Ignite (Explosive)

by Tessa Teevan

  Sierra snickers before adding, “Mom, that’s not even the half of it.”

  My mother’s eyebrows draw together as she looks at me. “Oh, really?”

  I’m about to come out with it when my sister beats me to the punch. “They spent practically every waking—and sleeping—moment together the whole weekend,” she squeals, as if it’s the greatest thing in the world.

  My mom shoots me a questioning look, and all I can do is nod in conformation as Sierra’s gushing continues.

  “Oh, you should’ve seen them. It was like they’d never spent a day apart. They clicked immediately, and watching them was just so sweet! I swear, I’ve never seen Lexi glow with so much happiness. And the first time they spotted each other, I thought I was going to have to jump Jeremy right there from the sexual tension in the air,” she says dramatically as she fans herself.

  Cutting her off, I begin to speak. “Mom, Jace and I reconnected at the reunion. As she said, we did spend a lot of time together, and we’ve been emailing back and forth since then, trying to get to know each other again. He’s moving to Kentucky next month, and we’re just going to see where things go.”

  Her eyes glisten as she gets up from her seat and makes her way over to me. She draws me into a tight embrace as she whispers in my ear, “My sweet girl, if you’re happy, then I’m happy.” I nod, letting her know that I am, not wanting to speak for fear of tears falling. My mom was my rock after losing Ty, so her acceptance of my moving on is a huge relief.

  At that moment, Jeremy and Dad walk into the kitchen to check on dinner. They look over at us blubbering, and I spy my Dad slowly start to back out of the kitchen. We pull apart and my mom wipes her eyes, snapping at my dad to come set the table. He walks over to us, and Sierra, again, shares the good news.

  “Jace McAllister, huh? I always liked that boy,” he says without giving it another thought.

  So did I, Dad. So did I.

  AFTER A longer-than-normal thirteen-hour workday in the blistering Afghanistan sun, I’m finally headed back to my room where I want nothing more than to grab some chow, hit the showers, and crawl into bed. As I pass the post office, I realize that I haven’t checked my mail in a few days, and I should be overdue for a letter right about now, either from my parents or Alexa. I head over to where our mail clerk sets the mail, sorting through the various letters until I come to my name. My heart races when I see that I have two, one definitely written in her handwriting. I turn to head back towards my room when I hear someone bark out my name.

  Turning around, I see our platoon sergeant jogging towards me. “Captain needs to see you in his office.”

  I give him a puzzled look, wondering what the hell I did to warrant a visit to his office. Pocketing my mail, I follow him towards the building that houses our commanding officers. He leads me to his office, and Captain Edwards motions for me to come in and sit down. I do as he asks, my fingers nervously drumming my thigh.

  My nerves calm as he spends the next ten minutes informing me that my replacement has already arrived, and an old friend of his who will be my commanding officer at Ft. Campbell asked if I could return home to start training with them for their upcoming deployment in April. They were able to work out the logistics, so after I complete a three-day turnaround with the sergeant who’s replacing me, I’ll be on a plane home so I can take my leave and get to Ft. Campbell sooner than expected. My leg began shaking the moment he told me I was going home early. My mind is preoccupied with thoughts of seeing Alexa sooner rather than later.

  After I’m dismissed, I head back to my room for some privacy. Once there, I change into my PT uniform so I can go get some food before showering. I remember the letter that was burning holes in my pocket and lie down on the bed as I open the envelope. Almost immediately, the scent of the coconut washes over me, and the smell alone is enough to cause my dick to harden.

  September 1, 2012

  Jace,

  Congratulations on making my face red and my panties wet at the same time. I guess that’s what I get for ever having suggested that you were a prude or anywhere near it. You probably shouldn’t say things that like to me while you’re so far away. The thought of your hands running over my body has me feeling so hot that I may have to do something to put out the flames until you’re here to do it yourself.

  I guess I’ll just have to pretend that my fingers are yours, long and gentle, running over the length of my body before you stop to caress me between my legs. I’ll close my eyes and imagine that my hand is yours, strong and powerful as you cup my breasts, flicking each nipple with your thumb until they harden under your touch. But nothing, nothing could ever come close to the feel of you pushing inside of me, so big and thick, fitting perfectly as if I were the mold made just for you.

