Panther jerked his arm from my hold.
When I turned around, the newest instructor at NAFTA sighed. “Lieutenant Morgan. Why am I not surprised to see you disrupting the halls?”
“Apologies, commander,” I said. “We were just clearing the air.”
Commander Heinz narrowed her eyes at us over her glasses, and even though she was only about five foot six, she still made it seem somehow like she was looking down at us. “After yesterday’s performance, I would think the two of you would avoid any more confrontations.”
“Less of a confrontation, commander, more of a”—I raised an eyebrow at Panther—“confirmation. I believe Lieutenant Hughes and I have reached a compromise. Isn’t that right, lieutenant?”
Panther eyed me for a beat, making me wait out his answer, and just when I thought he’d disagree, he nodded. “Yes, it looks like we’ve made a deal.”
I let out the breath I’d been holding and then gave Commander Heinz my most charming smile. “See? No punches necessary.”
“Then I suggest you take a seat inside before Commander Levy grounds your plane indefinitely.” She looked at Panther. “Yours too, lieutenant. I doubt your father would like to hear about the continued incidents between you and Lieutenant Morgan.”
“No, he wouldn’t. Apologies, commander.” Panther inclined his head toward her and then glanced at me before heading inside. I took my time following, unable to wipe the grin off my face.
Not only did I have Panther breaking the rules, but I had a date with him tonight. Not even the verbal lashing I’d get from Commander Levy could bring me down.
30Panther
AT FIVE FIFTY-FIVE p.m. I turned into the parking lot of Salsa’s and made my way through the rows of cars, looking for, and spotting, Solo’s ruby-red crotch rocket.
The entire way over here tonight I’d been going back and forth on whether this was a smart idea. But as I pulled my bike in beside Solo’s, and my heart began to thump a little harder, I knew there’d really been no choice in the end.
From the moment he’d left me at the Black Rock Cliffs yesterday, I’d wanted a repeat. In fact, it’d taken every ounce of willpower I possessed not to knock on his door when I’d arrived back on base, enter his room, and strip him naked. My mind had fixated on him even more since I’d finally gotten my hands on him.
What would he look like naked?
What would he be like in bed?
How would he sound when I finally entered his body?
And how would it feel when he entered mine?
Those were the questions I couldn’t seem to shake. They were also the questions I’d imagined the answers to very vividly in my shower last night, then later in my bed.
The fact that I’d been able to be anywhere near him at training today without getting a major hard-on was a damn miracle. It was also due largely in part to how many times I’d gotten myself off between yesterday and today.
I cut the engine and removed my helmet, and as I sat there staring at Solo’s bike, I knew that by the end of the night I would have my answers. I was almost as certain that being here was asking for all kinds of trouble. That didn’t stop me, however, from getting off my bike, securing my helmet, and heading inside to track down the man I’d wanted since the moment I laid eyes on him.
As I crossed the lot toward the two-story adobe building that was home to Salsa’s, I looked down at my navy button-up shirt, jeans, and black boots. I’d gone casual tonight, knowing this wasn’t a dress-up kind of date or place, but as I got closer to the front door, I began to second-guess my choices.
Stop it, I told myself, as I reached for the door and pulled it open. But as I stepped inside the crowded foyer and it slammed shut behind me, the panic set in.
Shoulder to shoulder with several other people waiting for a table, I couldn’t help but think:What if I see someone I know? What if they recognize me and it somehow gets back to my father that I was out eating dinner with Solo?But just as that thought entered my head, I heard my name being called out.
“Grant? Grant! Over here.”
I turned in the direction of the voice I was starting to hear in my dreams, and as Solo’s familiar face came into view, my breath got caught somewhere in the back of my throat.
Damn, he was gorgeous. Not like I didn’t already know that, but I’d gotten so used to seeing him in his flight gear that I’d almost forgotten how amazing he looked out of it. Well, notoutof it, per se, although I was fairly certain Solo naked just might kill me. But dressed in his civvies, he was one extraordinary-looking man.
Tonight he’d gone with black boots and fitted black pants, paired with a wine-red deep V-neck t-shirt, which not only showed off his ripped biceps and chest, but also his dog tags, which invited me to take a good, long look at the tanned skin they lay on.
My cock jerked as he made his way through the crowd toward me, and as he got closer, I noticed he had a small silver hoop in each ear, and wrapped around his right wrist was a leather band and a beaded bracelet.
The overall package was super fucking hot, and when he stopped in front of me and flashed that heartbreaker smile, I had to remind myself I was out in public and couldn’t just grab him and kiss the ever-loving hell out of him.
