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"You sure?" Brutus got to his knees. His body glistened, sweat coating every inch of his torso, and to Linda he looked like a living, breathing god of lust and desire.

She nodded, pulling her hair back into a ponytail and offering it to him as he got into position, his knees pushing hers apart as he pressed against her wet, hungry opening.

Brutus chuckled, and took her hair in his powerful fist. "Promise you'll tell me if it hurts. "

"I promise," Linda said, and those were the last words her mind could make.

She thought he'd been deep before? It was nothing compared to the depths he reached as he thrust into her.

She felt like if he went any deeper, her spine would be replaced with his dick, and waves cascaded upon each other like a waterfall, sweeping her away in the hard, body jolting pleasure as his hips slapped against her ass.

Her entire body was jolted. Her hips pressed against the side of the couch, her breasts dragging over the silky smooth upholstery and adding to the pleasure. Unable to even hold herself up she buried her head into the cushion, crying out in joy with each deep, hard stroke.

There was no sex talk, no words. Just the sound of their bodies slapping together, the huffed gasps of their breath as they pushed each other harder and harder, the squeak as the sofa's frame protested the intense strain put upon it in a direction it was never designed to take.

Linda lost herself in the haze, feeling like she was when she was a little girl, when she'd floated, adrift on the waves and where the water moved her back and forth, and everything felt… good.

This was better, it was like the sea but with utter pleasure mixed in, the pounding of each of Brutus's thrusts like waves, tumbling her and making her want to shout to the heavens as she felt more like a woman than she ever had before in her life.

And Brutus was right there with her, powerful but also restrained, giving her just what her body needed.

He was savage, but not too hard, pulling on her ponytail enough to bend her head back but not hurting her.

He was the perfect lover, and Linda came harder, again and again in a rolling wave of climax.

His guttural cry tore from his chest and he thrust a final time, swelling inside her before his release.

Linda cried out, her body clamping down around him until she thought she was going to fall apart, held together by nothing but the feeling of him inside her and his hand grasping her ponytail.

It was the biggest orgasm of her life, and as it subsided she sagged to the sofa, unable to even hold herself up, and not caring.

What she cared about was the feeling of his arms around her as he stayed with her, holding her close, and keeping her safe.

* * *

T he next morning, instinct decided to take a vacation and Linda woke up at nearly eight in the morning. Her first thought was that the world had gone… fluffy. She was warm, and naked, and both totally relaxed and sore in a way that brought back all the memories of the night before.

"So it hadn't been a dream," Linda murmured as she rolled over.

She was in a super king-sized bed, the mattress made out of some space-age material that was as supportive as memory foam but more breathable.

It was like she was at her perfect temperature, perfect support, and she knew that if she slept on a mattress like this every night she'd have no aches and pains in the morning ever.

Still, she was worried as she got out of bed and padded to the palatial bathroom, squatting on the toilet to relieve her full bladder.

What was last night? Why didn't Brutus wake up in bed next to her?

Was this just an amazing date and a one night stand?

Had she let her fandom of football and her animal attraction to him lead to a crush-fuck?

Going back into the bedroom, she saw a Bluecats t-shirt she hadn't noticed before folded at the foot of the bed. Pulling it on, she was amused to find that it went almost halfway to her thighs, and as she walked down the hallway she heard some very welcome sounds… kitchen sounds.

She found Brutus in his kitchen, looking like a vision in nothing but a pair of boxers from behind as he stood at the stove, whistling to himself. She couldn't see anything that was cooking, but the smell and sounds told her that pork was on the menu.

"Careful." She leaned against the doorway. "Pork fat and bare skin don't mix."

Brutus looked over his shoulder, and his smile relieved any remaining fears. He was happy to see her, and had only left her in bed alone to come out here and prepare some food for them to enjoy.

"You wear that shirt a lot better than I do, I should just give it to you. And I'm wearing an apron, see?"

He half turned, showing off a modest white apron that covered him from the nipples to his knees, and looked sexy as hell on him with his lean muscles poking out everywhere else.

He'd brushed his hair and washed his face, and while he had some morning stubble on his cheeks, he looked absolutely dreamy with a spatula in one hand and tongs in the other.

"Wow… let me get my camera, you could be every woman's dream looking like that," she teased.

Brutus blushed.

"So what's on the menu?"

"I didn't know what you really would like that I can make, so I hit up the basics," Brutus said.

"Waffles are in the toaster, I've got breakfast sausages on right now, and if you give me a few minutes I'll have a plate of scrambled eggs for you.

I haven't really learned to make a ton of food myself, but I do a pretty decent scrambled egg.

The secret's using a dash of heavy cream. "

"Can you do three for me?" Linda asked, and Brutus nodded. "I'll get the drinks."

A few minutes later, they sat down to a delicious looking breakfast, with a mountain of fluffy scrambled eggs, ten waffles stacked on a plate, and a dozen sausage links. Brutus brought over sliced peaches, laying them on her plate.

"Always have some fruit with breakfast," he said as he put the same amount on his and sat down. "It's something my nutritionist always says. Says it's better than supplements and vitamin pills. Me? I just think it cuts the monotony."

