Danger Zone (The Elite Book 1)

by Brooke Blaine

  I’d noticed. Of course I’d fucking noticed. He made it hard not to want to watch him every second of every day, and it pissed me the hell off. It seemed like Solo’s primary goal was to torture me into submission, which made me want to give him a taste of his own medicine.

  Solo’s eyes were in the perfect spot for getting a close-up view as I brought my hand down over the front of my shorts to rub it over my dick.

  “Oh fuck,” he said, lifting his arms like he wanted to take over, but I backed away and removed my hand.

  “No touching. Not yet.”

  Solo nodded eagerly. “Fine, just keep doing what you’re doing.”

  “Yeah?” I lowered my hand between my thighs again, giving a long, slow rub. “You like this? Me touching myself?”

  “Goddamn right I do.” Solo was practically panting, moving his hand over his erection.

  “Good. Then let me see what I’m working with.”

  When Solo fumbled with the tie on his shorts, I shook my head.

  “Your shirt. Lose it.”

  He ripped it off over his head so fast that I almost chuckled, and then his eyes were darting between my hand and my face as he awaited my next instruction. It was a shame, really, because if we’d been anywhere other than where we were right then, I would’ve been stripping down and climbing on top of his willing body.

  But we weren’t anywhere else, and I knew if I gave in to the hunger now clawing to break free, there’d be no going back. So my only option was to play this little game of Solo’s. Play it and win.

  “You gonna return the favor?” Solo asked from where he lay back on my bed, and when I released myself to reach for the hem of my shirt, Solo’s hand paused over his cock as if he thought I might stop what I was doing if he moved.

  “Do you want me to?”

  “More than my next fucking breath.”

  I grinned then, because damn, he was a stroke to my…ego. He was so obvious in his attraction that it fueled my own, and even though I knew where this was going, I let myself enjoy the feeling for a moment.

  As I inched my shirt up and over my head, Solo pumped his hips up off the bed, a low groan rumbling from his throat. I tossed the shirt down on the covers beside him, and when he snatched it up, brought it to his nose, and inhaled, I had to squeeze my dick a little harder.

  “Fuck, you smell amazing.” Solo’s eyes were on mine as he held my shirt in one hand and continued to stroke himself with his other. “Like sun, salt, and man. All man. Come down here.”

  Jesus fucking Christ. That mouth was almost too much to resist, and I knew if I didn’t take control and fast, Solo would have me on that bed and between his legs before I remembered why that was a bad idea.

  “Uh ah.” I shook my head and crooked a finger at him. “How about you come here.”

  Apparently happy to follow orders when it came to the bedroom, Solo quickly sat up on the edge of the bed and spread his legs wider. As I moved up in between them, he went to reach for my waist, but I shook my head. “Hands flat on the mattress.”

  And just like that, Solo planted his palms on the covers.

  He stared up at me, those gorgeous eyes framed by his thick, luscious lashes, and I couldn’t help myself—I had to touch him in some way or another. I reached out and gently ran my fingers down his jaw line to his chin, and once I had a hold of it, I tilted it up and whispered, “Stand up.”

  Solo’s lips parted, and he slicked his tongue over his lower lip as he slowly pushed up to his feet. His breathing was rapid now, his eyes heavy-lidded, and I reached for his wrist and spun him around until his back was up against my door. As I crowded in against him, I dragged his hands up over his head and pinned them in place.

  Solo arched forward against me, trying to find something to grind against, trying to find something to ease the ache we were both feeling, but I had a different idea. I leaned in close until our mouths were barely an inch apart and said, “We might be partners in the sky, but when it comes to this, you’re gonna have to get used to flying solo.”

  Then I reached down with one hand, flicked the lock, turned the handle, and shoved him out the door. As Solo stumbled back, his mouth open wide, I quickly picked up his shirt, tossed it out the door at him, and said, “See you tomorrow…partner.”

  Then I slammed the door in his face.

