Her Soldier

by Annette Fields

  “Thank you, sweetheart,” I murmur, pulling her in close and lowering a kiss down to the mouth I’ve been dying to taste all day, and will never taste again soon.

  Our hello kisses are usually brief but now that our limited time together is real, we stand in the doorway and savor each other for several minutes. Our lips do the talking, but not with words. She holds a tight grip on the back of my collar and I flatten my palms across the small of her back. Neither of us wants to let go.

  When we finally come up for air, she pulls back just slightly to look at me.

  “So where are they shipping you off to?” she asks, trying to keep her voice casual.

  “California,” I answer as we move inside the house. “Or in other words, twelve-hundred goddamn miles away from you.”

  “When?”

  “Friday. At the end of this week.”

  Mia bites her lip and shifts her eyes away from me.

  “Well, it’s not like we didn’t know this day was coming.”

  “I know.” I brush a strand of hair out of her face and tuck it behind her ear. “But I had no idea you would rock my world so goddamn much.”

  She let out a short laugh that sounds forced and fake.

  “You’ll find some hot beach model in California and forget all about me once you’re there.”

  “Fuck no,” I bark.

  Her eyes widen as I quickly pin her down on the couch. My hands hold down her arms above her head as I push the rest of her body down into the cushions with my own body. From the warmth of her skin and softness of her curves, my cock throbs and stiffens against my zipper. No other woman has ever got me going like this.

  “Fuck that noise,” I growl, inches away from her lips. Her round, gorgeous tits are rising and falling with her breath and her eyes are as wide as saucers.

  “I’m never going to forget you,” I tell her solemnly. “You’re unlike anyone I’ve ever met, Mia.” I bring my lips to her neck and gently suck while simultaneously pressing my rock-hard bulge against her clit.

  She cries out a sexy high-pitched moan as her hips buck against me, greedy for more pleasure. As I skim my fingers across her belly underneath her shirt, I whisper in her ear, “And I’m making damn sure you never forget me.”

  CHAPTER 11

  MIA

  It takes all my strength to not cry the last time I see him.

  He ships out first thing in the morning on Friday and I can’t go on base to see him off. So he spends the night with me and leaves at 3 am to pack his hotel room and check out.

  We lay in bed but neither of us sleep that final night. Between having the most intimate, passionate sex of my life and talking about everything and nothing, I try to ignore the part of my brain that insists I’m in love with this man.

  I relish in our final moments. Looking into his eyes with every kiss, watching in awe as his chiseled ab muscles flex as he thrusts and moves, touching every inch of him that I can so that I’ll remember his body like a photograph in my mind.

  I try to enjoy it and not fall apart at the fact that I’ll never feel this good, this fulfilled, ever again.

  He’s trying to pretend it’s like any other night together too. We’ve developed a comforting routine like a couple that’s been together a long time, rather than just hooking up for a week.

  When his alarm rings at 3:00 am, he shuts it off without a word. Neither one of us wants to say anything, to acknowledge what we have to face.

  Finally, he turns to me and sighs sadly.

  “It’s that time, sweetheart.”

  “I know.”

  He pulls me on top of his hard, chiseled body and locks his arms around me. The tips of our noses touch and his eyes are steely depths that I lose myself.

  “I’m not saying goodbye,” he tells me. “I refuse to let this be the last time I see you, sweetheart.”

  All I can do is hide my face, nuzzling into his neck. With all the new faces and opportunities he’ll have in California, why would he wait for little old me back here in Colorado?

  Honestly, living in California would be a dream for me. With areas that are more open to vegetarian cuisine and lifestyles, I would fly out there the first chance I had.

  But my first chance would be months down the line and by then Adam would likely move on from me.

  “California sounds amazing,” I say into his neck, my eyes squeezed shut to keep the tears from falling. “You’ll do great out there. And I’ll visit when I can.”

