The Truth of the Body (Templer Series) (5 page)

I throw my hands in the air causing other diners to look in our direction. “How many times, Mia! He does
not do relationships. He does not want me. I’m trying to forget about him.” I let the solitary angry tear spill onto my cheek.

“And what if I’m right and you
are wrong?” She thumbs the tear away with her napkin before signaling to the waiter for the bill.

Chapter Ten

The Chinook Helicopter lands directly on the pad with ease. As the doors open the dust and heat are the first to hit you, followed by the unmistakable colours of military brown, mint green and beige…on the buildings, combat uniforms, nettings, everywhere.
We are ushered off the helicopter by security and led towards the engineering tent at the main vehicle park where the gig will take place tonight. On board with Mia, Sapphire and I were TV reporters, Forces reporters and service men and women. Once inside the tent, we are met by representatives from The British Forces Foundation and Captain John McFarlane.

We are given refreshments, briefed about this evening’s event, and shown the temporary stage area. We begin to make our preparations for tonight. I am keeping myself busy trying to ignore my churning, anxious stomach. Occasionally, a few people will wander through the tent keen to catch a glimpse of
Sapphire or Mia.

As the darkness falls, there is a frenzy of activity as finishing touches to the stage and lighting are completed. Mia is busy photographing the troops as they take their seats.
Sapphire is applying the final touches to her make-up, humming and preparing her voice for her performance. I am hiding in the background, fetching and carrying, and doing whatever I am told to do. And in five minutes, the show will begin.

***

There is an enormous roar from the crowd as a representative from The British Forces Foundation takes to the microphone to announce that the special guest for this evening,
Sapphire, is about to come on stage.

“But first, give a big welcome to Mia Fox and to Amber Templer! Mia, in case some of you don’t know, is the girl who graces many a
Forces poster, and Amber Templer who has given many weeks of her time to working with our injured personnel at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Show them how happy you are for them to come all this way to see you!” He booms as the crowds erupt with wolf whistles and cheers.

Mia gushes onto the stage dragging me forcefully behind her. I can feel my legs weaken with every step. We reach the microphone, and instantly Mia is on form, blowing kisses and waving into the throng of soldiers. I shield my eyes against the glare of the lights just as I hear my name bellowed from the fourth row. A man is frantically waving at me. Aiden. The smile is splitting his face apart, as those around him heckle and tease him wildly. I laugh and wave back in his direction.

As we turn to make our way off the stage, there are more whistles and cheers. We turn again for one last wave, before my eyes fall on a singular figure stood slightly back from the seated crowd. He is stood rigid and tall but his powerfully built frame, blonde hair and piercing blues are unmistakable. And his face is set hard, his jaw clenched so tight, I can see small twitches in his cheek muscles. His strong arms are crossed angrily across his chest.
Oh, fuck

I almost pull Mia off her feet in my rush to e
scape to the back of the stage and out into the edge of the engineering tent. We have almost reached the refreshments area when I am suddenly lifted off my feet and carried out of the tent.

***

I wiggle and struggle to free myself but the solid arms tighten harder around me. Suddenly we reach a building where I can smell food cooking. I am gruffly slid down his body and plonked on my feet. Logan pins me to the wall ordering me not to move before he marches inside. I hear him boom a command for the building to be cleared, and no-one is allowed to enter until further notice. A trail of cooks and a few straggling service personnel hastily make their exit, before I am pulled inside.

Facing me now, Logan stares hard into my face for a few moments before speaking. He scrapes a hand roughly down his face. “What the fuck are you doing here, Amber?” He yells, before pacing back and forth.

Words and sentences come and go but I only stutter, inaudibly. “I-I-I’m here…..”

“Well? This is a fucking war zone, Amber! What the fuck!” He runs his hand down his face for a second
time, taking a deep breath.

“If you let me get my words out……” I put my hands up defiantly.

Suddenly, he grips me by the shoulders, leaning in closer to my face. I can feel his breath as he inhales and exhales sharply. He calms slightly. “This isn’t a place for you. Not here.”

“But, I’m here with the BFF. I came to…..”

He relaxes his grip on my shoulders. He shakes his head softly, shutting his eyes for a brief moment. He opens them and looks at me intensely. “I walked away that night for a reason, Amber. You know the score. And now you are fucking here….in my unit, for fuck’s sake!”

I push his arms off me. I want to get away from here. From him. Being in front of him at this moment, inhaling his scent, makes me want to throw myself into his arms. But that is the last thing I should do.
And it would appear to be the last thing he would want.

“I should go. Please, Logan, just take me back to the engineering tent.
And I will try to stay out of your way until we leave tomorrow.” I avoid his gaze, shuffling from one foot to the other.

There is silence. He does
not reply or make a move to escort me back to the tent. I glance up to see him, stood stiff, hands fisted on his hips. His head is slighted bowed.

Unexpectedly, he takes a step forward, pulling me into his arms.
He brushes his lips softly against mine before tilting my head back to look him fully in the face. “Why are you such a pain in my ass, Amber?”

Before I have a chance to respond, he pulls away and makes for the door of the cookhouse. He turns, instructing me to stay where I am, until he returns. A few minutes pass by before I see him enter the door again. He snatches up my hand and leads me across the encampment towards a row of tents. Pulling back a flap, I am ushered inside a tent which is obviously shared by two personnel, Logan I assume and another
Commanding Officer.

“Am…am I allowed in here?” I stammer.

“Yes. We will not be disturbed. These are my private quarters that I share with another Major. Now sit here.” He gestures for me to join him on his bunk. I gingerly sit myself down, not sure what to expect.

