His Temporary Fix

by Sofia Grey

  I ran my tongue over dry lips. No words emerged and I stood there, undecided. I didn’t want to leave, but his words still stung.

  “Will you stay for breakfast?” Common sense told me to walk away, but my instincts had a stronger hold. I nodded and watched his face soften, the tension relaxing. “Great. Anything you don’t eat?”

  “Um, prawns. And celery.” A slow smile crept across his face, lighting it up, and I wanted to see it grow. “And rhubarb. I hate rhubarb.”

  The smile broke into a grin that took my breath away. “Okay, so no prawns, celery, or rhubarb for breakfast. I can dig that.” He played with the empty mug in his hand and tapped it gently on his thigh while his gaze drifted over me. “I need to grab a quick shower, but will you stay?”

  I nodded, more comfortable now. Images of his naked body under a cascade of water flashed before me, and I felt my cheeks burn again. I’d never blushed so much. “Should I, uh, start the food?”

  “No.” He quirked his eyebrows as though amused. “I invited you. Sit down, grab a coffee. I’ll be five minutes.”

  He disappeared, bare feet slapping wooden floorboards, and I looked around the kitchen. Despite knowing the owner of this rental cottage, I’d never been inside. A long picture window opened onto the deck, with the beach beyond. I liked the clean openness of it, the space and light. It appealed to my ordered nature and didn’t leave me itching to tidy up, as Jasper’s cluttered house did. I examined the shells on the windowsill, picking them up in turn. They were a mismatch of all different types. Maybe each occupant left a shell behind.

  The noise of rushing water stopped abruptly. He’d only been a couple of minutes and so he’d probably be back in no time at all. I wanted to look casual, relaxed, and not as though I was stressed out in the slightest. I leaned against the counter, hands at my sides, turned to stare out of the window again, and then took a seat at the scrubbed wooden table. Warm now, I wriggled out of my fleece jacket and was in the process of draping it over the chair back when he padded barefoot into the kitchen fully dressed in the same fatigues as yesterday and a faded Nirvana T-shirt. His face looked flushed. Was that a flash of relief in his eyes when he saw me? “I’m glad you stayed, Holly. Thanks.”

  “It would have been rude to leave.”

  He stepped closer, hands shoved in his pockets, and I caught a whiff of citrus. His shower gel? My pulse sped up, and I battled with the rampant lust threatening to take over my body. He was a gorgeous guy, that’s all. I’d met hot guys before, even dated a few. Yeah, and none of them had tangled your panties as rapidly as he did. Or as thoroughly.

  Zack cleared his throat. Had he spoken? I’d been so intent on the stomach-tingling scent drifting from his skin that I’d missed his words. This was ridiculous. I was a grown woman, not a horny teenager with her first boyfriend. If I wanted him, wanted to risk my sanity and peace of mind by scratching this very delicious itch, I should just say so. He would only be here one more night.

  And then back on deployment, whispered the dark part of my soul. He might never come back. You might be the last woman he ever has.

  He looked amused, rocking back on his heels, the corners of his lips curving. “Bacon sandwich okay?”

  “Is it dangerous?” I blurted the words out and immediately wanted to drag them back.

  His brows tugged together, confused. “The bacon?”

  Yep, way to make a fool of yourself, Holly. “I don’t know why I said that,” I mumbled, my gaze fixated on the tabletop. “I feel stupid.”

  “Don’t.” There was an urgency in his voice, and I risked looking up at him. He wasn’t smirking or trying not to laugh. He looked serious, the smile retreating as though it had never been there. “You mean Afghanistan?”

  I nodded.

  He blew out a short breath, slid one hand through his hair, and sank into the chair next to me. Tension simmered in the air, visible in the set of his shoulders and the tightness of his jaw. “I could spin you a line. Tell you this might be my last night on earth, all that shit.” He placed both hands on the table, palms down, just inches from mine. “Or I could tell you it’s mostly boring, that we patrol endlessly and rarely encounter any trouble.” So close, the citrus scent intensified, and my pulse skittered. Would he taste of orange if I kissed his chest?

  His voice was husky. “So tell me. Which story would you prefer?”

  “How about the truth?”

