by C. C. Brown
"Whoa! Where are you going?" Alex asked, catching me in his arms just as I was beginning to storm out the door. He caught me in total surprise, looking like he was just about to knock on the door.
"I'm off to the chow hall. I'm hungry, and not all of us have the luxury of home cooked fucking meals every day," I barked out, hanging on to his arm as he held me up under my chest while shutting the door behind him. It was an uncomfortable hold, and I wanted to get out of it, but he wouldn't let go, not until he had me near the bed and he was able to lie me down.
"Stop that shit, Blondie," he grumbled, his hazel eyes piercing into me from where he stood. "I didn't ask for this shit. In fact, I told her I didn't need her bringing me anything."
"Okay. So why are you here?"
"I got called back in and on my way out, I saw Castillo making her way down the stairs, so I knew I needed to see you. And because the rest of my fucking morning has been hell since I was interrupted just before finishing you off."
I sat up on the bed, still fuming mad at everything that seemed to be happening around us. And in that moment, I remembered that Dalton should have been there by now, but he wasn't. My mind drifted back to Alex and what he said about making shit happen. He could have done anything to keep him away from me this morning. Standing up, I paced the room, feeling the intensity of it closing in around us.
"Where is Dalton?"
"I'm not here to talk about him right now."
"I don't care. Where is he? He was supposed to be meeting me for breakfast, and he's not here. Where is he?"
He ran his hand over his freshly shaven face, blowing out a deep sigh as he did so.
"I've got him busy. You'll need to make new plans for breakfast this morning," he said, wryly twisting his lips into his characteristically smug grin, further angering me. He pulled me towards him, running his hands over my back and down to my ass before whispering in my ear.
"He's sniffing up the wrong tree. This one is already taken." He cocked his head to the side, the honey hue of his eyes growing darker by the second. "He'd be doing himself a favor by backing the fuck up."
The moist flesh of his delectable lips skimmed the bottom of my ear lobe, sending a flash of warmth through me.
"I want you, Cassie Bennett. I've wanted you since the night you rubbed that beautiful little ass all over me on that dance floor at Coyotes, and I'll be damned if you're going to tease me with that fucking prick to try and prove a point." Slow breaths left him, crashing down over me as he pulled away and burned his high intensity gaze into mine. "You've got me right where you want me, and I damn sure know I've got you, so stop with the games and tell that little dude to blow his load elsewhere."
Somehow those words made me excited.
And limp.
And angry!
He was so presumptuous, yet so right as well. I didn't need him seeing that he and his words, the feel of his lips, and the strong protectiveness of his arms had me hook, line, and sinker. No. As much as I wanted him, I wasn't going to fall at his feet as soon as he said something that enticed me.
"You couldn't be more wrong about Dalton, Alex," I said, finally letting out a laugh. I pulled out of his grip and moved a couple of steps away from him. "You should watch Leti," I bitterly responded, causing his eyes to narrow in snake like slits and his face to contort in anger.
He let out a haunting laugh that had me feeling on edge. "Don't take that tone or get too bold with me, Blondie. I have ways of shutting that shit down."
I shook my head. The arrogance in his tone was beginning to get under my skin. "Go fuck yourself, Alex," I called out, rolling my eyes at him.
He quickly detained me, moving with the fierceness of a ravenous animal and grabbing my waist, pulling me into him.
"I've tried fucking myself. It's not working. That's why I'm here." Anger was noticeably absent from his hazel eyes; seductive lust filling the void. "I. Need. To. Fuck. You." he rasped, our chests rising and falling in sweet succession. He placed soft kisses down my neck and over my collarbone as one of his hands worked its way through my hair, down my back, and over my ass. For a second, I gave into him and turned my head to give him more access, but I quickly remembered where we were and why this was still such a bad idea.
"Is that it?" I asked, working my way out of his arms. "You just want to fuck me and be done with me?"
