Temporary Assignment The Complete Collection: A Military Romance

by KB Winters

  “I’m coming with you.”

  “The hell you are,” I snapped pushing off his hold and turning my back to him. I needed a moment to gather my thoughts and emotions. It took every bitof my strength to stay angry and not fall back into his embrace.

  “You pushed me away,” I exclaimed whirling around to face him. Cole’s expression froze in surprise and though I immediately felt bad about my outburst, I continued on undeterred. “You jump up and run out like the world is ending and give me absolutely no clue as to why.”

  “I sent you a message.”

  I scoffed. “You sent me one measly message that contained no information for why you left. With our track record for communication, did it ever occur to you that maybe you should divulge a little more so that I don’t jump to conclusions again?”

  Cole’s lips thinned into a tight frown. “Well, did you?”

  “Did I what?”

  “Jump to conclusions,” he said.

  I paused and crossed my arms over my chest. “Of course, I did. I still barely know you, Cole. All I know is that you’re a Special Forces dude in the Marines, and you have a younger sister and a sick mother that you two take care of. ”

  “Really…that’s all you know about me?” Cole asked quietly taking a step towards me. I could feel my body practically vibrating with the need to move closer to him, but I gripped my elbows tightly and fought against it. Right now wasn’t the time to fall into him—I needed answers.

  “Well, Mr. Smarty Pants, what do you think you know about me?”

  “I know that you hate mushrooms, and that the smell of dry-erase markers makes you want to gag.”

  I snorted. “I’m sure a lot of people feel exactly the same way; those things aren’t unique to me.”

  Cole took another step towards me. “I know you call your mom every day when you get home from work just to check-in with her, because you know she worries about you living alone.”

  “I’m sure lots of single women do tha—“

  “And I also know you’re a wonderful and loving person who still feels guilt over cheating with a man that you didn’t even know was married.”

  I snapped my mouth shut and then swallowed against my rising emotions. “That’s what people call hitting below the fucking belt, Cole.”

  He reached and took hold of my upper arms again and this time I didn’t fight as he pulled me closer. “I’m not trying to make you angry or win a competition. I should have given you more of an idea of what was going on with me, I know that now. But baby—“

  “Don’t call me baby. If you knew me as well as you thought you did, you’d know that I hate that.”

  “No,” Cole said slowly. “You hated the thought of him calling you baby, because you realized it was a way for him to not have to use your name and possibly get it wrong.”

  I clenched my jaw. “Fine. You got me, happy now?”

  “I’d be happy if you’d let me kiss you.”

  “I—what?” Surely,I’d heard him wrong. “You’d be happy if I let you kiss me?”

  “That’s what I said.”

  Anger, sharp and hot rose up within me. “Have you lost your fucking mind Cole Bryant?”

  His expression pinched. “No, I—“

  “You have lost your fucking mind.” I pulled away. “You were gone to God only knows where and you sent me one message…one! You didn’t tell me where you were or what you were doing or when you were coming back.”

  “I couldn’t, Savannah.”

  “Oh, bullshit.” My shout echoed through the parking lot, and I could see a few people glancing over at us whispering, but I didn’t care. “You could have told me some semblance of truth, but you told me nothing.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Hishands grabbed my arms and turned me around until I was once again facing him. His expression looked earnest and sincere, and as much as I wanted to give in, I couldn’t. I had seen my students play innocent more than once in an attempt to escape trouble and I refused to be fooled. “If you are so sorry, then explain.”

  “Savannah—“

  “No,” I cut him off. “Give me something, otherwise this—this thing—is over between us. I can understand there may be times where you can’t divulge everything about your job, but I refuse to be completely in the dark with you.”

  I could tell he was fighting with whether or not to budge on the whole thing so with a sigh, I tensed ready to remove myself from his hold.

  “I was in Baltimore.”

  I stopped my movements and waited for him to continue. The silence stretched between us, and I gave Cole an impatient look. “Why were you in Baltimore?”

