Until Her Smile: Happily Ever Alpha World Read online

  “Thanks. Some deployments have definitely left their marks. Some outwardly, but mostly inward. No soldier can actually prepare for an active war zone. It doesn’t matter how much training you’ve gone through, there’s nothing like it until you actually get over there and are thrust into that environment.”

  “I can only imagine. How have you dealt with the effects? And feel free to tell me to mind my own business if I ask something you don’t want to talk about. I won’t take it personally,” I assure him.

  “No worries, gorgeous. I’ve got nothing to hide. My first deployment was when I was twenty-one. I was still so green behind the ears, even though I thought I was this hotshot. Not even twenty-four hours after arriving at our remote base, we were attacked. I watched guys die right in front of my face and froze when I saw the first body drop. One of my commanding officers got up in my face and quickly snapped me out of it. It took weeks for me to get a full night’s sleep after that. Every little noise had me jumping out of my bunk and ready to attack. We lost a lot of good men and women in that deployment, and it forever changed my life.

  “When I returned home, I was a mess. My dad convinced me to go see someone to get some help. After a good amount of time seeing a counselor, I was able to work through the PTSD and sleeping issues I was having. I still have things that creep up occasionally, but for the most part, I’ve overcome most of my triggers. The longer I’ve been in the military, the more I’ve learned to compartmentalize things. I’ve learned how to cope better with the things I can’t control. Many guys can’t do that and the effects last a lifetime.

  “That’s not to say that things won’t ever return for me. My counselor has warned me that I could go years feeling just fine and then something could change, which could trigger my PTSD. The biggest thing is just knowing the signs that I’m spiraling and knowing when I need to ask for help.”

  “I’m glad that you were able to get the help you needed. I’ve heard such horror stories of military personnel returning from war and not getting the support and assistance they need.”

  “That is definitely a big issue. Some don’t think they need it, but there is also this huge stigma against mental health, and I think that’s the biggest issue. So many people deal with mental health issues, not just those in the military, yet it’s the elephant in the room, so to speak. So many states are cutting funding for mental health services when in reality, we need to be putting more money into those services and reaching out to those that need it the most.”

  “I completely agree with you on those points. It is just sad to know so many people aren’t getting the help they need.”

  He squeezes my hand and gives me a smile. “It really is, but enough talk about all that. What do you like to do for fun? I know you told me the other night that you like to go out dancing, but what else?” he asks, taking a drink of his beer.

  “I don’t even know anymore!” I laugh. “I’ve been so busy that I find I haven’t had much free time the past year or so. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t trade the success we’ve had for anything, but I’m also looking forward to slowing down just a little bit. I’ve got a vacation planned to see my family over Thanksgiving and I might go back for Christmas. I hate missing the big holidays, especially being around my niece on Christmas. Experiencing that excitement through her eyes is just something else. I can’t even explain it, you just have to be there to understand it.”

  “Sounds fun. I’ve never been around a little kid at Christmas time.”

  “Really?”

  “Nope. Only child, so no siblings or nieces or nephews to spend the holidays with.”

  “Who do you usually spend the holidays with?”

  “If I can, I’ll come see my dad, or he’s come to me over the years. I’ve only been stationed nearby for a little while. Other years, I was deployed or stationed overseas. When deployed, they provided a special meal when possible on the holidays. Traditional Thanksgiving feast on Thanksgiving, another big meal for Christmas.”

  “I’ve seen the images on TV when they show the different bases around the world during the football games and such on holidays. Glad to know that those serving our country are being taken care of.”

  “It’s not all bad. We make the best out of a not always great situation.”

  “If you could travel to anywhere in the world, where would you go?” I ask.

  “If money wasn’t an issue, the Maldives Islands. Or a tour around all the countries in Europe for a couple months. What about you? Where would you go?”

  “Anywhere! I love to travel. Europe has always been on my bucket list, but also places like Australia and New Zealand. Bora Bora or the Maldives Islands would also be amazing to travel to. My parents went to Thailand and Vietnam for a trip a few years ago and had a fantastic time. The pictures from their trip were stunning. Oh, I’d also love to go to Iceland! The pictures that I’ve seen online are just breathtakingly beautiful. Basically, I’d go pretty much anywhere.”

  Peyton smiles at me from across the table, then laughs. “Sounds like someone is itching to travel.”

  “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve pulled up a travel website and planned out an entire vacation. Just never had anyone to go with or couldn’t afford to go or, ya know, life. If I’m going to go on a once-in-a-lifetime trip, I want to have enough time to enjoy it. I don’t want to be rushed. No sense in flying halfway across the world to only spend three days. It would take longer to get there and back than you’d have to explore. Not to mention how jet lagged you’d be.”

  “I completely understand. I’ve been fortunate enough to see some amazing places while I’ve been stationed around the world. Any long weekends I’d get when stationed in Japan would be spent out exploring the area as much as I could.”

  “That’s so cool. How long were you stationed there?”

  “Just under three years.”

  “So cool,” I say again.

  “It was one of my favorite bases to be stationed at so far.”

