To Love a Soldier Read online

  “Well, I guess it’s official.” I smiled, taking in his loving eyes.

  The waitress continued her flirting, but John wasn’t indulging her, so it bothered me less. We placed our orders, and he excused himself to use the restroom.

  “Give me the salt,” I demanded of Liz.

  “Why? You have one by you,” she pointed out.

  “I know, but John’s going to use that one.” She handed me the salt with a confused look. “Press my ass against the window,” I mumbled while I loosened the cap on the salt. “Here, put it back and don’t say a word.”

  Our dinner came shortly after he sat back down and, like clockwork, John tried some of his food and immediately reached for the salt. I just sat back and took it all in. A few shakes and the lid gave, spilling the container onto his food. He knew I had gotten him back. His typical smirk appeared as he placed the cap back on the salt. He wouldn’t look up to give me the satisfaction, so instead, he just brushed the pile of salt off with his knife.

  “How’s everyone’s food? Good?” he asked without raising his head.

  Liz and I just laughed. We finished up, and John took the bill. He left a generous tip and got up, pulling our seats to help us up. Liz waited for him to turn around and grabbed the tip he left and slid it in her pocket. I gave her a look.

  “Shut up.” She pushed me forward, forcing me to keep walking. “I did the same thing to you that night.”

  Son of a bitch, she totally did! We headed out the front door to see a crowd had grown, waiting to be seated at the restaurant. A friendly looking older couple stood at the front. The old gentleman reached out to get John’s attention.

  “This is our first time here,” he stated. “We were just wondering how the food is?”

  “It was pretty good,” John answered. “But mine was a little too salty.” He gave me a look.

  We headed back to town and, with light traffic, we were back in record time. I insisted that Liz drop John and me off at my place, so we could hang out and she and Brady could have some alone time.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Concerns

  Liz

  I’d had such a great day with John and Mandy and couldn’t wait to have a great night with Brady. He was already out of work and waiting for me when I pulled into my driveway. I pulled my car behind his, making a clear statement that he wasn’t going home tonight. I got out of my car and met him on my porch with a big hug.

  “Hey, baby,” I said. “How was work?”

  “Hey.” His voice sounded off. “I worked a double shift, so it sucked. How was the range and dinner?”

  “Oh, I wish you could’ve come with. Mandy got her ass stuck in the window on the way to the city. It was hilarious!” I couldn’t help but start laughing again at the mental image that popped into my head.

  “I guess I had to be there, huh?”

  “Yeah, and I wish you were,” I told him. “Best part of the night was at dinner. John got hit on by our waitress.”

  Brady laughed. “How did she like it?”

  “She didn’t, at all,” I said. “Come in, I’ll tell you all about it.”

  Walking in the front door, I tossed my coat onto the back of the couch and headed into the kitchen to grab a water for me and a soda for Brady. Rounding the corner back into the living room, I saw him peering out the front blinds.

  “What’s up? Are you expecting anyone?” I asked, confused.

  Turning his head to look at me, he said, “I hope not.”

  “What does that even mean? Is everything okay?” I asked, suddenly feeling concerned.

  “Yeah, everything is fine,” he said, taking the soda from me. “Thanks.”

  Since I didn’t eat much earlier, I figured I’d make dinner for Brady and just have a little myself. I went back to the kitchen and heated up some leftover Chinese food. I couldn’t remember when I had eaten it last, so I had no idea how old it was. It smelled all right, so I figured I’d let Brady eat it first to test it.

  “Here you go.” I put his plate on the coffee table and went back to the kitchen, giving him time to be the guinea pig. When I came back out with my plate, Brady was at another window, peeking through the blinds. Damn, he didn’t touch the Chinese. I put my plate down and walked over to him.

  “Seriously, what the hell is wrong?”

  His face was angry. “I saw Mike at the mall today. He wasn’t at work, but one of my buddies told me he saw him hanging around outside your store.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” I took a step back, suddenly feeling sick to my stomach.

