Mercy: Second Chance Military Romance

by Abbi Hemp

  “Oh? An extra work shift?”

  “No,” I said simply, still upset with her.

  “You want to hang out before I go to work?”

  “I told you I need to do homework now.”

  She frowned, her shoulders slumping.

  “Okay. I understand.”

  “Do you?” I asked, not ready for one of her self-pity parties. “If you applied yourself a little more, you might actually find life enjoyable.”

  “You don’t know what it’s like to be me,” she snapped, defensively crossing her arms over her flat chest.

  “No, and I’m glad I don’t.”

  As I walked away, I instantly felt bad for saying the words, but she had to learn. My life, for whatever reason, was heading in a good direction. I didn’t want Tabby or anyone holding me down. Thoughts of James hit me as I entered my bedroom and shut the door.

  I turned the lock then dumped my backpack on the floor. Besides, I told myself to alleviate my guilt, I do have homework if I’m going to be up half the night with James. A smile slid on my face at the thought of his name as I sat down at my desk and opened the books I needed to study.

  Human Anatomy 101. I giggled to myself. Everything reminded me of sex. After two years of working hard and not having a social life at all, it felt nice to relax and work on my future family. Slow down. You’ve just met him. Things are early. Be safe and have fun.

  Thanks to studying hard in high school, I had become the first member of my family to go to college. Instead of going to a local university in Indiana like Purdue, I decided to travel to New York. Two years later, I missed my family and past less and less.

  I pushed all other thoughts aside and hit the books, studying hard for midterms which were quickly approaching. Every ten or fifteen minutes, I glanced over at the door to my bedroom, trying to hear if Tabby had left yet or not.

  She eventually left about ten minutes before her shift started. I rushed through the apartment, cleaning up and striving to make it seem more cool than it was in reality. Most of the time, I spent in my bedroom, strategically placing candles.

  One more night of fun then back to work.

  FOURTEEN

  Haley

  By the time he knocked on the front door, I had the candles going, smooth elevator jazz playing softly in the background and fresh linen on the bed.

  Wearing only a see-through black nightie, I opened the door and smiled at him. He grinned and walked forward, putting his arm around me.

  As we kissed, he kicked the door shut. He smelled of shampoo and soap, so squeaky clean. Had practice run late? I didn’t care as his tongue swirled against mine.

  I pulled back and looked at him with a serious expression on my face.

  “Are you sure your testicles are up for this tonight?”

  He laughed.

  “You’ll have to check them for yourself.”

  “Ooh, sounds kinky.”

  I took his hand and led him to my bedroom.

  “Why do I feel like I’m in an elevator?” he asked.

  “Are you making fun of my music? It was this or Barry White.”

  “This is fine.” He kissed me. “I want to play you like an instrument and make music.”

  “There you go again, Mr. Romantic. I’m going to spill your secrets in a tell-all letter to the campus newspaper.”

  “That rag? No one would believe you.”

  I stood on my toes and kissed him again. He put his hands on my ass, pressing my body against his crotch. We kissed a moment before he pulled away.

  “Your outfit is nice.”

  “I don’t like yours. You should take it off.”

  “Why don’t you do it for me?”

  I stepped forward, my fingers undoing his pants as he bent to kiss my lips again. After they were unbuttoned and unzipped, I pulled them and his briefs down at the same time, revealing my prize. As he lifted one foot out of the loose fitting jeans then the other, I grabbed his cock.

  It felt so warm and good in my hands, I forgot about his shirt. He pulled it up and over his head, suddenly standing completely naked in front of me.

  “There’s something I’ve been meaning to do,” he said seriously.

  “Oh, yeah?”

  He nodded then put his hand on the small of my back and led me over to the bed. I had no panties under the short nightie, so I left it on as I laid down on the bed.

  “No,” he said, shaking his head. “Get up.”

  I tilted my head to the side and stared at him. He laid down on his back. Before I figured out what he wanted, he took my hand and pulled me toward him.

  Does he want me to sixty-nine? I turned to straddle him.

  “No,” he said again, more firmly. “I want to taste you. I’ve not stopped thinking about it since you went down on me in the woods.”

  “You don’t need to do that,” I said, straddling his chest.

  “Come here. Bring it closer.”

  I scooted up his body, suddenly acutely aware of my body, and his too. With my thighs on the sides of his head, he reached up and grabbed my breasts through the sheer material. At the same time, his tongue licked from the bottom to the top of my pussy.

  “Oh, James,” I moaned, adjusting myself.

  He moved his hands to my ass, pulling my pussy closer to his face. That tongue! I was not aware it could be used so effectively.

  FIFTEEN

  James

  The next morning, I snuck out of bed before she woke. She had set her alarm, so she would get up eventually. My internal clock never let me down.

  As I stopped in the kitchen for a bottle of water and to write Haley a note to leave on the refrigerator for her, Tabby walked in wearing her nasty brown robe.

  “Hey, Tab,” I said, nodding my head at her as I closed the refrigerator door.

  “Stealing another water, are you?”

  She nodded at the water bottle in my hand.