  Chapter Seven

  Zack stared at his hands. “I guess it’s somewhere between the two. Hot, dirty, and exhausting with bad food for the most part. We’re peacekeeping, trying to bring stability into the region, and that feels kinda weird. We train to fight, but we’re more like bouncers, breaking up trouble.” He turned his hands palms up, but left them where they were. “I joined the army because I wanted to stand up for the little guy. My stepfather thought it was fun to push me around, and I swore I’d never behave like that. I wanted to stop people like him.”

  His eyes closed, and he curled his hands into loose fists. “So yeah, I’m doing the job I always wanted to, and we’re making Afghanistan a safer place, but man. It’s fuckin’ hard sometimes.” He stared directly at me, but it felt as though he was miles away. Was he even seeing me?

  I’d always been a touchy-feely person, and that’s why spontaneously hugging Zack had felt so right, and why it now felt perfectly normal to close my hands over his. He hesitated, and then shifted his position to tangle our fingers. It felt good, and unbidden little tingles ran up my arms and down my spine.

  “I saw my best friend blown up by a roadside bomb. He was ahead of me in the convoy, and I couldn’t get to him until we’d secured the area.” His fingers tightened. “He survived, but he’s done now. Lost part of his leg.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s just so fucking random, you know?” He huffed out a little breath. “I’m sorry. My language is disgusting. I just… I’m just…” The words trailed away, and it was my turn to squeeze his hands.

  “What do you do between deployments? You don’t spend all your time there, do you?” I could have been a genial host at a dinner party, polite and friendly, careful to divert the subject to something more neutral.

  “No.” He paused, as though searching for the right words. “I’m based at Linton when I’m in the country. I live on camp.”

  “Linton.” I frowned. “Isn’t that north of here?”

  “Yeah.” His voice was clipped. “Only a couple of hours’ drive.”

  “At least you were close to Marnie. Did you get to see her much?” I smiled at him in a way I thought was reassuring, but his frown returned, darker than before.

  “That’s just it. I didn’t.” He closed his eyes and dropped his head. “I didn’t get on with her boyfriend and so I didn’t visit. And now I can’t. It fuckin’ sucks hard, Holly.”

  “It does,” I agreed softly. My words had been less than helpful, and a need burned in me to soothe his pain. I leaned toward him and rested my cheek against his stubbled one. The skin contact zinged through me, and Zack’s eyes snapped open, his gaze meeting mine. “Time is precious,” I whispered, “and I don’t want to waste a minute of it.”

  In daylight, his eyes were a dark chocolate brown with a light blue ring around the iris and amber flecks in their depths. I could stare at them all day, and I watched the emotions fly across them. Surprise. Desire. A dark heat that matched my own. I wanted him to kiss me again, to claim my lips and make them his own.

  As though he heard my thoughts, he leaned toward me, his mouth brushing over the corner of mine.

  Yes. Much as I liked holding his hands, I wanted more. I released him from my grasp and slipped my arms around his neck so that I could lean in to him, to press myself against that hard body. The moment my breasts met his chest, my nipples rose to attention, aching for his touch.

  There was a heartbeat of hesitation, and then he dug his hands beneath my bottom and lifted me out of the seat. Surprise stole my breath but
, before I could even squeak, I sat in his lap, facing him. Oh. He tunneled one hand into my hair while the other steadied my back, but I’d never felt safer in my life.

  “Your hair is beautiful.” He played with the end of my thick ponytail and wrapped it around his fist. “All I could think of last night was holding this while I fucked you.”

  The breath caught in my throat, every nerve ending lighting up as though he’d held a match to me.

  “What are you doing to me, Holly Jacobs?” Something like pain flashed across his face, gone so quickly I almost missed it. He ducked his head and nuzzled the side of my neck. “I could make it so very good for you.”

  I knew he could. I just needed to say yes.

  My legs fell to either side of his solid thighs, and I was sitting right over his dick. I felt it jerk beneath me, and my panties dampened even further. Had it suddenly gotten very hot in here? I was melting and couldn’t get enough air into my lungs.

  “Do you want me, Holly?” His lips a heartbeat from mine, his whisper made me tremble, and there was only one answer I could give.

  “Yes.”

