His body stiffened, and he didn’t kiss me back. When I pulled away, his eyebrows were arched. “That’s it?” he asked.
“What’s it?”
“You just used me for sex and wake up calls while you were concussed, and now you’re cutting me loose?”
His voice was loud, and I had neighbors I didn’t want to overhear him and think I was a tramp, so I held a finger to my lips and tried to shush him.
“I will not be silenced. I have rights and feelings and I will not let you turn me into your boy toy.”
Oh, the drama. I loved this side of him, this crazy, ridiculous, fun-loving goofball. He had plenty of serious moments, times when his expression darkened and his gaze saw stuff that wasn’t there, but I’d been seeing more of his mom’s silly sense of humor peeking through the darkness, and wanted to encourage it. I also didn’t want my neighbors to call the cops, so I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and hauled him into my apartment, closing the door behind us. “You are out of control.”
He shrugged as I released him. “Got me in the door, didn’t it?”
The more I learned about Landon, the more I liked him. Playing games with him and his mom had me rolling with laughter so hard my cheeks still hurt. I suspected they were being over-the-top for my benefit, but I appreciated the distraction for what it was. They were both amazing people.
“I thought you’d want to go home and spend some time with your mom. Maybe sleep in your own bed,” I said.
“I spent all day with Mom, and my bed sucks. It’s too small, and yours is a lot more comfortable. I’m especially fond of your booby pillows.” The humor left his eyes. “Besides, I don’t want you to be alone tonight.”
“Still worried about my concussion?” I asked.
“No.”
He didn’t elaborate, but he didn’t have to. I didn’t want to be alone, either. I’d tried to call Ben after dinner, but he hadn’t answered. Instead, he’d texted me back letting me know he was busy, and would call me after a while. But he never did. Since this wasn’t the first time he’d bailed on a meal and left me worrying, I knew blowing up his cell phone with more calls and texts would only irritate him. Ben would reach out to me when he was good and ready, and not a moment before.
Landon followed me into the kitchen and leaned against the counter. I started digging through the bag of leftovers his mom had sent home with me, pausing when I came across a pair of jeans. I held them up. “What is this?”
“Clothes for tomorrow.” Landon took the pants from me. “Should be a shirt, a pair of boxers, and some socks in there, too.”
I gaped at him. “Please tell me your mom did not slip your clothes in my food bag.” It was obvious Beth wanted us together, but packing him clothes seemed a bit excessive.
“No. She would have, but I slipped those in there when you were saying goodbye.”
“You were planning to stay over all along? Think you’re slick, huh? What if I would have told you no?”
He smirked. “You can’t resist me. And if you tried, I was prepared to pull down your pants and go to town on you with my tongue again. Right there in front of your apartment door.”
Just the thought of having his tongue on me made my panties embarrassingly damp. “That’s called indecent exposure. You can get a ticket for it. So can I.”
“Bet I’d make it worth the fee.”
“You sound pretty sure of yourself, soldier boy.”
“Boy?” he asked, his eyebrows shooting up his forehead. “Boy?”
I shrugged.
He moved quickly, closing the distance between us and put his hands on my hips. We were suddenly breathing the same air. Dark, wild eyes were staring into mine with such intensity it made my breath hitch.
“Boy’s with Tarzan because Jane quit, if you don’t know my name you can suck my—”
“Clit?” I suggested helpfully.
He cracked a smile. “I don’t have a clit, babe.”
“What is with this ‘babe thing?”
“I told you, just let it happen.”
“It’s just that I didn’t know we were at the pet names stage of this thing between us. Does it feel like we’re moving a little fast to you?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve been in town four days now and this will be the second night your spending with me. Although I’m no expert on relationships, it all seems very quick. Is it always like this with you?”
His hands raised to my ribs, and he slowly started running his thumbs over the underside of my breasts, teasing me. “I don’t know. I’ve never really had anything like this. I mean I dated a couple of girls in high school and I’ve fucked around with a few women on base, but I told you, I don’t really do relationships.”
