by Anthology
“Are you ready, Mrs. Wilson?” There is a playfulness in his eyes but under that I see something that makes me squirm.
Pure unaltered passion.
Chapter Ten
I HEAR THE ALARM GO off and all I want to do is pretend that it’s a dream. I barely slept last night knowing that this morning, I would be taking him to the base and saying goodbye.
I can hear Cam moving around and my response is to simply pull the covers over my head. “Babe, you gotta get up.” I groan in response like a petulant child and refuse to move from my cocoon. “Come on.” He says as he yanks the covers away from me.
I sit up and glare at him. “You know, I could beat you right now for that.”
He laughs and walks up beside me. “Yea, but you won’t.” He leans down and kisses me. I begrudgingly get up and start to get dressed. The guys all meet at the base and that is where we will say our goodbyes to them. Today is a yoga pants and t-shirt kind of day because I know I am just going to crawl back in bed once I get home.
Neither of us say a thing the entire car ride to the base, lost in our own thoughts. Cam holds my hand but I can tell he doesn’t know what to say to me. I’m trying to hide my hurt but I can only do so much. My husband is leaving. The man that I want to spend every day of my life with is going to be gone and I’m not even sure for how long.
When he pulls into a parking spot on base and gets out of the car, I lose it. My door opens and Cam pulls me out, crushing me against his body. We stand there clinging to each other, neither of us daring to move. The other couples are around us in almost the same position. There is no talking, no laughing, just muffled cries.
I rest my head against his hard chest, listening to his heart beating. "Cam, I don't know how I'm gonna be okay with you gone. I know I said I'll be strong, but how can I?"
"Because," he looks me at me, kissing my forehead and the tip of my nose. "You're Shay Wilson. You're the woman I love and the woman who got me through the darkest times of my life. You're the strongest person I know. Baby, it's gonna be hard, but you can do this. Just remember that I'm right here." He presses his hand against my heart and I break down again. Tears stream from my eyes and his. I fucking hate the military and I fucking hate deployment. I hate the decision he made to enlist, but at the same time I'm so fucking proud of him.
"Promise me something?" His eyes are focused on mine.
"What, Cam?" I will promise him anything at this point.
"Promise me that you'll be okay. You're gonna write every day and you're gonna survive. Promise me?" He seems to be almost pleading with me.
"Then you have to promise me something?"
His arms tighten around me. "Anything."
"Promise me you'll come back to me." This is my plea.
"I promise, baby. I'm gonna come back to you.”
“All right men! Time to go!” I look to the voice and I see Jacob. He doesn’t have anyone around him, no one to say goodbye to. I look up at Cam. “I love you. Be safe.”
“Baby, I’ll come back, I’ll always come back.” He repeats the same promise that he gives me every time he has had to leave. Cam turns around and heads to the building where the other guys are entering too. I walk up to Jacob and before he can react, I give him a hug. When I pull away his face shows his confusion. “Be safe.” Is all I say before I get into the car.
I keep my composure the entire drive home, which is definitely an accomplishment. Once I get into the house I plop onto the couch and cry.
***
TODAY IS THE DAY. I wake up knowing that I will either succeed or crash and burn today. I hit publish on the book last night and see that it is live. A pit forms in my stomach as I think about checking my standings.
It’s Monday and I haven’t heard from Cam yet but I’m hoping he calls today. The house feels so empty without him, at least during his other deployments not only did we not live together but my apartment was tiny. When you only have two rooms you don’t feel as alone as you do in a big house.
I spend the entire day in front of the computer checking my standing, promoting the book, and interacting as much as I can with readers. I look over at the clock and see that it is around 4pm. My entire day has been spent in front of the damn computer. I’m still in my pajamas, let’s not even talk about what my hair looks like, and my diet today has consisted of coffee.
It all seems to be worth it though, I made it to the top ten on Amazon. The smile on my face is so big I feel like my cheeks might crack. I just want to be able to call Cam and tell him. My thoughts go back to him and I wonder what he is doing, where he is, and most of all when he will be home. I miss hearing his voice, and especially feeling his touch. When someone is a part of you, having them away is like walking around with half of you missing. I have actually thought about calling the mafia and seeing if they needed anything. I’m sure as much as I’m hurting it’s just as bad for them if not worse.
The doorbell rings and my heart stops. Every time the doorbell rings I’m terrified it will be bad news. I walk toward it as if it has explosives wired to it the entire time saying a silent prayer to myself. I open it so slowly that I’m sure whoever it is thinks I’m crazy and if they don’t they will when they see what I look like.
I breathe a sigh of relief when I see a delivery man standing at my door. “Mrs. Wilson?” He is carrying an enormous flower arraignment and I instantly know who it must be from. “Please sign here.” He holds out his electronic signature pad and I scribble my name. “Have a good day.”
I take the vase from him not realizing its weight and almost drop it.
“Are you okay with that?”
“Yea, thanks. I just underestimated how heavy it was. Have a good day!” I close the door with my foot and put the vase on the table in the living room. There is a card nestled in the bouquet.
Congratulations on releasing your book, baby.
