A Force of Nature Read online

  “What’s her name?” she asked.

  “Who? The baby, or my sister?” I wondered.

  “Well, both actually,” she said with interest.

  It felt good to know she seemed to genuinely care. Maybe it wasn’t the idea of “family” that turned her off—maybe it was just her family?

  “My sister’s name is Caylan. She’s twenty-two. I’m eleven years older. She just married a cardiologist and graduated college. And on top of that, she had my niece, Emeline,” I said, all with the most sincere fondness in my voice.

  “Oh, so she’s the reason you were at the Temple graduation. And that makes you thirty-three.” Everly seemed to have a knack for detail.

  I nodded my head, confirming she was right on both accounts. I didn’t tell her I would actually be turning thirty-four soon, or that Caylan’s birthday was at the end of January. So technically my little sis was twenty-three already, but that was neither here nor there; as a dude, I’m lousy with keeping track of this kind of thing.

  “I’m thirty-two, so suck it.” She laughed and then took a mouthful of liquor. She seemed to get a kick out of one-upping me, which is what she had done the entire drive over to the bar. For her next question, she posed, “So, should we talk about the elephant in the room?”

  Where the hell did that come from, and what elephant?

  I must have had a look of perplexity stamped on my forehead because she just threw her head back and chuckled. I raised my brows at her, and she continued to seem amused. I’m not one for being obtuse, but I couldn’t for the life of me figure out where she was going with this. I didn’t like being laughed at or being the butt of a joke—in this case, though, I didn’t think she was being bitchy. And I couldn’t help myself for loving how her face lit up and changed so much with her smile.

  She’s a gorgeous woman, but when she smiles, she’s softer somehow. All the pain, the secrets, the burdens she carries melt away. The edges get softened, and it’s a sight to see. What you’re left with when all that happens is a stunning creature before you. I held her gaze, and we found ourselves once again locked in a significant moment.

  Could it always be like this? Always devouring each other just with our stares and with our demeanor? Always so connected?

  Evidently, I was charmed by more than just her beauty; her mind was also a beautiful thing. It was a lethal combination.

  That smart mouth of hers I could really put to use—along with her blunt tongue. My eyes must have been smoldering, because I could see and feel the burn reflected in her. She had to have been having similar thoughts. I think both she and I were on the same page, and clearly our minds were both in the gutter.

  I looked down at her amazing breasts. They were just peeking out from the white, button-down shirt she was wearing, and they seemed to swell before my very eyes. I suspected she had dressed more professionally today because of her trip to the base. Although I realized I still didn’t know what she was there for earlier; I assumed it was for some kind of a story she was writing. I was curious to discover what her true style of dress was. I suppose it wouldn’t matter anyway—she could probably master any look, as I had said when I first met her.

  The gold necklace she wore hung right in the V where her breasts met, and it was a mouthwatering view. It was also such a goddamn tease. At the end of the necklace sat the initials NGU; I was momentarily thrown off by the unusual letters because they weren’t her monogram. How odd. I was going to ask her about it, but my brain—I mean cock—had other plans. I just kept staring at the way the pendant was nestled just so into her tan skin. She didn’t have huge tits by any means, but they were at least a handful, and I was more than fine with that. In this outfit, I could ogle her a lot better than when she had worn that flowy shit. But I’d kill to see her in some sexy lingerie.

  She had her shirt tucked into a black pencil skirt with black nylon stockings and those trendy boot-shoe things girls wear; they were black too. I loved the kinky curls of her hair, how they bounced in her face and sprang around her shoulders when she moved. It amazed me how she could have hair like that, which screamed youth, but have a mouth and body of a very worldly woman. The irony was not lost on me. I couldn’t help but stare at her nose piercing again—this time she wore a tiny gold stud.

  Why the fuck is that so sexy? Maybe because I want to know if she’s pierced elsewhere? Shit, she drives me wild without having to do anything.

  Just then, someone yelled across the bar, startling us both and ruining the moment. Damn drunk bar patrons! She shook herself loose and laughed again. She licked her lips. I forgot where we left off. But leave it to her to pick the string of conversation right back up.

  “How the hell did we end up meeting again today? Don’t you find it a little strange? Hence the elephant?” she asked, as if it should have been clear that I knew what she was referring to in the first place.

  She was right, though; it was strange. Strange, but wonderful. This was exactly what I needed, and I hadn’t even known I did. Rather than question it, I wanted to go with it. So I held up my Jack and Coke glass to her martini.

  “Well, here’s to trysts—and quite possibly to fate,” I toasted.

  She clinked glasses with me, but couldn’t hold back her skepticism. “Feeling whimsical there, Sparky? Fate and trysts? Not two terms I’d guess would come from your lips,” she managed to say around a mouthful of her drink.

  “And once again, I didn’t know you thought about my lips, Everly,” I had to quip back.

  She almost choked when she realized she had walked into that one too. She shot me the red-ring-of-death stare, you know, the kind of ring exhibited when your fancy video game system shits the bed? Yeah, that look. Hey, I said I didn’t play the game systems, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know what they are.

  “Ya know, you can be quite prickly sometimes,” I surmised.

