The American Soldier Collection 11: Mending Hearts (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) Read online

  “I’m impressed.”

  “Wait until you taste it. But how about a drink first?” Gator asked.

  Geno released her, and Jaxon was there to take her hand and bring it to his lips. He kissed her knuckles, and she smiled. “Sure. What do you have?”

  “A glass of wine good?” Jaxon asked her.

  “Perfect.”

  He released her hand, and Gabe stood there staring at her. It was an intense moment, and Gator wondered what would happen as the others stood there watching. Alana shocked them when she stepped closer and held out her hand to shake Gabe’s.

  “Nice to see you, Gabe. I see you’re still a whiz in the kitchen.”

  Gabe looked at her hand and then at her body.

  “And you’re still as beautiful as ever.”

  The air was so thick you could cut a knife through it, and Gabe moved to the side, avoiding any physical contact with her whatsoever. But Gator wasn’t stupid. Alana got to Gabe just like the rest of them. She would be theirs. He would bet his life on that.

  * * * *

  Alana was relieved when Jaxon handed her a glass of wine. She wondered if she could even hold the glass she was shaking so hard. To see Gabe, to get that reaction from him, but for him not to touch her made her irate. But she got to him. She could see it in his eyes, his body language, and that was a plus as far as making progress went.

  “Thank you, Jaxon. What are you guys having?” She took a sip and turned toward the others.

  They were all standing there looking her over as though she was the meal instead of the fancy chicken dish. Her pussy clenched, and she took several sips of liquid courage until Jeb placed his hand at her lower back.

  “We’re having beer. Jaxon and Gabe are the ones who like wine. How about we go sit in the living room?” Jeb suggested.

  “Your home is so big. Could I get a tour? Do we have enough time before dinner?”

  Jeb smiled at her.

  “Of course. Bring your wine,” he said, and she followed him out of the kitchen with Jaxon, Gator, and Geno behind them. Gabe remained behind.

  As they showed her their home, she realized pretty quickly that they maintained their military structure and cleanliness. Everything had a place, an order in every room. The decorations were scarce, and the furnishings perfect, but not lived in. Their bedrooms were a different story, starting with Jeb’s.

  “This is nice, Jeb. I guess you’re into world history?” She ran her hands along the many historical books on war and on weapons. He had some models of intricate weaponry on his desk shelf and a few paintings on the walls of Marine Corps history.

  His bed was big with a thick hunter-green comforter and burgundy pillows, but it was devoid of any decorative pillows or even a blanket.

  She was looking at the few personal items on the shelf, trying to get an understanding of Jeb, when he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. She set her wine glass down so it wouldn’t spill, and he kissed along her neck.

  “You smell so good baby,” he whispered.

  His lips seared her skin, and she turned in his arms and kissed him back. Then someone cleared their throat, reminding them that they weren’t alone. They parted, and Jaxon handed her the glass of wine, giving a stern expression to Jeb before they headed out of the room and into Gator’s room.

  Apparently he was into strong men contests, weight lifting, and music. A saxophone lay on a stand in the corner next to another containing music sheets. There was even a small amplifier on the floor.

  “Gator, you play the saxophone?” she asked him.

  He nodded but looked a little worried that she wouldn’t like that.

  She touched his arm and smiled.

  “That is so cool. Can you play something?”

  “Right now?” he asked.

  “If the others don’t mind.” She looked at Jeb, Jaxon, and Geno.

  “Go ahead, big guy, impress the woman,” Geno added and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

  Alana smiled as Gator sat down and began to play some sexy, slow jazz song.

  She was swaying to the sound, smiling wide and truly impressed when Geno took her hand, handed the wine glass to Jaxon, and began to dance slowly with her in Gator’s bedroom. The sound of the jazz music and the feel of Geno’s hands holding her, caressing her was arousing to say the least.

  With Jeb and Jaxon watching, she became even more aroused, and then Geno ran the palm of his hand along her ass then to her waist before cupping her breast.

