“Not much to tell. I was born in Silver Springs, Montana. Joined the Army right out of high school, and now I live here.”
“I had an uncle in the military. He was an Army soldier who served with the 10th Battalion, out of Fort Drum. He died after serving two tours in Iraq.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. It was a long time ago.”
“For some, it was like yesterday,” he whispered, handing Savannah over to her father. Mason didn’t want to talk about his military experience. He was already uncomfortable talking to her, but when she mentioned her uncle, it brought back too many memories too quickly. He needed fresh air, he needed solitude, and he was stuck out in the fucking Gulf with his family.
The anxiety hit him hard, and before he could stop himself, he jumped up and marched back into the living quarters, slamming the sliding door behind him.
* * * *
Annabelle sat stock still, too afraid to move or say anything. She had upset him and hadn’t meant to. She just wanted to talk to him, to get to know him better, and yet, she had intruded on a subject she knew nothing about. She felt guilty for ruining his time with his family and wished she could just disappear. Yet, when Michael sat next to her, he smiled kindly and said, “He will be fine. Just give him a minute or two.”
“I shouldn’t have said anything. I feel so bad.”
“Don’t. Mason has to learn to live with the choices he made. Some are harder to swallow than others, but he is still with us, and that’s a plus.”
Annabelle thought about that. She knew Michael was right. Hell, she was living with the choices she made every day, and though sometimes it overwhelmed her, she didn’t let it define who she was. Life wasn’t easy by any means, she knew that, but it was what she did with that knowledge that made her who she was. She had made several mistakes in her life, but through it all, she persevered and moved on. Her mother told her one time that life was a big crap shot, that all she could do was roll the dice and hope the odds were in her favor, and if not, roll the dice again, and again, till it came up with something she could live with.
Getting to her feet, she excused herself as she walked into the main cabin. Looking around, she smiled as she saw her son sitting at one of the tables, playing a board game with Abby.
“He’s down in the berthing quarters,” Rachael said, walking over to her. “Third door on your right.”
“Thank you.” Annabelle smiled and walked down the narrow steps.
Standing before the closed door, she wondered if she should knock, but then thinking he might tell her to go away, she tapped lightly and walked in. She found him sitting on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands. Quietly closing the door behind her, she walked over to him and stood before him. He didn’t look up at her, and she didn’t expect him to.
Mason Armstrong was an enigma, almost as if he didn’t know exactly who he was, but what she saw before her was a man lost and hurting. Placing her hand on his head, she ran her hands through his thick black hair and murmured, “I’m sorry, Mason. I should have known better.”
When he didn’t say anything, she took her hand away and turned to leave, when he reached out and grabbed her, pulling her to him and hugging her tightly. She could feel his body tremors. He was shaking uncontrollably. Wrapping his arms around her, he buried his head against her chest, damn near hurting her.
“They want me to go back,” he whispered. Annabelle had no clue who “they” were, but the pain in his voice told her he was scared. Too afraid to ask, she lifted his head, and what she saw there floored her. For such a strong, silent man, seeing him with tears in his eyes was her undoing. It took a strong man, a solid man, a brave man, to show such emotion to a virtual stranger, and yet, there he sat, showing her a side of him that she knew he never showed anyone, not even his family.
Squatting down before him, she brushed his hair away from his face. “Mason, nobody can make you do anything you do not want to do.”
“They can. I can’t go back, Annabelle. I barely made it out of there alive last time,” he said as she wiped a stray tear that fell from his eye. It was then, at that moment, she knew the military had contacted him again. She knew it was possible. She was there when her uncle had received his phone call. He had only had one more week before he was out of the military, and with one phone call, her uncle’s world had changed. It was that call that set circumstances into motion that took her uncle’s life. Though she didn’t know it then, she knew it now, and looking at the man before her, something in her broke. She couldn’t bare it if anything happened to Mason. In such a short time and even though they barely knew each other, the thought of him not walking this earth caused her heart to contract, painfully.
