A Soldier’s Passion Read online

  That got me his most beautiful smile. “We could make out on your desk.”

  That made me swallow hard. I didn’t dare look at him. We’d be wrapped around a telephone pole.

  “Settle, love. Not while I’m driving.”

  “Yes, sir,” he replied huskily. I could hear him smiling.

  We were somber by the time we reached Central Command though we were greeted with great enthusiasm from everyone at the base. My squad was in the bullpen save for Raden. Like Vincent, he was seldom at his desk. Thankfully Maximilian was hulking over his desk.

  “Lt. Remak, would you get Raden here ASAP. I have an announcement to make. After you make the call, would you and Major Maximilian come to my office?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Inside the office, I looked at the neatly piled reports on the desk. My heart grew lighter than it was at the realization that I didn’t have to deal with any of it. My lover was looking around my office with an odd expression. He looked at me tenderly.

  “You were really living out of here, weren’t you?” He said softly. “You weren’t doing this when I left.”

  I felt myself flush. “Didn’t seem right to be comfortable at home...”

  “While I was gone...” Vincent said. “It wasn’t your fault.”

  “You were on my squad and lost on my watch,” I replied hoarsely. “I couldn’t let it go.”

  “It’s okay. You brought me home,” he replied with a soft smile. “I’ll take care of you now.”

  I smiled at him, but was thwarted from touching him by a knock on the door.

  “Come,” I said.

  I expected Vincent to sit on my desk, but he stood beside me, and to my complete surprise, put a hand on my shoulder as Remak and Maximilian entered.

  “Please, have a seat,” I began. “I wanted to talk to you before the rumor mill took over. Due to complications in our personal lives, Major Greven and I are retiring from the military effective immediately.”

  “But what will you do, sir?” Maximilian asked. “You are both too young for inactivity.”

  “We will still participate in exercises and training, but primarily, we will be working for a new Foundation for Altereds Development and Research,” I explained. “The Benefactors behind the project will permit me to take two from the squad aside from Vincent. I would like to take you both with us.”

  “Sir! Thank you,” Remak said.

  Maximilian’s eyes were huge. Then, his lip trembled. “You honor me beyond words, sir. It’s been a Maximilian family tradition to forge new paths.”

  “O-kay. Well, you will have to go through routine separation from duty. By the time that period is over, the Foundation will be set up and running. In the meanwhile, I want to meet with you weekly to discuss our plans.”

  “Yes, sir,” they replied.

  “And please keep all of this to yourselves,” I added.

  “Absolutely,” Maximilian said. “And may I congratulate you both.”

  Vincent tightened my hand on my shoulder as my mouth dropped open.

  “Huh?” We both asked.

  “There was always so much passion between you both,” he said with a smile.

  Remak stood. “I’ll let you know when Raden returns.”

  “Are we that obvious?” Vincent asked after they departed.

  “I think Maximilian is more perceptive than most,” I replied. “Come here.”

  I pulled Vincent onto my lap and held him close as he pressed his face against my neck. I turned the chair toward the window, so we wouldn’t be seen.

  “I needed this,” he murmured.

  “Hmmm. I thought it was just me.”

  We held each other in silence for a blessed five minutes before there was another knock at the door.

  It took a mere five minutes more to tell my squad of over six years that we were retiring. There were not many questions. Perhaps that was because they would still be seeing me fairly often. Perhaps it was because they had felt my detachment some time ago. They wished us luck and promised to throw a lewd party at some point. There was nothing to do but return to my office to move out some of my things.

  We had just piled a number of my personal belongings on the couch when the door slammed open and closed leaving what looked to be a furious Jenn Saxl in the room.

  “It’s bad enough that you drag Vincent into your twisted games,” she snarled. “You have to have Bobby, too?”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Vincent bristled. “Nobody dragged me anywhere. I went to him on my own.”

  “Like you had a choice,” she spat. “This...pervert...has controlled you since you were a kid.”

  I was spared snorting out loud at that by my lover’s derisive retort.

  “If you think that about our past, you weren’t paying close attention,” Vincent all but shouted in a full-blown Greven tantrum. “He never laid a hand on me that way until two weeks ago. Fuck, I was twenty-fucking-one before I was ever kissed!”

  Jenn had sense enough to cower a little in the face of that fury. The room was crackling with his power.

  “But why does Bobby have to be involved?” she demanded.

  “Rik and I became his legal guardians today to protect him,” Vincent snarled. “He’s manifested.”

  Jenn gasped. A lot of wind was taken from her sails. “How can either of you protect him when you’re part of the military?”

  “We retired effective today,” Vincent said. His own anger subsided as the threat to me lessened. “We need to keep him close until he decides what he wants to do.”

  Vincent’s voice was normal, but I knew he was an emotionally worn and trembling.

