Zone of Action: A Career Soldier Military Romance

by Tawdra Kandle

  But I knew it wasn’t in Sam to give up that easily. I was suspicious and more than a little trepidatious about the engagement party. I was going to have to be vigilant, or I’d find myself paired off with one of Max’s Army buddies, forced to put on a happy face and pretend I was interested.

  That would be annoying, considering I wasn’t interested in any man right now. Certainly not one with short hair and fathomless dark brown eyes. That face, that body and that voice definitely hadn’t been haunting my dreams since Friday night. I hadn’t even thought about Jake Robinson once since I’d locked the door behind him in the wee hours of Saturday morning.

  Once, twice, a hundred times . . . what difference did it make? I’d done everything in my power to make sure he’d left me in the worst possible way, with no chance for another night together. I didn’t want him to think I was interested in seeing him again. I was fully aware that I’d been the one to shut down that night, but I’d had a good reason. I liked Jake. From the time we’d spent together, I could already tell that I liked him too much. We had chemistry, a connection that was even more than sex, and that scared the shit out of me.

  When I’d heard myself beginning to explain the complicated relationship I had with my family, I’d been appalled. I knew better. That was when I’d realized he had to leave before I gave in and asked him to stay.

  Sure, I could’ve handled it more gracefully, but in the end, what did it matter? He was gone, and I’d made sure to be enough of the bitch that he’d never want to come back.

  And that was how I wanted it. Or so I kept telling myself.

  * * *

  The townhouse was already filled with guests when I arrived Saturday night, and I smiled at a few I recognized as I made my way across the living room. Max and Samantha had wanted to keep things casual for this party, although I knew that both sets of their parents had been eager to help, offering tons of ideas and well-meaning suggestions. Still, from what I could see, nothing was too over the top. Sam had told me privately that she felt she’d had to dig in her heels now so that she didn’t lose control of the entire wedding planning process. I shuddered at the thought of having to face that ordeal. Happily for me, it wasn’t going to be an issue any time in the foreseeable future.

  A few servers were passing food on trays, and my chef-trained eye examined what they were handing out. The canapes looked fresh and enticing, not sloppily assembled. The presentation was subtle but professional. I approved.

  I was just reaching for a glass of champagne from the self-serve wine and beer bar when I saw him. He was standing about a foot away, and his eyes were trained on me, disbelief and surprise evident there.

  My mouth dropped open. Fuck and double damn. What the hell was he doing here? Of course, the answer to that question was fairly evident. Jake was a soldier. Max was a soldier. Although I’d spent much of this week convincing myself otherwise, they must’ve known each other after all, if Jake was here at the party for their family and closest friends. Panic gripped me as I realized what that meant. If they knew each other, they might have talked about things like hook-ups and random sex and what had happened last Friday night. Shit, had Jake told him about me? Had he used my name?

  “What are you doing here?” Jake spoke in a whisper, voicing the same question I had for him.

  “I make it habit to crash random parties, just to check out the food.” Sarcasm was my fallback, as always. “What the hell do you think? Samantha is my best friend. We used to share an apartment.” I pressed my lips together. “I assume you work with Max?”

  “I’ve known Max for a long time. Yeah, we work together, and we’re friends, too.” A tic jumped in his cheek. “Did you—”

  “Harper!” Samantha appeared at my side, her face alight with happiness and excitement. “When did you get here? I’ve been looking out for you, maid of honor.” She hugged me and then stood back, taking in my outfit and smiling even bigger. “Damn, girl, you look good. I forget how nice you clean up sometimes.” She leaned forward to kiss my cheek and seemed to realize that we weren’t alone. “Jake! Hey, there. I didn’t see you, either.” Her glance darted from his face to mine. “Do you two . . . know each other?”

  We spoke at the same time, but unfortunately, we didn’t use the same words.

  “No!” My reply was quick and vehement.

  “Yeah.” Jake’s was just as fast, but a whole lot less sure.

  I skewered him with a glare guaranteed to melt steel. “No, I just introduced myself as your friend when I stopped to get a drink and he was standing here.”

