“Exactly what kind of pastry chef were you?” I asked, spinning around Cami’s Seattle condo. It was small but seriously impressive. Her unit was in a tall, modern high-rise in the middle of downtown Seattle. It was sparsely furnished, probably because she hadn’t lived here in a while, but it still felt like her.

“The really good kind,” she said, grinning like a Cheshire cat. “But I’m hungry, so we need to order some food.”

There were moments when she was shy around me, but the kitchen seemed to be the one place where she was most confident. I could tell by the twinkle that appeared in her eyes the moment we walked into her condo that she was proud of her accomplishments as a pastry chef. She started moving around the open concept kitchen, opening drawers and pulling out takeout menus. She laid them on the gleaming granite kitchen island and told me to take my pick. When I started to point at one and saw her scrunch her nose, I immediately gave up and asked her to choose.

We were seated next to each other at the island, sharing a delicious spread of Mediterranean food when Cami asked, “Are you scared to go back again?” She couldn’t have known she’d asked such a loaded question.

“I’m terrified,” I answered honestly.

“Are you always scared when you get deployed?” There was genuine interest in her expression, and it compelled me not to hold back. The truth tumbled out easily.

I shook my head. “Not really. Maybe when I was fresh out of boot camp but not recently.”

“So what’s different about this time?”

“I have a reason to come home now.”

Cami tilted her head to the side. “You didn’t before?”

I exhaled and rotated my stool to stare out the windows overlooking Seattle. It was sunny, and the buildings sparkled in the sun’s rays. Just beyond the buildings, I spied the water and the gentle, glistening waves. “I love my dad and my brothers, but they weren’t enough to make me want to stay. I spent a really long time in the Army searching for a reason come back home.”

“And you found a reason to not re-enlist this time?”

I nodded and turned back to her. She fiddled nervously with a napkin, avoiding eye contact. “But we just met,” she said shyly.

“You think you’re my reason?”

She looked up with wide eyes and a red face. I’d embarrassed her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to assume,” she stammered.

I chuckled and placed a finger under her chin. “You’re part of my reason. The rest of it is that I know what I want now.” My eyes followed her as she stood and started cleaning up the remnants of our lunch. Standing behind her, I placed my hands on top of her shoulders and slid them down her arms until they rested on top of her hands. I pressed against her back and leaned my head forward to inhale her sweet jasmine scent. “I didn’t know what I could have until I met you,” I breathed out.

“Garrett,” she murmured, tilting her head to the side and exposing the delicate curve of her neck. I trailed light kisses all the way down to her shoulder where she shivered from the contact. My hands traveled back up her arms and down to her waist. I held her firmly and spun her so we were nose to nose.

“I don’t want to leave this condo until I’ve memorized every square inch of your body, until I can’t get the taste of you out of my mouth.”

With my hands firmly around her waist, I lifted her onto the counter. My hands traveled down her thighs, parting them slightly. I stepped forward into the space and leaned toward her to place a gentle kiss just under her jaw. Her hands rested on my shoulders while I continued my path of soft kisses down the column of her throat to the exposed skin of her chest.

“Garrett,” Cami breathed out, letting her hands drop from my shoulders to hold her weight as she leaned against the countertop, opening more of herself to me.  Her thin tank top rode up, exposing her stomach. I dipped my head and swirled my tongue in her navel, which elicited a delightful squeal. She smelled exquisite; the barest hint of jasmine combined with the fresh scent of soap was a heady combination that sent me exploring her body for more.

I nipped and nibbled my way along her stomach, stopping just above the waistband of her shorts until she squirmed with impatience. I felt the same way. I was eager to rip the shorts from her body and devour her. My dick strained uncomfortably against the stiff fabric of my jeans, and I reached down to adjust myself.

“Are you ready?” I asked her, my voice hoarse.

“For what?”

“Me.” I flicked the button on her shorts open and tugged them down her thighs until the only thing that separated her from my mouth was a flimsy pair of panties. My mouth watered at the sight of her, and at the entirely new scent that flooded my senses: jasmine mingled with the sweet muskiness of her arousal. I couldn’t wait another second. Hungrily, I placed my mouth over her center, still covered by the lace of her panties and sucked her sharply into my mouth. Cami gasped, and her hands delved into my hair as she squirmed, pushing herself against my mouth.

With a smile of satisfaction, I peered up at her. Her closed eyes sprung open when she realized I had stopped, and she released her grip on my hair to run her hands through her own tangled tresses.

“Do you want me to stop?” I purred.

“No,” she whispered.

That was all the encouragement I needed to hook my fingers around the waistband of her panties and drag them down her thighs. Her legs fell open, and I used my hands to spread them even farther, exposing her saturated core. I licked my lips eagerly in anticipation of my first real taste. I inched forward until my nose was completely full of her mouth-watering scent. My tongue darted out for that first sample, and immediately, I went back for more. She rocked her hips against the countertop, and her hands found their way back to my hair, pulling and grabbing at the strands as I circled her sensitive clit with my tongue.

“Garrett,” she breathed out as I nipped at her sensitive center. She jerked and started to tremble in my hands.

“Cami, let go,” I rumbled before sucking her clit back into my mouth. My grip on her hips was loose as I continued my pursuit, assaulting her core relentlessly with my tongue until her body vibrated with tension, and she finally cried out. Victory.

She was panting as her orgasm subsided. Internally, I patted myself on the back for a job well done as I placed fluttering kisses on the inside of her thighs. My dick, however, reminded me painfully that it needed attention as it strained uncomfortably against the zipper of my jeans. But from the sleepy look on Cami’s face, I knew that I’d have to deny myself a little longer.