  You asked if I knew what I do to you. Well, do you see what you’ve done to me? You’re right about the blushing, but the moment I read your words, I had to, no, I wanted to respond in the same way. I’ve never been so open with someone, but with you, you make it so easy. You make me feel beautiful, sexy, and desired. And it’s not just the physical. I never thought my heart could feel this full again. A moment doesn’t go by that you’re not crossing my mind, and the littlest thought of you brings an instant smile to my face. I think there’s something to say for us if we can still feel this way so many years later, and I have to admit, I’m really looking forward to exploring it when you get back. Now, hurry up, Soldier. I can’t stand too many more nights alone in my bed.

  Missing you terribly,

  Alexa

  Finishing the letter, I have to adjust my shorts due to the massive erection I’m now sporting. I can honestly say that I never thought my letter would warrant that response. I’m definitely going to have to go to the showers now to work off my reaction. Glancing at the calendar, I realize that in a little less than two weeks I could be in Cincinnati, extinguishing those flames, as she so provocatively put it. I can’t fucking wait.

  IT’S BEEN almost three weeks since I sent Jace that letter. He responded with a short note highlighting everything he has planned for me when he gets back next month. I’ve re-read it so many times that I have it practically memorized, and my insides tremble at the thought of him making good on his word.

  I’m finishing up my work for the day when Brady pops his head around my door, holding up two tickets in his left hand.

  “Guess who’s got two tickets to the game tonight and a seat with your name on it?”

  I tap my finger on my chin before answering. “Joey Votto, and he’s going to sweep me up in his arms asking me to love him forever?”

  Brady rolls his eyes at me. “Your obsession knows no bounds. Sorry, the seats are in the outfield so you’ll have to be admiring your man from afar. Game starts at 7:10. I’ll pick you up at 6?”

  “Sounds perfect. That’ll give me plenty of time to get home and changed. Give me a minute and I’ll walk out with you.”

  I lock up my office and we make our way to the parking garage. Saying our goodbyes, and I get in my car and head home, looking forward to the last Friday home game of the Reds’ season.

  An hour and a half later, I’m leaving the house and bounding down towards Brady’s car. I open the door and slide in as he whistles.

  “Damn, girl. You planning on impressing someone tonight?” he says, checking me out.

  I look down at the snug, low-rising jeans I’ve paired with my Take Me Home Reds lace racerback tank top that I bought at the beginning of the season from Victoria’s Secret. It shows off my chest just enough to see a slight hint of cleavage while showcasing my toned back. Plain white Chucks top off my outfit. It’s a combination of cute and sexy—just a fun playful look for the game.

  “It’s jeans and a tank top, Brady. Not a floor length gown,” I respond.

  He looks me up and down before waving his hand in front of my face. “I mean all this. The sexy, curly ponytail with the bronze makeup and the golden hoops. You look hot, my dear.”

/>   “Well, thanks. You don’t look so bad yourself,” I tell him. “By the way, what’s Stephen up to tonight? He didn’t want to come?”

  Brady sighs, giving me a knowing look. “You may have converted me to becoming a Reds fan, but there’s no way Stephen’s going for it. He’s going to some art exhibit with a friend of his tonight while you and I drink beer and watch hot guys run around in tight baseball pants. I’d much rather being doing this.”

  I laugh, and we continue to chat as we make our way towards the ball park. He gets our tickets checked and we head through the gate, making our way towards right field. I stop and drag Brady to the beer stand when he tries to pull me away.

  “Hold on. I want to get a tall one before sitting down,” I tell him, pulling the special tall can Reds coozie out of my purse.

  “You have plenty of time for that later. Let’s just get to our seats first,” he insists.

  I hold up my finger to him as I’m next in line, and he taps his foot impatiently while I pay for my Yuengling. I make my way over to him and take a huge sip. He rolls his eyes at me and hands me my ticket.

