Read Online Temporary Home by Aliyah Burke - Free Book Online

swipes along the seam and she opened for him.
    Their groans were combined as tongues met and duelled. His cock swelled even more while her taste rejuvenated him. Soul included. Roxi had this way of banishing ghosts from his past without doing anything.
    The sounds of a door opening and footsteps snapped him out of the ‘Roxi zone’ he’d been in. Ending the kiss, he reluctantly removed his hand from her. He almost lost his newly gained control when her tongue sneaked out and swiped along her lips like she wanted another taste.
    “Sam?” Father O’Toole called out. “Roxi?”
    Gaze locked with Roxi’s, he didn’t move when she replied to the call. “In the far left bathroom. We’re fixing the sink.”
    A keen sense of loss filled him as she stood and broke their visual connection. He lay back and returned to work with the wrench, listening to Roxi and Father O’Toole talking in the doorway. It was a good thing he didn’t have to concentrate too hard for his mind couldn’t—or wouldn’t—let go of the time he’d spent in Roxi’s arms.
     
    * * * *
     
    Roxi waited at the Seattle bus station. A mocha latte in her hand, she worried her lower lip. Her mind was a jumbled mess. She and Sam had settled into an easy routine over these past few days and she had no problem with him staying at her place. Granted, the nights in his arms didn’t hurt anything either.
    No, it was the not telling Laila that constantly ate at her. She wasn’t blind, she saw the way Laila looked at Sam. And she knew her friend was possessive over him.
    You’ve fallen for him, her brain announced.
    After a sigh, she drank some of her latte. No point in arguing—she had. Fallen fast and fallen hard.
    “Aunt Roxi!”
    Eric’s voice pierced her bubble and she blinked as her eyes threatened to well up with tears. He strode through the station in his uniform, cover under one arm and bag in the other. Beside him walked Sandra, the mother of another cadet, Roy, who’d escorted them here.
    “Eric,” she said fondly, setting her drink down and accepting his hug with pleasure.
    “I’ve missed you,” he whispered in her ear.
    “Missed you, too.” She squeezed tighter before releasing him. “Thank you, Sandra. Hello, Roy.”
    “Ms Roxi.”
    The women shared a smile and walked out to Roxi’s SUV. With the boys in the back, she chatted with Sandra as she took them home. Soon it was just her and Eric on the ferry to Bremerton.
    “Ready for Thanksgiving?” she asked her nephew.
    He nodded. She reached in her purse and withdrew his Game Boy. His eyes lit up the instant he saw it. He wasn’t allowed electronics at the academy.
    “I have to tell you something, Eric.”
    He stared at her, his large brown eyes focused directly on her. “What’s wrong?”
    “Nothing, sweetie. I just want you to know there is a guest at the house.”
    “Who?”
    “A man named Sam Hoch.”
    Eric was silent for a moment, the electronic device she’d handed him ignored in his lap. “Why?”
    “He is a very good friend to Master Guns and came out to see him while he’s in the hospital.”
    “He’s military?”
    She nodded. “Marine.”
    “Cool. Can I play now?”
    She fought the urge to haul him close and kiss him. “Of course.”
    Eric played the remainder of the ferry ride. She sat beside him and read a book. It was routine for them. Once he’d settled down a bit more he’d tell her about how things were going at the academy. His game play continued even after they got back into the vehicle.
    The garage door sat wide open as they pulled in the drive. She could see Sam working by his truck but he stopped when he noticed them.
    “That’s him?” Eric asked.
    She parked outside so he’d continue to have room to work in the garage. “That’s him.”
    All six feet three inches of hard-bodied Marine Recon hotness. He wore dark blue jeans that made her mouth water. A navy blue sweatshirt covered his impressive upper body—his defined, rock-solid