by Ali Vali
“Sorry, Aidan, I didn’t mean to second-guess you.”
“Of course you did.” The exercise group reached the bow and started back. Aidan stopped to admire Berkley’s stride. “But that’s what keeps me at my best. I trust your opinion, but you’re going to have to trust me on this.”
“I do, but I had to ask.”
Aidan scanned the horizon again out of habit and found the sea still rough but clear of other ships. “I know, and feel free to share anything else.” The one good thing about Erika aside from her competence was she knew when to quit when she couldn’t win. They sailed in silence after that with Aidan glancing at the runners every so often. An hour went by and the weather only got worse, but before she could order Berkley’s team inside, they came to a walk.
She looked around one last time to make sure everything was in order as Berkley disappeared through one of the hatches. “If you need me I’ll be in my quarters reviewing the packet from the Pentagon.”
The crew members she encountered on the way back gave Aidan a casual salute but none of them stopped her. One of the wonderful things about the Jefferson was the small strategy room just off her office in the captain’s quarters. The room also had another door and led to the lead pilot’s office, then to the quarters beyond. The only way to access the room was from either her office or Berkley’s, and at the moment both doors were locked.
When she entered Berkley’s quarters she heard the shower running and smiled as she started to remove her uniform. It would be a tight fit, but she was willing to chance it to spend a few moments alone with Berkley.
“I don’t want to know how many regulations we’re breaking by you being in here,” Berkley said as soon as Aidan’s hands landed on her back.
“Is this the same flygirl I met who painted the commanding officer’s car bright pink when we were in Hawaii?” Berkley already had her pinned to the wall of the shower and her lips were pressed to her neck.
“I remember who was holding the paint can for me.” Even though Aidan had joined her, Berkley was shielding her from the bulk of the spray.
“That’s because you’re a bad influence on me.”
Berkley laughed in that deep joyful way that Aidan loved and still dreamt about. “Should I remind you whose shower you’re in? You’re not fooling anyone with that angelic face and the all-American looks, Sullivan.”
“You can’t blame me.”
“I can’t, huh?” Berkley reached behind her to shut off the water.
“You know how much I love you in those shorts, so yes, it’s your fault.” She stood as Berkley took her time drying her off. “And you’ve been avoiding me since we lifted anchor.”
“I’m not avoiding you.” Berkley made quick work of drying herself off.
“Sweetheart, you’ve barely spoken to me since you boarded.”
“That’s because,” the towel landed in the sink after Berkley threw it so she could scoop Aidan off of her feet, “I didn’t want the crew realizing how much you want me.”
The egotistical comment made Aidan bite her on the shoulder. “I’m glad to see time hasn’t tempered that naval aviator mentality.” Aidan bit Berkley’s shoulder again to keep her quiet. “Just remember that I have some big guns at my disposal and I know how to use them.”
“Are you threatening me?” The cot the room held was small for Berkley’s frame but Aidan fit perfectly when Berkley laid her down. “You are so beautiful.” The teasing died away as Berkley seemed to study every inch of Aidan’s face.
“You’re the only person who’s ever told me that and made me believe it.” Even from Berkley’s quarters Aidan could hear the hum of the ship’s engines. She could just make out the rough seas as she and Berkley rocked against one another. But the reminders of where they were and what they were doing didn’t matter. “You’re the only one who didn’t treat me like the admiral’s kid.”
“That’s because I’m not militarily ambitious. All I wanted was you.”
The hair at Berkley’s neck tickled against the tips of Aidan’s fingers as she ran her hands up to the longer strands at the top. Though the temperature of the room was comfortable, the intimate act puckered Aidan’s nipples and doubled the wetness between her legs.
“So Triton didn’t scare you away?”
Berkley pulled her closer and bit down gently on the nearer nipple, making Aidan hiss. “Do you really want to talk about your father right now?” she asked before treating the other nipple to the same pleasurable stimulation. “Because right now I’d really like to talk about something else.”
“What do you want to talk about?” Aidan was able to ask the question, but the feeling of Berkley’s fingers skimming down her abdomen, then down her thighs was making her lift her hips hoping that she’d land between her legs. It was funny to her that after going without sex for so long after she’d lost Berkley, she could so quickly be so ravenous again.
“I want to talk about just how long I can make love to you and achieve two things.”
“What?” The end of the word rose in pitch as Berkley finally spread her open and ran her middle finger through the wetness and just barely skimmed over her throbbing clitoris.
“I want to see just how long I can make it last before you come.” Berkley followed with a firmer pass along Aidan’s clitoris, making Aidan moan. “And I want to see just how quiet you can be since I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to get court-martialed this far into the mission.” She sounded like she was joking but covered Aidan’s mouth in a kiss anyway.
It was all Aidan needed to get swept up in the passion that Berkley had done such an excellent job of starting, then fanning the flames. She pulled her head back from the kiss when she needed air but just as quickly bit Berkley’s shoulder again when she thought she was going to have no choice but to scream as she felt those talented fingers stroking away her thoughts and worries.