  “I was visiting a medical treatment center there to see if there were any promising leads for—“

  “Are you sick?” I asked quickly feeling a bit of panic rising up within me. “Is that why you didn’t call me?”

  “No! I’m completely fine.” Cole reassured. He rubbed his hands on my arms. “I also had to handle some paperwork about my enlistment, the specifics of which I definitely can’t get into.”

  I didn’t like it, but I nodded in understanding. “I get that, so that’s fine. I just don’t understand why you couldn’t think to tell me. Even just telling me that little bit would have kept me from worrying.”

  He let out a sigh, expression contrite and I felt some small part inside of me loosen. “I know I should have. I’m just not used to having to explain myself to anyone.”

  “What about your sister and your mother?”

  Cole shook his head slightly. “Military families are very close and most of the wives and mothers tend to gossip. Half of the time my mom knows where I’m going before I do. It’s been going on so long I guess I got used to never having to actually explain things.”

  “That’s…” My voice trailed off as I thought about it. It made sense in some strange way and I suppose given that gossip in my school tended to spread like wildfire, I could understand. “Fine. I understand—but only somewhat,” I amended quickly when I saw Cole’s relieved expression. “But you have to remember that I’m not on the in. We’ve barely been dating, and I don’t know any of your friends so if you disappear, I’m going to freak out.”

  He nodded. “Right. My mother said the same thing when I got back.”

  I lifted my eyebrows in surprise. “She did? Your mom knows about me?”

  “Of course she does.” Cole chuckled. “You’re not some dirty little secret, Savannah. I talk about you to my family.”

  “Oh,” I breathed out. feeling another small part loosen inside me. I was slightly freaked out about his sister knowing about me, but I felt more reassured that I wasn’t being kept hidden. “Well, I’m still angry with you for neglecting to tell me anything more than the fact that you were alive.”

  “I understand.” Cole’s hand moved up to cup my cheek as he looked deeply into my eyes. “And I truly am sorry. I can promise you that the next time I have to leave, I’ll make sure to explicitly let you know.”

  “Good,” I replied moving into the warmth of his hands. I’d missed his touch so much, and I marveled again at how he could make me feel so much. “Now…do you still want to kiss me?”

  He didn’t hesitate to answer. “Yes.”

  I blinked slowly. “Okaaaay.”

  The touch and feelof his lips on mine was like coming home. In the distance, I heard some people catcalling and whistling, but nothing else mattered in that moment other than getting more of Cole. Like a dam bursting open, I surged against him wrapping my arms around his neck and holding on as if I were afraid he would disappear again. The whimper of need I let out should have embarrassed me, but I found in that moment, wrapped within his familiar embrace, I didn’t care. Cole was here, and I needed him.

  “I need you like one-hundred percent more naked and all over me.”

  Cole looked at me with an amused expression. “Is that so?”

  I nodded once.

  “Well then, we’d better
get you home so I can go about fulfilling your request.” His smile was wide and his eyes hungry and just the sight of himmade a furl of warmth curl inside of me. He let go of my hips and brought one hand up to pull my arms down. We pulled away from one another, but before I could retreat too much further, his fingers tangled with mine. “I truly am sorry, Savannah. I wasn’t trying to ignore you and I didn’t intend for you to start having ideas about me being done with you. That is so far from the truth.”

  “Okay,” I replied again pulling on his hand to lead him in the direction of my car. “Then make it up to me…repeatedly.”

  Cole gave me a smirk before pullingme back against him and burying his free hand in my hair. “You sure you can handle that baby? It’s been more than a week since I last had you, and if you open up that gate, there is no shutting it again.”

  I shivered at the desirous timber of his voice before leaning forward and brushing a kiss against his lips delighting in the clench of his fingers in my hair. Knowing that I was able to affect Cole in this way made me feel powerful and sexy. “You aren’t the only one who has been holding back…babe.”

