Broken Barriers (Barriers Series Book 4) Read online

  The sun blazed down on my lead vehicle as I drove through the flat sand-covered landscape. There was nothing around for the eye to see. My sunglasses helped reduce the glare, but even still I saw the heat waves that rippled along the surface of the sand. I couldn’t help but become mystified by the mirage when it occurred. It was always this hot in the summer. Winters were cold, but the summers were just unbearable. I was sweating before I even got dressed and the sun rose; it was just that hot.

  Inside the MRAP, we were like sardines being cooked in a pan of hot oil. Sweat crept down my neck. My thumbs rapped against the wheel with the music as I called out our position through my headset to the base well up ahead. The radio chatter was kept to a minimum, but I could still hear a few raspy check-ins from the vehicles behind me.

  The guys were all singing along to “Bad Company,” and I laughed at Smitty’s attempt at lip- synching and air guitar when everything suddenly went wrong.

  I heard the loud bang and then the bright flash of the explosion. The wheel jerked in my hands just moments before my head slammed back and the MRAP toppled over onto my side of the vehicle. I heard the humming in my ears around me as excruciating pain surged through my left shoulder.

  I couldn’t move even if I tried. My belt was so tight around my waist, and my body was twisted in a way that prevented me from being able to release the buckle to free myself. My lungs burned from the engine fumes that made their way into the cabin. Coughing hurt too much, so I tried to breathe through the shooting pain. But, between the fumes and wincing through the pain, I only managed a few gasps of air. It was enough for me to try to catch my breath again.

  I squinted my eyes open, slowly at first and then wide open as the panic settled in when I couldn’t see the other guys. I didn’t know if they were injured or not. My voice attempted to yell for them, but all that I mustered was just barely a whisper compared to everything else going on around me. I assumed I had hit an IED buried under the sand on the route. I only saw the smoke, but then I heard the shearing of metal opening, and the blinding sunlight poured in through the passenger side door. The light was so bright I couldn’t see who was there. I only knew there was someone there to rescue us.

  “Drew…”

  “Wake up, Drew…”

  “Courtney?” My mind was still groggy from sleeping. I heard her voice in my head, but my arm reached out and as usual there was nothing there. Just an empty side of the bed without a warm body. My eyelids shot open, adjusting to the sun that filtered into the room.

  With a defeated sigh, I rolled back over to avoid looking at the emptiness. I stretched my body, and my aching limbs shook at the tension being released. My back and neck continued to affect me after the explosion. Every morning the shooting pain from the stiffness varied. Some days were better than others. This day would be one of those days that required a little more effort stretching out and a couple of painkillers to get moving.

  The military doctors suggested I take yoga classes to help loosen the tension on my muscles. I laughed at them. Full out laughed at them. Could you see me? A six-foot-one man with muscles in tight shorts in that downward doggie style thing those women do? Hell no. Now…if they suggested I sat in the back of the room and watched the women bend over in their tight yoga outfits…that would certainly take care of some tension on another muscle in much need of “loosening.”

  As I sluggishly rolled out of bed, I could certainly tell that Junior was still alive and awake. That muscle never failed to rise to the occasion, and I knew it would be my own hand that took care of him in the shower, again. Granted, while I’d been overseas, I’d managed to accumulate many toys to assist in the matter.

  Many of the Marines’ wives and girlfriends back home sent them contraband in their care packages. We received booze, magazines, and the Grand Poobah of all things right in the world—porn and sex toys. Lots of them, too. I wore out the DVDs and ran out of lube after using this skin-like device that resembled a woman’s pussy. The damn thing even felt like one, too. Whoever created that device was a sheer genius. Just thinking about it sitting in my bag caused my dick to stir in my boxers again.

  I stretched my arms over my head and bent a little at the sides, loosening up some more. Reaching down inside my boxers, I grabbed ahold of my length and pushed it to a more comfortable position and then tossed on my track shorts hanging over the end of the wooden bedframe.

