My Kenna: A Military Romance (3 page)

Butch watched as Kenna shook out her blonde hair, a big smile plastered on her face.

“Go out with me,” he said.

Kenna had that look again, the same doe in headlights look she had when he’d caught her crying. He wasn’t going to take no for an answer, though. There was something this woman was hiding, that’s for sure, but that wasn’t the reason Butch wanted to go out with her.
 

He’d only met her twice and in those two encounters she’d woken something in him. Kenna was like lightning without the thunderstorm. She was dangerous to those who didn’t understand. She was an enigma.
 

“I…” Kenna stuttered, looking at the target on the firing wall.

“I don’t want to hear it,” Butch said. “Just go out with me. Please.”
 

Kenna frowned. “You’re making a mistake.”

Butch shrugged. “Then let me make it. Don’t decide for me.”

Kenna looked at the target then back at Butch. After what felt like an eternity, she nodded. “Okay.”

It goes without saying that Kenna was nervous. It was her first date since Caleb. She dressed and redressed, did her hair over and over, and in the end she still wasn’t satisfied. When Butch picked her up butterflies the size of beetles had taken residence in her belly.

The night sky was clear for once and stars blanketed the blackness, another perk of living in a remote mountain town. They got dinner in a small, lodge-like restaurant that boasted soups and roast beef as their main entrees.
 

Kenna ordered mashed potatoes and steak and Butch ordered the roast beef.
 

“I’m glad you ordered steak,” Butch said.

“I love steak!” Kenna said, genuinely excited. “And mashed potatoes.”

“I might have had to end the date now if you’d ordered salad.”

Kenna frowned. “Salad is good sometimes.”

“Yeah, but for dinner?” They then proceeded to get in to an argument over whether or not salad could ever be a meal. Kenna was pro, Butch was against. By the time their entrees had arrived both were laughing and Kenna was actually having a good time.
 

She hadn’t had a good time in so long.
 

“How’s your steak?” Butch asked.
 

“It’s so good,” Kenna replied, her mouth full.
 

When they finished their entrees they each decided to share dessert. Kenna got up and excused herself to the bathroom to freshen up.
 

Kenna looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. For the first time in months she was smiling, a real and true smile. She didn’t know how this night was going to end, but it didn’t matter.

She was happy.
 

Kenna was even more beautiful when she let her hair down, figuratively speaking. She was smiling and joking with Butch—and that laugh! It sounded like bells and music. Whatever made her sad, Butch hoped it had disappeared forever. All Butch wanted to see was her smile.
 

She had eaten a full meal, she had smiled, and she had laughed. As far as he was concerned, this date was going wonderfully.

When Kenna excused herself for the restroom, Butch had a huge, goofy grin on his face. Then her phone buzzed in her purse. And it buzzed. And buzzed. And it kept on fucking buzzing. Butch finally fished it out, thinking there was some kind of emergency.

Fucking whore.

Startled and curious, Butch skimmed the rest of the messages.

I’ll find you Kenna
.
You belong to
me.

Butch placed the phone back in to her purse, his mood sobered. It all made sense now. Why she hadn’t wanted to go out with him, why she’d been crying, and why she was at the gun range.
 

Her sadness.

It all made so much sense.

There was some evil bastard out there terrifying Kenna. Beautiful, full of light Kenna.
 

Kenna sat back down at the table but the mood had shifted. Butch wasn’t smiling and though he was looking at her, there was a shadow behind his gaze. Kenna shifted nervously.

“Is everything alright?”

Butch ran a hand over his skull-shaved hair. “You tell me.”

Kenna fidgeted with her napkin. “Well there was no line at the bathroom so…” Just then Kenna heard her purse buzz and buzz and buzz. Her stomach dropped. Even though she’d changed her number Caleb had found her again.

How was he doing that?

She eyed her purse, an overwhelming feeling of sadness engulfing her.
 

“Who’s texting you, Kenna?”

Kenna’s eyes shot up to Butch. “Why do you want to know?” Panic and paranoia crept along her skin. It was foolish to think Butch had anything to do with Caleb, but then she’d been tormented by him for so long all her thoughts orbited around him. Caleb had become her black sun.

“I saw the texts,” Butch said somberly.

“You went through my stuff?” Kenna was mad. The thought of someone snooping through her stuff made her angry, but more than that, the fact that he knew her deepest vulnerability had her scared. She would rather be angry than scared.

She was so tired of being scared.
 

“I didn’t mean to, Kenna.” Butch reached a hand out for Kenna but Kenna moved away.

“I’m sure you didn’t,” She replied bitterly. A waiter appeared with their dessert. A hot, molten chocolate cake. Kenna watched the liquid chocolate drain down the sides, no longer hungry.
 

It was nice, even if it was just for a few hours, to be hungry and happy.
 

Now she was sad again. Disinterested. Worried. Scared.
 

“Tell me about him,” Butch pressed.

