The Soldier Next Door: A Forbidden Romance Read online

  “I told you I was too old,” Brady says, a bit grimly this time. “I’m almost double your age.”

  I smile prettily.

  “Almost, but not quite.”

  He stares at me, taking in my flushed, curvy form, before shaking himself. Then he smiles easily. “What about you, Susie? Someone special in your life?”

  I shake my head slowly, while putting on a pout.

  “No. There are a few interested people but nothing serious.”

  “Why not?” he asks lightly.

  I look around, suddenly feeling like I’m under a microscope.

  “I guess no one has ever caught my eye like that. I don’t know, I just never felt that special spark with someone, you know? And I want it to be special and not humdrum and boring.”

  He laughs and shakes his head. Then, he looks at me sincerely.

  “Oh, to be so young and full of hope.”

  Cocking my head to the side, I pout, confused at his statement.

  “Are you not full of hope? Do you not believe that there’s someone out there to give you that certain feeling that you just can’t explain? The proverbial butterflies in your stomach?”

  He shakes his head, smirking. “Kid, after thirty-five years of life, you learn a few things that you don’t know at sixteen.”

  Taken aback, I put more space between us, offended.

  “I’m not a kid, I’m eighteen! I told you!” I protest.

  He laughs again. “Sixteen, eighteen, it’s all the same, little girl. Didn’t you say you were in high school?”

  “Yes, but my parents held me back a year since I have a summer birthday. I’m one of the oldest and most mature women in my class!” I feel myself start to flush. I so desperately want him to know that I’m old enough for his attentions. We already get along so well, so why is he harping on my age?

  Brady nods, showing off that charming smile.

  “Okay kid, I hear you. Well, thank you again for the care package, but I’ve got a few more things to take care of since I’m leaving soon. Plus, I think I just heard your parents pull up in the driveway,” he says glancing at the front and then looking my scantily clad body up and down.

  I inhale sharply, nodding. Jackie and Jim are so traditional that they would be scandalized if they saw me talking to this grown man with barely any clothes on.

  Brady grins and then chuckles to himself again.

  “Yep, a full-blown adult, right? It was nice meeting you, Susie.”

  I merely roll my eyes and make my way back towards my house.

  “Bye Brady. Good luck on your deployment if I don’t see you before you leave.” I wave at him then dash into my house and up to my room to change. But when I rush upstairs, my cheeks are flushed and my bosom heaving. Brady Firestone does that to me, and I don’t want it to stop, deployment or not.

  4

  Brady

  * * *

  One week later.

  “What’s up man?” my roommate, Tucker, asks as I walk into my room. “How was the patrol?”

  I stretch and yawn, exhausted from patrolling all night. “Fucking uneventful,” I say shortly.

  “Well, that’s the best kind of patrol. Pray that I get just as lucky. By the way you got a –”

  “Hey man, I don’t mean to sound like a dick but I really don’t feel like talking right now. I’ve been listening to Carter blab all night about nothing, and then I gotta walk in here and hear you running your damn mouth too,” I say, getting more and more agitated.

  He holds his hands up in peace.

  “No problem man, just…” the rest of his words are muffled as he grumbles under his breath. He gathers all the stuff he needs and leaves the room, slamming the door behind him.

  I sit on the edge of my bunk, excited to finally be getting some rest after being on patrol all night. I’m exhausted, and my head is pounding from the lack of sleep. I look around at the bare, cinderblock walls, and shake my head at the spartan furnishings. How is it that just a week ago, I had a beautiful, vivacious, and sexy young woman within my grasp? Then, the world changed. Now I’m in this shitty, dusty room, with a roommate that farts in his sleep and won’t ever shut the fuck up.

  I know I’m being an asshole. Tucker is nice enough, but he’s not the problem. Being back just reminds me that I don’t have Tony with me this time. This tour is definitely my hardest just because I miss my best friend so much. Everyone here wants to swap stories and have a pissing contest about nothing. It’s so dumb that I don’t talk to anyone unless I absolutely have to, and I’m not interested in making friends. I do my job, like a good teammate and soldier, and I go to my bunk. After only a couple of days, I’ve started to get used to the repetitiveness of my daily routine. Make that my depressing, daily routine.

