“Same here.” He kissed me deep and hard, blocking out every other thought as his hands gripped my waist.
He turned me in his arms suddenly, so my back was to his chest, then he took the lower showerhead from its mount and cranked the top until it pulsed. His lips met my neck, his teeth testing the flesh as he parted me with one hand and brought the showerhead between my thighs with the other.
“Iker!” My knees weakened at the first hit of that water against me, and he locked his forearm around my waist, hauling me back with him until he sat on the bench. Then he pulled me back onto his lap, spreading my thighs across his.
“I’ve thought about this since the first time I saw this shower,” he growled in my ear as he brought the head back to my aching flesh. Each pulsing shot hit the area around my clit, sensitizing each nerve ending without giving me the satisfaction of pressing in on that one needy spot.
I arched back, rubbing my ass across his erection, and was rewarded by a long groan in my ear. “I need you.”
“You have me.”
Water still coursing over me, he slipped two fingers down my cleft until he slid them inside me. I moaned his name when he started pumping them in and out, stroking me in a rhythm that had me rocking my hips, riding those fingers.
My fingernails bit into his hips, then I put one hand in his hair and tugged him back to my neck. In this position, I had almost no control, no way to urge him to move faster.
He chuckled against my neck, but gave me what I wanted, sucking lightly where my neck met my shoulders. The water rotated, still moving, swirling, stimulating everything but my clit as his fingers fucked me with slow deliberation.
“You’re killing me,” I whined.
“Good, because I’ve been dying for you for three fucking days.” He strummed his thumb over my swollen clit and I gasped.
“Iker, please!” Pleasure coiled, low and tight in my belly.
“You feel so ready for me.” He added a third finger, stretching me, and my grip tightened in his hair. I could do little more than take what he was willing to give like this.
“I am. Just…please!” I begged again.
He dropped the showerhead, sending it spinning toward the drain. Then he used his fingers to stroke my clit, never ceasing the thrust of his hand, until he held me on the edge of pure madness.
My thighs locked, starting a domino effect that captured every other muscle in my body until I leaned against him, stiff and trembling. Then he finally pressed those fingers against me, the pressure sending me into a full-blown orgasm that had me shaking in his arms as it rolled through me.
Limp and sated, I sagged, my chest heaving as I sucked in steam-filled air. My hips jerked as he pulled his fingers free.
“I love feeling you do that,” he growled, low and harsh in my ear.
I turned quickly, slipping my knee over so I straddled him. Then hooked my fingers through the chain of his dog tags and pulled, bringing him to me for a long, thorough kiss. His dick twitched between us, and I rose, the tile cold on my knees, and settled his tip at my entrance.
“Condom,” he hissed, his eyes slamming shut as his fingers bit into my hips.
“I’m on birth control.” I wanted him now, skin to skin.
“You sure?” His eyes locked on mine, his pupils flaring when I lowered myself just enough so his thick head breached me. “God, Langley.”
“I’m sure.” I lowered myself slowly, taking him inside me inch by delicious inch, savoring the stretch as he pushed through my rippling muscles.
“So. Fucking. Good.” He managed the words between breaths as I began to ride him.
He locked one arm around my back and locked the other in my hair, tugging so my head fell back, exposing my neck to his tongue and teeth. I rose and fell in a slow, deep rhythm, swirling my hips to hear him gasp, then making us both groan when he hit the perfect spot within me.
As if he’d pressed the reset button, my body started to climb again, my muscles straining as pleasure built quickly. Before long, his breaths were ragged, and I felt him swelling within me, growing even harder. He kissed me, his tongue mimicking the movement of his hips beneath mine as he thrust up to take me deeper, harder.
It felt so damn good, I could taste it, pleasure sweet and sharp on my tongue.
“Touch yourself,” he demanded, pulling my hand between us, until I felt where our bodies joined.
“Iker.” I shook my head.
