Impatiently, I waited for Cami in her darkened bedroom. My breathing was slow as my ears strained to pick up any sound she made. I heard her soft footsteps echoing in the nearly empty space as she walked around, turning off the lights in the condo. Then I heard her exhale just before she stepped into the room.

“Lock the door,” I said.

She squinted at me. “Why?”

“Just do it.” It was one of my quirks. It was a pointless act, but having the bedroom door closed and locked calmed the anxiety that I had developed after years of deployments where I was constantly on alert.

Cami turned and pushed the flimsy lock into place. And then she rested her head against the door. She was nervous; we both were nervous. I took a few steps forward and placed my hands on her shoulders. I lightly ran them down her arms until they covered her hands.

“I’m scared,” she whispered.

“Of me?” She shook her head. “Of this?”

There was no need to define “this” because we both knew what pulsed between us. It was more than lust but not quite love. “Me too,” I admitted.

“People dream about this all the time,” she said quietly, turning to face me. She looked up at me, her eyes sparkling in the moonlight that filtered in through the windows. “I never thought I’d have anything like this or find anyone like you.”

“Why?”

“Because I didn’t want to get hurt. I saw what my mom did to my dad, and I didn’t want someone to hurt me like that.”

I reached out and fisted the hem of her shirt. “I won’t do that you,” I said as I pulled the garment up and over her head. “I promise.”

I bent forward and placed a kiss on her exposed chest. The clean scent of her skin intoxicated me, and I sank to my knees, grasping her around the waist. I placed another light kiss on her bare stomach and let my head fall forward to lean against her soft middle. She ran her fingers through my hair lightly before I sat back and grasped the waistband of her khaki shorts between my fingers. Slowly, I undid the button and slid the zipper down before tugging the shorts down her thighs.

I smiled when I saw the familiar lace panties Cami wore, then leaned forward and placed my nose against her, inhaling the musky sweet scent that made my mouth water. Gently, I pushed the edge of her panties aside and held it against her inner thigh with my thumb. Just one taste, I told myself. My tongue darted out, taking a tentative lick. She shivered, and her hands grabbed my hair. I shuffled forward on my knees, backing her up against the door. I looped my fingers around the sides of her panties and pulled them down. She was totally exposed to me, and now that I’d had just the tiniest taste of her, I wanted more. I needed more.

I grasped the calf of one of Cami’s legs and tugged until her foot rested on my shoulder, providing me with better access to her pussy. I groaned loudly before I dove into her with an insatiable hunger. Cami moaned above me, her fingers gripping my hair as I greedily took what I wanted from her. She had the most incredible flavor, and I devoured every single drop of her sweetness. I held her firmly, and with each swipe of my tongue, she shivered, and her body tightened. Her toes flexed into my shoulder as the first waves of pleasure began to roll through her. I was relentless in my pursuit until I heard her hands smack against the door, and a guttural moan escapes her lips. Then I alternated between feather light licks and teasing flicks of my tongue before sucking her clit into my mouth, which sent her right over the edge, and she shook around me. Cami steadied herself with her hands back on top of my head as her orgasm rolled through her body.

Silently, I backed away and watched as she collected herself. She was breathing heavily but damn, she looked gorgeous with her flushed cheeks. When Cami’s eyes caught mine, she smiled shyly, which I returned easily. I stood and held out my hand to her. Cami’s trembling hand slipped into mine, and I drew her into my embrace.

“There’s a problem here,” she murmured.

“What’s that?” I asked as my fingers traced light paths up and down her back. I grinned inwardly every time she shivered against me because of my touch. “Did you not come?”

Cami laughed. “No. That is definitely not the problem.” She stepped back, and her eyes roamed my body. “You’re still dressed.”

Tentatively, she reached out and grasped the waistband of my jeans in her fingers. She deftly undid the fly and pushed her hand inside to cup me lightly.

“That’s one way to get me undressed,” I said with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. I covered her wrist with my hand, stopping her. “We have plenty of time.”

