“I was more worried about you. What happened? Why did they keep you?”
“That’s not important. As long as you’re okay, that’s all I care about.”
“Alex…” I place my hand on his shoulders, pulling back to look him in the eyes. “It is important. I don’t want you getting in trouble. I need you—”
A swift knock cuts off my words before my door swings open. Without a thought, Alex grabs some pencils and papers off my desk, knocking it to the floor and leaning down to pick it up.
“I’m sorry that happened, Captain. I can be so clumsy,” Alex says as he picks up the items and sets them back where they came from.
Fear grabs my chest and holds on tightly as I turn around, sitting back in my chair and turning toward my computer so I don’t have to look at Lieutenant Stine’s face.
“That’s okay, Riley. I’m glad we had that talk. Remember what I said. This is your last warning. Don’t make us do something none of us want to do.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Alex says as he salutes me quickly and walks out the door, leaving Lieutenant Stine standing in question.
Before he can make sense of it all, I ask, “Is there something I can help you with?”
“No. Just wanted to make sure you knew Airman Riley was back, but I see you’ve already spoken to him.”
“Yes, we’ve spoken. He’s aware of how I feel. Thank you for bringing him back.”
He nods in response, leaving my office and closing the door behind him.
A deep sigh releases from my chest as my head falls down on my desk in relief he hadn’t walked in earlier.
8
What we kept callingour non-existent relationship changed after that night. Though we haven’t set any parameters or said we were officially dating, we’ve been spending every night together.
Yeah, he’s either been at my house or me at his every night, and yes, I sleep in his shirt but it’s comfy, that’s the only reason why.
At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.
That’s why I’m a little worried about how things are going tonight. He’s not doing anything glaringly different but I notice the subtle things. He’s holding my hand any chance he can, or when I was making dinner, our eyes would meet and the look he would give me would bring most girls to their knees.
It’s a look I’ve dreamed about getting for years. That one that saysyou’re the one, with the twinkle in their eye and the slight smile that forms on their lips. I’ve seen it in movies and read about it in books, but never have I witnessed it myself, until now.
After I close the dishwasher, his hand intertwines with mine, and when I look up to his eyes, I see it again.
Tingles start at my chest and radiate out until I feel a cold sweat cover my body. I don’t know what’s going on.Do I like this? Is this fear? Is this love? Am I scared? Am I happy?
All I know is I’ve never felt this way and my head is more clogged than rush-hour traffic.
When his lips brush over mine, I feel my chest tighten even more and my stomach flip around. Proving that something is definitely going on.
He leans back, and I take a deep, cleansing breath which makes him chuckle under his breath as he walks away with his chest held high. The swagger in his walk is like he’s the king of the prairie about to claim his lioness.
He can tell I’m affected but I think he’s misunderstanding what it means. Shit,Idon’t even know what it means.
His grip on my hand pulls me to my room where he sits on the bed and pulls me between his legs.
I wipe the sweat coating my palms on my shorts before running my fingers through his hair.
The slight moan he gives does nothing to my nerves, just intensifies the situation and now my heart is beating wildly.
His hands wrap around my waist and start to pull up my shirt where his lips replace the soft feeling of the fabric. Chills race down my spine, and I shiver slightly which garners another slight chuckle from Alex.
My head falls back as I take a deep breath, slightly pursing my lips together, letting it out as slowly as possible, trying to calm my nerves so I can figure out what these feelings going through me are.