  Jake coughed. “Yeah, that’s what I meant. I just, uh, met her. Just now. Here. Not before.”

  Sam frowned, and I knew she wasn’t buying it. “Oookay . . .” She narrowed her eyes, watching me, and I saw a glimmer of realization began to dawn on her face. “Harper, this isn’t—is he—did you—”

  Because God is merciful, despite my many shortcomings, before Samantha could finish that question, Max called her name from across the room. When she looked at him, he beckoned her over, probably to meet the couple with whom he was speaking, I guessed. She nodded her acquiescence and began to walk toward her fiancé, pausing long enough to turn around to face Jake and me once more.

  “You two—I’ll be back.” She pointed at us. “Don’t think I’m going to forget. I want the dirt.” With that parting threat, she pasted on her pretty bride-to-be face and went to join Max.

  I wheeled around to face Jake. “What the hell were you thinking? Why did you tell her yes, that we knew each other? Are you out of your fucking mind?”

  He gave his head one quick shake. “No, of course not. I didn’t know what to say, because how the hell do I know what you’ve told her? I know about women. I know how y’all talk. I didn’t want to say we’d never met if you’d told her about what we—about what happened. Between us.”

  “Like I’d give her a name? Be serious. What kind of an idiot do you think I am?”

  With a low growl that reminded me all too vividly of our night together, Jake gripped my arm and tugged me toward him. “I don’t want to have this conversation here. Come on.”

  He led me through the kitchen, which was covered in platters being filled by one startled caterer as we stalked through. I saw her open her mouth to speak before she caught sight of Jake’s face. Then she shut her lips and looked away.

  He dragged me out onto the small wooden deck and shut the door behind us, then dropped his hand from me, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “What did you tell Samantha? I mean, how much did you tell her?”

  I mimicked his stance, defiant. “None of your damn business. I didn’t give her your name, so there’s no way—” I stopped talking. “Don’t worry. If she’s suspicious, I’ll convince her otherwise. Your secret is safe.”

  “Hey, it’s not my secret. I would’ve told her the truth in there. I would’ve said we hung out last weekend after we met at the bar. You’re the one making this a bigger deal than it has to be.” He cocked an eyebrow at me. “What’s the matter? Doesn’t your best friend know that you like to hook up with random guys and do kinky shit?”

  “Fuck you,” I hissed. “No—I mean, yes. She knows I hook up. I don’t pretend to be someone I’m not. I don’t do that with Samantha or with anyone else, because I’m not ashamed of who I am. But I also don’t need her deciding to play matchmaker and trying to throw us together, if she figures out that we already had, uh . . .” I tried to think of how to phrase it. “Chemistry.”

  “Why would she do that?” Jake was honestly clueless, and I felt sorry for him, poor dumb fuck.

  “Because she’s been nagging me to find a nice guy in the service like she did and settle down so we can be Army wives together. She and Max are always pestering me to let them set me up with his friends. If she thinks we already have something in common, even if it’s just the fact that we had a one-night stand together, she’ll never let it rest.”

  Jake shook his head. “I d
on’t get it. Can’t you just tell her that neither of us is interested in that? Tell her that we wanted no-strings fun. What can she do? She can’t force us to, uh . . .” He rolled his hand. “You know. Date or whatever.”

  I shook my head. “Clearly you have no concept of a woman in love who wants all of her friends to find themselves in the same state. She’s like a pit bull, and she won’t let it go. Trust me. This is why she must never guess that you’re the guy I told her about.” I could’ve cheerfully cut off my own tongue for having said anything to Samantha about last weekend’s fun.

  “What exactly did you tell her about me?” Now he no longer looked worried; instead, he was intrigued.

  “I told you, it’s none of your business.” I felt my face heat up and hoped he didn’t notice the flush.

  Jake stepped a little closer to me. “Did you tell her it was the best sex of your life? Did you tell her I fucked you so good, no other man will ever measure up?”

  Shit, he was hitting too close to home. “Of course, I didn’t, you big cocky ass. Girls don’t talk like that.”

