“Sergeant Cruz and Private First Class Bennett,” Colonel Thompson growled, glaring at the two of us. The wrath in his eyes accelerated my breathing, forcing me to take a couple of deep breaths in order to take control of my body once again. “Based on the evidence presented by Major Godinez, it would seem that you two have embarked on a prohibited affair involving and breaking the Corps rule on fraternization. As a student, Pfc. Bennett was subject to preferential treatment from her instructor, Sergeant Cruz, thereby placing the rest of the students at a direct disadvantage. This compromises morale. Our rules are put in place to combat such things.”

Without turning my head, I leaned forward ever so slightly to get a glimpse of Cassie. She looked pale, her breathing labored, and her beautiful emerald eyes waiting to unleash a flood of tears with the final words due to come out of Colonel Thompson’s mouth. My moment of guilt washed over me as I watched a young, promising Marine about to lose what little she had all because I’d needed to fuck her, and once I had, I’d fallen in love with her. Cassie should be in her new unit, thriving and working her way to her next promotion of Lance Corporal. Instead, she stood next to Captain Hedlund, staring forward but looking faint.

It was my fault that the fear of God sat in her heart, and I was prepared to throw myself over the fire if it came down to it. I would do anything to take that anguish away from her. She didn’t deserve any of the shit that was currently being swept in her direction.

“I believe in rules, and I believe in the law,” Colonel Thompson asserted, scanning the room from one side to the other. “If these two Marines had not broken the law, none of us would be here right now. Furthermore, the botched investigation would not have forced me to free Sergeant Cruz and Pfc. Bennett. Because protocol was not followed, I have no choice but to drop the charges and free Sergeant Alejandro Cruz and Private First Class Cassie Bennett.”

I exhaled harshly with the sound of Colonel Thompson’s words. My body lunged forward as I balanced my hands on the table, peering over to Cassie who stood looking shell shocked, crying like she had just won the lottery. Maybe she had. Maybe moving on with her life was worth more than millions. Either way, I wanted to grab her, to hold her, to tell her everything was going to be okay and that this whole fucking nightmare was now behind us, but I couldn’t. I was stuck where I stood, still running the Colonel’s words through my head, trying to make sense of them since I was sure he had misspoken.

Captain Hedlund turned to congratulate me, shaking my hand with the slightest trace of a smile across his face. I wanted so badly to reciprocate the expression, but I couldn’t. I was in utter disbelief. From the second the evidence had been presented, I’d felt the nails being hammered into our proverbial coffins, and it looked as if there were no way out. At the end of all of that, First Sergeant O’Hara, who worked tirelessly to nail us, nailed himself. He had been so blinded by his thirst for punishment that he’d sidestepped protocol and allowed us to walk free. I looked over to where he stood red and fuming, then smiled at him, further eliciting hate from the man.

“This is utter bullshit!” he yelled, forcefully pushing away from the table. “These two Marines are making a mockery of our beloved Corps.”

“You, First Sergeant, O’Hara, are making a mockery of my courtroom. Compose yourself or I will have no choice but to hold you in contempt,” Colonel Thompson angrily replied, glaring at O’Hara.

This sideshow was much more entertaining than what we had just been through. If I weren’t still standing before the judge, I would have laughed in his fucking face. O’Hara slammed his hands down on the table, then took a seat, once again eliciting the anger from Colonel Thompson.

“You are still a First Sergeant in the Marine Corps, and you are still in my courtroom. You stand until you are instructed to do otherwise. Do you understand me, First Sergeant?”

O’Hara’s beady eyes glared wrathful balls of fire. He was throwing a man-sized temper tantrum, but seemed to understand the limits and stood next to an awaiting Major Godinez. “Yes, sir.”

Laughter was ready to explode from me, but I understood the inappropriateness of it in our current situation. Even though Cassie and I had beat the charges, we were still considered fraternizers, and Colonel Thompson was in no way appreciative of either of us. The way he looked at me told me everything I needed to know about what he would say if he ever got me alone.

You’re a conniving piece of shit. If I could, I’d throw your ass in the brig and throw away the fucking key. You’re a predator.

I shook the thoughts out of my head, instead stealing a glance at Cassie who inadvertently was doing just the same. Our eyes locked, and the familiar warmth that I often felt whenever we stared at one another was once again present, heating my core and sending blood shooting for my cock. I felt the slightest twitch when she licked her lips and smiled.

“If I may, your honor,” Captain Hedlund spoke, breaking my lustful thoughts and finally settling my painfully swollen cock, “I would ask that the court please allow no further obstruction to my clients being able to execute orders. Sergeant Cruz has already been removed from his instructor duty and will need orders as soon as possible. Private First Class Bennett has orders awaiting her, and should be allowed to execute them promptly.”

“I see no issue with that,” Colonel Thompson remarked.

“Also, your honor, there are charges against Sergeant Cruz for the assault on Private Allen, the assailant of Private First Class Bennett. I would ask the court the drop those charges. Without Sergeant Cruz, who knows what would have become of Pfc. Bennett.”

Colonel Thompson stared Captain Hedlund deeply in his eyes. I had been so wrapped up in the fraternizing charges that I had completely forgotten about the assault charges. This one, regardless of said guilt or innocence was something I was willing to fall hard for. As far as I was concerned, I had failed Cassie when I allowed Riley to talk me out of finishing that perverted motherfucker off. He was still breathing, and that alone gave me the will to withstand whatever they were hoping to throw my way. I hated that waste of fucking space with every inch of me, and given the opportunity, I’d finish him off without a spec of guilt from my conscience.

