by Tessa Teevan
“I’m glad to hear it. You about ready to go?” Nodding, she starts heading towards the car, but I catch her wrist. “There’s one last thing I want to do before we leave if you’re okay with it.”
I lead her down the parking lot, and she looks pleased as I stop in front of the baseball field. Pushing through the gate, we both fumble slightly since we can only see by the moonlight. We enter the home team dugout to look at all the graffiti left from the last ten seasons. She spots my initials on the far end of the bench, and we’re soon laughing at some of the outrageous saying that have been written since I graduated.
“So do you ever regret it?” Alexa asks after wiping away the tears that were brought on after spotting an old Jeremy Banks joke from ten years earlier. “Joining the Army instead of going to play at Bama, I mean.”
I lean back against the bench, running my hand across my jaw as I think about her question.
“Honestly, in the beginning I did, especially after I came back and you were gone.”
“Jace…”
I hold up my hand, stopping her. “Just hear me out, okay? Like I said, I did have a few moments of regret, but once I went on my first deployment, I was really happy with my decision. Baseball was a huge part of my life, but I don’t think I really would’ve gone anywhere with it after college like Luke did. The Army not only gave me a career, but it’s also given me a sense of satisfaction I don’t think I would’ve gotten from most jobs. Every single time I’m able to defuse a bomb, that’s one less that has the potential to explode. It’s a rush, knowing that I potentially just prevented someone’s death while facing my own. So, no, I don’t regret it at all.”
“I don’t know how you do it. I don’t think I’d be able to get my fingers to stop shaking if I was in that position. Your mom must be terrified every time you deploy,” she says with a shudder at the thought of doing my job.
I laugh, remembering the freak out my mom had when she learned what my job was going to be. “She was definitely not happy at first, but Dad spent twenty-five years in the service, so she’s used to it.”
Alexa shakes her head, getting up from the bench. I stand and follow her out onto the field. She turns around to face me, and I stop my approach a few feet away.
“How much longer do you have to be there when you go back?” she asks.
I’m mentally counting the months in my head. “I’m set to come home the first week of October, and then I’ll be moving to my new post at the end of the month.”
A questioning look comes to her face. “You’re moving as soon as you get back?”
“Yep, and I couldn’t be happier to be leaving New Mexico,” I tell her, drawing this reveal out as long as possible.
“I can imagine. I’d hate all that heat. So spill it. Where’s your new post?”
I grin as I tell her. “I’ll be moving to Ft. Campbell in a few short months.”
She just looks at me, and it dawns on me that she probably has no idea where that is.
“Kentucky,” I tell her. “Ft. Campbell, Kentucky.
Her eyes widen, and I’m taken aback when she rushes towards me, jumping up into my arms. I slightly stumble back, and I hold her tight as she wraps her legs around my waist for leverage, her arms doing the same around my neck.
“You’re moving to Kentucky? In October?” she asks for confirmation.
I laugh. “Yes, Alexa. My next assignment is in Kentucky, and I have to report no later than October 25.”
She squeals as she tightens her arms around my neck. She leans back so I can see her face, and she’s absolutely beaming.
“Do you know how far from Cincinnati you’ll be?”
I give her a grin before answering her. “Babe that was one of the first things I checked out when I found where I was being sent next. It’s only a couple of hours or so. Not a bad drive at all.”
If possible, her smile gets even wider. “I can’t believe you’re going to be so close! I’ve tried hard not to think about this weekend ending, but knowing that I’ll get to see you in a couple of months again is incredible. That’s not a bad drive, and we can spend weekends together sometimes.” She pauses, biting her lip as she looks away from me. “If you want to, I mean. I don’t expect you to always want to hang out with me. I know you’ll have your own life.”
This freaking girl. She drives me insane sometimes. “Sure, I’ll have my own life, and you’ll always be a part of it. I’ll probably be in Cincinnati so often you’ll get sick of me.”