  As I trekked into the kitchen, I switched on the coffee brewer and walked to the back door while it warmed up. On my way, I unplugged my phone from the charger and turned it on. Turning the latch on the door, I pulled the heavy wooden frame back and open. The brilliant sun glistened off the water again, and I looked down at the porch and noticed a small basket sitting there.

  I cocked my head to the side, wondering what on earth it was. The old screen door creaked open as I pushed through. As I picked up the basket, I looked around, but didn’t notice anyone lingering nearby. Simple cellophane was wrapped around the items inside the basket. I was hesitant to open it since there wasn’t any sign of a note, but this was Wolfeboro. How much trouble could a small basket be?

  I slowly pulled open the cellophane and spotted a couple homemade muffins and a folded note inside.

  SOMETIMES ALL IT TAKES IS A SIMPLE GESTURE TO MAKE SOMEONE’S DAY THAT MUCH BETTER.

  MAY THIS TOKEN OF KINDNESS BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE.

  I flipped over the handwritten card and noticed there wasn’t a signature. The only thing I saw was some damask style design with a pink logo in the middle. No name, no return address. Just two muffins—blueberry if my sense of smell was accurate enough—and a kind note.

  I quickly scanned the area one last time, wondering why someone left a basket of muffins on the porch. It wasn’t as though I’d made any new friends lately. Well, unless I considered Everett as the one behind this. But, my guess was he wasn’t the muffin man.

  With a cautious turn, I walked back into the house. The screen door slammed shut behind me. I grabbed my phone and checked the time. It was nine in the morning, so I knew Josh was awake since he worked day shifts. I sent a quick text to him, asking if he was behind any muffin delivery this morning. My phone almost immediately alerted me of an incoming text.

  Josh: 9am on a Saturday and you are texting me about fuckin’ muffins?! R U serious?! Hell no it wasn’t me.

  Me: Oh STFU…I know you are awake at this hour.

  Josh: Well, I hope you haven’t pissed anyone off up there. Those muffins might be laced with arsenic.

  Me: Seriously?! Look at where I am…and you really have been on the police force way too long. Arsenic? Really?

  Josh: Good luck. If you die, I warned you about the muffins. Can I go back to screwing my wife now?

  Me: Dude…TMI…that’s my sister.

  Josh: Uh huh and it’s 9am on a Saturday…you’ll think of that next time you text me at this hour. Call later. Sam wants to talk to you.

  Me: Ok. Will do. Bye.

  I slid my phone onto the counter and started making my cup of coffee. The basket of muffins stared back at me next to my phone. I drummed my fingers on the counter, pondering my decision. What was the worst that could happen? I could die from food poisoning. But, I could have died in Afghanistan, too. So what was the bigger threat? Muffins or war? I went with war, considering the last convoy I was on.

  I heard the sound of the brewer finishing and grasped my steaming cup of caffeinated goodness. The sultry aroma filled the room as I leaned against the island with my cup in hand. I flipped the card in my fingers, my teeth clenched, and my lips curled. Bringing the cup to my lips, I inhaled before taking the first sip of hot coffee and then felt the burn flow down my throat.

  Fuck, that was hot!

  I released a hiss, trying to cool off my tongue and flipped the card in my fingers one more time. As if on cue, my stomach rumbled throughout the room, reminding me that I never ate last night. The last bit of food I had was a bag of beef jerky I picked up at t
he general store and some gummy snacks.

  With one more rumble coming from my stomach, I said screw it. Other than coffee, there weren’t any other options for breakfast foods here until I went to the grocery store. Otherwise, pancakes smothered in maple syrup and butter would already be cooking on the stove.

  I snatched a muffin and brought it to my lips. “Here goes nothing.” I eyed it with one last ounce of trepidation before biting into it. With just a few bites, my mouth watered as the blueberries literally melted with the crunchy sugarcoated top. The buttery moistness was like nothing I’d ever tasted before. If I didn’t know any better, I could have sworn my mouth just had an orgasm over a friggin’ muffin. Of course, it didn’t come close to having a hot sexy woman having an orgasm on my tongue, but this ranked right up there.

