My Soldier: A Miliatary Romance Read online

  “Sir, Sir!” The yell of the cashier faded into a mumbled hum as I stormed out the doorway.

  Hitting the pavement, I ran across the street. The blaring horns of cars passing in both directions echoed in my ears, their screeching tires ricocheted off the hot tar. But I didn't see them and in that moment I didn't care.

  I don't even think if one of them hit me it would've stopped me. I was a raging bull with fire burning through my chest. Every muscle in my body was tense, shaking with a violent rage over seeing that guy near her.

  There was no way he was going to touch her again, I'd break his fucking fingers off this time and stuff them so far up his ass he'd taste them.

  If he didn't get the message last time, I was going to make sure he'd have no question that he needed to stay away from Avni.

  I was claiming her, she was mine. And the tattooed asshole was going to know she wasn't someone he could fuck with anymore.

  The sweat that had begun to disappear, emerged in one hot burst. Breaking over my spine, the water trickled down my shoulders. I was running, and didn't even realize it.

  Before I could reach them, he was strolling off in the other direction. I was no more than fifty feet away, and he was gone. The ugly bastard climbed into a black Lexus, peeling out as he sped off.

  Eyeing the car as he drove by, my fists balled up tight. A piece of me wanted to leap out in front of his car, grab him by the neck and tear him from his seat. I didn't like seeing him next her, even the idea of him breathing the same air as her made me cringe.

  Avni was facing in the other direction, hand holding her bangs tight against her skull, the other resting on her hip. Walking up behind her, I watched her shoulders slump forward, body loosening.

  Mr. T saw me first, his little tail wagged side to side. Dipping his feet into the ground, his butt raised in the air shaking to the same rhythm as his tail.

  Jerking quickly, Avni shot her eyes over her shoulder. “What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice cold and lifeless.

  “Are you okay?” The concern in my tone hit hard, riding my tongue with purpose. “Why the hell was he here?”

  “Don't worry about it, alright, Levi.” Snapping the leash, she yanked T back. “Come on, let's go.” Her eyes fell to the dog as she spoke, stepping forward to walk around me.

  “Wait, Avni.” I said, holding my hands up to stop her. “Who is that guy? Why is he harassing you?”

  “I told you, don't worry about it.”

  “Look, if he's threatening you, or if you're in some kind of trouble...” I brought my hand to my neck, squeezing the back of my throat. “I'll help you.”

  “No, no.” Avni's words were stern, the bold syllables coating her tongue with demand. “This isn't your problem. You helped me once, and I thanked you for that. But you don't want to get involved with this, that guy is bad news. I'll figure this shit out, I always do.”

  “Will you just tell me what the hell he wants? Maybe I can help.”

  “You can't help me, nobody can.” Her head dropped to her chest, looking at me under hooded lids.

  Grabbing her shoulders, I held her in place. “Look, I know you don't know me, but I want you to know me. And the one thing you're going to learn about me right now is that I'm not walking away from this. When I stepped in that night, I made your problem my problem. So I don't care what you say, I'm helping you.” Sliding my hands down to her elbows, I pulled her into my chest.

  Lifting her chin to my face, I let my eyes wash over her. I expected her to push me away, shove me to the side and tell me to go fuck myself. But she didn't. Her arms glided up my ribs, wrapping around my back.

  I felt her fingers dip into my muscles, nails dragging over the fabric. Her lashes fluttered against her face, fanning her eyes. “Why? Why do you feel you need to help me? You don't know me either, maybe I did something really horrible and you're getting in way over your head.”

  “I'm a soldier, nothing can be harder than that.”

  Avni's eyes fell fast, darting to the pavement. Her chest released a heavy exhale, lungs driving out hard. “I know, I hate that.” The whispered voice filled my ear, the small words mostly composed of air.

  “Why do you hate it? What's wrong with that, huh?” Cupping her head in my hands, I forced her to look up at me. “You have all these things going on in your head, and you won't tell me one fucking thing. I don't get it. I know you need help, and I can give you that.”

