I hit him, pretending to be offended.

“I’d make a hell of a lot more money, that’s for sure.”

He took my face in his hand, turning me so that his warm, golden eyes met with my green.

“No other motherfucker is ever going to see this prize package the way I do. I’d beat their fucking eyes out.”

For a second, I thought he was serious, but he finally allowed a trace of playfulness to seep into him, making me smile.

“I’m going to miss the fuck out of you,” he said, moving into a more romantic zone.

“Me too. Hurry up and get back so I can have you again.”

“That’s my plan.” He used his teeth and skimmed my bottom lip, then kissed me hard. “You need to lay low while I’m gone.”

“Why? I thought I’d occupy your bed for the weekend. Hang with Riley and Natasha.” The look he gave me didn’t seem like he picked up on my little joke.

“Not fucking funny, Cassie.”

“It was a joke.”

“Keep it that way. I wish I could pack your ass up and take you with me, but since I can’t, you need to lay low and avoid confrontation. Your little friend, Dalton, he’s a loyal one. Either that or well coached because he wouldn’t give up shit. And I threatened to make his last few weeks here an absolute fucking nightmare.”

“There’s nothing to tell, Alex.”

“Right. I know you and Allen have had words, I just don’t know what was said. It’s all good. I’m still digging.”

I sighed. It didn’t seem like he was going to give up on this.

He took his fingers and ran it over my lips and down my chest, stopping in between my breasts.

“Where are the dog tags?”

“Locked up in my wall locker. I didn’t want anyone to see me with them.”

He nodded his head. We lay silent for a few minutes, cuddled up against one another, staring at the stars twinkling millions of miles away.

“Shouldn’t we be getting our orders soon? What happens if we get separated?” I asked, breaking the silence.

“We’ll figure it out and make it work.”

“Is it really that easy?”

“Yes. I haven’t worked this hard to get you just to let you go a few weeks later. It’s not ideal, but if we have to, I’ll fly out wherever you are once a month, and we’ll take turns on holidays. But stop worrying about it. I don’t even want to think about shit like that right now.”

The heaviness of the reality that the Marine Corps could tear us apart in another way weighed down on me, making me feel completely powerless. All of this time we had been worried about our relationship being found out and the Corps destroying it, when the real threat staring us in the face was the likelihood of me being sent away and the distance making our relationship nearly impossible.

 I tried to take his approach and mindset, but the more I thought about it, the more the sadness of it all began to fill me. I tried hard to push it out of my mind for the duration of our night. Alex would be leaving for the next few days, and I wanted to enjoy the little bit of time I had left with him before he had to do so. 

Chapter 27

Alex

Stepping onto the plane first thing in the morning, after only two hours or so of sleep, had me craving the headrest. But I wouldn’t have traded my night for anything.

 Cassie meant too much to me, and I knew these next few days would fucking drag without her. I made her picture my screensaver on my phone, her beautiful fucking face, those pouty lips, and emerald green eyes looking seductively into my camera. No one out in Florida would know who she was, so I could have her there, look at it, and not have to hide it in case anyone took a peek.

On the other hand, my mind wouldn’t rest with this bad feeling I had about Allen. No one was really telling me much, but I did find out that she’d had an argument or something with him. I wasn’t fucking stupid. There was more to it than that. The way she froze in the classroom when he approached had me smelling blood. I was ready to attack. The kid rubbed me wrong, and her demeanor solidified things for me. I couldn’t wait to get him out and on his way, and hopefully that wouldn’t include sending him wherever Cassie would be headed.

 When I touched down in Florida, there was a young Lance Corporal waiting there for me. He looked a hell of a lot like Dalton, and as soon as I saw him, Cassie came popping back into my head.

“Welcome to Florida, Sergeant.”

“Thank you.”

“Do you have any bags we need to get?”

“No. I have my bags with me.”

“Alright. Well, I have the car parked over here.”

“Good to go.”

I placed my bags into the back of the small SUV he was driving. Once I was seated in the car, I pulled out my phone and texted Cassie.

Me: Made it. Still hungry… It’ll be days before I am properly fed again.

Cassie: Glad you made it safely. You are insatiable. Enjoy Florida.

Me: You aren’t here. But I’ll try.

When we reached the base, I was led to my barracks room for the next few days. It had been such a long time since I had lived in the barracks, and the cold cement brick walls, painted over with gaudy white paint, made me remember exactly why I was so thankful to have my own house, even in a shithole town like Twentynine. I finished unloading all of my things when my phone started ringing. I answered it without looking at the screen.

“Hello,” I answered, fully expecting to hear Cassie’s sweet voice on the other end. Instead, I got fucking Riley.

“Hey, man. Just wanted to see if you’d made it. How’s Florida treating you?”

I sighed. “I’m here, in a shitty ass barracks room. It’s humid as fuck. I’ll take that blazing desert heat any day over this.”

“Sounds about right. Well enjoy it. It’s always nice to get away for a change.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

There was a knock on the door.

“Hey, man. Someone’s at the door, I gotta go.”

I hung up the phone then swung the door open. A tall guy stood before me, dressed in khaki shorts, a polo shirt, and sandals.

“Sergeant Cruz, I’m Staff Sergeant Bilkens. I’m here to show you around the base.”

“Nice to meet you, Staff Sergeant. Let me grab my sunglasses, and I’ll be right out.”

 The sun was just as deadly here as it was back home. Coupled with humidity, it was downright miserable. He took me around the base on a golf cart, pointing out the various buildings, the meeting room where the presentation would be held, the chow hall and other recreational areas. He said he and a few other guys would be heading to the driving range in a few, and asked if I wanted to come along. I wasn’t much of a golfer, in fact, I was downright terrible at it, but I went anyway, needing to stay busy and be social.

When we got to the range, I met two Navy guys, Petty Officer Mike Douglas, and Petty Officer Aaron Miles. Miles was married, but said his weekends were his and his alone. He reminded me a hell of a lot like myself before I’d met Cassie. I had his mentality, but now that she was solidly planted in my life, I couldn’t imagine wanting to be away from her.

Douglas was as single as they came, and said he liked it that way. He said he was making a career out of the Navy and wouldn’t marry while he was still active duty. Too much cheating and whatnot when deployment comes around had him afraid of settling down. His words struck true because that was exactly what I had gone through with Evelyn. After her, I couldn’t imagine being exclusive with anyone again, then that blonde hair, flowing down that sexy ass back of Cassie’s came into view and my world changed. I was happy about it.

“So Cruz, there’s this club we’re hitting up tonight. You coming?”

It was kind of weird that Miles was the one asking.