Mercy: Second Chance Military Romance Read online

  The door closed. I concentrated on my breathing.

  “Roger, I mean it. I’m done. My tour is over soon, and I’ll be going home.”

  “You’ll sign up again.”

  “No, Roger, I’m not.”

  His lip twitched.

  “Look, I’ll not say anything to Mercy or anyone else. I’m implicated in this mess myself.”

  “Damn right you are,” he said. “Don’t forget that shit.”

  “Go get some sleep, Roger. And cut down on the Steroids. That shit is making you crazy.”

  “Maybe, but I’m buffer than any mother fucker in Afghanistan.”

  “Whatever, man. I’m going to bed. Lay off the reporter, okay? We don’t want any extra eyes on either of us right now. She’ll be leaving in a few days.”

  “Yeah?”

  “That’s what she said. Captain is sending her home.”

  Roger grinned.

  “You had nothing to do with that, did you?”

  He patted me on the shoulder.

  “Later, man.”

  I watched as he walked away to his CHU about twenty feet away. Did I need to stay up all night and make sure he didn’t go back to mess with Mercy? I decided against it. Instead, I laid in my bed and came up with something somewhat romantic for my date with the reporter the next day.

  With luck, I hoped to fuck her under the open sky on the foothills of the mountains. If nothing else, I would distract her until she left our camp and lives for good. At that point, I could get out of the smuggling operation. One step at a time, I told myself as I fell asleep.

  One step at a time.

  EIGHT

  Tyler

  When I saw the smile and look of amazement on her face, all the effort and trouble I’d gone through was worthwhile. I had even called in favors from three different people at FOB Rushmore.

  “This is so beautiful,” she said, looking at the valley below and the mountain range in the distance.

  “Right? It’s a shame this country has besieged by so much war.” I sat down on the blanket. “Here, have a glass of wine and some cheese.”

  She sat next to me, her knees bent and her feet further down the hill. I poured her a glass of red wine as she stared out at the landscape.

  “What’s that over there?” she asked, pointing.

  I glanced up. Shit.

  “The Chinese, I think.”

  “The Chinese? I didn’t know they had troops here.”

  “They don’t,” I said. “Here you go.”

  I handed her a glass of wine.

  “Thanks.”

  She took a drink.

  “I wonder what they’re doing over there.”

  “Probably mining?”

  “Mining? What, like gold?”

  “You sure do ask a lot of questions.”

  I grinned, wondering if she sensed the electricity between us.

  “It’s my job. I’m sorry. I get so curious. I’ll ask Roger about it later.”

  “No, don’t,” I said.

  She tilted her head.

  “No? Why not?”

  “They’re just miners,” I said. “No big deal.”

  “I wonder what they’re mining.”

  “Rare Earth minerals.”

  “What are those?”

  “The shit they use to make cell phones and electronics.”

  “Oh, like platinum and what-not.”

  “Yeah, something like that.”

  “I’m not stupid,” she said then took a drink.

  “Did I say you were stupid?”

  “No, but I hate when men say it without saying anything, you know?”

  “I guess.”

  We both stared out at the majestic landscape.

  “It’s so beautiful. I’m at a loss for words.”

  “That’s something for you,” I teased.

  “Hey.”

  She leaned over and lightly punched me on the arm.

  I took another drink, wishing we had more wine.

  “More?” I asked, picking up the bottle.

  “I shouldn’t.”

  “Come on. One more glass won’t hurt.”

  “I’m not a big drinker. This one already has me a bit dizzy.”

  “More for me,” I said.

  “Okay,” she relented, holding out her half-empty glass. “One more. A small one.”

  I filled the glass to the brim. She pulled it away, giggling.

  “Is this romantic enough for you?” I asked.

  She stared straight ahead, nodding ever so slightly.

  “Yeah…It’s nice.”

  “You’re nice…”

  I put my hand on her back and rubbed.

  She moaned then said, “That feels good.”

  “Yeah? Hold on. I’m actually good at this.”

  Unable to set my glass down on the hill without it spilling, I emptied the contents in one massive gulp. She smiled as I crawled behind her and placed my hands on her shoulders, kneading her flesh.

  “Oh, wow…” she said.

  “You’re so tense.”

  “You don’t even know the half of it.”

  “What’s a beautiful woman like you have to be worried about?”

  She leaned forward.

  “Come on, you don’t want to be like Roger, do you?”

  “I’m nothing like him,” I said, working her muscles with my thumbs.

  “Oh, don’t stop,” she said.

  Now that I had her not thinking about the mining operation across the way, I prepared to make a play. The fact the Chinese operation would be in view had slipped my mind, but I would make up for it.

  As I massaged her, I bent my head down and kissed her on the neck.

  “Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” she asked, pulling away.

  “Come on, you can’t say you don’t feel it.”

  “You are just like him,” she said, standing up. “You two got some sick bet on who can bed me first or something?”

  “Settle down. Don’t act crazy.”

  “I’m not crazy!” she screamed.

  I glanced over at the Humvee.

