Surviving for Us

by Lauren Nicole

  This is new to me. I haven’t heard anything about this.

  “We have a half day of school on New Year’s Eve then we’re off until the second. That would be fun if y’all could come up. There’s a hotel right on base or even one right outside the gate,” Chase says excitedly.

  The three of us decide to make our plans to go up later this week. Jenn keeps looking at me like she knows something is up.

  Once we all finish, Chase and I go by the grocery store because he wants to make me dinner while I finish my Christmas preparation. We get back to my house and he unloads the bags from the truck. I pull a couple of beers from the fridge and hand one to him as we walk over to the couch.

  He pulls me close to him. “Are you going to come with Chris and Jenn next week?”

  “Probably, I have all of next week off, so I don’t see why I can’t.” He leans over and kisses me softly. Since we have some time before dinner, I put on National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. After a couple of hours of laughing our asses off at the movie, I get up to start wrapping the plethora of gifts I have. I am about half-way through when he gets up to start dinner.

  “Do you need any help?” I ask him when he walks away.

  “Nope, you just finish your wrapping, and I’ll cover dinner,” he yells from the kitchen.

  Wow, a man that can cook. I might just have to keep him around.

  About an hour later, Chase comes back to find me buried in wrapping paper and gifts. “Hey, Angie, dinner is ready.”

  Perfect timing, I just finished my last present and am starving. I walk into the dining room and he has a candle lit and flowers in the middle of the table. I’m pretty sure my mouth drops open.

  “What is all this?” He comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and placing his chin on my shoulder.

  “This is me making a romantic night with my girl. I made us chicken alfredo, and I got us a bottle of wine. I wanted to do something nice for you,” he says in my ear.

  I can’t believe he went to all this trouble for me. It’s so thoughtful and romantic. I turn in his arms and kiss him. “Thank you,” I mumble against his lips.

  “Don’t need to thank me. Come on, let’s eat before it gets cold.” Grabbing my hand, he leads us to the table. He even pulls out my chair for me. Wow, what a gentleman. I didn’t know men still did that.

  When I take my first bite I must have let out a moan, because I look up and see Chase staring at me with desire in his eyes. “Keep making noises like that, baby, and see what happens.”

  I just smile sweetly at him and turn my attention back to our supper. It’s seriously the best I’ve had and practically melts in my mouth. “Oh my, Chase, this is so freaking amazing. Where did you learn to cook like this?”

  “My mom taught my siblings and me. Said we needed to know how to cook when we live on our own. I remember this one time, she was teaching me how to make pancakes, and I turned the mixer on high. I got batter all over the kitchen, but not once did she get mad. She just laughed and helped me clean it up.”

  You can see the love he has for his mom as he tells me about her. We finish up dinner and I shoo him to the living room so I can handle the cleanup. I join him back on the couch as we settle on another movie. The gift bag on the coffee table grabs my attention.

  “Um, Chase, what is that?”

  “It’s your Christmas gift.” He grabs the bag and hands it to me.

  “I didn’t get you anything, you shouldn’t have.”

  “I know I didn’t have to, but I wanted to.”

  I remove the bright red tissue paper and pull out a soft brown bear holding an Amazon gift card. “Aww, thanks so much,” I say against his lips while I kiss him.

  “You’re welcome, baby.”

  This Christmas Eve has been one of the best ones I have had in a long time. I wake up when Chase lifts me to bring me to bed. I must have fallen asleep on him again.

  “Stay with me?” I ask sleepily.

  “Of course I will.”

  Since I have gym shorts on I don’t bother to change. Chase takes off his shirt and unbuckles his belt, letting his pants fall to the floor. Oh holy mother of God his body is to die for. If I weren’t so tired I would jump his bones right now. He slides into bed with me and brings me over to him; his chest to my back.

  He whispers in my ear, “Sleep tight, pretty girl.”

  “Goodnight, Chase.” My eyes drift close, and I’m back to sleep.