“That could never happen, Jace. I’ll always be happy to have you around.” She grabs my face with her hands and plants a loud kiss on my lips. “You’re moving to Kentucky! I never thought I’d be so happy to say that to someone, because, well, it’s Kentucky.”
I go to deepen the kiss, but she’s pulling back before I get my chance, so I smile as I respond.
“I know what you mean. I can honestly say that I wasn’t looking forward to it until I came here and we reconnected. Now I couldn’t be happier. There is one drawback, though.”
She furrows her brow as she waits for me to give her the bad news.
“Ft. Campbell is home to the 52nd EOD Group. They’re one of the most deployed units in the Army. I’ve already gotten word that my platoon will be going to Afghanistan next April.”
She inhales sharply as she drops her legs from my waist, sliding down my body to stand on her own. “Why would you have to go again so soon after you get back this time?”
I sigh. “It’s not the individual, babe, but the platoon that’s going. It’s just piss poor timing for me.”
She closes her eyes and we’re both silent for a few moments as I wait for her to say something.
“That blows. Really freaking blows,” she says finally. “But we said we’d keep it light tonight, so let’s just forget about it for now, okay?”
“You’re right. Definitely okay with me.”
She turns and walks across the diamond, stopping on home plate. Curving her finger, she signals for me to follow. I make my way towards her, and the moment I reach her, she’s grabbing my shirt with both fists to pull me down to her. Rising up in her boots, she places a searing kiss on my lips as her tongue works its way into my mouth. My hands immediately find themselves on the small of her back, holding her tight against my chest. This is better than I could ever have imagined, and I know, because I spent plenty of time on this field thinking about taking her right here. A moment passes by before she pulls away, breathless and flushed.
“I always wanted to do that,” she confesses, bringing her fingers to her swollen, pink lips.
“Do what?”
“Kiss you at home plate,” she says with a wink. “All those times you were greeted by your teammates when you’d score, I always wished it could’ve been me.”
“Trust me, you would’ve been a much better reward than any of those guys. Now do me a favor and stay right here,” I tell her, turning her so that she’s directly on home plate and facing third base.
I know I probably look like an idiot, but I take off in a quick jog towards first base, rounding it and going to second. Jogging as I make it to third, I slow down a bit just before tagging home plate.
Stopping right in front of Alexa, I bend down so we’re eye to eye.
“My homerun, babe,” I say simply, knowing that she knows exactly what I mean, before I stand back up straight.
Her eyes widen, and I yank her towards me, probably a little too roughly, but I can’t help how turned on I am. I grasp the back of her head, and my mouth crashes into hers as my tongue forces her lips apart so that I can finally kiss her on the field where it all began.
“God, you taste so fucking sweet. I can’t be around you without thinking of tasting every single inch of you,” I growl in her ear, and I feel her shudder beneath me.
My dick instantly hardens when I hear her reply. “Then what are you waiting for?”
I grab her hand and start dragging her across the field, making our way
to the gate. When we’re in the dugout, she stops abruptly, dropping my hand. I turn around, ready to pick her up and carry her to the car, when she pushes me against the bench, forcing me to sit down. She straddles my lap so that her core is touching the erection that’s pressing against my jeans. Rolling her hips slightly, she moans at the friction she’s creating. The sound is so fucking sexy that I’m barely keeping my control. As if a switch has been turned on, she attacks my mouth with a frenzied passion I try to match.
My hands grip her thighs, and for the second time tonight, I’m thankful that she’s wearing a dress. As she deepens our kiss, my hand slowly inches up her inner thigh. I caress her soft skin as my fingers trace their way up her body. She shivers beneath me. My fingers dip into what I now know is her thong, and I rub my thumb ever so slightly over her clit. She instantly rocks against me, moving her hands to my jeans, trying to unbutton them.
“I want you right now, Jace. I can’t wait another minute,” she says breathlessly.
Pulling my hand away from her, I grip her hips, trying to stop her movements.
