Free Fall Out (Against the Tides #1) by Katheryn Kiden Page A

lunch with his mom the other day and how excited she is for him to be coming home.  When I see him checking his watch, I stop talking and wait for him to tell me that he has to go.
    “Seven days.”
    “Seven days,” I repeat. It’s my mantra.
    “You better save your breath, gorgeous, you’re gonna need it for when I kiss you.” His fingers press against the screen and if I closed my eyes and focus hard enough, I could almost feel his skin against mine. “I love you,” he whispers.
    I smile because I never tire of hearing those words come out of his mouth. I never will, either. Each time he says them, I still get the same butterflies I felt the first time he spoke those three words. Just as I open my mouth to tell him that I love him, too, Knox pops back into view.
    “Hey, I love you, too. Last chance to admit our love for each other before he comes home. No more late night rendezvous.”
    I sigh, trying to contain my laughter. “Whatever will I do without those?”
    “I guess you’ll just have to settle for second best as always.”
    Brett’s hand connects with the back of Knox's head as he laughs. “Did you forget that she said, ‘I do,’ to me while you stood next to me? Just because the word best was in your title doesn’t mean you’re better.”
    When he finally turns his attention back to me, I blow him a kiss and tell him I love him before shutting the laptop and flopping back on the bed. I roll over, looking at Brett’s empty side, and remind myself that it's only one more week. Just six more lonely nights until that spot is finally filled again.
     

MY BACK SLAMS against the wall and Brett lifts me off the floor to wrap my legs around his waist. They fit perfectly around him just like they always have. We’re like two puzzle pieces that only fit together; perfectly shaped for each other.
    “God, I missed you,” he growls against my throat as he works his way down to my chest.
    I claw at his shirt, tugging it up over his head and tossing it somewhere on the floor. My mouth falls slack and I moan when his lips wrap around my nipple; the heat from his mouth steals my breath away. His eyes never leave mine, and as much as I want to close them and do nothing but feel, I want to watch him even more.
    Sliding my fingers around the back of his neck, I push my thumbs under his chin so he lifts his head back up. “You’re never allowed to leave again.”
    “Last tour, last time,” Brett whispers. “Never leaving you again.”
    His hips rock against mine, his erection rubbing against my clit. I’ve never been more thankful for thin shorts than I am right now. After being apart for this long, if he keeps thrusting I’ll be done before we even get started.
    “Bedroom. Floor. Stairs. I don’t care where you fuck me, but we need to lose these clothes right now because I need you inside me.”
    He slides me down onto the stairs and, just as he starts inching my shorts over my hips, someone knocks on the door. Brett drops his forehead against my chest and groans. 
    “I swear if that’s Knox I will make what we just went through over there seem like kindergarten recess.” Pushing off me, he mutters something about stuffing his head in a sandbox and disappears around the corner. I try to tell him to leave whoever it is on the other side of the door and come back to me but I’m met by silence. 
    “Brett?”
    When he doesn’t answer me, I pull my clothes back into place and head toward the door. If it were Knox, he would have shoved his way in and I would have heard that. Rounding the corner, I’m met with an empty hall and a deafening silence. Brett is nowhere to be seen, and the door is cracked open. 
    Instead of waiting for him to come back in, I pull the door back and step out into the blinding sunlight. If it weren’t for the nervous pit in my stomach, I would tilt my head back and relish in the warmth of the sun. Instead, once my eyes recover from the brightness, my joy and eagerness to