Iron Soldier

by Katie Ford

  My heart felt numb the entire day. Although I hadn’t responded to Trace’s late night texts, I read them over and over.

  Because frankly, it was shocking that he’d even been able to write out the sentence, “If I lived here and asked you out, would you go out with me?” Even more, the answer to that question would’ve been yes. Despite my muddled head, it was a wholehearted yes.

  And yet I couldn’t tell him that because I’d never ask him to stay in Miami just for me. It was too crazy. We’d only really had one week together, and we didn’t know each other. Besides, the photographer was drunk when he wrote those texts, so I had to keep that in mind.

  Confused as hell, I decided to talk to my best buddy. Annie was out in the living room, beginning to pack up some of her things. She was going to be moving in about a month, and I dreaded it. It’d be nice to live by myself, but at the same time, what would I do without my friend?

  “I can’t believe you’re going to be leaving,” I said to her.

  “I know,” she agreed. “I can’t even think about it for real until the day I actually leave, or I’m going to cry every damn day.”

  I had to smile even if tears were in my eyes.

  “I know,” was my morose reply. “By the way, I’ve got a problem, Annie.”

  She huffed a little, rolling her eyes.

  “When don’t you have a problem?” she said.

  “Good point. Trace texted me a lot last night. He’d gone out drinking and sent me a shit ton of texts during the night.”

  “Oh crap,” Annie said, eyes wide. “What sort of things did he say?”

  “A lot,” I said ruefully. “He said he doesn’t want to leave ‘now that he’s found me.’”

  “Oh really? Ha! Wow, that’s really sappy!”

  “I know, but it was kind of nice.”

  “You’re sounding kind of down,” she observed. “Why are you acting like your heart is hurting? I thought he was just a guy you wanted to bang from high school.”

  “That’s what he was,” I said. “I don’t know, Annie. I just feel kind of different about him lately.”

  “Are you sure it’s not just because the sex has been incredible?” she asked. “After all, outside of work, what else have you two done besides hook up?”

  “We talk and text,” I said. “He’s a really good guy.”

  She looked at me a little skeptically.

  “What else did he say last night when he was drunk?”

  One text continued to stand out to me. “He asked me if I’d go out with him if he lived in Miami.”

  “Why did he ask you that?” Annie asked, flabbergasted.

  “I’m not sure, I’m confused as hell,” I said quickly. “Help me.”

  “You can’t ask him to move to Miami! That’s crazy, you only just met this guy.”

  “I know,” was my morose reply. “Plus, I still don’t even know what I want. The longer he stays around, the more I think about him. I’m afraid if he stays much longer, I might ask him to stay. Is that crazy? Or am I talking in circles?”

  “It doesn’t make sense,” Annie said firmly. “That’s madness.”

  “Well then, what the hell should I do?”

  “You need to talk with each other and figure out where you both really stand, no more games,” she said. “You need to go over to that house, hash out any issues you both might have, and see what you think of your options. Who knows? He could be someone you’re not supposed to lose.”

  I knew she was right. “He said he was leaving tonight.”

  “When?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. He just said he was leaving tonight.”

  “Then you still have a chance! Go over and see him now before he goes to the airport and it’s too late.”

  My hands fidgeted.

  “I’m nervous.”

  “You’re going to do great,” Annie said encouragingly. “You always have done what is best for yourself. You’ll know what the right thing to do is once you two really get to talking.”

  While I agreed with my friend, I hesitated for quite some time before actually leaving the house. Things were just so confusing and twisted. But I didn’t want to live life and wonder “What if?” either.

  Taking a deep breath, I sat in the car in front of his house for several minutes, trying to mentally prepare what I was going to say to Trace, but nothing sounded good. Aggravation made me nearly drive away.

  But this was never going to do, so I took another deep breath before getting out of the car and timidly knocking on the door. Nearly a minute passed, and my heart sank to my feet. Oh no. I’d missed him.