  Chapter 12

  Chase

  I am so excited for tonight and getting to spend New Years with my girl. Chris and the girls should be arriving in a few hours. My time home for Christmas was absolute perfection. Spending the night with Angie and being able to hold her all night was like a dream. Waking up with her tangled in bed with me was more than I could have hoped for. I left her that morning, and went to both my mom’s and dad’s for a bit. She took me back to the airport the next day, and I kissed her goodbye like my life depended on it, even though I knew I was going to see her this week. They got a hotel right off base, so I plan on staying with them tomorrow night. I can’t tonight because training begins early tomorrow morning, but at least I’ll have some time to see them tonight. Angie and I have talked every night since I left.

  In the cab, on the way over to the hotel, I call Angie to find out her room number. When I knock on the door she answers it and is on me before I can even say hi. I catch her just in time as she wraps her legs around my waist and kisses me. God, I have missed her. It’s only been a week, yet it feels much longer than that. I walk her into the room, kicking the door shut, and turn, pushing her up against the door.

  “Well, hello to you too, gorgeous,” I mumble against her lips.

  She blushes. “Sorry, didn’t mean to attack you.”

  “Nothing to be sorry for, I enjoyed it.” Letting her down, I look around for our friends. “Where are Chris and Jenn?”

  “They’re in the room next door. We got two rooms. I didn’t want to hear them humping like monkeys this trip. Plus, I figured you’d sleep here with me tomorrow night.”

  She starts biting her lip. I’m guessing it’s because she’s nervous about my answer. “There is nowhere else I would rather be than here with you, baby. I’m really glad we aren’t sharing a room with them either.” She must be able to read through the lines because her face begins to flush. God, I want her so bad.

  “What’s the plan for tonight? I have school until eleven tomorrow then I’ll come back here and meet y’all.”

  “I don’t know, let’s call Chris and Jenn, or just walk over there.” She lies back on the bed.

  I pull out my phone and send Chris a text.

  Me: Hey, I’m over with Angie. What’s the plan for tonight?

  Chris: I figured we could grab dinner and then just hang out here since you have training tomorrow.

  Me: Sounds good. When do you want to go?

  Chris: Meet us in thirty.

  “We’re going to dinner, then coming back here to hang out,” I say to her as I lie down beside her and pull her closer to me so we’re on our sides, our faces merely inches apart. I just can’t help myself—I need to touch her. It happens every time I’m around her.

  “Okay, sounds good.” She makes no move to get up and get ready, so I lift her chin up and bring my lips down to her. Her hands immediately go to my head as I run my hand down her body, back up her thigh and under her shirt. Her skin is so smooth and silky. My rough hands glide perfectly over her toned stomach. She moans into my mouth and I grip her hip even harder than I already was. I skim my hand up and under her bra, lightly touching her breast. I can feel her nipple harden under my thumb as I stroke it. She runs her hands down my back and up my shirt.

  Our moment gets interrupted by someone knocking on the door. “Fuck,” I say as I pull away. She looks completely embarrassed. “Mmm, baby, we’re finishing this later.” I give her one more quick kiss then hop off the bed to get the door.

  No surpri
se, Jenn and Chris are standing there, knowing smirks on their faces. “I thought I said thirty minutes. What are you guys doing?” Chris says, teasingly.

  What an arrogant ass.

  Before I can even answer him, Jenn speaks up. “Oh shut up, Chris. It’s none of your business. We just got done ourselves,” she says like it’s no big deal.

  I burst out laughing and grab Angie by the hand, making our way to the car.

  “So what is around here for restaurants, Chase?” Jenn asks me.

  “Pretty much what we have back home. I’m game for anything that isn’t base food.”

  Angie sits quietly next to me. I lean over and whisper: “You okay, sweetheart?” She smiles and nods. Placing my hand on her leg, I start running it up and down her thigh. I can tell she wants more by the little noises she’s making. I can’t wait to hear her moaning my name…

  All too soon we are pulling into the restaurant, breaking me out of my thoughts. I grab her hand as she exits the vehicle. The four of us make our way into the restaurant and take a seat. It’s almost like we haven’t gone days without seeing each other. I’ve missed hanging out with my friends and having easy conversations about nothing in particular.