  “Oooh, was that a clue just now? Big and cock together in the same sentence. Did you tell her I was the biggest cock you’d ever had?”

  I felt a betraying dampness between my legs at his words. “You wish.”

  “Honey, I don’t have to wish. I know what I’ve got.” He stepped a little closer, further into my personal space. “And if you need a reminder, I’m happy to provide it for you.”

  My knee-jerk reaction was to pull away and tell him to get lost. But I hesitated for a half-second, and that was all the time it took for Jake to grip me by the shoulders and pivot us into the shadows. There was a window box in the kitchen, which jutted out onto the deck. On its far side, it created a small alcove that was out of the sight of anyone standing in the house; in fact, a person would have to walk nearly off the deck in order to realize that someone was there. Or two someones, as was the case just now.

  Jake pushed me up against the side of the house, his hard body plastered against mine. His lips were on me, kissing me so hard that I felt bruised. But something in me responded, just as it had the first time, and I realized I was clinging to him, my fingers digging into his back.

  “You want this, too.” It wasn’t a question, but all the same, I knew he was asking for my consent. If I denied that he was right, he might not let me go immediately, but he wouldn’t push the issue, either. I wasn’t sure why I was so certain about this, but I was.

  But did I want it? The small part of my brain that was still sane and functioning pondered this, even while my hips thrust forward, grinding against the promising bulge in his pants. Jake palmed one of my breasts, his thumb pressing into the nipple until I gasped. I was so wet for him, so ready and so on fire, but he wasn’t moving fast enough for me. I knew why.

  “Yes. All right, dammit, is that what you needed to hear?” I sank my teeth into his bottom lip. “I want it, too.”

  “Just had to hear you admit it to yourself.” With a sharp tug, he yanked the neckline of my dress down, thrusting both tits into prominence. I groaned, and the sound was louder than I’d expected. Jake covered my mouth with his open lips, swallowing the noise. His hands were on me, his fingers pinching both nipples so roughly that I thought my knees might give way.

  I brought my hands to the front of his pants and fumbled with the buckle on his belt and then the button and zipper beneath it. He eased back just enough that I could take him in my hand, my fingers firm as I stroked him, pumping insistently.

  “Condom in my pocket,” he mumbled, his mouth busy on my breasts. “Left side.”

  I managed to find it, using my teeth to tear it open and roll it over him. Jake hissed in a breath when I cupped his balls once he was sheathed. My hand shook a little, but it was only because I’d been so mad before. Right? That had to be the only reason.

  He reached beneath my dress, curled his fingers around the crotch of my delicate silk panties and pulled until the seam gave way, ripping them from me. And then he was touching me, two fingers plunging into me, his thumb rubbing at my clit.

  “So fucking wet for me.” He took my ear lobe between his teeth, worrying the tender flesh there. “Were you wet the minute you saw me, remembering last week?” Before I could open my mouth to deny it, he went on. “Because I was stiff the second I realized you were here. I spotted you coming into the living room before you saw me, and my dick went rock hard.”

  I shook my head, but I couldn’t remember what I was denying. Every ounce of my attention was focused on the way he was stroking my pussy. I was climbing, climbing, my body tensing as I struggled to stay upright in the swirling miasma of unspeakable pleasure.

  “Hold onto me.” Jake brought both hands to my rib cage, making me bleat a little in protest that he’d stopped touching me between the legs. “Wrap your legs around my waist. I’m about to fuck you so hard, we might shake down this whole house.”

  I knew that I should stop him. Yes, we were hidden, but it was still conceivable that someone might walk out onto the deck for a breath of air or even to sneak a cigarette . . . and they’d get an eyeful in about half a second if I didn’t hop off this train.

  But then he lifted me, and my legs circled his body of their own accord. Bracing my back up against the rough brick of the wall, he used one hand to guide his dick to my entrance, while his other one held me steady.

  I arched a little at the welcome feel of the thick head of his cock within me, but I wanted more. And I wanted it fucking now. I tried to wiggle a little to slide him further inside me.

  “Shhh, shhh, slow down there.” Jake leaned his face close to mine. “What’s the hurry? What do you need?”

