I am Leo (Book 3)

Chapter 30

John POV“Hey” she says in a voice that makes me think of a love song, slow and seductive

“H-“ I clear my throat “Hey” I say and she smiles again. Oh s**t her dimples are gorgeous

“You okay?” she asks and I nod. Act normal you bonehead

“Yeah, I’m fine” I say and mentally slap myself. Fine?! You dumbass!

“You seem lost” she says as I take in her amazingly beautiful face. She has soft freckles on her cheeks and I have the massive urge to run my fingers over them

“Nope, not lost” I answer and she giggles. Oh f**k, that’s the most stunning thing I’ve ever heard

“You want to buy me a drink?” she asks and I nod

“Well? Shall we go?” she asks and my brain kicks into gear, barely but I bow taking her hand kissing her knuckles and straighten up again

“John” I say and she smiles even brighter

“Callan” she says and I nod extending my arm for her. She places her hand in the crook of my arm and we make our way to the bar

“Hey Johnny!” a friendly face greets us

“Hey Damien! How are you man?” I greet him and he smiles at Callan

“Evening ma’am” he says and she nods

“Can I have a beer and a” I glance at her and she raises an eyebrow “two beers please” I say and he nods

“Impressive” she says in my ear and I shudder

“Here ya go” he says placing the drinks down and I reach for my wallet, but he raises his hand

“Nope, on me” he says and I smile

“Thanks man” I turn glancing around seeing an open table, in view of her friends and mine, their eyes are glued to us as they look down from the VIP area

“So except for your ability to guess my favorite drink, what do you do?” she asks and I chuckle

“Well, I’m here with my friend just having some fun” I say and she nods sipping her beer

“How about you?” I ask and she nods toward her friends

“Girls night out, to be honest I hate places like this. Too loud” she says and I nod

“Yeah, I used to work here but luckily I was at the door mostly” I say and she smiles

“Where do you work now?” I frown a bit

“I move around a lot for work” I say and she nods, recognition in her eyes

“I do too. Sucks huh? Always away from home, and your family” she says and I nod smiling

“It’s not that bad. I got used to it” I say and she looks at me as though she’s trying to decide on something

“Tell me about yourself” I say and she blinks

“Listen John, you’re a good guy. I’m sorry for wasting your time” she says and stands

“What are you talking about?” I ask standing abruptly

“This is embarrassing. I was dared by my friends to have a drink with you. But I know the look on your face, I can’t do this to you” she says and turns away. I glance at her friends then at mine and grab her arm, gently enough to make her stop

“John, unh-“ I cut her off leaning in, looking deep into her eyes as my hands gently cups her face, my thumbs running delicately over her freckles and yes her skin is like velvet. She gulps before I graze her lips with mine and she lets out a shuddering breath before I close my lips over hers. She stiffens but runs her one hand up my arm settling around my bicep and her other hand rests on my chest. Her eyes flutter closed and soon mine does too, drowning out the world around us. I feel her lips vibrate as she moans leaning into the kiss. My hand slips around the back of her neck, and I tilt her head slightly before asking for entrance. She refuses me at first, but I pull her closer to me and she relents granting my tongue passage to explore her luscious mouth. Our tongues collide but strangely it’s not fervent nor plain. It’s deep, sensual and strong but not dominating. Her hand trails higher up my bicep leaving goosebumps in its wake and settles on the side of my neck, her fingers pressing down a bit making me lean in more. Her body presses against mine and I feel her heartbeat against my chest. Our breathing is picking up, our bodies responding in sync with each other. I gently suck her lower lip between my teeth, nibbling it lightly before pulling back. She opens those captivating eyes of hers and I step back, slowly letting her slip out of my grip. Her eyes are wide, her cheeks tinted with a gorgeous blush and her lips red and swollen

“Good night Callan” I whisper before turning and walking away. I stop at the bottom of the stairs and look back, she’s standing there frozen looking at me, her fingers slowly running over her freshly kissed lips and I give her my best sultry smile and a wink before climbing up the stairs and joining the others