  Maybe I’m too old for this shit.

  I pull off my boots and flop back on my bed. My head lands on a hard object and I turn around to see what’s on my bed, rubbing the back of my neck where it made contact. It’s a small cardboard box, and I look at it, perplexed. This must be the package Tucker was telling me about.

  I pick up the box and look at the shipping label:

  Susie Monroe

  39283 S. 4th St.

  Remford, IA 52591

  Very interesting.

  Before opening it, I remember out last moment together. It was that day we met, when Susie came flouncing out of her house in that slutty little outfit. Oh, how delicious she looked. I was tempted to bend her over that fence and take her right there because she knew exactly what she was doing. Eighteen, bullshit. Age is nothing but a number because that girl is sex on legs.

  I almost came undone when she actually did touch me. Her dainty hand rested lightly on my arm, and I had to get her hand off me before I yanked her over the fence and marched her into my bedroom for some long, hot loving, consequences be damned.

  I’ve thought about her every day since that moment. Her long curly hair and her creamy skin visit me in my dreams every night. I replay her bending over and giving me a full show of how thick she is. I imagine her big Double D breasts sitting up while she crossed her arms and damn near shoved them at me.

  But she’s in high school, I tell myself over and over again. I can’t help but feel like a pervert. What grown man preys on a high schooler? Susie can’t handle me, despite what her body says. I need a woman. I need someone my own age.

  But oh God, Susie had the body of a woman, that’s for sure. In fact, she had a better body than all of the women I’ve met. She’s luscious, curvy, and not afraid to show it. Plus, she’s eighteen so technically, everything’s legit.

  I shake my head, disgusted with myself. These thoughts are fucking wrong and I know it.

  Confused by my feelings, I open the box slowly and carefully peer inside. Inside, there’s a ziplock baggie of delicious-looking chocolate chip cookies, just like she promised. I open the bag and take a deep inhale, like I’m taking a hit.

  The aroma of these cookies takes me back to when I was a little kid. My mom would make cookies and let them cool in the window. I was always outside playing with my friends, but that smell got me every time. I would leave them and go in to spend time with Mama, absolutely devouring the soft and warm cookies she had just pulled out of the oven.

  I take the bag out to see if there’s anything else in the box. Sure enough, at the bottom is a small note. I take it out, placing the empty box on the floor. The note is on pink paper and carries a faint vanilla scent that wafts up and dances around my nose. I bring the note closer to my nose and take a deep breath.

  “Oh Susie, I know you smell so good,” I whisper to myself. I continue sniffing the paper like a pervert until my curiosity gets the best of me. What does the note say?

  I carefully unfold it and read what’s inside.

  * * *

  Dear Brady,

  I hope this note finds you well. I’ve kept my promise to keep your house safe from Shorty McShort Shorts Joe. Also, I really hope you enjoy the c
ookies. They’re an old family recipe and my personal favorite. But I want you to know, that’s not the only cookie that I have for you to eat.

  Talk Soon,

  Susie “the Kid” From Next Door

  * * *

  I read the sentences over and over again in disbelief. I have so many confusing feelings racing through me. How can someone so young turn me on like no one else has before? I can’t stop reading her sassy, flirtatious note. High school or not, she knows exactly what she wants, and this letter says so.

  I’m so caught up rereading the note that it takes me a second to realize there is something taped to the back. I flip it over and am shocked by what I see.

  Holy fuck. It’s a picture of Susie, but not just any picture. I pull it free from the back of the letter and hold it in my hands, my fingers trembling. The picture is a Polaroid, like it was taken on an old camera, but it’s not the format that’s making me hard. It’s Susie, sitting in the middle of her bed, on her knees, legs open. All she has on is a V-neck t-shirt and the valley is cut so deep that I can see the space right between her enormous breasts. I close my eyes and imagine my face sitting in that valley, surrounded by her warmth and feeling her heartbeat against my cheek.

