Jase groaned, causing Bree to grin against his neck.
“I need to get rid of the condom.”
“’Kay,” she whispered, reluctant to loosen her hold.
He pressed his lips firmly to hers while gently easing his body from hers. When he returned from the bathroom, Bree was curled up under the covers, drifting quickly toward sleep.
The bed shifted as Jase pulled back the covers on his side and got into bed, jolting her from the edge of sleep. He pulled Bree close, tucking her back to his front as he kissed her exposed shoulder and buried his face in the base of her neck. His sigh caressed her neck and his weight became heavy at her back. She would never have taken him for a cuddler. She smiled and let her eyes drift closed, giving herself over to sleep.
“GET DOWN! GET DOWN!”
The sharp, whip-crack sounds of M-4 rifles were answered by the low, rat-a-tat of AK-47s. Bree scanned the road ahead of her, looking for pressure plates or uneven pavement that might indicate a secondary device. Bree raised her head over the driver’s side hood of the Humvee, scanning the insurgent positions.
“Cover me!”
“Goddamnit, Marks, get your ass back here! Fuck! Cover her!”
Go! Go! Go!Running in a crouch, rifle pointed down, Bree raced across the open space - a perfect moving target for the enemy. Rounds ricocheted off the rough concrete. She slid on her knees behind the rear bumper of the Humvee that had taken the brunt of the IED explosion, tearing up the hard plastic of her knee pads. A round caught the corner of the mangled metal, missing her by millimeters. She flinched, small pieces of shrapnel stinging her face. Slinging her M-4 around her back, she pulled on the lever of the two-hundred-pound door. The passenger side had taken the force of the blast and the door swung open without any resistance. She glanced up to assess the soldier sitting behind the driver. Blood flowed freely down the front of his face as he fumbled with his seatbelt.
“Hold on. I’ll get you out of there.”
He turned his head. The right side of his face was gone. Nothing but a gaping hole. “Help me, Bree.”
She stood and took a step back, staring at the carnage in front of her.
“Don’t leave me here, Bree.”
She shook her head and took another step back. A fist clenched the sleeve of her uniform and yanked her around.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Marks?”
Thwack!
A bullet tore through the side of his head, blowing out a good chunk. Something warm and wet hit her face. She reached up to brush it away. Her hand touched a furry muzzle and a warm tongue threaded between her fingers.
She jerked her head away and her eyes flew open. Polly licked her cheek, following Bree’s movement.
You’re safe. You’re safe. You’re not there. It’s not really happening.
Her heart pounded, blood rushing so fast and hard it affected the pressure in her ears. Breathless, as if she had just finished a marathon, she concentrated on slowing the rise and fall of her chest. She looked to her right - Jase was on his stomach, still asleep. She must not have called out, or he was a deep sleeper.
Bree pushed the covers off, eased from the bed, and padded into the bathroom, Polly by her side, and closed the door. Easing the latch into place, she placed her back against the door and slid down to sit on the floor. Dim, pre-dawn light filtered in through a small window, creating ghostly shadows of the vanity, toilet, and free-standing bath. Polly wiggled herself onto Bree’s lap and let out a low whine.
“Shh, don’t wake up Jase.” She hugged Polly close and scratched her ears. “Thank you, sweet girl. Did you leave Charlie downstairs by himself? What do you think brought that on? You haven’t had to wake me up in months. Do you think it was Jase’s story about Tony? Maybe it was because someone tore up my room. Lots of stuff happened today, huh?”
She petted Polly and whispered to her for another few minutes. “Okay, girl. I think I’m good.” She moved her dog off her lap, used the toilet, and washed her hands before she eased back out of the bathroom. Edging onto the bed, she lay facing Jase. She moved as close as she could without touching him. Polly jumped onto the bed and took up position at her back. Watching Jase’s chest rise and fall, Bree matched her breaths to his.
Bree let out a small moan and rolled her hips as her orgasm built. She whimpered, trying to reach fulfillment. This dream was so much better than the nightmare. She could feel Jase’s beard tickling her inner thighs, his fingers gripping her ass, pulling her closer to his mouth, his breath hot as he licked her aching center. She reached down to bring herself to orgasm and found a head of hair instead. Her eyes flew open. Jase’s mouth was between her legs and she was going to come all over his face - again. Her back arched as her orgasm rolled through her, not as strong as the one last night, but just as satisfying.
Jase kissed his way up her stomach, stopping at her breasts to suck on her nipples before moving up to her mouth. She could taste herself on his tongue. He gathered her close before rolling to his side. He pulled her leg over his hip, keeping them intimately connected and tucked her head under his chin. Bree pushed her face into the hollow of his throat.
“Morning,” she said.
“Morning.” She could hear the smile in his voice. “Hope you don’t mind the early morning wake-up call.”
“Nope. Nice to actually wake up to your mouth between my legs instead of my alarm clock interrupting me,” she said.
Jase drew his head back to glance down his nose at Bree. “What do you mean?”
