Semper Fi (An Erotic Romance) Read online

  Reluctantly, I nodded. I’d have to wear it if we were going to play this charade. I had loved his Grandma, and wearing her ring if even for a little while would cheer me. Travis and I breaking up would be the news of the century. It would definitely be best to do it when we didn’t have to be at home. That way our parents could go around talking about how sad it is that we gave up on such a relationship and we wouldn’t have to listen to it. It wasn’t a perfect plan, but it was all I could come up with. The bottom line is that our families would be devastated. Our whole families had merged because of Travis and my friendship. Life in Charleston would never be the same.

  Travis flew to the floor in front of me again and took the ring from my palm. He peered through impossibly long lashes and seemed to quiver. “Mattie, for as long as I can remember,” he began, “you have been the most beautiful woman I’ve seen. You have been my first and only lover, and my one and only friend.”

  I stared at him blankly; this had obviously been well rehearsed. I suppose hearing it wouldn’t hurt. He reminded me of a Greek God down there in his towel on his knees. The Thinker! That’s who he looked like! The famous statue! I almost chuckled.

  Travis scanned my face for any signs of forgiveness then continued. “Everything I know in this world and everything I will know is because of you. All that’s decent in me is a result of being near you. When I laugh and smile I imagine I am laughing and smiling as you do.”

  Is it just my mind or is this getting hokier and hokier by the moment, I thought listening to his speech. If he wasn’t so beautifully acting this scene I wouldn’t have sat through it this long.

  But still Travis continued. “Mattie, all those things are part of our past. You’ve given yourself to me freely until now. But it’s time for a change in our lives. Graduation from college is only a part of it. We have to decide whether we consider this a childhood romance and move on our separate ways. Or whether we choose each other and move through the future together. I’ve made my choice, I choose you to be mine for the rest of my days. Mattie, will you please marry me?”

  He held the ring out towards me, waiting.

  I was spellbound. Tears flickered in my eyes. He’d completely swept me off my feet. I breathed deeply as wetness ran down my cheeks. I’d been an idiot, a fool. I’d run off and spent a wild weekend with a Marine I didn’t know and risked losing this gorgeous man on his knees in front of me. Travis didn’t realize it, but he’d really hit the truth square on. Was this a childhood romance and nothing more or was it a foundation for a future together. I needed time to think about this.

  “Travis, I love you, and I will always love you. Yes I will wear the ring. But marrying you is for the time being completely out of the question, okay?”

  “So that’s a yes?” Travis stared into my eyes as he slid the ring onto my finger. His hands were shaking uncontrollably.

  I was as compassionate of his feelings as I could be. “It means we will have a temporary engagement for the sake of our parents and until we can figure this out.”

  He jumped up from the floor and flew on top of me on the bed. His body was familiar and exciting. There was no doubt that Travis was hot. Not in the same sense as Logan but women were drawn to him. He was intelligent and could maintain any conversation with anyone. He seemed to know a little on every subject, more than once I’d called him the King of Useless Information. He loved to laugh and make people laugh and had a constant boyish charm that was irresistible.

  “Mattie, thank you, thank you baby.” His lips met mine and I felt the sensitive part of me give way. I did love Travis, I always had. But now there was Logan. I returned Travis’s kiss, and for the first time I compared it to another man’s. The kiss was wonderful; it was solid and reminded me of what I’d always expected my future to hold. Only now it was missing something.

  Travis’s cock went hard above me. “Oh for God’s sake Travis, get off me!” I rolled him off me and sat up on the bed.

  “I guess that was a bit much to ask,” he reflected. “Have you looked in a mirror lately Mattie? You are more beautiful today than I’ve ever seen you. Don’t blame me for wanting you.”

  “Not going to happen, Travis.” But I turned his Grandmother’s ring in circles on my finger.

  He stared at it there. “It’s where it belongs.”

  Somehow I had the distinct feeling that it wasn’t where the ring belonged at all.

  Chapter 13

  I drove Travis to the airport. I didn’t go inside; I pulled up at the departure gate and stopped. Fatherly Security Guard stepped up to inform me that I wasn’t in a parking zone. A few feet from my windshield he stopped and took a second look. Then he waved heartily and turned away. “Someone you know?”