  We both finish up our food and drink, and our server clears the table. A few minutes later, she reappears with the check and Peyton gives her his card before I can offer to split the bill with him.

  “Ready to go find some music and get to dancing?” he asks, standing and offering his hand to me.

  “Ready.” I take his hand as I stand up. He pulls me close to him and drops a chaste kiss to my lips.

  “I’ve been wanting to do that since we got here,” he says, before pulling back.

  “Hmm...you should have said something sooner. Next time, we’ll have to sit next to each other and you can kiss me whenever you want.”

  “I like the sound of that,” he replies, dropping another kiss to my lips before leading me out of the restaurant and down the stairs to the bar area.

  Chapter Seven

  Peyton

  We make it down to the bar and dance floor level and find a band setting up on stage.

  “Do you know them?” I ask, pointing to the stage.

  “They don’t look familiar.”

  “Do you want to stay here and see what they’ve got going on, or head somewhere else?”

  “I’m good with either. Most bars are going to have live music tonight, and most start around eight, so no matter where we go, it’ll be starting up in the next half hour or so.”

  “How about another drink?” I offer, pointing toward the bar.

  “Sounds good.”

  “What can I get for you?”

  “Hmmm… How about a vodka cranberry.”

  “Coming right up,” I tell her as I lead us over to the bar and flag down a bartender.

  “What can I get the two of you?” he asks once he reaches us.

  “A vodka cranberry for the lady and I’ll take a Blue Moon.”

  “Coming right up. Twenty-four ounce on the beer?”

  “Sounds good,” I confirm as I reach into my back pocket and pull out my wallet. I hand him a twenty and tell him to keep the cha
nge before handing Stacey her drink and grabbing mine from the bar top. We wander to the edge of the dance floor and find a tall table to gather around while we wait for the band to start. The dance floor already has people out on it, dancing to the music the DJ is playing to keep them entertained.

  “Next round is on me,” Stacey tells me, once we’re settled at the table.

  “Not going to happen, gorgeous,” I tell her, having to lean in and place my lips next to her ear so she can hear me over the noise. “Plus, this is my last one of the night. I need to be able to drive later. I’ve got to get you home safe and I can’t do that if I’m tipsy or drunk.”

  “Good plan. I’ll be done after this one, as well. I don’t usually drink much, so I’ve already drank more tonight than I usually do.”

  “Don’t quit on my account,” I tell her. “I want you to enjoy yourself. Let loose tonight.”

  “Oh, I’m enjoying myself,” she says, biting her lower lip. My dick hardens in my jeans at that, and all I want to do is bite it myself. I bring my thumb to her lip, pulling it from her teeth, then drop my mouth to hers.

  “Mine,” I growl against them before kissing her hard. She wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me tighter to her. I swallow a moan, only knowing about it from the vibration it created.

  I kiss her until I hear someone nearby shout out, “Get a room!”

  We break apart, both laughing as we take in our surroundings. I guess we got a little carried away.

  “Ready to hit the dance floor?” I ask before taking another swallow of my beer.

  “Absolutely,” she says, draining the last bit in her small glass.

  “Let me just finish this off and then we can get out there,” I tell her, eyeing my half a glass.

  “While you do that, I’m going to hit up the ladies’ room. Be back in just a couple minutes, depending on how long the line is.”

  “I’ll be right here, waiting,” I assure her, dropping a quick peck to her lips before she walks away.

  I watch the crowd while she’s gone as I work on finishing my beer. It takes her about ten minutes to return, and by the time she does, I’ve drained my beer and am ready to hit the dance floor.

  I wouldn’t say dancing is high on my list of things I enjoy, or am any good at, but when a beautiful woman tells you it’s her favorite thing to do, you make it happen.

  We find an open space out on the floor just as “Speechless” by Dan+Shay starts to play. I pull Stacey in close to my body, gripping her hips as she laces her arms around my neck. I bring my face to the crook of her neck and just breathe her in. Her perfume fills my lungs as I breathe in deeper, loving the way her body feels against my own. There’s no hiding the effect she has on my body as my dick hardens between the two of us.

  We sway together to the song as I do my best to keep my breathing normal. Having her pressed up so close to my body has me strung tighter than ever. About halfway through the song, I place a kiss over her pulse and watch as her skin pebbles under my lips. I feel the shudder that rolls down her body beneath my fingertips. I bring my lips back to her neck, placing open mouthed kisses up the column of her neck, watching the same reaction happen with each one I place. I trail my lips along her jawline, then back down to her collarbone and up the other side of her neck. Once I reach her ear, I pull it between my teeth, scraping it ever so lightly. I can feel her trembling in my hands and know she’s as turned on as I am in this moment.

  “Tell me what you need tonight,” I rasp into her ear.

  “Y-You,” she answers.

  “You sure?” I ask for clarification.

  “Never surer of anything in my life,” she tells me with lust-filled eyes staring back at me.

  I drop my lips to her skin, needing another taste. She’s quickly become an addiction. My own personal drug.

  “You want to stay here or get out of here?” I ask. We’ve hardly made it through one song and I’m ready to blow this place for somewhere a little more private.

