"May I have a word with Mia?" asks the officer gently.
Mia nods as Jessa untangles herself from her and reluctantly slides off the bed. She joins me in the hallway outside the bedroom.
"I can't thank you enough for being there for her," Jessa sniffles. "I feel like such a terrible friend."
"It wasn't your fault," I say, hoping I sound reassuring. "You had no idea."
"I was trying to get her to socialize!" She forces out a laugh as she wipes tears away. "She mentioned seeing you at her work so I was going to make her talk to you."
My heart skips a beat when she says that. Mia mentioned me? She was going to come up and talk to me?
Mentally I curse Sheila. If she wasn't practically humping my leg, I probably would have seen Mia sooner and that bastard would have stayed away.
Jessa leans over the railing to look at the partygoers down below. The music has stopped and people are leaving. "Looks like the party's over," she says wistfully. "Cops tend to put a damper on these things." She looks at me. "You're welcome to crash here if you'd like."
"That’s generous of you," I say with surprise.
She shrugs nonchalantly. "I have blankets, couches and sleeping bags and I don't want anyone wrapped around a tree trunk."
I haven't had much to drink but I'm seriously considering her offer. The overwhelming instinct to protect Mia hasn't left me and didn't seem to be going anywhere soon.
I gesture toward a couch a few feet away from us. It's in a small reading nook just adjacent to the bedrooms.
"Is that spot taken?" I ask.
"It's all yours," Jessa says with a smile.
Just then, the police officer exits the bedroom and comes toward us.
"May I take a statement from you as well, Ms. Philips?" she asks Jessa.
"Of course," she replies and walks with the officer down the stairs.
I look toward the bedroom door and see that it's halfway open with light pouring out. Mia must still be up.
I poke my head in to see her still sitting on the bed with a blanket over her shoulders.
"Hey," I say and she looks up. I hold up the beer I poured for her. "I brought you that drink."
"Thanks," she says in a small voice and pats the bed in front of her, inviting me to sit with her.
I accept her invitation and she slowly takes the cup from me.
"It's just Bud Light," I say. "I promise there's nothing else in it."
"I'm not worried about that," she replies with a small smile and chugs the beer down.
I want to stop her, to tell her not to drink so fast. But I'm in awe that she seems to trust me already. We're still little more than strangers to each other.
"I hope you feel better. Sleep well," I say before turning to leave. Even if she trusted me, I barely trusted myself around her. My cock stiffened and pulsed with need just from sitting so close to her on a bed.
"Wait," she pleads and grabs my hand that's still on the bed. "Stay with me? Just until Jessa gets back."
Her eyes are wide and dilated. The adrenaline is still running through her and she wants to feel safe.
I nod and relax back on the bed. Her small hand still rests on top of mine, her fingers barely extending past my palm.
I'm so enthralled by her tiny, delicate hand that I don't see her leaning in to kiss me until her lips brush mine.
I look up in surprise and she smiles shyly. "I got you back for last night."
I'm fully erect now and dying to kiss her so hard that she sinks into the mattress from my bodyweight on top of her. But that would be the absolute wrong thing to do.
"We're even now," I chuckle but remain still. I will not take advantage of a girl who is not only tipsy but was just traumatized minutes ago.
But Mia doesn't stop.
She kisses me again and I can't stop from molding my mouth to hers. I let out a low moan and swipe my tongue across her lower lip. She tastes so sweet and I'm starving for her.
Her mouth opens to me and I get lost in the sensations of her taste. My tongue dances with hers as my hand cradles the back of her neck. Her skin is just as soft and warm as I imagined and I know my body is firing up too.
I'm happily drowning in the sensual softness of her lips and the little moans coming from her mouth into mine. Only when her hands slide down my chest and abs to below my waist am I yanked back to reality.
"Mia," I breathe as I halt our kiss. "This isn't a good idea."
"You saved me," she whispers back. "And you feel so good."