  I open my eyes and stare at the picture again, mesmerized by her beauty. Her long brown tresses dance down her shoulders and spill onto the white of the t-shirt. Her chocolate eyes stare deep into my soul, calling out to me. I picture her thick ass sitting on top of her sheets, posing to send me this picture. Does she have panties on? I can’t tell because the t-shirt’s pulled low over her pussy, but my guess is that she’s totally bare, staring at me with a smirk on those gorgeous lips.

  What the fuck. What the fuckity fuck. I bet her parents have no idea they have a naughty little minx sleeping under their roof. Sending dirty photos to the older man who lives next door too.

  Hell, she probably walks around all innocent and ladylike, but I know the real Susie. She’s utter temptation, and can’t wait for me to serve her everything on the menu.

  I can’t help but imagine myself under her. The curvy girl is sitting on me, her round and plump ass bouncing up and down on my thighs. I see myself grabbing her slim waist and slamming her down on top of me over and over again until she moans and gushes all over my cock. Then, I’ll turn her around and paddle that juicy bottom a bit before testing her back hole for a deeply pleasurable experience.

  Oh shit. When I open my eyes, I look down and see a full erection. I’m embarrassed and hope my roommate doesn’t come in. But I’m so turned on that I have to relieve myself. I get up and swiftly move across the room, locking the door for some privacy.

  I get back to my bunk and lay down on my back, unbuckling my pants and sliding them down to my ankles. I push my briefs around my thighs, freeing my hard dick from its confinement. I’m throbbing and grab myself, staring intently at Susie’s picture. I close my eyes and imagine sucking those pink, puffy nipples between my lips. I see myself grabbing her ass and pulling her curvy, warm, soft body close to mine. I open my eyes and grab the note and smell the vanilla again.

  Her scent on the paper sends me over the edge as I move quicker and quicker, grabbing my erection with a tight grip. I stroke myself back and forth, imagining it’s Susie bouncing on top of me. I see her hair wildly framing her face and flipping from side to side while her breasts dance before my eyes. She climaxes in my imagination, just as I finish and erupt all over my thighs.

  I fall back on the bed, relieved, but still not satisfied. My hand is nothing compared to what Susie will be like. Fuck it. I don’t care if she’s in high school because by the time I get back, she won’t be. I want her like I’ve never wanted anything or anyone before. The ache in the pit of my stomach continues to grow as I dream about her again.

  But this is getting me nowhere. Nothing I do can compare to the curvy girl in person, so with a grunt, I get up. I wipe myself down and then find a nice hiding spot for the picture and the note. Then I devour the cookies, and fall back onto my bunk, dreaming of Susie “the Kid” From Next Door.

  5

  Susie

  * * *

  I pace back and forth in my room anxiously. It’s been a week since I sent Brady that care package and I haven’t heard anything back. I tried to take deep breaths and remind myself that Afghanistan is a long ways away and he’s probably been busy. He’s on the front lines, for crying out loud. My needs and wants pale in comparison to what he’s going through.

  Or maybe, I totally embarrassed myself and he’s laughing at my stupid note and picture with his buddies. I slap myself on the forehead. How could I have been so dumb? I mean, who am I kidding? Brady has probably been with a slew of women that are way more mature, beautiful, and amazing than me. They’re probably nowhere near as desperate either.

  Suddenly, a small knock comes from my door. I turn around and see my mom poke her head in. Her brown hair is blown out, even if it looks a bit stiff. She’s wearing a loose-fitting black tank top and white sports bra. Her wide hips and round butt are packed away tightly in some pink yoga pants.

  “Hi honey, are you okay?” she asks, reading the worry on my face.

  “Oh yeah,” I say with a smile. “Nothing much, just some boy drama. Why, what’s up, Mom?”

