Her Invisible Soldier: A Military Romance with a Twist

by Grace Risata

  Grandpa Cliff was certainly a no-nonsense kind of guy. He sure had my respect. Now, if only him and Nina did their job…

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  I have no idea why everyone is freaking out so bad and insisting I meet with Dixon. First Nina piled on the pressure and tried to convince me to let him explain his side of the story, and then my grandpa had to get in on the action. Since when could a girl not take a few days to simmer down and cool off? Is there some rule that said I had to forgive the guy after ten minutes?

  Different types of people handle anger in different ways. Some people keep things bottled up and pretend that they’re fine, when in fact that couldn’t be further from the truth. Other people like to erupt, have a massive fight, and then immediately clear the air. I was not on either of those programs. For me, it was best to get angry and then go cool off by myself and think things through. With a fiery temper, I had learned that quiet time and distance were the best way for me to chill out.

  It only pissed me off even worse when Dixon thought he could show up at my house a day later with half the flower shop and expect me to go all melted panties on him. Have I ever told him that I like roses? Fuck no. I’ve personally never understood why flowers or jewelry make woman go gaga. Just give me great sex and take me out for a nice meal. What’s better than that? Nothing!

  I did expect him to try some other tactic to get back on my good side, so the fact that nothing happened on Saturday was kind of a surprise.

  Until the phone calls started.

  It began with Nina inviting me out for ice cream, which seemed innocent enough until her only topic of conversation was Dixon. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that he put her up to that little ploy.

  Then I had to deal with my grandpa’s endless questions on Sunday. The second I walked in his door with a chicken pot pie, he confessed about his visit from my distraught suitor. Being the straight forward man that he is, my grandpa simply said, “He looks like shit, Alyce. Don’t keep him hanging. The guy needs a decent night’s sleep. We both know you’re going to forgive the man, so just get it over with already.”

  That’s what led to grandpa grabbing my ringing phone off the table, seeing that it was Dixon, and forcing me to answer it. When I use the term ‘forcing,’ I mean that he gave me one of his looks. I knew a lecture was imminent and I wasn’t in the mood so I took the call.

  “What?” I answered defensively.

  “Can I see you tonight?”

  “I’ll be over to your place at seven o’clock.”

  Click.

  Short and sweet. Just how I like it.

  And that is how I ended up at Dixon’s apartment on Sunday night. Yes, my anger had abated a little bit, but I was still holding a grudge. Just for spite, I wore my rattiest gray yoga pants with the holes in the knee and a t-shirt that was stained with grease from cooking fried fish. If he thinks any make-up sex is going to be involved, he’s in for a rude awakening.

  I also wore no make-up and my hair was wild from driving over with every single window open.

  Banging on the door, I figured I’d wait for ten seconds and then leave.

  Just my luck, he answered immediately with a look of pure adoration and relief that I’d shown up at all.

  Fuck. This was going to be harder than I thought.

  “I’m not forgiving you, jackass,” I said, sticking a finger in his chest and feeling all my rage evaporate. It had been three days since he sprung that crap on me, and I had done some heavy soul searching.

  Obviously Dixon had not intended for things to go down the way they had when he hired the investigator, otherwise he wouldn’t have been so distressed when he passed along the report. It wasn’t his fault my mother was a bitch.

  “Please sit down and let’s talk,” he urged, motioning me over to the couch. I did as he requested and looked up at him expectantly. My plan was to hear him out and then calmly discuss the situation. All thoughts of that went out the window after I took in his appearance. If you had told me he’d been through a hurricane, I would have believed you.

  “What happened to you?” I asked with concern. “I’m no beauty pageant contestant at the moment, but you’re even worse.”

  A sweaty t-shirt clung to his chest, uncombed hair stuck out in every direction, and a pair of ill-fitting jeans hung off his hips.

  “Pardon me for being too busy to take a shower,” he replied, “but I figured my plan to win you back took precedence over hygiene. I have priorities you know.”

  My lip curled up in amusement and I forced myself to hold back the laughter. I had a horrible couple days too, but at least I still found time to lather, rinse, and repeat.

  “Can I speak now?” he asked, pulling out a crumpled piece of paper.

  “What’s that? You need a cheat sheet?”

  “Yes, Alyce. Sometimes things get lost in translation when going from my brain to my mouth. You have no idea what you mean to me, and I don’t want to fuck up my chance to win you back,” he confessed. “I’m asking you to please hear me out and let me get everything off my chest.”

  The man seemed like he was concentrating intensely, so I assumed a lot of hard work went into his speech preparation. I respectfully nodded my head and let him get down to business.

  He opened his mouth to speak, but immediately got interrupted when his phone chimed with an incoming text. Dixon ignored it completely.

  “I know I fucked up by going behind your back and hiring my buddy to find your mother. My intentions were nothing but innocent, Alyce. I swear,” he began. “I had all but given up on life until you came along. The thought that I could have done something to hurt you…it’s killing me. I’m asking for your forgiveness and also for you to understand why I did this. I only wanted to help you. In my mind, I pictured a happy reunion with you and your mother. She would have given a solid reason why she left, you would finally have closure, and everything would work out in the end.”