My dick practically jumps out of my pants but I slowly, painfully pull away from her. It's the last thing on earth I want to do but I know it's the right thing.
"You've been through a lot tonight," I tell her. "I don't want to add to that. Not until your mind is clear, at least."
Her eyes are full of lust when they look at me and I want nothing more than to take back what I just said.
"Tomorrow's another day," I say as I slowly rise from the bed. "But right now you need to rest and recover."
I make my way to the door despite everything in my body pulling me back to her like an electromagnet. As I look out the door, I see Jessa coming back down the hall.
"Goodnight, Mia," I say before exiting the bedroom and nodding to Jessa as I collapse on the couch just a few feet away.
Jessa already stacked pillows and neatly folded blankets so I remove my shirt and jeans and settle in for the night on the worn leather couch.
With a sigh, I wonder if Mia will remember everything that transpired tonight. And if she would ever want to finish what we started.
CHAPTER 5
MIA
I wake up with my head pounding and my mouth as dry as a bone. My eyes focus on a ceiling that isn't mine and for one scary moment, I don't know where I am.
When I sit up, I recognize Jessa's bedroom and relief washes over me. I'm safe.
A glass of water and three ibuprofen tablets sit on a napkin next to me on the night stand. I chug the entire glass of water down and swallow the tablets before collapsing back down on the bed with a groan.
Last night is coming to me in bits and flashes. I close my eyes as I try to make sense of them. Jessa threw a divorce party, I was being anti-social against her wishes and doing nothing but serving food.
That creepy guy wouldn't leave me alone.
I shudder and pull the covers up to my chin as I recall his face and how he tried to drag me up the stairs. How did I get rid of him? Did I get rid of him?
Adam.
Oh god, Adam!
He threw that asshole down the stairs and called the police for me.
Oh yeah.
I was still drunk and I kissed him.
I groan aloud and cover my face with the covers, despite no one else being in the room to ridicule me. Still, I want to die from embarrassment. I barely know the guy and I'm not even sure if I'm okay with the kiss he gave me while I was working.
You must've been okay with it. You did the same thing right back to him.
The memories come back clearer as I lie awake and I just want to sink into the floor and disappear.
I tried to go further and he stopped me. He must not have wanted me that badly.
With a sigh, I kick off the covers and stand reluctantly to my feet. I'm still wearing Jessa's dress from last night, which is now wrinkled and twisted.
I rummage through her drawers to borrow a t shirt and some sweatpants. Thankfully we're close like sisters and have an understanding that we can always borrow clothes from each other.
As quietly as I can, I open the bedroom door and peek my head outside. Some voices are talking downstairs and I can see a neatly folded blanket with pillows on the couch in the reading nook.
Several people must have spent the night after the party. I'm just glad one certain guy spent the night in a jail cell.
I grab a clean towel from the linen closet and head to the bathroom to take a shower. Not thinking, I don't bother to knock on the door and walk
right into a mostly-naked Adam.
He's topless with a towel wrapped around his waist, standing in front of the sink and shaving his face.
"Oh, fuck!" I cry out in surprise but mainly mortified at how I must look to him first thing in the morning. "I'm so sorry!"
"Hey, Mia. Feeling better?" he asks without batting an eye at me, carefully dragging a razor over the shaving cream on his neck.
"Uh, yeah, thanks. I totally should have knocked. I'm sorry." My mouth can't stop spilling apologies and I feel like a huge idiot just standing there, practically drooling over his muscle-bound torso.
He has more tattoos on his back and on his ribcage. In the mirror I can see at least eight distinct abs on his washboard stomach. Barging in on him in the bathroom seems like a plot out of a cheesy porno but here I am in real life.
"No worries, sweetheart. Did you need something in here?" His bicep bulges as he drags the razor down his cheek and rinses it off under the tap. His back is just a big beautiful landscape of valleys and hills of muscle. I want to explore that landscape with my hands, digging into the indents with my fingers as I taste his mouth again.
