Perfect Soldier: The Complete Story (5-Part BBW Military Romance Novel) (2 page)

Chapter
Three

Catherine

The next time I went over to fill up their drinks,
the men introduced themselves to me.

“My names Garrett,” said the first man, extending
his hand for a handshake. “I figured we ought to introduce ourselves since
we’re going to be getting to know each other over the next few hours.”

“Is that the case?” I laughed. “Well, my name’s
Catherine, but most people call me Cat. Pleasure meeting you boys.”

“I’m Tyson,” said the second man.

Then, finally, the soldier I had my eye on spoke:
“My name’s Colton. But most people call me Colt.”

Cute, I thought. He gave me a brief smile. That was
the first time I’d heard him talk yet. His voice was nice, deep and rich,
even-keeled, but with a surprising element of mystery about it. Quiet people
were always mysterious to me in this way. It wasn’t like he was hiding
something, more that there was something special underneath the surface,
something deeply personal that you could only know after you got really close.

But then again, maybe I was reading into things too
much. This time the round was on Colton, or Colt rather, and soon enough I was
pouring three Budweiser pints for the group. Since the rest of the bar was all
taken care of, I decided to stick around and start up a conversation to see if
maybe I could get Colt to talk just a bit more.

“So, you boys never told me what exactly it is
you’re here celebrating,” I said casually, my elbows propped on the wood of the
bar counter as I looked up at them.

“Well, we just got off a second tour in Afghanistan.
I’d say that’s something worth celebrating,” said Garrett.

“I’m inclined to agree with that,” I said. “Where
are y’all from?”

“Born are raised right here,” said Garrett.

“Same here,” said Tyson.

“And what about you?” I said, turning to Colt.

“I’m from Texas, originally,” he said.

“Oh yeah? I like Texas. Whereabouts?” I asked,
trying to make my face as friendly and encouraging as possible. For some reason
I really wanted to bring him out of his shell.

“Just outside of Austin.”

“Yup,” said Garrett. “We give him shit all the time
for being a Longhorns fan.”

“Well, of course you’re going to get some flak for
that up in this area,” I said, winking at Colt. “You should have known better.
What are you doing up here anyway?”

“I just let these two drag me along with them
wherever they go. I think the plan is Vegas, am I right boys?” asked Colt.

“You sure are, buddy. Heading out in two days
actually.”

“Oh my. I can’t imagine what kind of trouble this
group will get into in Sin City,” I said winking.

The guys all laughed.

“I can’t tell you the kind, but the amount is sure
to be quite sizeable,” said Tyson. “Especially if Colt here is working the
poker table.”

“You’re a card player, huh?” I asked, looking over
at Colt.

“I dabble,” he said, giving me small wink. The first
signs of flirtation, or so it appeared.

“He’s being modest. The man is an absolute card
shark. Time to finally take that Army pay and turn it into something
substantial,” said Garrett.

I could see another customer flagging me down at the
other end of the bar and another group of guys walking through the doorway. It
was almost 10 P.M. now, so naturally the bar was starting to fill up.

“Will you boys excuse me, I’ve got another customer
to attend to. Be back in a bit to pour another round?”

Garrett picked up his glass and looked at it, only
about a quarter full at this point.

“I suspect we’ll be needing one shortly,” he said.
“Don’t be long.”

“I’ll only be as long as I have to be,” I said,
giving the group one last smile before walking away.

They were nice men. A bit rambunctious, maybe, but
nice nonetheless and certainly entertaining. They had a nice little group
dynamic going. Garrett was the talker, and Tyson was kind of his sidekick. But
you could tell Colt was the foundation of the group. They all liked each other,
and it truly seemed like a brotherhood born through soldiering together. I
hoped the night would yield more chances to talk with them. It didn’t seem like
they would be around for a while. Who knew if they even planned to come back
here after going to Las Vegas, but it was nice letting the fantasy play out a
bit longer, right?

***

A few hours later, they were headed out, each of
them more than a bit drunk. Garrett was even more talkative than before, and
just a slight bit more crass. I could tell from his comments he was interested
in me. He kept asking what me and my girlfriends were up to that night and if
we wanted to come out and party with a couple of soldiers. I told him that,
regrettably, I was here past 1 P.M., but would certainly take a rain check.
Tyson was practically falling over drunk. And so far as I could tell the only
thing in the world he wanted was a pizza at this point.

“I could order one to the bar if you want,” I said,
trying to help out. “You guys could eat, maybe sober up just a bit before
driving home.”

“No, we’re good,” said Garrett. “My kid sister will
be picking us up shortly.”

“That’s good to hear, wouldn’t want you boys doing
any damage to yourselves before the Vegas trip.”

“Damn straight,” said Garrett. “C’mon Tyse, let’s
get outside and grab a quick smoke before Kelly gets here.”

They walked off, arms around each other’s shoulders.

“Are they gonna be alright?” I asked Colt, who had
remained at the bar to settle their tab.

“They’re fine. Just happy to be home and sleep in
their own beds for the first time in a long time.”