  He paused to take a breath and I seized the opportunity to speak.

  “I’m not destined for a fairy tale ending, Dixon. It’s not my life. I learned that a long time ago. I’ve made my peace with it. Just because the woman is a total bitch doesn’t mean I’m sitting around drowning in my tears all day long. I’ve come to terms with the fact that my family will never be anything close to perfect. It’s okay. You don’t need to swoop in and try to fix that.”

  It was my intention to reassure him that I wasn’t some damsel in distress that needed a big, strong man to ride in on his white horse and rescue me.

  Dixon’s phone began to ring and he pulled it out of his pocket with a look of anger as though it were an unwanted rodent that had taken up residence in his apartment.

  After checking the caller ID and putting the phone away, he resumed his speech.

  “I just need you to trust me and realize that I would never do anything to deliberately cause you pain. If you hadn’t come into my life when you did, there’s no telling where I’d be at right now. You gave me a reason to get off my ass and make an effort to get back on track. I only wanted to return the favor and do something to repay you. Please tell me what I can do to make things right and earn your forgiveness. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

  “We haven’t really known each other that long,” I explained, “But you have to learn to give me time to process shit when I get upset. I need space.”

  “I’m trying to figure you out,” he insisted. “For example, I know that flowers don’t work at all.”

  I cracked a smile at his attempt to be funny.

  “Humor goes a long way too.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind. Are we on the right path so you’ll take my calls and quit ignoring me?” he asked, coincidentally at the very second his phone began to ring yet again.

  Grabbing the offensive object out of his pocket, Dixon began jabbing at the buttons and turned it off completely.

  “Is everything okay?” Since I’d met the man, he’d never received one s
ingle text or phone call in my presence and now the damn thing was blowing up.

  “It’s not important,” he mumbled, suddenly freezing and staring at my face as though seeing me for the first time.

  “Misery loves company,” the man whispered cryptically, causing me to panic that he was losing his mind.

  “What?”

  “I got some good advice that misery loves company. I’m going to do something to prove a point to you, Alyce. This is going to cause me a ton of stress, but if it can benefit you at all then I’m willing to do it. You’re upset about your mother. I get that. My family is worse than yours tenfold and that’s why I haven’t told you one single thing about them. I’m not keeping you from meeting them because it’s too soon in our relationship or because I don’t feel strongly enough about you. It’s the opposite. I kept you away because I care. If you want to go down the rabbit hole, I’m willing to offer you an all-access pass to insanity. You’ve obviously noticed my phone going off with texts and calls. Would you care to know why?”

  After a build up like that, I was afraid to answer.

  “Let me tell you,” he continued. “My mom keeps trying to call and invite me to the annual Wade Family Fourth of July barbeque next week. This is a yearly tradition where they go all out to celebrate the holiday. I haven’t seen a single member of my family since Jack’s funeral and I was more than happy to keep my distant from the cock suckers. But if it will help make you see that you’re not alone in having a non-traditional family, then I’ll do it. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  That was super creepy and ominous, but I was full of curiosity by that point.

  “I’m in,” I said with a shrug of my shoulders. How bad could it possibly be?

  “Fine. Now scoot your ass over here and let’s make up,” he demanded, holding out his arms.

  I rolled my eyes but did as he commanded, allowing myself to melt into his warm embrace.

  “You stink,” I murmured, enjoying the smell of him anyway.

  “How about if you come and shower with me then?” he offered suggestively.

  “And ruin this awesome look of elegance I have going on?” I teased, pointing to my disheveled appearance.

  Before I knew what was happening, my shirt was off and Dixon was leading me to the bathroom.

  We never quite made it there.

  More clothes found themselves on the floor, we ended up in the bedroom, and sweaty bodies began to engage in make-up sex.

  “I never said I forgave you,” I reminded him, feverishly nipping at his neck while he cupped my breasts and did a little pinch move that I was growing quite fond of.

  “It’s okay, sweet cheeks,” he whispered into my ear while sucking on the lobe. “I’ll let my actions speak louder than words.”

  Holy shit, that was exactly what he did.

  Foreplay was minimal and we got right down to business. I lost track of how long it had been since our last encounter, but I knew I ached for the way he set my body on fire.

  “Do you want to try something new?” I offered, figuring I could give doggy-style another try and maybe it would work this time.

  “No,” he replied while taking a moment to reach into his drawer and pull out a condom. “If you feel the best with me on top, then that’s what we’re doing. No argument, Alyce. As long as my cock slides into that sweetness, I don’t give a fuck if we’re both upside down on Mars.”

  Once Dixon was properly suited up, I parted my legs and he slipped right in as if he owned me and was claiming his territory.

  In a way, that’s exactly how it felt. This time was different than anything we’d ever done before. Instead of the usual primal urgency to be as untamed and feral as possible in order to come hard and fast…this was just…intense.

  Dixon slid in and out slowly, as if savoring every single thrust, each sensation more overpowering than the last. He gazed at me with an unguarded expression, fully giving in to the emotions that had remained trapped inside for so long.