  “No, I’m not,” he said, closing the blind. “My buddy covered for me and I played spy. He wasn’t doing anything, but walking around, but he kept slowing down and looking inside the jewelry store.”

  “I wonder what he would’ve done if I was working?” I thought aloud.

  “I really wanna beat this motherfucker down, babe. I know I’d end up getting arrested, but I don’t know how much longer I can control myself.”

  “You have to, Brady,” I pleaded. “You’re right; you’ll be the one who goes to jail and it’s not worth it. He’ll get his.”

  “I know. I just hope something happens to him sooner rather than later. I feel like such a pussy not doing anything about what he did to you.” He walked away from the window and took a seat next to me, picking up his plate.

  “You’re not a pussy. You’re just not stupid. Let’s just eat and forget about it for now.”

  He agreed. Stalling for time, I turned on the TV and started flipping through channels. Brady spun some noodles around on his fork and then stuck a piece of chicken with it. He took the first bite and started chewing. I noticed his chewing got slower. He had a look on his face like he had just eaten a lemon and spit the food out onto his plate.

  “Fuck, Liz!” He said in between spitting on the plate. “How old is this?”

  “It’s not that old,” I lied. Shit, that’s right! I got Chinese takeout about three weeks ago. Whoopsie! “It must be bad chicken or something,” I tried to cover. “I’ll make us something else.”

  I grabbed both our plates and tossed the leftovers into the garbage. I didn’t have much food, but I managed to find a box of macaroni and cheese, so I grabbed a pot and started to boil some water.

  “Watch some TV and I’ll bring out dinner in a few,” I yelled from the kitchen.

  It took about 15 minutes to throw dinner together. I scooped some in our bowls, tossed a fork on top, and headed back to the living room. Brady was waiting patiently.

  “Sorry, baby,” I said, handing him the plate.

  “No worries.” He smiled. “It would take a lot more than food poisoning to get rid of me.”

  We finished eating and snuggled on the couch, watching shows as the night grew late. I’d had a long day and was exhausted, but I wanted to end it right. My head had been resting on Brady’s chest for the last 30 minutes. I was taking in his cologne, making me hotter by the minute.

  “You’re staying over tonight,” I told him, as I started rubbing his thigh on the outside of his pants.

  “I’d like that,” he said, not taking his eyes off the TV. Okay, maybe he’s not getting it. I’ll have to make it clearer. I moved my hand over his package and started gently rubbing and squeezing.

  Tilting my head, I slowly began running my tongue up his neck toward his ear. His eyes rolled back as he leaned his head on the back of the couch. Unbuttoning his pants, I pulled the zipper of his jeans down, making my intentions clear. I slid my fingers into his belt loops and tugged at his pants to get them off. He gladly rose to help me pull them the rest of the way off. His cock was already starting to harden, begging for my touch. Sliding my fingers up his shirt, I exposed his six-pack and ran my tongue down his stomach until I reached the tip of his erection.

  Taking him in my mouth greedily, I started bobbing my head in an up and down motion, using my hand to gently caress his sac. He let out a moan, remaining still, letting me take con
trol. Working my mouth down to the base, I stayed there for several seconds before coming up. I could feel my panties getting wetter by the second. I need him, now!

  I ran over to my purse and grabbed a condom. He tried to get up, but I pushed him back down and unwrapped the condom, placing it next to him. Giving him a few more up and downs before quickly removing my clothes, I slid the condom firmly in place and put my hands on his shoulders, straddling him with my nipples in perfect position for his mouth. Leaning his head forward, he took one in his mouth and began sucking lightly.

  Lining him up with my entrance, I slid down his length in a slow, steady motion until I reached the base. We both let out a moan, and I picked up the pace as I started riding him. He took my breasts in his hands and began rolling my nipples between his thumb and forefinger, sending waves of pleasure coursing through my body. Picking up my pace, I rode him as hard and fast as I could. He joined me by thrusting upward as I came down on him.

  “I don’t think I can last much longer,” he panted.