“Then what’s this?” I asked.
Uncertainty crossed over his face as his thumbs stilled. “I don’t know. You’re not like anyone I’ve ever met before and I enjoy being with you. For the past seven and a half years, I’ve been following orders and working my ass off. I haven’t had much time or opportunity to do any of the shit I wanted to do. Hell, I didn’t even want to do anything. But now, I do. I want to spend time with you. My time here is ticking away, so why would I waste it by trying to stay away from you?”
I don’t know what sort of response I’d been looking for, but his explanation blew all my expectations out of the water. And, he was right; this thing between us didn’t need to be defined or labeled, it needed to be celebrated and enjoyed. Landon had arrived when I’d needed him most. He’d been there for me during the scuffle with Larry at the school, and now he was here while I was worried about my brother and feeling lonely. Determined to relax and stop trying to fit “us” into society’s norms, I decided it was past time for me to show Landon a little appreciation for all he’d done.
I unbuttoned his jeans.
“What are you doing?” he asked, his gaze dropping down to my hands.
“Seeing if your name is written on your underwear so I don’t forget it and call you boy again,” I replied, sliding the zipper down. He was wearing boxer briefs beneath his jeans.
“You’re gonna find something down there, but I don’t think it will be my name.”
“These are offensive.” I gave his boxer waistband a little snap. “You should start going commando so I have easier access.”
Landon chuckled. “I’ll try to remember that.”
By the time I freed his cock from its cloth prison, he was already sporting a stiffy. I arched an eyebrow at him in question. “Hard? So soon?”
“Shit, I’ve been hard since I watched your ass climbing the stairs. You unbuttoning my jeans was just icing on the cake. What are you gonna do with that, anyway?”
I got on my knees in front of him, answering without words. My gaze still locked with Landon’s, I flattened out my tongue and licked his shaft from balls to head. He sucked in a deep breath and swore. Feeling a little devious, I swirled my tongue around his tip tasting the precum that was starting to leak out.
“Holy shit that feels good.”
I’d never wanted to give a guy a blow job before, but Landon’s delicious reactions had me enjoying the heck out of it. Encouraged to keep going, I popped the crown into my mouth and sucked.
He swore again, this time hitting the countertop with his fist like he was in pain. Or extreme pleasure. Judging by the way his teeth pressed together and his body kept spasming, it was a fine line.
Loving the control I had over him, I hollowed out my cheeks and tried to see how far I could shove his now completely hard cock down my throat. My eyes watered as he tickled my tonsils. Despite that, his obvious enjoyment of the act made me want to do more. I took him as far as I could, and then slowly slid him back out. Releasing him with a pop, I smiled up at Landon.
He was staring back at me with such open adoration and awe I had to do it again. Besides, there was more I wanted to try out. Lips on his cock, I kissed him then sucked him back inside my mouth, this
time rolling my tongue as he slid over it.
He hissed out a breath, making me feel empowered and completely in control. The soft skin of his hard shaft slid over my tongue again, but this time I didn’t let it escape. Catching the head on my lips, I used his legs to brace myself and took him even deeper than I had before. His entire body shuddered. I pulled back and took him deeper still.
“Fuck. My god, Mercy, why didn’t you tell me you could do this? It’s like you don’t even have a gag reflex. Watching you swallow my dick is the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”
My mouth was full, so I couldn’t reply, but if I could I’d tell him that watching him watch me was the hottest thing I’d ever seen. Wanting to take him over-the-top with pleasure, I sucked and released and sucked and released again. Landon’s hands settled on the back of my head, careful of my injury, and I could tell he wanted me to pick up the pace.
So, I did.
With me egging him on, Landon lost control and started fucking my mouth. He was power and strength unleashed, and I reveled in the fact that I had done this to him.
“Open your shirt,” he commanded, his voice deep, dark, and strained. “I wanna see those big tits.”
