Wrong Place, Right Time (Solitary Soldiers Book 1)

by A. T Brennan

  Her first instinct was to squeal. Her second was to panic because she was sure he was going to drop her. Her next instinct was to brace herself for some sort of impact, but he just held her tight, and after a second she wrapped her legs around his waist as he continued to kiss her.

  “Bedroom?” he asked as he pulled away from her momentarily.

  “There,” she almost gasped as she nodded to the closed door near the TV.

  He nodded and started to walk her over to the door.

  She pulled her arm away from him and reached out to grab the door knob. It took her a second, but she managed to push open the door.

  He carried her right into the room and turned around so he could sit on the bed, holding her in his lap as he kissed her, his hands finally wandering under the hem of her shirt as he ran his fingertips over her skin teasingly.

  “Oh yes,” she gasped when one hand moved to cup her breast, holding it as he gently rubbed his fingers against her nipple.

  She ran her hands through his hair, over his beard and down his back. She wanted to feel all of him, and a moment later he was stripping off her shirt and tossing it aside. His lips were on her chest, her neck and her breasts as his hands ran up and down her back.

  After a pause he quickly stripped off her bra and bent his head to her nipple, teasing it with his tongue until she cried out for more. Then he took it into his mouth and suckled it, using just a hint of teeth.

  She just clung to him as he teased first one, then the other nipple, and she was almost dizzy from the onslaught of sensations.

  He pulled away from her and looked up into her face. His eyes were dark with lust and everything about him exuded sensuality and virility. A shiver of anticipation moved up her spine and she shuddered as he stared at her. He reached up, kissed her lips and then spun her around, laying her down on the bed. He shifted her up on the mattress, making sure to fan her hair out behind her head with his arm so it wouldn’t pull or get caught on anything.

  He set to undoing her pants as he kissed her stomach, and then he was stripping them off along with her panties. When she was lying naked in front of him he moved up one more time to kiss her lips before settling between her legs.

  He looked up the line of her body as he lowered his mouth to her, pressing his tongue against her clit and grinning as she gasped and arched into his mouth.

  He took his time, starting out with slow and light little flicks of his tongue before putting a little more pressure on her. The feelings he was creating inside her were incredible, and her body tightened as the pleasure built inside her.

  She bit her lip, trying to keep from screaming out to him as she gripped the comforter, desperately trying to release some of the tension in her body. One of her hands was on the bed near her hip, and he reached up and grabbed it in his, holding tight as he teased her. Her other hand let go of the comforter and she moved it through his short hair, enjoying the feeling against her skin as he quickened his pace just the slightest bit.

  “Oh god!” she cried out as the waves of pleasure began to wash over her. It was growing slowly and steadily, and almost torturously slow. “Oh yes,” she gasped when he put just the slightest bit more pressure against her.

  He shifted slightly so he could reach up and tease her breast with his free hand, rolling her nipple between his fingers as he pleasured her with his mouth.

  “Oh god, oh yes!” she cried out as she squeezed her eyes shut. It all felt so good it was almost too much. It was as though she was floating and falling at the same time. As if the world around her was spinning, and she just let herself go as she swept closer and closer to her release.

  Her orgasm hit her hard and fast, and she could barely control her screams as she writhed and shook beneath him. He held his mouth over her until she involuntarily jerked away from him, and as she was coming down he let go of her hand and stripped off his pants before pressing his body over hers.

  She reached for him, but he just grabbed her hand in his and held it tight as he settled over her. His lips found hers and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he reached down with his free hand, moving the tip of his cock so he could slide it inside her.

  She cried out against his kiss as he moved his hand so he could hold himself up over her. His strokes were even, smooth and gentle, but she didn’t want gentle. She wanted hard and hot and passionate, and as soon as she tilted her hips to help him slip even deeper inside her, he seemed to understand her urgings.

  He held her close as he thrust inside her. His strokes were still even and smooth, but now they were hard and fast, almost lifting her hips off the bed with each one.

  “Harder! Oh god, please harder!” she begged against his kiss, and he just groaned and obliged.

  She clung to him as she felt her orgasm starting and shifted her body slightly so he was not only slamming into her, but also grinding against her clit. That little bit of extra friction was exactly what she needed and it sent her crashing into her release.

  A moment after her orgasm washed over her, he jerked against her with a cry on his lips before collapsing on her.

  They just held each other as they enjoyed the pleasure, and when the waves had subsided he held himself over her and buried his face in her hair.

  She didn’t want him to move. She could feel him, limp and spent inside her, and just held him close. She just wanted to hold onto the moment a little longer, and he didn’t seem to be in any hurry to break the spell.

  After a long time Tyler shifted his body so he was lying next to her, pulling her tight against him. He felt her shiver against him, and even though it was warm in the room, her skin was cold to the touch.

  He wanted to share his warmth with her, and he wasn’t ready to let her go.

  “Kenzie…” he started as he looked down at her.

  She just stared up at him, her eyes so open and trusting that he didn’t know what to do. He wanted to tell her how he felt. He wanted to tell her that he loved her and he never wanted to let her go, but it was as though he couldn’t open his mouth to say the words.

