by Alison Mello
My team runs the shop for the military police on base. We work hard to make sure their vehicles are always running at peak efficiency and it can be stressful trying to keep up.
We tend to go out a couple of Fridays a month to blow off some steam. I find it not only fun, but it brings us a lot closer as a team. I can push my guys harder when I need to and I think part of it is because of the time we spend together on and off the field.
“I’m in.” Callen slaps me on the shoulder.
“Me too, Sarge.” Max joins our conversation.
“You joining us, Nolin?”
“Nah, I promised to take my girl out tonight.” He wipes his hands on a dirty rag.
“Well, let’s clean this place up and get out of here.” There are tools everywhere, as well as dirty rags and water bottles. I always make my guys clean the place up before we leave on Friday. Sergeant First Class Blake came in one Monday and the place was left a mess. I got my ass chewed out for an hour, and then I had to chew my guys out. He counts on me to take care of this team, and that means ensuring the place is kept the way it should and my guys are working safely.
When everything is cleaned up, I tell my guys to call it a day, but first I confirm what time we’re meeting up. “I’ll see you guys at Crossroads at six for dinner and beers.”
“See ya there, Sarge,” the guys call out as they walk through the door. I lock up and climb into my vehicle.
We all live close by. Max, Liam, and Nolin live in the barracks on base, but Callen and I rent apartments in base housing. We live in the same neighborhood in a town called Hinesville. His apartment is the next street over from mine. It’s one of the luxuries of being a staff sergeant. Once you hit sergeant you can rent off post if you want to. Callen got his sergeant rank almost a year ago and got off base as soon as he could. We’re pretty close, we work out together and sometimes we drive in together.
When I pull up to my place, I run inside and straight to my room. I pull out a pair of jeans and a polo shirt. I grab my boots from the closet and jump into the shower. There’s nothing I hate more than being late. I actually like to beat my guys there. I make quick work of cleaning up and getting dressed. I quickly down a bottle of water before I throw some gel into my hair. It’s so thick and wavy that if I don’t do something with it, it becomes a mess. One of my personal missions is to always set an example by looking my best around my men. The younger guys sometimes have no idea how to dress or behave, and it’s up to us upper enlisted to lead the way. If one of my guys gets into trouble, I can get into trouble for not guiding them, and I’m not having that.
Callen knocks on my door. “Come in.” When he opens the door, I shout, “I just called the cab.”
“Cool. Did he give you a time?”
“Yeah, he’ll be here any minute.” Callen and I are always telling the guys to take a cab if they plan on drinking. It’s that or someone doesn’t drink. I toss my empty water bottle into the trash.
“Our ride is here.” Callen opens the door and waits for me.
“Let’s have some fun.” I shut my door, locking it behind me. I stick my house key into my wallet and put my wallet into my pocket. I don’t even bring my car keys with me. The cab lets us off right in front of the pub and tells us to call him when we’re ready. He hands me his card. I thank him and stick it in my back pocket. When we get inside, we discover it’s already getting busy despite the fact it’s still early. I find us a booth and slip in. We luck out and get a table not far from the door so we can watch for Max and Liam. They’re pretty good about being on time, so they should be here any minute.
A girl wearing short shorts and a tight tank top walks over. “Good evening, boys. What can I get y’all tonight?”
“We’re waiting on two more, but we’ll have a draft beer while we wait.” Callen smiles at the girl.
She winks at him. “You got it, big fella. I’ll be right back.”
I burst into laughter. “Big fella?”
“Hey, you know some women can just tell when a man has the goods.” He grabs his junk, causing me to laugh even harder.
A yawn escapes me and I shake my head. “You’re not too full of yourself, are you?” I love my best friend, but sometimes he seriously needs to be brought back to reality.
“No, actually I’m not. Stop hating. You sleeping all right?”
Fuck, here we go again. He’s always on me about my sleep. “I’m sleeping fine.”
His brows shoot up and he gives me a look that screams really as the girl comes back and places two beers on the table along with some menus for us. “I’ll be back to check on you boys in a bit.”
