He makes a rough burst of sound that I realize is amusement, and it pushes him immediately into his own release. He barely pulls his cock out in time to come in hard, messy spurts onto my breasts and belly.
When he’s worked through them, he laughs softly and pulls me down into a loose hug.
I hug him back. How can I not?
This man has always been everything I’ve needed, and that’s exactly what he is to me right now.
We lie together for a few minutes until we’ve both relaxed. Then the reality that’s happening outside the door finally breaks through my sated leisure.
“We better get up.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Thank you. I… It was really good.”
“Yeah, it was. Thank you.”
I clear my throat, wondering how to deal with the next thing.
“It can just be the one time,” Ben says, making it easy, making it natural. “I’m not lookin’ for something serious, somethin’ not like us. I’m fine if it’s just the one time.”
“Okay. I’d like to do it again, but I don’t know if that would be smart. So let’s leave it at this so it doesn’t get in the way of who we are and what we’re doing.”
“Sounds like a plan.” He strokes my hair briefly before he eases me up and off him. “I know the most important thing. But I’m glad we got to do this at least once.”
A couple of hours later,I’m coming in from a perimeter check.
All the duty rotations have been running like clockwork. This is our fifth day occupying the outpost, and all the teams are organized and dependable. But I still like to see for myself a couple of times a day that all our guard positions and lookouts are ready and alert.
Other than the ambush this morning, we’ve had little activity—enemy or otherwise.
I did the circuit on my own, as I normally do, but my eyes scan the courtyard as soon as it’s in sight, searchingfor a familiar, broad face among the folks gathered in the lowering light of the afternoon.
I don’t see Ben. He’s probably inside at the command station. There’s a flutter in my chest and my belly at the thought of seeing him again.
Which is absolutely ridiculous.
We had sex. It was good for both of us.
But it doesn’t mean we’re a couple or ever can be.
Neither of us want that.
The fight is the most important thing for Ben and me, and everything else—everything personal—has to fall behind that in priority.
When I open the door to the command station, the first thing I see is Ben talking with Ryan in a low voice—like it’s private and the others hanging around the room shouldn’t be hearing it.
Ben turns his head, sensing me behind him, and then takes a slip of paper out of Ryan’s hands.
He brings it over to me.
“What is it?” I ask, confused and slightly nervous, like a new crisis is emerging.
He nods toward the note extended in his hand, so I take it.
“A message Ryan just got on the radio.”
Usually I hear messages verbally, so this is odd. Frowning, I open the folded paper. Read it. Grow very still.
