“You’re out? What’s that mean?” Cole asked, focusing on Connor. Even Sada’s return to the dining room didn’t grab Cole’s attention from him.
“Medical discharge, if they have their way. I’m out.” Connor had no idea if Cole could hear the hammering of his heart. He hated saying those words aloud, and he lifted his beer to drain the rest of the glass.
“Can’t you fight it?”
“The best I can do is stay in and take a desk job, probably in intelligence, but, even then, it’ll be basic stuff. I’ve lost my security clearance,” he explained. Another Heineken appeared in front of him. Since he was the DD, he should have turned it away, but he quickly justified this last one and took another long drink from the cold glass.
Cole didn’t wait for the waiter to leave to continue talking, formulating a plan to save his ass.
“Con-man, no. I can get our attorneys on this to help. They can’t just put you out. You’ve given your life to them. No one does as much as you.”
“That’s not necessarily true, but it won’t help. It’d be a waste of money. My orders are coming up. That’s why I’m here. I can either deny them, or re-up. If I re-up, I’ll stay on medical leave while they poke and prod me, then ultimately wind up back on a desk job. I’ll have to do whatever they say needs to be done,” he explained, running his finger over the condensation forming on the chilled glass. That sadness that Julie had so successfully locked away roared back in full force. Now his gaze was downcast. He felt smaller than he had even seconds ago.
Cole sat back in his seat and continued to stare at him as Connor lifted his glass and drained the new beer. The waiter immediately appeared with another, but he shook him off and waited for Cole’s next questions. They didn’t come right away, and they weren’t what he’d expected.
“What’s the diagnosis?”
“PTSD,” he said, staring right back at his best friend. The comic relief came when the old Cole he knew and loved finally made his presence known.
“Well, of course you have PTSD. What the fuck? You’ve been in Syria for years. Before that it was Iraq, before that Afghanistan. Did they even bother to look at your damn file?” Cole asked, louder than he should have and very animated.
“That’s exactly how I replied when they told me. I’m sure I’ve got some issues, but I handle them.”
Cole nodded and fell silent again. He could see the various emotions playing over Cole’s face. He knew his friend was looking at it from every angle, trying to find a solution.
“Do you need some counseling?” Cole asked.
“The idea of sitting through that shit makes me physically ill,” Connor answered honestly.
“No doubt, and not the point,” Cole added.
“I know. I’m gonna regroup and figure it out. I don’t wanna misjudge myself. That’s hazardous. I’ll probably talk to someone.” Connor shrugged. “I don’t know who yet. I was thinking Candace might know someone suitable,” Connor said. Being Reed and Bray’s little sister, Candace was by extension their little sis too, making it impossible for her to say no. And since she was the only medical professional any of them knew, she usually got these kinds of problems dumped in her lap.
“What do your parents say?” Cole asked.
“They don’t know. I’m not ready for them to know,” he said emphatically. That was the absolute last bridge he’d cross. Connor’s job was a source of pride for his father. Telling him was going to suck on every level.
“No problem. I won’t say anything. You have my word.”
Connor lifted his thumb to bite at the side of his fingernail, a sign of the anxiety this conversation had created. He had to physically stop himself, fisting his hand until he pushed his fingers under his thigh, sitting on them to keep from biting his nails.
They were both totally screwed with no clear way to make things right for either situation.
“I want you to come home, Con. You can stay with me. I’ll float you, and I don’t wanna hear no,” Cole said very clearly, using his no-bullshit tone. It always made Connor smile.
“But you’ll be leaving, Senator,” Connor answered, reminding Cole of his crazy life. “Being stuck here alone with just our parents…” Connor shook his head. “I don’t know how you do it.”
“Ty’s bought some land here. It was a rush deal. It’s connected to the Bryants’ land.”
“No kidding?” Connor said. That whole Ty/Kenzie situation had moved really fast. Now the guy planned to move to Texas? That was crazy.