  “Then don’t,” I said, as I felt my muscles tightening. “I want to come with you.”

  He let my breasts go and grabbed my hips, fiercely pulling me down onto his hard cock. He pounded away at my heat, and we both erupted simultaneously. I stayed on top of him, catching my breath and enjoying the feeling of him inside me. We had a long kiss before I climbed off of him. I started collecting clothes, making a show out of it, bending over and showing off my ass.

  “I love you,” he said, grinning. “Your ass totally makes up for your inability to cook.”

  Shaking my head, “love you, too.”

  We headed upstairs and I stopped in the bathroom to clean up, brush my teeth, and take my makeup off. Sneaking back downstairs when I was done, I sent Mandy a quick text about what Brady had said about Mike. I wasn’t sure what to make of it and wanted her insight. Since she didn’t reply, I’m assumed she was doing something that I didn’t want to know about with my brother. Shutting my phone off, I headed back upstairs and climbed into bed next to Brady, who was already there holding his arms out for me. I could barely keep my eyes open and, after a quick goodnight, I was out.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Counting the Hours

  Mandy

  Four weeks later…

  The sound of my coffee pot chiming woke me up. I was still exhausted after spending most of the night awake with John, again. We were up talking, in between having sex. On top of that, I hadn’t been getting much sleep the last few weeks, not wanting to waste any time with him. My emotions were starting to take a toll on me. I was so happy about getting to know John, and I couldn’t help falling in love. However, he had just come into my life, and now he was going to be leaving already.

  Stretching my arms above my head, I slowly climbed out of bed, tossed on a tank top and a pair of boy shorts, and headed toward the smell of coffee. John was standing in the kitchen making breakfast, wearing nothing but his boxers on. I could get used to this!

  “Damn, you are eye candy,” he said as I entered the kitchen. “I think I’ll nickname you EC for short.”

  “Good morning, ass,” I chuckled. “Mandy will do just fine.”

  “Roger that.” He laughed as he turned back to the eggs cooking on the stovetop. “Scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon, and some toast for you this morning.”

  “You want some help?” I asked, taking two plates out of the cupboard.

  “Absolutely not.” He pulled a chair out for me. “You just relax and let me do all the work.”

  I had a coffee crumb cake on the counter and noticed it was out of halfway out of its box. “Were you in the crumb cake?” I asked.

  “Oh, yeah. I was starving when I woke up… I may have had a slice… or two,” he said with a boyish grin.

  “You need to put it back or it’s going to get stale,” I sighed, annoyed, shoving the rest of the cake back in the box and wiping crumbs off the counter. Slob.

  “Wow,” John said as he poked my rib. “Did you fall off your broomstick on your flight downstairs?”

  “It’s not funny. The cake has its own little house,” I gestured toward the box.

  John gave me a weird look. “Okay, logically that makes no sense because the box, or house as you call it, isn’t sealed, so it’s not going to keep it from going stale.”

  I knew I was going overboard and being a bitch, but it was one of my pet peeves. He was right, though. I was angry and what I said didn’t make sense. “All right, I didn’t mean to snap. Sorry.” Get a grip, Mandy! You don’t need to ruin the rest of your time together.

  “It’s fine.” He smiled at me. “I like your little quirks.”

  Grabbing my cell phone off the counter, I sat down and started thumbing from my missed texts. One was from Liz, and I had a feeling I already knew it was going to be about seeing Mike around. He had been making his sleazy presence known the past few weeks. While I had been doing my best to keep John occupied, so he wouldn’t go after him, it was only a matter of time before we ran into him, or one of his friends. Since John knew what he had done to me years earlier, it was a double vendetta.

  So last night Brady and I decided to go play pool and guess who showed up while Brady was in the bathroom? Mike! He just stood there staring at me until Brady came back and then he was gone. I swear he’s getting brazen. If he’s looking to apologize I wish he would just grow a pair and get it over with, so he can stay the hell out of our lives. Anyway, hope you’re having a decent night.

  You there?

