Teagan stroked Patton as they drove back to camp, the silence between her and Aaron thick with possibility. She couldn’t fill it with chit-chat, couldn’t do anything but wait until they could fulfill the longing they both felt. Aaron remained silent too, communicating only with his actions—his hand on her lower back as they’d carefully climbed the stairs away from the hot pools, his strong arms gripping her when she slipped on a wet rock, his hand on her thigh as he drove them back to the place where they could quench their long-unmet desires.

Soon, Patton curled up safely in Aaron’s tent, they lay sprawled across Teagan’s comfortable makeshift bed, Aaron’s hard body on hers as he buried himself inside her. Slowly he moved as she wrapped her legs around him and dug her fingers into his back, caressing his smooth muscles and smelling his masculine scent as he filled her again and again. The warm pleasure of it all made her smile. Aaron noticed.

“You like that, do you?” he said in a throaty voice.

“God, yes,” she breathed, wishing he could stay there forever, make her feel this way forever. “I love feeling your hard cock inside me.”

He groaned. “You keep talking like that, and I’m going to lose it…”

She giggled, and then cried out as he drove into her again, hitting her just where she liked it. He kissed her, then again more deeply before his lips made their way to her neck, sending chills down her. And on he went, slowly building more pleasure in her, so much that she eventually erupted into pieces, crying out again and again, not caring who heard her. As she rode the ecstatic waves, Aaron’s breathing grew heavy and jagged and he pushed harder until his entire body tensed with his own release.

When Aaron caught his breath, instead of pulling away, he stayed with her for several moments. He kissed her neck a few times. “You smell good. Like campfire.”

“You feel good. Like perfection.”

“Thank you, for that very nice compliment.” He smiled.

Teagan laughed. “I love your wiseass side.”

His eyes seemed to twinkle, just a little. “Care if I sleep in here tonight?”

“I’d love it. There’s enough room for Patton, too.”

Aaron went to get his sleeping bag and pillow, arranging them next to her before bringing Patton in. Soon, they were snug as bugs in Teagan’s truck, facing one another as Aaron smoothed her hair away from her face.

“Look,” he said. “I don’t know the future and I don’t want to make promises I can’t keep. I only know I want to spend more time with you, and I’m willing to give this a try if you are.”

“Are you even divorced?”

“Technically, no. But we’ve been separated since the New Year. I haven’t talked to her in months, and the paperwork will finalize soon.” Teagan nodded in understanding. “If you’re okay with that, we’ll try this. If things get too difficult down the road, we’ll agree to tell the other person right away. Will that work?” There was hope in Aaron’s eyes.

Teagan stroked his strong jawline. “Yes. I’m willing to do that.”

Aaron kissed her. And they lay next to one another, letting drowsiness take them.

When Teagan opened her eyes, the sun hadn’t hit her window yet. Birds chirped, a dog barked in the distance, and campers talked as they walked by.

She glanced over at Aaron, who was fast asleep on his stomach. Patton, somehow sensing she was awake in the way that only dogs can, started wagging his tail. There wasn’t much room in the bed, but he’d found a spot near her feet. She put her finger to her lips, quietly putting on her flip-flops before opening the back window and lowering Patton to the ground. She let him follow her to the restroom, then to her toiletries, where she brushed her teeth and brushed her pink bed head.

She smiled at her reflection in Aaron’s truck mirror. She could hardly believe it—their words, their bodies pressed together, his wanting a relationship with her. She didn’t know how it would work. She didn’t know if she was ready. She only knew she liked Aaron, that she’d always liked him but hadn’t allowed herself to admit it, and that she had to give this a try.

She heard a whimper and looked down at Patton, who’d politely waited long enough for her to quit dawdling and take him for a walk. She found his leash and took him for a stroll down the trail for a bit. Back at the campsite, Aaron was up and making coffee, sleep still in his face. When he saw them coming, he smiled a little.

“I was hoping he was with you.”

“He needed to use the toilet and brush his teeth,” she quipped.

Aaron chuckled. “Coffee’s ready soon.” He paused. “So when does your semester begin?”

Teagan sighed, a sinking feeling coming over her. “Tomorrow. What time do you need to get on the road?”

