Passionate Crossing

Thank you to Eviant, a wonderful editor!

Lt. Col. Bradley Lawless, United States Marine Corps, sat at gate 34 at Miami International Airport. He looked at his watch and then out the window, only to see the rain still coming down in buckets and lightening illuminating the sky. He went back to reading his Time magazine until the PA system announced that flight 786 to Charlotte was canceled and that passengers should report to the Customer Service Desk in order to rebook their travel. Lawless looked up at the ceiling as if he expected an explanation from God as to why his flight was canceled. After a short pause, he stood up and straightened out his uniform. He placed his cover under his arm, picked up his luggage and headed over to the Customer service Counter where he took his place in line.

When he approached the counter, he was greeted by Patrick, a somewhat nerdy looking young man behind the ticket counter. "What can I do for you sir?"

"My flight to Charlotte was canceled and I need to rebook."

Patrick started typing. "Well there are no flights this evening due to the storm; I will have to book you on a flight in the morning."

Lawless grunted an indistinguishable reply as Patrick continued to type. Lawless looked down in disbelief and examined his rugged hands. The year in Afghanistan had taken a toll on them. He noticed the tan line where the wedding ring used to be. His marriage was another casualty of the tour.

Do I really need to go back to Charlotte to sign these divorce papers,

he thought to himself angrily? He couldn't believe that his wife could not hold on for another few months.

"Ok, Sir, you are all set for tomorrow on Flight 726 to Charlotte, departing at 9:05 am. Here is your boarding pass and your luggage can be picked up downstairs on belt 7. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Yes," Lawless replied. "I need a hotel room for the evening."

"Well, I am sorry sir; I can't help you with that."

Lawless took a deep breath and looked into Patrick's eyes. He leaned over the counter and motioned Patrick to come closer with his finger. "I am going to go to the head, that's the naval term for bathroom, to take a piss. When I come back you will have called someone that you know at a hotel close to the airport and get me a room paid for by the airline. If you don't, I will rip off your head and shit down your throat. Do I make myself clear?"

Patrick was stunned and in no way doubted the threat based on the look in Lawless's eyes. He meant every word and probably would not hesitate to carry out the threat. Without waiting for a reply, Lawless turned and walked toward the restroom. After 5 minutes he returned to the Customer Service Counter.

"Colonel Lawless sir, I made you a reservation at the Hilton. Here is the address, sir, and we regret any inconvenience caused by this canceled flight. Is there anything else I can do for you?" The thin nervous looking Patrick swallowed visibly and his hand shook with tiny tremors as he held out a small white card.

Lawless took the address, thanked Patrick, and began to walk toward the baggage claim. After collecting his bags, Lawless got in a cab and headed to the Hilton. Arriving at the hotel, Lawless saw that the lobby was packed. Each receptionist had a line of 5 people, all looking for rooms. A manager saw Lawless in line and wanted to facilitate the Marine's check-in. He walked over to Lawless and asked him to come to his desk. There, Lawless was given the card key to suite 1206. Lawless thanked the manager and was walking toward the elevator when he came across a woman with tears streaming down her cheeks. "Are you okay miss?"

Kim was wrecked. The past week had been non-stop stress and she had just reached her limit. She was very afraid that, in the morning, she wouldn't be boarding a plane for Haiti, but instead on one back home to Memphis. At the moment, the urge to tuck tail, go home and crawl back to Daniel was much stronger than to go on and live the life she had dreamed of.

At the sound of a strange man's voice, she wiped tears from her eyes and looked up. Standing in front of her was a tall, good looking man in a Marine's uniform. Her first thought was,

Oh god he looks so hot in that uniform,

followed closely by embarrassment at getting caught crying her eyes out. Shaking her head in a quick "no", she returned to her huddle on the small hard chair.

She couldn't stop the flood of thoughts going through her mind any more than she had successfully stopped the tears. Was she really making a mistake by taking this job in Haiti? Kim had worked as a nurse at the same hospital for five years now and felt like it had just turned into a paycheck. All her life, she had dreamed of being a nurse and actually helping people. The routine of the job had put her in a rut she was afraid she would never escape.