He stepped closer, closing the gap between us while taking a tiny piece of my comfort zone with him, the darkness of his pointed eyes worrying me more than anything else at the moment.
"Well?" I asked.
He moved even closer, lecherous thoughts flashing through his eyes. I tried not to match his gaze, hoping to show him that he didn’t intimidate or entice me in my moment of anger. That sly grin crept back onto his face, further confusing and frustrating me when it came to him.
"Is that what you think? That I just want to fuck you and move on? Do you even realize what I stand to lose if anyone was to find out what we've got going on here? Even though I haven't had the pleasure of fucking you 'til you can't speak anymore?" His eyebrows shot up, almost as if he were waiting on a response. "I'm selected to pick up Staff Sergeant in a couple of months. That shit would be gone faster than I can blink. I'd probably be busted down in rank, restricted to the barracks, lose pay, and possibly face brig time all over frivolous fucking with some random student of mine." The words came out with a hiss, his teeth clenched as the veins bulged in his neck. "Now does this sound like the need to fuck and run to you?"
My mind couldn't quite wrap around what he was telling me. I knew the consequences would be steep, but the fact the he was due for a promotion and would so callously risk it to be with me, had me confused in ways that I couldn't quite understand.
"You have so much going for you. Why would you risk it to be with me?"
He looked me in the eye before answering.
"I don't know," he said, before pulling me back into his solid chest. "You're like a piece of forbidden fucking fruit, and somehow I just can't seem to stay from you."
My willpower was beginning to break down. I wanted to turn around and give myself to him, let him have me right where we stood so that the ache no longer burned inside of either or us.
"Now grab your things so I can replace your breakfast plans."
He backed away from me and sat down on the bed, his eyes stabbing into me with more intensity than the morning sun that had all but seared me out on that mountain.
"We can't go out on a breakfast date. Are you nuts?"
"Possibly. But like I already told you, I make shit happen. You understand that?" He stood and walked to the window, peeking out as I grabbed my wallet and purse from my night stand. "Meet me down at my truck in five. I'm in the back by the dumpsters."
He planted a wet, passion filled kiss on my lips, wrapping my hair in his hand, prompting me to grab for his, but I came up empty since his hair was much too short. He grabbed my ass, squeezing and tugging with each swirl and twirl of our tongues, and moaned out his pleasure as I felt the hardness of his cock poking into me.
"We better hurry up and get out of here," I breathed, trying to speak and catch my breath at the same time.
He pulled away, but not before planting two smaller kisses on my lips.
"Hurry up. I can't wait to get you out of here." And before I could say another word, the door flung open, sending Alex jumping back and waiting with me in blood curdling anticipation to see who was standing on the other side.
Chapter 11
Alex
My eyes shot open as I jumped back, feeling a burst of wind with the forceful opening of the door. I stood rigid as steel, eagerly anticipating the figure that would be stepping through the doorway and blowing the roof off of us. My heart was beating erratically, pounding on the walls of my chest, begging to be set free. Whoever was about to set foot through that door was coming with nothing but a promise of bad news because the only two people who needed to know about Bennett and me were Bennet
t and me, and we were both standing right there in that room.
Stealing a quick glance at her, I watched her normally sun-kissed skin morph into a lobster shade of red, her innocently alluring green eyes sprout wide as a lotus flower while she swallowed incessantly. If I could have, I would have taken her and held her in my arms to shield her from whoever was coming, but half of my brain was still functioning by that point and I knew better than to be caught with any part of my body touching hers. It would be more ammunition to the already raging fire.
A gym bag was thrust into the room and then there she was, Pfc. Ruiz, strolling in, her eyes bulging at the site of me. Her lips instantly formed into a tight pout like she was plotting something that very instant. My blood began to boil. I knew that this girl would be up to no good and that whatever was about to come out of her mouth was probably going to be something that would take the restraints of a saint to hold me back from her.
"Well…well…well. What have we here?" she asked, her lips curving into a sinister grin.
