Ignite (Explosive) (20 page)

“Mallory’s no problem. I saw her tonight and she’ll leave you alone. Remind me to tell you that story later. But for now, those are my terms. Are you chicken? I thought you were so certain that you wouldn’t laugh?” he teases.

I roll my eyes, because there’s no way I’m losing this bet. “Fine. But giggles and small laughs don’t count. For you to win, I have to be bent over laughing, practically to the point of tears. And I have until the end of the movie to pick my prize.”

“It’s a bet, but don’t spend too much time thinking about it. You’re not going to win.” He winks and then moves back to his spot on the couch, still about a foot away from me.

I smile at the gesture, knowing full well that he’s giving me the space he thinks I need after the earlier revelations of the night. I turn my attention back towards the screen as the movie begins. It’s only a short time before I realize that I might be in trouble. I’m trying to hold in my laughs as I watch the main character’s coworker sleeping in a racecar bed. This is definitely going to be harder than I thought.

After taking
a sip of my whiskey, I sneak a glance at the beautiful girl beside me. I watch as she bites the insides of her cheeks while her shoulders slightly shake at the antics on the screen. Knowing I have this in the bag, I couldn’t be happier that I’ll have more time to spend with her, especially since I know that dancing is on the agenda for the final event.

She catches me watching her and shoots me a confident wink, like she seriously thinks she’s going to win this thing. It’s all I can do to not drag her onto me so I can rip off her thin tank top and plunge my hands into those yoga pants that are highlighting every gorgeous curve of her tight ass. She’s taken her hair out of the ponytail holder, so it’s cascading all around her. I have visions of wrapping my hands up in it and her begging me to pull it while I come inside her.
Jesus, man. Chill out.
I think to myself as I readjust the basketball shorts I’d changed into. I know she wants this as much as I do, but I don’t really think talking about her dead husband categorizes as good foreplay.

I get up to get a refill for both of us in hopes that my package can deflate a little bit. Just because tonight’s going to stay at a PG rating doesn’t mean I don’t want to get close to her. Returning to the living room, I place our drinks on the table. She glances my way and I crook my finger at her, wanting her to come closer as I lean up against the far end of the couch so that she can semi lie down while watching the movie.

Grinning, she moves closer to me, and I grab a blanket off the back of the couch to cover us both.

Smiling up at me, she comments, “I thought you’d never ask.”

Leaning down, I give her a quick kiss on the forehead. “Babe, these arms have an open invitation with your name on it. They’re available to you twenty-four-seven.”

She shifts and I put my arm around her so that her head is resting on my shoulder. She places one soft, delicate hand on my thigh, and I feel the muscles twitch underneath her touch. I try to concentrate on the movie as best as I can with her so close to me. After a moment she moves her hand down to the hemline of my shirt. She hesitates before placing her small palm on my abdomen. I inhale sharply at the skin-on-skin contact. She starts tracing small circles over my skin as she works her way up to my chest.

“God, Jace, you are so hard,” she whispers, her fingers grazing over my muscular stomach and chest.

You have no idea,
I think, knowing that this girl is going to be the death of me.

“Comes with the job. I’ve got to stay fit so I can ‘Be All I Can Be,’” I say, using the cliché Army motto, making her laugh.

Taking her hand out of my shirt, she sits up next to me. She starts to feel her way up my arms, pausing to trace the tattooed scar on my forearm. I know what she’s doing, but I’m finding myself unable to stop her. I shake my head, knowing that I need to win this bet, and I’m not going to let this seductress distract me.

I look down to scold her, but I’m frozen in my seat as her hands move to my face, where her fingers work the outline of my jaw. She moves to my lips, and I’m fighting the urge to lick the tip of her finger. As if she can read my mind, she pushes it into my mouth. Seconds later, she removes her finger, bringing it to her own lips, spreading the wetness over them. The whole time she’s watching me, and our eyes are locked. I know she’s putting on a show.