“Do it. I want to feel you come around me like this. God, you feel amazing.” He moved my fingers beneath his, swirling over my hyper-sensitive clit.
I gasped and took over, stroking and pressing my own flesh until I tensed, unable to move as the pending orgasm held me still. Iker held the base of my neck and gripped my hip with his other hand, holding me so he could slam up into me, sending us both over the edge.
My vision blurred as pleasure swept over me in waves, then left me draped over him, my lips against his neck. It took us a few minutes to move, then another few to wash off, pausing for slow, lingering kisses.
Once we were dressed, me in shorts and a tee, him in the jeans and shirt he’d brought with him, I pulled out my laptop and set it on the kitchen counter as we started to cook dinner.
“Okay, so there are three choices,” I said, pulling up all three listings.
“You’re buying a house?” he questioned, pulling the pasta out of the cabinet.
“Well, yeah. It’s the better financial investment.” I shrugged. Rent payments would cost as much as a mortgage payment, so it made sense.
He blinked and shook his head. “Sometimes I forget that we come from two completely different worlds.”
I turned and looped my arms around his waist, then rose up and brushed a kiss across his lips. “Well, I like my world way better with you in it.”
“Same here,” he answered with another kiss. “So, which one are you going with?”
“I thought I’d ask your opinion.” I pulled up the first house. “They’re all in this little suburb just north of Austin, in this cute little town. I like this one because it has a nice yard. This one has an awesome kitchen. This one has a jetted tub, which made me—Hey, are you okay?” I paused when I caught him staring at me like I had three heads.
“You want my opinion?” he asked slowly, like he’d heard wrong.
“Well, yeah. I mean, hopefully we’ll be able to make weekend visits happen for both places, but I like thinking about you in all of the houses I saw.” I cocked my head at him and he managed to unfurrow his brow. “Besides, two sets of eyes on something is always better than one, right?”
“It’s your money.”
“I know that. I just want it to feel like…I don’t know. I guess I want to feel you there, like it’s ours, so I don’t miss you so much while I’m gone. I don’t expect it to make sense.”
He ran a hand over his hair. “I just don’t want you to make a choice based on what I think, and then regret it when—”
“I’m just asking for your opinion, Iker, not a ring.” I cut him off before he could finish that sentence with something stupid like, we don’t make it.
His ears turned red, which I would have thought was cute under any other circumstances. “I get that. It’s just…damn, Langley, it’s a house. People don’t just look on the Internet and order a house like it’s a shirt where I come from.”
I didn’t remind him I’d flown down to see these houses. Instead, I stepped back and tried to see his point of view. I didn’t know if his grandmother owned her house or rented. I didn’t know if he ever wanted to own a house, or if he felt like one would tie him down. But I did know that the phrase, “No mortgage, I’ll pay cash,” wasn’t something he heard often, either.
“You know what?” I said gently. “This is definitely a lot. Don’t worry, I’ll look at it later. Let’s not worry right now.” I moved to shut the laptop, but he stole it away, holding it in the palm of one hand.
“Give me a second. I just need to
wrap my mind around it.” He leaned back against the counter and scrolled through. Two lines appeared between his eyebrows and his eyes darted over the pictures, taking in the details and analyzing. Finally, he put the laptop on the counter and turned it so I could see.
I held my breath, unsure of what he’d say about any of it.
“Okay, not this one. See the way the patio is cracked here, and that’s unlevel? It’s pulling away from the foundation.” He zoomed in on the picture so I could see.
“The realtor said that was fixable.” I questioned her, not Iker.
“Sure, with about twenty grand in foundation repairs.” He moved to the next house. “This one looks good. Plus, you’re right, that yard kicks ass. I like the third one too, but the neighborhood doesn’t have the best crime rating.” He moved a window over in the browser, showing me the stats.
“So, the second one?” I asked.
“That’s the one I would pick. You know, if I were buying a house. Which I’m not.” He turned away, getting the sauce started.