  16 Panther

  BRIGHT AND EARLY Monday morning, and I’d managed to keep the rest of my weekend Solo-free. The look on his face as I tossed him out and slammed the door had been priceless, and it had given me a good chuckle all weekend—along with a severe case of blue balls, the fucker.

  If he was embarrassed about what had gone down, though, Solo didn’t show it. He was just as carefree as ever, making everything a joke and sending an occasional wink my way. The guy was incorrigible in an almost endearing way.

  Almost.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, we have a special guest today,” Commander Levy said as he paced the front of the room. “He’s a former top commander here at NAFTA and one of the best fighter pilots in the history of the Navy. Please welcome Captain Franklin Hughes, call sign Razor.”

  My blood turned to ice, freezing the flow to my heart as I slowly turned around and watched as the door opened and my father stepped into the room. In an instant, the whole mood changed, or maybe that was just me projecting. My father was a dominating force, one that radiated power, whether it was in or out of the Navy. He was no different at home, always controlling, always carrying himself with a certain amount of importance.

  The fact that I hadn’t heard from him after Solo’s impromptu air design, that he hadn’t given me a heads-up about his visit at all but had decided to show up first thing this morning? It wasn’t a good sign. Not at all.

  A few of my peers were glancing my way, and I quickly schooled my face into nonchalance and forced a few steady breaths. I didn’t want anyone to see the cold sweat that had broken out all over my body or to think I had any reason to be intimidated by anyone—including my father.

  The man had a way of scaring you shitless, though.

  Down the row in front of me, Solo leaned back, looking my way, and then lifted a brow in question. Whether that question was did you know he was coming? or you okay with him being here? I didn’t know, and I wasn’t about to answer. Not with my father turning to face us at the front of the room.

  “Thank you for being here, captain.” Commander Levy gestured for my father to have the floor.

  He stood tall, his demeanor making him seem larger than his six-foot frame. He still had a headful of silver hair, and combined with his full service dress, he looked as distinguished as ever. Slowly, taking all the time in the world, my father ran his keen gaze over each and every one of us, as if measuring our worth. I’d never heard the room so pin-drop silent, and even Solo seemed to have the good sense to keep his mouth shut.

  As my father’s eyes locked briefly with mine, the look he gave was indecipherable, and he quickly moved on to the next person. Tension corded my body as I waited for the reason why he’d come.

  “So you’re the Elite,” he finally said, and though he said it without inflection, I could practically hear the sarcasm in his voice—no doubt directed at me. “The best fighter pilots in the Navy. Do you agree?”

  No one dared open their mouth and risk the spotlight focusing on them, and it made my father smirk.

  “Is that a no? No one in here thinks they’re the best?” He tsked. “That’s disappointing. What the hell are you all doing here then?”

  “I’m the best,” Solo said, lazily grinning as he lounged casually in his chair.

  “Oh?” My father turned Solo’s way, and I wanted to groan. Of course the guy had to be the first to speak up. I had a feeling he wasn’t done. “And what’s your name, lieutenant?”

  “Mateo Morgan, sir. You’ll see it on the trophy at the end of the competition.”

  My father whistled. “That’s a bold statement. Do you all agree Lieutenant Mo
rgan is the best of you?”

  A snort sounded from somewhere in the room, and my father’s sharp gaze found its owner immediately. Utah.

  “I don’t think anyone in this room would agree with that statement, sir,” Utah said. “Especially after the, uh, incident last week.”

  “The incident?”

  “Yes, sir. The sky…drawing.”

  “Ahh.” My father looked back to Solo, who was grinning proudly. “So you’re the Michelangelo of the skies. Solo, is it?”

  “That would be me, sir. Although, if we’re talking badass painters, I prefer the Leonardo guy.”

  Chuckles sounded as my father’s gaze hardened. “You were partnered up with Panther that day, correct?”