Aaron glanced at his watch. “Soon. But I can put that off a little longer.”

Teagan smiled. “Good answer.”

After their coffee, they locked themselves into Teagan’s truck for a while. Satisfied for the time being, Teagan made breakfast and Aaron cleaned it up until everything was squeaky clean and in its proper place.

“When I get back to the office tomorrow,” Aaron said, “I’ll take a look at my schedule and figure out when we can get together again.”

A few doubts crept in. “Are you sure about this, Aaron? I don’t mean to be difficult, but nine hundred miles is a long way and part of me still feels nervous. I’m afraid you’ll bear the brunt of my shitty experiences.”

“All we can do is try. And if something bothers you, just talk to me, alright? I’ve never been much of a talker, but I know how to listen.”

She grabbed his hand. “I know you do. But that’s part of what worries me… you not being a talker. LDRs rely so much on communicating.”

Aaron thought about that as he sipped his coffee. “My ex-wife used to tell me I sucked at talking about feelings, that I didn’t tell her how I felt often enough. I’m not good about that kind of thing. It’s not how I was raised. But it doesn’t mean I don’t care.”

Compassion came over Teagan. “There are other ways to show you care.”

“Like calling you? Or planning when I get to see you next?”

She grinned. “Yes! Exactly!”

“Done,” he said, like it was nothing at all.

They talked a bit longer before they began packing their things into their separate trucks, each preparing for a day’s drive in opposite directions. When it was time to go, Aaron held her close and kissed her.

“I’ll call you tonight,” he said. “To make sure you got home safely.”

And at 8:30 that evening, as Teagan stretched out on her couch to watch some Star Trek reruns, Aaron called.

“Hookup, my ass,” Ben said when Teagan gave him the update. He took a hit from his bong and blew the smoke away from her.

Teagan smiled sheepishly, sipping her wine on the shady porch, swatting away a mosquito. “I like him.”

“He seemed alright.”

She giggled. “High praise, coming from you.” It was, too. Ben was like the big brother she never had, finding flaws in any guy she even considered dating.

“So he works at the Intelligence Center, right?”

“Right.”

“Is he enlisted or commissioned?”

“I don’t know. He’s a Major…”

“That’s an officer’s rank, so commissioned. Enlistees just join, like I did. Officers go to college first and then enlist.”

“Well, he enlisted out of high school and got his degree and promotions later.”

Ben paused. “Seriously? So he’s a mustang.”

“What’s a mustang?”

“When someone joins the military as an enlisted rank… you know, at the bottom of the hierarchy… and then gets commissioned later. Those guys, and ladies, get respect because they’ve been in the trenches, so to speak. They earned their way up instead of getting commissioned just because they went to college.” Ben took another hit before putting the bong aside. “I’m surprised he didn’t mention that.”

“He’s not the type to brag about himself.”

“Did he serve in the Middle East?”

“He did. Now he trains people to use those UVAs…”

“UAVs,” Ben corrected. “You better learn your acronyms if you’re going to hang out with this dude. Trust me.”

Teagan laughed. “Will do.”

Later on, she called Hannah. Hannah didn’t answer—she rarely picked up because she was usually out running long miles—so Teagan left her a brief but happy message. Then she called Diana, who did pick up, and told her everything.

“Oh my goodness, Teagan!” she cried. “I’m so glad for you!”

“Am I crazy? He lives a thousand miles away and we’re both… well, you know. I’m so tired of the D word.”

“Me too, sweetie. Fuck the D word. I say, give it a chance.”

Teagan smiled. “I will.”

Aaron called her the following evening.

“Hey,” came his deep voice. “How’s teaching so far?”

Teagan rolled her eyes. “The first week always sucks, especially because I have a class I’ve never taught before, so there’s a ton of preparation. I haven’t had any time to write at all, which makes me cranky. But it’ll get better.”

“And teaching a full load is only temporary, right?”

“That depends on your definition of temporary.”

“I assumed that this was for a semester, and whatever money you earn allows you to take the next one off to write.”

“Oh, I wish. But it’s not enough money. I’m still paying for that transmission.”

