A Lover's Lament(51)

When he does, my heart clenches at the tears now falling freely down his cheeks.

“Can you find a way to get through this? We have your back, brother. We just need you to have ours. Now, do you?”

“Roger, Sarge,” he says, his voice barely audible.

“I can’t hear you, Thomas. Do you have our backs until we get out of here? That’s all I’m asking.”

Thomas looks me in the eyes, wipes away his tears and straightens his back. “I will always have your back, Sergeant.”

“Good. Now get some f*cking sleep. I know you need it.” I pull him in close and throw one arm around his shoulders before letting him go and pushing him toward the tents. He stumbles a bit but catches himself, and I see a grin pull at the corner of his mouth.

Lighting another cigarette, I watch him walk inside his tent, and when I’m certain he’s gone and no one else is around, my shoulders slump forward, my head hanging low, and I give in to my own pain. The tears come quickly, running down my face before being absorbed by my uniform. There’s rust forming on my armor.





“Breathe Again”—Sara Bareilles

“HI, KATIE.” SEAN BENDS DOWN and kisses me sweetly on the cheek. “I haven’t seen you in a while. You’re looking good.”

“Hey!” Maggie protests, slapping his arm playfully. “What am I, chopped liver?”

“Damn it, woman,” he laughs, rubbing at his arm. “No slapping. What did I tell you about that?”

“That it’s for the bedroom,” Maggie croons, pushing from the chair, stepping directly into Sean’s arms. He scoops her up and tosses her over his shoulder. Maggie squeals, reaching to me for help, but I bat her hand away, laughing along at their playful antics. “Where are you taking me?” she says as Sean turns to walk down the hall.

“Where else? To the bedroom.”

“We have company,” she screeches, wriggling around, trying to break free.

“Damn.” Lowering Maggie to the floor, he keeps a firm hand on her waist until she has her footing and then backs her against the wall. An image of Devin gripping my hip as he slams into me pops in my head, and I blink my eyes several times. Where the hell did that come from?

“I thought I was going to get away with it.” Sean’s voice is low and gravelly, his lips grazing Maggie’s when he talks.

I sit, stunned silent by the amount of sexual energy coursing through the room. Looking away is probably the polite thing to do, but for some reason I can’t. The chemistry between these two is f*cking hot. It’s palpable. It’s exactly what I want. My eyes follow Sean’s hands as they slide up her body. He cups her neck, pulling her mouth to his, but instead of kissing her sweetly like I expect him to do, he devours her, plunging his tongue into her mouth. They’re instantly dueling for power.

“You taste so f*cking good, Katie.” Devin’s eyes, shining with lust, are pinning me to the bed, holding me hostage.

The memory slams into me so fast that I don’t see it coming, but I’m quickly drawn back to the present when the faint sound of moaning catches my attention.

My jaw drops at the sight of Maggie and Sean. Their hands are everywhere, exploring places that they certainly shouldn’t be exploring in the presence of another human being. I glance away, my eyes bouncing around the room, but maybe I’m a voyeur at heart because curiosity gets the best of me, and I can’t help but look at them.

Maggie tangles her fingers in Sean’s hair, holding him to her, and when a faint whimper falls from her mouth, warmth settles low in my belly. Heaven help me, this is like watching live porn, and coupled with my random flashbacks of losing my virginity to Devin … well, let’s just say I’m certainly worked up.

Sean pulls back. Maggie’s eyes flutter open. “I have to meet a client for dinner,” he says, linking their hands together, “but I wanted to stop in and tell you ‘I love you.’ That was your be-waiting-for-me-when-I-get-back kiss.”

“That was one hell of a kiss,” I mumble. Both Maggie and Sean’s heads snap toward me. “Well”—I shrug unapologetically—“it was. I could seriously go for a stiff drink and cigarette after watching that.”

Maggie’s eyes widen with amusement. “You don’t smoke.”

“Exactly.”

Sean grins and kisses Maggie one last time before heading out the door.

“He’s my lobster,” she says with a sigh, dropping next to me on the couch. Maggie is a Friends addict, and one of her favorite episodes is the one where Phoebe tries to convince Rachel that Ross is her ‘lobster’ because lobsters mate for life. So, being a Friends addict myself, I know right off the bat what she’s talking about.

“Can I have a bite of your lobster?”

Maggie snorts and smiles over at me. “Sorry, sister. We need to find you your own.”

“I don’t think I have a lobster,” I say, feeling a twinge of discomfort in my chest. In a few years I’ll be thirty, and although I know I’m not in the best place right now to start up a relationship, it’s still something I long for.

“You have a lobster,” she affirms. “He’s just still out there swimming around, trying not to get eaten.” Pulling her knee up on the couch, Maggie angles her body toward mine. “Okay, I’m seriously starving so we have to stop talking about food. What do you want to do tonight?”