Page 18 of Hearts Under Fire

She lowered her mouth from Kate’s pussy long enough to say, “Yes, baby, ride my face while you come.” Then she went back to lapping at Kate’s clit.

Tremors overtook Kate’s body, and she cried out and ground into Alexis’s mouth. She sucked hard on Alexis’s clit and readjusted her fingers to press her G-spot. Soon, Alexis was moaning into Kate’s pussy, and Kate felt the beginning twitches of her body as she came undone.

They lay there together, naked and slick with sweat, gasping, moaning, and writhing until their bodies finally stopped shaking.

Kate repositioned herself, still straddling Alexis but chest to chest. Mouth to mouth. She lowered her mouth to take Alexis’s lips in a kiss, tasting salty sweat and sex and that earthy unmistakable taste of Alexis that she just couldn’t resist. She kneaded one of her breasts gently, circling her thumb over one of Alexis’s nipples. Kate tried to remember the last time she’d had sex that had felt like that. Shocked, she realized she’d never had sex so raw, passionate, or deeply emotional. Not even with Lorelei. The idea lodged itself in Kate’s heart as she drifted off to sleep with her head pressed against Alexis’s heart.

She was falling in love with Alexis.

Chapter 6

Alexis

The sandstorm had come and kept them pinned down for ten hours. The wind whipped and howled, the sky darkened by the flowing wall of sand. Alexis had slept through most of it, but had watched some of it in awe, wondering how such insane things happened.

By the time the storm was over and the dust had settled, the sun, which had been up for hours, illuminated the world again. Movement in daylight would be tantamount to suicide. Alexis had woken up about an hour before the storm had died and had kept watch over Kate’s sleeping form. They’d have to stay until the sun went down anyway, so Kate needed to sleep while she had the opportunity.

What she’d said to Kate hours before had been the truth. Alexis actively avoided strong attachments to anyone but purely platonic friends. As a result of this, most of her friends were men. Fear had kept her from getting too close to someone romantically, and Alexis wondered if she could push that fear aside for Kate.

Since she’d lost her aunt, Alexis had written off relationships. The single, casual sex lifestyle she had was the only kind ofromance she knew. Alexis wasn’t even sure she knew how to be in a relationship.

There was no denying the feelings that had snuck in. Kate was like a drug, and she’d become addicted to her the moment they’d met. Alexis just hadn’t known it at the time. Now she was faced with the decision of allowing herself to be vulnerable and at Kate’s mercy. It was terrifying, thinking of giving that part of herself to someone—although she wasn’t sure she’dgivenher heart to Kate. It was more like Kate had snuck in, a thief in the night, and stolen it right out of her chest.

Alexis couldn’t deny that Kate seemed the best person who could ever have stolen her heart. If Kate could find a way to trust Alexis, even with her reputation of being a player, then the least Alexis could do was try.

They may not even make it out of there alive, and Alexis couldn’t imagine the agony of making it safely to the extraction if Kate weren’t with her. She couldn’t let Kate die in the goddamned desert.

Deep down, Alexis had always believed she’d die in a place like this. Deployed on some suicide mission in a dessert hellhole. It made her long to see forests, mountains, and lakes again. The green was a special type of peace that a person missed, particularly when facing death around every corner in a sandbox. But she couldn’t let Kate suffer the same fate. She still had healing to do and a life to live. If it was at all within Alexis’s control, she’d get Kate to the extraction point alive and in one piece. Then, she’d spend the rest of her life trying to convince Kate that she could trust Alexis and would treat Kate the way she deserved from a partner. She wanted to spoil her rotten and push away both women’s sadness and loneliness.

Was she capable of it? Capable of loving one woman forever? Alexis didn’t know, but she did know that for Kate Cross, she wanted to try.

Deep voices echoed down the alley to their left, and Alexis backed slowly and silently into the basement, positioning herself with the best sightline to take out any intruders but still keeping herself between the stairs and Kate. She flicked off the safety, started her breathing routine, and waited.

Breathe in for four seconds, then hold for four, she thought to herself. Alexis slowly exhaled through pursed lips like she was blowing through a straw, then started the loop again. She repeated it as the sounds of men speaking grew louder. Alexis knew a little Arabic, and she understood basic Kurdish, at least enough to get directions and order a beer. She couldn’t understand a single phrase of what was being said, and she figured they were speaking Arabic or one of the other languages common in the Syrian/Iraqi border. Their voices were casual with happy inflections. Alexis was pretty sure they had no idea she and Kate were hiding mere feet from them.

Shadows passed over the doorway to the building, but they kept moving, not stopping to do a search. Alexis moved silently toward the staircase and watched the men pass, identifying four different men, all carrying some type of weapon. Most had rifles or machine guns. Alexis rolled her eyes and tracked their path, curious to see if she could follow their prints in the sand later.

The men's voices faded away as they left the area. Alexis kept her ears open and guarded the staircase like a statue until the sun started to set.

When the sun started its descent, the rhythm of Kate’s breathing changed. She was waking up, and Alexis retreated back into the basement. Her bag sat near Kate at the far wall, and she searched through it as Kate began to stir. Alexis grabbed an M.R.E., pulled it out of her pack, and set it and the remainder of their water next to Kate.

After deploying several times, getting stuck in the desert, and going without meals for a while, Alexis had grown used tobeing nauseated when she was in the desert. Not eating wouldn’t bother her for at least another day. If everything went according to plan, they’d be out of there before then.

She was used to living like this. Kate wasn’t.

Shuffling sounds emanated from behind her, and Alexis heard Kate wake up and search for her clothes in the semi-darkness. A smile grew on Alexis’s face, but she kept her gaze trained on the entrance, determined not to let thoughts of Kate dressing distract her from guard duty. Plastic crinkled and tore, and Kate’s soft groan echoed through the darkness.

“Thank you for the food.” Kate’s voice came from behind her, and Alexis turned to find her in a t-shirt and panties, her hair tumbling down past her shoulders.

Nearly swallowing her own tongue, Alexis nodded at her. “No problem.” She returned to her watch and felt Kate approach from behind. She pressed her head into Alexis’s back and wrapped her arms around her waist.

“I really want a shower,” Kate grumbled into Alexis’s back.

Alexis chuckled, “Me too. Soon enough. The sun will be down soon and we will get out of here. Go finish eating.”

Kate turned on her heel and did as she was told.

When the sun had gone down completely and the street was quiet, Alexis led them back onto the street and down the alley they’d turned in from last night. She surveyed the different alleyways and turned them south again along a different path. The streets were still littered with obstructions. Cars, boxes, and rubble from nearby buildings were strewn everywhere, making the path difficult to traverse.