by Susan Stoker
“Thank you all for coming,” Emily said later that night.
There were fifteen people sitting around staring up at their host, listening to whatever it was she wanted to say.
No one seemed to care that there wasn’t really enough space for everyone in the living room. They were all just happy to be together, and it showed.
Casey smiled as she looked around the room.
Rayne and Ghost sat thigh to thigh on one side of the sofa, and Kassie and Hollywood sat on the other. Harley was sitting on Coach’s lap in one of the big armchairs next to the sofa. Fletch was on the floor in front of the couch with Annie in front of him, leaning back against his chest.
She’d brought out a large, fancy-looking plastic box with an Army doll inside. She explained to everyone that she used to have two, but her bestest friend, Frankie, who was deaf and lived in California, had the other, and they played with them together over a special program on her iPad. After her explanation, she continued to play happily by herself until her mom started speaking.
Truck was hovering behind Mary, who was sitting on one of the chairs from the dining room table. Casey recognized the affectionate look in his eyes, as she’d seen the same look on Beatle’s face for the last two weeks. It was obvious Truck more than cared about the woman, though Mary had done her best to put space between them as much as possible throughout the night.
But Casey had been watching her curiously. Mary might act like she didn’t want Truck near her, but her eyes and nonverbal signals were saying something different. She couldn’t take her gaze off the big man, and when Blade made a teasing comment about Truck’s scar, Mary’s face had turned hard and protective. She’d managed to control herself and not verbally berate Blade, but Casey could tell it took a lot of self-control.
The two men without women—Blade, and Rayne’s brother, Chase—were leaning against a wall. Both had their arms crossed and looks of concentration and alertness on their faces. Casey had realized early on after moving into the apartment across the yard that all the Deltas were that way. Even the ones with women. They might be paying attention to their girlfriends or wives, but they were always aware of what was going on around them. Just in case.
Casey herself was standing nearby in the kitchen. She’d just finished a load of dishes, and Beatle had helped her. She’d been accepted as part of the group, but couldn’t stand to just sit around and be idle. Emily had learned this about her quickly, and after a few protestations the first day or two, had let her do her thing.
Casey felt Beatle come up behind her and put his arms around her waist. She leaned back against him, letting him take her weight. She was feeling mellow and happy. And couldn’t wait for Emily to break the news of her pregnancy to her friends.
“Hurry up! I want cake!” Hollywood joked.
Kassie elbowed him and said, “Shut it!”
Everyone laughed and Emily continued. “As you may or may not know, Fletch and I have been…er…working on Annie’s request for a little brother or sister…”
“Oh my God!” Annie screamed, scrambling to her feet and jumping up and down. “Please say you’re pregnant! Please say you’re pregnant!”
“I’m pregnant,” Emily told her daughter obediently.
The little girl ran toward her mom and threw her arms around her. “When?” she demanded, looking up into her face.
“It’ll be a while. Seven or so more months,” Emily told her, running a hand over her head.
“Yipee!” Annie squealed, then let go of her mom and did an impromptu weird little dance in the middle of the room.
Emily held up a hand to forestall her friends from getting up and congratulating her. She looked at her husband. “We don’t know the gender yet, but if anyone has a pool going, we’re guessing it’s a boy.”
“A brother!” Annie breathed, then immediately burst into tears.
Fletch got up and gathered his daughter into his arms and said worriedly, “Those are happy tears, right squirt?”
Annie looked up at her dad and wailed, “I really really wanted a little brother! Someone who would play Army with me!”
“We’re not sure about that yet, squirt. It’s too early. It might be a girl.”
Annie shook her head vigorously. “I can’t lie, I’d be a little sad if it’s a girl, but I’ve been soooooo good. Santa’s been watching me and he knows how good. I couldn’t be any gooder!” The little girl’s enthusiasm and earnestness was adorable.
Fletch simply shook his head and smiled at his daughter. “I’m afraid if it is a boy, by the time he’s old enough to play, you might not want anything to do with him anymore,” he told her.