  “Shit,” I accidentally said aloud.

  “What’s wrong?” John turned quickly to me. “Who’s the text from?”

  I didn’t want to lie to him. “It’s from your sister.” I smiled, not wanting him to worry. “Everything’s fine.”

  “Your reaction didn’t sound fine.” He gave me a look while reading my expression. “Either she’s fighting with Brady, or it has something to do with that pussy Mike…” He trailed off, keeping his eyes trained on mine.

  “Nothing happened,” I explained. “They were out playing pool last night, and Mike showed up. He left a couple minutes later. That’s all. Nobody did anything.”

  “Yet,” John mumbled.

  “John, relax,” I pleaded. “You have two days left before you leave. Don’t spend them looking for trouble.” I got up and gave him a hug, which he returned, almost crushing me. “Besides, I’m sure you could find better things to do with your time,” I whispered as I rubbed my palm against his bulge. I caught him off guard, and he jumped back.

  I followed, though, pressing him against the countertop and resumed rubbing. Sneaking my hand into the front of his boxer shorts, I pulled his thick shaft out. It grew thick and heavy in my palm in just a few seconds. Dropping to my knees, I parted my lips slightly, moistening them with my tongue before bringing the head into my mouth. He placed his hands on the countertop to brace himself. My boy shorts were becoming wet, so I slid them off in anticipation of him taking me again. As I was getting back on my knees, he stopped me, lifting me straight from the floor to the countertop. I spread my legs for him, as he kneeled down and began circling his tongue on my clit, occasionally dipping into my heat. Resting my heels on his shoulders, I couldn’t take too much more before I begged him to fuck me. A few more swipes of his tongue and I was doing just that.

  Standing up, he was perfectly level with my bare pussy. Gliding his thick head against my slickness, he pushed forward and slid inside me. It was my turn to brace as he began to go deeper. My ass pressed on the countertop like a suction cup, and he began to thrust harder. He leaned in and kissed me. I opened my mouth and accepted his tongue, while he ravaged the rest of me.

  I could feel his cock thicken more and twitch. His pace picked up, and I knew it was time. He moaned deep as I felt his come flow into me, sending me spiraling. Grabbing at his hips, I kept him moving inside me while I finished my orgasm.

  “That was the best breakfast ever.” I kissed his cheek.
/>
  “Glad to hear it.” He laughed, pointing to the stove. “Because the eggs are over there burning.”

  “I’m going to call Liz and make sure everything’s okay,” I told him as I picked my boy shorts off the floor and headed to the guest bathroom.

  “Good, do that. I’ll try again on breakfast,” he said as he dumped the burnt eggs into the garbage.

  After I cleaned up, I called Liz, making sure I was out of earshot from John. She explained the same thing that was in the text.

  He had gotten his way with me and thankfully never bothered me after that. Maybe he was stalking her to finish what he started, or maybe he was looking for her to apologize. I had no idea, but I didn’t want to put anything into her head, either. Everything other than that seemed fine, so we made plans to all hang out for the day and then take John out for drinks on his last night home. I couldn’t believe six weeks had passed so quickly. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye just yet.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Saying Goodbye

  Liz

  Brady and I hung out relaxing and watching TV all morning. Other than seeing Mike, we’d had a great night. Mandy had finally gotten back to me. She seemed weirded out by the story, but she didn’t know what to make of it. I’d be thrilled not to be stalked by that loser, and I certainly didn’t want an apology, if that’s what it was about. I was still pissed off about the whole thing. Pissed at him for what he had done, pissed at the cops for letting him go, and pissed at the system for being so fucked up. I knew there was nothing I could do, though, so I just wanted to move on with my life, without him around, making trouble.

  I was taking John to the airport tomorrow, so today would be the last day I really would get to spend quality time with him. Mandy and I had decided that we would all get together for lunch and figure out what to do from there.

  “I better get off my lazy ass and start getting ready,” I said to Brady, pulling myself up and off the couch.

  “Don’t use all the hot water,” he teased.