  I am surprised to see Jackie. With her new summer hours, she’s hardly home. If she’s not volunteering, then she’s at the casino with my dad. This is the first time I’ve seen more than just her shadow in two weeks.

  She frowns at me, her pink frosted lips pursing.

  “Well, you know boys your age are basically twelve mentally. Don’t get too caught up in that drama. It’ll do nothing but drain you and distract you, my smart little Susie Cue.”

  I smiled wryly at my dreaded childhood nickname.

  “Don’t worry, I’m not wasting a second thought on my male classmates. Anyways, did you need something?”

  My mom nods.

  “Oh right, that’s why I came in here. You have a letter, sweetheart. From Brady Firestone? Isn’t that our neighbor whose house you watch?” she asks, handing over a dirty white envelope.

  I take it from her with shaky fingers. Holding it in my hand, I read my name and address written in black, scratchy ink. Brady actually responded? I am so nervous I think I stop breathing for a second. I can’t even hear my mom anymore, my heart is pounding so loud in my ears. She looks at me oddly again.

  “Why is Mr. Firestone sending you mail from Afghanistan?” she asks casually. “I didn’t know you knew each other that well.”

  I stammer.

  “Um…I…it’s because I’m taking care of his house. So, you know, I sent him a letter basically saying everything is okay. Oh, and um also, I sent a care package. You know, part of my summer volunteer work. Like what we did for Junior League a while ago,” I stammer out.

  She nods, still looking a bit suspicious. But Jackie knows the veterans’ project that I have been participating in for the last couple of years.

  “Oh, that’s right. That’s so nice of you to do that, sweetheart, especially while you have free time. You could be doing anything, like hanging out with your friends or chasing boys. But instead, here you are, making cookies for our neighbor fighting overseas. Oh my Susie Cue, how did I end up with such a perfect daughter?” she kisses me on the forehead.

  I shake my head. “Mom, I’m not perfect. I’m like every other young adult out there.”

  My mom beams.

  “You’re perfect to me and that’s all that matters. Think about what you want for dinner and tell me what Brady says about the cookies! I remember when you made them. They were delicious, and your best batch yet!”

  I smile weakly at her.

  “Oh definitely, I’ll make sure to tell you what he says. And thanks, I just used your recipe.”

  My mom smiles at me, tapping her index finger on her chin and twisting her mouth.

  “No wonder! I thought they tasted familiar. Anyways, think about dinner and I’ll le
ave you to it.” She smiles one last time before turning and leaving my room, closing the door softly behind her.

  As soon as I hear the click of the door, I instantly rip open the letter. I have to see what he said. Right before I take the note out, I pause, suddenly nervous. My heart pounds loudly in my chest and my blood is pulsing quickly through my veins. I feel my breath catch as I slide the piece of paper out of the envelope.

  With shaky hands, I unfold the letter and begin to read his scratchy handwriting. I get more and more excited with each word.

  * * *

  Dear Kid,

  * * *

  Well I should probably stop calling you “Kid” as you are far from that Susie, the Girl Next Door. You are sexier than you know. I’ve been thinking about you too, ever since you came flouncing out your house in those tiny shorts and even tinier top. I know exactly what you were doing, and I think you do too. Watering flowers? I don’t think those begonias saw a drop, Kid.

  Anyways, I’m writing this letter to say thank you for the cookies. They were delicious and I ate them all in one sitting. I also want to say I’m looking forward to the other cookie that you told me about. I’m sure that cookie is warm and smells just like vanilla. I promise you, when I see you next, I will serve you something you couldn’t bake in your wildest dreams. Wait for me, Susie. Meanwhile, I look forward to your next batch of goodies.

  * * *

  Brady

  * * *

  I read the note over and over again, feeling an intense pulse between my legs. I ache for him so bad, and I don’t even know what it feels like for someone to be inside me. But there’s definitely that special spark that I’ve been waiting for. I put my hand on my mound and feel my wetness through my cotton panties. I start rubbing my clit in slow, small circles, moaning quietly as I release some of the tension building up between my legs.