by Jo Leigh
“Well, okay then,” she said. Her panting had accelerated and a flush bloomed on her chest.
“One last bit,” he said, before he kissed her silly.
While he struggled to maintain contact he grabbed a condom from the bedside table and had that sucker open in two hot seconds. Once that was accomplished, he bent over her, balancing himself on his straightened arms. “Okay?”
She brought her heels up to dig into the mattress. “God, yes.”
His moan must have carried all the way to the base as he entered her up to the root.
* * *
EMMA DIDN’T WANT to close her eyes. The sun was going down and golden light bled into the room through the top of his windows, illuminating the bed so she could see his five o’clock shadow, the white of his teeth against his tan skin. But she could barely look away from his eyes. Even now when they were pressed tightly shut, with his chin jutting out, and his panting breaths setting a rhythm that matched his thrusts.
He’d surprised her again. He’d been caring and sweet and funny and hot. Driven her insane with each graze of his finger, turning up the heat until he had her suspended at the cusp of an orgasm.
She couldn’t believe she hadn’t come yet. She knew she could with him inside her, she had before, and he was hitting exactly the right spot, but not every time. So she remained in limbo. The part that was always over too soon, when her climax was inevitable, when nothing short of a cataclysm could stop the oncoming rush. And Sam held her there, her muscles tense, her heart beating impossibly fast.
She pulsed up as he thrust in, crying out when he rubbed against her oh-so-sensitized clit.
“That’s it,” he said, speeding up. “Come on, gorgeous. Don’t hold back. Look at you, so hot, so amazing. God, I want to do everything all at once.”
Her nails had to be scraping the hell out of his back, but she couldn’t seem to stop. It wasn’t possible for the pressure to build any more, and yet—
Sam bent down and took her in a fevered kiss, his body trembling as he thrust into her so hard the whole bed moved.
She came apart. Crying out, jerking so hard she tore away from his lips, feeling the release in every cell. He was pressing against her, the tendons of his neck straining, his heat burning her up.
Time slid and dipped. He moved to her side, she struggled for breath, he touched her hand. She must have drifted off, but not for long because the light had gone from gold to orange.
She could feel him everywhere, imprinted forever.
* * *
THE NEXT TIME she opened her eyes, it was dark. Her head and his were sharing a pillow. They were touching from shoulders to knees, and at some point Sam had pulled the blankets over them.
She closed her eyes, although she didn’t want to fall asleep again, not yet. She considered all the nights she’d gone to bed alone. The mornings her only company had been the alarm. This was different in more ways than the obvious. The second she’d come to consciousness, she’d felt his presence. The scent of sex was there, but so was his scent alone. The bed still smelled more of him than them.
His body was big. Safe in a very primal way. She wasn’t a delicate flower, but she could let herself be protected by this man and feel no less strong.
None of that mattered as much as the fact that it was Sam. She didn’t need a man. She wanted Sam. Big difference.
There were issues to deal with, and she wasn’t about to run from them, but for the moment all she cared about was sleeping pressed up against Sam Brody.
“You’re awake,” he said, his voice crackling with sleep.
“How did you know?”
“Spidey sense.”
She elbowed him lightly. “Come on. How?”
“Your breathing changed. You grew tense for a bit. And you’ve moved closer to me.”
She hadn’t noticed that last part. “So I have. I’m sorry I woke you, though.”
He reached over and ran his palm from her neck down her chest, lingering over her breast, and then her hip bone. “You have my permission to wake me anytime.”
“You say that now—”
“I didn’t promise not to be grumpy about it. Besides, I’m easy. You already know how to render me helpless.”
“That’s true. I’ll keep it in mind.”
“Do you need anything,” he asked, inching closer still. “Water? A bathroom break?”
“Nope. I’m good.”
“Yes, you are,” he said, kissing her shoulder. “You were right about the bed.”
She smiled. “Beds are very important. Ask anyone who had to share one with her sister. That went on for three years until I was seven.”
“I hope it was a big bed.”
“Sadly, no,” she said. “It’s a miracle we both made it out alive.”
He hummed for a few seconds, rubbed his thumb over her skin. “I wanted a little brother so bad. I begged my mom. My dad had split when I was three, and she was so busy trying to raise me by herself, she didn’t date a whole lot.”
She opened her eyes again, but not for long. As much as she wanted to talk to Sam, especially about his life before she’d known him, it had to be very late. “Why did I think your father had died?”
“He might as well have been dead. He wanted nothing to do with us.”
“Oh, Sam, I’m sorry. But your mom did a good job by herself.”
“It wasn’t easy. He never paid child support. He took the trouble to divorce my mother, but only so he could get married again. Start a new family.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Doesn’t matter. We did just fine on our own.”
“I’ll say.”
The hum came back, and she knew sleep was going to win any second, but she couldn’t help one last question. “The other night you mentioned that you thought you’d get married someday. How come it hasn’t happened yet, Sam?”
