by Selena Kitt
"I'm not an idiot, Sage. I know I'm on leave and I know getting involved with a Marine is no fucking picnic, with the deployments and all the other crap. Trust me, feeling an attraction to someone like you is the last thing I wanted, either."
Sage's back went up. "What do you mean: someone like me?"
He leaned in. Placing his forearms high above her head, caging her in. Making her feel frightened by his leashed power and yet safe all at once. "What I mean is someone I can't seem to stop thinking about. Someone I can't seem to want to let go of. Someone who deserves more than she thinks I can give."
"Oh," she answered lamely, not sure what to say.
He gave her a chaste kiss on the forehead. "I won't ask for your phone number because I already stole it off your phone when you weren't looking." He stopped her angry retort by covering her lips with his finger. "I don't know where this is going. Maybe nowhere, but unlike you, I'm not going to run away from what we've got just because it might blow up in our faces. A Marine never retreats," he said with an arrogant smile. "Life's too short, Spitfire."
Chapter Four
She was avoiding him. If he were a less confident, less arrogant man, he might take it personally. Might take it as a hint. He knew better. She was fighting their attraction. She had her reasons. He just refused to acknowledge any of those reasons were valid. With time she would get over it, but unfortunately he didn't have time. There was only three weeks left to his leave and he wanted to spend them with her, not chasing her around D.C.!
* * *
"You're the dumbest bitch I know."
"Gee, I love you too," sniped Sage.
"I'm not kidding, Sage. You are a real stupid bitch," repeated Melissa. "Do you know how much I would kill to find a great guy who was awesome in bed?"
"I should have never told you about that part," grumbled Sage.
"I wish you would tell me more about it," chimed in her other friend, Ashley.
They were all out in Arlington at a tiny Mexican joint, on their second pitcher of margaritas. Well, Melissa and Ashley were on their second pitcher, Sage was still nursing her first drink. She just wasn't in the mood. She was a stupid bitch. First thing Monday morning, she'd packed an overnight bag and gone to crash at Ashley's. She was hiding from Conner. Just then her cell started to ring.
"Your phone's ringing," said Melissa.
"It's him," said Sage.
"Seriously! You're not going to answer it?"
"Nope," Sage stubbornly responded.
"I'll answer it!" piped up Ashley as she grabbed Sage's phone. "Hello?"
"Hello? Sage?" said Conner.
"God dammit, Ashley, give me my phone!" yelled Sage in the background.
"I'm terribly sorry. Sage cannot come to the phone right now. Is this the hot piece of military ass she has been moping around about for the last few days?" teased Ashley as she danced just out of Sage's reach.
"I'd better be, otherwise I have to go and kick some other guy's ass," commented Conner.
"Ooh… he is a macho man, just like you said, Sage!" cooed Ashley.
"Seriously! Ashley, I'm going to fucking kill you!" cried Sage.
"Tell me what else Sage said," coaxed Conner.
"Well… oops, gotta go, I have to El Passo the El Pitchero if you get my meaning!" cried out Ashley as Sage finally got hold of the phone.
"Sage?"
"Conner?"
"What the hell, Sage?"
"Um, yeah I know. I'm sorry. I-I gotta go," said Sage as she hung up.
She turned to face the disapproving look from Melissa. "I'm a dumb bitch, aren't I?"
"Yes, but you're cute so it's okay," soothed Melissa. "Have a drink."
* * *
Conner hung up the phone more pissed than ever. It was ridiculous, of course. She was a grown woman. Out with her friends. Drinking. Around other men. Probably in another version of that flimsy dress. "God dammit."
Then he remembered something her drunk friend had said and took a shot. Two minutes later he was in his truck, racing to Arlington, VA.
* * *
Sage was finishing her second margarita and finally feeling a nice pleasant, buzz when she could have sworn she was seeing things. It wasn't possible. Absolutely not. It wasn't possible that a very angry Conner was making his way through the crowd directly toward her. Nope. Not possible. There must be more tequila in these margaritas than she thought!
Soon he was standing directly before her. Sage had to tilt her head way back to catch his gaze.
