you, too, and right now, that’s all that matters.”
He squeezed me tightly and I hugged him back, scarcely believing that the man I’d never stopped loving was back in my arms. Reality intruded and I pulled away from him and began to straighten myself out.
“So, what now?” Phil said, moving to make himself presentable again as well.
Realizing how long we’d been away, I smiled wryly. “Right now, I think we’ve got some explaining to do.”
AGAINST THE WALL
Catherine Paulssen
The humming of a building crane and monotonous strike of a distant hammer beat heavily through the idleness of the summer afternoon as Annie let her eyes wander over the groups of soldiers lingering across from her perch on the watchtower—the men from the 8th Infantry Division on her side of the barbed wire and slabs of concrete, the Russian soldiers gathering with members of the East German police corps on the other.
None of them seemed to have anything particular to do. They looked as calm as the air that hung leaden over the city. But she knew the soldiers on West Berlin ground had a sharp eye on what was happening on the other side of the border, which would soon be manifested with a wall much taller than a man’s height. They were watching the enemy, on the lookout for even the slightest commotion that could be a sign of people trying to escape to freedom.
The Soviet soldiers who guarded the construction site on the eastern side were looking for the exact same thing.
Two weeks ago, they had started to build the wall, and ever since that day, fugitives had been fleeing the eastern part of the city. Officially, the U.S. troops and the Allied forces stationed around them didn’t interfere. But it was an open secret that they would help anyone who made an attempt to choose their side.
Annie sighed. Even though the soldiers appeared to have hardly anything to do, she would have traded her work as a cryptographer any time for their tasks. She had never been one for staying inside, and she would happily have exchanged her uniform and pumps for her male comrades’ boots and fatigues. She scratched her neck, sticky with a sheen of sweat. At least the skirt was a welcome relief for one of the hottest summers Europe had seen in decades.
She reached for a field glass and let her gaze wander over the Soviet soldiers leaning against a fence. They all looked the same to her. Tall and pale-skinned, but with red cheeks and a slightly defiant, proud expression around their lips. One, though, stood out from the crowd. His stout figure gave him an authoritative appearance but his gestures when he talked weren’t stodgy or gruff at all. His face was round and open.
She would sometimes catch sight of him on her strolls outside the command post, and her heart would always beat a bit faster, though she couldn’t exactly figure out why. He wasn’t supposed to make her feel that way, after all. She was a county commissioner’s daughter from the Midwest; she believed in the Apollo mission, Elvis Presley and the New York Yankees.
He was a captain serving a communist regime.
He took off his cap and wiped his forehead. She adjusted the binocular to take a closer look. His light blond hair was just a bit too long. Not so much that it would get him into trouble with regulations, but enough for her to notice. She imagined him losing himself in tunes played by forbidden radio stations as soon as his daily duty was over.
“Second Lieutenant McMillan,” came a voice behind her. She turned and saluted the first lieutenant. “Keeping a close watch on the enemy?”
“I…”
“You know you’re not supposed to be up here,” he said. His voice was stern, but she could see an amused glimmer in his eyes.
“I’m sorry, sir, but I’m off duty.”
“Even more reason,” he said good-naturedly.
“Yes, sir.”
That night when she went to bed in her cabin, sleep didn’t find her for hours. She blamed the still, humid air, but deep down she knew the true culprit was the Soviet soldier.
“You can’t go out there now!” Mae protested. “Look!” She pointed at the window, where towering gray clouds had darkened the sky so much that the late-afternoon sky looked more like evening. Thunder rolled in the distance.
“I have to. My mother gave me that watch before I left for Europe!” Annie grabbed her garrison cap and gave her friend a look that sought her understanding. “I know where I must have lost it. I’ll be back before the storm gets here.”
Before Mae could further object, Annie ran out of the office building that hosted their command post and headed straight for the construction line. When she reached the deserted no-man’s-land, the first drops of rain began to fall. Heavy, thick blobs soon speckled the dusty ground with dark spots. She threw a glance at the clouds being chased by the wind. No way would she return now, even if the price to pay was getting soaked to the bone. She’d probably lost her watch while strolling here during lunch break today, and she silently cursed herself for not having replaced its threadbare strap earlier.
Through an opening where the barbed wire hadn’t already been replaced with cement slabs, she could see some workers running into a shed and the lights being turned on in the Russian barracks. The machines stood still and all she could hear was the thunder’s glowering rumble. She passed a pile of cobblestones that smelled as only stones could in the middle of a city when the summer rain made their smooth surface shine.