  “Nope,” I responded, but my face had reddened. Travis looked at me interested.

  “Alright my beautiful fiancé, I’m going back but not without protest.” Travis smiled. Any other woman would have given anything to get a smile like that from my Travis.

  “Protest noted. Now run before you miss your flight.” His kiss was powerful and sensual. It rang of his charm and desire. He grabbed my hand and put his lips to the ring on my finger. “I’ll see you next week.”

  I nodded. He hustled from the car into the airport. The same airport where I’d met Logan only a few days before. The same airport I’d ridden like Logan a wild pony. I watched Travis’s tall, curly head disappear inside.

  “Whew!” I said to the empty car.

  It’d been a long couple of days and I was exhausted. Unfortunately my professors weren’t concerned with my being tired. I drove straight to class.

  The week went much as I expected. Kelly constantly frowned at the ring on my finger; several times she snatched my phone from my hand and pulled up Logan’s picture. “You’re giving up this?” she rambled. I countered each time; it wasn’t a real engagement! Although my parents, his parents, my sisters and his brother sent me text message after text message telling me how thrilled they were with the upcoming nuptials. Travis clearly spread the news far and wide. Logan texted me every day, and we spoke on the phone once or twice but always late at night. Curiously, I wondered what he was doing all day long. Probably fighting crime, I mused. He was headed back to work on Friday, but wanted to take me to dinner Thursday night. I agreed.

  Thursday evening he knocked on the door of my apartment. Kelly waited on the sofa trying not to act overly excited. I’d chosen a simple black dress and low heels. I wasn’t sure where we were going so this would blend in anywhere. I opened the door. He filled the entire doorway. I saw Kelly from the corner of my eye gawking at him.

  “Hey baby!” he said as he kissed me on the lips easily. “Whew, you are amazing. Just when I think I’ve seen you at your most beautiful, you prove me wrong.”

  Kelly’s head flew back on the couch in exasperation.

  “Come on in, Logan,” I said with a smile. “That’s the infamous Kelly pouting on the sofa.”

  He walked in front of Kelly and she stood up to greet him. “Nice to finally meet you, Kelly.” He kissed her hand and his eyes met hers.

  I saw Kelly sway a bit. “Nice to meet you, Logan.” Hastily she grabbed her keys from the coffee table and headed for the door.

  “Kelly! Where are you going?” I asked.

  “To get some new batteries.” She closed the door behind her as Logan laughed.

  I turned to face him and grabbed his collar, pulling him close to me in a faux attempt to dominate him, “So you think it’s funny that my friends all want you?”

  “Uh oh!” he said, smiling playfully, “Am I in trouble mistress?”

  I pulled him down to my level, “You are a bad boy!”

  Logan swallowed hard, “At your service Ma’am.”

  I contemplated; I’d been without him all week. Dinner sounded lovely but it could wait. I began to unbutton his shirt.

  I pushed him into my bedroom and backwards onto my bed. I’d done a rare service and made it this morning.
His head plopped down on my pillows with a bounce. “So you’re here to please me this evening Marine?”

  Logan chuckled, “Yes Ma’am I am. Service with a smile.”

  “Is that some Marine Corps slogan?” I asked teasingly.

  He looked at me quizzically, “Actually I think it may be Hardee’s but it worked here.”

  I laughed yanking his pants down his legs. His legs were outstanding, well all parts of him were but his thick thighs covered in a mass of light brown hairs were simply…outstanding.

  The thought that I could possess such a creature as Logan baffled me. I was just me and he was so amazing. Now his hardness was standing straight up against his boxer shorts. I pulled those down his legs as well taking my time to admire his hefty prick as it bobbled anxiously before me. I dropped my black panties on the floor and hopped up on him quickly wasting no time pushing his manhood directly against my opening. “I think I’ll have you now.” I issued in a pretend stern voice.

