Her Airman

  Her Airman

  A Love Games Novel

  Allyson Lindt

  This book is a work of fiction.

  While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Original Copyright © 2013

  Third Edition Copyright © 2019 by Allyson Lindt

  All Rights Reserved

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

  Manufactured in the United States of America

  Acelette Press

  Table of Contents

  Copyright Page

  Blurb

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Also By Allyson Lindt

  About the Author

  Blurb

  They toed a line while he was deployed. Flirting. Dirty-Talk. Mutual self-gratification. Nothing was off limits. Now he’s back, and these best friends have to figure out where they stand.

  Riley falls hard and fast for the guys she dates, and it never ends with the wedding bells she expects. Tired of the heartbreak and unsure she even knows what love is, she swears off unreliable things like dating and trying to find that elusive happily-ever-after spark.

  Which is great, except she misses the physical part of being half a couple. Fortunately, now her best friend, Zane, is back from his military deployment, he offers to tie her up in the bedroom with no expectations.

  Zane’s holding something back, and Riley sees how much the secret haunts him. If she can’t help him overcome his demons, their friendship and their no-strings playtime may not survive.

  For my eternal dragon

  Chapter Zero

  Five years ago

  CharcoalDreams: What’s with the new screen name?

  InvaderZ: Apparently The Taurus made a couple of HS watch lists—got to be too much of a hassle to mask myself. Fucking Air Force firewalls.

  CharcoalDreams: First computer when you were five, hacking since you were seven, and in the fifteen years since then, you’ve never backed down from a network security challenge. You don’t mean high school, do you?

  InvaderZ: Homeland Security.

  CharcoalDreams: Of course :-P InvaderZ-do you pronounce it like the video game?

  InvaderZ: You pronounce it like Invader Zee—two words.

  CharcoalDreams: :-D Right, cuz Z for Zane, I get it. So what are you up to?

  InvaderZ: You really want to know?

  CharcoalDreams: I asked, didn’t I?

  InvaderZ: Yeah, but this is different.

  CharcoalDreams: ??? I thought we could tell each other anything.

  InvaderZ: Yeah, but this is different.

  CharcoalDreams: Not funny. You could have just said nothing and I would have dropped it. But you had to make it sound interesting.

  InvaderZ: Fine. I was considering jerking off.

  CharcoalDreams:...

  InvaderZ: Told you that you didn’t want to hear it.

  CharcoalDreams: You caught me off guard is all. I mean I figure, you being all my girlfriend left me and I’ll never sleep with another woman again that you were getting off somehow. I just didn’t put a lot of thought into it.

  InvaderZ: Now I feel awkward.

  CharcoalDreams: You shouldn’t have brought it up then.

  InvaderZ: You’ve never put any thought into it, but I’m picturing you naked all the time.

  CharcoalDreams: :-O You are not.

  InvaderZ: Well, not all the time. But you’ve made an appearance in the mental rotation. Just because you’re my best friend doesn’t mean I’ve never noticed how drop-dead sexy you look in cutoffs. Or a bikini. Or one of my T-shirts and nothing else. Wait, that one was all in my head.

  CharcoalDreams: Do you know this is getting awkward?

  InvaderZ: You started it.

  CharcoalDreams: I did not.

  InvaderZ: Whatever. Forget I mentioned it.

  CharcoalDreams: Do I ever start it in these fantasies of yours?

  InvaderZ: I thought you wanted to drop it.

  CharcoalDreams: Now you have me thinking about it.

  InvaderZ: Sometimes.

  CharcoalDreams: Sometimes...I start it?

  InvaderZ: Yup. Sometimes I ask you, sometimes you ask me, we screw, it’s all good.

  CharcoalDreams: That’s it.

  InvaderZ: What?

  CharcoalDreams: We screw, it’s all good. That’s about the weakest fantasy I’ve ever heard.

  InvaderZ: So, no offense, Riley. But I’m a guy. If I can imagine myself sticking my dick in something warm and attractive, I don’t need a lot more.

  CharcoalDreams: So crude.

  InvaderZ: At least I let you make an appearance. You never even think about me.

  CharcoalDreams: If I did, it’d be a much more elaborate fantasy. You at least deserve that.

  InvaderZ: Like what?

  CharcoalDreams: I don’t know, but it needs build-up, and tension, and fun, and intimacy.

  InvaderZ: You do too know.

  CharcoalDreams: Excuse me?

  InvaderZ: You wouldn’t have said it if you didn’t have an idea. You’ve obviously created these elaborate fantasies before. Would it destroy you to write me into one?

  CharcoalDreams:...

  InvaderZ: ?

  CharcoalDreams: Since that’s pretty much what my brain has been doing since you brought it up I’m going to say it wouldn’t destroy me at all.

  InvaderZ: Are you complaining?

  CharcoalDreams: I guess it all depends on how good my imagination thinks you are in the sack.

  InvaderZ: Just don’t make it too impossible a dream to live up to.

  CharcoalDreams: You’re thousands of miles away and will be for at least the next five years. When are you going to get a chance to live up to it? Besides, I’d never let it screw up our friendship, and you’ve already sworn you’re going to be celibate for the rest of your life.