  “And you can be quite dickly,” she came back with.

  Fuck! Why does her filthy mouth turn me on?

  I grinned at her and ran a hand over my head. Even though there was no hair to grab, it felt like one of those kinds of moments that would help relieve the crushing weight of the situation. She followed my every movement, of course, with her sharp and cunning eye.

  How the hell can one woman have me pissing blood and semen at the same time? She wraps my nuts in a vice, and yet I want to challenge her to do it even harder.

  Everly Reynolds is definitely a one-of-a-kind woman, so I told her just as much. In return, she just blew it off as if she’d heard it before. Well, maybe she had heard it, but I bet no one really appreciated that aspect of her. I wondered if she’d ever been serious with anyone. Why did I even care?

  Instead of discussing relationships, thank God, we talked for a little longer about other things. We discussed her goals as a reporter, and I shared how it was growing up in Texas. She was surprised to find out that I grew up in Austin, considering I have no accent, but it’s more city there than “country.” She asked me more about my sister and niece, and I was happy to oblige with details.

  I stayed away from the subject of work, and she stayed away from the subject of her family and her upbringing. The only thing I volunteered regarding my job was what I actually do in the military. I quickly explained to her what an aerial porter is, and she listened with rapt attention. Not many people realize that military personnel actually load the aircraft by hand; I think there’s this misconception that some big machine or robot does it for you. I mean, of course we have equipment to aid us, but ultimately we’re the ones doing heavy lifting and wiping our brows from the sweat we produce. It’s grunt work, and there’s a lot of elements that go into it.

  At one point in our conversation, she asked if I ever went to college. I was embarrassed to admit that I hadn’t. I wish I was more like my sister. In high school, I was popular and excelled in academics; I wish I had made some different choices, but I have to always remind myself not to dwell on the past. I informed Everly that
I felt like I had let my parents down since I was the star athlete in high school and had attained amazing grades.

  But the military just seemed right for me. She assured me there was no shame because, in her experience, she thought those already in the workforce had a jumpstart compared to the students just entering the workforce. Nowadays it seemed like skills and experience were more accepted than in the past, when you had to follow the traditional route of schooling and then try to land a job. I hoped that was true. I was planning to retire in four years, and I had no clue what I was going to do next. Maybe something in logistics? To tell you the truth, I don’t know what I might like to do outside of the armed forces. There’s a program where the government helps troops become teachers, so that could be something to pursue. I do like kids, even though they scare the shit out of me. There would just be the obstacle of getting the actual degree.

  She talked about attending school at Penn State and how she graduated with honors in journalism. She said it was tough finding a job at first, but that she got lucky when she stumbled upon her current position. I enjoyed listening to her fill me in on the freelance work she had done for a while, and how she had to make ends meet. I knew she was tenacious, with an independent spirit, and could certainly hold her own. All those qualities were sexy on her.

  Everly even revealed that she had been at the clinic to interview a medical officer regarding the lack of care today’s veterans receive. She wanted to get the perspective of clinicians not working at VA hospitals. As she suspected, no one would touch that subject with a ten-foot pole; well, not if they wanted to remain in their current position, of course.

  I had yet to divulge that I was heading out for Afghanistan the next day. A part of me cringed to think about going back to the very place that had crippled me for a while. I didn’t know if it would make a difference either way to tell her about my leaving, but somehow I didn’t feel like bringing it up. I thought it might spoil whatever we had going. Whether this was friendship, companionship, or whatevership, I wanted to see where it went . . . at least for right now.

  As I said before, I’d never wish this kind of a life on anyone. It wouldn’t be fair to her to start up something. I wanted her, though—that much I knew. It was evident things were comfortable between us, like we were old friends. We could share things, but just not any of the nitty-gritty details. I could live with that.

  She had no filter when it came to her verbal delivery, but I found it refreshing. She riled me up, but also served as a calming presence. However, underneath that comfortable exterior was a sizzling, crackling heat just waiting to bubble to the surface. I needed to harness that kind of spark and utilize it to my advantage; well, it would be a mutual use of resources in this case.

  After a few hours of discussion, I’d more than had enough. It was time to cease talking and put the story to bed!

  We ended up going back to my place because her apartment was entirely too far away, across the city. I actually have two roommates, Todd and Ben, who both happen to work in security forces—they’re base cops. But luckily, they work the graveyard shift. Since it was well after ten o’clock by the time we got there, they had already left for work. I had filled her in on my living situation earlier in the evening anyway, so she knew what to expect with my arrangements. It was nice to have the whole place to myself at night since I worked days, but that meant on my days off I usually tried to be out and about so they could sleep without me disturbing them. The house we shared was decent enough. We each had our own bedroom, and there were two full baths and a nice finished basement where we could all hang out with our respective work friends.

  We also had a communal dog. He was a four-year-old black Labrador named Maverick; I told you I was into Top Gun, and I don’t give a fuck who thinks I’m a dork. Well, I guess the dog was more mine than anyone’s, but the guys would take good care of him for me while I was gone. I knew my parents would have taken my dog too, or even my sister, but they all had enough to worry about. They didn’t need to add my pup to the mix—especially when he still thought this place was his house.