Linda laughed, and picked up a slice. "Your nutritionist and my mama. We'd have fruit almost every day, sometimes from the local mercado, sometimes just picked off the trees that mama knew she could get away with. Guava, papaya, mangos… and lots and lots of limes. We had limonada almost every day."

"Lemonade?"

"Limeade," Linda corrected him softly, smiling. "Don't ask me why you English speakers call a limon a lime."

"Ah."

"So where's this domestic side of you come from?

" she asked teasingly. "Big tough guy, cool.

Stubborn as hell intern with the Army, totally understand.

Amazing lover who did shit to my body that I never even thought possible last night?

Oh hell yeah. Domestic Daddy who would have cooked me breakfast in bed if I'd slept in any longer? Unexpected… but I really like it."

Brutus chuckled, and took her hand. "You give me the courage to express more of myself, even if it's on our first date or whatever you want to call this.

I get to show this side of myself to you, and if you like it, I'm glad.

I liked making breakfast this morning. And yes, it would have been served in bed if you'd slept in any longer. "

"And you have a breakfast in bed tray?"

"No," Brutus admitted. "I would have fed you with my own hands if necessary."

The idea of Brutus holding out morsels of food for her to enjoy sent a ripple of desire through her body, and she shivered at the thought.

"Maybe another time. For now, let's dig in, this smells great."

The eggs were so fluffy and rich, they tasted like sunshine on a winter morning, which more than made up for the frozen waffles that were…

well, basic frozen waffles. Linda was starving, and found herself sneaking a sausage from Brutus's plate as she sipped her big glass of unsweetened iced tea.

He noticed, and his smile told her he definitely didn't mind.

"So." She set her glass down, "I guess we should talk."

"Yeah… I mean, I'd like to just keep going on instinct and feel. That probably won't work much longer," Brutus said. "So what would you like to start with?"

"Well, I have to admit I'm worried," Linda said. "I just had my first date with you, and we ended up at your place sleeping together."

"Do you regret that?"

"No, and I definitely do not regret us having sex," Linda said quickly, "I'm just… worried."

She cast her eyes down, thinking of past relationships that had fizzled quickly after the passion faded.

"I mean, I'm just an Army sergeant. You're anational superstar. That's got to have issues that come with it, right? And do you want this to be something, or something else?"

"I get what you mean, 'something or something else.

'" Brutus's voice was soft, understanding.

"We're both feeling this, but we need to figure out what 'this' is.

" He squeezed her hand gently. "And about your job.

.. I know it's a huge part of your life, and it's something we need to be realistic about. "

"Correct. There may even be days where all I could say is we can't meet up, and I'll call you when I get back."

"Which... would absolutely suck," Brutus admitted. "But I think that I can deal with it. I trust you, and I know the people you'll be doing missions with."

Linda tilted her head, looking at him in concern. "Are you sure, Brutus?"

"As sure as I can be about this until it happens," Brutus replied taking her hand across the table. "Linda, please don't worry. I know your duty station is a bit of a distance from here. And the Army is a part of who you are. But that's the thing, Linda. I'm okay with it."

"You're okay with it?" Linda asked. "Most men I've tried to see weren't. They just want a strong woman who looks good in uniform."

"You're beautiful, Linda, no question," Brutus said, his gaze warm. "But I've met plenty of beautiful women. It's your strength, your passion, the way you see the world... that's what drew me in."

Linda felt a flutter in her chest at his words. They reminded her of why she'd been drawn to him beyond his celebrity.

"I just worry that I'll get called away on assignment, and when I come back, things will have changed."

"I can't promise what the future holds," Brutus said honestly.

"But I can promise that I'm interested in you as a person.

Hell, I like you as a person. The tough mama bear who protects her team, the fiercely independent woman, the intelligent go getter.

.. and yeah, the vixen who rode me like a bronco and made me see the gods last night.

But most of all, I want to keep seeing you because you see me like nobody else in the world.

Not my family, not my team, nobody. You see me in a way that sometimes I don't even see myself.

You let me feel comfortable standing out here in boxers and an apron, making you breakfast and not feeling self conscious about it. And I want more of that."

"You do?" she asked.

Brutus nodded.

"I'd like that too."

The admission felt vulnerable, like opening a door she usually kept locked. With other men, she'd always kept one foot out the door, expecting them to leave once they realized the realities of dating a soldier. But something about Brutus made her want to risk it.

"Good," Brutus said. "Now, I figure we can finish up breakfast while our clothes finish washing. That's why I had to leave you with my t-shirt, by the way. I put everything in the washer. And then we probably need to get you back to Fort Pickett. Would you like to grab a shower before we go?"

"You said something about a hot tub?" Linda lifted an eyebrow. "Think I can grab a soak in that?"

"Only if I can join you," Brutus said.

"I'm down for that, too." Linda grinned. "As long as we get back to post by five o'clock. I need my rest before tomorrow."

As she gazed across the table at him, she realized that for the first time in years, she didn't want to rush back to base.

The thought of returning to her barracks room, usually her sanctuary, felt less appealing than staying wrapped in Brutus's arms. That feeling both thrilled and terrified her, but with his warm eyes meeting hers across the table, she found herself ready to embrace the uncertainty.