When the announcement that the hospital was taking applications for three nurses to go to Haiti to work in a newly built, sister hospital, Kim knew that was where she needed to go. The tiny country was still struggling horribly after the devastating earthquake there and they desperately needed help. The decision had been very easy for her to make. Telling her family and Daniel, her fiancé though, that was not as easy.

They all thought she was crazy. Giving up her safe secure job and her safe secure life to go to a shaky, unstable country, rife with disease and crime, was simply the most stupid thing Kim could do. She had been told that repeatedly by family, by friends and worse by Daniel. Not one person outside the hospital supported her decision. Hell, some people in the hospital even had told her not to go.

She looked down at her ring-less left hand. If she squinted she could see a tiny indention where her engagement ring used to sit. She still couldn't believe that she had given back the small pretty ring she'd worn with such pride.

But Daniel had finally given her an ultimatum. They had fought long and hard for weeks over her decision. When he told her it was him or Haiti, her heart had simply broken in two. She'd pulled off her ring and handed it to him. They hadn't spoken since.

Suddenly she realized the Marine was still in front of her. He knelt on one knee before her. "Miss, are you sure you don't need any assistance?"

She looked into concerned brown eyes and felt another tear slip down her cheek. In this whole awful trip, this was the first nice person she'd come across. "I don't think you can help me. But thank you very much." Her soft voice carried just a touch of southern twang.

"Mam, I'm not leaving you until I'm sure you're okay. Is there someone with you? Are you alone?" His voice was strong and rich and seemed to soothe her frazzled nerves. Just then another resounding crash of thunder rattled the hotel windows and Kim nearly jumped out of her skin.

Closing her eyes against the old fears crawling around inside her, she took a shaky breath. Once she felt she could talk without screaming hysterically, Kim tried again to send the Marine on his way. "I'm fine, really. I just need a few minutes before heading back out."

"Back out? Don't you have a room here?" Lawless narrowed his eyes. This woman was scared out of her mind and she was going out into a tropical storm? He didn't think so. He wouldn't leave a wounded man behind in the war he just left, and he wasn't going to abandon this scared and crying, and rather pretty, young woman.

Kim could only shake her head "no" and try to calm her shaking limbs. "There're no more rooms here, or anywhere in the city. I have to go back to the airport and just wait it out until morning."

"No. You're not going out in this. You're already scared out of your mind I'm not leaving you alone until I know you have somewhere to go." He stood and strode back over to the desk. Kim watched him speaking to a clerk.

He really was being awfully nice. He really was mighty good looking. She guessed him to be about 5'10". Not too tall, but certainly tall enough. He was trim and fit like all the military men she had ever met. His dark tan and short black hair coupled with those gorgeous brown eyes gave him an almost exotic look. The broad chest of his jacket was nearly completely filled with colorful ribbons, the gold airborne pin above shining with pride. Kim decided he was older than her by quite a few years and must have been in the military for a long time to have such a collection of decorations.

She noted the exchange at the desk didn't seem to be going well. When the guy behind the desk was joined by another guy Kim knew it was hopeless. She'd already been told there were simply no rooms left anywhere. The storm had all the planes grounded and all the passengers scrambling for shelter for the night. She broke down again burying her face in her hands.

She looked up to see the Marine returning from the desk. Kim could see that he was thinking as he was walking. She buried her face as she continued sobbing. When he arrived in front of her he again got down on one knee. She looked up at him and he brushed her brown hair away from the front of her face. He presented her with a card key from the hotel. "I would like you to have this room. It is a suite and it will help you relax and get yourself together so you can continue your journey tomorrow."

Kim started to reach for the piece of rectangular plastic and then stopped. "How did you get a room when they are all occupied?"

"Well this is the key to my room; I would like you to have it."

"But where will you sleep? I can't do that."

