by Lea Hart
Chad and Willa returned with the drinks, and he put those thoughts away and decided to enjoy getting to know the woman that had his friends in knots.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Wednesday, May 2nd
“You like your throne, babe?” Both desire and shyness lit up her smile, so he gave her ass a tap and grinned as her hands moved to the headboard. The last month had been incredible on a lot of levels, but how open Willa had become was his favorite thing.
The fireworks between them had only gotten stronger, and now they also had an unrelenting hunger for one another that didn’t seem to be abating.
In fact, they couldn’t seem to get enough of one another.
His woman had him in a constant state of need, and the fact that she was riding his face was only making it worse. “Willa, you better get ready.”
Tightening his hold on her ass, he rubbed his short beard over her skin, making her moan and push into his face. Rasping his tongue over the lips of her pussy, he licked up her nectar and felt himself about to go off.
Her taste always affected him the same way, and he needed to get her off, so he could bury himself deep inside her body. Gripping her hips to halt her movements, he sucked her clit into his mouth and prayed he didn’t cum all over himself. Her jerking movements stilled, and he knew she was about to go over. He gave her a little more pressure and then sucked her orgasm out of her body and drank down her nectar.
“I’m ruined…”
“We’re only getting started.” He flipped her over, so she was face down on the bed and used his knees to spread her legs, thrusting his cock home.
“Chad!”
Hearing his name said with so much reverence made him spurt some cum. Gritting his teeth, he threw his head back. “Do you like it when I take over and do whatever I want to your body?”
“Yes,” she shouted in response.
“Get ready then, because I’m going to show you how much you belong to me.” Making his point, he slid in harder, making his cock touch her womb.
Her hands went to the headboard again, and he knew it was her sign that she wanted him to fuck her harder.
His very own dirty girl.
Dropping down further, he gave her some of his weight and used his knees to spread her wider. He had to get in as deep as he could, and his chest covered her back as he grabbed a handful of hair.
She turned her head, so her neck was exposed, and he took full advantage and put his teeth on her skin. He nipped and kissed her soft skin and then moved to her shoulder. “Do you want it, babe?”
“Quit playin’, Chad.”
“Say it,” he grunted as he thrust into her tight pussy over and over. The headboard knocked against the wall as her body gripped him as though she was worried he’d leave.
Never going to happen.
“Please, make me come.”
Hearing her words made his need ratchet up, and his fingers dug into her hair as her ass lifted to meet his thrusts. Harder and deeper, he made sure there was nothing separating them. “Take all of me, Willa.”
She cried out with a wild moan and climaxed as her body gripped him in a vise-like hold. He kept thrusting and rocking as her body pulled his orgasm from his body. His cock swelled even more, and he let out a loud groan as he ejaculated inside her. Long streams jetted into her body and a part of him wished they were ready to make a baby together.
He dropped to his side, so he wouldn’t crush her and pulled her into his arms, keeping them connected. His chest was against her back and he ran a string of kisses over her skin and inhaled. “Closer,” he murmured as he wrapped a leg around hers and spread her open. Reaching down, he spread her open and strummed her clit, unable to stop touching her.
“Come one more time for me, babe.”
“Impossible,” she mumbled.
“Never. I want you to have as much of my seed as possible, so come again and suck all my cum into your body.” Giving her the touch he knew worked, soon she was coming, and his body responded by giving her another stream of cum. Her pussy sucked it in and he kissed her softly. “I love you, Willa.”
She stilled in his arms and looked over her shoulder. “It’s only been a month.”
“I knew in the first week.” He trailed his finger down her cheek and nodded. “You’re it for me.”
She moved out of his hold and rolled over and ran her hand down his face. “I love you, too.”
The sexy satisfied smile that accompanied the statement made his chest warm. Fuck, his girl felt the same thing he did. He watched her eyes water and pulled her closer. “Nothing to be scared of, babe. We’re destined for one another, and we’ll handle whatever comes our way.”
“Even deployment?”
Feeling the satisfied, happy mood dissipate with the word deployment, he knew they were going to have to face her fear at some point. “I just found out my results from the CPO exam and I passed, so I’m eligible to enter the CPU 365 Phase II.”
Moving away, she sat up and took his hands. “Congratulations, that’s amazing.”
“Do you know what it means?”
Tilting her head, she smiled. “All I know is that it’s the highest commissioned rank for an enlisted man.”
“Yeah, it’s definitely that, but more importantly, it’s going to give me a chance to have a decent career after I get off the boats.”
“I think you’d be a great leader and I’m not saying that because of how much of an effective one you are in the bedroom.” Giving him a once over, she licked her lips. “You are certainly capable.”
He ran his hand along her leg and grinned. “Damn, woman, you sure know how to make a man feel like a king.”
She moved her fingers through his hair and shrugged. “You may think that all I’m interested in is your dirty mouth and naughty ways, but that’s not true. The fact that you put your life on the line for this country is maybe one of the most appealing things about you.”
