The Soldier Next Door (6 page)

“That was good, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“How’s your face? It’s still red.”

“It’s throbbing a bit. I’ll be fine. Not like I haven’t dealt with it before.”

“You shouldn’t have to.”

“I’d be surprised if he ever came at me again after the beating you gave him. I’m impressed. You’ve only known me a few days yet you nearly beat him unconscious for me.”

He reached across the table for her hand. “Feels like we’ve known each other longer. We’ve been neighbors for months so technically we are not strangers.”

“Nooo, we’re not strangers,” she said with a light laugh.

He laughed with her. “I guess not after the other night.”

She finished her drink and took his other hand. “This might sound odd, but I feel safe with you.”

“I’ve never heard that before.” He smiled charmingly. “Most of the time it’s the opposite.”

“I don’t understand why. You’re an amazing man. A little terrifying when you drink, but otherwise, pretty awesome.”

They stared at each other for several minutes before he pushed off the chair. Without releasing her hands, he pulled her close. She stared up at him. Tenderly, he brushed her sore cheek with the back of one hand, then moved his fingers below her ear and curled them around to the back of her neck.

A deep sigh escaped her as their lips met. His tongue flitted into her mouth. He tasted cool and sweet from the cola. Sliding her arms around his neck, she eagerly returned his kiss. His other arm wound around her waist, drawing her tight against him.

In less than five minutes, their passion mounted. The sweet exploring kiss merged into hungry groping and heavy breathing as they sought to get closer. He eased back just far enough to look at her. The heated expression in his shimmering eyes matched the burning desire in her body. Their mouths came together for another hot kiss. His hands slid beneath her robe and gripped her bare thighs before he lifted her off the floor, pulling her legs around his waist.

She coiled around him as he carried her back the hall. Only one room had a bed so he had no trouble finding the master bedroom. They fell onto the bed locked in a wild kiss. The hard bulge in his jeans nestled between her thighs. The only thing she had on under the robe was a t-shirt and panties. They came off with ease as his hands swept over her. His jeans gave way to her urgent tugging. He stepped out of the faded denim before kneeling between her legs on the bed. He whipped his shirt off to reveal those sexy abs, then took hold of her thighs once more.

“Ohhh fuck…” She gasped as he pulled her hips toward him and thrust inside. “You feel so good.”

He took her hard this time, driving that magnificent cock deep into her sex. She stared up at his handsome face tense with sexual arousal and bearing a rugged shadow of facial hair.

“You are fucking beautiful, Sydnie,” he purred while taking her higher.

To say he was well endowed would be an understatement. His huge erection filled and stretched her, stroking every inch of her aching sex into bliss. She could easily lay with him all day and never want this to end—he was just that good.

Leaning forward, he kissed and sucked her breasts, making her moan in ecstasy while keeping pace with every thrust. She raked her hands over his sinewy back, secretly basking in the feel of rippling muscles beneath her touch. He had a hard body that commanded respect and she sure as hell felt up to giving him her all.

Agonizing tightening welled in her core. His cock swelled inside. Each movement sent shockwaves of pleasure through her body. She held out as long as she could to make the feeling last but his skill as a lover took her over the edge. Spasms of release forced elated screams from her mouth.

“Baby, you’re wild.” He gave her an easy smile and slowed his pace.

The untamed, urgent sex shifted to beautiful lovemaking as he lowered his body to hers yet continued to thrust in and out. He kept to a leisurely pace, clearly allowing her to enjoy her orgasm and prepare for another one. She admired his stamina. His parted lips skimmed her face with such profound affection, tears sprung to her eyes. She felt herself falling hard for him.

He took her to heaven two more times, stealing her breath and her heart. She gazed up at him through misty eyes. Gentle hands and lips bathed her in sweetness then his body tensed. Gathering her into a strong embrace, he crushed her against him as he lurched forward with a long deep groan. He came with force, shooting a stream of hot liquid deep inside. The experience was nothing less than euphoric.

They lay tangled together on the bed, panting for breath. He placed soft lingering kisses over her bare shoulders and neck, spoiling her with quiet whisperings of flattery.