  InvaderZ: In that case, make sure I’m absolutely fantastic. And describe it to me in vivid detail.

  CharcoalDreams: I thought you didn’t need an elaborate fantasy, just a mental image of something...what was it ~scrolls up~ warm and attractive?

  InvaderZ: Just because I don’t need it doesn’t mean I don’t like the idea. Teach me the error of my ways, oh wise one. Tell me how imaginary me is going to make you scream my name in ecstasy.

  CharcoalDreams: I don’t know, um...You come over to watch movies.

  InvaderZ: And that’s sexy?

  CharcoalDreams: And that’s how it starts. The first hint of sexy is that you’re wearing a battered T-shirt that’s just the right amount of soft, that smells like you, and ripped jeans. And we’re probably drinking a little, not enough to get drunk, just a beer
each or something, and you’re letting me curl up against you on the couch like we did back in high school.

  InvaderZ: But you’ve never thought about this before. And then we screw?

  CharcoalDreams: Eventually. Give it time.

  InvaderZ: Sorry. But tonight would be nice.

  CharcoalDreams: :-P And since we’re watching cable—HBO or Showtime or something—and it’s late, some stupid, R-rated fake porn movie comes on.

  InvaderZ: I hate those things.

  CharcoalDreams: I know. Anyway, we start joking about how ridiculously censored they are, and even pretending to act out certain scenes, and all the sudden, you’ve got me on my stomach, straddling me, arms pinned behind my back.

  InvaderZ: Nice. Actually really, really hot. I should warn you, if you keep going, I’m going to jerk off.

  CharcoalDreams: I didn’t need to know that.

  InvaderZ: Why not? I’d want to know if you were.

  CharcoalDreams:...I was thinking about it.

  InvaderZ: Wait, really?

  CharcoalDreams: ~blush~ seriously.

  InvaderZ: Because I’d much rather hear about that.

  CharcoalDreams: What do you want to know?

  InvaderZ: God damn it, why can’t my bandwidth support video?

  CharcoalDreams: I guess you’ll have to use your imagination. Say you could watch, what would you want to see?

  InvaderZ: What are you wearing?

  CharcoalDreams: Cliché, but I’ll bite. T-shirt and jeans.

  InvaderZ: You’re not even trying. Take your shirt off.

  CharcoalDreams: Mmm...bossy. I like it.

  InvaderZ: I’ll keep that in mind.

  CharcoalDreams: Shirt’s off. Now I’m topless except for this red lace bra that’s probably a half-cup too small, so my boobs are kind of...pushing to get out.

  InvaderZ: Better. You should oblige at least one of them. I’ve always wondered what your tits looked like.

  CharcoalDreams: You know, round, fun to play with, and right now with very swollen, pink nipples.

  InvaderZ: Since I can’t be there to do it myself, you should play with them. Pinch your nipples, roll them between your fingers. Make yourself moan.

  CharcoalDreams: ~moans~ do you want me to lick one, too?

  InvaderZ: You can do that? Fuck yes.

  CharcoalDreams: Too bad I don’t have anything else here to use my tongue on.

  InvaderZ: I’m so hard right now. Are you getting wet?

  CharcoalDreams: ~squirms in seat~ Presumably.

  InvaderZ: You should probably lose your jeans so you can do a hands-on test.

  CharcoalDreams: Is that an order?

  InvaderZ: Yes.

  CharcoalDreams: I like this a lot. So now you have me stripped down to my lacy things, and two fingers sliding easily between my legs confirms that, yes, you’ve got me very wet.

  InvaderZ: Incredible. Do you still have that vibrator?

  CharcoalDreams: How do you know about that?

  InvaderZ: I’d say lucky guess, but you don’t always tuck it away as well as you think you do. Grab it.

  CharcoalDreams: Yes, Sir.

  InvaderZ: In this fantasy of yours, I get to pin your arms behind your back, strip away your clothes, and have my way with you, right?

  CharcoalDreams: ~eep~ something like that. Okay, pretty much exactly like that.

  InvaderZ: Keep that in mind as you turn that toy on and slide it slowly inside you. Imagine that’s me. That first slow penetration. The slow build-up.

  CharcoalDreams: Um, wow, okay. This is better than any fantasy I’ve ever come up with. Are you taking your time, almost pulling out of me before pushing back inside again?

  InvaderZ: I am, but I don’t know how long I can be patient.

  CharcoalDreams: So make me come. Slam into me hard and fast while you hold me in place. Listen to me get louder with each thrust.

  InvaderZ: Fuck. I’m stroking myself really fast now.

  CharcoalDreams: I’m moving my vibrator higher, pressing it against my clit. This feels so incredible. It should be you instead, sliding along my slit, listening to me moan...

  InvaderZ:

  CharcoalDreams:

  InvaderZ:

  CharcoalDreams:

  InvaderZ:

  CharcoalDreams: ~laughs~ Wow. I just came really hard.

  InvaderZ: Holy fuck, that was incredible.

  CharcoalDreams: Mmm...definitely. And I owe you an apology.

  InvaderZ: Oh?

