My Soldier: A Miliatary Romance (8 page)

“That's amazing, really. I don't think I could ever do that,” I said, looking up as the waiter placed our beers on the table.

Rolling her napkin out, she fiddled with the fork. “Tell me something about you.”

“Well—”

Cutting me off, Avni held her hand up. “That doesn't involve your job. Okay?” Her brows shot up her forehead, raising to her hairline.

“I told you, you're having dinner with Levi.” Nodding, she sipped her drink. “Well, what do you want to know?”

“Where did you grow up?” she asked, cupping her hands in her lap, leaning into the table.

She looked so interested, curiosity crawling over her expression. Her eyes were open wide, barely blinking. Slender fingers raised from her lap to scratch the side of her cheek.

And again I was captivated, losing myself in every small detail of her; every inch of her body was a place I wanted to explore.

But my brain was still trying desperately to place her face, her laugh; it all felt like dejavu. The time, the place, it's all an empty memory that I couldn't pull to the front.

“Nebraska.” Avni's face twisted, lip curling down. “Yup, land of barren fields and cows.”

“Huh, I wouldn't have thought that.”

“No? You can't picture me in overalls, picking up cow patties and bailing hay?”

Laughing, she started to cough, choking down her beer. “Nope, not at all.”

“Good, because I never wore overalls. But if I did...” Pausing, I brought the bottle to my lips. “I'd wear the fuck out of those things.”

“Ha! I bet you would. You'd look like an alternate member of a nineties boy band. Then you'd really have to worry about those underage girls.” Winking, she sipped on her drink.

The liquid sloshed over her lips, small bubbles bursting against her flesh before disappearing into her mouth. Shaking my head slightly, I laughed. “No, I don't think so. I'd never be the alternate, I'd be the lead member. Look at me...” Rolling my hands down my chest, I jerked my shoulders forward, flexing my muscles. “No one would push me to the back.”

Slapping the table, Avni's face lit up; and I swear I could see small sparks shoot across her pupils, the tiny fireworks exploded off in the distance of her deep brown eyes. “This is nice,” she said, brushing her hair behind her ear. “I'm sorry about all that before.”

“Don't worry about it, it's fine.” Folding my hands together, my elbows bowed out.

“No, it's not. I just...” Taking a deep breath, she said, “I just have a lot of shit I'm still working out. And sometimes I overreact, but this is nice. I don't go out much, so thank you.”

I wanted to reach out, stroke her ear, and let her head fall into my hand. We all have shit from our past we needed to deal with, I was no exception.

The amount of times my heart stopped briefly after my first tour from the sound of a car backfiring, or on the fourth of July... Fuck that was the worst!

But over time, and with my meetings, life had started to fall back into place. I was able to find some normalcy, separate the soldier from the man.

Honestly, that was all that kept me sane.

Then I met her; Avni. And for the first time in ages I felt human. My nerves electrified when I saw her, the blood hit my veins full force. I wanted more of her, and I didn't care how long it might take; I was going to make her feel the same.

“I'm glad you're enjoying it, but don't get used to this.” Slouching against the seat, I rolled my head to my shoulder. “I don't usually pay.”

Her giggle sent my cock straight into the zipper. Jerking my body forward, I rested my arms on the table.
Fuck! How does she get me so excited with just a fucking laugh?

“Shit, well then it looks like we won't be having dinner together again.” Shaking her empty bottle, she said, “So I better take advantage of this. How about another?”

“Damn, you're going to break my bank, Princess.” Pulling my wallet from my back pocket, I opened it and looked intensely at the inside. “How about we split one?”

Chuckling, she let the bottle clank onto the table. “Are you fucking with me? Or should I be preparing for an old fashioned dine and dash?”

“Hope you can run.” I let my eyes wildly scan the open room, freezing on the exit.

“You're an asshole.” Leaning over the table, Avni shoved my arm.

“You are what you eat, Sweetheart.” Smiling, I nodded my head in her direction, eyes falling towards her waste.

“Eew! Gross, you pervert.” Darting her eyes away, her palms rested flat on the table. “I can be eaten out, but that...” Shaking her head, her chin fell to her chest. “That's not my cup of tea.”