  “Brady, these are front row!” I exclaim, giving him an excited hug.

  He shrugs sheepishly. “I may have had the best sales last quarter.”

  I grin at him, and he leads me towards our section, where the usher points to our seats. I see someone sitting where he’s pointing.

  “Hey, Brady, are you sure these are our seats?” I turn to ask him, but he’s no longer behind me. The usher moves me along so people behind me can get to their seats. I have no choice but to make my way down the steps when the guy in the seat next to mine rubs his hands over his hair before turning around to look at the entrance.

  I nearly drop my beer as my eyes meet his, his smile widening when he sees me. He’s up on his feet in an instant, and he pauses when our eyes lock as we take each other in. His hair’s a couple of inches longer than it was, and I imagine running my hands through it. He’s clean shaven, but overall he looks like the same gorgeous man I last saw two months ago. Before I can even think about moving, he’s directly in front of me, standing two steps below so we’re at equal height. His twinkling blue eyes search mine, but I’m in too much shock to even think straight.

  His fingers brush my face before he takes my hand and leads to me our seats so that we’re out of the way. Taking the beer from my hand, he puts it in the cup holder in front of us as he places his hands on my shoulders, guiding me into my seat. He sits down next to me, taking my hand in his.

  The contact sends a jolt through me, and I look up at him as if seeing him for the first time.

  “You’re really here?”

  He lets out a low laugh as his knuckles skim the skin on my cheek. “Yeah, babe, I’m really here.”

  The words finally awaken something inside me, and I’m up and in his lap, kissing every inch of his face. His hands cup my ass as my mouth connects with his. His tongue meets mine as he drinks me in like a parched man who’s dying to take in every last drop in order to survive. After a moment, he reluctantly pulls back as the hoots and hollers around us cause me to blush. I pry myself out of his lap and return to the seat next to him. He’s chuckling to himself as he entwines his fingers with mine.

  Leaning in, he gives me a kiss on the cheek, and I turn back towards him. I study his face, taking in every single feature for safekeeping. He catches me watching him, so I turn back towards to field to catch the team warming up. Leaning in, he kisses my neck before whispering in my ear.

  “So, Alexa, any flames you need extinguished lately?” he growls, causing my thighs to immediately squeeze together in anticipation.

  I shiver under his hot breath, and he pulls away, seemingly satisfied with the level at which he’s turning me on. Turning towards him, I want to know how he’s here a few weeks early.

  After asking, he waits a moment before answering me. “To be honest, I got lucky. My replacement showed early, and the 52nd wants me as soon as I can be there. I got back a few days ago and got through my in-processing and then out-processing from post. I have leave I earned while I was gone, so I don’t have to report to Ft. Campbell for another few weeks.” He looks away before continuing. “So I’m here for the next couple of weeks if you want me.”

  My heart races at the thought of having him with me for an extended period of time, but I try to reel in my excitement so I don’t freak him out.

  “Are you kidding? Of course I want you here. It’ll be so much fun showing you around the city and being able to spend time together before you have to get settled.”

  He smiles at my response. “I got a hotel room outside the city, not too far from here.”

  I frown at the thought of him being here and not staying in my bed. “Jace, don’t be silly. I think if I can write a sexy letter to a guy I can also let him stay in my house.”

  He grins and leans in to give me a kiss. “I was hoping you’d say that, but I didn’t want to be presumptuous.”

  “So after the game we’ll check you out of the hotel and you can come to my place. Sound good?”

  His forehead connects with mine as his breath moves over my lips.

  “That sounds perfect.”

  We turn towards the field and stand as the National Anthem is sung. A few moments later, a smug looking Brady joins us, and Jace stands to shake hands with him.

  “Nice to finally put a face with the name,” Jace tells him, confusing me. Jace sees my frown and explains how Sierra hooked them up. Of course she did.

  “Likewise. I’ve done nothing for the past two months but listen to Jace this, Jace that. I was beginning to think you were one of her fictitious book boyfriends until you got ahold of me on Facebook,” Brady jokes, causing Jace to grin.

