by C. C. Brown
"Yeah. He sent me pics of his hot ass chick out on the green. She had some skimpy ass top and her tits, man--"
"Riley! I don't really want to hear about that right now."
"Oh, yeah. Sorry. What do you need me to do?"
My mind had been so focused on Cassie and her bitch ass roommate that I hadn't even thought about what Riley could do in this situation. Thoughts raced through my mind, but nothing stuck out in particular since everything was moving much too fast. Finally, it hit me.
And Riley would be the perfect man for the job.
"I need you to dig. Dig through everything at your disposal on Ruiz. I need ammo in case this bitch tries to go to war with us."
"You got it, man. But why is she so hell bent on destroying you?"
"Coyotes, the night of my selection celebration, she spotted me and had her ass all over me, but then Cassie came up and I was fucking gone. Stupid as shit since I didn't even know either of them, but yeah, she must have been pissed because I've noticed her taking little jabs at Cassie ever since."
"Bitches. Catty little bitches. I'm so glad to be a dude."
I swooped over to him, landing just before him and grabbing him by his t-shirt.
"Don't ever call her a bitch," I barked, feeling like the insult against Cassie was a direct insult on me.
"Not her, man. Ruiz." Fear went off in his eyes in that moment, causing me to let go and back away from him. My feelings for Cassie were deeper that I had originally thought.
"Sorry. I don't know what came over me."
He fixed his shirt then stood upright, craning his neck to look at me, but I wouldn't let him. I was too ashamed of what I had become in his eyes, but also much too proud to have my heart land in the hands of such of incredibly amazing woman.
"Dude, you really have feelings for this chick, don’t you?"
I looked up at him, silence filling the space, but my facial expression doing all of the speaking necessary for him to get his answer.
"Shit, man. This isn't just another fuck and duck for you. You have feelings."
"Riley, shut the fuck up."
He flashed me a smile then patted me on the shoulder.
"I'm happy for you, man. You haven't been like this since Evelyn, so it's nice to see it. Even if it is a jail sentence waiting to happen." Laughter erupted from him, spurring me to do the same. In all of his silliness, he always had a way of being so profound. He was refreshing in every sense of the way that I was not. He was my polar opposite, but more so than that, he was loyal. And right now, I was going to need all of the loyalty that I could get.
"Enough sentiments, asshole. I'm going to jump in the shower before she gets here. If you're still here, let her in. If not, leave the door unlocked." I ripped my shirt over my head, turning to walk to my own bedroom.
"No need, she's here," he said, looking out of his bedroom window.
My heart rate escalated. Why I was so nervous to have her in my house was beyond me, but I was.
And I had the perspiration filled brow to prove it.
The doorbell rang, and I stood frozen, letting Riley answer it since he was closer anyway. He flung the door open, greeting her while moving aside and letting her walk into the living room.
"Hey, Cassie," he said, trying hard to be casual.
She looked at him and nodded, her eyes averting his while looking back to me.
"I'm off to take care of that job," Riley sputtered, looking from me to Cassie and then back to me. He was always awkward, so it didn't shock me, but Cassie's eyes shifted to him in surprise, probably unsure of what the job was and why he seemed so at ease.
I rushed her, taking her in my arms and squeezing like it was the last time I would get to hold her. She reluctantly hugged back, not nearly matching my intensity. It worried me.
"Are you okay?" I asked, my eyes searching and trying desperately to get a good read on her.
"I don't know. I don't know what's okay anymore."
I pulled her back into me, holding her head to my chest. Something had happened in that room after I left, and my feelings from earlier came back, haunting me in droves, driving home the point that I had fucked up. I had fucked up by being in there much too long, and I had doubly fucked up by leaving her.
"Hey! What's wrong?" I asked, taking her delicate hand and leading her into the kitchen. She took a seat at one of the stools at the island. I sat down on the stool next to her and turned her around to face me. I held on to her hands as I peered into her eyes, trying to find any trace of emotion, but coming up empty.
