Mercy: Second Chance Military Romance

by Abbi Hemp

  “What’s wrong?” Jennifer asked, as clueless as ever.

  “Ugh,” I sighed, stomping my foot as if that would help.

  “You two crazy bitches need to get out of here,” Roger said, walking over.

  “Come on.”

  I grabbed her hand and headed for the stairwell. We went down two flights before getting out and hopping on another elevator. He stopped in the hallway just as the doors closed.

  “You bitches!” he yelled, his voice cut-off as we descended.

  “What the hell was that all about?” Jennifer asked. “What happened?”

  “Tyler showed up.”

  “The other guy from Afghanistan?”

  “Yeah,” I said, staring straight ahead.

  “Oh, shit.”

  “Yeah, exactly.”

  “Why did he…?”

  “I don’t know, and it doesn’t matter. We don’t need either of them.”

  “Tyler didn’t sound so bad,” she said, still staring at me.

  I took a deep breath, lightening up a bit.

  “Yeah, I guess. He doesn’t seem crazy about me.”

  “Well, he doesn’t know you as well as I do.”

  Jennifer put her arm around my waist and rested her head on my shoulder a moment. We returned to my apartment to enjoy the last of the weekend before we had to return to work.

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  Tyler

  I left the office building with my mind going a million miles a second. When I got to the corner and turned, I noticed the man who had followed me earlier. He didn’t have the beard, but it was him.

  What the fuck does he want? I wondered as I increased my pace, ready to lose him. If I slipped into a bar for a few drinks, he would never find me. My heart beat faster as I sped up even more.

  At the next alley, I turned sharply and took off running. When I reached the end, an unmarked four-door sedan pulled out and slammed on the brakes, almost hitting me. Two men jumped out.

  I craned my neck to peer behind me. The man who had been following was at the opposite end of the alley, heading toward me. Fuck. I looked back at the other two who had guns drawn.

  “What the fuck do you guys want?” I shouted. “Didn’t Roger tell you I was out for good?”

  The two men looked at each other briefly then back to me.

  “Talk to me, mother fuckers.”

  “Be careful what you say right now,” the man walking up behind me said.

  I turned to face him, ready to bolt at the first available opportunity.

  “Take it easy. We just want to ask some questions.”

  “About what?” I asked, flexing my muscles.

  “Afghanistan,” he said then turned to the other two men. “Get back in the car, you two.”

  They obeyed immediately without a word.

  “What about Afghanistan? That was a long time ago.”

  “Relax. We don’t have enough proof to take you down in a court of law, at least not here in the States, but we know you were involved with the smuggling. Do you realize how much help you gave the Chinese?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard that all before. Believe me. We’re after Roger. He’s working with someone posing as a journalist.”

  “A woman?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  “She’s not involved,” I said.

  “How do you know?”

  “I just do, okay?”

  “Ah, a love interest?”

  “It’s not like that. Keep her out of this, okay?”

  “Relax, big guy. I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.”

  “That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.”

  We locked eyes, neither of us backing down or looking away.

  “We want you to help us take down Roger. Your name will be cleared of any wrongdoing. Hell, we might even throw in a sizable reward for your trouble.”

  “I’ll consider it.”

  “You better do it fast. We don’t have a lot of time.”

  “Can I go now?”

  He stepped aside and waved with his arms. I walked by him and back to the main street. After walking around for half-an-hour to make sure they weren’t following me, I headed back to Mercy’s apartment.

  We needed to talk.

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  Tyler

  I stood outside her door and took a deep breath. She answered after the first knock. We stared at each other a moment.

  “Why did you walk out like that?” she asked.

  “Can I come in?”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  She stepped aside. I walked in and closed the door behind me.

  “Come and have a seat.”

  I followed her across the living room to her brown suede couch. We took seats at opposite ends. She put her hands in her lap.

  “Well?”

  “Seeing you with Roger upset me.”

  “Okay, that’s a good start.”

  “Don’t patronize me, please.”

  “I’m not. Geez. Give a girl a break, would you?”

  “I got jealous, okay? Are you interested in him?”

  “No, not at all. He asked me to a story on his security company.”

  “You mean our security company.”

  She tilted her head to the side.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m investing in the company with him.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Why not?”

  “Something isn’t right. I talked to the real estate agent, and no one is supposed to be in that office. It’s been rented already.”

  “What? Why and when did you do that?”

  “Um, I’m a journalist. I can multitask. Well, I was a journalist.”

  “A damn good one.”

  She smiled.

  “Flattery will get you everywhere.”

  “Good to know.”

  “It sounds like he’s trying to start up the smuggling operation again, and he’s starting the security firm as a front operation.”

  “That mother fucker lied again,” I said, getting more upset.

  “Calm down, baby. We should go talk to the FBI. I’ll tell them everything I know.”

  “No, I don’t want you involved in this any more than you are already.”

  “That’s bullshit,” she said defiantly.