“Have they given you orders yet?” she softly asked, praying his answer was no.
“No. How do you know about orders?” he asked.
“The Army stop-lossed my uncle.”
“I was discharged, but because of my specialty, they can call me back. I just never thought they would after what happened. We barely made it out with our lives. We were sent to acquire a known drug lord. We were all captured and held for three days. We only escaped because he made a mistake. I don’t know how, but we managed to get the bastard, and he has been in the government’s custody since. However, it looks like he escaped.”
“And you are the only one who knows where he might be and what he will do?”
“Yeah, we studied him for over a year. We were even able to infiltrate his compound. We learned a lot, and gathered a lot of intel. Somehow our cover was blown. We were left with no choice. We had to shoot our way out, and someone got hurt.”
“And now the government wants you to go and get him again.”
He didn’t say anything, just looked at her and nodded. Her heart went out to him. She couldn’t imagine what he was going through, the fear, the pain, the anguish of having to return to a life he had thought long forgotten. “Is there anything I can do?” she asked, looking at him.
Shaking his head no, he sighed. “Sorry I ruined your day.”
Teasingly she cocked her head to the side, grinning. “You didn’t ruin anything. Actually, I do believe this is the first time we have been alone together and you are actually talking to me. That is a plus in my book, but if you decide to clam up again, I will be forced to make you talk.”
“Oh really? A little bitty thing like you couldn’t blow over a leaf.” He smiled as she felt his hands trail up her arms. Her body shivered, going languid. Her temperature began to rise as her pussy dampened, and when she felt his lips against her own, she moaned.
When he started to say something else, Annabelle put a finger over his lips, simply saying, “Shush, let me take care of you.”
Pulling his shirt from his pants, she slipped it over his head, exposing his broad chest and muscular arms. Placing her hand on his chest, she stood, pushing him back onto the bed. Trailing her fingers down his stomach, she slowly undid his belt and pants, as he kicked off his shoes. She didn’t have to say a word. Lifting his hips, she tugged, pulling his pants from his body, leaving him only in his briefs. Walking back to the door, she turned the lock. Turning back to him, she licked her lips and moved toward him. Through it all, he never took his eyes from hers.
He may have been upset, but his cock was showing signs of life. Gently placing her hands on the firm bulge, she rubbed it through his briefs, feeling it grow and stiffen in her hands. Again, he tried to say something, but Annabelle didn’t want to hear it. She wanted to do this. She didn’t know why. She had never been one to initiate anything of this kind, but the despair and longing in his eyes had awakened something within her, and she just needed to do this for him. Slipping her fingers into his briefs, she slid them down to his knees, exposing his now rigid, hard cock.
Taking him in her right hand, Annabelle cupped and massaged his balls. Her trimmed nails lightly scratching them. He moaned, closing his eyes as she petted and played with him. She watched him intently
as she leaned forward, licking the underside of his shaft, kissing her way down to his balls before licking upward to the head in one wet move. Her tongue then circled the bulbous head several times, as if she were enjoying an ice pop. Then, looking into his eyes, she wrapped her lips around him and took him fully into her mouth.
“Oh, fuck!” he growled, his hands gripping the bed covers tightly.
This was what she wanted. She wanted this for him, to take his mind away from everything, only to focus on one thing. Her. He needed this more than she needed to know more about him. There would be a time and place for that, but now, he was hurting, and she wanted to take away his pain, replace it with a memory that was good.
Taking her time, she explored him as if her were the lost city of Atlantis. She wanted to know everything about him. What made him groan? What made him moan and what curled his toes? Licking, sucking, even nibbling, she seduced him with her mouth, never letting his cock slip from its warm confines. Her hands massaged, stroked, and tickled his balls. Before long, she had him writhing on the bed, as if the ecstasy she was showing him caused him pain.