  “Don’t yell,” I said. “This area isn’t completely safe all the time.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me right now? You brought me out here to fuck me and it’s not even safe?” Her eyes opened wide. “You didn’t drug the wine, did you? Oh my God, I’m feeling faint. You fucking drugged me, didn’t you!”

  “Calm down,” I said, standing up. “I would never drug a woman. You think I need to be a Cosby when I got a body like this?”

  “Why am I so lightheaded right now?”

  “It’s the mountain air. You probably haven’t adjusted all the way.”

  I stepped forward and put a hand on her waist.

  “Get away from me.”

  She stepped back and flung the rest of the wine in her glass to the ground. The parched earth soaked it up greedily. I sighed. Why don’t things ever go the way I plan?

  “We should get back,” I said, bending to pick up the blanket.

  “Yes, we should,” she said as if it had been her idea.

  I shook my head, gathering up the food and putting it back into the basket. She had already made it to the Humvee by the time I finished.

  After throwing the stuff in the back, I climbed in.

  “I freaked out, I’m sorry. It’s just so crazy, and I have got nothing on this story I’m supposed to be doing.”

  “You haven’t? I thought that’s why I took you to the village.”

  “That’s not the story I’m really working on.”

  We stared at each other from across the front cab of the Humvee. I shook my head and turned the key in the ignition. The engine fired to life.

  “You’re something else,” I said.

  “Hold on. Don’t you want to know what story I’m working on?”

  “I can imagine. Something about the military being corrupt, or…”

  “The smuggling,” she
interrupted. “I know about it.”

  I turned the vehicle off and looked over at her.

  “Are you involved?” she asked.

  “Is this off the record?”

  “Sure.”

  Can I trust her?

  “You don’t want to be digging in this, okay? It goes high up the food chain. There’s billions of dollars at stake. Do you even understand what you’re digging around?”

  “Billions of dollars? That’s a lot of drugs.”

  “Don’t you get it?” I shook my head. “It’s not drugs. They’re smuggling rare earth minerals back to America and China. Both countries are making a bundle. Why do you think the Afghanistan war has dragged on so long. Do you see an army anywhere capable of defeating us if we put our mind to it?”

  “There’s a lot of caves in the mountains,” she said.

  “Fuck those caves. The only reason we’re still here is to protect the Chinese and American civilians who are pillaging the mountains like there’s no tomorrow.”

  “You need to tell me more,” she said, her hungry eyes staring into mine.

  “I said too much already.”

  “Are you involved?”

  I fired up the engine and put the Humvee in gear.

  “Not anymore,” I said. “Not anymore.”

  We rode back to the base in silence.

  NINE

  Mercy

  When we arrived at FOB Rushmore, everything looked a bit different somehow. The knowledge of a huge conspiracy just out of my reach drove me crazy.

  “You’re going to cut out the investigating, right?” he asked after parking.

  “Yeah, yeah,” I lied. “Too dangerous for me.”

  “Good. I’d hate to see someone like you get wrapped up in this. It’s been hell for me trying to get out.”

  “Why is that?”

  He grinned and pointed a finger at me.

  “Ah, there you go again. Nice one. You almost got me.”

  Out the window, Tony Roth rushed toward us.

  “Fuck,” I said.

  Tyler twisted around in his seat and opened the door.

  “What’s up, Roth?” he asked.

  “Captain wants to see her. Right away.”

  “What about?”

  “Don’t worry about it,” I said, climbing down from the massive vehicle.

  When I walked around, I saw him staring at me.

  “Be careful,” he said in a quiet voice.

  “I’m always careful,” I said confidently as I walked past him.

  Tony dashed back to the CO’s office building, reaching it before me. Tyler walked away to his CHU. I smiled at how familiar I’d become with the terminology in such a short time period.

  Inside the long, metal building, my smile faded as soon as I saw Captain Jeffries behind his desk.

  “What in the hell were you doing off base with Tyler?” he asked, skipping any form of greeting.

  “Hello to you, too, Captain.”

  I walked over and sat down in front of his desk.

  “You better answer my question,” he said.

  Our eyes met. I flipped through a few options in my mind.

  “Me and Tyler have been getting along, and…”

  “Don’t say anymore,” he interrupted, raising his hand into the air. “I don’t want to hear it.”

  “It was my idea, not his.”

  “I don’t care whose idea it was, Ms. Jones, he should know better than to go out in that area unaccompanied and with a civilian.”

  “We were fine. I didn’t see anyone around for miles.”

  “You didn’t see anyone?”

  I shook my head and lied one more time.

  “No.”

  “Nothing out of the ordinary?”

  I laughed nervously.

  “Now you got me thinking I missed something. Do you want to tell me anything?”

  “Yeah,” he said. “You’re leaving on the next chopper out of here.”

  “I thought you had to wait because of the Taliban or something.”

  “The situation in Afghanistan is still fluid, Ms. Jones. I want you to be packed and ready to leave at a moment’s notice. Do you understand?”

  “I’m not done with my story!”