“Second one, it is,” I said as I pulled up the electronic offer and signed it, clicking to seal the paperwork. “Offer is confirmed. Now, we wait.”
“Your life is weird,” he said, but there was a smile on his lips.
“Yeah, well, it’s partly your life now, too,” I challenged.
“That it is, Vaughn.” He leaned over and kissed me softly.
We finished up dinner without addressing the elephant in the room. I’d just put an offer in on a house in a different state, taking the first step in a move that was going to put hundreds of miles between us. This was fragile, and new, and so very wonderful, but was it flexible enough to stretch that far?
We only had weeks to make sure it was, because even if Iker lost his grip, I wasn’t letting go of him this time.
Iker
“Make sure you plan a trip to go down and see Grandma before the summer is over.”
Gael’s voice was quiet, and I could tell he was reluctant to leave. We spent the last couple days arguing about my truck. He wanted me to take it back, I refused. He needed it more than I did. Plus, I needed to look at something that got better mileage since I was going to have a girlfriend who lived nearly a thousand miles away. I could already see long-ass road trips in my future.
I hooked an arm around his neck and pulled him into a tight hug. I was still getting used to the fact he was as tall as I was.
“I’ll go see her. You drive safe. Text me with updates along the way.” Gael had his own long-ass road trip ahead of him as he headed back to school. I was getting busier and busier at the base now that we’d been back from deployment for several weeks. The unspoken grace period was gone, so time with my brother and Langley had been limited. It sucked, since both of them were leaving.
I was used to being alone…but this was the first time in my life I was dealing with really feeling lonely. I didn’t like it, not one bit.
Gael sniffed and pulled out of my hug. He rubbed his cheeks with his palms and gave me a hard look. “I’m going to be there for you, from here on out. When you leave, when you come back. I don’t care if you’re used to doing everything on your own, it’s time you trust me to have your back. You’ve always had mine, now it’s my turn.”
I gave a jerky nod. “I’ll be better at letting you in, kid.” I couldn’t deny coming home and having my family waiting was a nice change. I made the transition back to normal easier. It also made the bad nights less scary and insurmountable. I reached out so I could ruffle his dark hair. “Get a move on it. I’ve gotta run to Langley’s and help her pack.”
The boxes and bubble wrap filling her apartment drilled home the fact she would be gone soon. Every single time I taped a box shut, it felt like someone was squeezing my heart in a death grip.
Gael batted my hand away, his frown digging deeper into his handsome face. “Did you even try and ask her if she could stay?”
I matched him scowl for scowl as I crossed my arms over my chest. “No. I can’t do that. This is her dream job.” And she’d already bought a damn house. “She can’t be the only one who puts in the work and makes sacrifices for our relationship. I need to do some of the heavy lifting too.”
Gael’s expression smoothed out and his chin dipped in acknowledgement. “That’s true. If you asked her to stay and she agreed, she might resent you down the line for being the reason she gave up her dream job.” He rolled his eyes at me and tossed the keys to the truck up in the air before catching them. “Leave it to you to go from never even having a girlfriend, to having one you’re constantly going to have to work at keeping. You never take the easy way out.”
I snorted. “Just trying to set a good example for you.”
Gael chuckled. “You did. You know I’m always trying to make you proud, but I’ve always been super proud that you’re my brother.”
I had to clear my throat before I spoke. This kid knew exactly what to say to get right to the heart of things. “I’m always proud of you too, Gael. Head out. You’re wasting daylight.” Saying goodbye was hard enough. The longer we dragged it out, the tougher it got.
Gael pulled open the driver’s side door. Without turning around, he tossed his final bit of advice over his shoulder. “Ask for a transfer, Iker. You’ve always been a top-notch soldier. You do what you’re told, take your duty seriously, and have never caused the army any kind of issue. They’ve asked so much of you since you were just a kid. It’s about time they did something for you. At the very least, put in a request. If it goes through, great. If it doesn’t, you at least tried, and I’m sure Langley would appreciate the effort.”