"Boy, am I glad you are a figment of my imagination because otherwise I could be in real trouble." She chortled.
"You are in real trouble," he growled.
"But… but… it's not possible!" she whined. "How did you find me?"
At that moment, Ashley sauntered up. Giving Conner a lascivious once over, she commented, "Beauty and brains. I see you got my hint."
"The El Paso in Arlington. Thanks," said Conner. "Sage will be leaving now."
"I most certainly will not! And another thing—"
She didn't get another word in. Conner shouldered her midsection and lifted her up.
"Oh no you don't! Not again!" she shouted, as he proceeded to carry her out of the bar. "Conner, this isn't some deserted street!" she warned. Sage started to wave her hands. "Hey Bouncer! Bouncer! Mr. Bouncer! Help!"
Conner stopped for a moment as the bouncer blocked his path.
After a brief pause, the bouncer said, "Second Division, Lejeune, Private."
"ACE, Warrior Squad, Captain," responded Conner. Both ignored the squirming, huffing female on his shoulder.
"Nice. Carry on, sir," responded the bouncer.
"Seriously!" exclaimed an incredulous Sage. "Are you freakin' kidding me?"
"Respect," was all Conner would say.
As they got to the parking lot, Melissa flagged them down.
"Finally! Sanity! Melissa, talk to him! Help me!"
"Here's her purse, Conner," said Melissa with a smile in Sage's direction. "Oh, and Conner? I work with Sage, and I'll make sure to tell everyone she came down with a very nasty flu and shouldn't be expected back into work for the rest of the week."
"Why, thank you Melissa," returned Conner.
"Melissa!" cried a shocked Sage.
"Bye, sweetie! Have fun!" said Melissa in a sing-song voice.
* * *
Conner carried her to his truck. He swung Sage off his shoulder, letting her body slide down his front. She took one look at the intense grimace on his face and for once remained silent. He needed a moment to get control of his emotions. He couldn't explain it. Since meeting her, he felt this overwhelming need to protect her, to touch her, to be with her. It drove him crazy to not know she was okay. To not know she was safe. And then to hear she was at a bar possibly drunk. None of it made sense. But he didn't give a damn. She made sense to him, and that was all he needed. Well, not all.
He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her in close. His mouth smashed down on hers. God, he'd missed the taste of her. He walked her back till she was pressed against his truck. His tongue swept inside, tasting lime, sugar and tequila. He pulled the end of her t-shirt up out of her skirt, pressing his warm hand against her cool, flat stomach.
Sage groaned, loving how his hand felt rough, warm and masculine against the softness of her skin. She boldly grasped his hand and pulled it up, pushing against her breast.
"Does my baby want more?" he growled against her neck.
She responded by forcing her right thigh between his legs so she could rub it along his hard cock. At the same time, she sank her teeth into his lower lip, drawing blood in her eagerness.
"Jesus Christ!" snarled Conner, almost past his breaking point. He had to remind himself despite her enthusiasm, not to hurt her with his own. Throwing the passenger door open, he climbed in. Pulling her in next, he forced her to straddle his strong thighs, pushing her skirt up above her ass.
"Close the door, baby," he ordered whi
le he unzipped his jeans, freeing his fully engorged shaft.
Digging his fingers into her bouncy waves, he leaned in for a fierce kiss. Breathing heavily against her mouth, he commanded, "Grab my cock. I want you to put me inside you."
Sage wrapped her small hand around his wide shaft, still more than a little intimidated by its size and girth. Rising up on her knees, she guided the head to her narrow entrance. She could feel her tight muscles stretch and strain to accommodate him. Taking quick, shallow breaths, she slowly lowered herself onto his shaft, loving how the bit of pain enhanced how filled and overtaken he made her feel.
Conner grabbed her shirt and whipped it over her head, needing to see and taste her breasts. Unhooking her bra, he filled his hands with their perky weight, taking one pink nipple deep into his mouth as he pinched the other. When his cock was fully seated deep inside her pussy, he pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her back.
"Hold on, baby."