When the afterglow began to wear off, she realized that they had forgotten to use protection. “We forgot something.”

He didn’t respond straight away. A few minutes later, he rolled on top of her and stared down with sincere eyes. “I don’t have an STD. I get tested every month at the hospital when I go in for my checkups. I’ve not been with anyone since she moved out.”

She breathed a sigh of relief and realized his doctors would likely keep a close eye on his health considering his condition. “I haven’t been with anyone since my divorce and I was tested, also.”

“I guess we’ll just have to trust each other then,” he said with a relaxed smile.

“Yes…” She returned his smile. “I guess we will.”

Chapter Five

“Mason, are you in here?” Sydnie peeked inside his front door.

She hadn’t heard from him since their incredible afternoon and evening of lovemaking the previous day. His truck was in the drive and the front door open. Spring seemed to have finally taken root with the temps staying in the seventies since the freak snowstorm. He’d asked her to go hiking with him today yet hadn’t called and sunset now lurked on the horizon.

Hesitantly, she went inside and walked from room to room. “Mason?” Still no sign of him but she did notice several empty cans of hard lemonade on the counter.
Oh no, he must be having a bad day.
The ghosts of his past did not seem to reveal a pattern.

She knew the house well from when the previous neighbor had lived there, as they had been friends. Cautiously she opened the basement door and drew a calming breath. Images she tried to resist forced their way into her mind, especially over the noose.

He seemed perfectly fine when they’d parted company yesterday. She couldn’t imagine what might have triggered him to drink again. Maybe he received a troubling phone call, or something on TV sparked a flashback.
Hell, it could be anything,
she thought. And for a split second she remembered why she’d tried to control her growing attachment to this man. During his stable phases, he was alluring beyond belief.

However, when the demons trapped him in his mind, he took her to places of pure horror. Mason’s darkness was not just dark—his shadows were black.

The steps creaked slightly as she made her way down. She could barely draw a breath, terrified of the worst. She reached the ground floor and looked around. No lights, just the glow from his computer screen radiating around a desk. On the far side of the room sat Mason with his back toward her, his shoulders slouched and his head hanging down.

“Mason?”

He didn’t answer

Oh God, is he dead?
She couldn’t bear the thought. Her heart pounded in her ears.

She reached out with a trembling hand to touch his shoulder, praying that his body didn’t fall off the stool or do anything horrific that would indicate he’d left this world.

Closing her eyes, she laid one hand on him. “Mason?”

He bolted upright, scaring a little pee out of her. She jumped back and gasped. “What are you doing, hon?” She inched around to his front.

Sure enough, he actually did have a noose and it was in his hands.

“You don’t want this,” he muttered. “I’m not supposed to be alive. I should’ve died with my unit.”

“No, no you shouldn’t have.” She squatted down and stared up into his eyes. “Who would I get to beat up the bad guys if you weren’t around?”

He stared into her with that hauntingly sorrowful expression she’d seen the night of their first dinner. “I’m no good like this, too fucked up.”

“Were they here again today?” she asked in a timid manner. “Is that why you drank?”

A spark of connection flickered in his eyes. “Yeah. My Sergeant and Kool were here.”

“
Kool
…you’ve mentioned him before. Was he your best friend?”

Mason nodded. His fingers traced the braided rope in visible agitation. “Me and Kool went through everything together, even basic training.”

“Tell me about him. I’d love to know what he was like.”

“I called him
Kool
because he was fucking crazy. We went into a bar in Seoul one night and got wasted.” He pointed to a huge brand name whiskey banner hanging on the wall. “Kool took that sucker right off the wall on our way out. A little Korean guy was chasing us, shouting something in Korean. We laughed our asses off and kept on going. He gave it to me, told me to make sure that banner made it home because the whiskey is American made. Kool never thought he’d make it back.”

“Sounds like a brave and fun guy.”

“He was the best. We had each other’s back, man, ya know?” Tears filled his eyes, but he choked them back. “All this shit down here, the flags, banners, souvenirs—all of it came from our weekend benders.”

“You did what he wanted. You brought it back home.”