“Oh my god that was so sexy!” Carl exclaims

“That must’ve been the hottest kiss I’ve ever seen in real life!” one of the other women says fanning her face dramatically with her hand

“What the hell was that?” Violet asks and my smile fades

“What?” I ask shrugging

“Did I not warn you?” she hisses but I laugh placing my arm around her shoulders

“That wasn’t a soul sucker” I say and kiss her head “That was the sexiest, honest and most alluring woman I’ve ever seen” I say sighing, but she slaps my chest

“What am I? Chopped liver?” she scowls making us laugh

“No. You’re the most beautiful, caring, upstanding, magnanimous, sexy, flawless, resplendent woman I know” I say and she rolls her eyes, but I see the smile she tries to hide

“Fine, don’t overdo it you tease” she says and I chuckle

“You’re also my best friend, you know me better than anyone else, you’ve seen me at my worst, know my secrets, f**k Vi I literally live with you” I say and she smiles

“Do you good to remember that” she says jokingly

“It’s not like I’m taking her home” I say taking a sip of my drink

“Would you like to?” she asks and I shrug

“I won’t complain, have you seen her body? She’s built like a racehorse” I say and they all burst out laughing

“Don’t tell her that” one girl pipes up

“Never” I say winking at her. The rest of the evening is spent laughing, chatting and dancing. She left about 20 minutes after that amazingly good kiss. But I don’t think I’ll forget her soon, that’s not the type of woman you forget easily, and neither is that kiss. I don’t know how many women if any I have kissed in my life, but this is definitely the best one, I’m sure of it.

“You okay there Casanova?” Violet asks as we step inside the house, I’m still smiling like a fool

“Yup, haven’t felt this good in months” I say and the smile fades

“Hey no!” she instructs “You will not do this now, we had a great evening, you kissed a very beautiful woman and my feet will probably need to soak for a day because of all the dancing. In six days you have to leave, and I want to help you really I do but you need to let yourself have this John. Have a good time, forget” she says and I smile down at her. I cup her face and kiss her forehead wrapping her up in a hug

“I will. Thank you for being you” I say and she hugs me back tightly

“I have you right?” she asks and I nod

“Always” I say and she sighs

“Always” she says stepping out of my arms yawning

“Love you Gigantor” she says giggling trudging up the stairs

“Love you sweet cheeks” I lock the front door, check all the windows before locking the back door and turning in. That night I dreamt of her, Callan my red-haired beauty

Violet POV

“Come on Dean, we’re going to be late” I urge him as we rush to the waiting cab

“We’re like three hours early” he argues but I just pull him toward the cab

“Honey please” I beg and he sighs

“Fine” he groans and we get in. The driver takes off weaving through traffic and half an hour later we’re seated on the stands. The crowd around us buzzing with anticipation and then the overhead speaker booms, the voice commanding us to stand as the national anthem is played by a band. A flag is raised, the troops all stand at attention saluting the flag. I scan the troops, but it’s not hard to spot him at all. He looks so good in his uniform, standing tall and proud like a soldier should. We sit down and the parade starts. People barking orders, the soldiers doing as instructed and we sit there in awe. This is amazing, all these men and woman are willing to risk their lives for the freedom of our country, so cool, not to mention the Navy and the Air force. After a while he is called forward and his Commanding officer speaks

“Lance Corporal Johnathan Anderson” he says in a powerful voice “The United States Marine Corps award you with the Silver Star, for exceptional bravery and acting above and beyond your call of duty while engaging in an action against an enemy of the United States. Your country thanks you” he says handing the box over to John and I can’t help wiping the tears of joy and pride as he takes it and salutes. Another officer steps up and starts to speak