Careful not to come too close to the fence while keeping her eyes on the ground, she startled when a bolt of lightning tore through the gloom. Thunder followed a moment later, hard and striking, piercing the air with its force. As if on command, the raindrops multiplied. Soon enough, her cord jacket was soggy, and she could feel the wetness soaking her shirt. She turned up the collar of the jacket to prevent streaks of water from trickling down her wet hair onto her neck.
Big puddles formed on the ground. She hadn’t expected them to cover the site that quickly, but suddenly, she found herself in the middle of a vast lake with only a few islands of mud scattered across it. She stuffed her cap into the pocket of
her jacket and started to jump from dry spot to dry spot, unable to see much ahead of her, so thick was the curtain of water lashing down. Realizing she had come quite close to the wall, she paused and looked for a place to wait for the thunderstorm to pass. Suddenly, she felt a hand grabbing her shoulder. She shrieked and turned to find the bearlike Soviet soldier standing right next to her.
“Nje,” he said, making a gesture with his fingers, then pointing to where they were standing. She looked at him with wide eyes, and he added the word “Gefahr,” his voice loud to drown out the rushing of the wind and water.
She thought she knew the meaning of that German word. “You mean it’s dangerous to be here?”
He nodded. “Dangerous.”
His accent was hard, but it was softened by the concern in his voice. She ducked her head as another flash of lightning darted from above. “But there’s no one around and I know the area.”
Did she see his mouth twitch in the dazzling white light? He said something in Russian, then shook his head. “Woman nje out. Dangerous.”
“I’m not a woman. I’m a second lieutenant in the Women’s Army Corps of the United States of America.” She raised her chin and tried her best not to blink as the raindrops hit her eyes.
He frowned and she wondered if he suddenly realized that she was, after all, the enemy. But then he broke out in loud laughter, a laughter so hearty, it couldn’t be swallowed even by the grumbling thunder.
“Come,” he said curtly.
He grabbed her arm and rushed her across the open space to a place where concrete slabs were piled high. As she tried to keep up with his long steps, she wondered if it was wise to follow a Soviet soldier with nobody in her unit knowing where she was. And yet, this was more a curious feeling than real fear.
At one side of the piled slabs stood a small stand where cigarette stubs swam in big pools of rainwater. He dragged her behind it to a narrow passageway where the stand’s roof met the stacked slabs. It was dry, and the cement had even stored some of the day’s heat.
Annie leaned against the back of the shelter and smiled at him. “Thank you.”
He returned the smile. He pointed to his chest. “Sergei.”
Her smile became bigger. “I’m Annie.”
He nodded formally, and she couldn’t help but finding him incredibly endearing.
Now, no longer running or concentrating on her way, she became aware of how the water had crept into every layer of her clothing and how chilly she was. Sergei took off the raincoat he was wearing. He folded it, carefully laid it on the floor and took off his jacket as well. Another thunderbolt lightened the darkness for a few seconds, and she could see that he had not been affected much by the rain apart from a few dark patches on his shoulders.
He took a step toward her and motioned her to take off her jacket. She could feel his eyes on her face as she unbuttoned it, and it made the blood rush to her cheeks. Her fingers trembled, and she fumbled with the buttons. He waited patiently, then took the damp cord suit jacket from her hands and placed it on top of his coat. She could smell his body and the rain as he reached around her to put his jacket over her shoulders. In the mingling scents of wet cord, gabardine, rain-soaked mud and his soap, she felt strangely comforted and safe. He closed the top button of the jacket, and Annie could feel the goose bumps vanishing from her cold skin.
“Thank you,” she said once more and cleared her throat as she heard her own voice croaky and strange.
“Spahseeba,” he said, and his breath touched her face. It smelled of tea and some fruit, dark and sweet.
“Spahseeba?”
“Thank you. Russki.”
“Oh.” She blushed and tugged the coat a bit closer around her. He didn’t retreat; instead, he propped one of his huge hands against the wall and continued to watch her.
Annie raised her head a bit and looked directly into his face. “Spahseeba,” she whispered, and the next moment, the fruity smell of his breath touched her lips, followed by his warm mouth on hers.
Another flash of light streaked through the passageway, and by the time the thunder roared, he had pressed her against the shelter’s wall. She grabbed his arms, and they felt just as strong as she’d imagined they would.
He lifted her up a little while he kissed her, and for a moment she could feel how excited he was beneath his uniform pants. They broke the kiss, and even in the shadows she could see the quizzical look on his face.