When she felt his heavy balls begin to tighten up, she knew he was getting close and let his cock slide from her moist, wet mouth.
Standing, she removed his briefs the rest of the way as she looked into his dazed eyes and saw enjoyment, awe, and something else. As she slowly removed her clothes before him, he never said a word, just lying there, watching, and taking everything in. Naked, she knelt between his legs again and started to stroke him. His cock grew ever harder as she played with him, and she knew he wouldn’t last much longer. Wanting to taste him, she lowered her mouth again, taking him all the way back to her throat, and swallowed.
“Oh God, buttercup!” he cried, as her head bobbed up and down, her tongue twirling as she did. Her hand rubbed and pulled his balls as she manipulated and tortured his shaft, willing the thick, hard beast to give her the cream she knew was in there. Sucking harder, she hallowed out her cheeks and devoured him vigorously.
“Fuck, baby, I’m gonna come!” he shouted, and with one last pull of her lips, his hard shaft stiffened, shooting his seed into her mouth as she gulped and swallowed him. She never relented, taking everything he gave her, her mouth and body craving more. When the last spurt left the tip of his cock, she slowed her pace, licking him clean, letting his cock slide from her mouth with a loud, audible pop.
* * * *
Mason couldn’t breathe. His heart pounded in his chest, his ears rang loudly, and for the first time in his life, his cock was still fucking rock hard. Of course, he wasn’t complaining. It was just that he wasn’t a young pup anymore, and that worried him. The bed dipped as Annabelle climbed on and lay next to him. Looking over at her, she was so much younger than he was, and he wondered for the first time if he could keep up with her. She had her whole life ahead of her, and he was already set in his ways. Why would a beautiful woman like her want anything to do with him? She could have anyone, and yet, here she was, naked, lying next to him, with those dreamy eyes of hers. Could he make her happy?
“You have that face again.” She smiled, leaning across his chest, her head on her hands.
“What face?” he asked.
“The one where you’re thinking too much,” she replied.
“Yeah, and what am I thinking, buttercup?” he asked, pulling her soft, warm body over his. Grabbing her thighs, he pulled them apart until she straddled him. His cock nestled between her ass cheeks.
Her laughter was instantaneous. “Again?”
“Always,” he whispered, as his hands slowly moved up her back, kneading and massaging until they reached her neck. Lowering her head toward his, he took her mouth hungrily as he thrust his tongue deep, eliciting a gasp from her.
Reaching behind her, he grabbed his cock, pushing it toward her moist entrance. With the head lined up perfectly, he swiftly raised his hips, sinking deep into her warm cunt. Running his hands up and down her back, he slowly pushed deeper into her as she began to glide her hips up and down on his cock. Neither said a single word, their lips molding together and tongues dueling as they drank from each other. Their bodies welded within mere millimeters of each other, moving simultaneously as one, until both were sweating and panting, gasping for air.
When he could no longer last another minute, Mason pulled her hips down onto his shaft hard, as he pulsed jet after jet of hot cum into her body, her pussy quivering and milking him, as she, too, came.
Exhausted and spent, Mason held her as she collapsed on top of him, her little body heaving. Rolling her onto her side, he just lay there watching her until her body calmed and cooled. Eventually, her breathing slowed and soon she was asleep, once again in his arms.
Chapter Six
It had been a week since the fishing trip and Mason was going out of his mind. He tried to keep busy with work and helping out over at the R & R Ranch, but nothing seemed to get his mind off her. Every time he laid his head down at night, thoughts of his sweet buttercup filled his mind. His body ached to touch her, to feel her, just to see her smile. She invaded his days, leaving him unable to concentrate on anything. He wanted so much to see her, to call her, to drive over to her house, anything, but he did nothing.
He didn’t know why he stayed away, only thinking it was best. She needed someone her age, someone she could rely on, someone who would grow old with her and not before her. He was too damn chicken to face the fact that he wanted her and was too afraid to ask.