“Yeah, and I won’t always be gone. I’m seriously not sure I’m following through with anything they’re planning. You could be my perfect out.” Cole grinned. “Or, hell, you could go with me. It’ll take an army of people to get this done. We’ll get you squared away and get you employed at the same time.” Cole turned quiet for a moment, but then leaned in closer and lowered his voice. “Honestly, I’ve been worried about you. It’s gonna ease my heart if you aren’t in Syria. That’s a bad deal over there. They burned that soldier up. Imagine what they would do if they got their hands on you?”
Where his father had always wanted him on the front line of every conflict, Cole had been the exact opposite. Connor reached an arm up, letting his hand cup Cole’s bicep, trying to give comfort from the worry he heard in Cole’s voice.
“You gotta get that old man off your back,” Connor said. “You carry him and he controls your life. You can’t carry me too.”
“I can though, Con.” Cole shut his mouth when the waiter arrived with their dinner. He only gave a couple of meaningful glances his way. His buddy had an idea, and Connor wasn’t in a position to rule anything out, but with all the certainty he had, he refused to allow Cole to support him. That crossed every line he had.
Chapter 9
Connor entered the front door of his parents’ house and used his foot to kick the door closed behind him. He absently reached back to flip the deadbolt with a finger on the hand gripping Cole’s laptop while he held his cell phone to his ear with the other, listening to the ring as his call connected. Luckily, he had left the kitchen light on before meeting up with Cole, so he used that to navigate his way to the bedroom. He’d made this trek many times over the years and swore his mother purposefully placed furniture at just the right angle to stub toes when walking through.
“Are you there?” he heard Julie ask.
“Hi, yeah. I didn’t hear you say hello,” he said, flipping on the hall light.
“Did you have a good night?”
“Yup, it was good. Cole’s found a new place he took me to. It’s fine. Just a long way away, but I guess everything’s a long way when you live in the country,” Connor said, walking into his bedroom. He placed the computer on his desk and went back for the lights in that room.
“I guess you’re right about that.”
“It was about an hour and a half away, but I said I’d call. Is it too late to talk?” he asked, going back through the house to shut off the lights.
“It’s not too late here, but it’s close to two in the morning for you. We can talk later,” she said, sounding a little disappointed.
“What? I borrowed Cole’s laptop to Skype. We’re gonna Skype if you’re good to be on right now.” He shut his bedroom door behind him. He took a seat at the desk, lifted the lid on the laptop to start the device, and typed the password Cole gave him. He typed in his parents’ Wi-Fi password, got access, then opened Skype and logged into his account. “Okay, I’m in. You can call now.”
She dialed him and he accepted the call. When her beautiful face appeared on the screen, his heart seized in his chest, completely unprepared for the sight in front of him. Julie sat in the middle of her bed in a naughty little nightie, and boy, did he mean naughty and little.
“Damn.”
“Why are you in clothes?” she asked, her face coming into the screen, blocking those nice parts of her exposed body.
“I just got home. I told you that,” he said, grinning at he
r disgruntled look. He immediately stood and started undressing.
“I thought we agreed to phone sex,” she said.
“We did. I’m just behind. Sit back and let me look at you. Your tits are fuckin’ amazin’, Julie. Where’d you get that?” he asked, his gaze focused on the small holes cut into each cup, exposing both nipples. The buds were hard and protruding, mouthwateringly delicious. Connor couldn’t shrug out of his dress shirt fast enough. He backed away, still staring, and sat on the bed, just making the very edge, to take off his boots. One slight step to the left and he would have tumbled to the floor, but he couldn’t remove his focus from the beauty staring back at him.
“I hoped you’d like it. I almost didn’t choose this one, then changed my mind. You know I’m not really into them being so exposed.” She reached up, cupping her breasts, and he almost lost his mind…and his load. His rigid dick strained against his jeans, begging for release.
“Nah, it’s real good. I like that a lot. Bring it when you come.” In all haste, he began tugging off his boots.