He got quiet, and just when she thought he’d dozed off, he said, “There was someone back when I was at Hill. You and Danny were at Hill.”
“Yeah, he told me about her. What happened?”
His hand moved back up her body, and this time he let it rest on her breast. It felt nice. “She was an air force brat. Colonel’s daughter. We were good together, and I thought about making it something permanent.”
“But?”
She felt him shrug. “In the end, I couldn’t do it. That famous spark we’ve talked about...it wasn’t there, you know? I liked her a lot. But there was no magic.”
Just yesterday they’d sat in his Mustang talking about Gary, and Sam had said a spark didn’t make a relationship. But clearly it made a difference. “You think there has to be magic?”
He kissed her cheek. “Yeah, I guess I do.”
She sighed, and thought about that until she drifted off.
11
SAM CHECKED the bathroom again. He’d bought her a case for the toothbrush she’d used last time. He’d stuck it away in a closet half an hour after she’d left. Maybe it would stay this time.
Emma was still sleeping, although he’d have to wake her soon. He’d laid out towels for a shower, a brand-new washcloth, toothpaste. Everything was squared away in there, so he went back to the kitchen. There were pancakes warming in the oven, coffee brewed, OJ if she wanted some.
He sipped from his own mug, then set it down. This acting-crazy business had to stop. Right now. He was an airman. He had dignity and purpose. He was not going to be undone by an after-sex breakfast.
After adjusting the table settings one more time then growling at his idiocy, he headed for the bedroom. Emma might not have to be at school until ten, but he needed to be at the base. It was back to work for him, although classes wouldn’t start until Wednesday. Tomorrow was orientation. Today would
be setting up his shared office, which amounted to a big crate in the middle of the desert.
They were air-conditioned crates, but from the outside they looked like something from a shipping yard. All sand-colored to blend in to the arid land on which they were parked.
Inside most of them, and there were a hell of a lot, they’d find computer monitors, a couple of big old chairs, joysticks and enough electronics to send a nerd to heaven. The student pilots would sit on the left, and the sensor operators, who monitored the aircraft and weapons system, on the right. They would interact with the most vividly realistic images of terrain available on the planet as they learned how to navigate, observe, collect data and deploy armaments.
When they graduated, they would move to different bays, only the exercises would no longer be simulated.
But all that could wait, because the woman in his bed was moving, and he got a bird’s-eye view of what she looked like waking up.
He wanted to rip off his uniform and climb in next to her.
“You’re already dressed,” she said, her arms flung high in a luxurious stretch that spread all the way down to her toes. He knew that for a fact, as he’d watched her stiffen beneath the covers.
“You know the military. They just hate it when you show up for work naked.”
“I’d like to see that, actually. If you wouldn’t mind.”
He grinned. “For you? Anything. But you might want to know that there are actual pancakes ready in the oven, and coffee and orange juice in the fridge. Eggs, too, if you want.”
“God, how did you know I’d be starving to death?”
“I didn’t feed you last night.”
“Right,” she said. “Totally worth it.”
“If you want to shower, go ahead. I don’t have fresh clothes, but everything else is at your disposal.”
Her smile lit him up inside. “Damn shame about that whole work thing.”
He groaned, almost moved toward the bed, but stopped himself. “You...are trouble,” he said, his stern look undermined by the rasp in his voice.
She smiled wider and he turned away. He had to. She was far too tempting, and he couldn’t trust himself any longer. He busied himself in the living room, turning on the stupid-ass fountain. Then reading the titles of the books on his shelf.
When he figured it was safe, he went to the kitchen and waited. It should have been no big deal. He was a ten-year veteran of the hurry-up-and-wait air force. But he paced like an expectant...boyfriend.
At least he hoped he was no longer in the friend zone. Because, damn, last night had been about as good as it ever got. The only thing better would be more of the same.
When she finally arrived in her shorts and T-shirt, she didn’t even look at the table. She just threw her arms around his neck and kissed him until he got dizzy. He hadn’t even realized he’d picked her up until she kicked him in the ankle.
“Sorry,” she murmured, looking anything but.
“It’s okay. Now sit that gorgeous bottom down and let me serve you breakfast. Coffee first?”
“Need you ask?”
He poured her a mug, not the one with the boobs, then brought out the pancakes.
“What’s on the agenda today?” she asked, reaching for the milk he’d set on the table. “First class?”
“Prep for the first class. Getting my desk squared away, along with the study plans.”
“Sounds familiar.”
“I’ll undoubtedly come begging for help when classes begin. Although I did some of that during my training. It’s different, though, when it’s the real deal.”
“Just try and do name mnemonics at first. It’ll automatically make the students like you better if you remember their names, and they’ll want to please you more.”
“These guys are pilots. I don’t think that trick will apply.”
She gave him a funny look, which he couldn’t quite read, but it still made him wish he’d kept his mouth shut. But airmen, pilots in particular, were accustomed to being addressed by their rank and surname.
