American Bad Boy: A Military Romance (16 page)

T
he elevator doors
pop open on our floor and Mack scoops me up off the ground, cradling me in his arms.

“What are you doing?” I squeal, kicking my legs in the air lightly. I love how easily Mack can sweep me off my feet. Literally.

“I’m gonna carry the bride across the thresh hold,” there’s no mistaking the intention written all over his face. If I was a wounded gazelle, I’d be nervous to see an animal look down on me like this. But what Mack doesn’t know yet is that I’m no gazelle. I’m a lion.

“We’re not married yet,” I fake a protest. Honestly, I hope he doesn’t put me back on my feet. I love being in his arms.

Mack stops in front of our room door and effortlessly adjusts me in his hold as he fishes the card for the door out of his pocket.

Sch-wick. Beep! The door swings open for us. Mack walks through and kicks it shut with his prosthetic leg.

He’s come a long way, even in the short time span he spent at Spalding. His movements are so graceful now, he’s mastered the nuances of balancing on one leg, or carrying women to bed. I bet he’ll be ready to ride his motorcycle again soon. The idea floods me with a new wave of desire. The idea of his sitting on his bike, with a leather jacket and his tattoos peeping out from under the collar.

Why are we still wearing clothes right now?

“It might not be our wedding night yet,” Mack walks me to the end of the bed and tosses me onto it, “but, I’m gonna fuck you like we’re on our honeymoon.”

“Isn’t that what you did on the weekend?” My eyes travel greedily over him as he unbuttons his shirt. He slides it down over his shoulders and one by one his tattoos make an appearance. Each a symbol for a moment in his life I wasn’t there for. As much as I love his ink, it hurts to see the marks of time we never had together permanently etched into his skin.

“The weekend was a nice test drive,” he drops his shirt to the floor behind him, “but now I’m gonna ride ya like I stole ya.” His blue eyes glint under the low light and my heart whooshes in my ears.

“Stand up here,” Mack reaches forward and tugs my hand so I can get my feet under me on the bouncy bed. “I’ve got a good view from here,” he smirks up at me.

“Of what?” I look down at him and steady myself on the bed.

“Of you stripping for me, sweetheart.” He lets go of my hand and turns around, grabbing the little chair at the desk across the room. Dragging it to the end of the bed, he takes a seat and looks up at me expectantly.

I’ve never stripped for anyone before. Joel was a good man, but he was not very exciting in bed. I feel a little silly, but the fire in Mack’s eyes helps me find my courage. “I don’t have any music,” I say tossing out my best excuse.

“Well, let me fix that for you then.” Mack stands and turns on the tv to the music station. Nicki Minaj appears on the screen in hot pink spandex while Sir Mix-A-Lot’s voice gives me some inspiration. “My anaconda don’t want none unless you got buns, hun.”

Mack sits back down in his seat, “Perfect song for you.” He smiles up at me.

Ok. I got this.

I swivel my hips and fall straight back onto my big butt, and I cannot lie … it’s embarrassing. I look past the laugh that Mack’s trying to suppress over his shoulder at the tv. On the screen, Nicki is on all fours, making Drake re-evaluate his life as she shakes her ass.

Alright, I got this.

I quickly pull my shirt over my head and throw it over Mack’s face.

“Hey, what are you doing?” He pulls the shirt down and I’m on my back squirming out of my pants.

“You don’t get to speak. You get to watch,” I purr, dropping my jeans onto the floor beside the bed. Mack’s stifled laugh evaporates into the air and his eyes narrow, but I’ve got his attention.

I flip over onto my hands and knees, facing the headboard, so my thick curves are on display for Mack. Leaning down onto my elbows, I pop my ass in the air and shimmy my hips until my round cheeks are trembling to the beat. I look over my shoulder and Mack is silent. He looks like he’s under a spell. A surge of confidence charges through me and I crawl forward on the bed, slowly, stretching my legs out. Then I push myself back, until I’m at the very edge of the bed, my ass shaking and my pussy only inches from Mack’s face.

From his mouth.

I drop my head back to the comforter again, my ass still trembling, and press my ear flat against the bed. I push my breasts down onto the mattress so my ass is accentuated even more. I can feel Mack’s breath on the inside of my thighs, my pussy growing wet with desire.