“What the hell do they pay you? If you don’t mind me asking…”

“Three thousand per class. It sounds like a lot, but a semester is four months long and that doesn’t cover summers or winter break.”

“Do you get benefits, since you’re teaching a full load?”

“No.”

Silence. “I don’t get that. You’re teaching science to college students and that’s all they pay you?”

“As an adjunct, yes. To get better pay and benefits, you have to be a full-time instructor or professor. That requires a PhD and those jobs are really hard to get, and they don’t pay that well either unless you get tenure.”

“Shit,” Aaron said. “Maybe you should join the Army. We need scientists.”

She laughed. “It’s my own fault. If I’d just gotten my PhD and found a job as a professor, I’d be set.”

“If you’d wanted that, you’d have done that.”

“True.” She needed to keep reminding herself of that. “Let’s talk about your career instead. Especially since you’re the mustang badass that even Stovi the Air Force pilot brags about.”

He chuckled. “How do you know about mustangs?”

“My spies,” she quipped. “What’s new at work, Major?”

“I have a new batch of trainees in for a few weeks. I had to take one aside and discipline him today.”

“Really? Did you go all Sergeant Hartman on him?”

Aaron laughed. “Not quite. But he needed a kick in the ass. He’s one of those super smart fuckers who never had to study in school. He’s used to everything coming easy for him, so when something gets tough he gets bent out of shape and wants to give up.”

“Oh… I know that type. What did you do to him?”

“I made him spend all day doing the same frustrating exercise that he stunk at. I told him he’d sit there all damned night if necessary, until he learned it backward and forward.”

“It’s that important, huh?”

“Nah, not really. I just wanted him to learn how to deal with frustration, to see a problem through instead of giving up on it. He’ll thank me later.”

Teagan smiled, picturing Aaron giving the whiny trainee the stern expression and tone she’d seen him use on rare occasions. It was a picture she liked. “Interesting.”

“What? You think I was too hard on him?”

“Not at all. It’s that… I’m a little turned on by the thought of you being all authoritarian.”

A pause, then a chuckle. “Are you serious?”

“Kind of. But all jokes aside, it sounds like you’re a great teacher.”

“I try. Feels like parenting sometimes, though. And I never really wanted kids.”

Teagan went silent, surprised by Aaron’s admission.

“Shit,” he said. “Maybe I should’ve mentioned that before. I’m not totally against having kids, but I can’t really see it happening.”

“It’s okay. I’m not really sure I want kids either.”

He sighed with relief. “I’m trying to think if there’s anything else we should cover.”

She laughed. “Differing views on kids is a deal-breaker. Most everything else is negotiable.”

“Good. By the way, I checked my calendar… how about I come up there in three weeks, in September? It’ll have to be Friday night to Sunday night since I’m out of vacation days, though.”

Disappointment crashed upon her. “That’s it, huh?” The LDR reality was already rearing its ugly head. Nearly a month they would have to wait to spend barely two days together.

“Sorry. If I’d known we’d wind up in this situation, I would’ve saved some of those vacation days.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“What’s bothering you? Talk to me.”

“I’m so glad you’re coming, and I can wait three weeks. But it’s… it’s so little time.”

“What’s your schedule like? If it’s more flexible, you could come here…”

Teagan’s mood lifted. “That’s true. I don’t teach on Fridays, and my Thursday classes end at two!”

“That buys us another day and a half. I’ll be working Friday, though…”

“That’s okay. I can write, and we still have Thursday and Friday night—” She stopped herself when another depressing thought occurred to her. The cost. She was already broke and in debt. She had no problem paying for a trip or two, but over time it could get expensive to keep flying back and forth. And driving would never work—Tucson was too far away. One thing at a time, she told herself. Just go, see how things go, and worry about money later.

“Teagan?” Aaron said.

“Sorry, I’m here.”

“Do you like that idea?”

“I do. That sounds great. I’ll book the flight tonight.”

“No,” Aaron said. “I’ll book it.”

“What do you mean?”

“It means I got it. Save your money and pay off that tranny.”

“Aaron—”

“I’d have to pay to fly there, right? It’s no different.” When she tried to protest again, he stopped her. “No arguments.”

Teagan giggled. “Yes, Major. And thank you.”