“Damn, you went from big fella to a boy in a hot minute.” I poke him with my elbow, changing the subject. I’m not a fan of discussing my sleeping or any other issues I may have since I got back home.
“Fuck you, dude. She didn’t want to make you jealous.” He has laughter in his voice.
“Why is Sarge jealous?” Max and Liam slip into the booth across from us. Thank god they’re here. Callen would never carry on in front of the guys.
“He thinks he’s the stud of the night because the waitress was flirting with him.” I nudge Callen one more time as the waitress approaches us.
We look at the menu really quick and decide on a variety of appetizers and we all order more beers. When she walks away, we all go back to talking. “What are you guys up to this weekend?”
Liam and Max shrug. “It sucks being on base…there’s nothing to do. Nolin has a car, but now that he’s seeing that chick, he never hangs with us anymore, so we’re stuck around here.” Nolin, Liam, and Max are all specialists, so they can’t live off base yet. They can have a car, but most guys their age don’t because it’s expensive to move around if their next duty assignment takes them overseas.
“Come on, guys, it’s not that bad.” Callen tries to sound positive but fails.
“Really? Then why the fuck did you move off base?” Max shoots his mouth off.
Callen starts to feed him a line of shit, but I’m not listening, because I spot someone I know. I can’t believe she’s here, and damn, she’s looking good. I’ve been admiring this girl for years now. Her long blonde hair sits in gorgeous waves down her back. She turns toward me and scans the room. She has just a touch of makeup on, and her eyes are bold and beautiful.
She’s my boy’s sister, and I don’t want him pissed at me for asking her out, but I’ve thought about discussing it with him a few times now. She must feel me checking her out because our eyes connect, and a small smile spreads across her soft, pink gloss-lined lips. She taps her friend and nods in my direction. I swear she’s exaggerating the sway of her hips as she approaches the table. “Hey, Vaughn, what are you doing here?” Her voice is soft with that thick southern accent I love.
I slip out of the booth, trying to play it cool. I give her a brief hug. “Hey, Brooke. Hanging with my boys for the night.” Feeling her small body pressed to mine causes my cock to twitch slightly, but I mentally talk it down.
She smiles at them politely. “How y’all doing?”
“Brooke, this is Callen, Max, and Liam. They work in the shop with me. Guys, this is Major Bennett’s beautiful baby sister.” I look back, her head drops, and the sweetest blush creeps up her gorgeous face.
“You need to stop that now, ya hear?” She smacks me playfully.
“Who’s your friend?” Callen holds his hand out.
“I’m Courtney. Nice to meet you, Callen.” He takes her tiny hand and gives it a gentle shake. “I work at the clinic with Brooke.” His signature I want to fuck this one smile spreads across his face. I want to elbow him and tell him to behave, but I leave it be.
“We just ordered some food. Would you ladies like to join us? We’ll make room.” I really hope she says yes. This would be the perfect end to a long week.
“Oh, we don’t want to intrude on your guys’ night.” Brooke shakes her head.
“It’s fine,” the guys all
insist.
Courtney squeezes in, sitting next to Callen, Brooke sits next to Courtney, and I sit on the end. It’s a tight fit, but we make it work. The waitress comes over and laughs when she sees our party has grown. “Listen, y’all can move to that big round booth right there. I was just about to clear it off.”
“You don’t mind?” I ask, not wanting to give her more work.
“Not at all. Come on, y’all, follow me.” We all grab our drinks and follow her to a much bigger booth. Now there’s plenty of room for us to sit comfortably.
Once we’re all settled, the waitress takes the girls’ drink order and tells us she’s going to grab our food, and then she’ll be back with their drinks. “How’s your brother?”
“He’s good. They’re working on the wedding. As you know, they want to have a backyard wedding this summer at Mama’s house.”
“That’s cool. I’m surprised they’re not getting married in a church.”
