I threw on a t-shirt and a pair of boy shorts underwear before strolling into the bathroom and blow drying my hair. I stared at myself in the mirror, not looking nearly as tired, but wondering how I'd gotten myself caught up in such a mess that I couldn't seem to work my way out of. If Castillo got fed up with Alex and his unwillingness to go any further with her, she could ruin me. I was setting myself up to have my life destroyed right in front of my eyes because I seemed to be in complete and utter lust with my instructor, who I would be leaving five weeks from now. I needed to talk myself into leaving him alone, but with every sight of him, every smell of his husky manliness, and every sound of his words, I found myself falling deeper and deeper into that hole with no way out and no ounce of panic at that realization within me.

A quick knock on the door had me scrambling for my shorts. Dalton was always punctual, leaving me in a frenzied mess to try and make myself presentable before opening the door and letting him in. I swung the door open, smiling my biggest, most charismatic smile. To my surprise, Dalton wasn't standing at my doorway.

It was Castillo, looking much too snide for such an early Saturday morning.

"May I come in, Pfc. Bennett?" She stepped into the room before I even had a chance to answer.

I turned to face her, closing the door slightly behind me.

"I'll make this quick because I see you're on your way out. I know there's something going on with you and Sgt. Cruz, or that you want something to go on. But let me remind you, the Corps has a strict order against fraternizing, and I like to see that all orders are followed. You catch my drift?"

My stomach ached at the sound of her words and the look of her soul-searing gaze. Her lips curved into an evil smile that sent chills down my spine with the tightening of my muscles.

"I don't think you know what you're talking about."

"Oh, I know. I'm watching you. I've already told you that. And if Alex's reaction to finding out you were acting like a walking mattress earlier in the week is any indication, I'd say something is definitely going on." The hairs on my arms were standing at attention, stiff enough to be cut clean off with one swipe of my finger.

"Now, Alex. He is a damn good Marine, one of the best I've known, and a very good friend of mine as well," her emphasis on the word very made me want to hurl, "so I would never get him caught up in this mess, but you--" she paused, looking me up and down, "--you, my dear, your baby career can be sent tumbling down the highest mountain if I open my mouth and let the higher ups know that you're trying to trap an instructor." She moved closer to me, circling while smiling in my face.

"Whatever it is you think you know, you couldn't be more wrong. And I'm pretty sure that instructors shouldn't be hooking up in the workplace, so don't think I won't run my pretty little mouth on you either."

My response surprised her, sending wrath and fury into her eyes, and replacing the earlier bitchiness that had been laid out before me.

"I'm giving you a fair fucking warning, Bennett. Watch your fucking step before I send your ass packing to whatever little piece of shit hometown you come from. I'm not one to be fucked with."

"You'd be wise to heed your own warning, Sgt. Castillo. Now please leave my room before I let the duty know that you came in here threatening me."

I held the door open for her and watched her walk out. My nerves were on high alert, frazzled and short circuiting, even though my demeanor didn't hint at it.

She was right.

If she decided to run her mouth, she could hurt me while protecting Alex, and what would he do? Would he fight for me, thus putting himself out on the line, or would he fall in line with her, saving his career while using me as cannon fodder? The thought was mind numbing, drilling home the reality that I was a nothing in the Corps and would be viewed as such should Castillo decide to run her mouth.

I stomped back into the bathroom, brushing my teeth and putting on a slight hint of mascara and chapstick. I grabbed my id card and forced it into my back pocket as I turned and swung the door open with all of my might to walk down to Dalton's room.

 "Whoa! Where are you going?" Alex asked, catching me in his arms just as I was beginning to storm out the door. He caught me in total surprise, looking like he was just about to knock on the door.

"I'm off to the chow hall. I'm hungry, and not all of us have the luxury of home cooked fucking meals every day," I barked out, hanging on to his arm as he held me up under my chest while shutting the door behind him. It was an uncomfortable hold, and I wanted to get out of it, but he wouldn't let go, not until he had me near the bed and he was able to lie me down.

"Stop that shit, Blondie," he grumbled, his hazel eyes piercing into me from where he stood. "I didn't ask for this shit. In fact, I told her I didn't need her bringing me anything."

"Okay. So why are you here?"

"I got called back in and on my way out, I saw Castillo making her way down the stairs, so I knew I needed to see you. And because the rest of my fucking morning has been hell since I was interrupted just before finishing you off."

I sat up on the bed, still fuming mad at everything that seemed to be happening around us. And in that moment, I remembered that Dalton should have been there by now, but he wasn't. My mind drifted back to Alex and what he said about making shit happen. He could have done anything to keep him away from me this morning. Standing up, I paced the room, feeling the intensity of it closing in around us.

"Where is Dalton?"

"I'm not here to talk about him right now."

"I don't care. Where is he? He was supposed to be meeting me for breakfast, and he's not here. Where is he?"

He ran his hand over his freshly shaven face, blowing out a deep sigh as he did so.

"I've got him busy. You'll need to make new plans for breakfast this morning," he said, wryly twisting his lips into his characteristically smug grin, further angering me. He pulled me towards him, running his hands over my back and down to my ass before whispering in my ear.

