by Blue Saffire
Moving with her in a beautiful rhythm had him at the edge. She cried out. The sound grew louder before she turned her head and clamped down on his shoulder, her scream muted by his body.
He shouted her name, praying this wasn’t the last time he got to be with her like this. This was more than just sex. He didn’t know what, but this surpassed all the other intimate encounters he’d ever had. He’d experienced more than just an orgasm with Shannon. It was like he’d experienced heaven.
When he could breathe again, he lifted and stared down at her. She was beautiful, even with her split lip that they’d busted open from kissing too hard and her black eye, which was swollen.
He swiped away the blood with the sheets. “I was too rough.”
“No, you weren’t. That was exactly what I needed.”
He couldn’t take his eyes off her. Maybe he could get her to stick around for a few days. What if he had someone like this at home? He would change a few things. One, he’d look for a different job in the Army, something he could do without having to deploy so often.
Shannon adjusted, and they snuggled together. The perfection of the moment made him want to stay wrapped in her arms forever. Her warmth was addicting, keeping him in place. He needed to toss the condom and was about to get up when he brushed his hand over her waist. A shriek was followed by laughter as they wrestled and tickled each other. She had him pinned down, her fingers tickling his waist; then he flipped her, and she wiggled so much it was like she was a fish jumping around. Her face turned red, and he figured his had too. Then he let up and looked around at the wrecked sheets and Shannon’s hair spread out over the bed. He sighed, wishing he knew her better. Why couldn’t this woman have come into his life earlier?
Shannon rolled to the edge of the bed and stood, taking the sheets with her. Naked and unashamed, she stepped over the sheets and only glanced back once as she made her way around the bed.
Striker sighed and reached for the condom, not finding it. Where had it gone? He glanced around, searching, but didn’t see the rubber. He guessed it must have gotten lost in the sheets.
He moved fast and picked Shannon up. She screeched, then started laughing. He carried her to the bathroom and remembered his injured arm as pain twisted through him. He’d forgotten about the pain and the injury while they’d made love. He’d forgotten about a lot, like the army and his responsibilities there. This wasn’t his real life, but he wanted it to be. What if there was more, what if…?
He set her down, still laughing. Then her eyebrows pinched tight, and worry filled her gaze.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
“Yeah, I forgot about my arm,” he said.
“Does it hurt?”
He shrugged, downplaying the pain. “It’s not bad.”
She cradled his arm in her hands and stared at the cut. It was a little red but not too bad. He’d experienced worse in battle. Heck, he’d suffered worse in training.
Her head came up, and she met his gaze. “It hurts more than you’re letting on.”
Maybe it did. “No.”
“I hate that you got hurt for me.”
He cupped her face, trying to relay the intensity inside. “I’d do it again. No one should hit you. Ever.”
Her cheeks turned pink and she glanced away. “I’m not used to anyone actually caring for me.”
“Well, get used to it because I’m not going to stop caring.”
“I bet you say that to all the women you hop into bed with.”
He wrapped his arms around her shoulder and pulled her close, stroking her hair as he planted kisses on the top of her head. His emotions couldn’t be easily explained. Maybe he didn’t know exactly why his heart sped up or his breath caught when he looked at her, but the tugging tenderness towards her still filled his heart and his mind.
“There’ve been others, I won’t lie. I’ve messed around some, and I love having a hot woman like yourself to share my bed. But that has nothing to do with why I care about you.”
She said nothing as the seconds ticked by, emotions flitting over her face. How could he get her to see she was special?
“Then why do you care?” Shannon asked.
The question was hard to answer. “I don’t know. Should be simple, but it’s not.” He was drawn to her and wasn’t sure if he could ever stop wanting her. But putting a reason on it didn’t feel right. His emotions were there, and he knew they were real, but it was like trying to explain why the sea was green sometimes and blue other times. He didn’t know, it just was. Voicing a reason would make it where the things he felt could be taken away, and he didn’t want that. “I just do,” he said. “And nothing’s going to change that.”
Not even me leaving.
He would leave soon, and months would pass before they met up again. But now, when she was insecure about his feelings, about him in general, didn’t seem like the time to bring it up.
His heart squeezed. If he got too involved, it would be disastrous for him. But it was too late to pull back now. His heart was already set.
7
Monday morning came, and Striker didn’t want Shannon to leave his side, but she had school. He dropped her off after he made sure she ate breakfast. Her bruises were covered with makeup, but he knew they were still there. It pained him that she’d been injured. With him, that wouldn’t happen. He’d never lay a hand on her in anger. She wasn’t someone who should ever be hit.
They’d spent Sunday in bed watching movies and making love, and he hadn’t even done one pushup, at least not a real one. He needed to work out, so he headed to a park near the Citadel where there were exercise stations and pull-up bars.