  But then, Trace opened the door, that massive frame just as imposing and delicious as before.

  “I’m sorry to be coming by like this, but I wanted to talk to you before you got on your plane,” were my anxious words. “Could we talk?”

  He didn’t look nervous at all. In fact, he looked totally relaxed.

  “Yeah, sure,” Trace replied. “Come in.”

  I entered expecting to see other faces, but once again, we were alone. Flushing red, I looked around, seeing the various spots we’d used during our steamy trysts.

  “What can I do for you?” he asked.

  “What time is your flight?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” he said. “Come on, talk to me. What’s up?”

  “I just, I wanted to say that I have feelings for you,” was my embarrassed stammer. “I don’t know what to do with those feelings, but they’re here. I wanted you to know that.”

  “What kind of feelings?” he ground out, suddenly serious.

  “I don’t really know how quite to put it,” I said honestly. “I’ve never really felt this way before.”

  “Same here, totally get it,” he replied.

  “What do you think we should do about this predicament?” I asked.

  “Easy. I think you should ask me to stay here in Miami,” he said.

  I giggled. “Trace, I’m not going to do that.”

  “Just do it,” he urged.

  “I’m not going to do it, Trace, and that’s just the way it is.”

  He began walking slowly toward me. I backed up, stumbling until I hit the couch.

  “I’m telling you that if you ask me to stay, I will,” he said.

  “I’m not going to be responsible for a choice like this,” I said, my eyes fixed to his.

  “If I lived here, would you go out with me?”

  “Probably,” was my coy reply. His blue eyes flashed even as he advanced.

  “So, please,” he said. “Tell me to stay.”

  “No, Trace.”

  “Yes, Lila.”

  The alpha sat down next to me on the couch. He scooted close, and I backed away from him, but I knew my efforts would be futile. This man was pure magic and my defenses were already collapsing.

  “No,” I repeated.

  “Yes,” he growled.

  “No.

  “Yes.”

  He put his hand behind my neck, rubbing it, before moving my hair out of my eyes.

  “No,” I moaned.

  “Yes.”

  He began kissing my neck. Instantly, I was completely his.

  “I want you to stay,” I whispered.

  His eyes flashed.

  “Say it again,” he commanded. “Louder.”

  “I want you to stay in Miami,” I rephrased.

  Before I knew it, there was nowhere else for me to go. Our faces were inches apart, gazes locked. Slowly, our lips touched and I sighed into the alpha’s mouth. But with Trace, things always heat up fast. Within minutes, he was touching me and making me moan, my panties already moist.

  “Yes,” was my breathless gasp. “Yes, Trace, like that.”

  The alpha growled but didn’t go any further. And after a certain point, I could no longer take it. I had to have him. I crawled into his lap, sitting down on him, facing that handsome mien. I rode the man, dry humping him and kissing him all the wh
ile. We were feeling under each other’s clothes like hungry teens.

  Once he began to growl and moan into my ear, I realized just how pent up he was.

  “Give it to me,” I begged.

  “We should probably go to my room,” he suggested. “I don’t know when Emerson’s gonna be back. We wouldn’t want him interrupting us.”

  “What time is your flight?” I mewled against his lips.

  He began to pull my hair, tugging it just how I liked it. The man sucked on my neck, ran his tongue along my ears, and insisted on driving me crazy. I humped him harder in response.

  “I never booked a flight back,” he answered.

  He bit into my neck, never loosening his grip on my hair. Each time Trace tugged, he would sink his teeth deeper into my flesh. I rode his lap like a maniac, bucking and tossing like a mare in heat. Trace growled against my flesh.

  “Calm little filly,” he ground out. “I’ll take care of you, don’t worry.”.

  Chapter 14

  Trace

  I took Lila back into my room, and within seconds, we’d torn each other’s clothes off. Everything stoked the fire between us, from her little gasps and cries to the deep growls emanating from my throat.