“No, we don’t,” she said with breathless urgency. She wiggled her wrist from my grip and grasped my cock firmly. “And I want you now.”

Who was I to argue with that kind of demand? I pushed my jeans down and quickly pulled my T-shirt over my head. Her eyes skimmed my body, landing on the tattoos that covered my chest. She reached up and traced the memorials that I etched on my skin to honor the brothers I lost.

Cami breathed out. “Oh, wow.” The traditional infantry tattoos mesmerized her. I reached up and covered her hand with my own and held it against my heart.

“Cami,” I whispered. I didn’t want to talk about the ink on my skin and what each one meant. I didn’t want to think about the men who were practically boys when they died. All I wanted was to think about was sliding my cock into her slick heat and forgetting every single thing except for the way she felt around me. She looked up, and her expression told me she understood. Her normally bright blue eyes were practically black with desire.

I slid my hands down Cami’s back until I gripped her ass in my hands. She instinctively wrapped her legs around my waist when I lifted her, then I walked the few small steps to her bed and placed her gently on her back. I dotted kisses across her cheeks then down her neck and along her collarbone. She still wore her bra, so my fingers searched for and fumbled with the clasp until it came free. The straps loosened, and I tugged them down her arms before tossing the bra aside. I sat back and admired the naked woman spread out before me. Cami’s body was beautiful. Her breasts were perfect handfuls with dusky pink nipples. Her curves were slight, and her belly sloped inward.

Cami’s fingers twitched at her sides, and she smiled seductively at me. She wanted to finish undressing me. I stood momentarily and stripped off my black boxer briefs, exposing myself to her. She sucked in a sharp breath and rolled her lower lip between her teeth before her tongue darted out and swiped across her lips. I gripped myself firmly and stroked my length. With the thumb of my free hand, I stroked her clit; she was still soaked.

We made quite the erotic sight with me fisting my cock while gently fingering her pussy. I pressed two fingers inside her, and she released a strangled moan. A hiss escaped my lips as I thrust my fingers into her deeper. I abandoned my cock and placed my knee on the bed between her spread legs. I pulled my fingers back slightly and traced a path of her juices up toward her clit. My dampened fingers rubbed against the sensitive bud, and she squirmed on the bed.

“Are you ready for me?” From the way she moved on the bed and the slickness of her core, I knew she was, but I wanted her to say it. Or at least, acknowledge it. She nodded slowly before running a hand through her hair.

I spread her legs just a little more and then aligned the head of my cock against her entrance. She was already so close that just the faintest contact had her trembling. I remained still while she relaxed.

“Cami, look at me,” I demanded. Her hooded gaze landed on me, and once our eyes connected, I surged forward, driving my cock deep inside her. I stilled once I was fully sheathed to let her adjust to my size. Her chest was already covered with a thin layer of sweat, and I placed light kisses along the swells of her breast before drawing one of her nipples into my mouth. She writhed beneath me, and her responsiveness drove me crazy. Everything I did sent her soaring, and I loved it.

One of Cami’s legs caressed my side, and I held it firmly in place while I started to move in and out slowly. Her hands cupped my cheeks, and her moans encouraged me to keep going, pounding deeper and deeper until I felt her tense under me.

“Garrett,” she hissed.

I bent forward and claimed her lips with a searing kiss. I snaked a hand between our sweat slickened bodies and rubbed her clit with light strokes. She reached down and covered my hand with hers, trying to stop me.

“Oh no, sweetheart,” I warned her. “I want you to combust.”

Our fingers shifted until I was directing hers, commanding them to stroke the sensitive coil of nerves. I encouraged her with whispered words against her skin until she was trembling with need. My thrusts became quicker and shallower until she abandoned her own pleasure to grip the bedsheets firmly in both fists. I buried myself deep inside her, over and over, punishing her with each drive of my cock. Her pussy pulsed around me, shoving me into total freefall. I remained firmly rooted inside her, not letting one drop go to waste.

This was what I wanted to remember for the next twelve months. The way she felt under me, the saltiness of her skin, the blush of her skin, and the way her wild curls fanned out around her head like a halo.