  “Enough,” I said quietly.

  My lover looked lost without anger to fuel him. I took him in my arms and held him tight. His arms nearly crushed me. Jenn was riveted on us as I wordlessly comforted him.

  “I am so sorry that this has upset you,” I said to her as I gently stroked Vincent’s hair. “This should have been handled more delicately. We wanted to do this differently. But know this, Vincent is who I live for. I will protect him and make a place for his loved ones in our lives. Ms. Saxl, Jenn, rejecting them will hurt them deeply and yourself as well.”

  Jenn sank onto a free space on the sofa and began to cry softly. Vincent pulled away from me to kneel in front of her.

  “I’m sorry, Jenn,” he whispered. His voice was hoarse from shouting. “I knew how you felt, but it was hard to say anything. I’m lousy at this stuff...and I didn’t want to hurt you. That’s the last thing I wanted.”

  “Good job, genius,” she quipped between sniffs.

  She was quiet for a moment. “At least you’re back to normal – temper and all.”

  Vincent chuckled. “I’m sure Rik is thrilled to see that.”

  I snorted and went back to filling boxes.

  “I’m sorry, too,” Jenn said. “I just saw Bobby’s empty room and realized you’d both be gone. I freaked and now...I’ve outted you to the squad.”

  Vincent shrugged. “It was going to be all over Central command by this afternoon when the Generals get our retirement letter.”

  “And we weren’t planning to hide it,” I added easily.

  Jenn relaxed for a few seconds, and then she flushed bright red. “Oh God. We were yelling about Bobby manifesting. He won’t be safe!”

  “He’s fine. That school is locked up tighter than a bank vault,” Vincent said. “And we dropped off the guardianship paperwork with them. Nobody can pick him up but us.”

  “Besides, if I know my Lieutenant, the squad didn’t hear most of that,” I said, opening the door.

  As I expected, Remak was alone in the bullpen.

  “Thank you, Ouida,” I said.

  “Not at all, sir. If I may, Miss Saxl and I would like to go to lunch,” she said.

  Jenn looked up then smiled. “Yes, I would like that.”

  “Will you come see as at home?” Vincent asked. There was a plea in his
voice.

  “Yes...yes, I will,” she said softly. “Bye, Vincent...Colonel.”

  I shut the door, and found I had Vincent in my arms. His head tilted back and his lips parted. I couldn’t help but kiss him deeply and slowly. He clung to me humming his pleasure.

  “Thank you for protecting me,” I whispered above his lips.

  “I live for you, too,” he murmured, kissing me again. It was a sweet, tender kiss. “I want to go home. We should be napping or something.”

  “I want that, too...especially the or something,” I replied with a smile. “But we have to get your brother and his furniture.”

  “Let’s have an expensive lunch then,” he sighed.

  8

  Either the rumor mill was slower than the norm, or no one really cared about our relationship. No one paid any undue attention to our departure. Then again, even if they did object, Vincent Greven was still Hardcase and I could still incinerate anything or anyone from 30 paces. I didn’t think anyone on the base was enough of a zealot to take that on.

  We stopped at the library en route to lunch to present Miss Krause with a bouquet of flowers and a box of delicate pastries. We’d never seen that woman smile that big. She looked like she was going to cry. We beat a hasty retreat in fear of hugging and or kissing.

  I took Vincent to a French Brasserie I’d long wanted to visit. We asked for a secluded table and privacy. The lovely hostess smiled at us a great deal and promised we wouldn’t be disturbed. We were seated in a lovely alcove that had a view of a pretty herb garden. There was a small hearth with an inviting fire that gave the room a cozy glow. It was a room for lovers.

  Vincent whistled at the room. He smiled at me when we sat down.

  “Nice place, Colonel,” he said softly. “You won’t be taking me for granted, I see.”

  “Never,” I replied. “How’s the menu?”

  “Very nice...if the ingredients are fresh, it’ll be amazing,” he said. “Let me order for us.”

  “I am in your hands.”

  “I really like the sound of that,” he said with a wicked chuckle.

  Fortunately, our server arrived. He was a career man with the usual distain for his customers. But my beautiful lover soon brought an expression of respect to his face. Vincent ordered quickly from appetizers to dessert with proper beverages with perfect pronunciation. The waiter left with an enthusiastic ‘very good, sir.’ Soon we had a chilled carafe of spring water and a smaller carafe of crisp, white wine.

  “Hmmm. This is nice,” I said after a sip of my wine.

  “Yeah...but I still miss the nap,” Vincent replied.

  “That’s why I’m glad about the private quarters at the Foundation,” I said enjoying his golden eyes in the firelight. “There will be times when everything gets to be too much or I just miss your skin. We can take some time and indulge.”

  “Make sure there’s a big sofa.”