  His huff of breath scorched my skin, and he made a growling noise deep in his throat. I felt him pull on my hair, not hard, just enough to lift my chin and tilt my head back a fraction. Warmth bathed my throat as Zack breathed on me, then pressed a hot kiss over my pulse. A whimper escaped me, but he held fast and trailed his lips up to my jaw, the stubble rasping against me. The rough of his bristles and the softness of his lips combined into a sensual high I’d never known before. I squirmed on his lap, definitely wet between the legs and hungry to feel his hands on my flesh. My skin felt too tight, my breasts ached, and while I moaned he took his time feasting on me. His lips traveled down again, hitting the V at the top of my cleavage. I gasped. Surely he’d touch me now? No, his hands stayed still, one burning the small of my back, the other fixing me in place.

  No man had ever taken charge of me like this or excited me so much. I’d expected a quickie, a fast and hard shag, but it seemed Zack had other ideas. With excruciating precision he licked and kissed back up to my jaw, finally taking my lips. His tongue plundered, flicking mine and claiming my mouth. He owned me. I was so ravenous for him, I’d agree to pretty much anything, and I dug my fingers into his shoulders to get his attention.

  “Yes, gorgeous?” His words vibrated against me.

  “I need you, Zack, Please don’t make me wait.”

  Chapter Eight

  “The dogs,” Zack murmured, while nibbling on my earlobe. “Don’t leave them loose. We might be some time.”

  Dogs? My brain chugged slowly and then clicked into place. Gwen and Lily, roaming the sand. I sucked in a ragged breath. Once I left the sanctuary of his lap, would the spell be broken? Would I reclaim my senses and run back to Jasper’s house?

  “Come on. I don’t want to wait, either.” He released my hair, and I tried to focus, to slither to the floor. I managed it, but as ungainly as a newborn foal. My knees were weak, my limbs refusing to obey the commands from my lust-fueled brain. I staggered the few steps to the door, Zack right behind me, and I stepped out onto the deck. It was still early, and the beach was empty apart from Jasper’s dogs, nosing the sand a short distance away.

  I was about to whistle when Zack shucked up close to me, sliding his hands around my waist and flexing his hips. That had to be his hard-on nudging me, and the ripple of excitement in my belly surged into a freakin’ tidal wave. Get the dogs. Yes. Zack deftly unfastened the button on my jeans and tugged down the zipper. My voice disappeared when I tried to shout, and any thoughts of calling the girls back dissolved.

  “Oh yeah,” he muttered, lips nuzzling my ear and fingers diving under the cotton of my panties. “Oh, baby. So fuckin’ wet.” One digit skimmed my swollen clit and I sagged, unable to stand. “Call the dogs, Holly. We don’t go in until they come back.”

  Call them? I’d be lucky to say my own name. I managed a feeble whistle and they ignored me. Zack chuckled and slid his other hand under my T-shirt to rest on my stomach, little electric shocks in his wake. Jesus. I’d be undressed in a minute. I ran my tongue over dry lips and sought my voice. Meanwhile, Zack was busy inside my panties and one long finger pushed inside me. If he hadn’t been holding me up, I’d have melted to the floor in a puddle of desire. I heard a muffled groan and realized that was me.

  “Get the dogs, baby.” Zack’s teeth grazed the back of my neck. “Otherwise I’ll be fucking you right here.”

  God yes. The sensible part of me finally broke through and shook her head. Not here, in public, where anyone might see us. Zack added a second finger and pumped them slowly in and out. Christ, if he kept that up, I’d come. It’d been ages for me; my vibrator was no substitute for a man. My palms were moist, and I flexed my hands, unable to stand still. I wanted to squirm, to push onto his fingers, to grind onto his hard-on, to kiss the hell out of him and all at once. He held me firmly, and the only part I could move was my fingers, digging into his thighs.

  The spring inside me tightened, and another whimper escaped my mouth. “Zack.” It was a plea. He pumped faster with his fingers, and I writhed, wanton and uncaring of anything except the feel of him touching me.

  “So wet.” His thumb brushed over my hyper-sensitive clit when he spoke, and I bucked, sensation flooding me and pushing me headlong toward my climax.