“I can understand that,” I said. “What about you?
How are you doin’?”

“I’m doing well. Not going to be sleeping in my own
bed, but I’m happy to be back stateside. A couch at Garrett’s parent’s place is
fine for me tonight.”

I laughed out loud, putting my hand over my mouth to
try and hide it, but I couldn’t help myself.

“What’s so funny?” said Garrett with an inquisitive
smile.

“Just the image of you squeezing that big body onto
a couch,” I said.

“Well, no one’s offered me much else in the way of
sleeping arrangements. I take what I can get.”

“I bet if you stuck around a bit you could find
someone willing to share a bed,” I said, with a wink and a smile, slightly
dirtier this time. Colt looked surprised, and hesitated slightly before
speaking again.

“Is that an offer?” asked Colt, leaning down towards
me.

“It’s whatever you want it to be,” I said, taking
his credit card and walking back to the register to print his receipt.

Truthfully, I didn’t know what I had just done right
there, or what sort of mischief I might have gotten myself into. I didn’t do
one night stands, but what else could it be with an offer like this? I knew he
was only here short term. Had he really cast that much of a spell on me? His
quiet, restrained confidence pulling me in throughout the night, his silence
making me want to get to know him more and more. And I couldn’t lie to myself,
his looks were a big factor in the equation. That face, those lips so kissable.
And such blue, blue eyes. Like a Wyoming sky.

I paused a moment at the register and glanced back
at him, taking in his essence one last time before making up my mind. Damn, I
thought to myself, that body, too. I could see his muscles practically bursting
the button down he had on, the top two buttons undone, exposing just a slight
wisp of chest hair – that look always did it for me. If he was interested,
maybe I could make an exception to my one night stand policy. A man like this
was a once in a lifetime opportunity. It would
certainly
be worth it.

I walked back over and handed him his receipt,
credit card, and a pen to sign it with.

“Do you have a napkin?” he asked.

“Sure,” I said, grabbing him one from behind the
bar.

He signed the receipt and took the napkin, writing
down his name and number on it.

“You call me after you’re out of work and maybe we
can have some fun.”

“But what about your friends?” I asked.

“Trust me they’re fine. They’ve had enough to drink.
As soon as they get a pizza in them, they’ll be passed out on the floor.”

“But you won’t?” I asked.

“I can hold my liquor, miss.”

“I respect a man who can do that.”

“So I’ll be hearing from you shortly,” he said
calmly. It was a statement, not a question.

I picked up the napkin and placed it in the back
pocket of my jeans.

“Sure thing,” I said.

Colt put his credit card back in his wallet and
threw on a brown leather jacket over his button down. I swear, he almost looked
like he was in
Top Gun
or something. But he was silent again from here
on out. I stood leaning on the bar counter as I watched him walk out the front
door, my mind an absolute daze. I saw him join Tyson and Garrett who must have
been on their second cigarette at this point. I noticed that Colt didn’t smoke.

A car pulled up with a young woman in it, Garrett’s
sister I presumed. I watched intently as they all got in. Then the car backed
up and pulled back out onto the road, the red taillights receding into the
dark.

“Miss? Miss? Hello? Can I get a drink here?”

I snapped back to reality. I still had about an hour
left of my shift and more than my fair share of customers to attend to.

“Sure, what can I get you sir?” I asked with a big
smile, as if to offer an apology for my inattentiveness.

“Bud Light draft, please.”

“Coming right up.”

Chapter
Four

Colton

I hopped in the back of the car with Tyson while
Garrett took shotgun. Garrett’s sister, Kelly, was a nice kid, only about
seventeen and over ten years younger than Garrett. I guess she’d been a
surprise pregnancy or something. You could tell she meant the world to Garrett,
which was interesting for me to see; it was a different side of him that I
hadn’t expected after fighting with him in Afghanistan.

At the present moment, he was begging her to stop
and pick up a pizza. Tyson already had his cell out, ready to phone in an order
as soon as he got approval.

“Garrett, I have school tomorrow. Mom would freak if
she even knew I was out this late,” said Kelly.

“Wait, they don’t know you’re picking us up?” asked
Garrett, sounding slightly concerned.

“They’re asleep. I figured it was useless to wake
them up, so I just left.”

“Ah, OK. Gotcha,” said Garrett. “But hey, as long as
you’re risking your neck anyway, how about that pizza? C’mon, doesn’t a nice
hot pizza sound good right now?”

Kelly laughed.

“Kind of,” she said. “Fine, I’ll take you to get
pizza. But you need to get half of it plain cheese for me.”

“Half? Hell, I’ll buy you your own pizza,” said
Garrett.

“Where am I calling?” asked Tyson.

“Here, give me your phone. I know just the place,”
said Garrett, reaching back to snatch the phone out of Tyson’s hand.

I laughed to myself. Tyson and Garrett were
incredibly drunk tonight. By most accounts, they were just a bunch of useless,
drunken idiots. But I’ll tell you one thing for sure: I’d die for either of
these drunken idiots. They were my brother soldiers, and that’s a bond that I
don’t take lightly. They deserved to blow off a little steam after what we’d
just come back from.