  “You better,” he said, trailing his fingertips in slow circles along my back. “I’m going to call you every day until you do.”

  I wish I can believe him but I don’t. He has no reason to.

  Lightly, he taps his hand against my bare ass. “I really gotta go, sweetheart. I can’t be late for my own damn assignment.”

  Reluctantly I slide off his body, mourning the loss of our skin to skin contact as I lay in bed and watch him dress. I watch his soft but still thick, meaty cock disappear under boxer briefs. His sexy hips and strong thighs disappear under his jeans and his sculpted abs, chest, and shoulders hide under his shirt. When he starts putting his shoes on, I throw on sweatpants and a hoodie to walk him to the door.

  He kisses my temple and we walk down the stairs together holding hands. I can’t help but cling to his fingers once we reach the door.

  “Look, thanks for everything,” I say, trying to keep from choking up. “It’s been fu-”

  “Shh.” He cuts me off by touching his thumb to my lower lip.

  “I told you no goodbyes, Mia. I mean it.”

  His mouth crashes to mine in another breath-stealing kiss. I lose myself in his strong, overwhelming sensations and presence for one more time. It feels like the rest of the world falls away.

  He breaks the kiss far too soon but keeps cupping my face and his forehead against mine.

  “I’ll be in touch, sweetheart,” he says softly before giving me one last soft kiss. “See you again soon.”

  And with that, he’s gone.

  ***

  I can’t sleep after he leaves but I can’t bring myself to cry either.

  It’s like my body and brain completely reject the notion that he’s gone. They don’t accept it. It can’t be true. He was just here. He told me it wasn’t goodbye.

  After tossing and turning for what feels like hours, I glance at my clock. It’s just after 5:30 am. Adam told me his flight departed at 0600.

  I chew my lip thoughtfully as I throw the covers back and grab my car keys. Maybe all I need is some closure.

  In the early, gray morning light I drive to Peabody Hill. It’s a lookout spot that overlooks the entire town and air base. My friends and I used to come up here in high school to drink, smoke pot and watch the planes take off and land at the base. I brought Adam here three days ago and we fucked the night away under the stars.

  Now alone, I bring my car right up to the peak, cut the engine and slowly lean against the hood as I look on below.

  A plane is on the runway looking ready for takeoff. It can only be the plane he’s on.

  It looks like a toy, no bigger than a pen from where I’m standing. The aircraft marshalls on the ground can only be seen by their glowing batons waving on the runway.

  When the plane starts moving, my heart stops in my chest. It feels like nothing in the world is moving except for that plane.

  It rolls to the end of the runway and pauses for a minute. I’m certain I’m holding my breath during the entire time.

  And then it’s going.

  Driving in a straight line, it’s picking up speed quickly. Now my heart is thundering like it’s going to burst out of my chest. It’s painful.

  Suddenly it’s in the air, flying away from me and disappearing into the clouds in no time at all. No time for me to react or feel. It hits me all at once that he’s gone.

  Only when there’s no sign of the plane left do I allow my tears to fall.

  CHAPTER 12

  MIA


  Has it really been only three weeks since Adam’s been gone? It feels like years.

  “Cheer the hell up, girl,” Jessa says, throwing a pillow at me. “You can’t still be missing him. I mean he was hot and all but you’ve gotta move on. Hot airmen are a dime a dozen.”

  “It’s not just that he was hot,” I retort. “He didn’t make me feel like being a weirdo for not eating meat. He actually liked me for who I was. And I… started falling for him.”

  “After a week?! Damn, that must have been some magical cock.”

  “It was,” I sigh wistfully.

  Adam and I did keep in touch through daily phone calls and texts for the first week at least. But lately the contact has dropped in frequency. He says the new job has him insanely busy. He’s training new mechanics round the clock and barely has time for anything else.

  I believe him. But I’m sure that’s not the only thing he’s busy with.