Keeping one arm around her mid-back, the other on her ass, Conner lifted her slight weight up, far enough to give his hips movement. Sage grasped his shoulders and cried out as he relentlessly drilled her already swollen pussy with his hard cock.
"Oh God! Please! Oh God! Oh! Oh!"
"Yes, baby! Come for me, baby! Cum for me!"
From her position straddling him, each thrust of his cock pushed her clit against his hard stomach, causing a delicious friction. It was the perfect amount of pressure and movement. Sage came with a scream, biting down on his shoulder. After several more punishing thrusts, Conner followed her, growling his release against her neck as he inhaled deeply her familiar, sugared orange scent.
* * *
Hours later, in his bed…
Sage lay curled in Conner's arms while he played with her hair.
"Can you just tell me why?" he asked.
She stopped fighting it. "I got scared. It's too much. Too soon. Something like this only happens in books. We barely know one another."
"I know, you silly girl. That's why I'm trying to get to know you, if you'd stop making me chase you for half a second!"
"What if I fall in love with you?" she whispered. "You're leaving in a few weeks. Another deployment, probably. I don't know if I could handle that. You obviously love the Marines. It's your career. I just… I just… plus, I'm so independent and you're so… so…"
Conner held her tightly. "Shhh… baby, I will handle everything. Will you just trust me, this once?"
Sage cuddled in closer. Perhaps she didn't have to be the one in control all the time. Perhaps she didn't have to have it all figured out. It did feel so safe and good in be his arms. "Okay," she answered. After a pause, she added, "Just this once."
Conner chuckled. "That's my little Spitfire."
Chapter Five
Six months. Six whole months without him. It had been strangely horrible and wonderful at the same time. It was horrible to be away from him. To not feel his arms around her. To worry about him. On the other hand, the time apart had given them the opportunity to truly get to know one another in ways few couples get a chance to. Long conversations about their childhoods. Funny stories from college and old friends. Cautious tales about crazy family members. That last one was mostly on Sage's part.
After his leave, Conner had left for Camp Pendleton California, to train with Marine Squadron 303 on the new Venom and Viper helicopters. At least he wasn't in Syria or Afghanistan, but the work was still dangerous. A Marine could be killed in training almost as easily as in combat.
Sage had been able to visit him once. It was nice out in California. They had even discussed the possibility of him leaving his current squad and joining the 303 as a trainer one day. Secretly, Sage loved the idea. She could do her job remotely from anywhere, so the move would not be a problem for her career. But she really liked the idea of Conner not going into any more war zones. Unfortunately it made her feel selfish, too. To take him away from something he loved, from people who needed him. She was determined to not influence him in any way.
She had long ago stopped fighting the idea of loving him. He was arrogant, domineering, and drove her crazy with his possessiveness sometimes, but he was also sweet, caring, intelligent, and amazingly unselfish in how he sacrificed his own safety for complete strangers.
She would support his decision no matter what… and in the meantime, there was phone sex. Lots of phone sex.
"How's my little Spitfire tonight?" asked Conner, his voice sounding slightly distant over the cellphone.
"Missing you," she murmured into the phone.
"Oh yeah, how much?"
"Lots and lots." She giggled.
"Did you get the toy I sent you?"
Sage blushed as she picked up the pink dildo with the sparkled trim across the top. "Yes. I'm having a lot of fun picturing you walking into a store and buying this."
"Let's just say I'd rather be running naked through the desert taking on enemy fire than doing it again." He chuckled.
"Hmmm. I like the image of you all sweaty, running naked," she purred.
"And I like the image of you lying naked in our bed," growled Conner. Sage liked how he said our bed. She knew it was moving things along a little fast but moving in together at the end of his leave seemed so natural and besides, it was not like it was a big production. The man showed up with a duffel bag and his truck.
"Are you naked now?"
"Yes," she answered breathlessly.
"Are you lying on your back?"
"Yes."
"Good girl. Now open your knees up, nice and wide," he said.
Sage obeyed, getting aroused just from the dark, commanding sound of his voice.
"Take your fingers and stroke that pretty pussy for me."