"What happened after I left?"
She looked at me with something, I couldn’t place it, but it was more than the barren gaze that she gave off since she'd set foot in the house.
"Sgt. Riley knows about us? What are you thinking?"
Confusion and anger seemed to be taking over, and the longer I let the thoughts fester, the more they grew.
"He's good to go. He’s on our side."
"How can you be sure? I don't trust anyone." The inflection on the word wasn't lost on me. She was sending me a message, and it came through loud and clear. My jaws tightened at her words. I swallowed hard, shutting my eyes and cracking my neck to relieve the tension that had suddenly lodged itself inside. This was going south in a hurry.
"What the fuck does that mean?"
"Exactly what I said, Alex!" she shouted, raising her voice and pulling her hands out of mine. Even though she was mad, she was arousing me and had no idea. "A little over a week ago, I was heading to Comm School to learn a trade, and now I'm worried every single second of every day that I'll be pulled in and read my rights. The stress is killing me."
"So what are you saying? You want to squash this? Because you and I both know that’s un-fucking-realistic. We've been down that road and turned right back around. What's next on your list?"
She stood in a hurry, her petite yet muscular arms flailing, sending that decadent vanilla aroma straight for me and teasing my senses. I slowly breathed it in, hoping to never lose the trail of the scent that had somehow become my latest addiction.
"Alex, you have no idea. You have protection. I don't."
"What are you talking about?" I asked, my eyes thinning into two tight slits as I moved closer to her. She put her hands up to keep me away, which I painfully obeyed.
"Your side chick, Castillo.”
The purse of her lips and the roll of her eyes sent rage flurrying through me. I wasn't sure what was about to come out of her mouth next, but I already knew it wasn't anything good.
"I saw her when I got off duty. She was down by my truck, you saw her. What are you talking about?" Annoyance was filling me faster than water on a sinking ship. It wasn't making sense, and it was pissing me off more and more by the second.
"She stopped by my room and made sure to let me know that you're the world's best Marine and that me and my bullshit career can be chucked out with the latest garbage."
The thick sarcasm laced in her words gutted me, making me want to find Castillo and check her ass right along with Ruiz. Threats to Cassie weren't going over well with me. I found myself easily offended every time I heard one, and little by little, they were breaking my will power to give a shit about what people knew-- or thought they knew.
"Fuck that shit. I'll be backing her off of you. Don't worry about it."
"Don't worry about it?" she shrieked, backing further away from me. "You don't even know what it's like to be in my shoes, Alex. I'm a nothing. A nobody. It won't be hard to get rid of someone like me."
I grabbed her wrist, pulling her back to me. "Don't ever fucking say that about yourself. You're a goddamned Marine. You've earned that shit! You are somebody. And, I don't think it's as easy or as hard as you think it is. We're in this shit together, whether you want to believe that or not. Word gets out about this, and they'll be chewing off their own fucking fingers to get rid of me. I'm an NCO, an instructor, and I'll be looked at like a predator. I've seen it happen."
"And yet you're still willing to keep going with this?"
"I sure am. Because when I want something, I don't give up. I'll fight the entire goddamned Marine Corps to be with you."
A bone chilling laugh crept out of her, freezing me on the spot. Confusion passed through me before I regained my bearings. She was baffling me with every statement, every movement. I had no idea what she was thinking.
Did she want me?
Or should I just let it all go?
There was no way I was going to let her go so easily. When shit gets tough, you fight your way through it.
"You have no idea what you are saying," she muttered, throwing a dismissive hand my way.
I swooped on her, cradling her face in my hands and holding her gaze as I tore into her.
"I know exactly what the fuck I'm saying. I know that the first night you swiveled those hips in my direction I jumped, and I haven't been able to get you out of my head ever since. I know that everything I believed in and thought was the gospel has been challenged and balked at since I met you. I know that I hate the thought of you sleeping in the same room with that evil bitch you call a roommate, and I damn sure know that I hate having to share you with that fucking prick, Dalton. He wants in your pants probably as badly as I do. And the fact that he can flaunt his time with you, with no one questioning it, is like sand in my throat. I hate all that shit."