  After dinner we head back to the hotel to hang out until I have to return to base. We all go over to Jenn and Chris’s room. I take a seat on the sofa and pull Angie down to my lap, running my hand up and down her back.

  “Hey, man, do you want me to drive you back?” Chris offers. “We can stop at the front gate and get a visitor’s pass then.”

  “Yeah, that sounds good. There’s a new club that just opened up, and I figured we could go there tomorrow night,” I suggest. They all agree it’s a good idea. Getting up to leave, I pull Angie into a hug while kissing her lips softly. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” I say.

  “Okay,” she whispers and gives me another soft kiss, leaving me wanting more.

  I want nothing more than to take her back to her room and show her just what that sexy body is doing to me. But for now I have to go back.

  “If you want I can come back tomorrow and get you. Just let me know what time,” Chris says on the drive back to my barracks.

  “That’d be great. Be here around eleven forty-five.” Hopefully, Angie will come with him to pick me up. I’m looking forward to spending tomorrow night with her in my arms. Once I’m in bed I decide to send Angie a goodnight text.

  Me: Sleep tight, I will see you tomorrow. xoxo

  She replies almost instantly.

  Angie: Same to you. Can’t wait for tomorrow night.

  I try to fall asleep, but my thoughts are focused on her.

  Chapter 13

  Angie

  I wake up to a dip in the bed. Who the hell is in my hotel room? I jolt up and start hitting the hard wall in front of me.

  “Whoa, whoa, Angie, it’s me. Chase.”

  I instantly relax when I hear his voice. “Sorry, what are you doing here? I thought you had school this morning” I say breathlessly.

  He leans over and kisses me. “I’m done and Chris picked me up. He gave me the key to your room.”

  I look at the clock and see it’s after noon. Wow, I never sleep this late.

  “Come on, up you go. I brought us lunch,” he says happily.

  I don’t really want to get out of bed, but my stomach starts growling, reminding me that I am hungry. “Okay, but let me brush my teeth first.” I walk to the bathroom as he begins to place our food out. Looking in the mirror at my reflection, I flinch. Wow, I look like hell. My hair is all over the place and my skin is pale. After brushing my teeth, I fix up my hair a bit then splash some water on my face to bring back some color. By the time I exit Chase has lunch set up on the little table in the room.

  “Mmm, this looks great. I’m so hungry, thank you.” We eat in silence for the most part. When we are done, I get up and throw our trash away. As I’m walking by Chase grabs me and pulls me down on his lap. Placing his rough hands on my face, he leans down and kisses me deeply. I am beginning to love his kisses. I run my hands through his hair, which is a tad longer than normal. I have to say that I love that.

  “What do you want to do? Chris and Jenn are going on base to look around.”

  He begins to travel his lips down my neck. Gosh, that feels so good. “Umm.” I can’t think when he does this. “Yeah, that sounds good, we can go with them. I just need to, umm, shower first,” I say between breaths.

  “Can I join you?” I hear the laughter in his voice.

  Laughing, I shake my head at him. I know what would happen if he were to join me. I would attack him. I know I would. I am trying so hard not to do it right now, but if I saw him naked all bets would be off.

  “Calm down, Casanova. I’m getting up. You hang out until I’m done.” He groans in protest. I can’t help but laugh again. I give him one more quick kiss and get up.

  Once I am showered and dressed, we head next door and grab Jenn and Chase. “Hey, guys, are you ready to head out?” I ask them when they open the door.

  “Yep, let me grab my purse and phone,” Jenn says.

  We make it on base and first check out where he sleeps. This would suck, to not have that much privacy when you want it. I look at his dresser and see a picture of the two of us. It looks like it was taken the night of the house party. He’s staring down at me while I look up at him. We look like two people in love, if you didn’t know us. “Where did you get this?” I ask him.

  He turns and smiles at me. “Jenn took it and gave it to me before I left.”

  Wow, I’m shocked. I didn’t know she had taken any pictures that night. I look over at Jenn who just smiles.