“Nope. I don’t care if I’m old. Like thirty. I’ll always want to play Army.”
Casey felt Beatle’s chest rumbling behind her with his silent laughter. He leaned forward. “If thirty is old, we’re all doomed.”
Casey smiled and nodded in agreement, not taking her eyes off the sweet scene in front of her.
“Well…since this seems to be the time to tell secrets, Harley and I have one of our own,” Coach announced.
Everyone’s heads swiveled to look at him. He hadn’t moved from his slouch in the chair, and Harley was still perched on his lap. Coach had one arm around her waist and the other rested on her thigh. He reached over and picked up her hand, running his thumb over the ring on her left ring finger.
“This isn’t an engagement ring. It’s a wedding ring. We’re married. We went and had a civil ceremony right after she healed from her accident. We decided we didn’t want to wait.”
“Seriously?” Rayne declared, standing up from the couch. “You got married and didn’t tell us? That’s not cool. Not cool at all! What about the party? You are going to have a party, aren’t you?”
“Settle down, Mom,” Harley teased. “Yes, we’ll have a party. We’ve just been enjoying married life without the hoopla for a while.”
“Anyone else want to tell any deep dark secrets?” Rayne asked. “And before you ask, no, me and Ghost aren’t married. I don’t care if we were the first to get together. Me and Mary always said we would have a double wedding, so I’m waiting for her.” She waved at her best friend with a big smile.
If Casey hadn’t been standing behind Mary and Truck, she might’ve missed the subtle way Truck moved to her side and pressed his hand on Mary’s upper back. Or the way Mary gripped the arm of the chair hard enough for her knuckles to turn white. Or how, after everyone’s attention had turned to Fletch when he began talking, Truck leaned down and whispered something in Mary’s ear, which made her look into his eyes and shake her head back and forth quickly.
Casey really wanted to know what was up with the two, especially after the things Truck had told her about “his Mary” when they were in Costa Rica, but Hollywood was speaking now.
“Actually, yeah, this seems as good a time as any—Kassie is pregnant too!”
The room exploded with congratulations. Everyone was smiling and happy, and Casey hadn’t ever felt as much love in one place as she did in Fletch’s living room right that moment.
“When are you due?” Emily asked her friend.
“Sooner than you,” Kassie said. “Four and a half months.”
“Holy shit! I can’t believe you kept this from us that long!” Rayne exclaimed. “How come you aren’t showing that much yet?”
Kassie shrugged. “I was worried about that too, but my doctor assures me it’s normal. Babies grow at different rates. But she’s doing fine.”
Hollywood put a hand on his wife’s belly, rubbing where his child was growing.
“She?” Mary asked.
“She,” Kassie confirmed.
“I’m just so happy for us!” Emily exclaimed, making everyone laugh.
Fletch was still squatting by his daughter, and he turned to her and said, “Mom and I have a present for you, squirt.”
“For me?” she asked, her eyes wide and excited in her little face.
; “Yes. For you.” Then Fletch picked Annie up and plunked her on his shoulders. Her little hands went under his chin to balance herself. “Me and the guys have been working on it for a while to make it perfect. Everyone, feel free to follow us on out,” Fletch told his friends.
“What’d he get for her?” Casey asked, as Beatle steered her out along with everyone else.
“Wait and see,” he told her mysteriously.
Sitting in front of the house was a huge box in camouflage wrapping paper. Annie’s squeal when she saw the present was probably heard on the other side of the state. Fletch leaned over and placed his daughter’s feet on the ground. She immediately ran to the box and started ripping off the paper.
Then, without waiting for her dad’s help, she lifted the box, which didn’t have a bottom to it, and revealed what was inside.
“I knew it!” she exclaimed. “I knew it! Thank you thank you thank you! My own tank!”
“Yup. Although there’s rules as to when and where you can drive it,” Fletch warned.