  I was overwhelmed by the intimacy of it all. It simultaneously reminded me of the first time between two lovers that wanted the moment to last forever, yet it also had elements of the sweet familiarity of long time partners.

  Our bodies joined together as one, his every caress sending me to new heights of desire.

  “More,” I begged, eager for him to speed things up and cause the explosion I craved.

  “Not yet,” he whispered, continuing to torture me with slow and gentle strokes, back and forth, in and out. His hand reached down to caress my cheek, while soft lips met mine and delicately explored.

  This was not sex driven by lust or need. It was pure and simple love-making at its finest. My heart melted and I treasured the meaningful act that cemented our bond.

  Finally, sensing how strongly I’d been driven to the brink of orgasm, Dixon altered his rhythm to push me over the abyss. I shattered as he skillfully took what he needed but gave back so much more.

  Clinging to the magnificent beast as we both rode out the last waves of pleasure, I breathlessly panted his name.

  “Dixon.”

  “Hmm?” he replied, nuzzling his cheek against mine tenderly.

  “I thought make-up sex was supposed to be rowdy and unhinged.”

  “That wasn’t make-up sex, Alyce,” he explained, much to my confusion. There was a certain air of finality about it that made me question his intentions. If I hadn’t known better, I might have thought it was ‘goodbye sex’ due to the intensity of it.

  “What was it?” I whispered.

  “It was just my way of letting you know how I really feel about you, alright? Please remember this on Wednesday at the barbeque. Actions speak louder than words.”

  Dixon wrapped his arms around me protectively and drifted off to sleep while a million thoughts ran through my head. What the hell was going to happen at his family’s party?

  Were they all trash from the wrong side of the tracks? Was his dad out on parole? Did his mom openly smoke crack at the kitchen table? Did he have siblings that might try and steal my purse if I left it sitting out?

  The man already knew about my fucked up parents, so he had no reason for concern. I’d grown up with not much in the way of material possessions, but none of that was important to me. As long as Dixon truly cared about me, that was all I needed.

  I finally fell asleep after coming up with crazy scenarios for his unwarranted fear about me meeting his family. Maybe they were all aliens and he worried I might expose their secret? I hadn’t noticed any extra body parts such as a second penis, so I think I can forget about that idea…

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Dixon

  I paced around my living room for the hundredth time, trying to decide if I should call the whole thing off. While it seemed like a good idea to try and show Alyce that she wasn’t the only one with family drama, I was having some major regrets. My stupid ass plan had the potential to ruin everything I’d worked so hard to build with her.

  Okay, fine. In all honesty, she’s the one who did most of the work and I behaved like an idiot. Those days were over. The only thing that mattered in my life was a five foot tall spitfire that gave me a reason to wake up every morning. Much like hiring my buddy to find her mom, I also put absolutely no thought into inviting Alyce to meet my family. The consequences of my actions were going to be far more dire than my last fuck-up. Of that, I had no doubt.

  KNOCK KNOCK.

  Shit. She’s here.

  I walked over and opened the door to my apartment because I had no choice. It’s not like I could pretend I wasn’t home and leave her standing there forever.

  “Hey,” I mumbled sheepishly, greeting her with the same amount of enthusiasm as an inmate speaking to the guard about to walk him to the electric chair.

  Her eyes instantly bugged out of her head and she stood there staring in amazement.

  “Who the hell are you?”

  Obviously she was referring to my clothes. Sweet
Cheeks was accustomed to seeing me in jeans, t-shirts, and sneakers. This version of myself was the exact opposite of that. Dressed in khaki pants, a long sleeved light blue button down dress shirt, and an expensive tie, I looked like a business man trying to climb the corporate ladder. An ass-kissing poser with no personality at all. I hated it.

  Narrowing her eyes and pointing to the watch on my wrist, she began to laugh.

  “Who are you trying to impress with that fake Rolex? I had one of those once. My grandparents took me to New York City on vacation and I got one for ten bucks in Times Square. The band turned my skin green and it stopped working after about two hours. I still thought it made a cool souvenir.”

  I nodded my head and smiled. There was no way I was going to tell her it was real and not a knock-off. Nothing good would come from freaking her out before we’d even left my apartment. I planned to ease her into things slowly.

  “You look beautiful,” I complimented, taking in the way her flowing knee-length red summer dress clung perfectly to every curve. Perhaps it was the protective instinct in me, but I wanted to scoop up my girl and take her to the bedroom. Yes, it was partly lust, but also a need to prevent the hurt that was sure to come once she met my family. “Are you sure we can’t scrap our plans and stay home instead? I guarantee I’ll keep you occupied.”

  Alyce sucked in a breath, picking up the vibes I was putting off, and actually seemed to consider my offer for a brief second. Then she shook her head and said, “We can play naughty professor and disobedient student once we get home tonight.”

  “I’m intrigued. What are the rules for that game?” I questioned, gently stroking her cheek and fighting back the urge to tear off the dress and take what was mine.

  “I don’t know yet. You’re all smart and sexy in that tie. It gives me ideas…pornographic ideas.”

  My cock twitched and I forced myself to focus on the matter at hand.

  “Is there anything I can do to convince you to change your mind?” I asked, silently begging her to reconsider.