Levi
Rainey looked so content. Her curls cascaded around her, and the low murmurs she made while she was sleeping made me smile. I wanted to stay like this, but I had to pee, and my arm that was under her had fallen asleep about six hours ago. It was worth it, even with my tingling arm and a full bladder.
Rainey shimmed her ass against my dick, which was suffering from morning wood. I wanted nothing more than to stick myself into her again, but I knew she hadn’t been sleeping well and needed all the rest she could get. I managed to wiggle my arm free without disturbing her. Groaning, Rainey snuggled up to the pillow I had left behind. With a contented sigh, she stayed asleep.
I threw on my boxers and T-shirt, not wanting to bother with my uniform pants and shirt. I’d have to put those on soon enough. I glanced at my cell phone. 8:00 a.m. In four hours, to be exact.
After finally emptying my bladder, I headed into the kitchen to try to whip together something for breakfast. Rainey didn’t have much in the way of groceries, but she had eggs and some veggies that I could make into an omelet.
I gathered all the things I needed—fresh peppers, onion, cheese, and bacon. I couldn’t forget the bacon. As I mixed everything and cooked up the bacon, I couldn’t help the contented smile that spread across my face. I never thought I’d be this happy again. Rainey, she may be going through some things right now, but she was perfect for me. Everything about her made me want to be a better man.
“What smells so good?” I turned around. Rainey stood at the entryway to the kitchen in just a long T-shirt, the sleep not yet out of her eyes. She yawned, stretching her arms above her head and hiking up the shirt, showcasing her bare legs even more. God, even with bed head, a bruised eye, and wearing nothing but an old T-shirt, she was gorgeous.
“What?” she asked, looking down at herself.
I gripped the spatula tighter in my hand. “You’re beautiful. That’s all.”
Smiling, she sat on the stool and watched me.
“How are you feeling this morning?” I wasn’t asking just to find out how she felt about what we did last night. Yesterday had been a hell of a day, and I wanted to find out how she was coping. Would I find her huddled in the bathroom again, soaking wet, shivering and unable to move? I couldn’t bear to see her like that again.
“Oddly, I feel okay right now. Depression is weird, ya know? It’s still there. I can feel the thoughts in the back of my mind waiting for their time, but I won’t let them win.” I set a cup of steaming coffee in front of her.
“Well, I’m glad you feel better. It’ll be a work in progress.” She sipped her coffee and nodded.
I finished up breakfast, and we sat next to each other in silence as we ate. My mind couldn’t focus on our conversation because I was hyperaware of her bare thigh next to mine. The heat expelled from her like waves, her desire flowing right out of her skin.
Putting her fork down, she turned to me and sighed.
“Tell me about Mandy.”
I swallowed my bite of food almost whole, and it nearly got stuck in my throat. Washing it down with OJ, I pushed my plate away.
“What’s there to tell? She cheated on me.” My leg shook violently, and Rainey reached out and stilled it with just a touch.
“There’s more. I can see it in your eyes. I know you’ve moved on. Clearly.” She blushed as her eyes lingered over my body. “But you know my pain. Every time you hold me, I can feel it in your touch that you’ve experienced some of this yourself. Tell me, please.”
This was the part of relationships that always made me uneasy. Where you opened up and had to put your heartaches and past out there. Rainey tucked her hair behind her ear, and it popped right back out. I grinned. I’d lay it all out there for this woman. In a heartbeat.
“Mandy and I met when I was home on leave.”
“Where’s home for you?” Rainey asked as she continued eating.
“I grew up in California, but my sister and I moved here to North Carolina for college and never left.” She nodded, signaling me to continue. “We had a whirlwind romance. I saw her sun-kissed skin and blue eyes. She was sporting a bikini with jean shorts, and when she smiled at me, I was a goner.” I laughed, remembering the day on the beach. Jay and I were together; he opted to hit on her best friend. I didn’t know whether he chose her or I staked my claim on Mandy, but she was mine since that day.
She had been mine. Mandy was his now.
“Anyways, we got married two years later. Divorced six months after. She couldn’t take the life of a military wife. I was gone more than I was home, and Jay, my best friend and the best man at my wedding, kept her company for me. They’re expecting their first kid in a few months. It’s a boy, and they’re naming him Ethan. It’s what we always said we’d name our son. After her grandfather. Screwed up, right?” My leg was shaking again. The wounds were opening again. I remembered them sitting me down and telling me that they had fallen in love while I was deployed. I’d seen soldiers that had become like brothers to me give their lives for their families, and I couldn’t even keep a wife at home. I had lost my wife and best friend that day and had to start over.
Leaning in, Rainey brought me close against her. Her head fell against my chest, and she rubbed my back.
“I’m so sorry, Levi,” she whispered. Rainey sat up and looked at me, tears glistening in her eyes.
“Why are you crying?” I asked, rubbing away one of the tears.
“Because none of this is fair. No one should have to go through what we did. It tears you apart. Piece by piece. Until you’re shattered and don’t know if you can even go on.”
I caressed her cheek before placing a kiss on her lips. I kissed her for the pain that Mandy had put me through. For Jay and their unborn child that could have been mine. I kissed her for Parker and everything that she had been through. More importantly, I kissed her for me and our future that I knew wouldn’t be easy but would be worth it.
I pulled back and relished in the smile she gave me.
So fucking worth it.
“I don’t feel sorry for myself. Not anymore. I used to get depressed like you. It was hard to escape. I drank a lot. Did some stupid shit. But I’m a better man now. Sometimes goodbyes can be a blessing.” I took her hands in mine. “My goodbye brought me you.” Rainey brushed a tear away.
“I’m all out of goodbyes, Levi,” she whispered.
“That’s okay, sweetheart, because I never intend on letting you go.”
Rainey grinned and brushed a chaste kiss to my lips. “What shall we do today?” she said excitedly, bouncing a bit on the stool.
“Unfortunately, I have to go to work in”—I glanced at the clock on the stove—“three hours, so we can’t do much.”
“Oh. Well, Ava is coming tomorrow to visit. We won’t be able to see each other much. And I need to speak with Parker at some point.” She frowned.
“Don’t worry about Parker. Give yourself some time to process what happened last night. I’m sure having Ava here will help. You guys will have a good time.” I rubbed her bare knee.
“Careful there, otherwise I know what we’ll spend the next three hours doing,” she teased.
“Is that so?” Slowly, I moved my hand up her leg. It was soft and delicate, my hand moving effortlessly over the curves of her leg.
“Levi—” She arched her back and brought herself closer to me.
“The way you say my name drives me wild,” I whispered as I nibbled on her earlobe.
“The way you touch me drives me wild,” Rainey purred.
I jumped up and grabbed her hand in mine, pulling her off the stool. “Well, let me stroke every inch of your body with my tongue and show you just how wild I can make you.”
Rainey took the lead, and I trailed behind like a love-sick puppy, her giggles and squeals as I grabbed her ass and nibbled her skin filled me with contentment. When her eyes found mine as she fell down on the bed, she offered me a smile that for the first time since I met her was genuine, pure, and filled with happiness. I didn’t know whether I put that smile there, but I damned well knew I would spend the rest of my life making sure it stayed there.