There was no way in hell she was going to know that her presence affected me in the slightest little bit. No way.
"I thought something was going on between the two of you. I just didn't think you'd be stupid enough to do anything here on base."
"You don't know shit," I hissed, matching her cold and calculating gaze. We stood glaring at one another like an old fashioned staring contest. Neither of us wanted to blink and yield to the other, thus handing over the upper hand.
I sure as shit wasn't going to let this P.F.C., get under my skin and intimidate me. She could throw every accusation under the sun at me, and I'd fend them off like a warrior in battle, moving along and waiting for the next obstacle to come my way.
"Angelica, whatever you think you know, you couldn't be more wrong," Bennett managed to sputter out, her voice frail and mousey. Looking at her signified her fear in what stood before us, so I took the initiative to calm her down, showing her that there was nothing to be worried about.
"You don't need to convince anyone of anything, Blondie--"
"Blondie?" Ruiz laughed, a sick, stomach turning, knot inducing laugh. The devil himself would have flinched at the tone of her laugh. "Nothing is going on, but you have pet names? And a cute one, might I add?"
I glided over to her, feeling weightless in my moment of wrath and partial despair. I was beyond pissed off and overly annoyed with her games and was ready to squash whatever she had in mind like a fucking bug that served no purpose in my world.
"You better watch yourself and presumptions about an NCO and your instructor at that. False accusations can land you in a shitstorm of trouble, and don't think that, for one second, I wouldn't turn your life upside down for trying to destroy mine." My voice grew lower and gruffer with every word spoken, but the more I had to say, the more infuriated I became.
"And another thing, do you think your overnight absence won't be reported as UA because it can and more than likely will." Moving even closer, I leaned in close enough to touch her ear with my lips, working diligently to avoid doing so since that was an intimate move I often made with Cassie, and didn't want to spoil with the toxic flair that this chick passed off. "You fuck with me or her, and I'll fuck you, and not in the way that you want me to." Taking a few steps back, I stared her in the face and twisted my lips into a sardonic smile before striding out of the room without so much as a glance back.
That. Killed. Me.
While I wanted the satisfaction of seeing fear spread over her, I also wanted to take Cassie with me and get her out of the clutches of that evil that was in her midst. I was damn near certain that I had sealed her mouth as far as Cassie and I were concerned, but I couldn't be sure that Ruiz wouldn't try and make Cassie's life a living fucking nightmare. As I angrily stomped out of the barracks and down the stairs, I grew nauseous with the thought of her having to endure any undue stress thanks to my actions.
Thoughts of what to do next raced through my mind as I jogged out to my truck, finally settling on the one thing I didn't want to do, but knew I had to do-- I pulled out my cell phone and called Riley.
He answered on the second ring.
"What up, dickwad? You only had duty, not an all-night bingefest, so drive your own self home."
"Shut the fuck up, Riley. I'm in a bind, and I need you to hear me out. Is Jensen home?"
He went quiet for a second, picking up the intensity in my tone.
"Um, no. He went golfing this morning in Palm Springs with that Asian chick from Coyotes."
"Sweet. I'm on my way home. I need you to get ready to come to base to do a job for me.”
"Oh, shit. This sounds serious."
"It is. I'll be home in a bit. Be ready, please."
"Will do, man. I feel all covert right now. Hurry home, this is too cool." His goofy ass chuckle bellowed out. This dude couldn't be serious if you begged him to.
"Riley…"
"Yeah?"
"Shut the fuck up and be ready, please."
He laughed hard.
I angrily pressed end on the call, skimming through and calling the local taxi service that we sometimes frequented when we hit all of the area bars.
After the call, I shot a quick text to Cassie.
Me: Get out of that room and over to Subway ASAP. Don't let that bitch know where you're going.
She took a minute to respond, sending my anxiety level through the roof of my truck.
