Page 40 of Mending Me

“Almost eleven years.” I finished her sentence for her and looked down to see her eyes were wide and her mouth was slightly ajar. This was the first time we had really spoken about my time in the service.

“That must have been so hard for you to be away for so long.”

“It was hard to be away from them, sure. But not here. I never heard from my dad once while I was gone but my friends, I talked to them every day that I could through email or video calls. They’re my real family in my eyes.” My bottom lip wrapped around my teeth as I thought about how my friends got me through so much even when we were thousands of miles apart. I wouldn’t be who I am today if it weren’t for them.

She sat up from her spot and shifted to sit next to me cross-legged on the couch. She took my hands into hers, kissed the backs of them, and looked at me with more admiration than anyone ever has.

“Thank you for keeping our country safe all that time, Hank. I’m very grateful for you.” I had been thanked by strangers for my time in the military for what felt like a thousand times but none of them meant as much to me as hers did.

“I think it’s my turn for a question,” I hummed, moving my body closer to hers.

“Yes, I think you’re right, soldier,” she replied as she leaned in toward me with a small smile.

“May I kiss you?”

1 A traditional Mexican breakfast dish consisting of corn tortillas cut into quarters and lightly fried.

23

BAILEY

May I kiss you?

This man and his manners might just be the death of me.

Never in my life has a guy ever asked if he could kiss me. He just did it. I couldn’t fight the smile on my face, touched by his need for permission before just taking something I would have happily given him. I thought he was going to kiss me in his bedroom once I had changed. I wanted him to kiss me, to take me to his bed, lay me down and make me his. But then he took a step back and I took that to mean he didn’t want to, that maybe he had changed his mind about me after all and he didn’t like me like I thought he had.

“Yes, you can kiss me,” I whispered into his lips, leaning in even closer to him. My heart surged with joy, knowing that my fears had been wrong.

“Thank god, because I’ve been wanting to since we got back.” His words were rushed before he crashed his lips into mine. I hadn’t realized how much I missed the way they felt until our lips were reunited once more. He snaked his hands behind myhead and into my hair, pulling me even closer to him. Without thinking, I crawled my way onto his lap, never breaking the connection we had formed. With my legs on either side of him, I sat down only to discover that he was long and hard under the shorts he was wearing. Wetness pooled between my legs knowing how hard I was able to make him. After being attacked, I didn’t think anyone would ever want to be with me again and it made me feel good knowing I had been wrong.

“You’re driving me crazy doing that,hermosa?1,” he growled the name into my ear as my head dropped behind me. His lips pressed into the soft parts of my neck, sending a chill down my spine with each kiss.

“I don’t know what you mean,” I hummed, allowing the feelings he was causing with his lips to consume me.

“You, pressing your hips into me like that. It’s an unfair tactic to use on a man who is trying to show some self-control.” I looked down and realized I had been grinding my hips into his hard cock, enjoying the friction it was producing.

“Why are you trying to show self-control?” I brought both hands to his face and pressed my lips into his before he could answer. He pulled away from me and looked at me for a beat before speaking.

“Because I don’t want to push you to do something you aren’t ready to do. You shared something really personal with me not even a few hours ago and I would feel awful if you thought I rushed you into something after sharing that. I never want you to feel pressured or taken advantage of when you’re with me. I only ever want you to feel safe and cherished. As you should have always been treated.”

We were both breathing heavily on the couch, staring at one another for several long seconds. I was trying to collect my thoughts but doing so seemed impossible. He had left me speechless. Instead of saying anything, I pressed my lips tohis once more. He and I consumed one another, our tongues clashing together and our breath becoming muddled between us. I hadn’t wanted anyone like this in a long time but I knew I wanted him. I wanted him to fill me up, to consume me, to make me his. I didn’t just want him, I needed him. Like the night sky needs the stars, I needed Hank Martínez.

“Soldier,” I whispered through labored breaths.

“Yeah?” He pulled his lips away from mine just long enough to say it.

“I want you. I don’t just want you, I need you. Please, Hank.”

He pulled away from me and searched my eyes with his. I could tell he was thinking about what I had just said, unsure of if I’d meant it. I trusted him, and while I had gotten scared the last time we were in this similar position, I didn’t have an ounce of fear in me now. Nothing about being with him in the way I wanted him made me feel scared. It made me feel alive.

“You sure? We don’t have to if y?—”

“Would you just hush up and take me to the bedroom?” I huffed with a playful grin on my face.

“Gracias Dios mio?2,” he hissed under his breath. I had no idea what he’d said but the sound of the Spanish words falling from his lips turned me on even more. Before I knew it, he was standing from the couch and holding me under my butt with both hands. My legs instinctually wrapped around his torso and I laughed as he said, “You have no idea how much I would love to do that.”

He carried me from the living room directly to his bed like a straight-up caveman. I liked this side of him; the side that was possessive and in control. More often than not I saw the shy and kind side of him, but this hungrier side of him he was showing me now made me excited. I wanted to know just how hungry he could be.

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