Annie’s head bobbed up and down, but it was obvious she wasn’t listening.
“Give it up,” Hollywood told Fletch. “She’s not gonna hear anything you tell her right now as it is. You charged up those batteries before you wrapped it?”
“Of course I did. You think she’d have the patience to wait to ride it?”
Coach and Truck helped Annie climb up and sit inside the small motorized vehicle, which looked exactly like a Sherman Tank.
Annie was zooming around the yard, pretending to shoot invisible enemies within minutes.
Casey looked up at Beatle. “A tank?”
He shrugged. “She saw a lame plastic version online one day and had to have it. Of course, it was thousands of dollars, and Fletch told her she had to earn the money for it herself. She did a damn good job too.”
Casey saw the glint of mischievousness in Beatle’s eyes. “With lots of help from her uncles, I’m sure.”
“Of course,” he said. “Although this one isn’t like the one she saw. We all got to talking, and the one online was a piece of shit. So, we put our heads together and figured out how to modify one of those Barbie cars that are sold in stores. We used the motor, but that was about it. Every chance we had, we worked on it. There’s a guy online who made one from scratch, and we ended up emailing him a lot to work out the kinks in our version, but I think overall, it ended up pretty darn cool.”
“It did. It’s super cool,” Casey agreed. “So the money she earned went toward parts?”
“Yup. Although, I think Hollywood ended up basically paying for the damn thing. Annie learned pretty quickly that he’d pay her to leave him and Kassie alone so they could make out. She was always popping up where she was least wanted.” Beatle chuckled.
Casey couldn’t help but laugh along with him. She glanced at the adults watching Annie zoom around the driveway and yard. She was in her heyday, and the absolute joy coming from her was beautiful.
The love this group of men and women had for each other was addicting. And something Casey was beginning to want more than she’d ever wanted anything in her life. She’d thought that being kidnapped was the worst thing that could ever happen to her, and it was, but…it had brought her here.
Through her experience, she’d met Beatle, discovered that she had more inner strength than even she would’ve guessed, and had been embraced and welcomed by this small group of friends. She shouldn’t be grateful for being snatched…but somehow, she still was.
As the sun set, the couples slowly began to disperse until it was just Casey and Beatle left.
Casey felt Beatle’s hands begin to roam. He was leaning against the side of the house and she was resting against him. Annie was still driving her toy tank around the yard, but it was obvious she was winding down. She was exhausted, but pure adrenaline and excitement were keeping her going. Emily had gone inside to finish cleaning up then get off her feet, and Fletch was wrangling his daughter.
Warm breath hit Casey’s neck as Beatle leaned into her. His hands skimmed up her body, brushing over the sides of her breasts as he went. “You ready to head up?”
Casey inhaled and immediately nodded. Yeah, she was more than ready.
Beatle grabbed her hand and made for the garage, giving Fletch a chin lift as he went. Casey would’ve giggled, but she was concentrating too hard on not tripping over her feet as she tried to keep up with Beatle’s fast strides.
* * *
Beatle did his best not to break out into a run, dragging Casey behind him as he headed up the stairs to the apartment he’d been sharing with the woman he couldn’t get out of his mind. He knew eventually he’d have to go back to his own apartment, but for now, he was content staying at Fletch’s place. At least until Casey made a decision about where she wanted to live. Unlocking the door and stepping inside, he inhaled, loving the smell of Casey that permeated the air.
Her shampoo. Her lotion. Her.
She said it was plumeria, and he didn’t have the first clue what that was. But he knew he’d forever associate the sweet floral scent with Casey. Forcing himself to slow down, Beatle dropped her hand and took a step away from her.
She looked up at him in confusion, but didn’t move from the now closed and locked door. “Beatle?”
“Be sure, Casey,” he said in a husky voice. “Don’t go to bed with me if it’s not something you want.”
The shy smile that spread across her face nearly did him in. “I’m sure. Very sure.”