  “Do you work tomorrow?” he asked. It wasn’t what he wanted to say, but it was all he could manage at the moment.

  “Yes.” She nodded. “A day shift.”

  “What’s your schedule like for the week?” he asked as he shifted her up a little on his body, trying to give her a little extra warmth and wanting to have her as close to him as he could get her.

  “Two day shifts then I swing to three night shifts, then I have two days off.”

  “I’m in school Monday to Friday, eight until five. I have to do some training this weekend. We’re doing simulators all day Sunday and I have a family thing on Saturday.”

  “I won’t have any time until Thursday night.”

  “Do you want to do something?”

  “When?”

  “Thursday.” He grinned.

  “But you have class the next day.”

  “I’m a big boy. I’m pretty sure I can manage to go on a date on a school night.” He laughed.

  She laughed with him and then paused. “You mean like a date date?”

  He grinned and bent to give her a kiss.

  “Like a date date.” He nodded. “Pretty much all the time we’ve spent together has revolved around me getting shot, nearly getting shot, almost having a mental breakdown, and us in bed.”

  “That is true.” She giggled.

  “I thought we could do something normal, fun even.”

  “What, being in bed isn’t fun?” she asked mockingly.

  He laughed and twisted his body slightly so he was facing her a little more. “This is very fun, but maybe we can do something normal and then end up in bed.”

  “I’d like that.” She blushed as he gently pushed a lock of hair off her cheek and moved it over her shoulder.

  “What time do you get up for work?”

  “Five-thirty,” she said regretfully.

  He glanced over at the clock on her bedside t
able and saw that it was almost eleven. It was still relatively early, but she had a full week ahead of her, and if he didn’t leave now he would keep her up all night.

  “I want to stay, but I don’t think that I’d be able to leave you alone if I did,” he said honestly as he looked down at her.

  “Hmmmm, as amazing as that sounds I do need to sleep. A twelve hour shift is a little rough after being up all night.”

  “I’ll call you Sunday night after you’re done. We can figure out what we want to do on Thursday.”

  “Sure, that would be great.” She smiled and then sighed as he hugged her close.

  He didn’t want to let go, but he had to. He gave her one more squeeze and then climbed out of the bed.

  Kenzie slipped under the sheets as she watched him. He pulled his clothes on and then bent down to give her a kiss.

  “Have a good night, Kenzie.”

  “I will now.” She grinned. “You too.”

  “Oh, I already have.” He gave her one last grin and one final kiss before pulling away. “Does the door lock when you close it?” he asked. She looked comfortable and he didn’t want her to have to get up to lock the door behind him.

  “Just push the button on the knob before you leave. It will lock on its own.”

  “I’ll talk to you Sunday.”

  “Have fun with your family, and putting out fires,” she added with a grin.

  “I’ll try.” He laughed. “Have fun nursing it up.”

  She just laughed and lay back against the pillows. “I’ll try.”

  He gave her one last smile and headed out of the bedroom.

  Kenzie lay back and couldn’t keep the grin off her face.

  That had been the most incredible and intimate experience of her life, even more so than the last time they’d been together.

  She hoped he called. He seemed different now, more at ease, and there’d been no act with him today. There had been a little flirting, a little teasing and a lot of seduction, but there’d been no deflection or shield. She felt it was the first time he’d been himself around her without needing the heightened emotions of an intense or frightening experience to force them out.

  He hadn’t been vulnerable and he hadn’t been exposed. He’d been honest and open with her, and she felt their connection had been real and true, and not prompted by something traumatic.

  She sighed contentedly and snuggled under the sheets. She was exhausted and wanted to enjoy the afterglow and not think about anything other than how satisfied she was. After a moment she leaned over to make sure her alarm was set and then lay back down. She didn’t even care that her phone was in the other room and it wasn’t charged up. She would just charge it tomorrow.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “Okay, spill.”

  Kenzie glanced over at Melissa and shook her head, smiling as she did. “It’s seven in the morning. I haven’t even finished my coffee.”

  “And I’ve been waiting to hear about what happened between you and that tall drink of handsome since we left the bar,” Melissa pointed out as she leaned against the nurse’s station.

  “We—” Kenzie cut herself off as she glanced at the alarm board. “That’s me,” she said with a grin as she saw that one of her rooms had pushed the call button. “I’ll tell you everything once both of my eyes have opened.”

  “You’d better,” Melissa called after her as she headed down the hall, laughing as she did.

  They didn’t get chance to talk again until nearly three in the afternoon. They managed to take a quick break at the same time and headed down to the cafeteria to get coffee and something to snack on.

  “So, spill,” Melissa prompted as they walked down the hall.

  “We left together.”

  “I saw that much.” She grinned.

  “We walked to my place, just talked.”

  “About?”

  “He’s different,” she said with a small smile. “He’s more settled, more at ease. He’s training to be a firefighter.”

  “He’s ex-military and he’s going to be a firefighter?” Melissa raised her eyebrow and let out a low whistle. “Everything a girl dreams of.”