“Then you haven't had it done right, it's all about the timing.
All about the timing.”
Bobbing my head up and down, Avni couldn't help her cheeks from lifting up high.

And if she would let me, I'd give her the ride of her life.

I was happy to see her loosen up, and let her guard down.

Avni needed a man like me around, and soon she was going to realize it.

She had just fallen into my world, and I wasn't about to let her walk out.

Avni

W
ho was this guy?

A Soldier, the first soldier to actually give me butterflies. And he knew it. The way he had been looking at me, riding his eyes over my body; the swarm fluttering around my stomach was in overdrive.

What am I doing? Why, why, why would I torment myself like this?

I had tried so hard to keep him from getting in my head, and even harder trying to keep my body from giving in.

Why him? Why was he the one who had to come to my rescue?

And he called me 'V.' A nickname I thought had disappeared with my brother. That single letter sent so many emotions crashing into my soul. It felt like the letter was attached to me like an artery, feeding my heart its fuel.

The instant he said it, I had chills. Medusa's snakes had caught my eyes, turning me to stone. All that was left was the heat from one letter, pinging in my ears as loud as if he said it with a megaphone.

The one letter, the one voice, the one man who just hooked my heart and sang it a soft lullaby for only me to hear. Levi.

His smile was intoxicating, and his body was pantie melting. Sitting across from him, three beers later... My defenses had folded. I couldn't stop my words from spilling out, every inch of my life was spewing from my mouth with ease.

Except for the one thing, the only thing I didn't ever want to speak of. That was for me, for my memories.

But he would ask and I would answer. I would ask and he did the same, it was refreshing. And through all of it he made me forget that he was a solider. He really was just Levi. There was no war talk, no slang innuendos of Army lingo.

He seemed to be interested in more than just fucking me like every other guy I'd come in contact with since graduating.

Those guys didn't know my brother, so as much as it was flattering to not have the look alike comparison; their sex driven pick ups turned me off.

But not Levi, his drove me insane. His hands made me quiver without a touch.

No, don't do this to yourself. A thank you dinner, that's all this is.
I had to intentionally remind myself why I was there. This wasn't a regular date, it was a formality for his help.

When Levi told me he was a good listener... I thought he was just blowing smoke up my ass; I was wrong.

He looked at me when I spoke, with the occasional drift of the eyes from my face to my lips, to my chest. And when he reached my chest his eyes would dart back up with a forced snap.

Flutters hit my lungs, goosebumps craved to be stroked back down into the flesh they crept from. The deepness of his gaze made me shiver with each flick of his eyes.

“So you're telling me your mother was once married to Flynn Douglas? The famous Flynn Douglas from all those amazing movies in the eighties?” Chuckling, I sucked down the last drop of my drink.

“That's what I said, and let me tell you...” Lifting his hand to flag down the waiter, he leaned back in his seat. “He's not nearly as funny as the movies made him out to be.”

“Wow, that's crazy. It had to be weird to live with a movie star, right?”

Shrugging one shoulder, Levi scrunched his nose. “It isn't as weird as you might think. He's still a normal guy, no different than anyone else. He eats, sleeps, and shits; just like the rest of us.”

“Another round?” The waiter asked, clearing the empty bottles from the table.

Pointing at me, he asked, “You want another?”

“No, I think I'm all set.” Glancing around the room, everything was glowing with a fuzzy haze. My light buzz had slowly crept in, and that feeling of the room starting to sway was taking hold.

“Just the check please.” Nodding, the waiter left the slip on the table and headed back towards the kitchen. “I had fun tonight,” Levi said, flipping the bills from his wallet.

Shaking my head 'yes,' I twisted a strand of hair up to my scalp. “Me too, this was nice. It's been a long time since I've felt this relaxed.”

“You know, we could totally do this again. And hey, I'll even let you pay next time.” Winking, he slapped the table top, and started to push back from his seat. “Ready?”

I didn't know what had come over me, or what force caused the sentence to flow from my lips; but when it did, I couldn't stop it. “We could go back to my place and watch a movie.”