She slowly rises and brings her lips to mine. It’s a soft kiss at first, but it’s not long before she’s straddling my lap, invading my mouth with her tongue. I know I should stop this, but the forceful side of her is turning me on in such a way that I can’t think straight. She moans against my mouth as my hands involuntarily move to her ass. Her tight little body rocks over mine, wanting the friction from my hardness that I know she can feel through my shorts. I dip my hands into her pants and come into contact with straight skin.

Pulling back from her, I smile at the surprise. My girl’s going commando, and that couldn’t be hotter. Stopping her before she drives me wild, I pick her up off of me and place her back on the couch. She glares at me, knowing she’s been caught. Grabbing the remote, I rewind through the last few scenes, not wanting her to miss a minute. I settle back in and give her a look before I go to hit the play button.

“As much as I enjoyed that, babe, I can wait another hour in order to get extra time with you tomorrow,” I inform her, mentally giving myself a pat on the back for resisting her.

That earns me another glare and a pillow thrown at my face. “The blue clit master strikes again,” she mutters, and I’m on her in a heartbeat.

I push her against the back of the couch and pull her head towards me. My hand bunches up her hair, pulling ever so slightly. She whimpers as I cover my mouth with hers. My tongue begins its assault, tangling with hers in an alternating rhythm of frantic movement and slow massages. My other hand cups her breast, and I grin against her mouth when it dawns on me that she’s also not wearing a bra. I bite down on her lower lip as my thumb caresses her nipple, effectively hardening it. My thumb and forefinger come together to pinch her, and she lets out a groan as my hands drop from her body. I place one more kiss on her lips before pulling away.

“You’re going to pay for that comment, Alexa,” I tell her.

She brings her hands to her lips before replying. “That’s what I’m hoping for.”

We lounge back down on the couch to finish the movie. I think we’re both more than ready for it to be over, but we’re both trying to win the bet. She rests on my shoulder again, but this time she keeps her hands to herself.

As the movie progresses, I can feel her chuckling underneath me, but it’s not until we get to one specific scene that I know I have her. Her shoulders start shaking, and it’s not long before she’s wiping away the tears in her eyes as she watches the shenanigans of high grandmothers, Salt-n-Pepa karaoke, and Jonah Hill having the best night of his life. I grin to myself, relieved that I’ll have all night with her tomorrow.

She catches me smiling and playfully punches me on the thigh. “Dammit, you got me. I admit it. I guess I probably should’ve paid more attention to what it was about. You know I love funny old women.”

I laugh and pull her closer as we watch the rest of the movie. She’s finally let herself go and she laughs along with me. At one time she even tries to mimic the infamous robot voice. As soon as the movie ends, she’s on her feet, holding out her hand to me.

“Ready for bed?”

Hell yes.

His eyes
roam over my body, and I burn with desire at the thought of his hands doing the same. He places his hand in mine, leading me towards the bedroom. Dropping my hand as we enter, he heads straight towards the bathroom without saying a word. I’m assuming he’s just doing his nightly routine of brushing his teeth and putting on the moisturizer I always teased him about. I find my bag sitting on the bed where Jace must’ve placed it when he’d changed earlier. I take this opportunity to change from my pants to my favorite pair of comfy shorts. They have a red and gray plaid pattern, sporting the Cincinnati C on the left leg. They just barely cover my ass, so they’ve been relegated to sleep attire, but they couldn’t be more perfect for tonight. Once changed, I move to the bed and sit down, waiting for him to come back.

Jace comes back into the bedroom and I instantly notice that he’s lost his shirt. I watch as he walks over to a duffle bag by the side of the closet to deposit his dirty clothes. My eyes are immediately drawn to the ink on his back and they widen as I take in the full display.

He turns back towards the bed, smiling when he catches me checking him out. He sits next to me, tracing a line on my face from my temple to my lower jaw before lifting my chin to meet his gaze.

“Like what you see?” He winks at me, causing me to grab a pillow and hit him with it.

“Seriously? A badass soldier can’t come up with anything better than that. Do you know how many guys have used that line?”

He gives me a dirty look before answering. “Actually, no, Alexa, I don’t. I’m not hit on by guys very often, and that’s not a line they’d use because I’m not ever checking them out.”