  Brady sits in the seat to the left of me, and Jace plops back down, placing his arm around my shoulder. I lean into him, still reeling from the fact that he’s even here right now. We spend the next couple of hours cheering and hollering as the Reds go on to defeat the Milwaukee Brewers. At first, Jace was hesitant to cheer for my team due to his undying love for the Braves, but eventually I got him to loosen up, and he started enjoying the game, even cheering when Brandon Phillips hit a homerun, putting us up 2-1.

  The game ends and we say our goodbyes to Brady, making plans to meet up with him and Stephen for dinner soon. Jace leads me towards the parking lot next to the stadium. We reach his rental car as the fireworks show begins, commemorating a winning game. Before I can turn around to watch them, Jace has me pressed up against the side of his car, his hands cupping both sides of my face. Looking into my eyes, he leans in, stopping just inches from my lips. I think he’s about to kiss me when he speaks instead.

  “I told you I’d come back.”

  A smile breaks out on my face when he closes the space between us, pressing his lips against mine. His kiss is soft and slow to begin with, but I’ve been aching for his touch for weeks, so I slide my hands up his t shirt, letting out a soft moan when I make contact with his skin. At the sound, his kiss hardens, and his tongue is against my lips, begging for entrance. They part immediately, and his tongue collides with mine and our kisses turn frantic as we try to make up for lost time. His hands move to the small of my back before he slips them under my shirt and he traces small circles over my skin, causing me to shiver. My hands move over his taut abs as I make my way up his muscular chest. My thumb grazes his nipple, and he groans, breaking our kiss.

  “Fuck, I’ve missed you,” he says in a husky voice, wrapping his arms around me in a tight embrace. My head leans against his hard chest, where I can hear his heart pounding. Smiling silently to myself, I’m secretly thankful that he still seems to be as affected by me as I am by him.

  I crane my neck to look up at him. “I’ve missed you, too, Jace.”

  A smile lights his eyes right before a heated gaze looks down at me. “What do you say we get out of here so you can show me just how much you missed me?”

  As if I weren’
t turned on enough already, I feel my panties dampen with anticipation of doing just that.

  GLANCING AT the gorgeous girl sitting next to me, I find it surreal that I’m finally here with her. Watching her eyes widen in disbelief as she took me in at the baseball game had me wishing that I could’ve picked her up and taken her straight home to bed to prove just how real I was. I couldn’t have cared less about the baseball game, but it was a turn-on to watch her eyes light up throughout the game when her team was doing well. That doesn’t mean that it wasn’t excruciating to sit there for three hours with a complete hard-on, but it was worth it to see her in her element again.

  Having decided just to check out tomorrow, we’re pulling into her drive away about twenty minutes later. I’m burning with anticipation to rip her out of the car and take her right there on the hood, but the way she’s been chattering nervously on the drive home has me thinking otherwise.

  Getting out of the car, I glance at her house. It’s a cute one-story ranch with tan siding and green shutters. A neatly groomed flowerbed that’s bursting with color lets me know that she must have a landscaper because she’s never been able to keep flowers alive, even though her mom tried to teach her all of her gardening tips in high school. I follow as she heads up the steps.

  Sticking her key in the lock, she turns around to face me. “Jace, I…” She stops, shaking her head before turning back towards the door. “Never mind.”

  I frown at her back and wonder what that was about. Following her inside, I see that it opens up to a long hallway and a living room to the left. She turns on a small lamp next to the couch before coming back to grab my bag.

  “I’ll just throw this in my room and get us a couple of drinks. Make yourself at home,” she says, seeming nervous.

  I nod, and she makes her way down the hall that I now see is lined with photographs. My stomach tightens, but I figure that I need to get this over with if I’m going to be staying here. I walk towards them, stopping at the first picture. I’m guessing it’s from the day they first met, the time she told me about, because she’s giving him a playful frown while he’s grinning at her like he’s already half in love with her, which, to be honest, he probably was. I feel a slight twinge as I take in the picture, knowing that at that moment he had no idea how short of a life he was going to have with her. Hell, he probably wouldn’t have even cared, as long as he had her while he could.