Page 106 of Mariposa
But she and I can never be. I know that, but maybe it doesn’t have to end here. Maybe, when her deployment ends, we can work something out. Would she want that? Would she transfer duty stations to Colorado Springs to be near me? Would she be interested in learning how to carve wood?
I’m in my room, sitting at my desk alone, admiring my secret project. It’s finished, yet I can’t shake this feeling. It feels like something is missing, and I can’t determine the detail. It took me two months to do it because of how busy the deployment has been keeping me…and of course, wanting to fuck Violet any chance I get. When the deployment is over, she’ll return toher team, and I’ll transition out of the Army and head back to Colorado, to the mountains, where I want to retire.
I couldn’t sleep last night. I keep thinking about work, the missions…
I wanted to fuck Violet until she was crying and eventually passed out on me from how hard I had fucked her, just like all the other times, but I couldn’t do it. This time, her broken AC wasn’t to blame. I had that fixed when I tore into maintenance. I made sure they made it a priority. After that conversation, they moved her and Castle’s things to a different room. It took everything in me not to sleep with her, but I wanted to work on my wood carving, so I left around midnight. Now I’m awake at three in the morning, at my desk, listening to Johnny Cash, carving wood in my boxers with my glasses at the base of my nose.
She’s letting me fuck her worries away, and I’ll gladly be the one to do it. Thankfully, the last update I got was that Castle would fully recover. She still has a long journey ahead of her with surgeries, but she’s going to be okay.
Blowing the leftover wood shavings off, I turn the piece repeatedly, wondering if she’ll want to keep this one, too. She admires my wood carvings, something I don’t ever show to anyone because the last time I did, Penny laughed and thought it was a waste of time. I found some of the wooden projects I’d made for Adam for his birthday in the trash when I visited him on leave.
But Violet keeps the eagle I carved on her nightstand by her bed. A gesture that strikes my soul harder than I should let it.
A knock on my door interrupts my work. I lift my wrist to check the time on my watch. It’s two in the morning; who the fuck is at my door right now? Booker consistently racks out early after he calls his girl back home. I know, because he won’t stop talking about her.
The knocking continues, forcing me to take off my glasses. Did Violet have another nightmare?
Shit.
I throw on a black shirt and sweatpants as fast as I can. The uninvited, impatient guest behind my door continues to hammer their fists into it. Still tying the strings around my waist, I open the door, expecting to collide with honey-brown eyes. My face falls when I see light blue ones instead.
It’s not, My Little Mariposa.
“Karen,” I rasp, my brows raise curiously.
What the hell is she doing here?
Standing there with arms across her chest, she glares unforgivingly at me, her lips thinning when she sees me. As I crane my neck forward to peer into the empty hallway, she walks inside my room without another word.
“Kade,” she clips back with an icy edge.
Closing the door slowly, I run my hand over the back of my head.
“I don’t remember inviting you over.” I drag my feet to her. “To what do I owe the displeasure?” I croon.
Yawning deeply, I lean on the door frame. The night is catching up to me. It’s weird. I want to sleep with Violet. I crave her scent and warmth. Something new for me.
She sits on the bed, crossing her legs. With a blazing glare, she looks like she’s ready to eat me alive.
“Well, Karen? What was so important that you couldn’t give me a heads-up with a text or call? That it couldn’t wait until working hours?”
We sit in silence as I wait for her to say anything.
“Really, Kade. Violet Isla? What the hell is wrong with you?” She twists her face into repulsion.
My face falls flat, turning into stone.
How the fuck does she know?
My eyes fly to my project, and a freezing bolt strikes my core. I feel like I’m suffocating, and for the first time in my life, I’m fucking speechless.
“What about her?”
“I saw the way she looked at you when she saved your life that day,” she spits with disdain.
“Karen, what the hell are you on about? She was doing her damn job. She was looking at me like?—”
She stands from the bed and points to me, cutting me off before I can finish.