***

His eyes stare directly into mine with such intensity and need, I instantly feel my breath begin to quicken. Peeling my dress down from my shoulder, he swiftly unclasped my bra allowing it fall. He starts to plant light kisses along my jaw line, across my face, finding my mouth. His warm tongue strokes my bottom lip, before he begins to nibble it so softly causing a shudder down my spine. I feel warmth start to rise in my sex. I love the feel of his touch so much. I moan out my pleasure.

He trails soft feathery kisses down my neck, collar bone and further to my breasts before beginning to circle his tongue around each nipple. I arch automatically to the sensation. He suckles each nipple, repeats to circle with his tongue, before gently biting, and suckling again. I arch and groan out loud. More kisses now, down across my ribcage, intervening with long, slow licks. I can feel the ache build in my sex, arousal fluids beginning to flush the folds. He rolls me dress down the remainder of my body, taking my panties until I am naked before him.

He continues to trail kisses and licking down past my pubic area and onto my inner thighs, ignoring my sex. I arch again, wanting in there…. needing his tongue on my sex. After what feels like forever, he licks his way to my sex. I’m aching so much now, one circle of my clit will send me over the edge. I’m arching and groaning, desperate for his tongue, aching for release.

He plunges his tongue straight into my folds as I buck in response.

“Logan…” I whimper, arching against him, riding his tongue. He groans his own pleasure.

Again, plunging into my folds with his tongue, in, out, in, out, letting me ride him. He releases, beginning circles of eight around my clit. The tightness and pull of imminent orgasm is almost unbearable, pain and pleasure combined. He quickens the pace of his circling before taking it whole in his mouth, sucking hard, taking me there….taking me over the edge.

“Yes, Logan!” I arch and shudder out the release.

“Undress me, Amber” He groans, standing before me.

I fumble shakily with the buttons of his combat uniform, sliding my hands under his shirt, stroking his taut muscles that stretch across his stomach. I glide my hands down his torso, hypnotised by the swell of his erection as it strains against the material of his pants. I rub my hand along its length, back and forth, watching as his eyes become hooded, drowsy with desire. A loud moan escapes from his mouth, the sound so deep and guttural, my sex pulsated again with heat. I lean into him, letting the weighty head of his cock rest on my outstretched tongue. He watches me hungrily as I begin to draw his cock into my mouth, sucking and circling my lips around the dense shaft. I fist him softly with one hand while the other begins to massage his balls. He throws his head back, his eyes rolling with pleasure.

“You have a fucking sweet mouth, baby” He groans, his hips arching into me.

Sucking him deeper now, pulling him fully into my throat, drawing his release closer and closer to the edge. His cock begins to swell and pulse on my tongue as I hear his breath become hoarse. I moan as I feel more powerful and feminine than I have ever felt with a man.

He withdraws himself abruptly from my grasp, sliding himself over me as he lays me down on the mattress. He gently pulls up my knees, spreading my thighs wide.

Lifting my ass only slightly with both hands, he plunges his divine cock straight into my quivering sex, rocking backwards and forwards ever so slowly. He begins gentle bites on my neck, my jawline, nuzzling and nipping at me as he rocks against my pubic area, expertly mass
aging my clit. I buck and arch again needing him deeper. I can feel the tightness building again. The sounds of his gentle groans in my ear of his own pleasure taking me there, up the edge again.

“Come again for me baby. I love to hear you come” He breathes out a groan in my ear.

He is quickening the pace now with his cock, thrusting deeper, up, up, still rocking and grinding on my clit. The tightening is intense, feeling me squeezing hard against his cock.

“Oh, fuck, you’re so tight and wet……I love being inside you” He growls out a groan.

He is pounding my pussy now, my clit slapping against him. He is groaning and panting, in, out, in, out, hot against my neck. The tightening pull as my orgasm builds as I thrust myself against him, matching him pace for pace.

“I love your cock inside me!” I cry out, shattering and flooding around him.

“Fuck, baby. I’m there!” He growls, harsh and raw.

And he
is there, over the edge in the abyss….shuddering his release, thrusting and convulsing….his back and head arched back, emptying himself into me.

He collapses beside me, pulling me into him holding me tight against him. He continues to nuzzle at the nape of my neck as we come down, our
breathing slowly returning to normal. We lay together in silence, as he pulls the sheets over our bodies, and sleep beckons.

Chapter Eleven

Five weeks have passed since my trip to Afghanistan. Logan was so loving and tender on that night, more so than any man I have ever encountered. Yet, as we woke at dawn, he reminded me that I must forget him. Let me go he had said as he must me. I knew then that he d
oes hold feelings for me which made leaving him and trying to forget him these last few weeks even harder than before.

I have thrown myself into my art work, creating two new sculptures since my return.
One of the pieces will soon be on its way to be a permanent structure at the entrance of the rehabilitation unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. I have not named this piece. Nothing seemed to be fitting or appropriate; however, it represents healing but also love.

Ray is giving me a helping hand to wrap it ready for its move to Birmingham. She has been a true friend since I got back, listening and drying my tears. It was her that pushed me to get these two pieces finished. Mia and Tilly have been great, too. Mia insists she was right about Logan, and st
ill remains fixated that our paths will cross again.

***

“Excuse me, I am looking for Amber Templer?” Ray and I startle slightly at the quiet voice behind us, so engrossed were we in our packing up of my sculpture.

“I’m Amber. Can I help you?” I smile, stretching out a friendly hand, as I observe the woman stood before me. She looks familiar yet I know for sure I have never met her.

“Oh, thank goodness.” She breathes a sigh of relief. “I have been looking for you for weeks, and now I have found you.” She lets out a nervous laugh.