“Since the assault charges were attached to the charges of Fraternization, I have no choice but to throw them out as well. Sergeant Cruz’s actions and implications have no bearing on such decision.”

This was another blessing that I wasn’t sure I truly deserved. Deep in my gut, I felt that I would be tried and found guilty for the assault on Allen, a punishment that I was all too willing to take, but somehow the heavens had opened up and dropped rays of mercy on me instead of a conviction. A wry smile spread across my face. Cassie looked as if life had been breathed into her once again, her golden skin now glowing as she finally allowed her lips to curl at the ends. After everything that had happened in our favor today, I was instantly hit with the realization that we were the only part of this puzzle that not come out of this debacle unscathed.

We were splintered, both of us still in love with the other, but unsure how to proceed. Cassie rejecting marriage stung worse than a repeated fucking wasp attack, and I questioned what she felt she had for me.

My thoughts were broken by the loud pound on the table from First Sergeant O’Hara. Those beady eyes were trained on Colonel Thompson, his face red as a beet while he fumed on the inside, but he knew better than to say anything. Major Godinez worked to calm him down, knowing a contempt charge was on the horizon should he lose his cool again.

Satisfaction fluttered inside of me. O’Hara had treated me like a criminal from the onset. He’d had a chance to be lenient, to handle matters in house; instead, he’d jumped the gun and tried to nail me as hard as he could, and all of his overzealous bullshit blew up in his face.

Was I guilty of the charges? Yes.

Did his lust for consequences and conviction do him in and allow me to walk free? Fuck, yes!

I turned to look in his direction; those lifeless, beady eyes of his settled on me and I winked, further enraging him.

Colonel Thompson gave the instructions—Cassie and I should execute orders immediately, and both counsels would need to see him in his chambers to close out the case. The sound of the gavel finally allowed my excitement to explode, and I turned to Captain Hedlund, vigorously shaking his hand and smiling. Cassie stood behind him, smiling but otherwise quiet. There was an absence of emotion in her face, which puzzled me. We had just beat charges that we were both damn near sure would ruin everything we had worked to build, and yet she stood there looking indifferent.

Captain Hedlund turned to Cassie and shook her hand, then walked away to meet Major Godinez and head back to Colonel Thompson’s chambers. I reached out for Cassie and took her in my arms, resting my face in the crook of her neck as she wrapped her arms around mine.

“We did it, Blondie, we did it. We beat this shit.”

I didn’t want to let her go. That intoxicatingly delicious vanilla smell that I had come to expect from her had wrapped me up and held me hostage. There was no better feeling than being in Cassie’s arms.

“I know, I know,” she whispered. Her body tensed a little, instinctively making me pull back to check on her. “What’s next, Alex? We got away with this, but now what?”

“What’s next is you two assholes move on from my command. In my nineteen years of service, I have never been more disgusted to share the title of Marine with any other Devil Dogs than the sorry ass excuse for what is standing before me,” First Sergeant O’Hara grumbled. Fury littered his face, making Cassie tense up again.

“We’ll be glad to move on, First Sergeant.”

O’Hara stared me down, then turned his intimidating look over to Cassie, who seemingly found it in her to reciprocate his stare. He finally turned his vengeful glare on me.

“Head over to the Admin office and pick up your fucking orders, Bennett. And I want you out of my staff office ASAP, you fucking understand me?”

I wanted so badly to ignore this prick standing in front of me, but we were still in our military environment, and he required a certain level of respect. I smiled at him, knowing it would get under his skin before answering, “Yes, First Sergeant. It would give me pleasure.”

The veins in his neck began to bulge, and his breathing picked up. He’d just had his ego ripped away from him, then stomped on, so there was no telling what he was capable of at the moment. Before he jumped off the deep end, he turned on his heel and angrily marched out of the courtroom.

I turned back to Cassie, who hadn’t moved or said a word during the standoff. She had relaxed, but there was still something amiss with her. Something I couldn’t quite figure out.

“What’s wrong, Blondie?”

Her eyes opened. “Are you fucking stupid? Alex, we’ve beat the fraternization charges, but your family hates me, and you broke up with me. Now you’re acting like everything is fine. What is wrong with you?”

“My family doesn’t fucking hate you, Cassie. And I did not break up with you. I believe that was the other way around.”

“Really?” she shrieked. Now I could see hints of anger flaring up inside of her. “I told you I didn’t think it was best to get married right now. I never said anything about not wanting to be with you. That was your doing. It’s all or nothing with you, with no regard for anyone else. You ripped my heart out when you walked out on me, Alex, and you didn’t even fucking care about how I felt.”

She was right. I had done everything she had just said. I just didn’t see any other way to move forward after being rejected in the worst way possible. I ran my hand over my face and exhaled harshly. Before I could make out any sort of explanation, she was right back at me, tearing into my ass, and not holding back.

“You’ve done some incredible things to me, and then you have done some incredibly fucked up things to me. I forgave you once for fucking me over, but this…this feels so much worse. I love you, Alex. I love you more than I have ever loved anyone, but I think you did me a favor when you walked out on me. You made me see that you are indeed a selfish prick who has to have things done his way. Well, relationships and especially marriages require compromise, and I’m glad that I see you have no fucking clue about the meaning of the word before I let you slip a ring on my finger.”