  “It's complicated, I don't like talking about it.”

  “Well, give me something. Anything. I'm willing to protect you from him, so tell me about that asshole then, tell me what you've gotten yourself into.”

  “Come with me.” Her fingers twined inside mine, pulling me forward. Walking towards her apartment, she let T lead the way. “Alright, you have questions, I get that. But I'm not ready to tell you everything. But I'll tell you about Vito.”

  “Ah, so that's the prick's name. Do you mind if I still call him Asshole?”

  “Not at all.” Cracking a delicate smile, she twisted her head in my direction.

  And her beauty radiated off her, shining up and blinding me. I didn't like seeing her upset, sad, angry; any of the feelings that had just been streaming through her veins.

  I wanted her to be happy, nothing but happy. And I couldn't understand why, couldn't understand why I felt so strongly about making her world a better place.

  But Avni was starting to take hold of my being, her thin fingers were wrapping around my brain and making it so I couldn't think of anything else but her.

  And that's exactly what I wanted. I needed her, not later, not during another time in our lives; I needed her now.

  The world I had been living in was filled with death and destruction. It was a world of dark images and tortured memories. I needed someone like her to breathe a new sense of life into me.

  That's what I felt when I was around her. And after we had dinner last night, every piece of my body knew she was special. I'd heard of love at first sight. And before her, I might have laughed in someone's face if they talked about shit like that.

  I would tell them they were living in a fictional world, a world filled with dysfunctional thoughts and irrational ideas.

  Because that shit didn't happen. You don't just suddenly meet someone and know you love them.

  Now... Now I'm not so sure. Could I honestly say I was feeling love?

  No.

  Was this just strong lust? A lust that was being teased by her beauty?

  No.

  There was something here; something different and welcome and comfortable and familiar.

  Something that dug its nails deep into my nape and kept me wanting more, kept me wanting to come back to her.

  I had spent the last two days waking to her image, dreaming of her face and her body. Her laugh was my alarm clock, her giggle was my melody of choice.

  I couldn't shake her from my thoughts. And I didn't want to, I had the strongest urge to keep her there. And I was willing to do whatever it took to make that my reality.

  Why? I didn't have that answer yet. What I was sure of was how I felt, and that was what was driving me to her.

  Taking one last look over her shoulder, Avni opened the door to her apartment. T ran inside, leash dragging across the laminate wood floor.

  Unlatching the hook, she hung the leash over the small table set by the door. Huffing under her breath, Avni let her body fall into the couch.

  “Okay, so you have questions, and I'm willing to answer some.” Holding up her index finger, she sternly said, “But, if I don't like the question, I'm not answering. Understood?” Flicking her eyes up at me, she held them firmly in place.

  “Yeah, I get it.” Sitting down beside her, I leaned my elbows into my thighs. Folding my hands together, I twisted to look at her. “What the hell did you get yourself into?”

  Dragging her nails through her hair, Avni tossed the loose strands over her shoulder. “Well, I owe that guy a lot of
money. That's what this boils down to, and he came by today to tell me I needed to have it for him in one month.” Her fingers trailed over her neck, the soft flesh turning pink as her nails rolled over the surface.

  “How much money?” I asked, brow raising up with curiosity.

  “A lot.” Her face crinkled with worry, the lines crawling up over her forehead.

  I wasn't sure what to think. How did this girl end up owing a guy like that a lot of green?

  Now, I know I didn't know everything about her; but she didn't come across as someone who would even be seen in the same room with a scumbag like that.

  It just didn't seem to fit, especially after getting to know her a little at dinner. She came from what seemed like a good family with strong roots.

  Her mother was a stay at home mom, her father was a teacher. Avni had a younger sister, and spent most of her week running shifts at a group home.

  Where does the greasy, dirtball, who wears cheap replica Armani suits come in?

  Dragging my thumb over my jaw, my lips drew in. “How did that happen?”