  His eyes widened at my use of a pet name before he released me with a tight smile. “Then by all means, lead the way.”

  I smirked and resumed my walk to the car. After unlocking it and getting in, I had to take a deep breath to calm myself. When a large, strong hand reached over and gripped my chin tightly, I gasped. I refocused my gaze on Cole.

  “This is hardly the way to get us home quickly and as much as car sex is a turn on, I really would rather have you in my bed.”

  “Jesus, you never stop talking,” Cole hissed his eyes shifting to fixate on my lips. “God, you talk so much.”

  I blinked pushing down the spike of hurt. “Sorry.”

  “No, it’s not bad,” he amended quickly leaning into my space. “It just drives me to distraction and makes me want to fuck you until the only words you know are ‘yes’, ‘more’ and my name.”

  “Fuck,” I whined softly. I wanted him. I wanted Cole to do everything to me and make my brain stop for at least a little while. “I want that too.”

  “Good, I figured you might.” He released my chin and leaned back into the passenger seat. When I didn’t make a move, he nudged my hand. “Aren’t you going to start the car?”

  I sputtered slightly before nodding and putting the key in the ignition. Being flustered normally made me cringe and a small part of me hated the fact that I’d suddenly lost the upper hand in thesituation. Still, the chemistry between Cole and me was impossible to ignore—especially with the way my body yearned for him.

  The car ride was quiet and the air was filled with palpable sexual tension. I barely paid attention to the stoplights—focusing on getting us there and discovering how Cole wanted me and what exactly he had in mind. It seemed like forever by the time we finally pulled into my designated parking space. After shutting off the car, the tension seemed to riseconsiderably and when I looked over at Cole, the sight of him sitting so calmly in his seat sent my heart beat into over drive. Without consciously thinking about it, I leaned over and our lips met as if pulled by gravity.

  I let out a high sound of pleasure and reached up to grip the back of Cole’s neck. My fingers toyed with the short hairs that brushed against them, and I shivered when one of Cole’s large hands settled against my side. I could feel his thumb brushing and it sent tiny shocks of electric pleasure through my body.

  “We should get out of the car,” Cole said softly after we’d pulled back slightly to breathe. “Like I said before, what I want to do to you cannot be done in here. There’s not enough space for me to stretch you out and—“

  I slapped a hand over his mouth quickly. “Right, but see you saying this stuff to me isn’t going to make me move quickly.” My voice went high and breathless, and I arched my back slightly when the back of one of his hands brushed across my nipple. I was sure he could feel it clearly through my bra, and I fixed him with a glare. “That wasn’t fair.”

  Cole chuckled darkly before releasing me and moving back. I did the same, reluctantly letting my fingers slide away from his neck. I turned off the car and opened my door. A quick glance around let me know that at least none of my neighbors had born witness to my lack of control. I certainly didn’t need anyone to make comments about me trying to have sex witha man in my car. Walking up to my door, I was acutely aware of Cole’s presence, as his heat seemed to find me no matter how far away he stood.

  Chapter Three

  I closed my door and let out a yelp of surprise as Cole’s hard body pressed tightly against my back pinning me to the door. The position wasn’t one I’d ever found myself in before, and I shivered at the strength I could feel in his body. I arched my back without thinking. The feeling of Cole’s cock, already hard and prodding at my lower back was arousing as hell, and I pressed my hands flatly on the door in order to get some leverage so I could grind against him again.

  “You are so fucking sexy.” Cole’s voice was deep, more of a growl really, and when his hot breath rushed over the sensitive shell of my ear, I trembled. “I’m sure everyone at work sees you as this uptight controller—someone who shouldn’t be fucked with. I’m sure they would never see that underneath, you want to be taken apart—wrecked all to hell.”

  I whimpered, desperately trying to get even closer to him. His words were true and tapped into the long buried side of me—the side that wanted to be touched with rough fingers until I lost myself in sensation. With a groan of frustration, I realized that my skirt was much too tight to allow me much movement and my legs spasmed with the need to spread wider and let Cole between them.