She bit her bottom lip and took off his cap. His hands didn’t let go of her waist, and they radiated warmth to her skin even through her damp shirt. He stood completely still. She ran her fingers through the blond hair and down his temple. When he didn’t show any reaction, she traced the shape of his lips with her fingertip. He opened them, and she ran her fingers farther down his chin, over his neck, to the hollow above his collarbone. She pressed herself a little closer against him and placed a kiss on his mouth.
The force with which he answered and deepened her kiss left no doubt that he had just been waiting for her cue. The tenderness of his hands as they crept underneath her shirt to explore her skin revealed that it hadn’t been a lack of experience or shyness holding him back. A shiver ran through her body as his rough fingers stroked down her spine to the waistband of her skirt. She moaned softly into his mouth as his hands followed the line of her curves from her hips up to her breasts. He smiled against her lips and cupped her breast, caressing it gently.
Another flash lit up the sky, and she noticed that it took a while until the thunder followed. The rain was still pouring, but she couldn’t help feeling anxious—anxious that the workers would return, anxious that someone might catch them red-handed. She fumbled with the buttons of his pants, and he stepped back a bit. While she opened his slacks, he watched her face, his gaze unwavering.
“U tebya krahseeviyeh glahza,” he muttered. The admiration in his eyes told her something about the meaning of the mysterious words, and when his thumb ran over her brow and down her cheek, she assumed he had given her a compliment about her looks.
She gave him a smile as she found her way into his shorts and fondled him. It was arousing her almost as much as him. His cock bobbed against her hand, and she curled her fingers around it. He closed his eyes and groaned. Very softly, she began stroking him up and down, and he let her do as she pleased for some moments. Then, with the next rumble that rolled through the skies, Annie found herself pinned against the wall of the shelter. Maybe he was realizing that the thunderstorm wouldn’t last much longer; maybe her caress had become too much.
Maybe he had wanted her all along.
He shoved up her skirt and yanked down her panties. A strangled moan escaped his lips as his fingers stroked her pussy, and the surprise she thought she heard left her embarrassed by how aroused she was. She lowered her gaze. Sergei lifted up her chin. The look in his eyes was sincere, and the kiss he gave her made her abandon any feelings of shame.
He took the hand that was still rubbing his cock and put it around his neck. He held her tight as he entered her carefully, but when she responded to his first deliberate strokes, he grew more daring. Her fingers dug into his shoulder and a surge of warmth flooded her body as he completely abandoned his restraint. Annie buried her face in his chest as he rocked her with heavy thrusts.
Their moans mixed with the sound of raindrops tumbling on the roof and the hauling of the wind around their retreat. A bolt of light flashed through the clouds, and as the thunder died in the distance, they leaned against each other, gasping. Her head rested against Sergei’s heaving chest and she drank in his scent.
He didn’t break away immediately, but rocked her a little bit back and forth in his arms, as if he were dancing to a tune playing in his head.
“Sergei…” she whispered, and he smiled. He placed two fingers on her mouth, then moved them to his mouth and kissed the tips that had just touched her lips.
After he had refastened his clothes, he bent down and picked up her jacket. In a
silent gesture, he held it out to her, but instead of taking it, she wrapped her arms around him and remained in his embrace until the rain’s intensity was no more than a soft thrum on the roof.
“If I stay for much longer, I won’t be able to leave,” she whispered, and she knew he understood because his arms held her even tighter, and he buried his face in her hair.
“I will see you again one day,” he said, determination in his gruff voice.
She took her jacket from his hands, removed his coat and reached around him to drape it around his shoulders. “Spahseeba,” she whispered and quickly kissed him.
She hopped through the muddy pools back to her command post, not noticing the water that splashed across her legs or how the construction site was once again filling up with workers. Only when she reached the security booth did she throw a quick glance back.
Her watch would be forever gone. But she had found something else while searching for it.
A few days later, as she was on her way out of the office, Annie passed a group of fellow soldiers from her unit talking about the Russian troops. She bent over the water fountain to listen.
“I heard it is some sick sort of sport to them, like a…a hunt,” she overheard one of the women saying.
“And afterward, they brag about how they seduced the enemy,” another woman said.
Annie choked on the water she was about to swallow and ran for the bathroom, where she threw up. She stared at her pale face in the mirror, eyes red-rimmed with suppressed sadness.
So he was one of those? No, he couldn’t be. He had treated her with such respect and consideration. She rinsed her mouth to get rid of the sickening taste.
Duty and Desire: Military Erotic Romance Page 9