“Why do you care?” Kenna nearly shouted, but lowered her voice at the last minute.
 

“Because I care about you Kenna!” Butch raised his voice. “Is that so hard to believe?”
 

Kenna glared at him. It
was
hard to believe.
 

“His name is Caleb Grayson and he is my ex-boyfriend. He cheated on me, manipulated me, beat me, and has been stalking me for the past six months.” Kenna went in to the long, sordid story of Caleb Grayson. Butch listened, his attention rapt. Neither of them touched the molten chocolate cake. By the time Kenna finished, the cake was cold, the chocolate was in a pool on the plate, and Kenna was near tears.
 

Butch folded his arms. “You’re going to stay with me.”
 

After hearing Kenna’s story, there was no doubt about it. Kenna was staying with him. He had a small apartment on base. What was safer than a military base? Where was safer than with him?
 

Kenna protested at first and Butch didn’t want to force her, she’d been forced enough. He spent the next thirty minutes convincing her. She
had
to stay with him.
 

“I would stay at your place,” Butch said, “but I have to stay on the base. Please, Kenna. It’s not safe for you. At least until we get this shit-head dealt with. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

Kenna had reluctantly agreed. They’d gone and gotten a few essentials from her place and then driven back to the base.
 

Now she was here, in his apartment, fondling his trinkets and looking at his photos. Under any other circumstance Butch would have wrapped her in his arms and taken her to bed, but she was so fragile, like a bird fallen out of the nest.

“I like your place,” Kenna said.
 

“Thanks.” That was the last thing they said to each other before going to bed in separate rooms.
 

Butch woke with a start, his ears listening for sounds of disturbance.
Was that prick Caleb here?
His eyes adjusted to the darkness, seeing black and grey shapes. To his right something moved and he sprung up, pinning it against the wall.
 

“Sorry!” Kenna’s voice broke through his sleepy fight or flight instinct.
 

“Kenna! I’m sorry. I thought you were an intruder.” Butch let her go and stepped back. “Why are you up?”

 
“I just…” Kenna’s small, soft hand touched the bare of his chest. He only slept in boxers. Butch was starting to wonder if that was a bad idea. Maybe he should have slept in a burka. She started tracing small lines down his pecs and abs.
 

God, but her hands felt so good. He wanted to feel her hands all over his body. They stood like that, in the darkness as she explored the planes of his chest, for minutes that felt like hours. Eventually Butch spoke. His voice was so hoarse it didn’t sound like his own.

“What Kenna? What do you want?”

Kenna stood on her tiptoes, too small to reach him standing flat. She ran her hands over his skull-shaved head, a sensation completely delicious. Ever so lightly, she planted a kiss on his lips.
 

“I don’t want to sleep alone.”
 

That was all the permission Butch needed. He scooped her up and carried her to his room. Butch was going to worship her tonight. He was going to kiss every inch of her, memorize every peak and valley.

Butch put Kenna on his bed and crawled on top of her. She sighed, a soft, tender sound that was music to his ears.
 

“Tell me to stop and I will,” Butch said, nuzzling in to her neck. “But please tell me now because if we go any further I don’t know if I can.” Kenna brought him to her mouth. She tasted so sweet, so utterly Kenna.
 

“I want you,” Kenna said as they broke apart for air. She reached down and pulled off her top. Underneath she was completely naked. Butch stared, taking a minute to absorb her. She was perfect.
 

Butch ran his hands up her abdomen and cupped her breasts, they fit so palm perfect. Kenna closed her eyes and moaned. The sound went right to his brain. He wanted to do anything to make her make that sound again. Anything.

Slowly, Butch peeled her pajama pants off. It was like opening a present. She was even bare underneath her pants. No panties to hide the perfect sight beneath.

He groaned, pressing his cheek against her stomach. “You’re killing me Kenna.”
 

Butch dove between her thighs, breathing her in. Kenna gasped. He had to taste her, had to make her scream his name.
 

Butch pulled her gently to the edge of the bed and got on his knees. Her pussy was perfect. Pink, swollen, and ready. He could already taste it.
 

“Wait,” Kenna said. Butch tore his eyes away from the gorgeous sight in front of him and up to another, glorious site. Kenna, naked, and saying his name. “Butch, you don’t have to do that.”

Butch smiled and planted a kiss on her inner thigh, just centimeters from her swollen pussy. “Fuck, you smell so good, Kenna.” Kenna lie back down, moaning. Butch planted another, closer kiss, slowly working his way inward. He raked his hands down her legs, relishing as she groaned.
 

At last Butch kissed her core, the sweet juices coating his lips. He didn’t suck, he just planted the one, open mouthed kiss, letting his lips cover hers. They groaned simultaneously. Butch sucked on her clit, holding her stomach flat as she writhed at the hypersensitive sensation. Juices flowed out of her cunt and coated his chin as Butch continued suck and lick her clit.