Class of Love (Letters From Home Series Book 1) Read online

  Walking into the bathroom, I stripped out of my running attire and stepped into the hot shower. The water coasted over my body, washing away the sweat and warming me at the same time. Lathering my hair, I then grabbed the shower gel and began running my hands over my body. And wishing Ethan was sharing the shower with me.

  Those were the other thoughts that had been creeping in. I wanted to hang onto his broad shoulders as his hands slid over me. I wanted to have his blue eyes peer into mine as we pleasured each other. I knew he was much larger than me. Would shower sex work? Unable to stop the grin, I knew I was more than eager to see if shower sex with him would work!

  Climbing out, I toweled off and threw on some comfy, black yoga pants and a baggy, pink sweatshirt. Donning fuzzy pink socks completed my stay-at-home attire. I had nowhere else to go and decided a lazy weekend of binge watching TV shows, cleaning the apartment, and grading some papers would be more than enough to occupy my time.

  A few hours later, a ding from my phone alerted me to an incoming email. Unable to hold back the rush of adrenaline at the thought of Ethan, I grabbed my laptop and fired up my email. Yes! It’s him!

  Dear Brooke,

  So glad to get your last email. I have to confess it makes my day when I hear from you. How are the kids? You can tell them hi from me and they’ll get more letters from me soon. In fact, I’ve sent a gift to you – it’s not much, but I hope you’ll like it.

  You asked about my dad but we don’t talk much. He kind of emotionally disappeared after my mom died, so while we’re not estranged, we’re just not close. I joined the Army right after high school and have been a soldier for six years, so I don’t get back to see him very often. I honestly couldn’t tell you if he was proud or not since he really keeps to himself.

  It sounds like you’ve got a great family. I don’t know where I’ll be going when I get out this spring, but I won’t be moving back to Roanoke. With my skills, I can get a job at an airport or even on a naval base. Who knows – maybe I’ll check out Chesapeake!

  I really loved the pictures you sent. I keep them safe in my footlocker and your face is the last thing I look at before I go to bed and the first thing I look at in the morning. I hope that doesn’t creep you out. But when things get bad here, I like to hold onto something nice.

  I don’t know about you, but I hate winter almost as bad as the summers here. Spring and fall are fairly decent, but right now the cold just penetrates everything. I really can’t complain though, because a lot of my work on the helicopters is indoors, so at least I can stay away from the wind while working. We use a lot of computers, so our equipment needs to stay as safe from the elements as possible. The hangars where we work aren’t air conditioned or heated, so the weather is still a factor.

  I was thinking about you needing a roommate and really hate thinking of you taking someone you don’t know. Are you sure there’s not someone you know who could use a place to live? Maybe you could check with some of your teacher friends. Trying to find a roommate off Craig’s List just seems risky. I know it might seem odd, but I find myself worrying about you.

  I’ll say Happy Valentine’s day, but admit we don’t celebrate it here. You probably have a hot date, don’t you?

  All right, I’ve got to go, but look for the package soon.

  Love, Ethan

  Love, Ethan. Just those two words seared through my soul before I shook my head in frustration. Stop acting like you’re fourteen, I chastised myself. But I knew it was pointless to try to stop from falling. This man, this soldier, had become important to me. And he was coming back to the United States in three months. Sucking in a deep breath, I thought back over the five months we had been corresponding. Okay, I can do this…I can wait three more months. At least I hoped I could.

  Finishing the math lesson for the day, I rang the small bell on my desk, alerting the children that we were moving to a different topic.

  “Okay, I wanted to let you know that we are going to be able to Skype with Specialist Miller sometime next week. He and I will try it out this weekend to make sure we can connect.”

  The students’ shouts of glee showed their excitement and I quickly raised my hands to shush them before their exuberance brought the principal down to our room.

  “I know you’re excited,” I grinned. “I am too. And,” picking up a large, padded envelope from the floor, I added, “we have more letters!”