Moving his hand higher, he gave her a wink. “I thought you loved me because of how much I like to get my mouth on your pussy and make you scream my name.”
Pushing his hand away, she let out a laugh. “You are so dirty!”
“But you love it; don’t try and deny it.”
“My goodness, I don’t know what to say.”
“That is a big lie because, not ten minutes ago, you were telling me harder, deeper, and faster while your ass pressed against me.”
He watched her fall back on the bed as she pulled a pillow over her head and started groaning. “You can hide from the truth, but it’s never going away.”
She lifted the pillow and gave him the stink eye. “For the love of all that is good and right in the world, please stop talking.”
Her red face was pretty damn funny, but he knew he’d said as much as he could. “What would make you feel better about my deployment?”
“You not going.”
“Other than that.”
Moving over, she rested her head on his chest and ran her finger up and down his skin. “What is your favorite part of the job?”
“Other than having the best adventure of my life and doing cool shit, I’d have to say it’s participating in the war on terrorists. Everyone knows this threat is never going to end, and if I can do some small part in making this country safe, then I am more than happy to participate.” He looked down and saw nothing but love and acceptance in her eyes and knew she respected what he did.
But she was a woman who’d lost her parents, and one of them had been because of combat. There wasn’t an easy answer for them, but he believed the love that they had for one another would help them find a way.
One way or another, they were going to be together, and all he had to do was convince her he’d do everything he could to come home after every deployment.
“How will your job change when you become a CPO?”
“I’ll still be handling a fifty cal machine gun on occasion, but most likely I’ll be running the op from the moment
we fast rope into our boats off the Chinook.”
Cringing, she buried her head in his chest. “How in the world do you drop into a RIB that’s hovering three hundred and fifty feet above the ocean while the helo tries not to get weathervaned into kingdom come?”
Letting out a snort, he pulled her closer. “I see someone has been googling shit.”
“I like to do my homework, and since I didn’t know much about what you did on a daily basis, I thought I would read up.”
Lifting her chin, he kissed her nose. “I love the hell out of you for a thousand reasons, and I’m not ever letting you go.”
“Then you better plan on being super safe when you’re out there in the world because you have my heart and if you leave me then I’ll be destroyed.”
He buried his face into her hair and knew she wasn’t being dramatic. She wasn’t prone to overstatements, and he could tell that this love thing they had going scared her as much as it did him. So, all he could do was make sure he lived until they were old and gray, so they could make all their dreams come true.
They were fated to be together, and he didn’t plan on messing with God’s plan.
CHAPTER NINE
Friday, May 5th
Willa walked into her apartment and dumped her bag on the table and looked around. “Time to get back to my routine,” she said to herself as she noticed a bit of dust on the bookcase. Maybe if she got her apartment cleaned, she’d feel better about the phone call she’d had with Chad earlier.
He was cleared for duty and his date of deployment would soon be announced, and she was freaking the hell out. Why in the world had she let herself fall in love with a man who had a better than average chance of dying?
A big part of her wanted to end it now so she wouldn’t have to stand over his grave.
Morbid and fatalistic?
Damn straight.
But, she’d already done it with both her parents, so she knew exactly what it felt like to see a loved one buried. Sometimes, she could recall the sound of the dirt hitting the top of the coffin with perfect clarity.
The day her mother was buried was the day she understood the desire to crawl into the ground and join the person you lost.
How could she put herself in a position to possibly feel that again?
She walked into her bedroom and got changed, noticing how many pictures there were of her and Chad. One month together and she already had three on her bureau. Picking one up, she rubbed her finger over his face and felt herself smile.
A handsome, brave man who made her laugh wasn’t someone she could let go, but how was she supposed to hold on if she knew what there was ahead of her?
She set the picture back down and felt all her fears spin in her head and knew that the anxiety she’d battled for most of her life was taking hold.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to remember all the coping techniques she’d learned over the years. Her heart began to race, and she sat down on the edge of the bed and closed her eyes, breathing in and out slowly.
The crazy jumble of fears raced around her head, and she knew they were just thoughts and not reality. The best thing she could do was get herself busy, so she could focus on a task. Taking five more breaths, she stood and shook out her hands.
“Kitchen,” she said firmly. There were always things to clean and organize in there, and if she couldn’t be in control of what happened between her and Chad, then she was damn well going to have a clean fridge.
An hour had passed, and she had half her cupboards emptied and was about to start wiping down her spice bottles when there was a knock at her door. Grumbling, she stepped out of her kitchen and swung open the door and saw Chad giving her a worried smile. “Hey.”
“Babe, are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
Moving her out of the doorway, he walked in and opened his arms. “We haven’t spent one night together all week.”
Ignoring his open arms, she spun around and stepped into her kitchen. “I’ve let my chores go and need to get back on schedule.”
“Okaaaay,” he replied as he closed the front door.