I’d been on the fence about that very thing. But, I couldn’t decide if uprooting my entire life to follow a girl I’d just met, no matter how important she was, or how deep our connection ran, was romantic or certifiable. I also didn’t want to get Langley’s hopes up. I could ask for a transfer to a different base, but there was no guarantee it would happen, or that I’d get to stay there if I moved.
I waved at Gael, even though I doubted he was paying attention, and pulled out my phone so I could order an Uber. I needed to get on picking up a new ride sooner rather than later. Maybe I’d go for something flashy and fast this time. Naw, the weather in Colorado was super unpredictable, and the last thing I needed was a car that was garbage in the snow. However, if I did end up going to Texas… I shook my head to dispel the wayward thought. I needed to watch getting my own hopes up as well. I wanted to believe things between me and Langley would work out because we both wanted them to so desperately, but realistically, I knew we had a lot stacked against us.
I used the key she gave me to let myself into her apartment after getting dropped off. My own key, helping her pick a house, already making plans to visit her when she wasn’t even gone yet—most people would say it was a little much, that we were moving too fast, but time never seemed to work for us the way it worked for other people. Langley and I were constantly caught between everything being set to fast forward, and then pause.
She was listening to some god-awful pop music, the volume loud enough she didn’t respond when I called her name. I wound my way through the maze of boxes scattered on the floor, headed to the bedroom. It was the only place in the apartment she could be if she wasn’t where I could see her. I stopped short outside the room when the unmistakable sounds of crying came through the partially open door.
“Langley?” I pushed through the doorway and came to an immediate halt. She was sitting on the floor, back against the bed, surrounded by a pile of books and stacks of pictures. Her face was tear-streaked, her makeup smeared and dark around her eyes. Her hair was up in a messy bun, and it was obvious she’d been in this state for quite a while. “What’s wrong?”
I picked my way through the mess on her floor and lowered myself to the ground so we were sitting shoulder to shoulder. I threw my arm around her and tugged her closer. She immediately dropped her head to her shoulder and hiccupped loudly.
“I don’t know how you leave everyone you love behind.” She pointed at a picture of her and her father from her graduation. “It’s much harder than I thought it would be. Dad is trying to be supportive, but I can tell how sad he is I won’t be living right down the road anymore. It’s always been just me and him against the world. I feel like I’m abandoning him, even though I know I’m not.”
I ran my hand up and down her arm and kissed her on the forehead. “He’s your dad. No matter what, he wants what’s best for you. It’ll still be you and him against the world. Distance doesn’t change that.” I chuckled and quipped, “On the plus side, you’ll be hundreds of miles away from your wicked stepmother.” I hoped she understood I was only kidding to lighten the mood.
She sniffed a little and I heard her sigh deeply. “That’s true. I’m having a hard time taking the good with the bad.”
I kissed her temple and told her, “It’s not supposed to be easy to leave the ones you love behind.”
She nodded, reaching up to twine her fingers with mine, which were dangling over her shoulder. “I really do love you, you know.”
She’d said it before, usually when we were in bed and caught up in a moment. This was the first time she’d given me the words when we weren’t lost in bliss and wrapped around one another.
“I know you do. You wouldn’t have given me a second chance if you didn’t love me. You wouldn’t have worried if I was going to make it back from deployment in one piece if you didn’t love me.” She had a soft heart, but she’d been burned before. The only reason I got to be here with her now was because she loved me enough for the both of us while I figured my shit out. “I love you, too.”
I’d been feeling that way for a long time, but this was the first time I admitted it out loud. “I’ve never been in love before, so I was an idiot when it came to understanding why you were so different than any other girl.”
She pulled away, turning so she could look at me with huge eyes. “You love me?”
I cocked my head to the side and grinned at her. “Of course I do. You think I send a crate of pineapples to any chick who happens to cross my path?” I snorted and reached out to drag my thumb across her damp cheek. “Pineapples are reserved for the woman I love.”
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