  Right now he’s probably got some smoking hot, aspiring actress in his lap and isn’t thinking of me at all. The thought of him kissing and touching some other woman in the same way he touched me makes my stomach churn.

  Like really, really churn.

  “Fuck, I think I’m gonna be sick.”

  A wave of nausea hits me as I run to Jessa’s bathroom, the same one where Adam and I first hooked up in the shower and my stomach wants to heave even more.

  I kneel in front of her toilet and promptly lose my breakfast. Ever the concerned friend, Jessa watches me from the doorway as I flush and try to clean up as best I can once my stomach’s empty.

  “I don’t mean to alarm you,” she says. “But did your monthly friend arrive last week? We were synced up last time so I knew it had to be around the same time this month.”

  My heart stops.

  I look up at her slowly, eyes widening.

  Her eyes grow to as big as saucers in return as her mouth drops open. My silent reply tells her all she needs to know.

  “Mia!” she shrieks. “Did you not use… anything with him?”

  “I took my pills, I swear I did!”

  I bring my palm to my forehead as I close my eyes and try to breathe. Try to remember. I usually took my birth control pill first thing in the morning. There may have been a few instances where Adam woke me up with sex and I completely forgot about taking it.

  “Fuck my life, Jess. What am I gonna do?”

  “Okay, let’s not freak out,” Jessa said, rubbing my arms comfortingly. “We don’t know for sure. Let’s go to the store and get you a test. That’s the first step. Let’s not run before we can crawl.”

  “Please don’t use that analogy,” I mutter as I grab my purse and fly out the door.

  ***

  “Thank fuck for self-checkout,” I say to myself as we leave Walgreens. I have my hood up and make sure not to make eye contact with anyone in the store.

  “Buying pregnancy tests isn’t a big deal, Mia,” Jessa says as we get in the car. “We’re in our twenties now, we’re not teenagers. It’s pretty much expected at this point.”

  “Easy for you to say,” I snap. “Your potential baby daddy isn’t a guy you’ve known for a week and who just moved to the land of Hollywood and porn stars.”

  “Sounds like pregnancy hormones talking,” she smirks.

  “Oh my God. Shut up,” I groan.

  “Lighten up, Mia. The results aren’t gonna change whether you’re flipping out or having a laugh.”

  “Fine. I’ll tear these open and take the test right here in your car.”

  “Bitch, you better not!”

  Despite the fact that I absolutely am freaking out on the inside, I’m grateful to have Jessa with me for both comic relief and moral support.

  Once we’re back at her house, she heads straight for the kitchen.

  “I’ll make us some fruit smoothies while you’re in there,” she says. “The vitamins will be good for you if the test is positive. If it’s negative, I’ll add vodka to celebrate our relief.”

  “Thanks, Jess,” I say appreciatively and head to the bathroom once again with the three different tests I bought and shut the door.

  Upon opening the first one, I realize it comes with two pregnancy tests and feel like an idiot for buying three separate ones.

  I’m surprised Jessa didn’t laugh at that. But hey, she knows I’ve never done this before.

  I read over the instructions with painstaking care, then sit on the toilet and take the first test.

  By the time I flush and wash my hands, I have no idea how I’m supposed to live through the three-minute wait for the results to show up.

  Jessa is poised holding a bottle of vodka over a blender filled with bananas, strawberries, blueberries, ice, and protein powder when I exit the bathroom.

  “Well?” she says expectantly.

  I glance at my watch. “Two more minutes.”

  “Oh yeah,” she rolls her eyes as she sets the liquor bottle down. “I forgot about this part. It’s really the worst. Well, cover your ears, missy.”

  I do as she says to drown out her impossibly loud blender as she pulverizes the fruit and ice.

  “You need to add some water to that,” I tell her. “Or milk.”

  “I’m waiting to hear on your results first,” she says in a singsongy voice, waving the vodka bottle around again.

  My watch tells me three minutes have passed and I exhale a deep breath as I go to retrieve the stick from the bathroom counter. In spite of the agonizing wait, I’m almost too afraid to look.