  At the sound of my name, several eyes turned in my direction. It was no secret that I’d been pissed as hell about the penis-in-the-sky deal. But I also wasn’t about to open my mouth unless I was directly spoken to.

  You just didn’t do that with my father. Not at home and definitely not here on base.

  “That’s right. But I take full credit for the artwork that graced California’s skyline that day. Panther had no clue what talents I was withholding.”

  If I could have, I would’ve groaned. Either that or told Solo to shut his damn mouth. Couldn’t he see he was just digging a bigger and bigger hole for himself? Sure, his fellow trainees might think his little stunt was amusing. But the only expression on my father’s face was incredulity. Incredulity that someone dared talk to him the way Solo was, and that someone dared be so disrespectful of not only the Navy but the multimillion-dollar plane they had the privilege of flying.

  One thing my father had always instilled in me was to respect the uniform and everything that went with it. This was something he never deviated from.

  “Tell me, Solo. Do you think it’s amusing to waste the hard-earned tax dollars of the citizens of this great country, by taking one of the aircrafts designed to protect them for a joyride for you to show off in?”

  Shit. Shit, shit, shit. In that moment I wish I had a way to tell Solo to keep his mouth zipped. I’d been on the end of my father’s pointed questions once too often, and if Solo thought he was going to come out on top, he was dead wrong.

  “I think it’s good for them to see we know what we’re doing up there and don’t always take ourselves so seriously.”

  “And you think you achieved that by drawing a giant phallus in the sky and risking not only your position here in this program but also your partner’s?”

  It wasn’t lost on me how tense the room had just become, and as I straightened in my seat, my father’s eyes shifted and locked on mine.

  “I can’t imagine that you were too happy with the actions of your flight lead that day up there in the sky, Lieutenant Hughes.”

  What did he think he was doing? It was bad enough that he’d turned up here unannounced to crash one of my courses, but now he wanted me to call out my partner in front of my class for all to see?

  I didn’t mind telling Solo I thought he was a reckless imbecile of my own free will. But I had to fly with this guy for the duration of the course, we had to trust one another up there, and no matter how idiotic I thought he could be at times, I wasn’t about to throw him under the bus now, not even for my father.

  “I wasn’t aware of what Solo had planned until I had already landed my plane, and while it was not part of the briefing, sir, I don’t believe there was any malicious intent behind his actions.”

  17 Solo

  OH MY GOD. Did Panther just defend me…to his father? Well, color me fucking shocked. If someone had pulled me aside and told me that the guy who had gone out of his way to avoid, frustrate, and scold me at every damn turn would be defending my honor this morning, I would’ve called them a liar.

  Hell, if he’d just looked my way and cracked a smile I would’ve been shocked after this past weekend. But as Panther faced off with dear old Dad, I couldn’t help my pulse speeding up.

  It was hot. Not only because it showed his loyalty to his partner, but also because Captain Hughes was one scary motherfucker.

  “Malicious or not, it was inappropriate and immature, behavior unbefitting of one of our Elite trainees, and I would expect you to understand that.”

  Uh…fuck. I guess this is probably where I should step in. “In all fairness, sir. Panther did point out quite…forcefully how inappropriate he found my actions that day.”

  When the captain’s eyes came back to mine, I was sure he thought I should cower into my seat. But fortunately for me, nothing much rattled my resolve these days, not even the stoniest death stare I’d ever seen in my life.

  “Did he now?”

  “He did.” I looked back to Panther, whose face gave nothing away. “He was the ultimate professional. You should be proud.”

  The captain’s cheeks flushed slightly and Commander Levy stepped forward to intervene.

  “I think what Solo is trying to say, captain, is that they have all learned their lesson and it will never happen again. Isn’t that right?”

  Okay, so maybe I should’ve gone with that. “Yes, sir.”

  “Very good. Now how about we run through today’s brief and catch the captain up. I’m sure he’d like to see what you will be up to today.”

  Well, that had been a nightmare class. Captain Hughes was a man of strong opinions, and after we went through the brief, he ended up scrapping the whole thing and deciding on a different course, a.k.a. whatever the hell he wanted.