It might not have lasted as long as Berkley had wanted, but Aidan figured she didn’t care as she felt the orgasm take her over. She moved her hips in time with Berkley’s hand and at the pinnacle moment she grabbed Berkley’s hair with an insistent pull and dragged her head down to her nipples, which had gotten hard as she came.
Above her, Berkley was panting. While Berkley’s fingers were still in her, Aidan reached down and started the dance all over again, only this time she wanted to watch as Berkley got lost in what they shared for each other. Berkley started to rock her hips, driving the fingers Aidan still had buried in her that much deeper.
“Let go for me, honey, and don’t stop.” Aidan was the one panting now. Her fingers were soaked from Berkley’s sex, but she was anything but gentle. They were both past the moment for gentle, so she gave Berkley what she wanted. “Oh God, I’m coming again.” Aidan’s whisper made Berkley’s hips speed up and they both orgasmed together.
“You do have a good work ethic when it comes to making up for lost time,” Aidan joked a little time later as they were in the shower again actually showering.
“That’s easy to do when you love what you’re doing.” Berkley helped Aidan wash her hair, then opened the door and handed her a towel so there was enough room for her to finish.
Chapter Eighteen
Ten minutes later they were both sitting at the table in the strategy room going over the latest papers from the Pentagon. But Aidan’s mind was on something else, and she figured she had a few minutes before her job would again take precedence over her personal life.
Aidan put her hand over the papers in front of her. She rested her head on the soft leather of her chair and stared at Berkley’s expression. “I should’ve understood the kind of commitment you wanted from me and that it’s what made my life complete a long time ago and not been so goddamn stupid.”
“I’m not sure where that came from, but don’t dwell, Aidan. We agreed to start again, and we have.”
“Sorry, I can’t help the insecurity that kicks me in the ass every once in a while. It’s been going
great, but the future’s a scary place all of a sudden.”
“You’re not sure where you fit in now?” Berkley asked.
“I’d like not to worry about it, but I can’t help it.”
Berkley didn’t say anything for what seemed like an eternity to Aidan, but then she reached across the table and picked up Aidan’s hands.
“If anything, the future holds no dark rooms for you and no uncertainties. It won’t all be easy, but it won’t be lonely.”
Aidan lowered her head and kissed Berkley’s knuckles. “When all this is over I want two things from you.”
“Name them.”
“I want you to take me flying. In all the time we’ve known each other, we’ve never done that.”
Berkley let go of one of her hands and reached up to place her palm on Aidan’s cheek. “That’s one, and sure, I’d love to. What else do you want?”
“I want you to come back to me in one piece, Cletus. You earned that swagger of yours because you’re the best the Navy has up there, so you prove it to me. You come back and give me the life I want, and don’t you dare let me down.”
Her chair scraped on the floor as Berkley stood and saluted. “Ma’am, yes, ma’am. I have some plans of my own for the first time in a long time, so don’t you worry about that.” The knock on her office door ended their conversation, but they both smiled in a way that spoke of healing past hurts.
“These are the latest reports from Command,” Erika said as she walked in followed by Berkley’s group of pilots. She placed the folders on the table, then went to sit at Aidan’s right. At the other end of the table, Berkley sat studying the screens in the room that showed their position in the Indian Ocean.
“They’ve moved the UN speech up two days?” Aidan asked as soon as she glanced at the page. “There’s no way we’re in place by then even if I open the engines up full throttle. Not if we have to set up for the games they want us to participate in as a cover.”
“That might work to our advantage, so don’t worry about it,” Berkley said. She walked to the screen and placed her finger on the farthest target. “Calculating the miles in from the coast, and the capacity of fuel, we need to be about here for us to be able to carry this off.” She moved her finger out to sea and tapped the screen lightly. “If the powers that be want the element of surprise, that might do it if we put our birds in the air before the cavalry shows up, don’t you think?” She turned and looked at Aidan. “You should have us to this point by then, won’t you?”
“If something goes wrong, I won’t have us in position to provide cover for you.”
“Then we’ll have to make sure nothing goes wrong,” Berkley said as if she could make it happen just by saying the words.
Erika shook her head and turned to the next page of the report. “I’m sure that’ll be the case, Commander, but you might want to read page two of what they sent. The satellites have picked up movement from the North Korean military. They’re now running air cover over the northwestern-most site, and there’s a battalion of men moving to the shoreline. It would seem to me that they’re expecting us.”
“It’s more like they’re anticipating us,” Berkley said, not turning her eyes from Aidan.
“There’s a difference?” Erika asked.
“It’s like this.” Berkley turned to her. “If you know your friends are throwing you a surprise party for your birthday, then in the back of your mind you anticipate walking through the door and people shouting. You know about it, so it isn’t a surprise at all. But you know what? When the day comes and you walk through the door, you can’t help but be shocked at the precise moment you hear those yells.”
“How do you know how I’d react, much less the pilots guarding the nest?” Erika asked, watching Berkley move closer to her.