  “That ain’t my problem,” he said, damn near smiling.

  I stood, furious at him and the rest of the male dominated world. After leaving his office, I headed to my quarters to pack my belongings.

  Should I go talk with Tyler? Or maybe Roger? Would one of them give me the information I needed before I got kicked off the base?

  All I had brought with me was a week’s worth of clothes, my laptop, phone, and various cords and chargers for the electronic equipment.

  It didn’t take long to get it all packed up. Would the CO really kick me off the base? Returning without a story would not go over well with the website that had hired me.

  Fuck, fuck, fuck. The thought repeated itself, bouncing off the imaginary walls of my mind. It got even worse as images of Tyler and Roger both popped up.

  The two men were similar in some ways, both alpha males teetering on the edge of being an alpha hole or a straight up psycho. They had their differences too.

  Tyler was definitely the smarter of the two. Beyond his semi-romantic picnic on top of a hill in the Afghanistan boonies, something about him made my soul smile.

  On the other hand, Roger was down to earth and practical. He was dumb, but I’d never had good luck with smart men. Would the hulk of a man even want a woman like me?

  What type of woman am I? The question floated past my consciousness for inspection. I toyed with it, wondering if I would ever be able to answer it completely.

  Both men attracted me in one way or another, but it didn’t matter if I liked either of them. I would be going away without a story and did not want to talk to either of them ever again.

  I placed the blame for my failing to get the story at their feet. If they hadn’t been such assholes, I might have been able to dig around enough to come up with some sort of story to save my ass.

  Did the criminal conspiracy really go all the way to the top? Was I sitting on another scandal like the Iran-Contra Affair? The thought excited me. People would finally see me as a real journalist.

  I closed my eyes, pleasant thoughts floating through my mind as I drifted through the land between waking and dreams. As I approached sweet sleep, I heard a knock at the door. Who could that be?

  TEN

  Mercy

  Tyler stood in front of me with an expression I recognized.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked, glancing around. “I’m supposed to be leaving soon.”

  “It won’t be until the morning,” he said. “Can I come in?”

  “Sure…”

  I stepped back. He came inside, brushing against me.

  Why does he have this power over me? I asked myself as a tingle ran through my body.

  “You’re all packed?” he asked, looking at the suitcases piled up near the door.

  “Yep.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “You ready to talk more about the smuggling?”

  “No,” he said, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

  “Then why are you here?”

  “Earlier,” he said.

  I tilted my head to the side, trying to understand him.

  “What do you mean?”

  “This...”

  He stepped forward and put his hands on my waist. At the same time, his head came toward mine, tilting slightly. I froze, closing my eyes, anticipating the moment our lips would touch.

  When they did, I felt as if heaven had opened a local location deep within my body. Pleasure and joy danced into my mind, causing my heart to beat faster. Is this happening?

  I pulled back and said, “Pinch me.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I need to know if I’m dreaming.”

  He smiled then kissed me again, sliding his tongue into my mouth this time
. I swirled mine against his, so wet and slippery, warm and wonderful.

  As we kissed, his hands roamed over my body. When he squeezed a breast through my shirt, I moaned, wanting more, so much more.

  “Do you have a condom?” I asked in between kisses.

  “Yeah,” he grunted, lifting my shirt up.

  I raised my hands into the air, allowing him to take it all the way off. Standing in front of him with bare breasts, I wondered if I was making a bad decision.

  Hormones took over, and I didn’t care anymore. The only thing on my mind was getting him inside me. While I didn’t get my story in Afghanistan, at least I’d have something to remember.

  He bent his head and licked one nipple before moving to the other. While he explored my naked flesh with his wet, pink tongue, I undid his pants, sliding them down enough to expose his cock.

  And what a marvelous cock it was. I fondled it while we kissed, amazed at the size. He stepped back and lifted his shirt off, exposing his rock-hard chest and abs. I leaned forward and kissed his skin.

  He took his pants off the rest of the way. I did the same with mine. We were soon standing in front of each other, naked. My eyes lowered, scanning his body, liking what I saw.

  The momentary pause to get our clothes off ended as we resumed passionately kissing each other. I loved the way he made my whole body tingle when his tongue slid against mine.

  Time slowed, became somehow irrelevant. All that existed in that moment was him and me, our bodies about to lock together in bliss. He moved forward as we kissed, pushing me toward the bed.

  I sat down on the edge of the mattress, looking up at his face, enamored by those magical blue eyes. He grinned and got down on his knees in front of me. A moment later, he kissed my pussy.

  As he went down on me, I closed my eyes and threw my head back, not believing how good it felt to have him kissing, licking, and sucking my sensitive flesh. He ran his fingers back and forth over my pussy.

  Blood rushed between my legs as a familiar tingle spreading through my body. I hadn’t been with a man in so long. And he was so good at what he was doing. His hands ran over my smooth skin.

  I forgot for a moment or two I was in Afghanistan that outside a war was going on.

  “Do it,” I begged. “Fuck me hard.”