“Don’t move,” Mack growls. Before I have a chance, I feel his strong hands on my hips, pining me in place. He leans forward until his lips are brushing the edge of my panties, and grazes his teeth across my skin as he bites the edge of them and tugs them down over my ass until my pussy is exposed to the air.

I breathe into the comforter, my chest pressing into the mattress every time I fill my lungs. Suddenly, Mack’s warm tongue snakes between my lips and quickly finds my aching clit. His nose presses in between my cheeks as he buries his face in my ass. He cups his tongue up over my clit and then flattens it out, making me moan and twist the comforter in my fingers.

Mack’s hands drop from my hips and his fingers slide up between my thighs, digging into my flesh, he opens me wide for him until it’s almost painful. Lucky for me, he’s there to kiss it all better. His lips surround my clit and his soft tongue flickers over me relentlessly, all I can do is groan as the pleasure wracks my body.

“Oh fuck, don’t stop!” I cry out. Ecstasy floods my body, like a star exploding into a supernova, it ripples out from my pussy and rushes through me. My toes are curled and my fingers are twisted in cloth as my eyes roll back and I cry out.

Mack moves away from me, and I’m frozen in place. No man has ever made me feel like he does. I feel like a goddess being worshipped on his tongue.

It’s time to return the favor.

I sit back up and blood rushes to my head. When I stop seeing stars, I turn around and Mack is standing in front of the chair now, completely naked.

God damn, he’s big. His thick cock is ready for me, swaying slightly under it’s own weight.

Sliding off the end of the bed, I stand up in front of him and kick off my panties that are still tangled half way down my thighs.

“You need to sit back down,” I instruct him. “I’m not done my show yet.” I push him lightly and he plops back down on the chair. “Oh, what do you have in mind?” he murmurs. But I won’t tell him, I’ll show him. I slip between his thighs and slide down onto my knees in front of my man. His prosthetic leg is cool against my skin on the one side and in striking contrast to the soft warmth radiating from his other leg. I remember when we had sex at my house, it took a bit to adjust to the new sensation, but I love it.

Mack has been my hero since we were young and he punched Benjamin Reed right in the nose for pushing me into a mud puddle. I remember how devastated I was as the dirty water soaked up into my pastel yellow dress and how Mack pulled me to my feet and set Benjamin straight. I couldn’t help but smile when he wiped away my tears with his swollen knuckles. I knew then that he was my hero for life.

His leg is just a physical reminder of how I now have to share my hero with the rest of America.

His cock is so close to my lips; I can feel the heat of his skin. Sticking my tongue out, I lick a long trail from the base of his cock, slowly up to the tip. I look him in the eyes as I swipe my tongue over his most sensitive part and he groans, watching me closely. Opening wide, I take him in my mouth, his cock sliding down along my tongue until he reaches my throat. The last time he went in my mouth this deep, I gagged. This time, I’m relaxed and in control of my reflexes as I push down past my comfort until my lips are circling the base of his cock.

“Oh, damn,” he gasps.

I bob my head, letting his thick member slide across my tongue and into my throat over and over. It’s a little slower than using my hands and mouth together, but I don’t think either of us is in a rush. We have all night.

“Stand up,” Mack’s voice is hoarse.

I guess maybe one of us is in a rush after all.

I let his cock fall free from my lips and pull myself back up to my feet again.

“Good girl, now turn around, I want to see your sweet ass bouncing when I fuck you.” His hands guide my hips as I turn around, easing me down onto his thick member. I’m so wet from him making me cum that he slides into me a bit easier this time. I push my ass all the way down until I’m sitting on his lap and his cock is fully inside me.

Using the arms of the chair and more strength in my thighs than I knew I had, I ride Mack like a cowgirl bucking around on the back of a bull. Mack’s hands wrap around me, grabbing my tits as my pussy clenches around him tight.

“God, Lauren, you look so fucking good,” he murmurs in my ear. Suddenly he lurches me forward and I flop down onto the bed, face first, without warning. In a second, Mack is standing behind me, between my legs as I’m bent over the bed.

“What are you doing?” I’m surprised by him tossing me around like a rag doll, but I’m not upset. It’s kind of fucking hot.