  “Either works for me,” she says, biting that lip again.

  “You’re in charge here,” I tell her. “We leave when you want to go.”

  She looks around us, her lip still between her teeth. “I’d like to stay just a little bit longer, if you don’t mind. I was really looking forward to hearing the music and dancing.”

  “No rush. We can stay as late as you want,” I assure her.

  The next song picks up tempo and we get lost in the music. About fifteen minutes later, the DJ introduces the band and they kick off their set. We listen and dance along to the majority of their set, only stopping once to grab a couple glasses of water to rehydrate.

  “Once this song ends, I’ll be ready to go, if you’re good with that.” Stacey leans back against my chest. We’ve been standing here with her back to my front for the last couple songs as we watch the band perform.

  “I’m ready whenever you are.” We sway together for the remainder of the song, then she turns in my arms and plants her lips against mine.

  “Let’s go,” she says against my lips before we can get too caught up in the kiss.

  “After you.” I link our fingers together, and she leads us off the dance floor and to the doors. Back out on the sidewalk, the crowd is a little thicker now that it’s getting later and more people are downtown for the bar scene.

  We wander our way back down to the parking lot. I open Stacey’s door, helping her up into my truck before I climb in on my side. I start the truck and after pulling out of the lot, I reach over and link our hands back together, settling them on her thigh. The thigh that is making my mouth water as her dress rides up a little higher with her sitting down.

  “Did you have fun?” I ask, as we pull onto the highway.

  “So much fun! How about you?”

  “I did. Thanks for making it that way. I’ve never been much of a dancer. The band was pretty good.”

  “They were! There are so many talented musicians in this town. It’s pretty hard to go to a bar and not have some talent up on the stage. The big bars downtown are pretty competitive to get the gigs, so you won’t usually get a bad night of music because of that. The bands that make it to those stages usually end up on the radio at some point.”

  “That’s pretty cool.”

  “It is. I’ve met quite a few singers and bands who’ve come up the ranks through the Nashville bar scene.”

  “Have you ever thought of singing?”

  “Nope, I’m not one for the stage. I’d rather stay behind the scenes. I’d get too much stage fright.”

  “Nothing wrong with that.”

  “Nope, and I’m living out my dreams.”

  “Good for you. Not many people can say that.”

  “How many more days do you have in town?”

  “A week. I have to head back next Sunday. I’m due back to work that Monday morning.”

  “Okay,” she says, sinking further into her seat. “Have you made plans with your dad or any of your friends while you’re here?”

  “Nothing concrete. My buddy, Cash, wants to get together, and I want to get some more ink done by Ethan while I’m here.”

  “Cash Manson?” she asks.

  “The one and only. Do you know him?”

  “Yes. What a small world. I’ve been friends with his wife, Lilly, for a while now. I met them through Cam and Ethan, actually.”

  “It is a small world. They’re great people.”

  “They are, and their kids are just the cutest.”

  “I haven’t seen the kids in a long ass time, so I’ll have to take your word for it.”

  We discuss random things while we drive back to Stacey’s place. Traffic is much lighter this time of night, so we make the drive in about twenty minutes verses the forty-five it took getting downtown earlier.

  I pull into the same spot as before and hop out of my truck, walking around to help her out. I close the door and then slide my hands along her hips, holding her between me and the truck.

/>   “I had a great time tonight.”

  “Me too, but you know the night doesn’t have to end now,” she says, biting that fucking lip again. My dick swells in my jeans once again at the thought of more. More time with her, more moments, more everything. The amount of time I want to spend with her should concern me, but truth be told, I don’t want to be anywhere except right here, right now.

  “I know,” I reply, not breaking eye contact.

  “Would you like to come inside, Peyton?”

  “More than anything,” I tell her honestly.

  Stacey pushes up on her toes and plants a kiss on my cheek. “Then let’s go inside,” she whispers in my ear before pushing against my chest and slipping out of my hold. I watch as she takes a few steps away and then follow her like the lost little puppy I am.

  She fumbles with her keys slightly before finally unlocking her door. I slide up behind her, pressing my front against her back, then grab the handle before she does to stop her before we move forward.

  “Before we go inside, I just want to make sure you know that I don’t have any expectations as to what’s going to happen inside. You’re in control here.” I need her to understand where I’m at. I’d gladly strip every inch of clothing off the both of us as soon as that door clicks shut, but I’ll also be happy just talking to her and stealing a few kisses before it’s time for me to leave.

  “I know. I wouldn’t be inviting you in if I didn’t feel safe with you.”

  At her answer, I twist the handle and open the door to her condo. I follow her in, shutting the door behind us, and flip the lock as soon as the door clicks shut.

  Stacey hangs her small purse up on the hook near her door and kicks off her cowboy boots. “Would you like anything to drink? Eat?” she asks as I watch her.

  “What do you have to drink?”

  “Let me check,” she says, stepping into her kitchen and opening the fridge. “I’ve got a couple beers, an open bottle of wine, and some sodas, or a bottle of water.”