  For a long time, we simply stood in the center of the room and kissed. I could feel her dripping down my fingers whenever they gravitated downwards. She would occasionally stroke my cock to see how much tension there was, the veins pulsing madly.

  But we couldn’t play like this forever. Eventually, I picked her up in my arms and walked us over to the wall, pinning her curvy frame against it. We kissed, gently thrusting our bodies together. Our lips never parted for long and I began to taste her breath, the moonlight and meadows that was all Lila.

  But my baby was insistent. Soon, she began to grind hard against me, checking to see how ready I was for her. Oh yeah, just like that.

  “Spread, sweetheart,” I rasped into her mouth. “Spread for me.”

  The girl obeyed and immediately, my thick shaft sought her entrance, sliding deep into her slick, wet hole.

  “Oh!” she cried out, literally pinned against the wall now. “Yes, Trace!”

  We kissed feverishly, obscene sucking noises sounding out as the sex went from hot to hotter. She felt considerably tighter to me than before; was that even possible?

  Shocked that I had yet to burst, I moved us over toward the bed. Placing that curvy frame down gently, I eventually stopped kissing her lips so that I could bend her over on the bed and give it to her from behind.

  This time, I entered her slowly, smacking her ass harder with each new inch of me she took. It was arousing to see, my giant pole disappearing within that tantalizingly wet pinkness. She was so tight. I had to start slowly, drilling deeper and smacking her ass the harder the faster we went. My hands grabbed her curls, tugging her head back gently.

  “You like that?” I whispered.

  “I fucking love it,” she moaned.

  I leaned forwards, kissing the back of her neck while reaching my hands under to squeeze her breasts. Shit they were huge, with distended tips, and I corkscrewed my fingers off each one. Lila moaned, her head dropping like a flower on its stalk, catching a glimpse of my massive balls through her parted legs as I penetrated her from the back. She cried out with arousal, feeling them smack against her hard clit.

  “Yes,” she cried out again, pussy getting even more wet. “Yes!”

  I only increased in speed, going at it like a madman. And finally, it was done. My shaft burst like a fucking firehose in the beautiful girl, spraying her with reams of cream as her pussy shattered around me, drawing every single drop of sperm deep inside.

  Yes. This was how it was supposed to be, and ecstasy overwhelmed my being.

  When we finally came to, I slid one big hand over that sinuous back.

  “I think our chemistry’s pretty fucking amazing,” was my possessive grunt.

  “I totally agree,” she replied.

  “I’ve never had someone like you,” I said.

  “We really complement each other well,” she giggled a little.

  “There are so many other things I want to try with you,” I said.

  “Like what?”

  I decided to surprise Lila.

  “Surfing,” I answered. “Rock-climbing. I’ve always wanted to run a marathon.”

  “Oh, I thought you meant like… in bed,” the girl laughed.

  “Well, that too,” I assured her. “I’m having a great time with you just as is. I can’t imagine what it’s like to do some really freaky stuff.”

  She looked shocked.

  “Really freaky?” was her gasp.

  “Really freaky,” I echoed with a wink.

  She giggled again before getting serious.

  “One day,” she sighed.

  “I’ll have to start looking for places soon,” was my comment.

  “You’re really wanting to move all the way back here?”

  “I want to be with you,” I said. “I was being serious before. Were you not?”

  “Trace…”

  “If I move here, would you date me?” I asked again.

  “In a heartbeat, but—”

  “Then that’s all that matters.”

  The brunette bit her lip for a moment.

  “Well, if you want a place to stay while you hunt for a place, you’re more than welcome to crash with me for a while,” she ventured.

  I shot her a searching glance.

  “You sure, sweetheart? We’re moving at light speed here, and I thought that’s what freaked you out.”

  She nodded, still thoughtful.

  “It does, but it feels right too. I don’t know how to explain it,” she whispered.

  “Then don’t,” I finished. “Don’t think honey, just feel.”