"Oh. Oh," she moaned as her fingers swirled around her clit. Her fingers getting wet. Her eyes closed. Relishing the sensation.
"Now, take your other hand and pinch your cute little nipple for me. Imagine it's my teeth biting down on you. Just like you like it," he panted.
"Are you stroking your cock, Cowboy?" Sage teased.
Conner laughed. Cowboy was Sage's nickname for him ever since she found out he'd grown up on a farm in Montana. She liked to tell her friends she was dating a jumbled up romance novel hero. Her Cowboy Marine.
"I want you to take that pink dildo and push it deep inside that tight pussy of yours for me," he ordered, his voice hoarse with desire.
Sage blindly reached for the dildo. Positioning it at her entrance, she slowly worked it into her pussy, her back arching off the bed at the contact, her hips rising.
"I can just imagine you now," whispered Conner. "Your hips rising off the bed. Your breathing coming in fast, shallow gasps. Your back arched."
Lost in the sound of his voice, the erotic, naughty feel of her own hand on her breast, the smooth motion of the dildo as she pumped it in and out of her own pussy, Sage felt almost as if he was in the room with her.
Suddenly, the bed dipped with added weight.
Sage's eyes shot open in shock.
A naked Conner was leaning over her, pressing his weight against her hips.
"Oh my God, Conner!"
"Surprise, Spitfire!"
Before she could say another word, she could feel the press of his cock at her slick entrance. He slid in easily. Stretching her. Filling her.
"Now this is coming home," growled Conner as he pressed in further.
Sage wrapped her legs around his hips to pull him closer. Conner leaned down to toy with her lips. Flicking her upper lip with his tongue. Nipping at her lower with his teeth.
"Please, Conner," she begged. "I can't wait. Fuck me!"
"With pleasure, Spitfire."
Grabbing her thighs, he lifted her legs up higher, and vigorously thrust into her welcoming heat. He loved how her body clenched and grasped at his shaft. The bed shifted and squeaked. Their harsh breaths mixed with the occasional moan.
Sage clenched fistfuls of the crumpled sheets as she felt th
e building, delicious pressure of her coming release.
"That's it, baby. Come for me," commanded Conner as he sucked on her nipple.
The dominating, controlling tone of his voice coupled with his lips on her breast sent her over the edge. Sage screamed her release as her thighs clamped down around his hips. Conner was moments behind, roaring his climax as he thrust deep one last time before collapsing on top of her already limp weight.
He immediately rolled to the right, cradling her with him in the crook of his shoulder.
Conner kissed her forehead. "Missed you, baby."
Sage stroked his chest as she cuddled closer. "Missed you, too."
Giving her a playful pat on the ass, he rose from the bed. "I'm starving! How about I make us some food? I know it's late at night, but how about some breakfast?"
Sage smiled as she tossed on his old Marine t-shirt, her new favorite thing to wear. Good thing I just bought a fresh dozen eggs, she thought with a laugh.
* * *
"You can't even give me a hint where we are going?"
"No."
"Not even if I traded a sexual favor for one?" Sage teased suggestively.
"Stop trying to tempt me and hurry up. We can't be late."
Having earned fifteen days' leave over the last six months of training, Conner had only been home three days and already she was dreading his next assignment. It was just so wonderful having him around. Tonight he had arranged a special surprise for her, but despite all her best efforts, she could not get the slightest hint from him as to what it was going to be.
Sage was all the more intrigued when he put on his dress blues. Marines only wore their uniform for formal or special occasions.
"Can you at least tell me if we are staying in D.C. or heading to Virginia or Maryland?"
After a moment to consider, Conner answered, "We are staying in D.C. Now get in the truck."
They drove for about twenty minutes until they reached the Naval Yards at 8th and I.
"The Marine Barracks?" asked Sage, her heart sinking just a little. It was silly, really. For a moment there she'd thought Conner might have been taking her to nice a dinner and perhaps… well, maybe… perhaps proposing. It was really silly. Stupid, really. She had been the one complaining early on that they were moving too fast, and here she was now, dreaming of marriage proposals six months in.