Can’t wait to get home and celebrate you becoming a best seller.
Baby, I’ll come back, I’ll always come back.
Love, Cam
A tear falls from my eye as I read it and feel all of the love that he has for me. He believes in me so much and it feels amazing. I decide to put the vase in the window so that the flowers will hopefully last longer. That’s when I see it.
The big black SUV parked outside my house.
The two men in uniform getting out of it.
The doorbell rings again.
This time I’m not answering it.
This time I know what it means.
I collapse on the floor and curl up in the fetal position.
This isn’t real.
Taming Alec
by K.A. Robinson
Chapter One
“I HAVE NO IDEA why you decided to live here,” my mother said as she looked around my apartment, her distaste clear in her expression.
“I like it, Mom,” I said, trying to hide my annoyance.
Anything I picked out or anything I liked was never good enough for her. Never. She’d huffed and puffed for months when I told her I changed my major from pre-med to education. Time and time again, I’d been forced to listen to her lectures about how teacher salaries were nothing more than pocket change.
I didn’t care. I didn’t want to follow in her footsteps and become a doctor. I didn’t want to work long hours that would eventually destroy my marriage. I didn’t want to look down on every person who didn’t make a six- or seven-figure salary each year.
I wanted to teach. I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to walk into my classroom every day and show my students that learning was important, that they were important. I’d tried to explain that to my mom over and over, but she couldn’t understand my reasons. For a doctor, someone who should be compassionate, she lacked every human emotion I found important.
“What’s to like about it? It’s so…tiny. And look at the appliances, Rebecca. They’re white.”
Apparently, white appliances were reserved for poor people.
“I
’ll be sure to paint them before you come over next time,” I deadpanned.
She scowled at me. She wore that expression most of the time, especially when talking to me. If she smiled once in a while, the world would see how truly beautiful my mother was. But no, that damn scowl made her look cold and older.
With her light-blonde hair, blue eyes, and tiny curves, she was my complete opposite. The only thing I’d inherited from her was my tiny button nose that I hated. I looked like my dad with my black hair, green eyes, and tall frame. At five foot seven, I towered over my mother, who was barely five-three.
When I was a teenager, I’d wished that I had my mother’s build. She was so small and fragile-looking. I had hated my large chest and round hips. I’d felt fat next to her and the small girls I went to school with. My junior year of college, I’d finally accepted myself. No matter how hard I wished I could look like her, I’d known it was impossible, so I’d decided to focus my energy on loving who I was instead of ripping myself to shreds. Big hips be damned.
“You’re not funny, Rebecca.”
“Wasn’t trying to be,” I shot back as I picked up a box and carried it back to my new bedroom.
It was always like this between us. My mother ruled my life with an iron fist. She expected me to be the perfect daughter. I’d tried my hardest to please her. While earning perfect grades in high school, I’d been the star of every athletic team, played in the band, and served as the president of the student body and the Christian Club. I never drank or smoked or did drugs. I’d never gone further than kissing a boy. I was probably the oldest living virgin at twenty-three—with the exception of nuns.
But it was never enough for her. Whatever I did, she always found a flaw. She had treated my father the same, eventually driving him away. After the divorce, I’d hated him for a long time. He’d left me completely alone with her when he moved across the country from West Virginia to Washington.
Looking back now, I couldn’t really blame him for running. Hell, I should have run, too, but I hadn’t been able to bring myself to do it. The only thing I’d ever done to defy my mother was getting a teaching degree. I was one hell of a rebel.
When I returned to the living room, my mother was still standing in the same spot, looking at her cell phone. I ignored her as I walked toward the tiny pile of boxes on the floor. Since I was moving out from a dorm and right into a new apartment, I didn’t have a ton of stuff. Sure, I had enough clothes and makeup to keep me going for years, but I lacked everything else.
I glanced back at my mother. Maybe I was being too hard on her. Despite her protests about the apartment, she’d paid my rent for the first six months and put enough cash in my bank account to keep me going until my first paycheck rolled in. I knew she loved me, but she had a shitty way of showing it.
She tore her attention away from her cell phone. “I need to go. Do you need help with anything else?”
I gave her a blank stare. I wasn’t sure exactly how she’d helped me since showing up half an hour ago. She’d watched as I’d unloaded the boxes from her car and mine before I’d carried them up the stairs to my second-story apartment. I couldn’t even say she’d given me moral support since all she’d done was complain about my new home.
I finally said, “I’m good. I only have a few more boxes in my car. I can carry them up on my own.”
She nodded. “All right. Well, have fun. Call me tomorrow, and let me know how your first day of work went.”
“I will.” Not.
I walked her to the door. She surprised me when she hugged me briefly before walking away.
My stomach rolled as I thought about work. Tomorrow would be my first day as an official teacher. I still couldn’t believe that I’d landed a full-time gig right out of college. Sure, I’d graduated at the top of my class, but teaching jobs were few and far between.
When I’d applied at the local high school, I’d expected to be turned down, so I’d been shocked when I was called in for an interview and then when they called me back to offer me the position. That had been a month ago. Since then, I’d gone through a background check, including being fingerprinted, for my new job. After finally being cleared, I’d had a week to rush to set up my new classroom.
