My willpower was beginning to break down. I wanted to turn around and give myself to him, let him have me right where we stood so that the ache no longer burned inside of either or us.

"Now grab your things so I can replace your breakfast plans."

He backed away from me and sat down on the bed, his eyes stabbing into me with more intensity than the morning sun that had all but seared me out on that mountain.

"We can't go out on a breakfast date. Are you nuts?"

"Possibly. But like I already told you, I make shit happen. You understand that?" He stood and walked to the window, peeking out as I grabbed my wallet and purse from my night stand. "Meet me down at my truck in five. I'm in the back by the dumpsters."

He planted a wet, passion filled kiss on my lips, wrapping my hair in his hand, prompting me to grab for his, but I came up empty since his hair was much too short. He grabbed my ass, squeezing and tugging with each swirl and twirl of our tongues, and moaned out his pleasure as I felt the hardness of his cock poking into me.

"We better hurry up and get out of here," I breathed, trying to speak and catch my breath at the same time.

He pulled away, but not before planting two smaller kisses on my lips.

"Hurry up. I can't wait to get you out of here." And before I could say another word, the door flung open, sending Alex jumping back and waiting with me in blood curdling anticipation to see who was standing on the other side. 

Chapter 11

Alex

My eyes shot open as I jumped back, feeling a burst of wind with the forceful opening of the door. I stood rigid as steel, eagerly anticipating the figure that would be stepping through the doorway and blowing the roof off of us. My heart was beating erratically, pounding on the walls of my chest, begging to be set free.  Whoever was about to set foot through that door was coming with nothing but a promise of bad news because the only two people who needed to know about Bennett and me were Bennett and me, and we were both standing right there in that room.

Stealing a quick glance at her, I watched her normally sun-kissed skin morph into a lobster shade of red, her innocently alluring green eyes sprout wide as a lotus flower while she swallowed incessantly. If I could have, I would have taken her and held her in my arms to shield her from whoever was coming, but half of my brain was still functioning by that point and I knew better than to be caught with any part of my body touching hers. It would be more ammunition to the already raging fire.

 A gym bag was thrust into the room and then there she was, Pfc. Ruiz, strolling in, her eyes bulging at the site of me. Her lips instantly formed into a tight pout like she was plotting something that very instant. My blood began to boil. I knew that this girl would be up to no good and that whatever was about to come out of her mouth was probably going to be something that would take the restraints of a saint to hold me back from her.

"Well…well…well. What have we here?" she asked, her lips curving into a sinister grin.

There was no way in hell she was going to know that her presence affected me in the slightest little bit. No way.

"I thought something was going on between the two of you. I just didn't think you'd be stupid enough to do anything here on base."

"You don't know shit," I hissed, matching her cold and calculating gaze. We stood glaring at one another like an old fashioned staring contest. Neither of us wanted to blink and yield to the other, thus handing over the upper hand.

I sure as shit wasn't going to let this P.F.C., get under my skin and intimidate me. She could throw every accusation under the sun at me, and I'd fend them off like a warrior in battle, moving along and waiting for the next obstacle to come my way.

"Angelica, whatever you think you know, you couldn't be more wrong," Bennett managed to sputter out, her voice frail and mousey. Looking at her signified her fear in what stood before us, so I took the initiative to calm her down, showing her that there was nothing to be worried about.

"You don't need to convince anyone of anything, Blondie--"

"Blondie?" Ruiz laughed, a sick, stomach turning, knot inducing laugh. The devil himself would have flinched at the tone of her laugh. "Nothing is going on, but you have pet names? And a cute one, might I add?"

I glided over to her, feeling weightless in my moment of wrath and partial despair. I was beyond pissed off and overly annoyed with her games and was ready to squash whatever she had in mind like a fucking bug that served no purpose in my world.

"You better watch yourself and presumptions about an NCO and your instructor at that. False accusations can land you in a shitstorm of trouble, and don't think that, for one second, I wouldn't turn your life upside down for trying to destroy mine." My voice grew lower and gruffer with every word spoken, but the more I had to say, the more infuriated I became.

"And another thing, do you think your overnight absence won't be reported as UA because it can and more than likely will." Moving even closer, I leaned in close enough to touch her ear with my lips, working diligently to avoid doing so since that was an intimate move I often made with Cassie, and didn't want to spoil with the toxic flair that this chick passed off. "You fuck with me or her, and I'll fuck you, and not in the way that you want me to." Taking a few steps back, I stared her in the face and twisted my lips into a sardonic smile before striding out of the room without so much as a glance back.

That. Killed. Me.

While I wanted the satisfaction of seeing fear spread over her, I also wanted to take Cassie with me and get her out of the clutches of that evil that was in her midst. I was damn near certain that I had sealed her mouth as far as Cassie and I were concerned, but I couldn't be sure that Ruiz wouldn't try and make Cassie's life a living fucking nightmare. As I angrily stomped out of the barracks and down the stairs, I grew nauseous with the thought of her having to endure any undue stress thanks to my actions.

Thoughts of what to do next raced through my mind as I jogged out to my truck, finally settling on the one thing I didn't want to do, but knew I had to do-- I pulled out my cell phone and called Riley.

He answered on the second ring.

"What up, dickwad? You only had duty, not an all-night bingefest, so drive your own self home."

"Shut the fuck up, Riley. I'm in a bind, and I need you to hear me out. Is Jensen home?"

He went quiet for a second, picking up the intensity in my tone.

"Um, no. He went golfing this morning in Palm Springs with that Asian chick from Coyotes."

"Sweet. I'm on my way home. I need you to get ready to come to base to do a job for me.”

"Oh, shit. This sounds serious."

"It is. I'll be home in a bit. Be ready, please."

"Will do, man. I feel all covert right now. Hurry home, this is too cool." His goofy ass chuckle bellowed out. This dude couldn't be serious if you begged him to.

"Riley…"

"Yeah?"

"Shut the fuck up and be ready, please."

He laughed hard.

I angrily pressed end on the call, skimming through and calling the local taxi service that we sometimes frequented when we hit all of the area bars.

 After the call, I shot a quick text to Cassie.

Me: Get out of that room and over to Subway ASAP. Don't let that bitch know where you're going.

She took a minute to respond, sending my anxiety level through the roof of my truck.