  I double check the instructions and feel like passing out when I see the matching result on the stick.

  Two lines.

  Positive.

  Pregnant.

  The look on my face when I glance up at Jessa must have said everything.

  She set the vodka bottle down on the counter and comes up to wrap her arms around me.

  “It’s okay,” she says soothingly while rubbing my back. “No matter what, everything is going to be okay.”

  “How?” I moan. “I mean, how am I even going to tell Adam? What is he going to think?”

  “Well.” Jessa hesitates before continuing. “Depending on what you decide to do, he may not have to know anything.”

  I know what she’s getting at and I know I can’t go through with what she’s suggesting.

  “I can’t do that, Jess. There’s no way.”

  “Okay. I’m just saying it’s one option.”

  “Not for me.”

  “Alright. Then you should tell him sooner rather than later.”

  I sigh heavily as I sink down into the couch, wishing I could just disappear into the cushions.

  “This doesn’t seem like an appropriate discussion for texts or phone calls.”

  Jessa chews her lip thoughtfully.

  “Which base is he at? Turner?”

  “Yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s that one,” I reply.

  “Let me look into it,” she says, standing up. “I might know someone who can hook you up with a flight out there.”

  I look at her. “Are you serious, Jess?”

  “Would I lie about this?” She smiled as she started up the stairs to her bedroom. “We gotta get your baby daddy in the loop! Just drink your smoothie and relax. Leave the logistics up to me.”

  I crack a smile as I lay back down on the couch. I’m so lucky to have a friend like her. A hand flies to my belly which still shows no signs of pregnancy or movement. I can only be five weeks along at the most.

  Adam’s handsome face flashes through my mind and I wonder how he will react. He’s slowly dropped contact and we’ve barely spoken in the last week. I haven’t tried calling him yet so as to not be overbearing if he’s trying to distance himself but I know I have to make that call soon.

  I just wish I knew what his reaction will be.

  CHAPTER 13

  ADAM

  I miss my sweetheart.

  The work days at my new job are long, and especially so without her. She
occupies my thoughts more than ever, despite the new responsibilities, people to meet, and places to explore. On top of supervising the new plane mechanics and emerging engineers, I have mountains of paperwork waiting for me at my desk. While I’m getting into the swing of things, I’m at work before the sun is home and not home until long after it goes down.

  I got a fatter housing allowance with the new job so I splurged on renting a house off-base with a nice yard and two extra bedrooms. No more hotel rooms and gross barracks shared with tons of other men. I figure I could get roommates if it becomes too lonely, but I like having my personal space.

  So far I have zero desire to bring any women home except for a certain one back in Colorado that I knew for all of a week.

  With my crazy work schedule I haven’t been able to call her as much in the past week, and it bugs me that she hasn’t tried to get ahold of me. She seemed to think that letting me go would be best but that was the last thing I wanted.

  Yeah, we didn’t speak a word of commitment but I’m not done with her. Maybe it’s selfish but I want to keep her. Fuck the distance and whatever else comes between us. We had something there that was more than physical.

  Still, not feeling her sensual curves against my skin is affecting me like a bad illness. I’ve never craved anyone so badly. While sitting at my desk surrounded by paperwork, all I can think about is bending her over it and pounding into that pussy with all of my might. I want nothing more than to unleash everything I’m holding in my chest when I think about her.

  Knock, knock, knock.

  I blink and rub my eyes as I’m yanked out of my daydream by a rapping at my office door.

  “Yes, come in,” I say.

  My door opens and one of my female airmen walks in and salutes. I’m still getting to know all the rookies under my command but she’s one of the attractive ones. Bright blue eyes are framed by thick mascara and eyeliner while her blond hair is pulled back in a tight bun as mandated under Air Force dress code. Her mechanic’s jumpsuit doesn’t hide her large bust or wide set hips in the slightest.