“I told you, I’m going to ride you like I stole ya,” his hand wraps up around my throat and he pulls my head up off the bed as he thrusts his cock back into my pussy in one swift stroke. I groan at the sensation of being filled by him. Mack’s hand is holding my face up toward the ceiling under my chin, my back is arched back and I’m completely under his control. His thrusts get quicker and I moan as he fucks me, hard.

I can feel my body building up with pleasure as Mack takes what’s his. Suddenly my body stiffens under him as another orgasm rolls through me. The last one was hot and intense like an explosion, but this one is slower and the bliss is more thorough like a warm fire on a cold night.

Mack fucks me harder and all I can hear is the sound of our bodies slapping together, he jerks behind me and his movements grow erratic as he fills me with his cum. Mack drops his hand from my chin and I fall over onto the bed, happy to lie in the wake of my ecstasy.

He joins me on the mattress, pulling me up against him so my legs aren’t dangling over the edge anymore. He pulls me against him until my head is lying on his chest and his heartbeat is the only thing I can hear.

“I love you, Lauren,” he whispers into my hair.

I feel like I’ve finally found my happy ending. I’m engaged to the one man I’ve always loved from childhood until now. To Chris’s father. To my hero. To Mack Forrester.

“I love you too,” I whisper back. I can feel sleep drifting over me, taking me into a land of dreams. I’ll rest easy knowing that everything has finally worked out for me. For us. And that we’ll never be torn apart again.

“
B
ecause you know
I’m all about that bass, ‘bout that bass. No treble!” Lauren and Chelsea sing along to the hottest hit of the moment up in the front while the little man and I ride in the back. It’s nice to see Lauren having fun and letting loose for once. Having these past few days off have been good for her.

“Yeah, it’s pretty clear, I ain’t no size two.” Lauren and Chelsea look at each other with huge smiles as they belt out the words. “But I can shake it, shake it, like I’m supposed to do.” Lauren looks back at me and winks.

Can she ever. She proved that in the hotel. Damn, I still can’t get the image of her on all fours, shaking her fat ass for me out of my head. I’m not sure I ever want to. I always knew that she had a wild streak in her, but back in high school I was just so relieved when she finally let me fuck her. I was happy to have the same clumsy, missionary sex over and over. Now, it looks like she could teach me a thing or two.

I look over at Chris, but he’s got his head resting against the window and his eyes closed. Smart kid. I wish I could get some shut-eye too, but after my time in the army, I’ve just never been able to relax on long drives anymore. Driving off the base, on long stretches of highway, is one of the most dangerous things you can do in a war zone. It’s the perfect opportunity for the enemy to surround your vehicle and open fire. We’ve lost more good men and women that way than I’d care to count.

Instead I stare out the window and try to relax. I should probably be trying to figure out my next move. Where I’m going to live, for instance. Lauren offered that I stay with her. Move in. I want to, but I’m just not sure if that’s too fast for Chris. The last thing I want to do is start our time as a family off on a sour note. I want him to be comfortable with me in his life.

Will Lauren ever tell Chris that I’m his father? How will he take it? I keep wondering how we’re going to approach that minor detail. And by minor detail, I mean life altering revelation. I suppose I should focus on one thing at a time though. Figure out the living situation first, the rest will follow.

The sing along comes to an end and the news update comes on. “A tragedy today as we lost another soldier to an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan. With only three months left until our troops are finally withdrawn from the war, the loss of nineteen-year-old Private Beckett is particularly painful …”

“Turn it off,” Chelsea hisses at Lauren and jerks her head back toward me. Lauren quickly hits the button and the vehicle goes silent.

“You don’t need to do that, I’m fine.” But my voice won’t lie for me. My tone tells them the truth. They know how hard it is for me to hear about another of my brothers in arms losing his life over there.

Nineteen. Jesus, I’m almost a decade older than him. He was just a kid.

My eyes go back to the window and billows of dust waft past us. Chelsea slows the SUV down a bit as an orange sign informs us that we’re getting jammed up by construction. Damned road work, why don’t they just do repairs at night when most people aren’t out driving? I’ve never understood that. Instead, they tie up the roads with inconvenient traffic when everyone is rushing to get somewhere. Makes perfect sense.

“Is there a detour you can take or something?” I try to disguise the edge in my tone. My palms are beginning to sweat a bit at the thought of being stalled for too long.