  “I guess you could say that, but it’s not stealing.”

  “Yeah? You going to pay for that, are you?”

  I tilted my head back, watching her closely as she stepped forward. When she flung the robe open, showing me her naked body underneath, I almost dropped the bottle.

  “What the hell?”

  “Don’t you like it?”

  “You’re a lesbian, right? What the hell are you doing? I’m with Haley.”

  “I can swing for the other team occasionally,” she said in a sexy voice.

  “You’re fucking nuts.”

  I shook my head then walked around her and to the living room.

  “I’m going to tell your coach,” she said, following me. “You’re not supposed to be sleeping around, are you?”

  I stopped and turned to face her.

  “I can do whatever I damn well want,” I said. “You can’t stop me.”

  “We’ll see about that,” she said. “By the way, Haley isn’t really interested in you. She’s using you to get to Curtis.”

  “That’s bullshit,” I said, not believing her. “Put your fucking clothes on. You’re disgusting.”

  “Oh? Because I’m a lesbian you find me disgusting?”

  “No, it’s because you would do this to your roommate and so-called friend.”

  “Haley don’t care. She’s into Curtis.”

  “That’s what you say.”

  “It’s the truth. I’m just trying to help you.”

  Shaking my head, I turned and left out the front door. On the walk to my apartment, I thought about the night before. Would Haley sleep with me and Curtis? Did she have some weird fetish where she liked to sleep with multiple sports stars?

  I told myself I had no proof. Haley hadn’t done anything to make me suspect she wasn’t trustworthy. Still, Tabby had planted a small seed of doubt. It pissed me off, so I pushed it out of my mind, determined to forget about Haley for a few days.

  Football and classes were the only things that truly mattered. The rest was cake. She might come clean if I
put some space between us. All around, my idea sounded reasonable and even helpful. I had nothing to worry about.

  When I reached the house I shared with a man who might or might not be sleeping with Haley on the side, I walked up the porch and opened the door. Inside, I saw Brian and Teddy both sunk into the couch.

  “Have you two even got up since I saw you last?”

  “New game,” Teddy said, eyes glued to the television.

  “Curtis around?” I asked.

  “He left already,” Teddy said, then added. “Take that fucker!”

  “Alright, bro. If you see him bring a woman around, would you let me know?”

  Teddy paused the game and looked over at me.

  “What?”

  “It’s nothing,” I said, waving my hand away from me as if swatting away the whole idea. “I’ll catch you guys later.”

  “Off for your run?”

  “No, I think I’m going to grab a bite at the student center then get to class. You guys remember classes, right?”

  Brian laughed.

  “Yeah, we go sometimes. It’s all bullshit anyway, bro.”

  I adjusted my backpack slung over one shoulder.

  “Alright, then. Catch you fellas later.”

  “Later on,” Teddy said.

  He turned back to the game as I walked into my bedroom.

  Why does this woman have me so messed up in the head? Actually, both of them. Tabby and Haley. Were they both secretly insane and trying to bring me down?

  I stepped into the shower. None of it made any sense. Warm water washed over my body as I lathered up. Memories of fucking her came back to me.

  And that blowjob. I bent down and made the water a bit cooler. To help get her out of my mind, I went through everything I needed to get done that day. If I skipped my morning run, I would have to work it in later. Classes and practice were essential too.

  The more I thought about my busy life, the less I cared if Haley was sleeping with Curtis or anyone else. It might even turn out to be a good thing. Without her around, I would be able to concentrate on everything important in my life. Football would be my future.

  After my shower, I got dressed and prepared to leave. Haley called, but I ignored it, sending her to voicemail. She sent a short text, “Morning sexy, call me later xoxo,” but I didn’t respond to that either. To me, at least for the day, she didn’t exist anymore.

  I left the house a changed man. No longer weighed down by a complex modern relationship with a woman who had a crazy person as a roommate, I might be able to more easily achieve my big dream – playing professional football.

  Any team would make me happy. As I walked toward the Student Center food court, I went through my top five teams, wondering if I would be good enough in a couple years to get drafted by one of them. Dreams kept me motivated.

  SIXTEEN

  James

  Later that afternoon, getting ready for practice in the locker room, she called again. Damn, she’s thirsty, I thought, ignoring it again. Even if Tabby was lying about her, I had to get serious about football. Fucking around with her had been fun, but the time for games was over.

  Curtis pranced around the room like he owned the place. Big, fucking dumb lineman. He looked in my direction and nodded. Nah, he wouldn’t do that to me. Would he? Haley had admitted to sharing a secret with him. Mother-fucker. I bet it’s true.

  “What’s up, James,” Curtis said as I finished adjusting my pads.

  “You better be out on the field today. In fact, all of you bums need to step up your game.”

  “That’s right,” Coach said, walking in from his office. “The next few games are crucial if we are going to go all the way this year. And as I’ve told you numb-nuts time and again, I’m winning one more championship before I retire this year. End of story!”

  “Yeah, Coach!” we all yelled, almost in unison.

  “Now get out there and show me how it’s done!”