I unfastened the buttons as he continued to take my mouth.
“Bra, too.”
Reaching behind me, I unfastened my bra and slid everything over my shoulders and down my arms.
His eyes darkened, and his nostrils flared. “Good, now stick your hand down your skirt and touch yourself.”
My fingers slid past the stretchy elastic fabric, down to the silk of my panties. I dipped into the lace and started rubbing my clit in circles.
“You are so fucking beautiful,” Landon breathed. “If you keep doing that, you’re gonna make me come.”
It sounded like he was asking for permission. Wanting to assure him that there was no way he was leaving my mouth without releasing, I slid my tongue up and down his shaft, milking him for all I was worth.
He moaned. “So fucking gorgeous.”
He thrust harder, hitting the back of my throat. My eyes watered again, but I refused to pull back. He’d gone down on me multiple times, and I wanted to do this for him. I needed to do this for him. Finally, his thrusts slowed and he threw back his head, releasing as he cried out my name. Hot cum hit the back of my throat. I swallowed it down and licked his cock clean as he pulled out of my mouth.
Then he grabbed me under my arms and lifted me to my feet, so he could kiss me senseless. Just when I thought I would pass out from lack of oxygen, he released me and said, “Thank you.”
“Liked that, did ya?” I asked, feeling particularly proud of myself.
“God yes. Give me a few minutes to recover, and then I’ll show you how much.
Smiling, I nodded. “Deal.”
* * *
Wednesday morning, I went back to work. Landon walked me and Beth to the preschool again, but this time, he followed us inside the building. I faxed his paperwork to the company we used for background checks, doing my due diligence, then I took him around and introduced him to the teachers.
April, the teacher for the three-year-old class, was down a couple of volunteers who were still out for the holiday, so I left him in her class and got to work.
The rest of the week flew by, and before I knew it, it was Monday, New Year’s Eve, and the day felt bitter-sweet since Landon was down to thirty-one days left, but tomorrow was a holiday and we planned to spend it together.
Probably in bed.
Since Landon had been sleeping at my place, we’d started having dinner with Beth every night, so she could actually see her son outside of work. I felt bad for monopolizing his time, but the way Beth insisted he stayed with me reinforced my belief that she was playing the long game… the one where Landon and I ended up together and gave her grandchildren.
Then, in case I doubted her motivation, she confirmed it that night after dinner.
“You two would have gorgeous children,” she told me while Landon was using the restroom.
She wasn’t wrong, so I nodded. “But he leaves in a month.”
“He doesn’t have to stay in the service forever. In fact, he should be coming up for re-enlistment at the end of June.”
“This June?” I asked.
She nodded.
Now that was interesting information. I filed it away for later as Landon rejoined us and gave his mom a kiss on the cheek before following me out into the cold, rainy evening. As we made the short walk to my apartment, my thoughts shifted to my brother, as they’d been doing off and on all week. I hadn’t heard from him since the text he’d sent me after Christmas dinner, and although his radio silence wasn’t unusual, it was bothering me more than normal. The last time I’d been this worried about Ben, his mom had started using again, and they were in a bad place. That was right before I’d convinced Dad to file for custody of him.
Ben had needed me then, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that he needed me now.
Landon and I settled on the sofa and turned on the television, as had become our nightly after-dinner routine. Deviating from the normal, he leaned back, and said, “Let me see your feet.”
Wondering what he was up to, I swung my feet up and settled them in his lap. He grabbed the one nearest him and started massaging it with his magical healing hands. I had to hand it to him, the man knew how to give massages.
“Tell me about him,” Landon said.
“Who?” I asked.
He gestured at the phone in my hand, and I realized I’d been checking my messages. Again. “Your brother. Unless there’s some other guy who’s making you scrunch up your forehead like that.”