A frown flitted across her lips.
"I feel all of this, and I haven't even fucked you, yet.
Passion erupted inside of me with those words. My insides were on fire, a smoldering blaze tearing through every inch of me, but not in anger, more like intense desire.
"You don't bring Dalton into this!" she yelled, her eyes darkening.
The look she gave off froze me, thrusting darts in my direction and hitting on every single try at the realization that there was something inside of her for him. Fury seeped in, hating the fact that, in only a week, that skinny jeans wearing twerp was able to break through and find a place within her that I was hoping was reserved only for me.
"Do you think I appreciate the fact that he can walk around, hanging all over you if he so chooses and yet, there isn't a damn thing I can do about it? Are you trying to make me jealous because I can assure you it's working. I don't mind a challenge, but I don't play fair, and he might get hurt in the process."
"You really want to bring jealously into this? Because I'm pretty sure your dates with Castillo qualify."
"I haven't been on a single date with her. Not one."
"Really? Your dinner date at the food court, or how about last night on duty? None of that counts?"
"How did you know about the food court?" Suspicion went off inside of me with the mention of the coincidental meet up.
"How did you know about me being in the barracks room that night?"
"Ruiz," we spit out in unison, both of our faces contorting in disgust as her toxic filled name left our lips.
"That bitch is about to be knocked down a few notches. You just wait."
I moved around the island to the fridge, pulling out a beer and using my teeth to rip the lid off. I offered it to her which she briskly declined.
"Now back to this fucking Dalton problem. Are you going to shut him down or am I going to have to squash his hopes of getting in your pants? Because I promise you, it'll be a cold day in hell before he gets to do that while I'm still around."
"You're out of control, you know that?"
"Yes, I do. I've been this way ever since you sauntered out in front of me. Now I'm your problem to deal with. So what's it gonna be?" A crooked smile curved on my lips. I wasn't against getting dirty to keep Dalton away from her, so it was probably in her best interest to let him know before I had to.
"What are you going to do about Castillo?" she countered, effectively throwing the ball back in my court.
Her stubbornness was one of the many things that I loved about her.
"This one sided shit doesn't work for me. You're not getting your cake and eating it too, Alex." The sass in her voice ignited a hunger inside of me that would only be quelled by her touch. I needed her on me, feeling me, caressing me, fucking me.
She was so much more than any other chick I had come across. Her attitude, her confidence, her demeanor...it was so appealing, and her physical attributes just added the icing on the cake. Standing there, looking at her, was beginning to suffocate me. One way or another, I needed to get my hands on her, every part of her.
"There is no need to worry about Castillo, I promise you. But that fucking Dalton, he's poking thorns in my side, and I'm about ready to go ape shit on him." I moved around the island and held her face in my hand. "You better tell him to back the fuck up, or shit is gonna get dirty."
"He doesn't want me, Alex!" she yelled, seemingly frustrated with my demands.
I didn't much care in that moment. As long as he was put in his fucking place, I was fine with it.
I dropped her face from my hand.
"Right, and my dick doesn't punish me every time I get near you and can't do shit about it."
"That's a personal problem," she quickly responded, laughing at my expense.
"I'm being fucking serious. I don't find any humor in it. You know how badly I want to be inside of you, feeling the warmth of you, and yet you keep bullshittin' with that kid."
"He's gay, Alex!" She blurted it out so loud and quickly that I wasn't t sure I had heard her correctly.
My gaze softened as the realization of what she had just said washed over me like a flood. Cooling liquid filled my veins, calming me down almost immediately.
"Now I feel like a horrible friend. He confided that to me. It's been hard for him because of his family, and now the Corps."