  And here I’d thought Panther was the strait-laced, by-the-book guy. Which he was, but not to the extreme degree his father was—at least not yet. It was clear why Panther stayed in line growing up with a guy like that, and I almost couldn’t blame him for wanting to kick my ass on the daily.

  After a quick talk with Commander Levy, who encouraged me to not be so mouthy next time, I grabbed my notebook off the desk and headed out of the empty classroom toward the mess hall. My stomach had been growling for the last half-hour since the class had run over big time, but since the hop for this afternoon had been canceled because of Captain Hughes, I wouldn’t have to rush through lunch. It seemed everyone else had the same idea, because the halls were empty, but as I turned a corner I could hear angry voices, somewhat muted, and glanced around to see where it was coming from. A door was cracked up ahead, and I kept my footsteps silent as I headed down the hall, fully ready to eavesdrop on something juicy.

  “How dare you defend that boy’s actions. He could’ve cost you your spot, and how do you think that would look? My son, expelled from the Elite?”

  Oh, shit. I’d stumbled into Captain Hughes and—

  “He didn’t mean any harm, and it won’t happen again,” Panther said.

  “How can you be so sure? You heard him today. He’s a degenerate. He’s cocky and careless, and I won’t have you associated with someone like that.”

  Gee, thanks, Captain Asshole.

  “What does that mean?” Panther said. “I can’t exactly avoid him. He’s in my class—”

  “But he doesn’t have to be your partner.”

  Wait, what?

  “I’ll speak to your instructors. You won’t win being stuck with Solo as your partner, so I’ll have them switch you. I don’t know why they paired you two together in the first place.” Captain Hughes’s voice brooked no argument, and I felt something twist in my gut. I wasn’t good enough to fly alongside his son? That was what he was saying?

  I felt my anger rise, and I was this close to storming inside and letting him know exactly what I thought of his idea, but then Panther spoke up, halting me before I did something I’d regret.

  “Absolutely not. I won’t agree to that.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Solo is my partner for the duration of my time here, and I’d like it to stay that way. He may be all those things you say, but he’s also one of the best pilots I’ve ever seen. You want me to win? Then I need to be paired with the best.”

  H
oly fuck. My jaw practically crashed to the floor. I strained to hear the rest.

  “That’s a mistake—” Captain Hughes started.

  “Then let it be my mistake,” Panther said.

  There was a long pause, and I wondered what was happening inside that room. Panther was no doubt getting one of those epic death stares from Daddy-o, and I had to admit that hearing him stand up to his dad was another mark in the fuckin’ hot category.

  “Don’t cry to me when this all blows up in your face,” Captain Hughes growled, and then the door slammed open and I hugged the wall as he stormed out. Thank God he went the opposite way, because I had a feeling if he’d seen me in that moment, looks would’ve killed.

  RIP Solo.

  I waited for Panther, not entirely sure what I’d say when I saw him, but figuring a “thanks for defending me to Captain Asshole” might be in order. When a couple of minutes went by and Panther still hadn’t walked out, I peered around the door.

  With one hand low on his hips and the other on his forehead where he leaned against the window, he gazed out at the airfield in the distance. What was he thinking? It seemed like a private moment, but when had I ever given him space? I wasn’t about to start now.

  Panther let out a long, heavy sigh that seemed to go on and on, and then he pushed off the window and froze when he saw me.

  “How long have you been standing there?”

  18 Panther

  THE LAST PERSON I needed to see was standing in the doorway watching me.

  “How long?” I said again, as Solo stepped farther inside.

  “Long enough.”

  Great. Just fucking great.

  “Look… I just want to—”

  “No.” I shook my head. “I’m not getting into this with you.”

  “Panther—”

  “Stay out of my business.”

  Solo sighed and turned around like he was going to actually listen for once and leave. But then he shut the door and locked both of us inside.