  Opening the envelope, the children were ecstatic to each receive a short note from Ethan. Oh, my God! How long did it take him to write all those! Granted the notes were not long, but each child in the class got one addressed to them.

  Reaching into the envelope, my fingers wrapped around something soft. Pulling it out, I discovered an ARMY t-shirt. I could tell it was not brand-new and in fact, when I held it close, the faint scent of after-shave was on it. A note was paper-clipped to the top.

  I hope you don’t mind that I sent one of my shirts – I promise it’s not old! But I have worn it and washed it a couple of times. Can’t wait to Skype with you and the kids. Love, Ethan

  Nothing in the world could have held back my grin as I tucked the shirt into my school bag to take home. Still beaming, I had the students put away their notes after they shared. Moving to the next lesson, the children were soon working in small groups as I made my way around the room, checking on their progress. Finally sitting back down at my desk, I pulled out a stack of papers to grade when one of the girls slid up next to me. Assuming she wanted to use the girl’s restroom, I reached for the bathroom pass, but her question caught me off guard.

  “Are you in love with Specialist Ethan?” Nicole asked, her innocent face full of hope.

  No one in the class heard her whispered question and I stammered out my reply. “Wh…what? I don’t…I mean…we just—”

  “I think it would be nice if you were in love with him. I told him that I thought you might be.”

  My eyes flew wide open as I realized I had not monitored the children’s letters. “You told him that?” I squeaked.

  Nodding while beaming, she said, “Yep! I told him you always smile when we get packages from him.”

  Blushing to my roots, I remained silent while nodding for her to take her seat. Stunned that my feelings showed so much on my face, I abandoned the stack of papers on my desk, knowing my concentration was shot for the day.

  The next Saturday morning, I sat nervously waiting next to my laptop. Emily wandered through the dining room, lifting her eyebrow as she looked at my ARMY shirt.

  “You wear it to bed every night…are you going to start wearing it every day now?”

  “No,” I retorted, “but I thought he might like to see it when we Skype today.”

  Her face brightened instantly as she gushed, “That’s today? Ooh, when?”

  Glancing at the clock on my laptop, I confessed, “Probably not for another half hour but it could come in at any time. I wanted to be ready.”

  “Wish I could stay to see the hottie soldier, but I’m heading out.” Her eyes shifted to my choice of shirt again and she laughed.

  As she walked out, I panicked. I should have worn something cute…or sexy…or—

  My laptop alerted that a Skype call was incoming. My heart pounded and my cursor hovered over the accept button as I swallowed audibly. Pressing it quickly before I chickened out, my screen was suddenly filled with Ethan’s face. His gorgeous, smiling, blue-eyed face.

  Neither of us spoke for a few seconds as we stared at each other. Then we both smiled at the same time and began to speak.

  “God, you’re gorgeous!” he exclaimed, eliciting a nervous laugh from me. “I know that makes me sound like a prick,” he said, shaking his head, “but I thought I was ready to see you and now realize you are so much prettier in person.”

  My face flamed with pleasure and my only response was to laugh. “Well, if it makes you feel better, I was thinking the same thing about you.”

  We stared for a moment and I observe
d his eyes dropping below my face before shooting back up. “You’re in my t-shirt,” he said, a broad smile breaking across his face.

  Deciding not to hide anything, I confessed, “I wear it to sleep ever since I received it. And I thought you might like to see it on me.” Hoping my words did not make me sound like a pathetic groupie, I waited to see his response.

  His smile deepened as he replied, “Hot damn, Brooke. Just the image of you in my t-shirt will carry me the rest of the way through my tour.”

  My shoulders slumped in relief and I was sure my smile matched his. We only had about ten minutes to talk, so I wanted to make the most of our time. We stumbled over our words as we tried to find out all we could, my nervousness overlapping my excitement. The minutes were up way too soon and I bit my lip in anticipation of his goodbye.

  His eyes pierced the computer screen at mine, and he said, “Brooke, seeing you makes me want to come home now. And come home to you.”

