Page 20 of The Souls We Claim

“When you say it like that, it sounds logical. But in the moment when I heard the door close, it…”

“PTSD is a thing. You’re gonna need a therapist to unpack all that.” Halo holds my feet, massaging them gently.

“Well, first I need to fix my car, get a job, find somewhere to live. And when I’ve got a place, I’ll need some furniture. And when I’ve done all that, if I have a few spare hundred dollars, I’ll find someone.” My words are snippier than he deserves. “I’m sorry.”

Halo lifts me off the counter, carries me to the doorway, and places my feet on the ground away from the glass. “Go to bed.” His palms hold either side of my face as he presses his lips to my forehead. “Get some sleep, and we’ll figure everything else out in the morning.”

7

HALO

Arianne stands at the foot of my bed. That damn tour T-shirt I’ve had since I was sixteen years old skims those beautiful smooth thighs of hers.

“I’m cold, Halo,” she mutters. Which is wild because it’s the middle of summer.

“Take it off,” I instruct, and she immediately fingers the hem and starts to lift it over her head. The dominant in me kicks into gear when she does as I ask. My heart thuds loudly in my chest every time the T-shirt lifts an inch.

I watch as her smooth skin is revealed. Her pussy has a thin strip of hair, her stomach flat. Juicy tits jiggle as she raises her arms to slide the T-shirt over her head. It slithers to the floor, and her hair swings.

“Crawl to me, kitten.” I place one arm behind my head and, with the other, adjust my cock beneath the covers. I’m already hard.

Her eyes hold mine. Connection is something you can’t force if it’s not there. Sure, you can become friends with a person. You can even sleep with them and enjoy sex. But connection is bonedeep, and I know Arianne is mine as truly as I know the sun is going to rise in the morning.

“Will you keep me safe?” she asks.

The uncertainty in her voice, the subtle waver in it, fuels my anger and lust. A heady combination. “With my life.”

“Will you keep me warm?”

“With all that I am.” My answer sounds like one of those quotes Rae throws at King all the time.

Arianne smiles at this, and I know it’s the right thing to say.

“Then fuck me, Daddy,” she says, and?—

I snap awake.

I suck in a breath and rub my hand over my face. “Fuck,” I mutter as I reorient myself in my bedroom.

Alone.

My cock aches, and I reach for it. It’s hard, and it’s impossible to not think about Arianne in the bedroom next to mine. It would be so easy to find my way to her. Instead, I satisfy myself with the idea she’s close.

I imagine her on the other side of the wall with her fingers between her legs, thinking of me.

Frames from the dream flash through my mind. The slow and steady strip of the T-shirt. Palming my cock, I stroke it up and down firmly.

Shit, it feels good.

I raise my knees and spread my legs a little wider as I tug from base to tip.

The clock on the bedside table tells me it’s close to three in the morning, and I wonder if I shouldn’t just get up and head back to the club. I bet a few of the club girls are still hanging around and would willingly take care of this for me.

But even as I think of Penny and the others, my interest in sex with any of them drops. My cock knows what it likes, so do my dreams apparently, and they both want Arianne.

Discipline is my strong suit, but today I seem to be all out of it as I give in to what my body wants. Being in barracks, during deployment, you become a fucking wizard at jerking off in silence and fast.

I close my eyes and shift my thoughts back to Arianne. The way her long hair would look so good around my fist. How soft her plump lips would feel.