  She gasped, and he kissed her, catching her moan and swinging their hips to the music.

  It was erotic and sexy, and then she felt the second set of hands on her hips from behind, and a thick, hard cock pressed against the seam of her ass.

  Geno released her lips but continued to suckle her skin along her neck. Jaxon ran his hands along her hips and her thighs then toward the front of her skirt and under the material.

  “Open for me, baby. Let me feel how turned on you are,” Jaxon whispered.

  She did exactly what he asked without preamble or fear. She wanted their touch. She craved the power of the desire they brought out in her. Geno helped her part her thighs by pressing hers wider with his leg. The moment she felt Jaxon’s hands against her skin and along her groin, she panicked and tightened.

  “Easy, baby. It’s us. We want to pleasure you and make you feel comfortable with all of us,” Jaxon told her then kissed her neck.

  Her head rolled back, and Geno licked along her cleavage. She grabbed his head and held it as he pressed her blouse then bra to the side and twirled his tongue along the inside of her bra and against her nipple.

  Then she felt the thick, warm fingers brush across her silk panties.

  “Someone is wearing some very sexy panties.” Jaxon’s fingers explored farther, to the crease of her ass. She began to breathe more rapidly.

  “Thong. She’s wearing a thong,” Jaxon whispered then maneuvered his finger underneath the material and right against her pussy lips.

  “Fuck that’s hot. I knew it,” Gator said, making her horny just thinking that Gator and the others might have been fantasizing about her.

  “Oh God.” She moaned and felt Geno undoing the buttons to her blouse. She grabbed his hands.

  “Geno.”

  “Shh, baby, just exploring a little. We’ll only go as far as you’re ready for. You're so gorgeous. Too difficult to resist.”

  “Too difficult to not take a taste of or sample,” Jaxon added then pressed a digit up into her pussy.

  Alana moaned and moved forward, only for Jaxon to hold her back with one arm wrapped around her midsection. In front of her, Geno unclipped her bra, revealing her large breasts to their view. She panted and pressed her chest outward as Geno licked along one breast and Gator joined in cupping the other.

  “Oh God, this is too much,” she said, and Jeb cupped her cheeks and stared down into her eyes with a very serious, determined, expression.

  “This is right. You’re right for us, and we’re right for you.”

  He kissed her as Jaxon thrust fingers in and out of her cunt so fast, so deep she began to rock her hips, and finally, she exploded. Right there in front of four men she lusted over, she came.

  Her entire body felt weak from this erotic episode, but strong arms embraced her, holding her up. Jeb caressed her cheeks as Jaxon removed his fingers and fixed her panties and skirt. Gator and Geno kissed her lips one after the next as she fixed her bra and then her blouse.

  “Dinner is more than ready.”

  Alana gasped and turned toward the doorway. There stood Gabe, leaning on his cane, his eyes hooded and dark and his expression as clear as day. He was aroused and hungry, but he turned and walked away.

  * * * *

  “What the fuck,” Gabe grunted at Jaxon as he met him in the hallway after Alana and the others headed downstairs to the kitchen.

  “What?” Jaxon asked him with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

&
nbsp; Gabe raised his voice. “She’s here for ten fucking minutes and you guys were about to strip her naked and fuck her against the fucking wall in Gator’s room? What the fuck?”

  “You should have joined us. She’s really sweet,” Jaxon said and let his fingers pass over his nose as if he were inhaling her scent on his fingers.

  Gabe grabbed him and shoved him against the wall.

  “She’s a lady, and she’s too inexperienced and fragile to just fuck and use,” Gabe grunted.

  “You’re so worried about how we’re handling this attraction then maybe you should step in and join us. Maybe show us what gets Alana all hot and ready for cock.”

  Gabe felt as if his head were about to explode, but then he saw that look in his commander’s eyes. He was challenging him, doing this on purpose so he would react, and that was exactly what he’d done.