  Writhing, I growled. I fucking growled. “Do it. Just . . . stop messing around and do it.”

  He laughed a little, the sound soft and incredibly sensual, even when it should have been as annoying as hell. “Tell me what you want, sugar. And be specific. Use your words.” As he said it, he slid out of me and rubbed my swollen and throbbing clit with the slickness of his dick.

  Pulsating need battled with stupid pride . . . and lost. I closed my eyes and sucked in a deep breath. “I want you to put your cock inside me so hard and so fast that I feel you all the way to my throat. I want you to fuck me raw. Make me scream. Make me come on you.”

  Even in the dark, I saw his eyes flare. “Holy fuck, that’s hot. Hold on, because I’m about to do exactly what you asked.”

  I didn’t have time to inhale again before he’d plunged into me, moving with such force and purpose that I thought I might pass out. Everything exploded into bursts of color behind my eyelids, and on a half-sob, I ground myself down to meet every primitive thrust.

  “So fucking close. So . . . fucking . . .” He kissed me, his lips devouring my mouth and swallowing my moans. “God, Harper, I can’t—I’ve got to—”

  Whatever he was going to say was lost as I hit my peak, shaking with the intensity of the pleasure and the violence of my orgasm. Colors burst behind my closed eyes, and my hearing tunneled. At the edges of my mind, I was aware that Jake’s body had gone tense and still, his hands digging into my sides as he came long and hard, his cock pulsating within me.

  I dropped my forehead against his chest, my breath still fast and ragged. He was inside me, and I could feel both the after-spasms of my orgasm and the last throbs of his, making me long to rub myself against him again. This had never happened to me. I was always one and done, fuck and run. I never did second go-rounds. But right now, I would’ve happily climbed him like a pole. I had the oddest impulse to sink to my knees and use my mouth to bring him back to full attention, to milk every drop from that beautiful cock—

  “Here.” Jake interrupted my post-coital daydream, sliding from me, easing my legs down to the floor of the deck, his hand holding tight to the condom still on his dick. I glanced down, my tongue darting out to run over my lips as I watched him remove the condom and tie it off. He paused to tuck
in and zip up before moving away from me into the dark for a moment; I heard a noise that sounded suspiciously like a trash can lid being lifted and replaced, and I hoped like hell Max didn’t examine the contents of his garbage too closely.

  While I was left alone, I took the opportunity to wriggle out of what was left of my panties, wadding them up in my fist. I smoothed my dress back down over my thighs, raked my fingers over my hair and tried to gather what might be left of my dignity before Jake came back.

  When he did, awkwardness abounded. He cleared his throat and jammed his hands into the front pockets of his pants. I remembered him doing the same thing that night, just before we’d left the bar together. The stance kind of melted my heart, making me think of a little kid asking for something he wasn’t sure he’d get . . . or maybe unsure if he was about to get in trouble for something he’d already done.

  “Um, so . . .” His eyes flickered up to mine.

  “Don’t worry.” I struggled to keep my voice expressionless. “You don’t have to give me the ‘this was a mistake’ speech. We’re on the same page, remember?”

  “That wasn’t what I was going to say.” His forehead furrowed. “I was thinking . . . you know . . . maybe we’re not done. Maybe this is something.”

  “Something? What’s that supposed to mean?” I hugged my arms around my chest.

  “I don’t know. But maybe like a friends with benefits deal. You know those nights when you’re raring to go, but you don’t really want to hit the bar? You could just call me, and if I was free, we could do . . . um, this.” He pointed at me and then at himself. “Take care of what we both need.”

  “You mean like express sex? Sex on demand?” I had a vague feeling that I should probably be offended, but actually, I was kind of intrigued.

  “Demand might be too strong a word. How about sex on request?” He cocked his head and squinted at me, clearly trying to assess how I was taking this idea.

  “Sex on request.” I considered for a minute. “You know, that’s honestly sort of exactly what I need right now. With my schedule, sometimes I need to work off some energy, but I don’t usually have time to get dressed up, find someone half-way decent and hope he’s okay.”