“Garrett,” she said softly.

I’d barely heard her; I was so lost in thought, hoping to enjoy more of these moments before my leave was over.

“Garrett,” she said more firmly.

“What? Am I crushing you?” The heady fog of lust slowly dissolved, and I felt the wetness of my orgasm start to seep out between our still-joined bodies. “Oh! Shit!”

I slid out of her and realized the same thing she must have; we hadn’t used protection.

Cami must have sensed my imminent panic because she placed one hand on my chest and the other on my cheek, directing my gaze to hers. “It’s okay,” she said. “I’m on birth control.”

“I’m sorry. I should have known better,” I told her. I glanced around the room and took note of the two doors on the other side. One must be a bathroom. “Do you want to get cleaned up?”

Cami nodded and wiggled off the bed. I followed her over to the first door, which led to a modest-size master bathroom. I turned the water on in the shower and stepped inside, letting the ice cold stream hit me. Cami waited against the vanity before she stuck her hand inside to test the water. I laughed and grabbed her hand to pull her inside.

“You like cold showers?” she asked, eyeing me skeptically.

“Nope. But I’m used to them,” I replied with a wink.

I bent forward and kissed her hard, nipping her bottom lip with my teeth. We were nose to nose, our eyes locked, and I found myself grinning like an idiot. I reached up and tugged on one of her locks playfully. When I released it, it sprang back into its loose coil. A shy smile spread across her lips as I played with her hair and placed light, playful kisses on her cheeks and nose.

I twirled my finger, motioning for her to turn. Grabbing the bottle of body wash from the ledge, I squirted some of it into my palm and slathered it across her back. Slowly, I massaged it into her skin, careful not to apply too much pressure. Touching her as much as possible gave me the opportunity to memorize every inch of her body. I worked my way down to her ass, softly kneading the flesh before I turned her to face me again.

Cami’s eyes flicked back to the tattoos on my chest and then down to the much larger one that covered my stomach. It was a depiction of Lady Liberty in a circle of laurel leaves with American flags on either side. It was done in a traditional style, and the colors were more vibrant than most of my other tattoos. She lifted my arm and brushed her fingers along the script emblazoned along my ribs. She flicked her eyes up, questions swirling in them.

“It’s the Warrior Ethos.” I mentally recited the words I knew she read: I will always place the mission first. I will never accept defeat. I will never quit. I will never leave a fallen comrade. I turned my head away, embarrassment and guilt creeping up. I was about to embark on my last deployment. I was quitting, a direct contradiction to the words etched onto my skin.

Her eyes traveled up the length of my arm to the eagle done in the traditional style on the inside my bicep. It clutched a banner in its talons that read U.S. ARMY and was my very first tattoo. She turned me to inspect the rest of my body, and when I faced her again, she looked confused.

“Why aren’t there any on your arms,” she asked. “With the exception of that one.” Cami pointed at the eagle and then looked at me expectantly.

“My dad hates tattoos. He’s very conservative, and these,” I said, running my hand across my stomach and chest, “are private tributes. I don’t need him to see them and criticize me. It would ruin what they symbolize.”

She nodded like she understood, and I saw sadness start to creep over her. Her hand rested on my heart, over the words “They died for me, so I live for them.”

“What’s it going to be like when you come back?” she asked quietly.

I shrugged. “It depends. If it’s pretty quiet, then it’ll be easier for me to adjust back to civilian life.” The thought of what returning to civilian life after enduring combat was one that I did not want to entertain.

While the steam billowed around us, I told her what a life with me was going to be like. My quirks, my habits. Up at dawn. Sometimes, I was more comfortable sleeping on the floor. The doors always locked. A constant stream of nightmares that one day might vanish long enough to allow me more than a few hours of sleep.

“And lots of sex,” I said, joking. When she looked up at me, her eyes as wide as saucers, I burst out laughing. “I’m kidding, Cami. I’m not some kind of sex fiend.”

She lifted her shoulder and looked away. “Well, maybe I am.”