The feeling of having Cami under me was absolutely perfect. We were tangled up in a mess on her very comfortable couch. We talked quietly, our murmurs filling the condo as the sun set over the city in a blaze of fiery orange. Her cheeks were still flushed, and every now and then, she’d get a look in her eye that told me she was replaying our lunchtime tryst. Every time her lips twitched before transforming into a grin, I pulled her tight against my chest and kissed her.

“Tell me something no one else knows,” I quietly demanded.

“I miss my mom,” she admitted. I was surprised by her confession because of her reluctance to even talk about her mother.

“How long has she been gone?”

“Seven years.”

I shifted our bodies until she was tucked between me and the back of the couch. My fingers sifted through her hair slowly, playing with the silken strands.

“Were you close?”

Cami wrinkled up her nose. “I don’t know. I was closer to her than Valerie was.”

“Why?”

“I don’t think she understood Valerie. Mom always needed to be out exploring, and Valerie just wanted to stay home. I became a willing accomplice to her spontaneity. She took me on the most random weekend trips simply because she wanted to visit someplace new.” Cami was quiet for a moment, her face reflecting thoughtful consideration. “I think she saw something of herself in me. We were like kindred spirits.”

“What did you have in common?”

She pursed her lips and made a soft humming noise. “Desire.”

“What do you desire, Cami?” I asked her softly before placing a light kiss on her lips, which she eagerly returned. Her small hands slid under my T-shirt and brushed against my stomach before latching onto the waistband of my jeans. I reached between us with one hand and snatched up both of hers. “I can wait.”

“But what if I can’t?”

“I’d like our first time to be somewhere other than a couch.”

“Then I can wait too,” she said on an exhale of breath. “Your turn now. Tell me something you’ve never told anyone.”

“I regret joining the Army.” I could see the confusion in her eyes, so I explained further. “It was a knee-jerk reaction. I should have considered what I was doing first instead of signing up without thinking about my family.” My confession surprised me. It was like the words just tumbled right from my brain without a second thought, and the moment they had, I felt lighter.

“I missed those last precious moments with my mother. The last time I saw her, she was crying because I was leaving for boot camp. She begged me not to go, and there was a moment when I almost gave in because I would have done almost anything for her. But I still left and then she was gone.” I swallowed the emotion that wanted to bubble up. This was the most I had ever talked about my mother to anyone, and it felt good because the burden of those memories was heavy.

She placed one of her hands on the side of my face and studied me closely. “Do you think she’s proud of you?”

I turned my head slightly to place a kiss on her palm. “Yes,” I answered. “But she’d be even prouder that I decided to come back.” This moment had turned into one of unexpected honesty.

“I’m going to regret asking this,” she said quietly, and I felt her body tense. She looked at me pointedly, her blue eyes a little harder than before. “Tell me about Nikki.”

I groaned and rolled off the couch. I stood and stretched out my body before walking over to the wall of windows that faced the city. “Do you have any beer?”

She shook her head. “I haven’t lived here for a while, and it’s been a few months since the last renters moved out.”

“Then let’s go out because if we’re going to talk about Nikki, I want a beer.”

Cami stood and ran her hands through her wild curly brown locks. She tugged on her khaki shorts and adjusted her loose tank top. “I hope you don’t want to go anywhere fancy,” she said.

“Just any place with beer.”

We left her building and headed toward the water and Pike Place Market. Our hands were clasped together as we made our way through the popular area that was teeming with people. Out of habit, my body went on high alert. I let Cami lead the way, partially because I was unfamiliar with the city, but also because my eyes continuously scanned the crowd for invisible threats. I only started to relax when Cami glanced back at me with her bright blue eyes and smiled.

We turned just before the famous market and walked down a narrow street that was only open to pedestrian traffic. “I know you said beer, but I thought …” Her voice trailed off as we stopped. I looked up and noticed that we were standing in front of a wine bar. “I really like this place,” she added shyly.

“You like wine?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at her.

She smiled, a bright, delightful expression that lit up her entire face. “The jammier, the better.”

I extended my hand as if to say, “After you,” and followed her into the cozy, comfortable room that was heavily decorated with wood. We sat down at a small table, and someone brought over menus.

“So. Nikki?” Cami arched one eyebrow and sat back, crossing her arms over her chest.

I laughed softly. “You’re not even going to wait until I’ve got just the slightest bit of alcohol in me?”

“Nope.”

“Okay.” I drummed my hands on the table in front of me and looked around the room for a moment, searching for how to begin. “Palmer and I met her while we were out having drinks. We were back on base between deployments. She lived close by and was out for the night with some of her friends.”

“So, she’s what, like, some kind of military groupie? Like a base bunny or something?” I howled with laughter at her term—Base Bunny. But Cami wasn’t laughing; she just looked at me with expectant eyes.

“Sorry. I wouldn’t call her a groupie. We hung out with her for a few months before Palmer and I were deployed again. And then, sometimes when I was on leave and headed to the States, I’d call her up.”

“Jesus,” she muttered. “So, it was pretty serious?”

“No. Not at all. I was clear with her from the very beginning that I didn’t want anything serious. Too many of my brothers have had their hearts broken because their wives or girlfriends left them while they’ve been deployed.”

“And what about me? You’re willing to break your own rule for me?”

“Cami, I’m willing to do just about whatever it takes to keep you.”