“Lance Corporal Johnathan Anderson, you have shown exemplary courage, honor and commitment not just in battle but also home based. Exercised the true core values of the United States Marine Corps. Through your excellent leadership skills in a time of crises our Marines were saved, while sustaining serious injuries. Justice, judgement, dependability, integrity, decisiveness, tact, initiative, enthusiasm, bearing, unselfishness, courage, knowledge, loyalty and endurance. You showed all those traits without care for your own wellbeing” he says and a lady in a wheelchair with an amputated leg rolls up to them. The Officer hands her a case and she salutes, she’s dressed in formal military attire, but my heart aches for her. John and the officer salute each other and he turns to the woman, kneels down and she pins his new rank on him, salutes him and he turns back to the Officer

“Sergeant Johnathan Anderson” he says and John replies

“Colonel Pierson” he says and they salute, his face passive through the whole affair. But I’m bursting with pride, he deserves this and so much more. He returns to his place and the ceremony goes on, ranking up some others and awarding some with decorations. My eyes stay on him as he stands there, tall and firm like a mountain. After all the formalities are done we make our way to an area designated for us

“That’s pretty cool huh?” Dean whispers and I smile at him. His suit fits him perfectly, although he refused to wear a tie, he’s still very handsome.

“I’m so proud of him, skipping a rank” I whisper and he nods smiling

“Do you see him?” I ask and Dean scans the crowd. Families greeting their loved ones, all the Marines still conducting themselves in a very militaristic fashion, but they hug and greet. Mothers crying, kids hugging their parents. Beautiful. A familiar voice draws my attention to my right and there he is, taking long strides weaving through the crowd, his eyes fixed on me

“John” I say through tears as he reaches us and I reach out for him, he opens his arms and I hug him tightly

“Hey sweet cheeks” he says and I grip him tighter

“Hey Gigantor, I’m so proud of you” I whisper and he steps back smiling and greeting Dean

“Congratulations man, we’re proud of you” Dean says and he really is

“Thank you”

“I want you to meet someone” John says and steps back, the lady in the wheelchair rolls up and I scan her face. She has some scars on the side of her neck and face, but she’s still smiling

“You must be Violet” she says extending her hand.

“I am”

“Jana Du Preez, glad to finally meet you” she says and I smile

“The pleasure is all mine” I say but glance at John

“Tank wouldn’t shut up about you. I feel as if I’ve known you my whole life” she says and he laughs nervously

“It wasn’t that bad Prize” he says and she laughs

“Oh please, Boxer!” she calls and a guy about a foot shorter than John appears. He has scars on his face too, but they look more like burn marks. He has light brown hair and cold brown eyes, but a friendly smile

“Yeah Prize?” he says in a gruff voice and she points to me

“Tell her how Tank went on and on about Violet” she says and he rolls his eyes dramatically

“Violet is so nice, Violet saved me, Violet is so kind” he says while dramatizing each word with actions making me bite back my laugh “It was giving me a headache. Fred Crawford, but you can call me Boxer” he says extending his hand and I take it smiling sweetly

“Violet Kendrick pleased to meet you” I say and his face pales, while the other two chuckle

“My apologies ma’am, I meant no disrespect” he says as a faint blush crawls onto his cheeks

“No offense taken. This is my boyfriend Dean Colt” I gesture to Dean and the greet

“Tank, congrats man. Or should I say Sergeant Tank?” another guy with ash blonde hair and green eyes say slapping John on the shoulder

“Thanks Face, this is Violet and Dean” John says and the guy named Face, which I get by the way, he’s really handsome takes my hand and kisses my knuckles

“You never, not once, said she was this beautiful Tank” he says giving me a once over, making Dean clear his throat

“Down boy, I’m just lookin’. Keep her close, or she’ll be taken by a real man” he jokes and Dean scoffs

“Try it soldier boy” he grunts but John quickly moves between them

“Stand down Winslow” he warns and Face tensions but steps back

“Sir, my apologies” he says and John nods, but turns to Dean

“Don’t make me turn on my squad again. Our house, our rules” he says in a low voice and I stand there not sure what to do