Page 15 of Only Yours
“Reina and Brian, kissing in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g,” she sings.
I stick my tongue out at her and reach for my headphones, acting unaffected. My heart and stomach are on shaky grounds though.Shit, I am falling. And falling hard.
Chapter 15
Life is full of times when you have to be patient. Luckily, I’m the king of this. I spent years waiting for my dad to come back and he never did. -Brian
Brian
“You’re wearing that sappy look on your face again. Talk to your girl?” Collins teases.
I don’t even try to wipe the smile from my face. “Yep.” I don’t say any more. He doesn’t need to know that these phone calls have been sustaining me for the last couple of months. He understands that without saying. He also doesn’t need to know that I desperately want to be able to call Reina ‘my girl’ for real. The other guys assume that we’re together, not that I’m trying desperately to be hers, and she’s holding me back at arms’ length.
I sigh and lean back on my bunk. “How did things look in town?” I ask hesitantly. I’m not sure I want to know. We’re somewhere in the middle of nowhere in a desert, but the guys went to the next town over for a look around.
I entered the Army right out of high school. When you’re not great at school, and you’ve got a family to support, it became my best option. I determined my future in high school after talking to my coach about his military past my freshman year. He talkedabout the comradery with the guys, the sense of duty, and the benefits so much that I couldn’t resist the pull. I went on my first deployment last year and discovered some of the more, let’s say, lower points, of being in the military. One of them was being either hated or loved by the locals. Hence, my question.
He groans. “Ah, not the best, but we got some intel on our main target, so it was all worth it.”
I nod stiffly. I joined this team a few months ago. I’m the shit when it comes to computers and hacking, so most of what I do on our team is technical. I have no problem with tracking terrorists, but sometimes the rest of what we do is cloudy to me. I’m a very low man on the totem pole.
“Captain is on the warpath again. I think this fuckin’ divorce is going to kill him. He was a grumpy asshole all morning long.” Collins lets out a breath and folds his long body down onto his short bunk. “I don’t understand why everyone’s goal is to get a girl. They seem to be a lot of damn trouble to me.”
Diaz stalks through the opening flap of the tent. “Talkin’ bout the captain’s wife? That woman has him so tied up in knots he doesn’t know which way he’s comin’ or goin’.” His Texas drawl is more pronounced than usual as he sits down hard on his bed and starts working on getting his boots off. “That man is about to snap. Spent all morning ridin’ our asses.”
I put down the letter from Reina I was re-reading and stand. I need to get ready for my shift soon. “Glad I was on night duty last night then.”
I reach for my tags off the bedside table and the piece of paper flutters to the ground. My grin reappears when I see Reina’s familiar handwriting again. I fold the paper neatly into a square and place it in a drawer.
Diaz clears his throat. I look up and realize he’s standing right next to my bed. “You know my divorce came through last year.” He pauses. “Military and girlfriends or wives rarely workout.” He nods his head to indicate the letter I just put away. “You sure your girl is worth all the trouble? Most women can’t put up with it.” His dark eyes are full of concern, so I tap down my immediate anger at his words.
“Reina’s cool. And she’s the only reason I’m able to stay sane in this place.” I try to be diplomatic as I reach for my boots. “She’s not just any girl. She’s The Girl. So, she’s worth it.”
Diaz sits down on the bunk across from mine. “You know once upon a time I thought Mallory was The Girl. Then I got deployed and came home to find her screwin’ our neighbor in our bed. Even the women we think can put up with it sometimes can’t.”
I pull the strings on my boots tight and shake my head. “Not gonna happen.”
“Famous last words,” he says and lays back on his arms. “I thought I had forever wrapped up too until I didn’t.” He glances over at me. “People can hide a lot of shit from us while we’re out here. We have no idea what they’re really doin’, ya know.”
I nod grimly, but don’t say anything. The truth is, Reina and I have only kissed. We haven’t had a relationship talk. It’s been a lot of me saying how crazy I am about her, and her basically avoiding the feelings conversation. I know we don’t know each other well, but I’m possessive as hell of her and I want her to be mine. I knew the first damn time I saw here, and that hasn’t changed. But I truly have no idea if she feels the same.
I stride out of the tent a minute later like my ass is on fire. There’s a ball of frustration in my gut. Maybe I’m being an idiot. Maybe Reina has secrets and I’m being played. All I can do is go with my heart and my heart doesn’t want to believe that.
Chapter 16
I thought I knew all the emotions of sexual attraction. The anticipation, the want, the gratification when that attraction is returned…turns out being turned on by him involves so much more. My heart is there too. -Reina
Reina
The dorm room is quiet and lonely with Sophie staying at Liam’s. That’s happening more frequently these days. A ball of envy forms in my stomach thinking of her getting to sleep every night with her boyfriend. I close my eyes tightly and throw my arm over my eyes. I shouldn’t begrudge them the time they get to spend together. It took them forever to finally get their shit together and figure out they were meant to be.
But I am envious. I’ve come to care deeply about someone who isn’t here, who likely won’t be here for months. And the last couple of conversations we’ve had he’s been a little distant. My heart aches. I wasn’t supposed to feel like this. This was just supposed to be letters and the occasional flirtatious phone call. It shouldn’t be like this. I shouldn’t be falling for someone I barely know, especially since I have so many obligations. Obligations that he still knows nothing about.
My phone buzzes and my stomach jumps with nerves. It’s been over a week since our last late night phone call.
I reach for my phone but make a wish before I look at the screen.Please let it be him.
When I see the number on the screen, I purposely try not to feel too much. Casual, Reina. Keep it casual.