  I watched her chest rise slowly, the air spilling out heavily over her lips. “My brother,” she said, lids closing lightly as she glanced over the coffee table.

  “You have a brother too?” I asked. She hadn't mentioned him the night before. Maybe there was a good reason for that? Especially if he caused this whole thing.

  “Yeah, but I don't want to talk about him.” Her eyes grew large, glassing over. I wasn't sure, but it looked like she wanted to cry. “That's something I can't do right now.” If there were any tears on the edge of her eyes she pulled them back in. Avni's spine firmed, back going straight as a board.

  “Okay, so what are you going to do? Can you ask your parents? I mean if your brother—”

  Cutting my words in half, she snapped her head in my direction. “No.” The single word flew out of her mouth like a million tiny razors, slashing my suggestion into pieces. “No, I can't do that. They've been through enough, they don't need this too.”

  Avni looked nervous, her palms were rubbing quickly over her thighs, her breathing was short and shallow. And all I wanted to do was pull this burden off her shoulders, lift the debt she was carrying for her brother.

  Why didn't she want to talk about her brother?

  I couldn't help but wonder what he had done, where he was, or why he had left her with this horrible mess. Was he locked up?

  If he was imprisoned for some sort of crime that would explain why she didn't want to talk about him.

  And with the creepy prick named Vito; a debt she now had to take care of for her brother; that was the only thing that made any sense, he had to be in jail.

  “Well, I don't care if you don't like it. I'm helping you out of this shit, I”m not letting you say no.” Her face softened, eyes growing large. “I'm serious, you don't have a choice.”

  Shaking her head no, her hands raised up to cover her lips. And instantly I wanted her to put them down. I didn't want her to cover the lips I so badly wanted to kiss again.

  The way she tasted when I slid my tongue into her mouth, her honeyed kiss; it made my cock harden, the blood rushed from my head into my jeans, filling my shaft in one hot burst.

  “I can't let you do that, I just can't. Vito's an evil man, and if I can't get him what he wants then he has even worse plans for me. I don't want you mixed up in this. It's not your problem, so why would you make it yours?”

  “Because I need to.” Pausing, I slipped my fingers across her shoulder, teasing the ends of her hair. “Because you need me to.” Working my fingers over the back of her neck, Avni rolled her head to the side. “I'll keep you safe, Vito won't touch you. I promise.”

  The sweet bare flesh of her throat shined, coated in a thin layer of sweat. Gliding my thumb over the dip of her collarbone, I squeezed hard.

  She let out the sexiest subtle moan, the soft heat off her lips hit my eardrums sending prickles over my entire body.

  My cock rose to my zipper, the engorged tip pushed painfully into the metal teeth. Gripping the hard-on in my jeans, I shifted my body closer to her. She was sitting still, eyes closed tight, hands wrapped snugly between her thighs.

  Massaging her neck, I leaned over, my lips hovering just above her skin. Inhaling a deep breath, the scent of daisies filled my lungs. It was intoxicating, a rush of pure desire that I had never experienced before.

  Cupping her chin, I turned her towards my face. I wanted her to look at me, no more hiding inside her own head. She needed to see me, see how serious I was about helping her.

  Opening her eyes, the dark brown centers twinkled with a spark I hadn't seen in any other set of eyes.

  My heart skipped, leaping from stationary to running. The intense beat danced across my ribs, playing a song only my body could hear.

  Avni sat quietly, not moving closer, but not moving away. It was as if she was waiting for me, waiting for me to take control.

  And I was ready for that, it was time for me to take over. No more of these games, I was about to end the push and pull of tensity between us.

  I was ready to stop all of that, and just make her mine.

  Digging my fingers into her throat, I yanked her lips onto mine. Pressing with such wanton need that our breathing began to sync up.

  Our chests were rising in unison, air spilling over each other in one warm gush. The taste of her mouth was just as sweet as her scent, and I wanted to taste more of her.

  It was as if the past few days had led up to this moment. All the sexual tension, the raw lust; it was about to unleash. And I was taking her, all of her.