“A detour? No, we’ve just gotta wait,” Chelsea slows down to a crawl as we near the stopped cars ahead of us. The road has been reduced to one lane and they’re letting the on coming traffic take their turn.

“Great,” I mutter, rubbing my hands together.

Outside my window, the dust from the gravel and dirt on the dug up road ahead is blowing around. It reminds me of the dust ups we used to deal with everyday in Afghanistan. Man I don’t miss those, the grains of sand whipping against my face like a million tiny razor blades. I instinctively rub my hand over the side of my face and narrow my eyes. Even though the swirling dirt is outside the window, the reaction is automatic.

“Wow, look at the huge trucks,” Lauren looks out the windshield as the ground beneath our tires begin to rumble and shake. Massive dump trucks travel toward us, carrying broken asphalt and rocks.

“They’re noisy,” Chelsea complains, raising her voice to be heard over them.

I close my eyes for a second and fight the panic I can feel rising up the back of my throat. Breathe. This is a construction zone, not a war zone. Just breathe. I look back out my window and feel prickles of sweat tingle my hairline as the oversized yellow trucks fade into battered old busses. The windows are covered with black plastic garbage bags so you can’t see inside them.

“Move! We’ve got to go! Come on!” I order, but my man at the wheel doesn’t move. “Why aren’t you going? We’re being swarmed!”

“I can’t move,” the voice is distant, like a bad transmission on a radio. “The guy in front of me isn’t moving!”

“We don’t have time for this. We’ve gotta get out of here.” I pop the door open on our Humvee and jump out. The sand clouds around my boots as I march over to the driver in our convoy who is deciding to risk everyone’s lives while the enemy is approaching.

“What are you doing?” I bang on his window. “Drive! Now! You’re gonna get us all killed!” I slam my open palm against the glass and the driver jumps up straight and looks at me. “Don’t just fucking look at me, I said to get in gear and go. We’re going to get swarmed! Don’t you see the busses coming?”

He doesn’t do anything, the insubordinate bastard. Maybe he’s afraid. They say some guys freeze up at the weirdest times. This guy couldn’t have chosen a worse one. I pop the handle on his door and grab him by his uniform, my face an inch from his. “Listen to me, you need to move or we’re all going to be killed! Do you hear me? Get this truck in gear now!” I yell. His co-navigator starts yelling too, but I can’t make out the words.

The driver just stares at me; he’s clearly not going to get this vehicle out of the way. I can’t lose my men like this. I’ve got to do something. Fast. I reach over and unclick his seat belt and pull him out of the Humvee. If he won’t move this truck, I will. I climb in and my stomach lurches.

The woman next to me. Where did she come from? I look around and the Humvee I was sitting in seconds ago has disappeared. Instead, I’m in a minivan. Terror grips my heart and my chest feels like it’s being crushed as the woman’s screams finally penetrate my ears.

“Oh my God, please, please! Don’t hurt us! Please! Let us go. You can have the van, just let me and the kids go!” she yelps.

I look in the rear view mirror at the crying children in the back bench seat. What is happening?

“Get out of the car and put your hands on your head!” A man barks at my side. I look over, and a cop is standing a foot away from me with his gun drawn and pointing at my head.

Fuck.

“I said, get out of the car, sir!” he repeats himself and I comply, slowly sliding out of the seat until my feet hit the pavement below me. I put my hands flat on my head and am instantly tackled to the ground. My arms are wrenched behind my back and the cold pinch of metal surrounds my wrists.

I’m easily lifted by two men back onto my feet and I see the red and blue lights flashing on the police car for the first time. Everything still feels unreal. Like this is a dream. This can’t be real. I just blink and wait for my mind to wake up, but it won’t.

Looking around, I can see that people are standing outside of their cars with their cellphones held out at the end of their arms. Their faces are contorted with horror and fascination.

“Mack!” I snap my head toward Lauren’s voice and see her on the side of the road, bawling. Under her arm is Chris, his face is pushed into her ribs. Chelsea is next to them both, glaring at me.

“Watch your head, sir. One of the officers pushes down on my scalp and I duck into the back seat of the cruiser. He slams the door shut in my face and outside the window I can still see Lauren screaming my name.

This isn’t a dream. This is a fucking nightmare.