  And even better, I was not dead yet. Someone wasn’t out to kill me after all. Whoever this mystery muffin person was I somehow needed to find them and ensure I had these at my doorstep every single morning.

  As soon as the orgasm in my mouth ended and the coffee cup was empty, I cleaned up a bit around the house and finally took all my clothing out of my bags to start a load of laundry. While I was unpacking, the music was on full blast, and it somehow brought me back to a better time. A place where I finally felt as though I was moving forward. You could call me crazy, but ever since those damn muffins, things were looking up.

  After nearly two hours of doing laundry, everything was finally unpacked, washed, and organized, so I grabbed my new toiletries and got ready to head into the shower since my shirt and shorts were stuck to my sweaty skin. Without air conditioning in the house, I relied on ceiling and table fans to keep the heat and humidity at a minimum. Summers at the lake were often much cooler than most places, but this week was forecast to be sunny and nearly eighty degrees. The first thing on my list of things to do today was to buy at least one air conditioner to keep those damn sheets from sticking to my sweaty skin every night.

  Just as I was about to turn on the water, my cell phone signaled a text. My feet shuffled into the kitchen, and I saw a message from Everett. I knew when I gave him my number the other day that we’d be in touch. He was still having the bonfire at his house tonight. His text simply reminded me of the time and place, and that there would be plenty of hot chicks there to keep my mind off other shit. Good to know.

  I laughed as I texted him back, saying that I’d be there. Having a fellow Marine a few blocks down the street was certainly beneficial this summer, and if he thought hot chicks would keep my mind occupied… Well, he probably wasn’t too far off.

  After this long, I had almost forgotten what it felt like to actually run my rough hands over a woman’s soft breasts or the taste of her arousal on my tongue as she writhed against my mouth. Or better yet, I might have forgotten that the feeling of sliding between a woman’s thighs was a million times better than getting my dick sucked any day of the week. I wasn’t saying a blowjob wasn’t absolutely mind-blowing. With the right woman, it was even better than sex. But, if these so-called hot chicks tonight wanted to get down on their knees and help a veteran out, I was not going to say no. A man’s got to do what a man’s got to do.

  With just the thought of having a naked woman sucking me off, my dick achingly grew hard within my track shorts. There was clearly no avoiding this situation now. Only good thing was I was already heading into the shower.

  After tossing the phone back onto the counter, I headed back into the bathroom. Pushing the shower curtain out of the way, I turned the handle to get the hot water running. The room began to fill with hot steam as I peeled away my tank top and kicked off my shorts onto the cool tile floor. I stood in front of the sink brushing my teeth and stared back at myself.

  My hair was now a jumbled mess as I continued to let it grow out. My scruff on my jaw needed a shave, but not today. My hard-on required more attention than the hair on my face. As I spat out the toothpaste, I stepped into the shower and basked in the joys of having clean hot water at my fingertips. The days of stepping out into the elements just to head to the shitter or the shower were finally over. No more five-minute lukewarm showers with stale dirty water, and after you were done showering, you still felt dirty because the clothes you put back on hadn’t been washed in a week. The stench alone inside the showers was enough to make you not want to shower at all, but those antibacterial body wipes only went so far with hygiene.

  The hot drops of water flowed over my head and down my body. While shutting my eyes as I let the water saturate my hair, images of the last porno movie I watched crossed my mind, and the tingling sensation grew even more within my cock. I dropped one arm down as the other remained against the shower wall. My hand wrapped around my hard length. I started moving slowly at first, but with a firm grip, I stroked until all eight inches were fully erect.

  My head fell to my chest as pleasurable moans formed in my throat. The water continued to beat against my skin as my grip around my cock intensified. I envisioned not one but two women naked and straddling me—one blonde and one brunette running their hands over their tits down to between the other’s legs. Their fingers slid between their slick folds as their own bodies enjoyed exchanging the pleasure between them. I watched as they twisted each other’s nipples, and the sounds of the wetness between their legs became evident.