“Not here, babe. We need to go back to the condo first,” I tell her, and I see the disappointment in her eyes.
Ignoring me, she begins to move against me again. It’s all I can do not to match her movements, because I swear my dick has never been this hard before. Suddenly, she leans down to my ear.
“The first time you fucked me was outside under the stars, so don’t tell me you’ve gone and become a prude since those days,” she teases, nibbling on my earlobe.
“First of all, I didn’t fuck you that night, but I sure as hell will before I let you get on that plane tomorrow. Second, I’m not about to sink myself into you for the first time in ten years in a fucking baseball dugout,” I answer.
She pulls back as she clenches her thighs around me. “How about a preview? Just a little one?” Grabbing my hands, she places them on her chest before continuing. “I spent countless innings watching you down on the field, wishing your hands were all over me, working my breasts over with your skillful hands instead of the baseball you were always palming.”
She rubs over my erection again, and it’s all I can do to maintain control. If she keeps this up much longer, I know I’ll be taking her right here in the dugout.
“The fucking death of me, babe,” I tell her, lifting her off of me.
She whimpers in protest, apparently not happy that I’ve moved her off of me. I think she’s pacified as I lay her down, and she looks at me with hooded eyes, lighting up in anticipation. Straddling the bench, I scoot closer to her, placing her legs on either side of me. I reach up underneath her dress and hook her thong with both of my thumbs. As if she can read my mind, she lifts her ass so I can pull them down, taking it off of her completely. I tuck it into my back pocket for safekeeping.
Beginning with her left leg, I kiss the spot just above her boot and make my way up her thigh, stopping just before the hem of her dress. My lips move to her right leg and repeat the same trail. She begins to tremble the closer I get to her core, so I take my time working my way up. My hand slides up her left leg and I press down on her clit with my forefinger as my lips move closer to her center.
“Please, Jace…” she pleads, begging for my lips to taste her.
I begin to rub my finger over her wet opening, teasing her as I nibble on her upper thigh. I slip one finger inside of her, and she squirms at the contact. Moving in and out, my thumb rubs circles over her clit. After a few moments of her writhing under my touch, I kiss her inner thigh before replacing my thumb with my mouth. My tongue massages her gently and I’m rewarded with a low moan as she grips my head, pressing my face further into her. I grin against her, loving that I can bring this reaction out of her. Slipping a second finger into her, I continue to slide my fingers in and out of her as my mouth works over her clit.
My free hand moves up to her breast as I thumb her nipple through the thin lace of her dress, and I swear she’s not wearing a bra. Another moan escapes her lips, and I speed up the thrust of my fingers as I nibble on her clit. I feel her walls tighten around my fingers as the orgasm begins to wash over her. My cock strains against my jeans, wishing it wasn’t my fingers inside of her right now. She’s panting as she moves her hands to my shoulders, gripping them as if trying to hold on. She grinds against my lips, and I gently bite down one last time on her clit, pushing her over the edge.
As the orgasm rocks over her, I slow the pace of my fingers down and give her one last once-over with my tongue. She stills beneath me, and I lift up to gauge her reaction. She sits up slightly and pulls me to her.
“That…was fucking incredible,” she breathes, looking flushed and beautiful.
I lean in to kiss her, secretly wanting her to taste herself on my lips. She responds to my kiss in a hungry fashion.
“Oh, God. I taste so damn good on your lips,” she moans as she deepens the kiss before breaking contact. Then she lies back down on the bench, seemingly spent even though I did all the work.
Looking down at her, I can’t help but grin. “So how was that for a preview?”
I’M STRUGGLING to catch my breath as Jace lifts off of me. When I challenged him to his so-called preview in the dugout, I never actually thought he’d go for it. Not that I’m complaining. He gets up from the bench and pulls me up with him. It’s been so long since I’ve such an intense orgasm, and I feel slightly dizzy at the sudden movement.