  We walk out of the barracks and head over to the post exchange. It’s a store that’s sells pretty much everything, except they call it PX. We spend the day just driving around and looking at stuff on base. Around five we had back to the hotel to get ready for dinner and a night out. Unfortunately, it’s kind of cold, so I can’t wear a dress like I planned. Since I took a shower earlier, all I need to do is my hair and makeup.

  “I am going to get in the shower, feel free to join me if you want,” he says in my ear, followed up with a few kisses placed along my jaw, neck and lips.

  I chuckle at his second attempt, knowing we are walking a fine line. Every nerve ending in my body stands on end, begging me to take him up on his offer. I have never slept with a guy this early into the relationship, but I just can’t ignore the connection we share. Maybe tonight it will happen. I gave him a gentle shove toward the shower and hear him chuckle as he closes the door behind him.

  I start doing my hair. That alone takes thirty minutes to do. I have on a pair of dark skinny jeans with an off-the-shoulder black top. I paired it with my favorite pair of pink stilettos. When I hear the bathroom door open, I turn to look at him. Damn, he looks good. He has on a pair of dark jeans and a white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

  He lets out a low whistle. “Baby, you look absolutely stunning.” He comes up behind me, smelling like soap and cologne.

  “You don’t look so bad yourself, handsome.” I lean up and brush my lips against his, but I pull away before my emotions get the best of me. At an attempt to redirect my energy, I grab my stuff and tidy up quickly. As we exit the room, Chase stops me and takes a picture of us with his phone.

  We had all decided we wanted to be able to have a good time, and not worry about driving, so we called a cab. But a twenty-minute wait, the screeching of brakes, and the bright yellow paint had us reconsidering. We all piled into the car, the vinyl seats creaking underneath us as the smell of one too many car deodorizers permeated the air. We reach the local steakhouse and have yet another wait for a table. Seems like it’s everyone’s plan to eat out tonight. The club we are going to later is right across the street, so we can at least avoid another sketchy cab ride for a while. Chase keeps one hand on me at all times, either holding my hand or wrapping his arm around me, which I don’t mind one
bit.

  Once we get to the table, our waitress comes over and takes our order. Jenn and I order amaretto sours while the boys get beer. Since we’re not in any rush we order an appetizer. Chase has his arm under the table and is alternating between gentle squeezes and running his hand up and down my thigh. The ache between my thighs hasn’t stopped since this morning, and is intensifying with each touch. We spend the next couple of hours here drinking, eating and just having a great time. By the time we leave for the bar, we all have a good buzz going on.

  We arrive at the club and yet again have to wait in line to get in. Luckily, the line is short, and we only have to wait for a couple of minutes. This place is pretty neat; the walls are a deep red, there is a stage up front and a good-sized dance floor in the middle. The stairs to the left are roped off with a VIP sign. I spot an empty high-top table and head that way with Jenn, while the guys go to the bar and get us drinks. They come back with four shots of jaeger bombs and four beers. Jenn and I switched to beer so we would make it to midnight.

  “Here’s to a new year. Out with the old and in with the new,” Chris yells. We all slam back our shots.

  Some of Chase’s buddies show up and decide to join us at the table. They have a couple of girls with them. I see one of the girls keeps looking at Chase and smiling. I start to tense in his arms, not liking the way she makes me feel.

  Chase looks up to see what I’m tense over, and pulls me closer to him, placing his mouth next to my ear. “Don’t worry about her, she is trying to get you worked up. She went bowling with us that one night, and got mad because I wouldn’t pay her any attention.” He kisses me just below my ear when he’s done talking. I relax into him as he introduces us to everyone.

  Jenn and I head out to dance and get lost in the music. Jason Derulo’s “Talk Dirty To Me” comes on over the speaker. I feel two strong hands grip my waist. I’m about to shove whoever it is away but I get a whiff of Chase’s cologne. I turn my head, my eyes colliding with his blue ones. I move closer to him. With the alcohol flowing through me, I start to move against him. I can feel what my dancing is doing to him, and I love it. He has one hand gripping my hip, while the other runs over my stomach. He leans down, and places his lips against neck. Tilting my head, he begins kissing, licking and sucking all up and down my neck, from my collarbone to my earlobe. I have never before been so turned on by dancing with someone. I grind into him harder…