  Butterflies took flight in my stomach as I said, “I want you to get home safe and sound. And if that leads you to me, then that would be perfect.”

  “Really?” he asked. “You really want me to come to you?”

  Nodding, I grinned. “I have no idea what’s happening here, Ethan, but yes…I want to see you when you get back.”

  With a nod and a flash of his panty-melting smile, he agreed. “Okay, Brooke…first stop will be Chesapeake. And if I’m lucky…it might be my only stop.”

  With hasty goodbyes, the computer screen went blank, leaving me to mull over his last words. Leaning back in my chair, I let out a huge sigh. I have no idea what’s happening, but I’m willing to find out!

  My phone rang and I jumped, for a millisecond wondering if it was Ethan. Giving myself a mental shake, I realized he did not have my phone number, wouldn’t have just called my phone after Skyping, and I seriously had an Ethan-induced fantasy. Grabbing my cell, I grinned as I saw the caller.

  “Hi, mom,” I greeted.

  “Hey, sweetie,” she returned. “I wanted to see if you wanted to have dinner with dad and me soon.”

  Still grinning, I agreed. “Sure, I’ll come next weekend. I’ve got grades due this week, so my evenings will be filled.”

  “So anything new going on? Is Emily’s wedding plans on schedule?”

  “Yeah and I’m happy for her, but sad to lose her as a roommate.” Hesitating, I wondered if I should share about Ethan with mom.

  Before I had a chance to ponder, she asked, “Is something going on because you sound distracted?”

  Deciding to take the plunge, I blurted, “Mom, do you remember the class project of writing to a soldier? Well, we’re doing it and we’ve gotten to know each other a little better.”

  “Okay,” she replied, “but it sounds like there’s something else you want to tell me.”

  “Is it possible to fall for someone you haven’t even met?”

  The words hung out between us, the silence stretching across the airwaves.

  “Are you saying you’re falling for this soldier?” she asked, the incredulity ringing loudly in her voice.

  “I don’t know exactly,” I fudged. “I really look forward to his letters. We’ve Skyped, so I’ve seen him…just not in person. And I find myself hoping that when his tour is over, he’ll come back to Virginia so I can meet him for real. Is that crazy?”

  “Oh, honey, I don’t think it’s crazy at all. But you need to go slow and realize that what you may be experiencing is no more than an infatuation.”

  “I know…but I’d still like to meet him.”

  “And I hope you can,” she replied. “I truly do. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard you speak positively about any guy and, of course, he has to be on the other side of the world!” Mom laughed and I had to admit it sounded absurd.

  Saying our goodbyes, I disconnected before leaning back on the sofa, my hand absently smoothing over the soft cotton ARMY t-shirt. Sighing loudly, I knew it was no use trying to convince myself otherwise…my heart was already involved.

  Chapter 7

  (March – Ethan)

  I was nervous…and hell, I never get nervous!

  But I sat at the computer, wiping my sweaty palms on my pants, checking my watch for the zillionth time. Finally, Skype dinged an incoming call and I pressed accept.

  There she was—the woman who slid into my life, becoming so important to me. The last time we Skyped, Brooke wore my shirt and rocked my world as we talked.

  This time she was prim and proper in her blouse and sweater and oh, so adorable. Who knew I had a secret, sexy-teacher fantasy?

  Brooke was grinning at me and then said, “Specialist Miller, Hello and welcome to Eastville Elementary School. I would like to introduce you to the rest of your pen-pals.”

  She turned the computer camera around and there they were. All twenty-four faces smiling back at me. They were gathered together, some sitting cross-legged on the floor and others kneeling behind them. In the last row, were the tallest children and in the background was a Come Home Soon, SPC Miller sign hanging on the wall. Fuckin’ A!

  I heard Brooke’s voice in the background give instructions. “Okay, just like we practiced, starting with Chloe, say your name loud and clear so that he can hear you.”