Blondie: She's in the shower. Haven't we trudged the ledge quite enough today?
Me: No. Get there! A taxi will pick you up.
I had to get her out of there.
My heart shattered into a thousand pieces, feeling like a sledgehammer had been taken to it from the moment I walked out of that room without Cassie's hand in mine. Deep inside, it felt like wolves had surrounded her, and I had left her there to fend for herself and she was failing miserably while they attacked, poached, and devoured her. Ruiz was only one person, but the eeriness of her tone sent an arctic chill over my bones, leaving me fearful of what she was capable of with someone less hardened than me.
Cassie didn't answer my text, so I parked in the parking lot of the movie theater, hidden under a few trees so as not to arouse suspicion when the taxi came to pick her up.
My mind was everywhere in that moment, searching for reasoning to the madness that I had so willfully thrust myself into. Normally, pussy was pussy. It was nothing to get excited about, lose my head about, or possibly destroy my career over.
But something here was different. Something here was worth all of the turmoil and so much more.
How my life had taken such a detour in a very short week was beyond me. Since I had joined the Corps, my life had been carefully planned out. I followed and enforced all rules, never skimping over or cutting corners to get things done. The Corps instilled honor, commitment, and courage into me, but somehow I had lost that. I had lost my ability to see things in the black and white that they used to be presented in. I had lost my way… and I couldn't be more relieved.
I felt a connection to her, all formality now leaving where she was concerned. Cassie was showing me that not everything comes in black and white, that our best laid plans don't always pan out and that sometimes you just have to take a leap because life isn't as unyielding as we would like for it to be. I hadn't even fucked her yet and somehow she meant more to me than any other female I had explored every inch of. The scariest part about this whole scenario was that the feelings I felt for her weren't terrifying me. Since Evelyn, I had promised that no female would make their way to a special place with me, and yet here was Cassie in all of her vanilla scented glory, doing just that. The thought put a quaint smile on my face after such a horrendous morning.
Before long I saw her, strutting into the Subway and ordering some food to make her visit seem harmless. Just watching her from afar, her hair loose and long, not tied up in that stuffy bun, showcased the carefree spirit that I wanted all of. Waiting until she graduate
d wasn't an option because by then she could have orders halfway around the globe, stealing my chance to ever have something with her. I needed her now. I needed to feel her, to delight in her, to really explore all parts of her.
A few minutes after she sat down, the taxi pulled up, giving me the go ahead to leave. I raced off, trying to get home in time to hopefully fill Riley in before she got there.
Luckily, my house wasn't too far from base, and I got there in only twelve minutes. I jumped out, running into the house, looking for Riley. He was in his room, playing Xbox or some shit that took up too much of his time on a daily basis.
"Hey, man. We need to talk," I said, slightly out of breath from pure adrenaline filtering through every vein in my body.
He paused his game, turning to look at me with concern tightly held on his face.
"You look stressed, man. What's going on?"
I didn't answer him right away. My mind was drifting back to Cassie and what she could have possibly endured after I left the room. My stomach knotted with the visuals, making me want to kick my own ass even more.
"Alex--"
His call jerked me back into the here and now.
"Alright, Riley. I need you now more than ever," I started, knowing that as ridiculous as he could be, he was loyal, and right now, I needed it. He didn't say anything. Instead, he focused on me with sincerity and caution scouring his face as he awaited whatever was about to come out of my mouth. "Pfc. Cassie Bennett is on her way over here."
"What? Why?"
"Because," I stopped, running my hands over the back of my head while growing frustrated with myself for even allowing my dick and now my heart to get me to this point. "Because she and I have something and her bitch ass roommate found us."
"What the bejeebus, man? Are you fucking nuts?"
"A little bit, yes," I spit out, not wanting to deal with any questions at the moment.
"Okay, so you bring her here, and then what?"
"I don't know yet. I just needed to get her out of that barracks room for a bit. Are you sure Jensen went to Palm Springs?"