After his first round through the path, he took a break, grabbing bottled water at a nearby store. The humidity here was thicker than in Georgia. If he didn’t watch it, he’d be on the ground after another run through. On his second time on the course, he met a few of the cadets from the Citadel. Not long after joining them, they started giving him shit, saying he was an old man and couldn’t keep up. He’d been pacing himself, thinking about Shannon, but he couldn’t allow those cocky little jerks to believe they could best him.
Striker picked up his pace and left them in the dust. At the end of the course, he found their teacher who happened to have been a Ranger back in the day until a bad jump sidelined him.
“So they were giving you hell?” the instructor asked for the third time.
“Yes, sir.”
“You don't have to sir me. You’re a sergeant; I only made it to corporal in my four years in. You outrank me.”
Striker’s lips tilted up. “You rank in life experience, sir.”
The guy chuckled but sobered when the first of the Citadel cadets raced around the bend. The student slowed, his smile slipping from his face. Striker stood a little straighter beside their instructor. He guessed they would be in trouble for giving him hell.
Though he wasn’t demanding the instructor teach them a lesson, it was satisfying to witness this guy bust the cadets’ balls for throwing disrespect at him. If there was one thing he’d learned in the Army, it was not to assume strength and fortitude based on age. There were plenty of guys who were older than him who could kick his ass.
“Cadets, if you happen to be heading to the Army after graduation, this man is a Ranger and currently a sergeant probably moving to staff sergeant soon. You know what that means, by the time you graduate, he could be a sergeant first class or master sergeant. Do you really think he won’t remember your cocky attitudes? You’ll be entering at E4 most likely. You think an E8 or an E9 is going to put up with your shit?”
The boys looked ashen and shifted uncomfortably from left to right and back again. Striker’s stomach twisted. He remembered being a little too full of himself back in boot camp—well, in the beginning. The hell he’d gone through had cured his attitude issues, for the most part. There were still times he was a cocky asshole, but never to someone senior of his position unless they knew b
eyond a doubt he was joking.
“One more round for you all. Run it like your life depends on you winning. Now go.”
The students took off, racing around the first bend of the path.
“Thank you, it might be a lesson that saves them some aggravation in boot camp.”
The teacher snorted. “Not likely. Have a good leave and enjoy yourself.”
“I am, sir.”
The guy laughed. “Be careful.”
“Always.” Striker shook the guy’s hand before going to his truck.
He spent a few hours reading a book on leadership his CO wanted him to read. For now, the Army was his career path. Something might change his mind later, but he was one hundred percent into serving his country.
Though Shannon had said he hadn’t needed to pick her up because her school was so far away from his hotel, he was there anyway, sitting in the parking lot at four thirty when her classes ended. No way would he make her take public transportation when he could be there for her.
Her hair looked a little different than it had when he’d dropped her off. Had she done something?
“You look good,” he said at the next stoplight.
“Thank you. Someone needed to practice highlights, so they did my hair.”
“I like it.” Driving to the hotel from her school was one light after another. He stopped the truck and glanced her way. The sun was shining in behind her, lighting her so she looked like an angel. He had to force himself to turn away and watch the road. His brain was ticking through all the reasons why they wouldn’t work. She lived here, he was in the military, he didn’t want a spouse, or he hadn’t. What if he had a spouse like Shannon? And where would she live? If she moved to Georgia, she’d have to have her own apartment. He lived on base right now. He guessed he could move to something off base, but he liked his quarters. Why was he thinking of moving off base and getting a girlfriend who would eventually be his wife when he’d said he didn’t want one? He’s seen too many guys fail at their relationships, but Shannon was different, or maybe he was different. He needed this woman.
Eating warmed-up microwaved food wasn’t his idea, but Shannon insisted. After talking to her for a bit, he realized her money was tight, and she worried about how much dining out cost. He understood her dilemma. She wasn’t on vacation, hadn’t saved for a trip, and she wasn’t going to allow him to pay her way the whole time. He respected her determination to pay her way.
That night, after he made love to her, he obsessed about how he could help her. She wouldn’t take his money. She wasn’t into accepting charity; she’d told him that much. Thank goodness her phone had shown back up. The douchebag she’d gone out with had given it to her friend who’d brought it to school for her. So at least he could call her.
On Tuesday she had to go home, so he didn’t see her until Wednesday. The week was going by too fast. He wanted more time with her, but school took her life, her time, her everything. He got it. The Army took his everything too. Basic training had consisted of weeks not even thinking about the outside world. At least Shannon was allowed to leave school and go home.
On Friday evening he picked her up and drove to the hotel, asking her to shower. “I have something special planned.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, get dressed in something dressy. We’re headed out.”
“You don’t have to take me out anywhere special.”
“I want to.”
Striker had showered before he left to go pick her up, so while she was in the shower, he changed into slacks and the nicest shirt he owned. When she stepped out in her dress, her hair looking fabulous, he blew out a breath.
“I’m the luckiest man alive.”