  When I came home next, though, I’d have to see if there was still a room available, or I’d have to get my own place. Truth be told, I was tired of sharing a home anyway. I had been doing it for years to save money. With all the deployments, I also didn’t want to worry about having to find someone to housesit for me in my absence. So it started off as a money-saving measure and convenience thing, but shit, it was getting beyond old having to move constantly, find new roommates, and try to start over again. I could easily afford a down payment on a house now.

  The queen-size bed that was currently in my room—and all the other furniture—had come with the house, so renting this place had been ideal. I was hoping Everly wouldn’t ask me why my room looked so bare. Maybe she would just automatically assume I was a neat freak; by the way, I am somewhat of a neat freak. I would be able to save up plenty of money during the coming deployment with hazard pay and whatnot, so purchasing furniture when I came back would be a breeze too.

  I had already moved all my other belongings into storage over the weekend. The next morning, my parents were coming to see me off, and my dad would take my truck and put it in storage. I hoped Everly wouldn’t also notice the two camo duffel bags in the corner, which were the telltale sign of my departure—just ten hours away. If I could distract her somehow . . . I still wasn’t prepared to have a conversation with her about leaving. I preferred to just lose myself in her first, then see what happened next. As I said, I felt a sense of calm around her, so she made me want to forget about all the other shit that surrounded us. Yes, I’m a selfish bastard, though, for not telling her. I realize that.

  We let Maverick out to piss and shit and gave him fresh food and water. When I told her his name, she seemed surprised. I was going to ask her why, but she changed the subject and commented on the state of the laundry room; the blame for the messiness definitely fell on Todd and Ben. I couldn’t stop watching her interact with my dog. She was a natural with animals and struck me as a “dog person.” Maverick wouldn’t stop licking her face and sniffing her crotch; yup, that’s my boy.

  I couldn’t help bursting into full-on fits of laughter when she informed me about her “Pussy” cat. This woman was just too much! She didn’t think it was so funny, but her ire only spurred me on more. And the more pissed off she got, the hornier and hotter for her I became. We hadn’t even touched yet in a sensual manner—or otherwise—and yet I felt like we were already intimate somehow.

  I was fire and she was ice; I liked the duality of our personalities. I knew she had to be a stone bitch, but I don’t mean that harshly—that’s the way she had to be in her world. I had to be a hotheaded, red-blooded, quintessential military man through and through. It was encoded in my DNA. Some things just are. Everly and I were the red and blue that blended seamlessly together to create a whole different color. Well, shit, if she could hear my inner monologue, she’d think I must be a fucking poet. At least my sister would be proud, since she was an actual poet.

  I grabbed Everly’s hand, and we left the mudroom. We walked together until we reached my bedroom door. Thankfully, the softly lit bedside lamp perfectly set the mood. I could feel her palm get sweaty in mine. The ice was definitely melting.

  I wondered when her last time with a man had been, but that was her business. Hell, I had just been with a woman a few weeks back. It was nothing—never was. Just a casual hookup with a fellow NCO from another squadron. Everly was a stunning woman, so I suspected she had plenty of men beating down her door. I would show her, though, what all the others lacked.

  As much as she obviously liked to be in charge of most situations, I had already gleaned from our two encounters that she would like to be dominated when it came to sexual interactions. So I was lucky there would be no power struggle between us, or rather between the sheets. It was clear from her body language, responses, and her eyes that she wanted someone else to take ch
arge in the sack. Regardless of what she thought, she couldn’t hide from me in every respect. I saw her. Did she see me too?

  I couldn’t focus on that right now, though. I let go of her hand, and she turned to face me. That fucking outfit of hers had to go. My patience had long ago evaporated—I was surprised I’d made it this long.

  I said in a husky tone, “Strip.”

  She sucked in a ragged breath. I could see her pulse beating in a vein on the side of her delicate neck. Her pupils dilated, and I knew she was wet. I couldn’t wait to fucking smell her, taste her, and make her mine. Yup, tonight she would be mine. I’d show her who was “dickly” now.

  Chapter 5: Parting of the Seas

  Everly

  He said the word, and I froze. I knew subconsciously that he meant “strip” my clothes, but I couldn’t help feeling like he also wanted me to bare my soul. I was not willing to do that; I was not willing to strip away the layers. I was so surprised I was feeling so much so quickly for him, and a part of me wanted him to break through my shell.

  I had never experienced anything like this connection before. It was an overwhelming feeling swelling inside me. I had never wanted to really know someone before. With Brent, though, that feeling was there. Would he want the same in return? I reminded myself he was trouble—what he made me question just confirmed it all the more.

  The years it had taken for me to shove away memories and perfectly cultivate this shield I had could all come crashing down any instant. That’s why I knew I had to run. I was about to bolt. I didn’t care that I was stuck at his place without a vehicle. I’d walk back to the base or call a cab if I had to. I didn’t give a shit that it was freezing cold outside either. I could handle the weather, because the ice in my veins was already thickening again. The longer I stood here and contemplated my escape, the more I would cool.

  I was about to run, but Brent’s hand touched my cheek. It shocked my entire body, almost like rebooting a computer.