“Come back to the screen! I can’t see you very well.”
That caused him to chuckle, because he felt exactly that same way. Connor scooted to the side of the bed where she could see better and slowed his roll. He removed one boot, lifted it to the camera and then tossed it aside before removing the other, flipping it toward the closet. He stood and pulled the white T-shirt over his body, exaggerating the move, flexing his muscles as he threw that toward the computer. It landed in the chair.
He couldn’t hold back the laughter at his own ridiculousness. He checked male stripper off his list of possible job opportunities in his future.
“God, Connor, you’re so seriously hot.”
“Are we going all the way?” he asked, unbuckling his belt, then whipping it off, throwing the leather behind him. “Do I remove it all?”
“Oh yeah!” With his thumb, he flicked the button of his jeans free and lowered his zipper. He used his thumbs to push down his jeans and underwear in one sure shove. He kicked those aside as he went for the computer, and Julie backed up as if he were coming for her on the mattress. That made him smile too.
“Oh!” She exclaimed, grinning broadly, and stopped moving. “I stay here. You aren’t crawling through my computer no matter how badly I wish you could.”
He loved how they were comfortable intertwining humor into everything they did.
“I’m ready for you to get here.” He spoke honestly, picking up the computer. He carried it so he could still see her as he backed toward his bed.
“Me too. Is that your room?” she asked, looking at everything but him.
“Yeah. It hasn’t been changed much since I left for the military.” He turned the screen so she could get a better look and did a full circle of the room for her.
“Ah, your parents miss you when you’re gone,” she said, causing him to look around the room to see what she might have seen to make such a statement.
“Yeah, I guess.” He didn’t get it.
“My parents changed my bedroom into an office about a week after I left. I tease them about that all the time.” Connor looked down at his hard dick that was losing momentum, then he looked back at the screen.
“This isn’t how it works,” he said teasingly, arching his brow.
“What?” she asked, her concerned face fully focused on him now.
“Sex talk. When a person has phone sex, they generally should talk about actual sex, and definitely not bring up parents.” The back of his knees hit the mattress. He had no choice but to jostle the computer as he stretched out on his bed and gathered the pillows behind his back.
“Oh! Yes. Noted!”
Once he was comfortable, he put the laptop on his thighs, right behind his dick, and looked back at the screen. She had posed again, and that did the trick; he plumped right up.
“I’m the only one naked,” he mentioned, taking a long tug at his dick right in the camera’s view. She watched him for a minute, and her expression changed into something erotically sensual. Her eyes seemed to lose focus.
Connor stopped stroking himself and lifted to get a little closer to her image.
She moved off the bed when music unexpectedly started in the background. He couldn’t hear the song very well, but when she came back into view, she bent to move the computer and showed a full view of both her breasts. That caused him to almost miss the pole in her bedroom. She laid the laptop down, checked the view, then sauntered toward the pole, keeping herself in view of the webcam. Julie pivoted, swirling her body around, her hips swinging seductively as the skimpy lingerie floated about her. For some weird reason, his gaze lifted to her face. It held a distant look as she started to move. Julie danced with that pole like an expert. She was exquisite with her nightie seductively falling to the floor until she twirled completely nude against the metal.
No question she was hot as hell. Maybe better than any pole dancer he’d ever seen, but something wasn’t right. This wasn’t his girl. She hadn’t engaged during the routine, never cracking one single grin. He loved her smile. The revelation hit hard, causing him to blink at the screen several times. His heart swelled when he realized he was watching her act. She’d been nervous when they’d talked about phone sex, and Julie had gone overboard preparing for tonight. She was playing a role.
Oh shit. That was sweet. She was trying to do everything she could to make this better for him. Instead of being more turned on than he’d ever been before, Connor found himself thinking with his heart. If he had an ideal woman, Julie would fit that bill. She’d gone out of her way to please him. He couldn’t remember ever meeting a woman who gave so much of herself to make sure he got what he needed. Words like keeper and commitment were now entering his head, not the dirty talk he should be building them to for this scene.