  I loved when she stood up for herself.

  “Yeah?”

  “Um, yeah. We’re a team now. Don’t you forget it.”

  She poked me on the chest with her finger.

  “There’s a lot of things I won’t forget about you?”

  “Yeah? Like what?”

  “Like this.”

  I scooted over and planted a wet kiss on her lips, insatiable for her physical affection. She kissed me back, her hands on my body, moving here and there, squeezing and rubbing.

  All the nonsense from earlier faded away as we made out on her couch. She occupied all my thoughts. Together, we would reach new peaks of ecstasy. I was sure of it.

  She moaned as I moved a hand to her left breast, squeezing it through her white blouse.

  “You look so damn hot in that outfit,” I said. “All business-like.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.”

  I kissed her again. Our mouths made love in slow motion. Time became our servant, slowing down so we would enjoy every micro-moment our skin connected us at the sub-atomic level.

  “You make my head feel like it’ll explode,” I confessed, breathless.

  A smile swept over her face as joy poured out of her. I ran my hand up her arm, her skin so soft, silky and smooth. I bent and kissed a single inch. And then another. She moaned even more.

  Her shirt and bra came off quickly, exposing even more succulent flesh for me to kiss. I loved her long, hard nipples, the way they tasted in my mouth and how they responded to my touch.

  She ran her hands through my hair, pressing m
y head against her chest. I stood and stripped off my shirt as she got to her feet. We kissed again while stripping clothes off each other.

  “Sit,” she said, pushing me on the couch.

  As I sat back, she got down on her knees between my legs. I stared into her eyes, lost in the cosmic beauty of her soul. She grabbed my cock with one hand and bent to kiss the tip.

  I took a deep breath. A smile spread over her face as she tugged and stroked my cock, teasing me. All my doubts about her – and everything – faded away as she took me into her mouth.

  Her tongue swirled around the mushroom head twice before she swallowed even more of me. My cock hardened as she sucked, licked, and kissed every inch of my rapidly swelling flesh.

  She pulled her head off, still stroking while looking up at me. Our eyes locked. Only the moment existed, a sweet, precious sliver of time where only good feelings were allowed.

  I watched as she confidently stood, her long, curly red hair framing her face perfectly. She rolled a condom on my cock then climbed into my lap.

  With my hands on her hips and her hands on my chest, she lowered her body, my cock penetrating her warm, wet pussy easily. She scrunched up her face.

  “That’s so good,” she said, leaning forward.

  I felt her breasts press against my chest. Time stopped, became irrelevant as she rode me, moving up and down in just the right way. That face!

  She moaned, obviously enjoying the pleasure at least as much as me. I moved my hands to her breasts, pushing her up. I wanted to see her beautiful face.

  As she grinded her body against mine, I squeezed those perfect breasts, loving the size, shape and feeling of them in my hands. Her nipples were so damn hard.

  “I’m so wet,” she cried, not stopping.

  Each time she came down, I thrust upward, wanting to get up in there even more. Her pussy was so damn tight. If she wasn’t so wet, we might have been stuck together.

  She moved my hands and leaned forward again, kissing my lips with hers. They were so luscious, wet and willing, able to make me feel things I never thought possible before.

  My cock became part of her body. We were connected as one as feelings of pleasure grew and spread throughout my body. I curled my toes, fighting back the urge for release.

  “I’m so close,” she moaned.

  I thrust up as she came down. The only sound I heard was our beating hearts and labored breaths. Her face scrunched up in that way she had, signaling the beginning of the end.

  “Yes!” she cried out as her body shook and shivered against mine.

  Her pussy muscles contracting around my cock pushed me over the edge. I plunged into her one last time, coming into the condom at full force.

  She kissed me on the lips, her tongue sliding into my mouth as we came down from the heights of bliss. Reality and normalcy would return, but for that one fraction of a second we were two souls with one body. I had felt nothing like it before.

  Still breathing heavy, she pulled back and smiled, a look of innocence and joy on her face. My smile widened as I forgot about all our problems and missteps.

  “You’re fucking amazing,” I said.

  “And you are an amazing fuck.”

  I laughed, hugging her body, loving the way her soft, smooth skin felt against mine.

  She reluctantly crawled off and stood. We both cleaned up then retired to her bedroom where we laid together and talked for at least half-an-hour about nothing and everything at the same time. Her mind had captured me even more than her body, which was saying something.

  As I fell asleep, her body curled against mine, I thought about my future, what I needed to do. I wanted nothing but the best in life for her and us. If we were going to be in a real relationship, I had to do better. She deserved the very best, and I intended on giving it to her.

  TWENTY-NINE

  Mercy

  I woke up with his magnificent body next to mine, which put a smile on my face right away. He moaned and stirred but didn’t wake as I carefully climbed out of my bed.

  We should have gone to his place, I thought as I remembered his comfortable bed on my way to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. Would we continue to communicate?