  Logan leaned up onto his elbows. “Hang on let me get a…”

  I put my fingers to his lips. “Now listen Marine, I’m in charge here and there’ll be no condoms between us. Are we clear?”

  “But…” He started but fell silent as I forced his massive cock inside me.

  Lowering myself in small circles I eventually stuffed it all inside me. I sat triumphantly on top of him with my hands on my hips.

  “Mattie, um…I’ve never not used a condom before are you sure this is okay”

  I stared at him blankly. “What do you mean you’ve never not used a condom before?” I asked. “You mean as in ever?”

  He shook his head. “Ever.”

  I found it hard to believe that this gorgeous hunk of man never had a woman rip a condom off of him in passion and fling it across the room. I leaned forward using his massive chest as leverage to lift and lower myself slowly on him.

  “Oh HELL!” He boomed. “Mattie slow down!” I was already going as slow as the muscles in my thighs would let me.

  Since I couldn’t slow down the only other option as I saw it was to speed up my ride. I moved faster and faster plunging his raging cock against my inner wall. Logan was writhing below me. Suddenly he burst out, “Oh fuck Mattie! Roll over!”

  With the quickness of a lion reaping his meal he was on top of me. His cock had slid out during the fast transition but his hand was already pushing it back inside. The weight of his body came upon me; I took a long gasp of air. He was already fully inside me but stayed still.

  “Why are you stopping?” I asked desperately waiting for him to continue.

  He hovered over me looking into my eyes. “It’s amazing. I’ve never felt anything like it. I can feel your insides, I mean every tiny movement. Uh oh…I think I’m afraid to move.”

  I got it now, he was ready to come. I nodded, “Logan you know we can do this again in a few minutes. It’s not like this is the only time you know.”

  “You’re um…on birth control right?” He whispered painfully.

  I nodded. Still he looked unsure of himself so I pushed my hips hard against his.

  “OH GOD!” He yelled into the air and suddenly his hips began pushing against mine. He was strong as hell I thought; I was going to be sore in the morning. His cock plunged inside me with a strength I’d never seen before.

  My insides throbbed against his bare cock feeling each vein, each beat of his heart as it continued to swell. He’d never been this hard, I was sure of it. Usually he was rock hard right now he was made of granite. His movements were hard and purposeful and every thrust sent a guttural moan from his throat. Watching his pleasure above me instantly shot me into acceleration. I pushed against him wildly taking every solid ounce of him as far inside me as it could go. The mounds above our genitals melded together pressed hard against one another as he ground himself inside me. I screamed as my orgasm rocked me, my screams blended with Logan’s as I felt the warm semen fill my body. The hot liquid filled every crevice that his cock didn’t. I was filled now, fully and completely. Logan was literally shaking above me. He was looking at me as though I’d just created the universe. The muscles in his chest quivered as they relaxed and his arms on the bed on either side of my chest were still shivering.

  “Logan lay down for a minute.” I muttered.

  “What?”

  “Lay down here,” I patted the bed beside me.”

  “Oh uh, okay.” His body rolled off of me and flopped onto the bed.

  He seemed oblivious to me now. Finally he rolled onto his side, his breaths still heavy and deep. “Are you alright?” I chuckled. I’d never seen him quite this exhausted.

  He stared at me closely, “I swear you are the most incredible woman.” He pulled my face to his. “I love you Mattie.”

  “That’s just the sex talking.” I giggled.

  “Hmm…well let’s see if we can get it to tell us some more?” In an instant he was back on top of me his cock still throbbing against me.

  Logan crawled from my bed slowly. “Damn woman, who needs a gym when I have you?”

  I pulled the blanket up to my chin and gave him a coy smile. He turned away from me and stepped to the mirror at my dresser. That’s the first time I saw it. How had I missed it before? I thought back rapidly to our sexual adventures, not once had he had his bare back to me. I gasped sharply.

  He watched my reflection in the mirror as he fiddled with the array of items I kept on my dresser. He held up a framed photo, “You and your sisters are all identical, huh?” He was ignoring my shock at my first sight of the scar on his back.

  “Pretty much,” was all I could say. The scar on his back went from his left shoulder halfway down his side. It was several years old but still had a reddish tinge that proved what a devastating injury it’d originally been.