I was scared to death of the juniors I would be teaching history to tomorrow. Student teaching was one thing because I’d had a seasoned teacher to help me, but being in charge of a bunch of teenagers sent my heart racing away in terror. I would be on my own, and I couldn’t help but worry that they would eat me alive before the first week was over.
I was still thinking about my new job as I stepped out of my apartment and closed the door behind me. I hurried down the stairs and out to the parking lot where my car was. The black Range Rover was a high school graduation present from my mother. From the moment I’d seen it, I loved it. I’d even declined when my mother recently offered to buy me something newer now that it was four years old. My car was my baby.
I grabbed one of the boxes and carried it up to my apartment. Just as I reached my door, I looked up in surprise when the door directly across the hall from mine opened. A man stepped out and looked up, his gaze colliding with mine.
Whoa.
I stared at him, unable to tear my gaze away from his dark hair, blue eyes, and full lips. He wore a pair of black jeans and a dark gray shirt that hugged his chest. I envied that shirt. I wanted to be that shirt. Tattoos ran down the length of both his arms, and under his lower lip were two piercings. Everything about him screamed bad boy and danger, from the way he held himself to the fierce expression on his face. My body shouted at me to run away while simultaneously ordering me to attack him and rip off his clothes. Lust clouded my vision, and I took a step back.
We watched each other, neither of us saying a word.
Suddenly, he cleared his throat. “You must be my new neighbor. I’m Alec.”
His voice, deep but smooth as silk, pulled me from my stupor.
Feeling like a fourteen-year-old girl with her first crush, I hastily set the box down by the door and held out my hand toward him. “I’m Rebecca.”
He stared down at my hand for a moment before taking it. My eyes widened as a jolt of electricity shot through my body. If he’d felt it, too, he gave no indication. Instead, his eyes swept down my body, stopping briefly on my chest. With his eyes burning a trail across my body, I’d never been more conscious of my curves than I was now. I felt my face warm as I pulled my hand away.
When I caught him staring at my chest again, another emotion coursed through my body—annoyance. “My eyes are up here, you know,” I said, surprising myself for speaking up.
His eyes found mine again, and he smiled. “Oh, I know where they are. I just wasn’t concerned with looking at them.”
My mouth dropped open in shock. I felt like a bucket of ice-cold water had been dumped over my head, effectively ending my lust-filled thoughts. “Seriously?” I asked incredulously. Asshole.
The grin never left his face, as he stood there without saying a word.
“You know, as far as first impressions go, yours sucks,” I told him flatly.
He laughed before glancing down at the box by my feet. “Can I make it up to you by helping you carry your stuff up?”
I shook my head as I narrowed my eyes at him. “No, thanks. I think I can handle it.” I picked up my box and opened my apartment door without looking back at him.
He chuckled under his breath. “Looks like this building finally got interesting.”
***
I COULDN’T SLEEP. Between my fear of what tomorrow would bring and my encounter with my new neighbor, my mind refused to shut down. My visions alternated between my students lighting me on fire while dancing around me to Alec’s blue eyes and dangerous smile.
I had no doubt that his smile had brought many women to their knees. Even I, Miss Priss, had been affected by him—at least, at first—but his arrogance and womanizing demeanor had put an end to my lust-filled thoughts.
>
Still, I couldn’t help but feel shocked over my initial reaction to him. I’d spent the last eight years of my life surrounded by the popular crowd, which was full of beautiful girls and sexy guys. I’d even gone out on dates with a few of them—the guys, that was. I wasn’t into chicks.
None of them had affected me the way Alec had. It was as if his mere presence had shot lust signals down to my lady bits. I hated that he’d gotten to me so easily. I wasn’t into bad boys. I never had been. While my friends had taken several rides on the wild side throughout the years, I’d never felt inclined to do so. In fact, I’d been the one warning them that all they’d end up with were broken hearts. And I’d been right every time.
I closed my eyes again and forced thoughts of pyromaniac students and Alec from my mind. I had to sleep, or I’d never survive tomorrow. After a few minutes, I finally felt that wonderful feeling just before sleep takes hold, like my body was weightless. I relaxed further into my bed and smiled to myself.
Sleep. Finally.
I sat straight up in bed when I heard the most god-awful sound of my life. I strained my ears and realized it was music—no, not music. It was heavy metal–screaming crap. Music did not sound like that.
Where the hell is it coming from?
I stood and began walking toward the living room. With each step, the screaming music became clearer.
Is it coming from inside my apartment?
I stopped next to the front door. It sounded like it was coming from the hallway. Annoyed, I threw the door open, expecting to see a band playing right outside my door. The hallway was empty, but I knew exactly where the sound was coming from.
I glared holes into Alec’s door, noticing the tiny amount of light escaping from under his door. It had to be past three in the morning, and he was blaring that shit. I stomped across the hall and stopped in front of his door. I raised my fist to beat on the door, not caring that I was in a ridiculous pair of pink pajamas. My fist hit the door, and I sucked in a surprised breath when it opened. Apparently, he hadn’t shut it all the way.