  “Please.” It was the only word I could choke out, and he hummed approval. I teetered on the edge of a mind-bending orgasm, completely at his will. I tried to beg again but couldn’t form even one small word. Any second now. My heart hammered, and for a moment I couldn’t breathe. Zack rubbed my clit once more, and it was enough. I fell headlong over the abyss, coming hard with a series of convulsions that threatened to reduce me to jelly.

  I sucked in a ragged breath, and the world stopped spinning, Zack’s hand stilled inside my panties, and he brushed a tender openmouthed kiss on my neck. “So fuckin’ hot, baby.” He stroked my clit and sent another wave of tremors down my spine. “Get the dogs, Holly. I want to be in you so bad.”

  Lily was trotting in our direction anyway, and I called her with another half-assed whistle. To my eternal gratitude she scampered over to the deck, Gwen following. I released my death grip on Zack and whimpered when he, in turn, withdrew his hands from my panties and T-shirt. He left my jeans undone, pressed another hot kiss on my nape, and stepped back, bending down to grab Lily’s collar and then Gwen’s. His grin made my insides melt.

  “You coming, baby?”

  I suddenly found my voice. “Again?”

  He huffed a laugh. “Fuck, yeah.”

  The moment should have been awkward. After all, I stood there partly undressed on the deck, after the most amazing orgasm I’d ever known, but his wicked sense of humor was intoxicating. I couldn’t hold back a giggle as I padded after him into the kitchen. The dogs sat on the tiled floor, watching him expectantly as he filled two bowls with cold water.

  Moments later, Zack held out his hand to me. “Come here, gorgeous.” I felt drunk, high on an overdose of sexual energy, and I caught his hand, happy to go with him wherever he asked. He led me into a bedroom, light and airy with morning sunlight painting a bright pattern on the floor, and tugged me into his arms. I took a deep breath and inhaled his amazing scent. It’d tantalized me since he came out of his shower, and he smelled edible. Mmm, I’d get to taste him soon.

  He held me close, hands on my hips, devouring me with his eyes. I stroked the back of his neck, loving the feel of the soft, short hair I found there. I explored with my free hand, slipping it between us to cup him through his fatigues. His indrawn breath and wide eyes made me smile. I traced his erection through the fabric, teasing him this time, and feeling bold, I fumbled with the fastening. The button was awkward, and he had to help, but he left me to deal with the zipper and watched as I opened his trousers, a fraction at a time.

  He groaned when I dipped my hand into his tight white briefs and brushed m
y fingertips over the head of his cock. It was then I remembered about protection. I hesitated. Was there ever an easy moment to bring up this subject? Again, he seemed to read my thoughts. “I’ve got a condom. Somewhere.”

  “That’s good.” I stole a kiss. “I don’t.”

  “That’s good,” he echoed, a smirk on his face. “Taking a condom when you walk the dogs, just in case you bump into me. I’d hate you to think I’m easy.” He yanked down my jeans as he spoke, and they pooled around my ankles. I shivered at the cool air on my bare thighs. The delicious man running his hands across my ass might have had something to do with it, too.

  Already my stomach bubbled with anticipation. “Cocky, aren’t you?” I teased.

  “Ha.” He grabbed my palm and pressed it to his dick. “You could say that.” It pulsed under my touch, the precum marking a damp patch on his briefs. Need surged in me. I wanted him, and I wanted him now.

  “Find that condom, Zack.”

  Chapter Nine

  I sat on the edge of the bed and wriggled out of my T-shirt, toed off my socks, and then admired Zack’s fine ass as he bent over a rucksack on the floor. The fatigues hung loose and low over slim hips, but the tight curves of his butt were still visible. He rummaged through the bag, tearing through the side pockets and muttering under his breath. If he couldn’t find it, we’d have to get creative, or head up to the nearest corner shop. I dropped my denims into an untidy pile with my other clothes and waited.

  He plucked something out of a zipper bag and turned to face me, a shiny foil packet in his fingers. “Just the one.” His words trailed away. I fought the urge to cross my arms, to cover my breasts. My T-shirt had been loose; he wouldn’t have been able to guess their size. Ample. My bra, while plain to look at, did a magnificent job of lifting and shaping and forcing them into submission, but for all I knew, he preferred modest breasts.

  For God’s sake, say something.

  The delight that broke across his face looked genuine. “Fuck me,” he murmured.