"Miss, I have lived and slept in many places, both good, but mostly bad. There is a USO lounge at the airport and they have some comfortable chairs and that will be an improvement from the accommodations I have had for the past year."

"No, I can't do that." Kim said shaking her head and tucking her hands together as if to keep herself from taking the refuge this stranger was offering.

"I insist, young lady." With that, the Marine sat the key card in her lap, got up and picked up his luggage. He walked towards the door, knowing that the USO lounge was going to be packed as well, and that he would probably end up sleeping on the floor.

Kim was truly impressed by the chivalrous Marine. She couldn't let him go out in that mess and sleep on a chair. "Wait!" Kim called out. "You said this was a suite?"

"Yes." He replied.

"Can we share it?" Kim inquired. "It must be large and may have a second bed or sofa bed. Please, I insist."

Lawless, knowing that his back would appreciate something better than the floor, contemplated the offer.

Then Kim said without thinking, but blurted out a thought that came from her subconscious. "Please, I could use the company." She bit her lip as if amazed the words had just left her mouth.

Lawless gave it some thought while looking into a pair of pretty, green eyes. With an inner shrug he wondered what was the worst that could happen. "Okay, but you get the bedroom."

Kim beamed with joy. The first smile of the evening and it struck the heart of Lawless. She wasn't a super model in looks or physique. She was an attractive, hometown girl with a beautiful smile that touched his heart and stirred his loins. He had been without a woman's touch or sex of any kind for over a year. He tried to get any idea of taking advantage of this nice young woman out of his head.

Lawless got the attention of a bellman. "Please load this young lady's bags on the cart with mine and take them to room 1206. Lawless held his hand out to help her out of the chair. When she placed her hand in his, it was if the circuit was closed and an electrical charge went from his heart to hers and then back again. He gently grasped her soft gentle hands that immediately soothed the Marine's hard heart.

"Are you hungry?" He gave a jerk of his head in the direction of the restaurant. "Let's go grab a bite to eat. It's still a bit early."

Just then Kim's stomach growled loud and long. She quickly grabbed herself around the middle and gave an embarrassing giggle. Lawless couldn't hold back the laugh; this girl was a breath of fresh air sweeping through a tired body. Keeping her hand snug in his, they headed for the restaurant.

Kim's insides were still quaking like she was experiencing an earthquake from inside her body. What had she just done? Oh god, she'd agreed to share a hotel room with a strange man. Kim was no prude; hell she was nurse and you simply couldn't be shy when a bunch of crazy nurses got together to talk men. She and Daniel had a nice sex life, but he was the only man she'd ever been with.

This Marine even smelled good. The hand holding hers was hard and rough and was causing exciting tingles all through her arm. She felt hysterical bubbles of giggles rising in her throat and fought them back. She was freaking 30 years old and acting like a silly girl! She had to get a hold of herself, and fast.

They had reached the door to the restaurant but a crowd of people stood blocking it. The Marine told her to stay there and he went to talk to a frantic looking employee trying to control the crowd. When he came back moments later, the scowl on his face was a bit frightening.

"There's no getting in there, probably not for hours." Lawless rubbed his hand over his head in frustration. He didn't regret his offer of helping this little lady, but spending hours sitting around a hotel room with her and keeping his hands off of her was going to be more of a challenge than his mind or body wanted to undertake.

Kim's mind scrambled for a solution but she was starting to feel the effects of the emotional roller coaster she'd been on today and couldn't seem to focus. When another couple walked past carrying a small basket of dinner rolls and complaining about having to use room service, the Marine and Kim looked at each other and smiled. At Lawless's smile, a flutter of sexual excitement whispered through Kim's body.

"Be right back." he said and left her in line again. Kim spent the time lecturing herself over her body's reaction to the stranger. Now was not the time to get freaky over someone she'd just met. When Brad returned carrying his own basket of warm fragrant rolls, Kim's stomach growled again in response.

He took her hand in his again and started leading her to the elevators. "This is it; I got as many as they'd give us. They also said room service will take at least an hour, if not more."