He went to her then, taking her face in his hands and leaning down to kiss her lightly before pulling back. “When this is all over, move in with me,” he said. “I know I’m not being fair, asking you to give up everything while I seemingly give up nothing, but I swear to you, I’ll always put you first in my life. I know the Army controls a lot of it, but I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you know how much I understand what you’re giving up, and if possible, I’ll always put your needs above my own.”
She shook her head. “I don’t need that from you, Beatle. If a relationship between us is going to work out, one of us is going to have to move, and it just makes sense that it’s me. I wouldn’t want you leaving your team. You obviously care about each other, and I think that’s part of what makes you work together so well. Besides…I like the girls. And I want to meet Annie’s baby brother. And see her grow up. I like it here. More than I like my life in Florida, as pathetic as that is.”
“Fuck,” Beatle murmured. “How’d I get so lucky?”
“I think I’m the lucky one,” Casey countered. “Now…are we going to get it on or stand here being mushy all night?”
He grinned. “Get it on, definitely.” And with that, he put one hand on the small of her back and the other on the back of her head and pulled her to him. She met him halfway, standing on her tiptoes and immediately opening to him when he kissed her.
Without taking their mouths off each other, they disrobed as they went. Clothes went flying as they headed for the bedroom. Shoes kicked off, socks pulled off. Casey backed off momentarily to get her shirt over her head and Beatle did the same. Their mouths crashed together again and Casey continued her backward steps.
Beatle reached for her pants at the same time Casey fumbled with his belt and zipper. She would’ve tripped over her pants, now around her ankles, but Beatle simply picked her up so her feet were dangling inches off the ground.
He shuffled to the bed, kicking off his own pants in the process, and fell to the mattress with Casey under him. He immediately shifted to his back and smiled up at Casey as she sat up astride him.
His hands reverently smoothed up her sides. He’d touched her this way before, but never when she was wearing only her undies. Beatle’s eyes went to the black lace bra she was wearing. It pushed up her tits, giving her ample cleavage. He appreciated the sight, but yearned to see her as bare as he had in the jungle.
“Take it off, sweetheart,” he ordered.
With a
grin, her hands immediately went behind her back and she unclasped the sexy undergarment. She coyly let the straps fall over her shoulders as she held the cups to her breasts. Beatle knew he was panting, but couldn’t help it. His knees came up and he braced her back with them. His thumbs teased the elastic at her waist as he waited for her to bare herself to him.
In a move that would’ve rivaled the most professional stripper, she dropped her arms and slid the bra off at the same time. Beatle had no idea what she did with the lingerie, because all he could see were her fat little nipples, hard and begging for his touch.
“Come here,” he said.
Casey immediately leaned over, offering herself to his eager mouth. Taking one breast in his hand, he squeezed it lightly and pulled her down until she was in reach. He blew on her, watching in fascination as her nipple tightened further. He wanted to continue to tease. To see what she liked and what turned her on, but he couldn’t wait to taste her anymore.
He didn’t start out gentle. No, instead of lightly licking and working his way up to pleasuring, he latched on to her breast and bit down at the same time he sucked. Hard.
Casey’s back arched and she moaned. He was afraid he’d hurt her for a moment, until he felt her fingernails digging into his biceps. She held on to him as if she’d shatter into a million pieces if she didn’t.
Practically mindless with lust, Beatle feasted on her tits. Between sucking, licking, and nibbling on her tender flesh, he told her how good she tasted and felt in his mouth. He told her how perfect she was, and how he’d wanted to worship her just like this ever since the hotel in Costa Rica. When her hips began to move over him, dry humping his abs, Beatle knew she was just as gone as he was.
He flipped them until she was lying under him. His knee went between her legs and even through her panties, he felt how wet she was against his bare skin.
Pressing upward, Beatle kissed her. With his tongue, he mimicked what he wanted to do with his cock. Casey wasn’t a passive participant in their lovemaking by any means. Her hips undulated against his knee and her hands pulled him into her.