by Mia Soto
Chapter 9
It was a Saturday about noon and she was still in her pajamas. She was watching The Notebook and crying while eating Cherry Garcia from the tub and licking the icing out of Oreos. She had a graveyard of chocolate shells littered around her. Her door knocked and her heart skipped a beat.
Would he come to see her? He had seemed so adamant that they wouldn't end. Would he force her hand? It pained her to realized she hoped he would and she hoped more than anything it was him on the other side of her door. Her disappointment was acute when she opened the door to Hawkeye. Disappointment soon shifted to confusion, but she greeted him and invited him in.
He went in and glanced around before saying, “look at you two. What are you two doing to each other?” She must have looked confused because he continued. “He's gonna quit you know? He says he's not going to do this anymore if he can't have you.”
Shock. Shock was written on every part of her body. She never dreamt he'd leave his profession. She knew how proud he was to be a SEAL, how much it defined him, as much as her career didn't define her, more. “He can't do that.”
“Well he's going to. What are you going to do about it, little miss? Because you're the reason this is happening.”
She didn't like being accused unfairly. He was a big boy. If he chose to quit, it wasn't all on her. But a lot of it would be and she knew it. “Fine. I'll take care of it.”
“When?” He pressed.
“Soon. Now.”
“You gonna go see him?”
Her thoughts were racing. The chance of seeing him made her ecstatic. God, she missed him. “Yes. Yes I'll go see him and talk some sense to him.”
“Alright then.” He seemed pleased. “I'll see myself out then.”
She was confused by the spring in his step and the fact that he started whistling as he walked down the hallway to her elevators. But she ignored all that to fight back the first smile she'd wanted to crack in almost a month. This wasn't a happy thing she had to do. It didn't change anything. But she couldn't deny how excited she was to see him. And she showered and changed into a pretty shorts jumper and his favorite strappy sandals and some of his favorite perfume. And she blew out her hair like he liked before heading out. She reasoned her argument would be stronger if it didn't look like she was still pining for him.
She knocked on his door with sweaty palms. He opened it with a scowl that turned immediately to surprise. She could see behind him the table covered in beer cans and chips and ESPN playing in the background. She only had a split second to wonder if this was the guy version of The Notebook, Cherry Garcia and Oreo carcasses before he yanked her into his arms.
She was wrapped around him answering his kisses as deeply as he was giving them. She felt him turn with her and the door shut behind them. He was walking her to his bedroom slowly trying to navigate while not being able to see.
She remembered why she was there and peeled her mouth away for a moment. “You're not quitting the SEALs. Do you hear me?”
“Ok,” he agreed effortlessly before suffocating her again.
Then they hit his bed hard and started tossing away the layers between them. He was heading south on her body when she stopped him. “This isn't why I came here.”
He raised up on his arms to hover over her and disagreed, “yeah it is.”
She opened her mouth to protest and he waited with a comical brow raised. He was right. She could have called. She could have set up a meeting. He would have met her anywhere. Truth was she wanted to see him somewhere where this could happen.
He nodded his victory and headed between her legs and his soft touch and deep probing was everything she hadn't forgotten it could be. If anything else, he had ruined her for other men. It wasn't long before she cried out with an arch but he wasn't finished because he positioned himself firmly between her legs and drilled home. It was a satisfied groan than escaped her lips. He filled every free space in her body. Starting slow his strikes pushed and pulled her and she couldn't believe how quickly she built up to feeling her release again. Her legs locked around him in their sign that she was getting close. He lifted her bottom and hit her sweet spot with violent deep strokes. She wasn't normally a screamer, but she was that day and his satisfied chuckled told her he liked that. They breathed hard, touching, kissing, making up for lost time.
“I missed you so much, Baby.” He nuzzled her neck and let his hands roam her body.
“Ork, this can't change anything.”
“The hell it doesn't.” He started down her body again obviously planning to muddle her resolve with one of his relentless love making sessions.
“So we do this,” she whispered. “What do I tell your son when you don't come home?”
“Girl,” he said between flicking her nipples hard with his tongue.
“What?” She asked breathlessly holding his head.
He raised up on his arms to hover over her again. “I want a girl. Looks exactly like you. And I'll destroy any boy that comes within ten feet of her.”
The fact that the final screw had been drilled into her heart forever welding her to him must have shown on her face because he attacked her mouth ruthlessly. Then he attacked her body ruthlessly.
After he fell asleep with his head heavy on her stomach and his arms wrapped tight around her. She couldn't sleep. Her mind was racing in opposite directions of joy and terror. She loved him with all her heart. As he curled around her and slept sounder than she had ever seen him sleep, she knew it was because he trusted her and also because he was probably as mentally beat as she was after the past month.
They were home in each other's arms and them together made them calm. She still didn't think she was strong enough for this. She thought about her reaction to what had turned out to be a vicious practical joke. What if it was real? What then when there were children and memories and commitment? He shifted and snuggled her belly closer. She smiled. She'd find a way. She couldn't live without him. She stayed as still as she could for as long as possible so he could sleep. He stirred finally about an hour later raising his head with sleepy eyes.
She returned his gentle smile and added, “I love you, Aaron.”
Surprise then elation spread across his face. He raised up to press his lips to hers. His arms gathered her in tightly and she buried her face in his neck for a moment. “I'll take care of you, Lycia.” His look was intent hovering over her. She nodded.
“I'll take care of you.” She countered and a light shone in his eyes.
“It's going to be ok. I promise. You are my world and I will always come back to you.” His eyes were deep and imploring her to understand how much she meant to him.
She bit her lip and brought his face to hers for an Eskimo kiss and then rested her forehead to his. “As long as you promise.”