I fall back on the bed, laughing as he frowns at me. “Brady is going to love you. He totally thinks you’re hot, by the way.”

“Why wouldn’t he? I am, and my Greek god-like stature is apparent to all genders,” he says as he stands, flexing the muscles I wish I was running my tongue over right now.

I crawl to the end of the bed and get on my knees so I can finally explore the tattoos I’ve been wondering about since yesterday. His chest is bare, no ink, no hair, only hard muscle playing the eye candy role. My eyes wander to his right bicep, where I spotted the numbers the day before. I raise my arm to touch them, but Jace’s hand catches mine.

“Before I explain that one, you should probably see the one on my back,” he tells me, turning around so I can explore the collage that starts between his shoulder blades and spans almost all the way down to the two dimples that sit right above his ass. I’m mesmerized as I take in the work.

There’s a quote written between his shoulder blades, the first line with seven italicized words and the second with eight. It sounds familiar, but I can’t quite place it, so I ask him what it means.

“You know I always liked to read when I got the chance, so that’s basically what I did when I wasn’t working while on my deployments. My mom sent me a set of Shakespeare’s works and I was so drawn into Julius Caesar. When I read the quote, I knew then and there that it was meant for me. I mean, with the war and my job, I never know what day will be my last, but this quote makes me feel like that’s okay.”

My fingers graze over the italic words as I read them out loud to myself. “Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once.”

I shudder at the thought of what this quote must mean to him, and Jace turns around to face me.

“I know it probably seems morbid, but if you really think about it, it’s so true. There are guys over there blowing themselves up because some Taliban leader is telling them to do something they won’t do themselves.”

I nod in understanding, and he turns back around so that I can study the rest of the tattoo. Below the quote is a sketch of a pair of military combat boots with what I believe is an M16 rising up from between each boot. A pair of dog tags is hanging from the handle, and a combat helmet rests on the barrel. Surrounding both sides of what I now understand to be a tribute are several names accompanied with Army ranks. I can only assume what these names mean, and it breaks my heart to think of all the loss he’s been through in his Army career.

I wrap my arms around him and kiss each name, knowing that these soldiers must’ve meant a lot to him. I feel him take in a deep breath, and I’m off the bed and in front of him so I can face him. He scoots back a little bit so that he’s sitting on the bed, and he pulls me to him. I straddle his lap and put my hands on his shoulders as I search his eyes.

He looks down at the tattoo on his bicep before he starts speaking. “I’ve seen a lot of things, Alexa. Things no man, woman, or human being should ever be forced to witness. I’ve seen some of the bravest men I know being shot by sniper rifle or blown up by an IED. The guys on my back? They weren’t just fellow soldiers. They weren’t just my buddies. They were my brothers. Men I trusted with my life and who trusted in me the same way. Men who I either failed or wasn’t there to help. I know it’s small, but the artwork’s my way of remembering them.”

“That’s not small, Jace. I think it’s beautiful that you wanted to memorialize them,” I tell him, running my fingers across the numbers on his right arm. “So how does this one tie in?”

“The first name I ever had tatted on my back was PFC. Chris Andrews. He went through Boot Camp and EOD school with Knox and me, and we all ended up at the same post for our first assignments. The three of us became pretty quick friends since we had to spend so much time together. Not too long after we got out of EOD school, our platoon was sent to Iraq and all three of us were on the rotation. Knox and I were pretty damn nervous, but Andrews was all gung-ho, ready to go fight for the cause.”

He pauses and I just nod for him to continue if he wants to. I know how hard it is to talk about losing someone you care about, so I won’t push it.

He gives me a small smile and continues. “That’s how Andrews was. Gung-ho about everything. In Boot Camp he always did more pushups than anyone. He was the first in our class in AIT. He was actually excited when we got our orders to deploy. I’ll be honest with you, I was terrified. Here I was, a nineteen-year-old kid who’d never left the South. I was going into an unknown country, a hostile environment, so I had no idea what to expect. Andrews was the one who kept everyone grounded.”