  “Fuck it. If she wants to fuck you guys tonight, then so be it.” He started to walk away even though he didn’t want to. He didn’t want to think about them touching her and having her without him present. How fucked up was that? He wanted to be there and watch them take her one after the next or even together.

  Jaxon grabbed his upper arm and stopped him.

  “You fucking love her. You want her just as much as we do. So get your head out of your ass and take what’s yours. We can all make her happy, Gabe. We can all claim her as our woman so no other men can ever touch her or have her but us. We can help you through whatever it is that’s holding you back. Just fucking go for it, will ya?” He released Gabe’s arm with a hard shove and headed back to the kitchen.

  Gabe ran his fingers through his hair and banged his fist against the wall.

  Jaxon was right. He wanted Alana, too, and he might not be able to stop himself from participating. But come tomorrow, he might just push her away again for her own good.

  * * * *

  Alana listened as the men talked about how much of a hardass Jaxon was as their commander. She couldn’t help but smile and take in the man’s body as he ate his dinner or took a drink from his wine glass, ignoring their teasing. The muscles in his neck flexed, and he seemed to relax a little with his sleeves rolled up and his muscles bulging.

  He was definitely still their leader in a lot of ways. A hand gesture, an expression, a look in his eyes and the others responded without thought, just instinctually.

  It made her gain a greater respect for their service as Marines, as well as giving her a great respect for Jaxon. He was a commander like her father had been.

  “I have a lot of respect for you, Jaxon, as I’m certain your men here do. It takes a special man to remain in charge and calm during the heated missions you guys just described,” Alana told him, and he held her gaze from across the table. He almost looked embarrassed.

  “Don’t give him so many kudos, Alana. There were times he wasn’t so calm and collected,” Geno teased.

  “Like when?” Jaxon asked.

  “Ah, let’s see, that night we jumped from the chopper and the new troop fucked up the location. We landed in a swamp full of shit and overflow from the small shit town’s sewage system. So not state-of-the-art,” Geno told them.

  “Ah fuck, I remember that. I smelled like, well, bad for days,” Gator said, trying to not curse so much in front of her.

  “That’s terrible,” she said, and they all gave their thoughts of on their memories of that day.

  “Yeah, he wasn’t so pleasant, let me tell ya,” Jeb added about Jaxon.

  “Well, from what you describe, that sounds understandable. How could anyone keep calm when a troop screws up like that and makes you fall into a swamp of—”

  “Shit,” Jaxon said, and they all chuckled.

  Alana looked at him and smiled.

  “It’s not easy being in charge of a troop of men and women. Their lives depend on you and your judgments, your decisions and orders. I’m sure people aren’t lining up to be commanders in the Marine Corps.”

  “You sound like you know what it’s like,” Jaxon said then took a sip of wine and held her gaze.

  She glanced at the others, and they were all watching her, listening to her, except for Gabe. He was trying so hard to ignore her.

  “Well, I kind of know first-hand what it’s like. My dad was a commander in the Old Breed for most of my childhood and teenage years.”

  “The first Marine Division? He’s one of us?” Gator asked, sitting forward in his seat.

  “Was one of you. He died five years ago,” she told them and lowered her eyes to her lap.

  “I’m so sorry, Alana. Was it during active duty?” Geno asked her.

  She shook her head. “A drunk driver and his friends smashed into my parents’ truck on the highway leading into Scrantonville. They were on their way home from my dad’s friend’s fiftieth birthday dinner. I was told they died instantly.” She glanced over at Gabe.

  “The driver was three times over the blood alcohol limit. He shouldn’t even have been conscious, never mind driving,” Gabe added, and she looked up at him and held his gaze. He’d been there for her during that time. He left for the Corps a year later.

  “That’s just insane,” Gator said and squeezed her shoulder. She smiled at him.

  “My dad was a tough man, a true Marine. He was proud of this country and of his service. My mom loved him so much too. It was hard on her, and on me, but we survived those times when he was away. My mom even got angry sometimes, I think because she was lonely, but then he would return from a mission or a tour and she was all happy and smiling again. I know he lived a full life. I just wish I could have had more time with him as a civilian,” she confessed.