“Because, Lieutenant.” Berkley stopped three feet from her and smiled before lunging at her and slamming her hands on the table. She didn’t laugh when Erika pulled back so quickly her chair hit the wall from the sudden fright. “It’s human nature. Knowing something and being confronted by it are two different things.”
From the way Erika’s chest was heaving, Berkley could tell there was a curse simmering inside her.
“Who told you that bullshit?”
“Commander Corbin Levine, and to this day I haven’t found a smarter guy around. We’re going in there and blowing this thing, and I don’t give a shit who’s in the air with me. They aren’t going to stop me from doing my job.”
“I hope you’re right,” Erika said. “Because God help us if you’re wrong.”
“Did you come along for the rousing pep talks?” Berkley asked and this time her crew did laugh.
The humor didn’t penetrate Erika’s cool façade. “I’m here to do a job just like you. I’m sorry if you don’t appreciate my point of view.”
“What I don’t appreciate is your counting us out even before we start. I’m not an idiot, so of course they’ve put some countermeasures in place considering the movement going on off their coastline. That’s to be expected.”
“Don’t you mean you’re anticipating that they did that?” Erika asked.
“If I’d meant to use the word ‘anticipate,’ I’d have used it. I’m sure their air cover is in place, and my educated guess is the best they have is stationed at the location you just mentioned.”
“Why’s that?” Erika looked not at all perturbed that she was dominating the conversation.
“Because it’s the closest one to their shores, and whoever Cletus sends up there, their pilots will have the most time to chase and shoot down,” Killer answered for Berkley.
“Like I said, that’s my educated guess, but we’ll make sure we’re ready for whatever we find. We’ll go over some countermeasures in our meeting after this,” Berkley said to her group of pilots, then pulled Erika’s chair back to the table enough so that she couldn’t stand up. “Everyone is dismissed. I’ll meet you in the situation room on the second deck.” The pilots stood and gave her a salute, and Berkley could feel Erika trying to pull her chair out so that she could leave as well. “Not you, Miss Gibson.”
“Cletus,” Aidan said almost in question.
“A few minutes if you would, Captain. I’d like to talk to your assistant.”
“What? You can’t take constructive advice?” Erika asked as soon as they were alone. “And I’d appreciate you addressing me by my title.”
“And I’d appreciate you not being such a bitch, but we don’t always get what we want, do we?”
“Are you trying to bait me, Commander?”
Berkley laughed and didn’t move. “Bait you into doing what exactly?”
“Into giving you the excuse to bring up insubordination charges against me? My daddy taught me a few things as well, and I’m sure he’d tell me getting rid of the fly in the ointment is the easiest solution.” She pushed back on her chair again, but Berkley wasn’t letting up the pressure. “Don’t worry, though. Unlike some of the crew you brought aboard, I do have an iota of restraint. You won’t be getting the satisfaction of me losing my cool with you.”
“Let’s try this.” Berkley moved and sat in the chair Aidan had occupied. “What is your suggestion of what we should do? You have an opinion on how we’ll do, so you must have some idea of how we could do it better. If you have a better plan, let’s hear it.”
“It’s too late for my suggestion, Commander. Captain Sullivan should have gone with more experience, and in my humble opinion, that’s not you.”
“Why do you think the captain went with me, then?” There was a definite picture forming in Berkley’s head when it came to Erika, and it painted the attractive officer in bed with Aidan. At least that’s what this woman was hoping for from the bristling attitude coming off her. “You and I both know what the price of failure will be if I screw this up, so why not someone else?”
“That she didn’t share with me. I’m sure she had her reasons, even if in this case because of personal issues
, she’s wrong.” Erika straightened her papers and hesitantly pushed her chair back. “But that’s none of my business.”
“I see that you don’t have a problem baiting me, Miss Gibson.” Berkley smiled as Erika stood holding her folder close to her chest. She kept quiet until Erika’s hand landed on the door latch. “And I’ll make sure Aidan puts that you left a meeting with a superior officer without being dismissed into your file. Not an offense punishable by time in the brig, but I do think they frown upon things like that when promotions are being considered.” Berkley stood and opened the door and stepped out into the corridor. “Just my humble opinion, anyway.”
“Commander, may I have a word in my office, please?” Aidan said as soon as she saw Berkley walk past her door. “Problems?” she asked as soon as her office door closed.
“Erika is in love with you, so you tell me. Is that a problem?”
“Don’t—”
“Be ridiculous,” Berkley finished for her. “I’m not being funny here, darlin’. You may not have noticed it, but that’s what her problem is, with me at least. You might have never shown an interest before, but you’re showing one now. Only it’s not directed at who she sees as the right person.”
“I never—”
“Encouraged her in any way,” Berkley cut in again. “I know that. We may have lost out because of duty, but I never questioned your loyalty. It might not be protocol, but I’m telling you that she’s dying to ask if you’re willing to tell her that you want her in your bed.”
“Stop finishing my sentences for me, Cletus, and you don’t have anything to be jealous over, so lose the pout.” She laughed as she put her hand on Berkley’s chest and scratched the skin she could reach through the open top button. “You want me to talk to her? Set her straight, so to speak?”