  “Oh yeah.” Kenzie laughed. “He was honest with me. He told me that he didn’t call because he was in such a bad and messed up place, he wasn’t ready for anything and honestly neither was I,” she admitted. “He needed to deal with his PTSD and find something to give him a purpose, to make him want to be better and to ground himself. And he needed a reason to stop being fake.”

  “Fake?”

  “He said that he was done with the games and the fakeness. He realized that he was trying to be something that he wasn’t. To protect himself and he’s done with that.”

  “And you, you’ve gotten rid of that part of you that makes you a victim. That didn’t realize you’re worth everything and no one has the right to walk all over you again,” Melissa pointed out.

  “That’s true, and I don’t think I would have found that motivation without him hurting me.”

  “What about that message? The girl?”

  “He did go home with her, but he swore they didn’t do anything other than kiss.”

  “You believe him?”

  “I do.” She nodded. “He said that was when he realized he was done with the games and the empty sex.”

  “What about the message?”

  “He said he never saw it and he was in the bathroom when I called. He thinks she sent that back and then erased the call, the photo and the messages.”

  “You think he’s telling the truth? That seems pretty elaborate for a one night stand that never actually came to pass.”

  “True, but women can be catty.” She shrugged. “I can see it.”

  “So you think he’s changed?”

  “I think he’s changing.” She nodded as they came up on the cafeteria. “I think he’s found a reason to change.”

  “So what happened after the talking and the walking?” Melissa asked with a grin as they got in line to get coffee.

  “We went back to my place.” She blushed and shook her head. “He was amazing, really put the effort in. He really made sure I was taken care of, and he was different too. He was open. I feel like we really connected.”

  “More than last time?”

  “I think so.” She nodded. “This time there was no trauma that prompted it. He pointed out that every time we’ve been together was because of some traumatic event that involved him having guns shot at him. This time it was just us being together because we wanted to be.”

  “Wow, you going to see him again?” Melissa asked as they reached the coffee machines and each poured out a large coffee.

  “He said he was going to call on Sunday.” She shrugged as she stirred some milk and sugar into hers while Melissa stirred in cream and sweetener. “He said he had family stuff today and then he had to do something with the simulators for his course tomorrow, but would call me after. He asked me out on a date on Thursday,” she added with a grin.

  “Like a real go out in public together date?”

  “That’s what he said.” She nodded and picked up a cookie as Melissa picked up a date square.

  “You think he will?”

  “I hope so. I think so.” She nodded as she dug a few bills out of her pocket. “These are together,” she said as they reached the cashier.

  The cashier rang up their purchases and she paid, leaving her change behind in the collection tin for the children’s ward.

  “Thanks,” Melissa said as they headed back up their floor. “But you don’t have to keep paying for me.”

  “You keep me supplied with wine at night, the least I can do is sugar and caffeine at work,’’ she said with a grin and Melissa laughed.

  “I hope he calls, and I hope that you have fun on Thursday. I just hope this isn’t a step back for you.”

  Kenzie just looked over at her as they walked and sipped their coffees.

  “You’ve come so far, ha
ve gained so much. I would hate for you to lose that because some hottie with muscles and a beard can’t make up his mind.”

  “I don’t intend to let him hurt me again. I really think he’s changed, but if he hasn’t and he can’t be honest with me then that’s it.”

  “You really think you can just walk away? I can see you still have feelings for him.”

  “I do.” She nodded.

  “You still love him, don’t you?”

  “Yeah,” she sighed.

  “And you could walk away if he doesn’t want a relationship?”

  “If he wants something casual then I can deal with that, as long as it’s not just him calling me when he has no other options,” she said after a pause.

  “You’d be okay with that?”

  “For a while.” She nodded.

  “But what do you really want?”

  “To be with him.” She sighed. “To date him, only him and for him to only date me.”

  “Seems weird, doesn’t it?” Melissa asked with a grin. “Wanting a boyfriend at our age.”

  “I know.” She shook her head. “I’ve only ever dated one guy and that really isn’t something I like to remember. Essentially I’ve never had a real boyfriend.”

  “I’ve had plenty, but after Dev’s father I kind of swore off men. No boyfriends between him and now, so I’ve been boyfriend free for like two, almost three years.”

  “Better than my one in twelve years, or none in five years.” She laughed and shook her head. “I don’t even know if he’s going to call. I really shouldn’t be thinking that far ahead.”

  “For your sake I hope he does call,” Melissa said as they came back up to their floor. “And I hope he says what you want to hear.”

  “Me too.” Kenzie nodded. “Here’s hoping.”

  * * *

  By the time Tyler got home from the simulators on Sunday he was nervous.

  He’d always been popular, athletic and good-looking. He’d never had trouble attracting women, and he’d never had trouble approaching them. Even after his injury he knew that his charm and his looks would still work on most women. It was only after he took his pants off that he would get the negative reactions, and even though he’d always enjoyed an active sex life, not every woman he flirted with or even messed around with got to see him without pants.