Fuck. What the hell was he going to do with that?
When she crawled back on the bed completely nude, her hair was a mess, her lips full and pouty, and that faraway look lingered in her eyes. His cock had gone flaccid under the magnitude of his last few thoughts, and he quickly adjusted the laptop to cover his complete lack of desire that had formed during her sexy show.
Julie sat on top of the bedspread, her long legs bent to one side of her body, and she reached up, cupping her breasts, molding each one before pushing them together. His heartstrings tugged even tighter. She was self-conscious of her body, but put that aside to sensually tease his senses.
He wondered how far she’d actually go if he didn’t stop her. He suspected all the way, not satisfying herself in the least. Her whole show rested on fulfilling his need.
Damn, that was hot all in itself, just not the way he wanted this to work. He wanted her pleasure more than he wanted his own. His heart stuttered at the implication of those words.
“Babe…”
Her eyes lowered to the screen, that faraway look still etched on her face as he said, “You’re hot. Did you prepare that?”
Her hands stopped moving, but didn’t let go of her breasts. Her expression slowly began to change. “Wasn’t it right?”
“It was hot.”
“You didn’t like?” Her face wrinkled, and she started to move.
“I loved it. Don’t go,” he said and reached under the computer, stroking his dick to bring it back to life.
“Then what’s wrong?”
“I like you more. You changed,” he tried to explain. Based on the confusion on her face, she hadn’t expected to hear those words. She sat there, staring at him. Julie opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
“Keep touching yourself, just stay with me. Don’t go away like that. I like your real eyes on me,” he said as he pushed the laptop down and stroked himself for her to see. Her face melted into a smile, and she lowered one of her hands. He wasn’t certain she knew how sexy her moves became when she relaxed with him, but Julie lay back on the mounds of pillows behind her, her entire long body now on display as she spread h
er thighs. The angle of the computer captured the second her fingers split her seam and exposed her core. He looked up to see her gorgeous breasts on full display.
“Fuck, Julie. I need to taste that.” His eyes lowered, riveted to her heat as she lifted each leg, bending them at the knees while her feet dug into the mattress.
“Am I doing it right?” she asked, lifting a hand to her breast, using her fingers to pinch a hard nipple.
“Oh yeah. Shit, Julie. I’m hard as fucking stone,” he said, gripping his leaking dick in his fist. He could come right then. He could see everything, and his hips arched forward, pushing his cock into his fist.
“What do I do now?” The rhythmic quality of her voice became sultry, and he looked up at her face to see her breathing turning heavier as her eyes rolled to the back of her head. “I’m pretending it’s your hand touching me. I always do. I’ve done this so many times since I first met you. I’ve had my way with you dozens of times over the years.”
That declaration had Connor relaxing the tight grip he had on his cock. His hips started rocking into his palm. His eyes stayed locked on the screen. He couldn’t tear them away even if he’d wanted too. She had wanted him over the years. Damn, that was a hot fucking turn-on.
“If I was there, I’d spread you wide and feast on your clit. I love your taste. Slide your fingers inside, Julie, and lift your hips. Let me see you move,” Connor instructed. Somehow, the tables had turned so suddenly he almost missed that he was no longer in control of this moment, and he tried everything to gain it back. He wanted to be the one giving to his girl.
She did what he asked, and he reached low to grip his sac as little whimpers started from Julie. He couldn’t hold on, that spine-tingling sensation had him furiously driving his fist to match his pistoning hips.
“I can’t hold off. You’re too sexy. Come for me, Julie. Say my name when you come.”
“Connor…”
He barely heard her over the pounding in his head. He could no longer hold his eyes open to watch the show she was putting on. His orgasm hit with such a force that he dropped his head back as the computer tumbled onto the bed. His release was long and satisfying and exactly what this woman was to him: perfect.
Mission Happy (A Texas Desires Novel Book 3) Page 17