For only knowing me such a short time, Landon sure had my number. Giving in, I took a deep breath and shared. “He was just a baby when Mom and I moved to Seattle. She had some job opportunity at a bar up here and I was ecstatic over the idea of finally having a sibling. Sure, I had the others in California, but I didn’t know any of them. Besides, they were all older and I wanted to be the big sister. I couldn’t wait to meet Ben.”
I smiled in spite of myself, thinking back to the adorable little baby wrapped up like a burrito. “I was five, and he was the coolest thing I’d ever seen. Dad and Alyssa, Ben’s mom, used to let me come over all the time because he had colic and cried a lot. I’d play with him and keep him busy. I could usually get him to stop crying when they couldn’t. In looking back, I realize Alyssa probably suffered from postpartum. She cried almost as much as Ben did.”
“Taking care of a baby seems like a lot of responsibility for a five-year-old.” Landon dug his knuckle into the ball of my foot and I let out a moan of pleasure. “I wouldn’t trust most of the five-year-olds at the preschool with a puppy.”
He had a point. Some of those kids were rough.
“Dad was with Alyssa for a while… longer than any of his other wives, and I spent a lot of time at their house. My mom was jealous at first, but once she realized it was the baby I wanted to be around, and not Alyssa, she got over it. I was a big nerd and didn’t have many friends at school, but Ben looked at me like I was his whole world. As he got older, he loved it when I’d read to him. He’d bring a book and sit in my lap, begging me for a story. Whenever Alyssa would try to read to him, he’d tell her no, because it was my job.”
“Is she still around?” Landon switched feet, starting in on the second one.
I shrugged. “Who knows? Dad’s always had a thing for needy women, and Alyssa had that damsel in distress gig on lockdown. He put her through rehab twice, but finally moved on to wife number seven when Ben was twelve. I was seventeen at the time, and my mom had just split for the east coast. Ben spent a lot of time with me, but lived mostly with his mom. Dad took him in for a while, but wife number seven wasn’t up to raising another woman’s child, so Dad kicked Ben to the curb to appease her.”
“Your dad sounds like an asshole.”
“You have no idea. He’d have to save a little old lady fro
m drowning or rescue a puppy from a dog fight to be elevated to asshole level. Anyway, Ben lived on my sofa until he finished high school. Then he started hanging out with a couple of shady friends and kind of drifted away. I confronted him about it, but it didn’t go over so well. We had a huge blow up and he packed his stuff and left. I’ve been trying to mend things between us since, but I know he’s keeping stuff from me. And nagging him to tell me what’s going on will only push him further away again.”
“You are amazing,” Landon said, watching me.
Surprised that was his takeaway from my story about how I’d screwed up and alienated my brother, I asked, “Why would you say that?”
“Because you basically raised your little brother. You called him on his crappy life choices and he threw a hissy fit and left, but you still love and worry about him. I stayed away for so long because I worried about how my mom would receive me, but she’s like you. If Ben walked in the door right now, you wouldn’t give him shit or rip him a new one for what he’s done to you—even though he deserves it—but you’d be legitimately happy to see him. To me, that’s amazing.”
“He’s my baby brother.”
“He’s also a man now, Mercy. Sometimes us men get these crazy ideas in our heads about protecting the ones we love by distancing ourselves from them. Sometimes we fuck up so badly we feel like we can’t come home. I know you won’t give up on him, and one day Ben will figure that out, too. Then he’ll find his way back here and you guys will be close again.”
I smiled. “Sounds like you’re speaking from experience there, soldier.”
He squeezed my feet. “Yeah, well, I was a dumbass for a long time, but I gotta say that coming home was the smartest thing I’ve ever done.”
“Oh really? Why’s that?”
“You know damn well why that is. Are you fishing for compliments?”
I shrugged. “Maybe.”
His fingertips ran softly over the balls of my feet, tickling them.
Screeching, I drew my knees in to my chest.
Landon laughed and tackled me, trying to see where else I was ticklish.
Rescuing Mercy (Special Forces: Operation Alpha): A Dead Presidents MC Spinoff Page 14