  “And a big tub...with a whirlpool.”

  “Now, you’re talking.”

  The meal was as Vincent promised – simple, well made and with ingredients that had to have been purchased that morning. They didn’t rush bringing each course. There was time to savor. I also savored Vincent’s expression as he enjoyed the meal.

  “I’ll need a fresh pair of pants when you have dessert,” I said with a sigh.

  “You are a complete pervert.”

  “Pot, kettle, brat.”

  Almost two hours passed by the time we had our coffees and small brandies. We’d split an incredibly rich mousse. I was so relaxed it felt like we’d had that nap. Vincent looked serene and beautiful. And then my angel spoke.

  “Let’s get my hose head brother,” he said.

  Somehow that made me love him all the more.

  ***

  Shopping with the Grevens was as exhausting as any of my battle campaigns. There was something about them being together with a shopping cart that caused them to revert to young boys. Fortunately, our newfound fame made for excellent customer service. It took a few hours, be we managed to get Bobby’s room properly furnished. The manager guaranteed delivery by noon the next day. I was also persuaded to get the TV, stereo and a computer. Then there was the cell phones with two way radio capacity and a panic button. I also bought a camera. Two sets of big Greven eyes are hard on a bank account. I understood the need for linens and curtains. I’m still not sure why he needed new clothes. Then, there was Vincent losing his mind in house wares. There was barely room in the car for the three of us.

  The whole long ordeal was worth it when I finally had my lover alone and naked in our bed. We shared long, searching kisses while our hands moved over warm, smooth skin. We made love slowly and gently until we had to climax. Then, it was intense. We moaned our release into a fierce kiss. Vincent held me closely afterward.

  “I’m scared sometimes, Rik. It seemed for so long that I wasn’t meant to be happy at all. I sometimes think I’m not meant to be this happy,” he murmured. “I can’t lose this.”

  I rolled him over so I could look into his eyes. They were full of concern. “Not to be morbid, love, but if we are pulled apart, it will be when we’re dead. Then, we won’t care.”

  Vincent smiled at me.

  “Besides, you always get your way.”

  “Damn right,” he replied. “But let’s develop those new skills.”

  “We’ll start tomorrow.”

  “I’m being goofy, aren’t I?”

  “You’re right to be concerned,” I said. “Someone will try something. We have to remember we’re in combat and not let our guard down.”

  I kissed him for a long moment. Vincent clung to me like he never wanted to let go. It took a long and tender embrace before I felt him relax enough to end that kiss.

  “Feel better?” I asked.

  “Yeah. Sorry to flake.”

  “I’ve never been wanted this much. Don’t be sorry,” I replied after another kiss. “We’ve earned our happiness, love. Heaven help anyone who gets into our way.”

  ***

  After breakfast, we dropped Bobby off at school then warned our neighbors about the day of deliveries and workmen. I had hired contractors who often worked for Special Forces. They could fortify and alarm a structure in twelve hours or less. The estimate for our house was six to install automatic shutters, motion sensors, and heat sensitive alarms. We needed something that a stray animal wouldn’t set off and yet it could catch a stealthy intruder.

  I kept an eye on the workmen while Vincent supervised the arrival and assembly of the furniture. The excellent customer service continued with the deliveries. It was probably curiosity more than anything else that kept the delivery guys around long enough to unpack the boxes and take away the debris. Some asked a few innocuous questions. There was a lot of furtive looking about. I think they found it odd that everything seemed so normal. Still, they gave us great service, so I tipped them well.

  Lunch brought an unexpected visitor. The workmen were to be gone for an hour and a half, so I was surprised to hear a vehicle pull into our driveway. I looked out the door and found General Braun getting out of his impressive sedan. I found myself saluting out of reflex.

  “At ease,” Braun said. He actually smiled. “There is no need to stand on ceremony now.”

  I nodded then led the way inside. Vincent was looking at the general with a combination of curiosity and concern. I stood behind him, placing my hands on his shoulders.

  “My apologies for interrupting your meal,” the general began. “I won’t be long.”

  “What can we do for you, sir?” I asked.

  “Brigadier General Zumwald presented an irrefutable case for your retirement, but I wanted to know if you felt ill-used by Joint Command,” he said. “Will we have an adversary in you and this Foundation?”

  “Not adversaries, sir. We’ll be allies. We want to make the program better with stronger, more stable Altereds,” I said emphatically.

  “Then why retire? You could wo
rk on a special project like that on the inside,” Braun said.

  “You know how the military works, sir. You know how resistant Command is to change and how unwilling they are to commit resources to the untried,” I replied. “We’ve found the resources to test theories, but will still be under your oversight and verification.”

  “You could have been part of that oversight with your commission,” he insisted. “We would have worked it out to keep you both. You know how valuable you are.”