The smile that spread across his face was electric, hitting his ears with power. “Really? Are you sure of that, or is this just the beer talking?”

“It could be the beer or not, does it matter?” A sultry look flooded my expression. I had the overwhelming urge to touch him. I wanted to feel his hard body, trace the lines of ink that decorated his arms.

Avni! What are you doing? You know you can't, you can't do this.
Even with the thought coating my brain, it was drowned out by him; by Levi and his presence, by the massive imprint he was burning into my head.

And I couldn't shake him out, couldn't turn off the switch that was rendering me helpless to the desire pooling in my chest.

“I don't want it to matter, and normally I'd have you laid up on your back by now.” Dragging his nails through his hair, his body went loose. “But it does matter, I can't if you're drunk. I just can't. Let me get you home.”

The heaviness of his arm fell over my shoulder, squeezing me in tight. And it felt... Perfect.

Walking back to my apartment, the sidewalk seemed more uneven than usual. It took me a moment to realize it wasn't the sidewalk; it was me.

I was never much of a drinker, and the few beers I had did a number on my ability to walk straight.

Levi was keeping me steady, holding me up from falling flat on my face. “So this makes two,” he said, stepping up to the front door of my apartment.

“I just keep tacking them on, huh?” I asked, pushing my hip against the railing to balance myself, I turned to face him.

“Don't worry, I won't keep track, as long as you let me call you tomorrow.” Sliding his hand down my arm, he drew small circles over my wrist.

“Well, you'll just have to try and see if I answer.” Teasing the hem of his shirt, my eyes locked on his. And I could feel him, feel the way he was looking at me.

Levi didn't have the look other guys did. He wasn't fucking me with his eyes, or trying to force himself up into my place; he wasn't taking advantage of the situation.

I knew if he had agreed, if he let his cock do the talking, I'd be inside with him getting my brains fucked out.

And even though that raw desire was riding my spine like a million grains of sand, I was happy he didn't.

Watching his eyes shift, they moved around my face. Drawing his hand up, he brushed the apple of my cheek, and I felt my skin flush. The fire hit my face, spreading its fingers over my body.

The tingles were numbing, flooding my spinal cord. And I couldn't stop it, I didn't want to stop it.

Leaning in slowly, Levi pressed his lips against my forehead. “Goodnight, Avni.” Turning, he stepped off the landing.

On impulse I grabbed his shoulder. “Wait,” I said, fingers curling into his hair. Driving my lips onto his, I kissed him. And my entire body went up in flames.

His tongue danced across the ridges of my mouth, coiling around mine. Sliding my hands up, I tugged on his roots, twining around his dirty blonde hair.

Levi wrapped his arms around my waist, holding me with steel muscles. Pushing himself back, his fingers dug into my hips.

He stood motionless, gazing into my eyes. Bringing two fingers to his face, he ran them over his lips. “See you later, Princess.” Slowly turning away, a fleshy grin filled his face, tongue riding across his teeth.

And I watched him go, unable to pull myself off the railing. He wasn't the man I pegged him for, he wasn't a sex-driven man whore.

Levi... He was something different.

And for the first time, I wanted more.

***

F
lopping down onto my couch, I kicked off my shoes. T jumped up into my lap, attempting to lick my face over and over.

Pushing his tiny head away, I asked, “What do you think of Levi?” Scratching his scalp, he peered up at me, ears perking as I spoke.

Letting my head fall into the cushion, I closed my lids. Levi was hanging in my eyes, hovering in the mix of blackness against the thin layer of skin.

Why does he have to be a soldier? I can't date a soldier, I just can't.

I had made a promise to myself, a promise I needed to stay true to. I didn't want to ever go through that again, the pain was too much.

It had all been too much.

And no matter how hard I tried to push him from my mind, I couldn't. He was strangling my every thought.

The way his muscles felt when he pulled me in close sent electricity crackling through my veins. Just thinking about him was turning my pussy into a watery mess.

Slipping my legs free of my jeans, I lifted them onto the couch. Rolling to my side, I could feel my still heated body yearning to be touched.

Squeezing my eyes tighter, I tried to force myself to sleep. But Levi just sat on my brain like hot tar.