  I lay on the bed, hands feathered behind my head, and enjoyed the sight of these women with me. Before either of them could find their own release, their bodies descended onto mine. My cock stood at attention as both sets of lips curled around my length. Their torturous hands ran all over my body. They feasted as if they hadn’t eaten in days. The blonde looked up at me with her naughty blue eyes as her tongue circled the tip of my cock and occasionally slid into the slit at the tip, just before I felt the ecstasy of it all and my hips thrust upward, pushing her entire mouth down onto my cock.

  Unable to find anything for her mouth to do, the brunette climbed up toward my face and straddled my chest. With both legs over my shoulders she parted her drenched folds, sliding two fingers inside herself. As her slick fingers withdrew, she placed them into her mouth and suddenly the whole scene became even hotter. The dripping folds inched closer and closer to my mouth until the brunette straddled her pussy there for my own feasting.

  I was a fucking king. If only I had a crown…

  I had a sexy-as-fuck blonde going to town on my rod, while this brunette with perfectly rounded tits allowed me to feast upon her sex. Her musky scent of arousal had me licking my lips, urging her to allow me a taste.

  My lips connected with her skin, and my tongue lapped away at her folds. Her seductive eyes stared down into mine and begged me for more. As I ravaged her clit with my tongue, I brought one hand down to push inside her. The minute I hit that spot I felt her contract around my index finger, and I watched as she unraveled above me. Her hands grabbed her tits as my finger rapidly pushed in and out of her.

  The pressure around my cock increased, and I sensed the blonde’s mouth all around me. My skin tingled, and my heart was beating a mile a minute. My hips thrust upward, and I knew I’d hit the back of her throat. As I continued to destroy this chick’s flooding core with my mouth, my balls tightened and throbbed until my release was imminent. The mouth around my cock quickened, and then just as my cock released the first spurt, the back of her throat connected with my tip. She swallowed and sucked before it was released from my shaft, and my mind couldn’t process what was going on until my eyes opened, and I realized I had imagined the whole thing.

  My hand was still wrapped around my length, stroking as my eyes blinked away the water until I could see clearly. I pushed my wet brown tendrils of hair off my face, and it was only then that I noticed I had gotten my own rocks off. Thick, white, sticky semen covered the hand wrapped around my cock. Fortunately, I was still in the shower, and the body wash was within reach. I let the remnants of my orgasm wash off my hand before finally washing the rest of my body.

  As I
lathered the woodsy-smelling gel on the loofa and over my bare chest and abs, I couldn’t help but laugh at the erotic fantasy that had occurred in my head. I’d really watched way too much porn in the last year-and-a-half. Now, I had to contain myself around any hot girls tonight. If the alcohol was flowing, there was no telling what could happen.

  If there was one way to push the memories of Courtney and my time in Afghanistan to the back of my mind… Well, sex and booze were certainly not a bad start to solve my issues for the moment, but not the long-term.

  It was truly a good thing that for my entire time in Afghanistan I didn’t spend a single ounce of my military pay. After hitting up the home goods store about twenty minutes from here, the lake house now featured two commercial-sized air conditioners on the first floor and another smaller one to handle the two upstairs bedrooms, even though I didn’t plan on having too many guests while I was here. Now, the house was bursting with cool air and no humidity.

  I spent enough time in the heat of the desert, and winter wasn’t here yet in New Hampshire, so I wasn’t about to sweat my balls off in this house if I didn’t have to. The air conditioners alone cost me nearly a grand, though, but I didn’t care.

  I sat in the living room in front of the new jumbo fifty-five inch flat screen TV catching up on two seasons of Arrow. I threw the old smaller TV that used to occupy the living room into my bedroom.

  Like I said—my bank account with my rank in the Marine Corps the past four years—I was set for quite some time before having to think about finding a job to pay the bills. Plus, I planned to live in a little luxury while I was here. I owed myself that much. I told my parents I’d pay for the lake house’s bills through the end of the summer, but they wouldn’t consent since nobody other than Sam and Josh used the house. So, basically I lived here rent-free. I couldn’t complain, so adding the new air conditioning and TVs ultimately evened out the cost versus the expenses in the end.