  Releasing the lock on her lips, I whispered. “I haven't stopped thinking about you.” Running my fingers across her forehead, I brushed the bangs away from her face.

  I needed to see her, every inch was worth showing.

  Avni's body twitched, the shiver running from her shoulders to her thighs. I watched it spread across her flesh, small goosebumps exploding over the surface.

  Flicking her eyes between mine, she said, “Levi, I can't do this.”

  “You say you can't, but your body says otherwise.” Biting my lower lip, I trailed a finger over her thigh. “That wasn't the kiss of someone who didn't want what was sitting in front of them.”

  “It's not that, this runs deeper. I don't want to get hurt.” Letting her head dip, Avni looked up at me under a canopy of lashes. “That's something I won't let happen again.”

  Holding my palm to her cheek, I ran my thumb across her lips. “You need to stop thinking, and tell me what you're feeling?”

  Shrugging her shoulder, she glanced down at the floor. “I don't know.”

  “Yes you do. You're feeling exactly what I'm feeling, I can see it.” Placing my finger under her chin, I tipped her head up. “Tell me I'm wrong.”

  Parting her lips, I could see her trying to form the words in her mind. But she couldn't say them, she knew I was right.

  Avni couldn't deny the chemistry between us, it was too strong to just shrug off.

  I felt it, and she did too.

  Tell me. Tell me you want me. Say what I know you're thinking.

  Letting my hand fall to her hip, I dug my fingers into the bone. Her ass swayed forward, thighs spreading with my grip.

  Twisting her neck to look at me, she gripped my fingers and peeled them away. “You're wrong. I can't do this, I think you should go.”

  “Are you always this stubborn?” Crushing my palm into my thigh, I rubbed the sweat away.

  Avni had me burning, my body was on fire ready to explode. And she just wouldn't admit to the attraction between us.

  Standing up quickly, she walked to the door, and tore it open. “Please, just go.”

  Lifting off the couch, I walked towards her. Her eyes drifted to the floor, staring down at my feet.

  “You're not ready to admit I'm right, but you will be...” Raising my hand to her cheek, her head jerked away. Avni contorted her neck to avoid
the touch of my fingers, and stepped back. “Trust me, you will.” Shoving my hands into my pockets, I climbed off the stoop.

  Glancing over my shoulder, she was resting against the frame. Leaning on one shoulder, Avni stayed to watch me leave.

  For some reason, some unknown reason, she didn't want to let me get close to her. But I wasn't going to let her force me away.

  Avni wasn't going to be able to deny how she felt forever.

  That was one thing I wasn't going to allow, she was going to see it.

  And I was going to make her.

  Chapter Seven

  Avni

  Why? Why the fuck did he have to walk into my world?

  Throwing myself down onto the bed, I let my head fall into the pillow. I wanted to let him in, more than I had wanted anything else in this world for a long time.

  Levi was the strength I needed, the happiness I'd been missing. But he was what I swore I wouldn't let in. Someone like him, someone with that kind of life, would only bring sadness and pain.

  A man like him came with disappointments, a life left behind. He was in the Army, eventually he'd be called off, and I'd be here alone.

  That's how that shit went, I wasn't stupid. And when he was gone, I'd be left with worry and fear. I knew that first hand, and I wasn't going to be in that position again.

  My head felt like it was going to implode, every nerve in my brain was firing off like lighting in a thunderstorm. Breathing slowly, I forced all the oxygen out from my lungs.

  So why does my heart warm when he's around? Why does he have to make me feel this way?

  Turning my face into the feather pillow, I let out a gut-wrenching scream. I was able to go an entire year without letting anyone in.

  But Levi was chipping away at the stone inside me, causing my entire defense to crumble. It took everything I had to send him away, all the strength I was able to dig up and slice that desire in half.

  He needed to leave; I needed him to leave. If he had stayed, I was sure I would've cracked. His touch had put me in a trance, my body was seconds away from breaking.