“I’d say that was a pretty damn good one, McAllister,” I admit, knowing it’s the truth.
He grins at me and I feel a tug in my heart I instantly try to block out. He holds his hand out and I place mine in his, letting him lift me off of the bench. He sets me upright and bends down to press a soft kiss to my lips as I straighten my dress.
“Remember, baby, that was only a preview. There’s much more where that came from,” he says, giving me a smug smile.
I shrug my shoulders before responding. “Mm, I could probably fall asleep right now.”
Laughing, he shakes his head as we make our way out of the gate. We’re almost to the car when we spot Sierra backed against the side of the building with Jeremy kissing her heatedly.
“It really is like high school all over again. Get a room, you two!” Jace calls to them, causing them to pull apart.
They walk over to us, and Jeremy’s quick to speak. “This is where it all started, so it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t reenact one of our infamous make-out sessions. Plus, this time there are no teachers around to break it up.”
We all laugh because it’s true. Those two got in more trouble for kissing on school grounds than any other couple.
“At least we kept things PG, unlike some people around here.” Sierra looks at us with teasing accusation.
Jace holds his hands up, waving her off. “No idea what you’re talking about. We were just checking out the baseball diamond for old time’s sake.”
My nosy sister raises her eyebrows at him, and Jeremy’s trying not to laugh. “Umm, dude… You have underwear hanging out of your back pocket.”
Ignoring the high-five that Jeremy initiates, Jace pales as my face reddens at the same time. I struggle as I try to find a way to respond, but there’s honestly nothing I can say. Sierra falls into a fit of giggles as she looks back and forth between Jace and me.
“I wish you could see your faces right now. It’s like you got caught with your pants down… or well, your panties, Lexi!”
Jeremy nudges Jace’s shoulder. “Guess she can’t call you that blue master thing anymore, can she?”
With that, Sierra comes undone as she clutches her stomach, trying to contain her laughter. Jace grabs my hand and pulls me towards the car. I get in and watch as he opens the driver’s side door. Before he gets in, he calls out to them, surprising me.
“Trust me, Banks. After tonight, she’ll never call me that again.”
Sierra lets out a hoot as he joins me, grinning in my direction.
“Seri
ously? Your back pocket?” I ask him, even though I’m kind of amused that he thought to keep them when we were in the heat of the moment.
“You think I’d leave them there for some teenage boy to find? Hell no. Plus, I figured you’d want them back eventually. Although, I’m not sure I’m willing to give them back to you.”
Letting out a small laugh, I lean my head back against the seat. “Well, if you must, then go ahead and keep them. But do me a favor and try to keep them off display for the rest of the world to see.”
He shoots me a wicked smile and interlocks his fingers with mine before placing our joined hands on his leg. “My eyes only, babe.”
As we drive back to the condo, we make small talk about who we saw and talked to at the reunion. Surprisingly, it seems like we both had a good time catching up with so many people from his class. We pull up to the condo and a swarm of butterflies attack my stomach as I realize that this is finally going to happen. I’m thankful that I drank just enough wine to calm my nerves so that I don’t mentally freak out at the thought of sleeping with someone again.
He parks the car and turns toward me, placing his hand on the back of my headrest. His eyes bore into mine and I see a hunger burning, strong and fierce. There’s something else there, too, but I can’t quite figure it out. He shakes a thought out of his head as he turns and reaches for the door handle.
Exiting the car, we make our way into the building, where Jace presses the elevator button a few times, eager to get us upstairs. We enter the elevator, and this time we keep our hands to ourselves.
When we reach his floor, Jace is quick to unlock the door. I’m halfway across the threshold when he pulls me all the way in. The door closes behind us and I’m instantly pressed up against it, Jace’s hard body connecting with mine. I place my arms around his neck as he lifts me up into his arms so that my legs wrap around his narrow waist.
“God, I love how perfectly you fit in my arms,” he whispers, giving me a hard kiss.