"Uh, no. I was just going to shower. I'll wait until you're done though."
"You can go ahead if you want. No need to wait on me."
What?
WHAT?
"What?" I ask. I'm positive I didn't hear him correctly.
"You can go ahead and use the shower now if you want to," he repeats lightly, taking small, quick strokes with the razor under his nose. For the first time, he makes eye contact with me through the mirror. "I'll be a gentleman and not disturb you. Unless you want me to."
That last sentence stops me in my tracks. My heart is beating like crazy in my chest and I don't know what to make of what he's saying. I'm utterly confused. And turned on like never before.
All the wetness has left my mouth and I feel it collecting between my legs.
I want to do this, to see what he does, what I do. I realize my hesitation is only based in shyness, not fear. I'm not scared of Adam taking advantage of me. If he wanted to, he could have done so while I was drunk last night.
For some reason, I also trust that he’s a better man than that.
Trying to keep my cool, I move in behind him and throw my towel over the rack. When I glance back toward the sink, his attention has returned to his shaving. I push aside the shower curtain and turn the water on.
My throat is parched and my blood is pounding in my ears. I still don’t know if I’ll have the courage to take my dress off with him in the room, even if it’s for a split second before I hide behind the curtain.
The mirror is fogging up and he wipes at it with a hand towel before continuing to shave. Meanwhile the towel around his waist nearly looks ready to slip off.
I stick my hand under the running water from the shower head. It’s warm and ready.
Taking a deep breath, I peel off my dress and underwear as quickly as I can before hopping into the shower and pulling the curtain closed. I have no idea if he looked at me or not. I didn’t dare check.
The hot water is incredibly relaxing as it pours over my shoulders. I close my eyes and stand under the stream, trying to not think about the insanely hot man on the other side of the curtain.
After a few minutes, I hear the faucet turn off. I listen hard for the door opening and closing but the sound never comes.
“Hey, Mia?”
I nearly jump out of my skin and slip on the wet tile. Adam’s voice is right on the other side of the shower curtain, sounding like velvety thunder.
“You alright in there?” He must have heard my stumble.
“Yep, fine!” I could not be any less graceful if I tried.
There’s a pause and then he asks, “Would it be alright if I joined you?”
Oh my god, is this really happening?!
I’m excited, nervous, and horny as hell. Could I possibly be reading into this? What if he has to go to work and is just in a hurry? He doesn’t sound hurried though. What does he actually want?
A small voice reminds me that it doesn’t matter what he wants. He’s asking permission. I’m the one in control. He won’t do anything I’m not comfortable with.
At this point though, I don’t think there’s any going back. He wanted my mind to be clear and it is now.
I take a deep breath and open my mouth to respond.
“Yes.”
CHAPTER 6
ADAM
I smile to myself as I drop the towel from around my waist and push the shower curtain aside. Mia’s naked, dripping wet body is a lovely sight to behold even if she’s shy, covering herself and turning to the side. She makes a big point of not looking at me, trying to be casual and nonchalant about two nearly-strangers naked in the shower together.
“Don’t hog all the water now, sweetheart,” I rib at her.
“Sorry,” she mutters and moves out from under the stream.
“No need to be sorry,” I tell her. “I’m certainly not.”
I move underneath the showerhead, tantalizing close to her bare, wet skin. She’s a good foot shorter than me so I get a clear view of her shoulders, neck and chest, the water making small rivulets over her skin that I want to trace with my tongue.
“Hand me the body wash, will you?” I ask, reaching to the small shelf just outside with clean washcloths and I grab two.
She holds out the bottle to me while only glancing out of the corner of her eye, still covering her breasts with her other arm. I wet the washcloths and squirt a dollop of soap onto each one, handing her one of them.
“Thanks,” she mutters, her eyes darting up to me nervously.