The waitress interrupts our conversation to drop onion rings, bacon cheese fries, nachos, buffalo chicken fingers, and barbecue chicken fingers on the table. “Y’all enjoy now, and I’ll be back to check on you soon.” She walks away, this time without flirting with Callen. She must assume now that Courtney’s here that they’re together.
“Nah, she’s cool with it. The family pastor will come to the house to marry them, but we don’t practice nearly as well as we did when we were small.” She takes the plate I hand her and she helps herself to some food.
“My mama would forbid me to marry any girl who didn’t want to marry in our family church. She’s a stickler for religion,” Max says.
I shrug my shoulders. “Not me, my mom was kind of like Brooke’s. We went to church as kids and I had to make confirmation, but the older we got, the less we went because sports and other things got in the way.” I chuckle. “It’s funny though, Mama always goes to support the craft fairs and other events the church puts on. She always tries to show some form of support.” I smile thinking about my mom and how sweet she is.
“Your mama sounds sweet,” Brooke gushes.
“What about you?” Courtney asks Callen.
Callen has had a bit of a tough life, but I say nothing, waiting to see how much he decides to share. He sighs. “My mom tried hard, but wasn’t around much, and my father was pretty much a piece of shit. It’s why I joined the Army. I wanted to make something of myself.” Callen shrugs it off like it’s no big deal.
“Good for you.” She gives him a big smile.
“Hear, hear.” Max raises his beer glass. “I’m in the same boat, my man. My father got my mom pregnant and then left her high and dry. She busted her ass to raise me by herself, but I never had shit growing up.” He downs the remainder of his beer and slams the glass down.
The waitress is back. “Did I hear the telltale sign that someone needs a beer?” We all laugh and ask for another round.
This is turning into a great night. I have Brooke by my side looking damn good in some shorts and a white top that’s so see-through she has a skimpy cami under it. The music is playing and the boys are all laughing and having a good time. This is what every Friday night should look like. Brooke starts tapping her feet to the music. I can feel her body swaying as I’m Only One Call Away by Charlie Puth plays. I slip out of the booth, holding out my hand. “Want to dance?”
A huge smile spreads across her face and she takes my hand. “I’d love to.” I lead her out to the small dance floor. Pulling her small body close to mine, we start swaying to the music. I look down into her gorgeous blue eyes, lost in how clear they are. Suddenly we’re the only two on the dance floor, swaying to the music. I’m a bit taller than her but I like the way her head comes to my chest.
“I can’t believe it’s been eight years. You look amazing.” The connection is as strong now as it was eight years ago. I know she must be feeling it too, because she lets out a gentle breath, and suddenly I’m dying for a taste of those gloss lined lips. She stares up into my eyes as I lick my lips and we continue to dance right into the next song. We’re so wrapped up in each other that neither of us noticed the song change, until someone bumps us, breaking the trance we’re in.
She giggles and looks down, blushing. “We should go back to the table. Our drinks are probably there.” I lick my lips again, wanting to argue, but I nod my head. She shows me her bashful smile and grabs my hand, pulling me from the floor.
“I thought we lost you two.” Callen busts my balls.
“Shut up, man.” Poor Brooke blushes even harder slipping in next to Courtney.
“If you will excuse me, I see a female on the dance floor that needs a dance partner.” Liam slides out next to go in search of a girl.
“Where?” Max asks, squinting to see who he’s talking about.
“I haven’t found her yet, but I’m sure she’s out there. Come on. I’ll show you how it’s done.” Liam smacks Max on the arm. We laugh watching the two of them head out onto the dance floor in search of some ladies.
It gets quiet at the table, but I don’t want things to get awkward between us. “How’s school?”
Her face lights up at my easy question. “Great. I graduate in May, and I can’t wait.”
“I’m so proud of her. She’ll officially be a veterinarian,” Courtney brags putting an arm around her friend.
“Well, I have to pass my exam first.” She looks to her friend.
“That’s awesome! I’ve been thinking about getting a dog,” I blurt out and instantly regret it. Shit. I don’t even know why I said that. I haven’t told anyone about wanting a dog. I hope Callen doesn’t start asking questions.
