Free Hero - The Assignment: A Military Romance by M. S. Parker

The other two roads had another church, a Mom and Pop grocery store, some small houses and a few bigger ones that had rooms for rent or apartments above the single car garages.
    It was to one of those apartments that Tara took me.
    “You should come in.” Tara stood in front of the open door and looked up at me. “I could, um, make us some coffee.”
    I smiled. “I'd like that.”
    I followed her inside, pausing to take off my shoes when she did the same. She gestured toward the obviously second-hand couch, the stain on her cheeks deepening as she looked everywhere but at me. It didn't take a psychic to know she wanted more than coffee but was too shy to make the first move.
    Fuck it.
    As she shut the door I turned and kissed her. I kept my lips gentle, not wanting to misread her signals, but her mouth opened and she pressed her body against mine. She tasted of the sweet shots she'd taken to bolster her courage, and she moaned as I explored her mouth. My body reacted even as my mind pulled toward the memory of someone else. I shoved it aside and let my hands trail up Tara's sides. Her breasts were heavy, soft, her curves more generous than...I stopped myself.
    Maybe this was a bad idea. Say goodnight, I thought, just head home now.
    “Please stay, please,” Tara murmured against my mouth.
    She wrapped her arms around my neck and wriggled against me. Blood rushed south, and I felt myself start to harden. Maybe Blake was right, and I needed this just to complete my recovery. I hadn't been with a woman since before the accident, and even then, it'd been sparse enough I'd generally taken care of things myself.. Since the accident, however, I hadn't even done that. Getting laid could clear my mind, prove I was really over my injuries. I could move on. Make a fresh start.
    Tara tugged at my shirt. She might've been hesitant about making the first move, but there was no doubt about what she wanted.
    “There's the bedroom,” she whispered as she ran her fingers over the short hair at the base of my skull. “I could light some candles.”
    I stopped her with a deeper kiss, walking us back toward the couch. Frilly pillows and candles would cool my body's insistence that I follow through. And I didn't want to risk keeping going while I was standing. Getting a bit dizzy while sitting was one thing. Falling down in the middle of making out would be a definite mood-killer.
    When I felt the couch against the back of my knees, I eased myself down onto it, careful to keep my head straight. She followed as I'd hoped she would, putting one knee on either side of my thighs.
    She was wearing a skirt and moaned as she ground down against me. I slid my hands up her smooth thighs until I was grasping her ass. Her panties were soft cotton, and I vaguely wondered if her bra was the same. My unasked question was answered when she grabbed the bottom of her shirt and pulled it over her head. I leaned forward, licking and kissing the tops of her breasts, then moving down to cover her nipple through her bra. She writhed against me.
    “Condom?” she breathed.
    I started to nod, then realized that probably wasn’t a good idea. Instead, I kept my mouth on her chest as I shifted her and reached into my back pocket for my wallet. I might not have had sex since Leighton, but that hadn't meant I hadn't kept myself prepared. The celibacy hadn't been intentional.
    I tore open the wrapper and reached between us to free my cock. I was almost painfully hard now and the sensation of my fingers rolling the latex over my throbbing shaft was almost too much. I really hoped she was close or this was going to be embarrassing.
    “Are you sure?” I asked before I took hold of her hips.
    She looked down at me, her hazel eyes darkened to nearly brown. “Yes.”
    I nodded and eased her down onto me. She was tight and wet, and oh so hot. I closed my eyes, forcing myself to take it slow. I remembered an old trick my brothers told me about once and started mentally