“No problem,” I say with a smile and step toward the back of the shower to soap myself up and give her a few feet of space.
She seems to relax while I’m a bit further away even though I have a nice, full view of her. My dick steadily rises as I watch her run the washcloth across her chest and belly, up and down her arms and legs, and around her neck. She remains facing away from me, still hiding her chest but her ass is a round, perfect peach.
My tongue is thick and my voice is husky when I ask, “Would you like me to scrub your back?”
She hesitates, her hand pausing in midair with the washcloth as I see a red flush creep up her neck and not from the hot water.
“Sure,” she says.
I step closer behind her, my throbbing cock just inches away from that sweet round ass. Gently I move her hair to the front of her shoulder and move my washcloth across the skin of her neck and upper back.
She lets out the softest sound, like a tiny sigh of contentment as I press on her back in circling motions and move slowly lower.
“Feels good?” I ask, my voice low and lusty. Fuck, I wish I could see her facial expression.
“Mm-hm,” she replies. “Like a professional massage.”
“I’m told it’s one of my talents.”
I’m gently scrubbing toward her lower back now. The soap suds collect in the sweet, delicate curve just above her perfect perky ass. I just want to grab those ass cheeks and pull them back toward my cock but I keep my hands a respectful distance away. The last thing I want to do is make her feel assaulted again.
She looks over her shoulder at me as I finish. “Want me to get yours?”
I grin impishly as I turn around to face the opposite wall. “Thought you’d never ask, sweetheart.”
My raging hard-on calms down a little with nothing but tiled wall in my view, but it jumps back up again the moment I feel Mia’s hands gently washing my back.
She starts up at my neck like I did to her, rubbing in slow methodical circles. I close my eyes to drink in the sensation of her touch. She’s gentle, hesitant at first but slowly growing firmer and more self-assured.
She moves slowly. I know she’s reading my tattoos and feeling every inch of broad muscle across my back. I wonder if she’s checking out my ass as much as I checked out hers.
Glad I
did deadlifts yesterday.
I turn around the moment she stops, and I find myself looking directly into those big, brown eyes of hers.
She’s no longer shy, no longer covering herself up before me. Her eyes are just as wide and full of lust just as much as mine are.
I cup her chin with my hand before I lean down. As badly as I want to claim her, make her mine, I need to know she wants this too.
My kiss is firm against her pillowy, wet lips. She opens her mouth to me and I swipe my tongue inside to test the waters, to see if she wants anything else inside her.
Her own tongue flicks against mine, teasing me, beckoning me in for more. I feel her hands creep up the ridges of my abdomen and around to my sides, exploring me as she draws me in closer.
The distance shrinks down to nothing between us as our hungry, devouring kisses consume us. My cock, hard as a steel rod, is sandwiched between us, throbbing against the soft skin of her belly. I cup the back of her head with my hands as I push her against the slippery shower wall.
If this shower was hot before, it’s now a burning inferno as I receive Mia’s eager little moans into my ear as my mouth travels down her neck, my hands palming her perfect tits before moving downward.
“Holy fuck, Mia,” I growl.
There’s not a single inch of this entire shower that’s as wet and slippery as she is.
Her gasp is so fucking sexy as I stroke her glistening, swollen lips, teasing her before I slide a finger into her tight wetness.
I’m so thirsty. I need to taste her.
I drag my tongue from her neck across her chest, tasting every inch of her hot skin as I curl my fingers inside her. She squirms, writhes, and moans as I grind my palm against her clit, but she’s still just long enough for me to catch her nipple in my mouth.
I flick my tongue against that hard little peak as if it were clit, giving her a preview of what’s to come. Her pussy clenches even tighter around my fingers as my mouth reluctantly lets her nipple go, moving on to her other one.
Her belly rises and falls with her ragged breathing as I kiss over it slowly, taking my time to kiss every freckle and feel the shape of her cute little bellybutton.
Her Soldier Page 3