  He continued to fiddle with my items on my dresser, as if they’d give him a clue as to who I was.

  “Logan,” I was nearly whispering. “Logan, what happened?”

  He looked at me from the mirror, “Shrapnel.” As though it was a normal scar that anyone on the street might have.

  A chill ran through me. It hadn’t occurred to me that his job was so dangerous. Of course it was! He is one of the guys who keep the world safe for the little people…like me.

  “Awfully nice ring,” he muttered, holding up Travis’s Grandma’s diamond ring.

  I sank further into my bed. I needed to talk with him about this. Explain that I had no intention of marrying Travis. That wasn’t the complete truth. Had Logan not waltzed into my life and swept me off my feet, I’d probably be in bed with Travis tonight instead. All my life, well for a good bit of it, Travis and I had been a team. We were expected to marry, have curly headed babies and live our lives together. That’s what’d kept me from telling him an absolute no. Now everything was upside down. I didn’t know what to do. But I hadn’t been willing to throw away all my plans, all my families’ plans for a guy I’d only just met. Instead I’d just put off the whole matter until next week. I hadn’t known what to do so I’d chosen procrastination. Now was the hard part.

  “Travis asked me to marry him,” I said flatly.

  He scanned my face in the mirror, “So you kept his ring?” He was deflating quickly.

  “It was his Grandmother’s; she wanted me to have it.”

  Logan wandered back to the bed and sat at the bottom near the edge. “So you kept his ring?” he repeated, flipping the ring over and over in his fingers.

  “I did,” I stuttered.

  Logan looked into my eyes, “Are you marrying him?”

  Again I choked on my words, “I… I… I don’t know. I told him marrying him was out of the question at least until we can talk some more after next week. For the mean time, we’re going to pretend everything is fine. This isn’t something we can throw out there and tell everyone to deal with. Our families are involved!”

  Logan turned towards me abruptly and glared, the pain in his eyes was unavoidable. “When you
know how about filling me in.” He threw the ring onto the blanket in front of my face and walked naked to the door of my room.

  He stopped, with his hand on the doorknob and turned to look at me. I pulled the covers closer to my chin. “Mattie I love you. I will fight for you. But I can’t fight your past. No more than you can fight mine. You either want me, baggage and all, or you don’t. It’s that simple.”

  He flung the door open, it bashed against the wall of my bedroom leaving the doorknob stuck in the wall. “Semper Fi Mattie.” He said as he left the room.

  What the hell did that mean? I sat in stunned silence alone in my bed.

  In the living room Kelly watched in complete awe as Logan walked naked past her and quickly pulled on his clothes. A moment later I heard the front door slam shut.

  Kelly stood at my doorway, “Have I told you today what a complete and utter idiot you are?”

  Tears were streaming down my face as I nodded. Immediately Kelly was next to me in the bed. “Oh honey, I’m so sorry.” She patted my head as I cried myself to sleep.

  Chapter 14

  I expected to never hear from him again, so when the text came in the following night I jumped to study my phone. My heart was racing.

  Logan: 7:12 Today-Choose me.

  A million responses ran through my mind, but none of them were quite right. In the end I didn’t respond at all. He’d chosen the one sentence I couldn’t respond to. Travis called nightly; he was picking me up from the airport on Monday in Charleston. Tuesday was Election Day and we were both flying home for three days. It’d been planned for months. Everyone would be there. Even Marlene. I had a few choice words for my baby sister.

  Exams done and off my radar, I headed for the airport. This time I left my car in long term parking. I handed the ticket Logan had given me to the attendant, praying no one recognized me from our previous encounter. She glanced at it curiously, and then checked her computer. The side of her cheek pursed and clicked as she read the screen in front of her. Eventually she looked back at me, I was waiting patiently. Something printed from a machine beneath her desk and she bent down to open her cash drawer. She lifted the cash caddy from inside the drawer and pulled out an envelope. From as far away as I was standing on the other side of the counter I could see my name, Mattie Steinburg, printed in pencil on the front.