“Alright then, I need JJ and Captain Elliott to stay behind. Everyone else is free to sleep like fucking babies before all hell breaks loose tomorrow.” JJ looks at me with curiosity and concern. I’ve been forced to stay after every single team briefing we’ve had, so I’m not the least bit worried about what he'll throw my way. My only concern is how I’ll respond to it if he tries to consume me yet again.
“I want you here, JJ, and Elliott... you'll take the back. Stand right here once we drop you on the roof.” He points to the rooftop of the large house inside the compound.
“We’ll drop ropes before we land and you’ll have to move fast. Our element of surprise is what will give us the advantage. If I’m waiting on you to get your asses off that rope so I can drop the rest of us, it will change the outcome of this mission. Every second counts. Can you handle this?” He looks at JJ first, then at me. Without hesitation, we both accept our assignment. Going into this with a man watching my back on that roof is exactly what we need to do.
“Thank you, JJ. You’re dismissed.” He didn’t dismiss me. I stand with strength and will myself to be stronger than I have the past two times we’ve met like this. Knowing this will most likely be my last encounter with him alone, I wait for him to lead the direction this is going to go.
“Tomorrow will be intense.”
“Yes, it will, Sir.”
“It’s an important mission and we can’t fuck this up.”
“I have no intentions of fucking anything up, Sir.” He walks closer to me, putting his intensity into my personal space, making me feel him again. He’s so fucking powerful that he radiates dominance just standing near me.
“You’re going to spend the night with me.” Excuse me? Has he lost his mind? There is no way in hell I’m taking a chance of getting caught. And I most assuredly do not need any more distractions. This man has already squirmed his way under my skin by taking complete control of my existence out here. He will not consume me like this. Not before this mission.
“No, I’m not.”
“Do you have somewhere else you’d rather stay?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Then why not?”
“Because I want to stay focused and prepare for the mission.”
“That’s exactly what you shouldn’t do. If you worry about it, you’ll start second-guessing everything. There’s no way to plan for a mission like this overnight. This is what you’ve trained for years to do.” He has a point, but I’m not staying the night with him. He needs to know that I’m not at his fucking beck and call.
He moves closer and begins to touch me, not acknowledging the ‘no’ that leaves as a whisper from my mouth.
My body betrays me like it does every time I’m around him. It has to stop, and yet my skin comes alive again with his touch and my heart begins to beat rapidly with anticipation of his next move. I know he’ll undo me. He’ll have me begging in seconds if he continues. Knowing I have no choice, I turn and begin to walk away from him. My entire body is screaming at my stupid mind that has decided to regain logic and deny him what he wants. What I want, which is everything I should stay away from. How can one man be so condescending and make me crave him all at once? He’s so sure of himself.
Its dark out, the only light is the moon shining on everything, lighting it all up enough to see him when I turn around. He's following me back to my tent. I know him well enough to know he’ll come right in. He doesn't have boundaries, he's proven that time and again.
I make a detour and walk him back to the structure he stays in. Turning to face him once I get there, I watch his face as he gets closer. It's almost primal. He’s angry that I walked away, but I can't help him with his issues.
“Good night, Commander.” I say it with finality. With every intention that those are my final words to him, but he acts like he doesn't even hear me.
His steps get faster as he nears me, with him not stopping until he's crashed into me. His hands are on my face, pulling my lips toward his in an urgency I've never felt before. I don't pull back. Hell, I don't have time to process that I need to. He invades me.
His arms move around my body, pulling me closer to him. He wraps me up in his arms and walks us both until we’re inside the walls of headquarters.
My hands finally move to his back, and I slide my fingers over the ripples of muscle. He's fierce in his kiss, and I kiss him back just as hard. We explore each other’s mouths with a magnitude so forceful I feel my body begin to melt, blending with the desert heat. We're ferocious, our mouths parted and tongues tangling. For the love of god, this man can kiss as well as he can fuck. He’s a master at everything.
What the fuck is it about this man that makes me forget everything I've planned? It's like it is all rushed out of my head the second he causes chaos with his unpredictable intensity. How can I plan my reactions towards him when I have no idea what to expect from him at any moment?