  She was silent for a moment, looking at the coverlet before raising her eyes.

  “I can’t believe you’re really willing to come back to Miami for me.”

  “The only thing I regret is that I didn’t return sooner,” I said. “I wish we’d tried to date in high school. It sucks that we didn’t talk back then.”

  “You know, for most of the week, I felt the same way,” Lila said slowly. “But I’m kind of happy that we found each other the way we did.”

  “How so?” I asked.

  “We’re more mature,” she replied. “We’ve both had other lovers. We’ve seen what’s is out there, and it’s pretty dire. If we tried dating back then, or even just tried being friends, it might not have worked out.”

  “That’s a good way to look at it.”

  “The only thing is, Trace, I don’t want you to come to Miami and regret moving. You have a whole life out there in California—”

  “Right, I have a life,” I interrupted. “And I can choose how I want to live it. I don’t want to be apart from you. I want to come back to Florida.”

  We looked into each other’s eyes for a while, our hearts beating in unison. And finally, the girl snuggled up into my chest.

  “Miami is happy that you’re back,” she murmured with a satisfied yawn.

  I held her close, merely resting my chin against the top of her head. For the first time in a long time, I went to sleep fulfilled. The only thing that kept me awake were thoughts about the limitless possibilities for the future ahead.

  Epilogue

  Lila

  One Year Later

  I was in Paris on a string of international shoots. Exploring Europe was fun, and working in cities that were known to attract rising, aspiring talent gave me an incredible rush. Yet, there was something depressing about France. All I wanted was to be back in Miami with Trace.

  Because today happened to be my one-year anniversary with Trace. We’d been a couple for a year, and I was the happiest I’d ever been in my life.

  He did move back to Miami soon after we became a couple. He found a job with a different agency headquartered downtown, and was unfathomably successful. Everyone
wanted him, from commercial fashion to the haute couture stuff that’s the crème de la crème.

  Plus, my career was taking off too. I’d gotten a lot of international work around my birthday, people clamoring to hire the hottest new curvy girl. It always broke my heart whenever I would leave Trace for an extended period of time though. This particular trip was almost a week long, and seemed about ten times longer. I was happy to be heading home the next day.

  But when I got back to my hotel room, a surprise greeted me. Because inside my room, standing by the kitchen table with a candlelit dinner, was Trace. He was unbelievably handsome, bronzed in a dark blue suit.

  “Trace?”

  “Surprise,” he growled.

  I dropped my things on the floor. “I can’t believe it.”

  “I know we were going to each other tomorrow,” he said. “But I couldn’t wait. I had to see you. It’s our anniversary, and what better to city to celebrate it in than the City of Love?”

  “I know,” I said with tears forming in my eyes.

  “The food is hot and fresh, but I don’t think I can wait,” he rasped, approaching me with long strides. “Lila, I think we’re meant to be together.”

  “Oh, Trace, I think that, too.”

  “Good sweetheart. Because I have to do this.”

  Suddenly, he got down on one knee and took me by the hand. He pulled out a small jewelry box, revealing a giant four carat diamond.

  “Oh my God,” I gasped.

  “Lila, I’m madly in love with you,” he rasped, blue eyes looking up into mine. “I don’t want to waste any other opportunities. I want to live our lives together, and to wake up next to you every day. And I want to have a family with you. I want everything with you. Will you marry me, sweetheart?”

  I was shaking and tears poured down my face even as I nodded like a bobble-head.

  “Yes, of course, I’ll marry younTrace,” was my whisper.

  He slid the ring onto my finger before standing to share a long, passionate kiss.

  “Thank you sweetheart,” he ground out in my ear. “You’ve made a poor soul very, very happy, and I promise you won’t ever regret it.”

  ***

  The food was forgotten as Trace and I rushed into the bedroom. And this time, the sex wasn’t just hot; it was pure ecstasy, the type where love is blended with lust, thrilling you to the tips of your toes.