“Oh, right. Yeah. I forgot we were talking about pilots and not mere mortals.”
“Hey.”
Emma shook her head. “I’m kidding.”
“You’re not. But I understand. Officers can be...a unique challenge. But I like your thinking. Any other tips?”
“Yep. How about we make plans for you to buy me that dinner you promised?”
The kick he got from knowing there would be more of Emma took the sting out of her comment. It had to be difficult for an outsider to put up with all the military crap, especially where pilots were concerned. Modesty wasn’t exactly a sought-after trait. “How does tonight work for you?”
Emma ate some more of her pancake, then shook her head. “I’ve got an online workshop tonight.”
“That’s okay. Fine.” He put down his fork. “Can I see you after?”
She smiled again, and he felt her toes running up his calf. “I think we can work something out.”
“It’s going to be a long damn day.” He reached for her foot and almost caught it before she pulled back, trying not to laugh with her mouth full. “I need to ask you something.”
“Yes?”
“Does this mean we’re going steady?”
The look she gave him was almost perfect. But he couldn’t help catch the tiny hesitation, the darting glance. “I think we’ve both ruled out the friends-only thing.”
“But...?”
“I haven’t heard that stupid term in a million years, although I can’t think of one that’s better. So, yes. We’re going steady. However, I have to clear up some things on my end before we take out an ad in the paper.”
“Is that something people do in Alamogordo?”
She flicked a crumb at him. “You’ve been my boyfriend for less than five minutes, and you’re already giving me sass?”
“I’ll show you sass,” he said, standing up and giving her no time to prepare before he swept her into a kiss that almost sent them both tumbling.
He had her, though. And he wasn’t about to let her fall. He might not be having the career he’d always wanted, but if he played his cards right, he just might end up winning after all.
* * *
THE RERUNS OF THE NIGHT and this morning had been a continuous, wonderful loop all the way back to her place. But once she stepped inside, the rainbows and unicorns stopped. She had to speak to Gary. Today, if at all possible.
He already knew something was up. She’d hurried through their day at Cloudcroft, had shown her hand at bowling. Gary hadn’t even questioned her disappearance from the funnel-cake booth at the festival. In fact, he’d asked her why Sam hadn’t come to sample a treat for himself. Coming from another guy it might’ve been a snide remark implying he’d seen them in the car. But not from Gary. That was what made what she had to tell him so difficult. He was at heart a decent man and a good friend.
As soon as she’d finished changing clothes and pulling all her things together for her afternoon class, she called him. He would be in his office at the moment, and she was pretty sure she’d get his voice mail. Nope.
“I thought you might have come in early today,” he said. “Late night?”
“Not particularly,” she said, wincing. He might have meant that innocently but then again maybe he was capable of being snide. “Can you meet me for coffee after our two o’clock class?”
He didn’t say anything for a drawn-out moment. “Sure. X-Presso?”
“Yes, great. See you then.” She disconnected, but didn’t move from the center of the kitchen as she tried to figure out what she was going to say to him that wouldn’t hurt their friendship.
* * *
GARY ARRIVED FIRST, and he’d already bought her a cup of chai a
nd found them a table. If she’d gotten there before him, she’d have ordered his mocha with a shot. There were surprisingly few airmen in the base-exchange café. She was glad. This was a conversation best not overheard.
“So, I’m guessing this is about Sam?”
She didn’t bother to outright deny it, although his declaration messed up the opening she’d rehearsed. “Actually, it’s more about me than Sam. I didn’t expect him to come back into my life. Now that he is, things have gotten complicated.”
“Complicated how?”
She sipped her drink to cover her surprise. This wasn’t going the way she’d imagined. “I don’t want things to change between you and me. You’re one of my best friends. We’ve gotten to know each other well over the last year, and I like you. A lot.”
“But...?”
“Sam is important to me, as well. I’m not sure how it’s going to wind up. Maybe friendship, maybe more.”
“I see,” he said, nodding. He seemed disappointed, but not as much as she’d expected. In fact, his whole attitude was disconcerting.
She leaned back in the uncomfortable plastic chair. “You understand that I don’t want to change the status quo. With us, I mean.”
“Yeah, I do. I get why things seem complicated. Sam’s an old friend. The two of you share a lot of history. And hell, he’s a good-looking man. A fighter pilot. I imagine it’s very exciting to be with him.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Emma didn’t see where he was going with this. Gary wasn’t a vindictive man, and she didn’t want to believe he’d be ugly about this.
He leaned forward and looked her straight in the eyes. “But I don’t think he’s the right man for you, Emma. You were young when you married Danny, and the excitement of being with a fighter jock was great. A real thrill, I’m sure. But you’re not that kid anymore. I know you want a family. I’m not sure if you’re aware, but you’ve brought up the subject of fighter pilots a few times. How you were done with all that flash and burn. That dating a flyboy was fine for a while, but not for the long term.”