  CharcoalDreams: I should have let you into my fantasies a long time ago.

  InvaderZ: Nice. This doesn’t get awkward now, does it?

  CharcoalDreams: Only if you tell me we can’t ever do it again ;-)

  InvaderZ: Right. Who else is going to keep my hand and brain well lubricated for the next couple years?

  CharcoalDreams: You say the sweetest things.

  InvaderZ: Riley?

  CharcoalDreams: Hmm?

  InvaderZ: Thank you.

  CharcoalDreams: ~Blush~

  InvaderZ: I have to bolt. I’ll message you next time I have a connection.

  CharcoalDreams: I’ll be here.

  Chapter One

  Car exhaust and espresso. It smelled so wrong, but for Zane, it was almost perfect. Only one thing was missing. He scanned the cars passing the wooden shack, which was barely big enough for a coffeemaker and a couple of employees. Where’s Riley?

  It was April, too early in the year for many people to be occupying the plastic benches surrounding the drive-up coffee shop. He grabbed their drinks from the barista, knowing what kind of coffee she’d want, and picked one of the empty tables to set the cups down on.

  He tapped his toes inside his shoes in time with the passing seconds. Why was he so on edge? Aside from the obvious my past haunts my every waking and sleeping moment.

  Was he really nervous about seeing Riley again? Okay, so he’d been deployed in the Air Force for the past six years, but they’d kept in touch. Email, hanging out when he was on leave, and chatting online whenever possible.

  Oh, and those chats. Heat flooded his veins at the rush of pleasant memories. Chatting was a bit of an understatement. He’d barely been gone for a year when their conversations changed. Got more intimate.

  Jesus. The things they’d said to each other, wrapped in excuses like we’re thousands of miles apart and it’s just two friends helping each other out. For the sake of their friendship he hoped those conversations wouldn’t come between them now, but that didn’t stop his fantasies from running rampant with images of stripping her down. Pinning her against the wall. Making her scream with pleasure...

  He shook the vivid thoughts aside. The last thing he wanted was for this to cause a gaping rift between them when they were face to face.

  His pocket vibrated and he reached for his phone. Was she canceling? He wasn’t sure if that would be a relief or a disappointment. When he saw the messages, he rolled his eyes, his irritation surging. They weren’t from Riley.

  Checking in.

  How’s civilian life?

  I’m in your part of the country. Meet me for coffee?

  He glared at the phone. No matter how many times he told Sabrina he wasn’t interested, she kept trying to recruit him.

  And now the memories of his deployment were back, along with emotions he’d rather not have. Guilt. Horror. Resignation. The thoughts tightened in his chest and danced in front of his eyes.

  “Sexy love letters from your girlfriend?”

  Riley’s voice came from behind and jolted him back to the now. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her slender frame pressing into his back when she hugged him. She was almost as tall as he was, but experience told him she had to stand on tip-toe to do that. The familiar scent of cherry lip-gloss mingled with everything else and made it easier to stash his sins behind thoughts of her. Her breasts molded to him and rested against his shoulder blades.

  He smiled and concentrated on falling into the se
nsations of her. “Hey, stranger.”

  “Hey, yourself.” Riley settled her forehead against his shoulder. “Am I interrupting?”

  It was easy to relax against her, as though with Riley’s touch, the last six years faded. He pocketed his phone. He could tell Sabrina no for the fiftieth time later.

  Zane spun to face Riley. “Not interrupting at all,” he said. “I’m here for you.” He couldn’t stop from tracing his gaze over her. Fuck, was he here for her. Her long-sleeved T-shirt hugged round breasts, and her blonde hair framed a pixie-like face and a teasing smile. “How have you been?”

  “Not nearly as great as I am right now.” She locked her gaze on his, eyes bright blue and dancing with mischief. “I can’t believe you’re really back. For good. We have so much to catch up on. So much to do.”

  His sex-starved imagination seized and taunted him with the concept of what they could be doing. When he pushed aside the mental images of tasting her cherry-flavored lips, they left an empty spot for a new tension to dive in. A pang clattered in his gut, bringing memories of what he’d left behind in the Air Force.

  That was one bit of catching up on that could wait until later. Or never. She didn’t need that kind of burden. He swallowed the response, not letting it show on his face. “What have you been up to?”

  “This and that.” She turned her attention to the ground, fingers flying to the silver heart resting at the base of her throat. She still had the locked he’d given her in high school. The Friends Forever one.

  The realization warmed him. “That’s specific.”

  “Is this for me?” She grabbed one of the cups from the table.

  “Only if you still like caramel lattes.”

  “Only if you need air to breathe.” She kissed him on the cheek, took a long drink, and then dropped onto the bench across from him, fiddling with the paper sleeve on the cup.

  Apparently, he wasn’t the only one with secrets. “The last few years have been so good you don’t even want to talk about them?”

  She met his gaze. “Wrong.” Her voice was a combination of finality and teasing. “You’re the one who dropped off the radar two years ago. You don’t get to waltz back into town as if you were never gone, and interrogate me about my life without giving me details in return.”

  He really wanted to avoid this conversation. But he could redirect if needed. “What do you want to know?”