“He was supposed to be driving the Humvee that day, not me. We rotated positions, but the day we got hit, he was in the back.” Mason whipped the noose against the wall. “It was my fucking turn to watch the back. Kool should’ve been driving. Everyone behind me got blown to fucking pieces. I was supposed to die that day! Not him!” He jumped up and shot out the basement door.

Sydnie followed. “Mason, wait!” She grabbed the hem of his shirt, trying to pull him back. “You shouldn’t drive, you’ve been drinking. Please!”

“I need to get out of here for a while. Let go, babe.”

“No, please don’t!”

He swung around and glared at her with a ferocity that stunned her, should’ve terrified her, yet she didn’t back down. She blocked his door, bracing her boots on the driveway to anchor her weight against the door. He simply picked her up and moved her out of the way.

“I’m coming with you.”

“Sydnie, stay home.” He slid behind the wheel.

“No. If you’re going on a suicide mission, you’re taking me with you.” She jumped into the passenger seat before he could stop her.

“You’re fucking insane, woman!”

She gritted her teeth. “That makes two of us then.”

He flashed a frustrated look before gunning the engine. She knew this would be hell on wheels, but for reasons that eluded her typical common sense rational, she couldn’t let him leave alone.

Night had fallen. They sped down the road in the dark. He took bends on their country roads at a blazing rate of speed. She thought surely this would be her last night on earth yet part of her ignored the fear. Maybe she wanted to be as brave as him. Maybe the past seven years of lonely hell were worse than this. Perhaps the thought of going back to her bland existence before this soldier marched into her life was the reason she didn’t let go. She clung to the handles on the door with all her might.

They hit the main road doing eighty and picked up speed.
Is he running from something or really trying to kill himself this time?
His only fear seemed to be the demons in his head that surfaced when he drank.
Or did they haunt him beforehand and push him into drinking?
Will I ever know?

By the time he merged onto a major highway, the speedometer needle was bouncing off one-twenty. She would’ve gasped if she could take a breath. Lines on the road flew past like dots. She braced herself for the worst as
Suicide Bend
came into view.
There is no way we will make that bend without rolling this thing.

Out of nowhere, a huge deer leapt into the headlights before they hit the bend. She failed to halt the scream that erupted from her throat. Mason slammed the brakes. The truck fishtailed and skidded at least fifty feet and a loud
thump
followed by the sound of breaking glass filled her ears. She swung her arms up to shield her face as the seatbelt held her in place. After what seemed like forever, the truck came to a screeching halt on the side of the road.

“Are you fucking insane?” she screamed at him. Her unrestrained reaction stunned her.

Apparently her atypical response startled him back to some sense of sanity. The intense sadness filled his eyes again. “I’m sorry, baby.” He unbuckled his seatbelt. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. What the hell did we hit?”

“I think we hit that deer.” He jumped out and ran around to her door, then opened it.

She allowed him to help her stand on trembling legs. They made their way around the truck and saw the smashed grill, then the deer lying alongside the road.

“Oh shit,” he muttered. “I totally fucked up my truck.”

“Maybe if you weren’t driving like a lunatic you would’ve been able to stop in time.”

“She came out of nowhere.” He knelt down on the road. “Holy shit, she has babies. They’re still alive. I have to save them.”

“What?” Sydnie looked down in horror. Sure enough, two little fawns lay in the grass. She burst into tears. “What are you going to do?”

He ripped his shirt off. “I have to save them. They cannot die.”

The entire scene unfolded as if she was watching it from behind glass. Mason performed CPR on both fawns until they began breathing on their own. He wrapped the babies in his shirt and carried them to the truck where he carefully laid them on the back seat of the extended cab. He ran back to the mother and double-checked for signs of life.

“She’s gone.” He nudged Sydnie toward the truck. “Get in. I have to save them.”

She buckled up. He drove fast, but not as reckless as before, back toward home. She kept an eye on the fawns, having no idea how he planned to save them or if they were even old enough to survive on their own. He swung into the drive, parked, then leapt from the truck. She followed as he carried the babies inside. His upper body and face were covered in blood.