Anchor Line (46 page)

             
"Are you sure it's a piss test and not guy code for come rescue me or something. You know, like chicks do when they go on a date and the cell phone rings and they have to take the call." She rolled her eyes teasing him as then he started to laugh.

             
"Well, that would have happened sooner than now. But I'll bite." Conrad asked. "What do you say if your girlfriend phones?"

             
Addie could hear the amusement in his voice, so she rolled over on her side and propped up on an elbow pulling the covers up under her arm. "You tell him it's a wrong number or that your girlfriend forgot you were on a date if everything is going well."

             
"And if it's disastrous?" Conrad asked still laughing.

             
"Then it's an emergency like your goldfish died or your dog ran away, and you have to leave immediately." She answered non-nonchalantly.

             
He leaned closer to her lips so that she could feel his breath on her, and even in the dark bedroom, the only light coming in from the street lamp out of the bedroom window she met his gaze.

             
"After four hours of having you in my arms Addie...my goldfish most definitely didn't die, and my dog didn't run away. I really do have to go piss in a cup. Besides, if I didn't want you here, we wouldn't have just had four hours of really great sex."

             
"Aha." Addie exclaimed with a bright smile. "Really? Because if I'd have said you could stay here, and took leave, and went through that whole crap argument yesterday...I'd have fucked you just because." She ended with a smug smile on her face. “You were already here, so i’d have to take advantage.”

             
Conrad was absolutely shocked that Addie would say that. "You did not just say that." He said nuzzling her neck making Addie squeal, pushing at him. "You think too much like me."

             
"No!" She squealed again. "You better get going I need a break. I still have jet lag and I've only had a three hour nap. And you need to go pee in a cup." She had successfully pushed him away to the edge of the bed only because he allowed her. He looked back and winked at her.

             
"I’m gonna take a shower or I will smell like hot, nasty, sweaty sex."

             
Addie just rolled her eyes at him as he teased her. She watched his naked body as he got up and went to take a shower. God, he was gorgeous, all muscle and tan. She shivered, then she pulled the covers up to her neck and pulled one of his pillows under her head and took in a deep breath, smelling his scent. She hugged his pillow and started drifting off to sleep listening to Conrad in the shower. She tried vainly to stay awake but couldn't. The trip to Italy was a long one, and the excitement of the whole trip, seeing her cousins in Florence and then seeing him at the train station and four hours of the most illegal, unadulterated straight up hot, nasty, sweaty sex as Conrad said it, had taken its toll on her body.

             
Conrad came out of the bathroom with only a towel around his waist and went to ask Addie if she wanted him to pick up something on his way back and saw that she was asleep hugging his pillow, snuggled deep in the covers in the middle of the bed. He dressed in jeans, a t-shirt and his running shoes quickly and quietly, then leaned on her side of the bed and pulled her long, curly, brown hair away from her face so that he could press his lips to her cheek. She didn't move. It was the simplest thing anyone could do, but the desire to press his lips to hers was so overwhelming for him to do. He kissed her cheek again, lingering for several long seconds watching her sleep, inhaling her natural perfume. She was so peaceful, so quiet, and so completely different than she was, not even three hours ago. Addie was a lusty woman, and she knew what tripped his trigger. He tucked the sheet and comforter up around her back more, took one more look and walked out to his SUV to go to post.

             
"Looky looky here!" Nathan stated jovially as Conrad walked in through Battle Company’s main door to the orderly room. "It's Sergeant First Class Renner. He doesn't even look like he's walking funny either!"

             
"Fuck you. Dickhead." Conrad said coming around the counter and shook hands with his friend.

              Nathan was wondering just how much Addie meant to Conrad because he seemed frustrated when he stopped over last night. But now that he knew that Conrad and Addie had worked things out, he was going to take it upon himself to give Conrad a good natured ribbing. They were going to have dinner later today, and most likely dancing for an hour or two, because Cal’s wife, Tracy, loved to go dancing. That should be interesting, he thought. Conrad didn’t dance, but then Cal didn’t dance too much himself. No matter, Nathan would help Conrad get through it; they were like brothers.

             
"Where's the gazer, I'm fucking tired and I'd like to piss and go home." Conrad said after taking his ID card out of his wallet.

             
"Sweeney!" Nathan yelled. "Where are you Buck Sergeant?"

             
Nathan took Conrad's ID card and put it down on the counter with the paperwork. "Sign here and here." He pointed to two places on the paper that Conrad signed.

             
Conrad was handed a cup and the young Sergeant Sweeney, with Army issue glasses and sweats that were way too big for him, stepped out from the latrine in the office with a cup full of urine in one gloved hand with a soldier following him. He put the cup down on the napkins next to the paperwork, and told Conrad to follow him. Conrad was quick and stepped out of the latrine following the young buck sergeant who said nothing to him. Sweeney was a quiet young man. He was in Nathan's platoon. One hell of a gunner. Single, into video games, but damn good at his job in the field and during deployment. He set Conrad's cup down and motioned for the next soldier to follow him into the latrine.

             
Nathan put on new gloves and picked up Conrad’s urine sample.

             
"I thought you’d be in a better mood after you and Addie took care of things.“ Nathan stated matter of factly, trying to get Conrad to open up. Conrad had been mum on the Addie situation as Nathan liked to call it. And when he got no answer, he continued from another approach.