“Since when?” Fuck, here he goes.
I shrug my shoulders. “Since we got back from our last deployment.” He knows I’m having some issues with sleep and stuff after the last one. It was a rough deployment and it’s not something I like talking about. I give him a look that says leave it be, and lucky for me, he does. “The only fear I have is if I got called on another mission I would need someone to watch it. It’s the only reason I haven’t gotten one.”
“I’m sure we could find someone to watch him for you. There are foster homes just for that reason,” Courtney explains.
“Really?” I had no idea they had foster homes for pets. I just asked if I could have pets in my base home and they said yes. I just have to pay an extra deposit, and as long as the dog hasn’t done any damage to the place, I’ll get my deposit back.
“Really. As a matter of fact, we have a few foster families, as does the local shelter. I could help you pick a dog that would be good for you. That is, if you want?” Brooke offers with a hopeful look on her face.
A smile spreads across my face. “I’d like that.”
“Cool. Let me know when you’re ready and we’ll chat. Have you ever had a dog?” Brooke leans on her hand continuing our conversation.
“No, my mom was allergic to most animals, but I’ve always wanted one.” I turn my body to face her and lean my arm on the back of the booth. Callen and Courtney are talking to each other, paying us no mind.
“It’s a lot of work, but it’s very rewarding. I can help if you run into any problems.”
“Don’t make any promises you can’t keep, now. I’ll hold you to them.” I smile to let her know I’m partially joking.
She crosses her arms over her chest and raises one brow. “Vaughn Anderson, if there is one thing I’m good at, it’s keeping a promise, yah hear?” Damn, she’s fucking cute when she gets all sassy on me.
I laugh. “Well, I guess only time will tell.”
She looks down at her watch. “Speaking of time, Courtney, are you ready? I’m beat.”
“Yeah. It’s been fun, guys. Thanks for letting us join you.”
“Let’s do it again some time.” Callen stares into Courtney’s eyes.
She bites her lip. “You bet.”
“Are you ladies good for a ride?” I don’t want these girls driving home after the drinks t
hey’ve had. Not only is it not gentleman-like, but the Major would have my ass.
“Yeah, we’ll get a cab.” I slip out of the booth to let them out, and she looks up at me like she wants to say something, but doesn’t. I pull her in for a hug, and this time it feels a bit awkward compared to the hug I got when she walked in. I want to walk her out and tell her I had a good time. Ask her if I can see her again, but I really need to talk to Remy first. They’re halfway to the door when we both watch them burst into giggles. At the same time, they turn around and give us a wave before walking out the door.
Chapter 2
Brooke
It’s been a week since I saw Vaughn at the bar. The memory of his tall muscular body still plays in my mind like it was yesterday. I close my eyes and inhale, remembering his delicious woodsy scent as he held me while we swayed to the music. I’ve had the most delicious dreams of his body pressed against mine, his pink tongue poking out from behind those full lips, wishing he’d lick my body in all the right places. A smile spreads across my face, but I shake off my thoughts. He is one fine man, and I’ve prayed for quite some time now that he would ask me out, but he hasn’t, and I know it has to do with the fact that he and my damn brother are good friends. I even thought about going back to that bar tonight in hopes of running into him again, but I can’t. I have so much to do to get ready for my exams. I have always been a straight A student, and I can’t let him get in the way of me finishing my degree off strong. Instead, I’m going straight home after work to study. It’s less than two months until I graduate, and then I’ll officially be a veterinarian.
The clinic I currently work in is small, and we only house one vet. He’s the owner of the clinic, but I’ve been working for him for so long that he’s promised to give me the roll of vet here as soon as I have my degree. I probably won’t make nearly as much as if I went to a bigger clinic in a nearby city, but I love our town, and I love this place, so I’m okay with that. Dr. Kramer is a sweet man, and I enjoy working for him. He’s taught me a lot. We’ve already discussed what my salary would look like, and since my parents covered my first four years of college, my loans aren’t too bad. I’ll be able to afford to live on my own and pay what loans I do have without any problems.