“I can’t be spending all my time with you and let my life fall apart.” She saw his hurt expression and flapped her arms. “I’m having a bad day, and you should go home.”
He walked into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her head. “We have bad days together, so I’m not going anywhere.”
Feeling the heat of his body and hearing the steady beat of his heart calmed some of her thoughts, and she knew letting him go would be impossible. “Chad…”
“Whatever it is, we can handle it.”
“Don’t be too sure about that.” She stepped out of his embrace and went through her Tupperware lids, matching them to the corresponding containers.
“You want to tell me what’s going on?”
“I’m organizing my Tupperware.”
“Yeah, I can see that, but I’m asking about the thing that has you half off the rails. I see your shaking hands and can hear your teeth grinding, so I’m guessing something is bothering you beyond having your plastic organized.”
“You don’t know that; maybe I like knowing where things are, so when I’m looking for my favorite blue salad bowl it will be there. I don’t enjoy scrambling in my cupboards, not sure if what I want is in there.” Feeling emotion rise, she stacked the lids by size and fought back the tears that threatened to spill.
She wasn’t going to lose it.
Not now, not tomorrow, and certainly not when Chad was deployed.
A big hand fell over hers, and she looked up and felt the first tear slip down her cheek. “I’m going to be out of my mind with worry when you’re downrange, and I just want to know that things are in order, so I can function.” He lifted her up and carried her out of the kitchen and collapsed on the couch as she cried her eyes out.
Hating that she couldn’t control her emotions, she tried to stop her tears but found it wasn’t possible. She buried her face in his T-shirt and felt his big hand rub circles on her back. “I’m sss…sorry.”
“There’s no sorry between us. You let it out and, once you’re done, we’ll sit down nice and quiet and figure out a way to handle it.”
“But…”
“No buts, Willa. We’re together and whatever we have to do to make sure it stays that way is what we’ll do.”
“I’ll try, but I want you to know that I’m scared.”
He lifted her chin and gave her a brief kiss. “Scared we can work with but pulling away will not be tolerated. You can’t keep shit inside and not give us a chance to work it out.”
“All right, I’ll do my best.” Resting her head against his chest, she let out a long breath and knew she had to tell him about her anxiety. He may not want to hang around once he heard, and it was important to let him know so he could make an informed choice.
***
Chad handed Willa a spice bottle and made sure it was the right one. She had already reminded him twice that she liked to store them alphabetically. He’d realized she had some quirks over the last month, and now that he knew she suffered from anxiety, a lot of them made sense.
What didn’t make sense was why she thought he’d stop loving her because of it. Now that he knew what they were dealing with, he could better handle situations that might trigger her. “Babe, NAB has a wives group that might be helpful for you to join. Some of the men’s wives from my team are members, and they give each other a lot of support.”
She placed a bottle on the shelf and then turned around. “But, I’m not a wife.”
“But you’re a significant other, and that’s all you need to be to join the group. One of my buddies got married last year, and he said it made a big difference for him and his wife when he was deployed.” Pulling her in, he wrapped his arms around her waist. “It sure can’t hurt, so think about going.”
“All right.” She wiggled out of his hold and opened the fridge and pulled ou
t two bottles of water. “I’m not going to ignore what’s going on, and I plan on going back to see my therapist. It may be time for me to go on meds again, no matter how much I dislike the idea. I know it’s a smart choice.”
He took the bottle she handed him and grinned. “If you want me to do some couple’s sessions, let me know, and I’ll be there.” The look of surprise she gave him would be insulting if it wasn’t funny. “Don’t look at me like I grew a second head. I’m more evolved than you think, and just because I’m a caveman in some ways doesn’t mean I’m not aware of how things work.”
When she took his water bottle and set it down, he noticed that some of the light had returned to her eyes.
The light that meant he might get lucky.
Standing on her tip toes, she looped her arms around his shoulders and smiled. “Thank you for accepting this broken part of me and showing me your support. I can’t tell you how much it means to me.”
“Always, babe.” He slid his lips over hers and took her mouth, kissing her as if it was the first time.
She threaded her hands through his hair and pulled her head away. “That was some kind of kiss.”
“Only the beginning of what I’m going to give you tonight.” He tapped her ass and grinned. “Let’s get that kitchen back together, so I can show my support in the bedroom.”
“I’ll agree only if you let me do what I want to do.”
“And what is it you want?” When her incredible gray eyes darkened, he knew he’d love whatever she had in mind.
“Everything, Chad.”
“More than happy to give it to you.” He took her mouth again and knew they had an incredible future ahead of them. It wasn’t going to be problem free, but it was sure as shit going to make them both happy.
CHAPTER TEN
Friday, July 20th
Willa held Chad’s hand as they walked out of the Naval Station and she felt her chest expand with happiness. The pinning ceremony for the new CPOs was more emotional than she expected it to be, and she still couldn’t believe she was the one who got to pin his two gold anchors to his collar.