Embarrassment hit me like a wrecking ball. I'd just pulled all stops on the asshole train and finally made her spill it, something that she was probably uncomfortable telling me anyway.
"What do you mean the Corps?"
"He doesn't want to be ostracized by the Corps because he's gay. He's a damn good guy, Alex. Don’t do anything to jeopardize his career, please."
I laughed at her insinuation.
"You think I'd do something to him because he's gay?" I held my hands over my heart, feigning hurt. "I might be an asshole, but I don't give a shit who my Marines are fucking. Well, besides you."
Her entire body relaxed with my words. Did I really come off as that big of a dick?
"And furthermore, the days of don't ask don’t tell are over. If he wanted to grab his boyfriend and kiss him right in front of the entire class, there wouldn't be a fucking thing me or anybody else could do about it."
"I just don't feel right letting his secret out--"
"It's safe with me," I interrupted, creeping closer to her.
"Everything is just frustrating the hell out of me. We're still no closer to solving this Ruiz, Castillo, Marine Corps problem, and now I've just spilled the beans on my friend."
"You know what you need? It'll alleviate all of that frustration."
"What?" she asked in a very clipped tone, highly annoyed.
"Me. Inside of you, thrusting your frustrations away," I answered, grabbing my cock and gently shaking it.
"I'm being serious, Alex. Your cock has started most of these problems."
"And it'll help you forget about them." I moved quickly, picking her up and throwing her over my shoulder, my other hand pulling her shorts down and smacking her highly delectable ass with just enough sting to make her yelp. Her cry only provoked me. I massaged it just long enough to get to my bedroom and lay her down on my bed. I was ready to tear into her, relieving both of us of the stress that had been consuming us while simultaneously threatening to pull us apart. I was finally about to get my chance to claim her, and I couldn't have been more thrilled about it.
Chapter 12
Cassie
My clothes were off before I could even speak. Alex wasted no time removing and tossing them
on the floor, never once taking his blood boiling gaze off of me. There was something more than lust in his eyes, something that I had yet to see from him. He wasn't the same guy who simply wanted into my pants that night at Coyotes; he was more engaged, more refined.
He sat up on the bed with his knees pressing down on the mattress while licking and sucking his lips as he peered down at me. I swallowed a few times, taking in his impressive form as it hung over me. The large memorial tattoo was on full display, along with two other impressive tattoos on the sides of his torso. On one side hung two dangling dog tags, outfitted with his name and what I presumed to be his date of entry into the Corps. On the other was his rank insignia, three chevrons with two crisscrossed rifles underneath, leaving plenty of room to add to it the further he went in his career.
Honey glazed eyes beamed down on me as I took him in, sparkling with delight at the chance to finally get his fill of me. I wanted him just as badly, if not more. A piercing stab struck my clit as he hovered over me, taunting me with his remarkable body.
"So what should I do to you?" he asked in a hushed tone. "You got kind of loud with me earlier, challenging me, and I don't take that too lightly."
Butterflies broke free in my stomach, making me nervous with the anticipation of whatever was running through his mind.
"I thought you said you liked a challenge."
"Oh, I do. I just have to figure out the best way to show you that you can't win with me. And I have to make it good because you should think twice before ever trying it again."
Just as I was about to speak, he swooped down and grabbed me by my waist, pulling me up towards him and filling his face with my pussy. He inhaled long and hard, before nuzzling his nose at my entrance, moving gently, luxuriating in the feel of it. My eyes shut tightly, my head going back on the pillow while my mouth hung open, basking in the intoxicating feel of him down on my most sensitive area.
Slowly he began to work his tongue on me, licking lightly, following an imaginary trail to my sweet spot. His tongue was so adept at what it was doing; I was near certain that it held a mind of its own. The slow trickle up the outer linings sent my hips swiveling, making him grip me tighter. His fingers dug into my skin, sending pleasurable shockwaves through my lower half with every touch of his moist, corpulent tongue.