  As if reading my thoughts, Cole’s hands moved from my hips to the bottom hem of my skirt. The sound of fabric being ripped apart made me groan, and I couldn’t even be angry at the thought of him destroying one of the few non-work skirts I owned. The idea of him being strong enough to rip the fabric was awe inspiring and hot. I vaguely wondered what other things he could rip and the thought made something dark and powerful surge within me. A sound that I’d never before heard myself make was ripped from my throat as I was suddenly lifted into the air.

  “What are you doing?” I shrieked as my fingers scraped against the door frame. My skirt was pushed up around my hips with Cole’s motion and I tried to look down at him. The feeling of air brushing against the smoothskin of my inner thighs made me swallow hard. “How the fuck are you so strong?”

  His chuckle sent vibrations skirting across my body, and I squirmed slightly. His hold on my hips was too strong for me to really go anywhere though, and I let myself be moved until his hands settled under my thighs and I leaned more fully into the door.

  “What?” I croaked out. My back arched again slightly when I felt something brush closer to my cunt. “What are you doing and how the fuck are you doing it?” My voice finished on a gasp as something wet brushed across my panties moving them to the side. Warm air hit the lips of my pussy and I whimpered.

  “Training baby. All of my training.”

  “All of what training?” I asked with a whine. One of his hands moved quickly pulling the rest of the fabric away from my cunt before returning to its position underneath my thigh. “What…what are you doing?”

  “Relax baby,” Cole soothed and I shivered at the feeling of his hair brushing against my inner thigh. “I just want to see you, and taste you. I’ve been missing this for too damn long.”

  That was the only warning I got before the flat of Cole’s tongue licked a devastating path between the damp folds of my cunt. My body seized up at the feeling and a breath of air was punched from my chest.

  “Fuck,” I gasped voice gone hoarse with the force of how much I needed him to do that again and more. I was surrounded by liquid heat as Cole’s tongue lapped at my pussy. The feeling was so good it was almost painful, and I gasped again when I felt fingers brushing at my lips. The first push as the tip of a finger sank in was enough to liquefy
my spine and if not for Cole’s grip, I might have slipped to the floor.

  I knew I had to be letting out highly embarrassing noises, but I couldn’t bring myself to stop. Never before had I ever been eaten out with such unrestrained enjoyment, especially not while being held up in the air.

  “God you taste so good,” Cole hissed when he moved back slightly. The tip of his finger that had breached my cunt was moving slightly and sending syrupy pulses of pleasure through my body. I knew that if not for him holding me up, that finger would have pushed forward further, but I was finding his display of strength was doing more than its share of fanning the flames of my arousal even higher. “I’ve never met anyone who tasted as good as you.”

  I tossed my head as I let out a loud shout. Cole’s lips were wrapped around my clitoris and one soft suck was enough to make my whole body blush hotly. I knew I had to be babbling, and I reached my hand back to grip the back of his head as I began to move against his face. I wasn’t in control of my body as I fucked myself back and forth on his thrusting tongue…all I knew was I needed more, and I needed to come.

  “I can’t,” I gasped out trying to warn Cole when I felt my body tightening with my impending climax. “I…I’m going to come. Fuck, Cole.”

  His tongue never stopped its devastating rhythm, and he began sucking as if trying to draw out all of the slick my cunt could produce. His rumbles of pleasure sent my body slipping even further beyond my control, and I felt a bolt of pain in my leg as my body clenched. When my orgasm hit, I swore I saw stars and I threw my head back with a shout.

  “Fuck you taste so good.” Cole’s voice cut through the haze that had settled over my mind. “I hope you don’t think I’m done with you.”

  I shook my head unable to voice a response and concentrated on breathing deeply. His grip shifted back to my hips as he brought me back down slowly. When my feet hit the ground, I almost buckled under my own weight and if not for Cole, I would have continued sinking to the ground. My legs felt like noodles.