Grey Skies - A Military Romance (Complete)

Grey Skies: Chapter 3

Hi all. D. L. Croisette here. Popping in with a thanks for reading and a warning. Usually my stories are slow to heat up but as you may have guessed by reading the first two chapters, Sophie and Max are set to give in to their desires.  Hopefully there's some good character insights here but this chapter and the next contain adult content.

As the sun sank, the blue sky had morphed from azure to twilight to navy. Sophie stood at the edge of the lawn with the other partygoers and waited for the show to start. Unlike from her apartment in Washington, or where she grew up in New York, out here on the outskirts of Bridgetown, one could see stars at night. Tiny diamonds dotting the sky.

The view reminded her of a fairy-tale her mother had read to her as a child. The story of Gyeonu and Jiknyeo who loved each other but lived on opposite sides of the universe. Jikneyo first saw Gyeone when she looked out the window and saw him in the Milky Way, but the King didn't approve of their union and separated them in the sky. Like the lovers, Sophie sometimes wished once a year the birds would create a bridge so she could meet the man she loved again. What she wouldn't give for one more hug.

Sophie rubbed her arms. The slight buzz she'd kept going most of the afternoon was beginning to wear off. She considered going inside for another when a tall glass appeared before her. Attached to a manly hand. Attached to a forearm with ridges and fine hairs. A strong shoulder. A familiar face outlined against the star-lit sky.

Max.

The blood pumping organ inside her betrayed her thoughts, accelerating at the sight of him.

The low rumble of his voice eliminated out of the murky darkness. "Thought you might like a refill."

"Thanks." As she took the glass, her fingers brushed against his and electricity trickled up her arm, a reminder her dry spell had gone on too long. Typically, she'd scratch the itch of male companionship by heading to a bar on 18th Street in the city. Since the wedding she'd had a drink or two at a few of her favourite spots, but left early and always alone.

Out on the darkened lawn, something popped and Sophie jumped.

"Only a firework." Max whispered in her ear.

A streak of light flared up, a thin track of stardust following the trail. There was a moment of silence and then a flash as the ball exploded into a thousand shimmering balls, desperate to return to earth. Red, white, and blue paraded in front of them in a grand display of pride. People clapped and cheered.

Max whistled so loudly Sophie had to cover her ears.

"Sorry." His hand landed on the small of her back, like a fiery brand saying you're mine. And if she had any say, tonight she definitely would be.

Eyes to the sky, she leaned into the warmth of him, her arm settling into the groove in the center of his chest, their cheeks so close it would take the smallest movement to touch. Through the thin cotton of her dress, goosebumps formed as his hand glided across her waist and locked on to her hipbone. Above, sparklers of white filled the sky and his thumb slowly grazed over her hip, like it had during their dance at the wedding.

Back and forth.

One tender stroke after another.

Back and forth.

Steady pressure, like a promise.

Back and forth.

I've got you.

Certainly that wasn't what his caress meant, but she indulged in the fantasy. This was always the best part. Okay, not the best. Sex could be amazing, and she was willing to bet, no find out, just how good the physical would be with Max. But this, the anticipation building inside her chest, the moments before anything happened, when everything was a possibility, this sensation of the barest of his touches before she discovered his habit that would eventually annoy her, this was delicious.