Chapter 10
“So Lycée had this crazy idea I was quitting the Navy.” He took a swig of beer and glanced her way. She was looking over her shoulder again. She did that a lot, kept him in her line of sight, like she was worried he might disappear. There was no chance of that. Two weeks they'd been back together. He couldn't spend enough time with her. He left as late as possible in the mornings and he was like a kid hearing the final bell at the end of the day tearing out of work like a bat out of hell.
His friends were complaining about being abandoned. He didn't care. She was the only reason he was there in that bar that Friday night anyway. It was a concession to her prodding him to do something with his friends. She didn't want to be labeled as the wet towel that dragged him away from all fun. It was obvious how much he could care less what anyone thought. So he agreed as long as she was there. It seemed to be making her happy that he was drinking beer and shooting darts with his friends. If it made her happy he'd do it, even if he'd rather be at home with her.
“Oh yeah?” Hawkeye had the slightest hint of a smile as he raised his beer to his lips. Ork gathered his darts and stood ready to shoot. He let them go fast. After his turn
his eyes immediately sought her out and she smiled across the way at him.
“Anyway,” he said settling next to Hawkeye again. “Thanks.”
Hawkeye was looking right at Lycée as he said, “situation gone SNAFU. Gotta get that shit under control.”
“I hope it didn't cause too much trouble for you.” It was true Ork didn't like the strife that hung in their group currently. But Jennifer was on a thin rope in his world. It took a lot of effort for him to contain his violent anger toward her. Basically, he steered clear of her and she better steer clear of Lycée.
“Yeah, had a man go AWOL. Had to get that shit under control.” They chuckled together as Hawkeye continued more seriously. “It's ok. I would have been just as pissed. I don't know what's gotten into her. I'm sorry.” He nodded at Lycée who was looking over at them again. “You got a good one there.”
He nodded. He didn't need to be told that. She was the best of the best. He was taking her away to wine country that weekend. He'd already taken her to meet his family at their ranch in Montana the weekend before. It was important that she and anyone else in his life knew her level of importance to him. There were many that he loved and respected in his family and career, but nobody, nothing, was more important to him than her.
He was going to get on one knee that weekend surrounded by vines and open space and beg her to marry him. Snivel and crawl if need be. He needed everything in order before he shipped out again. The team was deploying in a month. This next test was going to be a whole lot longer and more dangerous than a couple of weeks.
He knew she was trying to be brave for him, but her quiet tears after he made love to her sometimes tore at his heart. It almost made him only want to take her in their fun, rowdy ways but he loved burying himself in her in the gentlest moments. For selfish reasons he couldn't stop indulging that need, so he could only kiss her tears away after, assuring her nothing would ever be able to keep him from her. Truth was he didn't know how he was going to survive the separation either. He had never considered leaving the Navy but she was the one person who could get him to even entertain the possibility.
He cocked his head encouraging her to come to him. She hesitated so he did it again with a smile. She gave a little nod, said something to Ash then started toward him. His side itched with the need for her to be tucked there under his arm. When she slipped into her place, their interlocking pieces removed the slight angst he always had those days when she wasn't right beside him.
The feel of her arms wrapping around him was such habit that he couldn't remember a time he'd ever not felt them. He hated that their first moment together was him with some girl he couldn't point out of a lineup on his lap. She thought it was funny, but if the roles had been reversed, he was positive he wouldn’t have been able to find even the slightest trace of humor in that memory. The idea of her with anyone but him made him insane. Every day he had to boot kick the green monster into submission because he knew whether he was there or not she was attracting the attention of men. They'd have to be dead not to notice her.
He was immensely grateful that shit Brandt was out of her life, but she was looking for work, and it seemed her profession put her in close proxy with men. He wanted her to stay home but even after kids she'd assured him that would only happen part time and for only a certain amount of time, at that. He was proud of that. That she was strong and independent and that putting her at home would have been like caging a songbird.
Still it made him nervous especially being so far away. She would never stray. There was something in her moral fiber that wouldn't allow for it. She would leave first. But so much else could happen to her. She was making a huge leap of faith with him. He needed to return the effort and trust that it would all be ok. Exactly like he kept telling her to do. Her body all soft against his made him warm and as far as he was concerned he'd done his duty for the night. It was time to leave.
“You ready, Baby?” He kissed her crown softly.
“You don't want to stay a little longer? Play another game? Have another beer?”
He could feel her voice vibrating through him as her head rested on his chest. It was laughable she thought drinking beer and shooting darts in a bar was better than being anywhere alone with her. “No, Baby, I want to wrap my body around yours and whisper softly in your ear all night while we make love. And you promised me we could do that if I came out tonight.”
He could feel her silent laughter as he held her. She lifted her head and put her chin on his chest. Her smile was glowing as she said, “then take me home, my love.”
Butterfly kisses, soft cheek kisses were like nothing to her pet name for him. My love. It melted him, ate up his insides and made him soft putty in her hands. He called her Baby not because he thought of her like a child but because it was the dearest thing he could think of. But hers, hers was infinitely better, stronger, more encompassing of everything he felt for her. They were each other's loves, forever. And every time she would call him that it could be guaranteed that his body and soul would entwine that much more with hers. He didn't believe in eternity. Well, hadn't, that was until her. Now he wasn't sure that was a long enough time span to define how much his love for this woman would never die.
“C’mon Baby. Let's go.” He bent down close to her ear and whispered, “I got a new toy for you.”
Her eyes widened and she blushed. “Honestly, Ork, you are a handful.”
“Your handful, Baby.” They headed out into the cool night air, forever stretching like and ocean in front of them.