  It was the only way a relationship with him would work. He had appeared ready to work with me, but with men I could never tell. Not completely. They were such a damn mystery.

  After taking a shower and brushing my teeth, I returned to the kitchen for a cup of fresh coffee. A third of the way through, he walked in, his hair messed up and his eyes nearly closed.

  “Morning,” I said quietly.

  He grunted as he shuffled toward the coffee pot.

  I took another drink, wondering if I should ask him about breakfast.

  “Sleep well?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” he said.

  When he finished pouring some of it into a mug I had set next to the machine, he walked over and sat down next to me. I sighed as he leaned over and gave me a peck on the cheek.

  “What about you?”

  “Best sleep since last time we were together. Your bed is better though.”

  He smiled then took a drink of coffee.

  “We should go talk to the FBI today,” I said.

  “Yeah,” he said then sighed. “It’s a lot of hassle.”

  “It’s better to tell them you have nothing to do with it. I’ll go with you to back up your story and make sure you have a witness.”

  “Are you sure?” he asked, looking into my eyes.

  I nodded. He frowned.

  “They told me you might be involved.”

  “What? That’s crazy.”

  “That’s what the agent said yesterday.”

  “We definitely need to both go talk to them.”

  “I wanted to make sure you knew what he said about you.”

  “You don’t think I’m involved, do you?” I asked, upset.

  “No. I mean, I don’t think so. Can I finish my coffee before we get into an argument?”

  “I don’t want to argue at all.”

  “Good. Neither do I.”

  We both sipped at our coffee, taking larger drinks as the liquid cooled to the perfect drinking temperature. I kept stealing glances at him, wondering what it was about him that had me falling so hard and so fast.

  * * *

  I sat next to him in a plain, unassuming waiting room in the FBI building downtown. After dropping the man’s name who had talked to me in the alley, the security guard downstairs had shown us to the right floor. Tyler turned his head to look at me.

  “If something happens, I’ve got your back.”

  “I can’t wait to talk to this guy and see what he thinks he knows about me.”

  “They might have been lying. We shouldn’t be talking. The waiting room might be bugged.”

  I nodded my head then turned to face the only door in the tiny room filled with uncomfortable and armless chairs leaning against the wall. We waited.

  A few minutes later, the door opened and a man in a black suit walked in. Tyler and I both got to our feet as he stared at me with a curious expression on his face.

  “This is the female journalist who has nothing to do with it,” Tyler said.

  “Yeah,” I added.

  “Come with me,” the man said.

  “Can we get your name?” I asked.

  “Mr. Sorenson. This way, please.”

  He held the door open. Tyler stepped forward first. I met them in the hallway. The three of us walked down one hallway then another. By the time we stopped at a door, I wasn’t sure where we had ended up in the building.

  “Take a seat,” Mr. Sorenson said while adjusting the oval, wire-frame glasses on his face.

  They did not go well with his dark black hair or his hairstyle. Something was off about him, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. As I sat down next to Tyler in another uncomfortable chair, I watched the man’s face for any signs of lying.

  “Thanks for coming in,” he said, o
pening a folder on his desk. “As I said, if you give us information on what happened before, we will make sure you’re not charged with anything.”

  “Hold on a minute,” I said.

  “I thought you were a journalist not a lawyer,” Mr. Sorenson said with a chuckle. “Although they’re both kind of hated the same these days.”

  “People hate the media more. Trust me. I’m…”

  “We know who you are,” he interrupted. “And we’re glad you came in too. When we saw you asking questions about Roger Erickson renting office space, we thought at first you might not be involved.”

  “You know she’s not, right?” Tyler asked, sitting on the edge of his seat.

  I rubbed his back with my hand, more to support me than him.

  “We’ve been listening to phone calls and reading emails, and we know she’s not involved.”

  “Wait. You’ve been listening to my calls and reading my emails?”

  “It’s all standard stuff,” he said. “The Patriot Act has given us a lot of power.”

  “Too bad America doesn’t seem any safer,” Tyler said, getting upset.

  “Let’s not get into a political argument,” Mr. Sorenson said. “As both of you have had contact with Mr. Erickson before, we want to wire you and get something we can use in court.”

  “Absolutely not,” Tyler said.

  I raised my hand.

  “Hold on a minute. I have a say in this too.”

  Tyler turned. I looked at him.

  “If I can finish the story that I started a year ago and clear your name at the same time, I’m all about helping.”

  “You don’t understand the risks,” Tyler said.

  I turned my attention back to Mr. Sorenson.

  “What do you need me to do?”

  “Easy. We’ll give you a recording device, and you get Roger to admit what he’s doing.”

  “He’s not even told me anything yet,” Tyler said, shaking his head.

  The fact he was so worried about me made me glow on the inside. Most of the joy, however, was diminished by the danger of what the FBI wanted us to do.

  “There has to be another way,” Tyler continued.