  “Did you have any other family around? You know people to help you? You had to be about eighteen,” Jeb asked her.

  “I had friends and the townspeople. I had Gabe and his family.” She glanced up at him. The others did too, and they looked surprised.

  “Scrantonville was like that. If anyone needed anything or someone was in trouble, down and out, the people in town came together in support of one another,” she told them but held Gabe’s gaze.

  “What did you do in Scrantonville when you lived there?” Geno asked.

  “I worked for a law office and also the local restaurant and bar during the holidays and weekends.”

  “So you lived all alone?” Jeb asked her.

  “Yes. I got used to it, especially once Gabe left. I had my job and, of course, the fundraisers. Like the one Gabe’s parents and the locals in town started when he didn’t return from his tours.” Alana shot a look at Gabe. He sat forward.

  “What?”

  “Oh, yeah, in an attempt to not let your sacrifice to our country be forgotten, your parents and I, along with the others in town who loved you and thought so much of you, started a scholarship organization. A fundraising program to assist returning soldiers with finding jobs and having their own homes and any extra support they might need as they transitioned into civilian life. Every year we would meet for a memorial in honor of your life and your sacrifice. Loads of people came. People I never had even seen or met before. It’s helped a lot of people.”

  He slammed his fist down on the table and stood up. “I never asked for that. I never expected anything from anyone,” he shouted.

  Alana held his gaze. “Well, people thought a lot of you, Gabe. They respected you and your sacrifice. They hoped that you would return and set roots there or nearby. Your parents hoped so too.”

  “They shouldn’t have done that. I’m not important enough for something like that. Why couldn’t they just leave it alone and let me be dead to them so I can deal with this alone?” he asked in anger.

  She stood up and placed her hands on the table as she leaned forward and held his gaze.

  “Because, you stupid bastard, we all loved you with all our hearts, and still do. But you’re so self absorbed in your goddamn injury, your scars, or whatever has you limping around feeling sorry for yourself that you couldn’t face the
best power, the greatest medicine for anything you have. It’s called love, you moron. You have an entire town filled with it, and instead of taking advantage, you wuss out and pretend to be dead. I cried my eyes out every goddamn night over you, Gabe. I prayed for your safe return. I would have given my life for yours. I asked God to take me and bring you back.” She slammed her hand down and jumped up to walk away.

  She heard the banging against the table, chairs scraped against the hardwood floors, and as she turned, she saw Gabe heading toward her. He paused just a few feet in front of her. The others took protective positions around them.

  “Gabe?” Jaxon whispered his name, and Gabe shook his head.

  She could see the tears in Gabe’s eyes and the full force of the anger she’d brought out in him as she stared up into his eyes.

  “You deserve better than me and what I can give you.”

  “Bullshit!” she exclaimed.

  His eyes widened.

  “I’m not like your father, Alana. He went through all those years kicking ass, gaining medal after medal, and came home to you and your mom whole and perfect. I’m not whole, and I’m not perfect.”

  “You were perfect for me. I would have taken you back, no matter what. And for the record, my dad wasn’t perfect. My dad suffered every damn night when he would wake up in a cold sweat, sometimes straddling my mom, lost in the war in his head. She was there to comfort him and calm him down and to let him know that he was safe and okay. He accepted that. I would have done that for you because, like my mother loved my father, with her heart and soul, I loved you. I’ll always love you, Gabe, but you don’t love me.” She lowered her eyes and felt the tears fill them.

  “What? No, Alana, that’s not true.” He grabbed her upper arm and stepped closer.

  “Sure it’s true, Gabe. If you loved me the way I love you, then your scars, your limp, your handicaps, and your fears that everyone would think you were a failure wouldn’t matter because they wouldn’t hold water to the power of our love. But you stopped believing.”

  “No. No, I didn’t stop believing. I wanted what was best for you.”