  The children did exactly what she asked and I grinned at each one, recognizing them from their pictures and letters. I knew which ones always asked about the guns, which ones asked about the weather, and which ones sent cookies. As the last boy called out his name, they then asked a few questions which I knew had been scripted as well.

  “Kids, it’s great to see you. I’ve looked at your pictures enough that I think I could have called out your names without you having to tell me. I really like the letters and the goodies you have sent. Yes, it’s still very cold here and won’t start getting more like spring for another month. I can still see snow on the mountains behind our base. Your teacher has told me that you’ve been studying hard this year and she is so proud of all of you. I really hope to get to come see you near the end of the school year. Thanks again for taking the time to become my special friends.”

  After I talked to them as a group, I smiled wider as the camera panned back around to Brooke.

  “Well, Ms. Thompson,” I said formally, “I’m so glad to meet you and the students today. This has meant a lot to me.” The words sounded stiff to my ears but they were true. Those students, as well as their teacher, were crucial to me.

  I watched as she blushed and ducked her head. Her smile threatened to turn into a laugh as she replied, “Well, you know this has meant a lot to me too.” She held up a small piece of paper, meant only for my eyes and I knew the children could not see it.

  It may be crazy, but I miss you. Cannot wait to see you in person. Yours, Brooke

  After she had lowered the paper, I had just enough time to say, “Same here,” before we had to end the Skype.

  Leaning back in my chair, I knew I had a shit-eatin’ grin on my face but was unable to wipe it off. A couple more months and I’d have the chance to meet her face to face.

  My footlocker was filling with the letters that came more often now and the emails were becoming a weekly occurrence. Skyping when we could manage was pure heaven. I was no longer falling for Brooke…I was a gone man from the first time I saw her in my ARMY t-shirt. She could not have been more branded as mine than if she had a Property of Ethan tattoo across her chest. And all I wanted to do was pound my own chest in a Neanderthal gesture.

  I craved every picture of her and as soon as her image appeared on the computer screen, my heart beat so loudly, I was sure she would be able to hear it. Because of the time difference, we could only Skype privately on weekends that I wasn’t on duty, but each time I saw her, it was as though I were seeing her for the very first time.

  Her green eyes captivated me, as much as her slightly upturned nose, and rosy-pink lips. And the row of freckles that peppered across her cheeks. There was nothing about this
woman that did not turn me on and that included the little snort that would escape when she laughed. No silly, coy giggle for her—nope, my girl had a full on belly-laugh followed by a little snort that made her laugh even more.

  She was funny, smart, and gorgeous. I knew her favorite food was shrimp and her favorite color was pink. She watched football but liked baseball more. She thought about getting her master’s degree as a reading specialist but hadn’t decided to go back to school yet. And as of now…she still did not have a roommate for when Emily got married. Sitting back, I glowered at the thought of her just taking anyone to help with rent.

  “What the fuck’s got you looking like you want to kick the shit outta someone?” Jon asked, observing me from his side of the Apache.

  “I was just thinking about Brooke,” I answered.

  “Something wrong in paradise?”

  “She needs a new roommate this summer and is looking on Craig’s list for a replacement. That just doesn’t sound very secure to me.”

  “So why don’t you apply for the position?” Jon asked. Still smirking, he said, “’Cause let’s be honest. You’ve got lots of positions you’d like to be in with her!”

  “God, your jokes are getting worse,” I complained, but secretly admitted he was right. The thought of being in any position with Brooke had the effect of getting me rock hard instantly. Forcing my mind to something else, our banter was interrupted by our Sergeant. “Miller. Bolten. Meeting in the Captains’s office. Now.”

  Sharing a look of surprise, we jumped up and immediately fell in behind our Sergeant as we headed down the hall to a row of offices. Once inside, we met up with two other members of our squad. The meeting was quick and to the point. We were being temporarily re-assigned to a smaller base, higher in the mountains. It was being used to land some of the Apache helicopters and they needed mechanics. We were told we were picked because the Sergeant claimed we were the best. A nice compliment, but coming near the end of my tour was not exactly welcome.