             
“So you and Addie squared everything away. I'm glad to hear that. I’d hate to know that you got all excited for her to come visit, and things didn't work out." Nathan offered, showing Conrad that the lid on the cup was tight, and then taped it with the tamper resistant tape. "Because Tracy is chomping at the bit to meet her. Says that Addie can't be like your normal conquests." Nathan teased.

             
“And how would you know Tracy is excited?” Conrad asked, raising an eyebrow.

             
“They feed me. I’m a growing boy.” Nathan said mockingly.

             
"Yeah. Well, I can't control the women that want me.” Conrad teased finally showing a smile. “And Addie and I...well, we've been emailing each other for what? Almost two years now? We had a fucking blast on mid tour when I was home. But she left early so that I still have time with my family.”

             
Conrad initialed the paper one more time, took his ID and put it in his wallet, then turned around and went into the other latrine to wash his hands, came out and took a foam cup from next to the coffee pot and poured coffee then sat in the chair next to Nathan who’d washed his hands behind Conrad and had sat down. Conrad and Nathan talked about the situation with the four Soldiers who were caught smoking and Nathan assured him that he was going to take care of the young Specialist who was caught from Conrad's platoon.

             
"So," Nathan started again, wanting to know more about Addie. "What's the scoop on Addie then? You never really said too much until it was almost time for her to come here. I thought you were going to explode that whole week before she got here. You were a raving lunatic to get everything cleaned before the weekend after being in the field. You almost freaked me out."

             
"It was like we hadn't spent any time apart when she came here. She writes often and we can talk football and hockey. She's comfortable to be with, fun, outspoken, and holy shit she's spontaneous.” He took a long drink of his coffee. “I feel bad that I've ignored her at times and that whole Lisa pregnancy thing took a toll while I was at home." He looked out the window almost looking lost in thought until he started up again. "But, she came here to have fun and hang out, and somehow yesterday we started talking about relationships again."

             
"And what‘s the verdict on that? Tracy has been trying to hook you up for some time with some really good girls. Trying to get you to settle down." Nathan stood up to deal with another urine sample, showed the soldier in front of him that the lid to his sample was tight.

             
“I like Addie, a lot. And Dude, last night...holy shit, she could keep up with me. That's hard to do. I haven’t found a woman yet that could. But I don’t know about commitment. It’s just not me.”

             
“It’s not you because you have never tried to settle in with just one woman man. It can be deeply satisfying.” Nathan said turning around wiggling his eyebrows at Conrad. “It’s awesome. You always have someone to come home to, don‘t have to watch porn alone, and if she can cook, all the better.”

             
“What the fuck are you talking about? You aren’t even married.” Conrad rolled his eyes.

             
“But I was once. It was fucking great when it was good.”

             
“I’ll think about it. I still have about six or eight months left here anyway. I have to see where I’m going and I know Addie would be on board, but man...to have to put her through what Tracy goes through when...”

             
"So you do her yet?" A tall, dark headed, blue eyed soldier asked from the other side of the counter interrupting the conversation. "You need to man. You are wound too tight." He joked to Conrad.

             
"Shut up James." Conrad said jokingly. "Jackass." He got up and shook Cal James' hand and sat back down. Cal was one of those naturally good looking guys. The kind of guy who didn't have to do anything to look good. He was a ladies' man naturally. But, then he fell in love with Tracy, and all the other women became nameless faceless human beings compared to her. Not as tall as Conrad, but definitely broad and toned like him, baby faced with a suave voice that made the ladies crawl over fire to be with him.

             
Cal would sit back with his wife and watch as Nathan and Conrad often had contests when going out to see who could pick up a girl faster. And the strip clubs were always entertaining and most of his friends teased that Nathan was a huge metro sexual. If his hair wasn‘t right, he simply washed it again until it was perfect.

             
"Welllllll..." Nathan drawled out, "He claims to have gone to bed at two am." He looked over at Conrad just raised his cup to both of his friends in agreement, not saying anything, smiling.

             
"Well why aren't you rushing home to be with the young filly?" Cal asked. "She flew this whole way, and you haven't fucked her brains out?"

             
"Ass clown." Conrad started. He downed the rest of his hot coffee and stood up throwing his empty foam cup at Cal across the counter. "She's at home sleeping. I was only asleep for a few hours and this joker calls me telling me to come in and piss."

             
"What did you do? Stay up all night whispering sweet nothings? Oh Addie, for you to fly here like this, I don't want to pressure you and have sex right away. I'm just so confused. I'm usually asleep by ten o'clock."  Cal mocked Conrad putting his hands up to his face like he was biting his nails in fear, but still poking fun. "Because it's just been so long since I've been with a ‘real’ woman. I just know I wouldn't last."  Cal laughed mocking Conrad, using quotations with the word real, as he spoke, then picked up the thrown cup.

             
"Don't you have something better to do than fuck with people who've only had a few hours’ sleep Staff Sergeant?" Conrad asked lightheartedly, pulling his keys out of his pocket. "Or did you forget how pissy I get?"

             
Conrad was joking, but wasn't going to go into details about Addie. Not to Cal anyway. Something about Addie was different. Other women, he had no problem talking about. He just couldn't throw Addie out there like that to everyone.

             
"You? Get pissy? NO!" Nathan laughed loudly again making Cal and a few of the other guys in the office laugh too. “Did you kiss the young lass with that dirty foul mouth Renner? You truly are in rare form this morning.”

             
"Oh shit Nathan. You know how he is. Don't get him started. Tracy and I are having dinner with them later. Be nice." Cal said putting a hand up to Nathan as he went to say something else. "Let it go young Padewan."