"He's sniffing up the wrong tree. This one is already taken." He cocked his head to the side, the honey hue of his eyes growing darker by the second. "He'd be doing himself a favor by backing the fuck up."

The moist flesh of his delectable lips skimmed the bottom of my ear lobe, sending a flash of warmth through me.

"I want you, Cassie Bennett. I've wanted you since the night you rubbed that beautiful little ass all over me on that dance floor at Coyotes, and I'll be damned if you're going to tease me with that fucking prick to try and prove a point." Slow breaths left him, crashing down over me as he pulled away and burned his high intensity gaze into mine. "You've got me right where you want me, and I damn sure know I've got you, so stop with the games and tell that little dude to blow his load elsewhere."

Somehow those words made me excited.

And limp.

And angry!

He was so presumptuous, yet so right as well. I didn't need him seeing that he and his words, the feel of his lips, and the strong protectiveness of his arms had me hook, line, and sinker. No. As much as I wanted him, I wasn't going to fall at his feet as soon as he said something that enticed me.

"You couldn't be more wrong about Dalton, Alex," I said, finally letting out a laugh. I pulled out of his grip and moved a couple of steps away from him. "You should watch Leti," I bitterly responded, causing his eyes to narrow in snake like slits and his face to contort in anger.

He let out a haunting laugh that had me feeling on edge. "Don't take that tone or get too bold with me, Blondie. I have ways of shutting that shit down."

I shook my head. The arrogance in his tone was beginning to get under my skin. "Go fuck yourself, Alex," I called out, rolling my eyes at him.

He quickly detained me, moving with the fierceness of a ravenous animal and grabbing my waist, pulling me into him.

"I've tried fucking myself. It's not working. That's why I'm here." Anger was noticeably absent from his hazel eyes; seductive lust filling the void. "I. Need. To. Fuck. You." he rasped, our chests rising and falling in sweet succession. He placed soft kisses down my neck and over my collarbone as one of his hands worked its way through my hair, down my back, and over my ass. For a second, I gave into him and turned my head to give him more access, but I quickly remembered where we were and why this was still such a bad idea.

"Is that it?" I asked, working my way out of his arms. "You just want to fuck me and be done with me?"

He stepped closer, closing the gap between us while taking a tiny piece of my comfort zone with him, the darkness of his pointed eyes worrying me more than anything else at the moment.

"Well?" I asked.

He moved even closer, lecherous thoughts flashing through his eyes. I tried not to match his gaze, hoping to show him that he didn’t intimidate or entice me in my moment of anger. That sly grin crept back onto his face, further confusing and frustrating me when it came to him.

"Is that what you think? That I just want to fuck you and move on? Do you even realize what I stand to lose if anyone was to find out what we've got going on here? Even though I haven't had the pleasure of fucking you 'til you can't speak anymore?" His eyebrows shot up, almost as if he were waiting on a response. "I'm selected to pick up Staff Sergeant in a couple of months. That shit would be gone faster than I can blink. I'd probably be busted down in rank, restricted to the barracks, lose pay, and possibly face brig time all over frivolous fucking with some random student of mine." The words came out with a hiss, his teeth clenched as the veins bulged in his neck. "Now does this sound like the need to fuck and run to you?"

My mind couldn't quite wrap around what he was telling me. I knew the consequences would be steep, but the fact the he was due for a promotion and would so callously risk it to be with me, had me confused in ways that I couldn't quite understand.

"You have so much going for you. Why would you risk it to be with me?"

He looked me in the eye before answering.

"I don't know," he said, before pulling me back into his solid chest. "You're like a piece of forbidden fucking fruit, and somehow I just can't seem to stay from you."

My willpower was beginning to break down. I wanted to turn around and give myself to him, let him have me right where we stood so that the ache no longer burned inside of either or us.

"Now grab your things so I can replace your breakfast plans."

He backed away from me and sat down on the bed, his eyes stabbing into me with more intensity than the morning sun that had all but seared me out on that mountain.

"We can't go out on a breakfast date. Are you nuts?"

"Possibly. But like I already told you, I make shit happen. You understand that?" He stood and walked to the window, peeking out as I grabbed my wallet and purse from my night stand. "Meet me down at my truck in five. I'm in the back by the dumpsters."

He planted a wet, passion filled kiss on my lips, wrapping my hair in his hand, prompting me to grab for his, but I came up empty since his hair was much too short. He grabbed my ass, squeezing and tugging with each swirl and twirl of our tongues, and moaned out his pleasure as I felt the hardness of his cock poking into me.

"We better hurry up and get out of here," I breathed, trying to speak and catch my breath at the same time.

He pulled away, but not before planting two smaller kisses on my lips.

"Hurry up. I can't wait to get you out of here." And before I could say another word, the door flung open, sending Alex jumping back and waiting with me in blood curdling anticipation to see who was standing on the other side. 

Chapter 11

Alex


My eyes shot open as I jumped back, feeling a burst of wind with the forceful opening of the door. I stood rigid as steel, eagerly anticipating the figure that would be stepping through the doorway and blowing the roof off of us. My heart was beating erratically, pounding on the walls of my chest, begging to be set free.  Whoever was about to set foot through that door was coming with nothing but a promise of bad news because the only two people who needed to know about Bennett and me were Bennett and me, and we were both standing right there in that room.