Truth be told, I hadn’t quite gotten used to being
back yet. And when I say
it
, I mean everything: civilian clothes,
civilian cars, no drills, paved American streets, Oak trees and houses with
perfectly-watered, green grass in their front lawns. It was strange being back
in the U.S. If you spend too much time in the desert, it can be like that.

And the women, I wasn’t used to them either. I
hadn’t been with one in a long time, or even looked at one really. Since coming
back to America, I got that particular look from women a lot, the familiar
smile and the quick checkout, a subtle hint that they were interested, if only
on a totally primal level. I just sort of brushed it off. The idea of being
with a woman was almost foreign to me, it’d been so long since I’d had time to
even cultivate an interest in another person on that level.

But things changed when I saw her in the bar
earlier. Cat. I liked that named, it sounded feisty and wild. I could only
imagine what she was like in bed. When I first saw her, my heart damn near
broke. “Curves that could kill” was the only way to describe her. Full,
gorgeous breasts, just the right amount of cleavage; a round, voluptuous ass
that melded into her beautiful thighs, her jeans tight against her skin. I
imagined what it might be like having her bounce that ass in front of me as I
stroked inside her, and I felt myself starting to get hard at the thought.

Her blouse had been tight, too, revealing those
extra pounds around her midsection, those free-flowing, killer curves. I liked a
girl with a body like that, a little chubby, but with tons of confidence. Women
like Cat knew how to treat a man in bed, you could tell by the way they walked
and the way they talked. With a little luck, I’d be finding this out for sure
later tonight.

I kept checking my phone, waiting for her to call or
text. Nothing yet. I put it back in my pocket and rejoined the conversation,
coming back to the reality of my drunken brothers in arms cheering because we
were pulling into the pizza place.

Garrett ran inside and came back five minutes later
carrying five boxes of pizza.

“Damn, Garrett, you bought five boxes? Where’s your
mind at, boy?” I asked.

“Do the math. It’s one per person,” said Garrett,
sliding back into the front seat, all the boxes sitting on his lap.

“I did do the math. I can’t eat a whole damn pizza
right now. You’re crazy,” I said, shaking my head with a laugh.

“Hey, buddy, that’s fine. More for me,” said
Garrett, opening the top box and grabbing a slice.

I stared out the window for the rest of the car
ride, which was pretty short, all things considered. Soon we were pulling into
Garrett’s parent’s house.

“You guys be quiet going inside,” said Kelly.

“Got it,” said Tyson. “Hand me a slice though before
we go in.”

We all snuck inside and went down into the basement,
spreading out the pizza boxes, everyone grabbing slices as we turned on the TV.
Garrett soon got bored and decided to throw in an old copy of
Diehard
.
Not a bad choice, I thought to myself as I grabbed a slice of pizza. It was
actually damn good and really hit the spot.

Not surprisingly, about an hour later everyone had
passed out. Kelly had gone upstairs to her room, Garrett was stretched out on
the couch, and Tyson lay on the floor with a piece of pizza balanced on his
stomach as he snoozed. I had to laugh. What a bunch of characters. But there
wasn’t any group of characters I’d rather have for best friends. Needless to
say, Vegas was going to be a time to remember.

I was watching the end of the movie alone when my
phone buzzed. I looked down to see an unrecognized number and a text:
We
still on for tonight?

Yes! I thought to myself. It was Cat, It had to be.
I couldn’t believe my good luck. What a way to be welcomed back to the States,
spending the night with a beautiful woman. There was really nothing more a man
could ask for. So I texted her back, and let her know the address of Garrett’s
parent’s house. She told me she knew where that was, and she would be there in
ten minutes.

I threw on my leather jacket and walked outside. I
knew she’d be a little while, but I didn’t mind the cold. I actually really
liked it. It was a feeling that held a lot of memories for me and provided a
striking contrast with the heat of the desert we’d just returned from. There
was something about the cold that felt like home.

So there I waited, pacing back and forth, watching
the heat of my breath escape into the cold night air under the moon. My heart
rate was up, she was already on her way. What did the night have in store for
us? I couldn’t know for sure at this point, I was simply excited to see Cat
again, to see her outside of her role as a bartender, to talk with her, get to
know her, and… well, I wasn’t going to jinx anything by speculating right now.
But it was pretty obvious what I was after.

I waited there for a while. Ten minutes passed and
no cars in sight. I checked my phone again and again. Why the hell was I so
damn nervous? It was just a girl after all, I’d been through this before. I
kept telling myself that over and over again, but I knew it wasn’t true. There
was something about Cat that struck a chord with me. I felt it the minute I
first laid eyes on her as I sat back at the car counter. I just had to have her
tonight. Hell, I’d be willing to give up the whole Vegas trip to spend a night
with this woman, I thought to myself.

And with that I saw a red Civic turn the corner onto
the street I was standing by. That must be her, I thought.