  I got to my feet and followed the rest of the guys out of the locker room and out onto the field. Everything else faded away as I concentrated on the football. It was my one true friend and lover. If I threw her gracefully and on target, I would be rich.

  All the dangers of getting a concussion or injured in some other way – like hurting my balls – did not matter if I kept my money on the prize at the end of all the hard work, a contract with a major team somewhere in the United States.

  The thought of hurting my balls caused Haley to pop back into my mind. As I thought about it all more, it made perfect sense. Haley’s secret was fucking him before she met me. Hopefully not after. Why hadn’t that fucker told me?

  He had his back turned to me, but I launched the ball at him like a fucking missile. It hit him in the head and bounced off. While he bent over and grabbed his helmet, he didn’t fall over. When he spun around, I shrugged my shoulders.

  “Sorry, bro!”

  “Fucking asshole,” he shouted.

  I high-stepped in place, waving for him to bring it on. With Coach watching, I didn’t think he would dare do anything back to me, but I hoped he would. As I watched and waited, he bent down and rushed forward, palm out as he came straight toward me while yelling.

  “What the fuck is going on?” Coach barked.

  At the very last moment, I leaped aside and out of his way.

  “Too big, dumb, and slow, bro.”

  “Why the fuck did you hit me with the ball?”

  He turned and stepped forward. I took a step toward him.

  We stopped with our helmets only inches apart.

  “What the fuck is your problem?” he asked.

  “Did you fuck Haley?”

  “What?” His face scrunched up in confusion. “Why would I do that to you?”

  “I don’t know, bro, but I’m hearing things around campus.”

  “Did Haley say something to you?”

  “No.”

  “Well, there you go. You better check yourself.”

  Coach walked up and slid an arm between our chests.

  “What the hell is going on here? You two kissing or something?”

  “No, Coach!” we yelled.

  “Then get ready to scrimmage!”

  “Yes, Coach!”

  Curtis and I were on the same team, which helped cool things between us, at least a little bit.

  * * *

  I went straight home after practice while Curtis headed to an evening class he had once a week. Teddy and Brian were not in the living room, which surprised me.

  Before I hit the stairs, I heard them laughing hysterically in Teddy’s room. I dropped my backpack on a step then went down the hall to check them out.

  “Hey, fellas, comedy show in here?”

  “No,” Teddy said with a smile. “Our Amazon package came in today, and we’re checking out all this cool spy stuff we bought.”

  I raised only my left eyebrow.

  “Spy stuff?”

  “Yeah, check out this camera.”

  “What camera?” I asked, staring into his open palm. “Damn that must be small.”

  “Oh, shit, I must have dropped it. Don’t step anywhere!”

  I stood still, peering down at the hardwood floor.

  “I don’t see anything.”

  Brian pointed without saying anything.

  Does that guy even talk?

  “Ah, good catch, Brian,” Teddy said, picking something up.

  “Damn, that’s still small,” I said. “Have you used it yet? You pervs better not be spying on me.”

  Teddy frowned.

  “Not cool, bro. We’re hetero.”

  “It’s cool one way or the other. I could have used that camera, though.”

  “How? You want to borrow it?”

  “Nah, it’s too late now, but the other day at Haley’s house, her roommate flashed me.”

  “Why the hell can’t I ever run into a woman like that?” Teddy asked.

  I knew the answer, but to preserve piec
e in our home, I didn’t give it to him.

  “Haley knows nothing happened, but it would be nice to have this sometime.”

  Teddy nodded.

  “If you ever want to borrow it, let me know.”

  “Will do,” I said. “You fellas have a good night.”

  “You going out?” Teddy asked.

  “Nah, I’m in for the night. Catch you guys later.”

  On the way upstairs to my bedroom, she sent another text message.

  “You okay? What’s up?”

  I ignored that one too, determined to concentrate on football above all else. If Haley cared for me, she would understand slowing down our relationship. It had been charging forward at an almost reckless pace. As I fell asleep, thoughts of her would not go away.

  SEVENTEEN

  Haley

  Why hasn’t he answered? The thought stuck with me through all my classes the next day. After the last one, I went to the stadium, hoping to catch him at practice. When I approached the field, I saw James standing on the sidelines with his helmet off.

  I walked over to him. The smile slid off his face when he saw me heading his direction. He glanced around then stepped forward to meet me before I reached him. Other players on the field weren’t paying to attention to us. While I hated to bother him, we had to talk.

  “Haley,” he said, stopping in front of me. “What are you doing here?”

  “You’ve not been answering your phone. I don’t have time to fool around. If you’re dumping me, be a man about it and say something.”

  I placed my hands on my hips. He put his hand on my arm.

  “Let’s go talk about this off the field.”

  “So you are ashamed of me?”

  “You’re acting like a child right now.”

  “Oh? I’m acting like a child?”

  “Yeah,” he said quietly, glancing around again. “Let’s go over here and talk.”

  “We can talk here,” I insisted.

  He sighed.

  “Fine. I’ve heard you’re sleeping with Curtis too. Is that true?”