Her cheeks turned pink, and he pulled her to him, staring down into her beautiful green eyes. This night was going to be amazing. He still had to deal with his cheap truck, but she didn’t seem to mind that he wasn’t taking her out in a BMW or something else fancy. He understood now why guys bought expensive cars. The men at the valet stand gave him a weird look when he pulled up in his junker. So what if this woman looked like she belonged in a luxury car? This was what he had.
Dinner was perfect, the atmosphere spot-on. Candles were on every table, and the lights had been turned low. Their table sat in the corner, which offered a bit of privacy. He took her hand after they ordered wine and an appetizer. Touching her electrified him. Surviving without her close by would be difficult.
By the time the main course was served, steak for him, fish for her, he’d decided he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Now, he just had to make that happen. If she was a project in the Army, she’d have directions, but this was real life, and he knew blurting out his intentions wouldn’t get him what he wanted. He had to play this right. Before he left for base, he would make sure she understood he was serious about her.
As they stepped from the restaurant, she asked if he wanted to go somewhere they could walk and talk. He nodded, happy she wasn’t ready to have the night end. She directed him close to the Citadel where he’d worked out a few times in the past week. He parked at a small park where there were picnic tables next to the water.
The moon had risen a quarter way up in the sky, illuminating the river, making undulating silver streaks of reflections on the surface as the black water flowed past on its way to the ocean. He guided her to the path where they walked up the bank beside the flowing water. All the while he thought this place was amazing beautiful, almost magical. After a few minutes, she started talking.
“I won’t be finished with school for almost two months. I don’t want you to forget about me.”
He stopped walking, and she turned her to face him. The world would stop without this woman, and she had no clue he felt that way. He gripped her upper arms not too tightly, but enough to keep her in place before he leaned in and brushed their mouths together.
He stood tall, his mind racing. “I’d never forget about you.”
“I’m really nothing special.”
“But you are.” He pulled her close and waited a few seconds before brushing his lips over hers. Perfection! She was honey and sweetness all rolled together, tempting him to take more. A moan he meant to keep hidden escaped his lips.
She pulled back, her brows bunched. “I don’t want you to be disappointed once you figure out how basic I am.”
He shook his head as he cupped her cheeks. His heart sped up as excitement built. He could be with her all the time. They may not have known each other for a long, but she took his breath away. He had little doubt his attachment would grow deeper the more he knew about her.
“So in two weeks, when you’re home and wanting to go blow off some steam, what will you do?” she asked.
He ran his thumb over her cheek, thinking he needed to get them naked soon. “Are you asking if I’m going to go have sex with anyone else?”
Her slight nod was the only confirmation she gave. She looked so sad and small. Striker led her to a bench and sat down, turning so he was staring at her. She took his breath away. Her beauty was unlike anyone he’d ever known. He knew it was more than what was on the surface. Hell, some people might call her plain, but she was anything but plain. Her heart and soul, her personality all combined and made her the most beautiful person on the planet. With her in his life, he could be a king—well, maybe not a king, but he’d feel like one.
“I want you to understand, and I’m stating this here and now: I don’t want anyone else. You’re it for me. You’re the one who I want forever. I don’t want to have sex with someone else. In two weeks’ time, I’ll be jacking off to memories of you. My hand has been with me when I’ve been horny and lonely, and it will be with me in the next few months. I don’t need another woman to take your place, because no one else could measure up to you.”
She giggled, and he pulled her close. She sobered as his gaze held hers.
“I’m not joking.”
She shook her head. “But I’m plain.”
“No, you’re not.” Their lips pressed together, and he tugged her even closer. Spending his life with this woman was paramount.
“Don’t you get it, Shannon. I’m hooked.”
She huffed out a breath, and her eyes grew bright with moisture. “I want to be yours alone.”
“I belong to you,” he whispered in her hair as he held her close.
“And I belong to you.”
He would spend his life making sure she knew how much he cared. War was hard, but every part of life was hard, and he wanted to be strong for her. He would be leaving soon, and he prayed she didn’t forget their promise to be together. He wished forever would start now, because she was too good to leave alone.
8
Shannon took Striker’s hand and led him to the truck. He opened the door for her, and she slid in, amazed at how well he’d treated her. She’d never been with anyone this kind. It made her heart ache that their time together would come to an end so soon.
What would he think about her in two months? Would he even want her?
The desire to go with him and leave everything behind hit hard, but she couldn’t leave. Not yet. She had to stay and finish her classes. She had seven short weeks that were beginning to seem too long.
Once at the hotel, Striker led her inside and undressed her slowly. She returned the favor and undid each of the buttons on his shirt, kissing his chest, taking time to savor his skin, the dusting of hair over his pecs, the muscles that bulged under her touch, all of it she treasured.
The first time she’d seen him in that dirty bar restroom, she’d been intimidated. He’d overwhelmed her then, and that was before she got to know him. Then he’d done all he could to help her. She’d been impressed with how he’d stood up for her. The gratitude she’d experienced at first had shifted into admiration, then something deeper. Striker was the real deal. A man who she could look up to, even when she was angry with him.