His whole life he had never been afraid of anything. He always faced any crisis, adversity, or drama head-on, leading the way into battle, protecting those who could not protect themselves. And yet, one little slip of a woman scared the living hell out of him.
He was a coward.
He could hear his brothers clearly, as if they were next to him, laughing their asses off as he stewed in his own misery. By the third day, he had taken his phone off the hook and removed the battery on his cell. He couldn’t take the calls and texts messages any longer. When Michael and Mark had sent their wives to check on him, he had hid in his room with all the lights out, praying his nosey sisters-in-law would leave, and they had, only to return with their husbands.
Packing an overnight bag, he had headed out into the small woods that separated his place from Annabelle’s. He figured if he couldn’t enjoy and relax in his own home, he might as well be totally uncomfortable.
Therefore, for the last three nights, he had slept under the stars.
That was until Andrew found him.
Mason slowly sat up and looked at the small boy, who just stared at him. There was no expression on his face. He just stood there, with his blank eyes, never blinking, as he bore into his soul. For the first time since knowing Andrew, Mason actually felt uncomfortable.
Something was off with the young kid. If Mason didn’t know any better, he would bet Andrew was angry, only he just didn’t know how to begin.
“No sense in beating around the bush, kid. Spill it. What’s up?”
“My mom is sad,” the kid said, getting straight to the point.
Fuck!
Rubbing his face, Mason groaned and let out a big huff of air. This was all he needed, a guilt trip focusing on his inability to make people happy.
The story of his life.
“I’m sorry about your mom.”
“Go make her smile again. She never smiled before you. You make her happy. Go fix her.”
“I wish it was that easy, Andrew.”
“It is. You tell a joke, and she will laugh. Make her laugh.”
“It’s going to take more than a joke, buddy.”
“Not if it’s a really good joke,” Andrew said, sitting down beside him. Mason watched as the kid pulled out a sheet of paper from his back pocket and handed it to him. “I researched funny jokes on the Internet. According to the website, these are the top ten best jokes. I suggest you use them all. It may take more than one try.”
Reaching for a b
eer, Mason took a long swig. Reading the sheet, he spit his beer out.
What the fuck?
“Uh, Andrew, what website did you go to to get these jokes?” Mason asked, skimming them quickly.
“I typed in ‘funny jokes men say,’” Andrew replied as if Mason should have already known that.
“Did you read any of these?”
“I read them all. However, I am confused on how a woman’s breast size is funny. Mom has breasts, but I wouldn’t call them melons. I like melons, all kinds, but they look nothing like my mom’s breasts.”
“Don’t worry about it. I will explain melons to you later.”
“Good. And can you explain joke number eight, too. Because I thought a raincoat was something you wore to protect yourself from the rain, not something you put on a penis.”
“Don’t worry about it. I will look over all of these and make sure they are appropriate. Don’t you worry about them anymore. Next time you do research, have your mom help you. That way it’s less confusing.”
“All right.” He smiled, getting up. “I better get back. Mom doesn’t know I took off.”
“You need me to walk you back?”
“No. Just make Mom happy again, that’s all.” And with that the kid disappeared into the woods.
Mason sat there for the longest time looking at the exact space Andrew had disappeared into. He wanted so much to get up and go to her. He knew he was hurting her by ignoring her. It was just that he was so fucked up, he wasn’t any good to anyone. He couldn’t stand the thought of his life hurting her. It was bad enough that he had gotten close. His heart was already involved. He just wasn’t good at all the mushy stuff. He never was. He couldn’t be what she needed.
Annabelle needed a whole man, not a half of one. Mason knew what his limitations were. There was nothing that was going to change that. God, he wished he could be everything she was going to need, but the thought of letting her see the real him, the broken and scarred man beneath the skin, was too much. On the outside, he looked normal. On the inside, he was fucked up beyond all recognition.
A Soldier's Promise [The Armstrong Brothers of Cedar Creek 3] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) Page 10