"It'll be fine." Kim's voice seemed to pick up a bit more of a southern drawl as her exhaustive day seemed to be settling on her shoulders.

They had to squeeze into the elevator as it was crammed with people. Lawless pulled her back against him and kept a light hand at her waist. The fact that his hand was causing a warm wave to wash through her body was a bit worrisome. She really didn't think this room sharing idea was a good one, but she also knew that she really didn't want to be alone tonight.

Lawless couldn't stop himself from taking a deep breath of the softly fragrant hair just under his nose. This soft tender woman smelled like heaven and felt even better. After a year of hot sand and sweaty Marines, he just couldn't stop smelling her sweet fragrance. A drifting scent of something that seemed almost sparking, but with a musky undertone that went straight to his gut.

He tried to shift back a bit from the firm round butt pressed into his groin. He was afraid that once she felt his body's reaction to her, she'd run screaming out into the storm. They may have been in a crowded elevator, but his body only recognized the female form gently pressing into him. He wanted to curse his wife again, but Kim simply felt too good. Maybe he should thank her instead, he thought with a rueful grin.

Finally, they reached their floor and squeezed out through the crowd into the hallway. A short minute later they had found the room and Kim used the key card to open the door. Stepping inside, Kim looked around in dismay. This was a suite?

The small sitting room held a very uncomfortable looking green couch, a small wooden table with two chairs and a large dresser with a fairly big TV. She walked over to another door and found the standard white hotel bathroom with a door there leading into the bedroom. It was about the same size as the sitting room, containing only a king size bed with an ugly maroon spread, nightstands and a mirrored closet. So much for luxury, she thought.

Going back into the sitting room she found the Marine separating out their luggage. He placed his bag beside the couch and hers beside a second door into the bedroom. Looking into her dismayed green eyes, he shrugged. "It is what it is and it's better than an airport floor, right?"

"Oh my," she said. "I don't even know your name."

"Lieutenant Colonel Bradley Lawless," he replied, "but please, call me Brad."

"I am Kim Foster. I'm a future nurse at Mercy General in Haiti. I just left St. Francis Hospital in Memphis."

"Pleased to meet you Nurse Kim." This time when he smiled Kim caught a little glimpse of dimples in his strong face. Her stomach gave another of those quick flutters in response.

As if scripted, another boom of thunder shook the room. Kim closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

At least he would be close by...there was no way to get away from each other,

she thought, fighting a hysterical giggle. She crossed to the table where Brad had set down the basket of rolls.

"I'll go find us some ice and see about drinks. Anything in particular you like or don't like?" Brad asked grabbing the ice bucket from the dresser.

"Anything would be wonderful, really." Spotting the tiny coffee maker she asked, "Would you like me to make coffee?"

Brad considered. "Probably should hold that until morning. I don't see things getting any better and that may be all we get for breakfast."

"You're right. My flight's at 8:20, when's yours?"

"9:05."

"Then unless we get up at 4 or 5, there won't be any breakfast here. But I can grab something at the airport. You can have the coffee in the morning."

Brad smiled. She really was the sweetest thing he'd come across in years. He gave her a quick salute, waved the ice bucket and taking the key card, left the room. As he walked down the hall, he adjusted the semi erection his pants, trying to find a bit of relief. He took a couple of deep breaths as he filled the ice bucket knowing that he will have to use all of his discipline to stay a distance from Kim. The selection in the soda machine reflected the hotel as a whole. Everything was sold out with the exception of Dr. Pepper. "Hmmm, let me see. Two Dr. Peppers please," he said to the vending machine, mocking the hotel.

He returned to the room to find Kim sitting on the couch, watching the weather. She had already taken the initiative of buttering each of the rolls and was licking the butter off of her fingers when Brad walked in. There was a pregnant pause as Brad looked at her with her index finger in her mouth. When she realized what she was doing, she pulled her finger out of her mouth and wiped it off on a napkin, turning a light shade of red. "The storm is going to be over us for the next few hours," she said, trying to divert attention to a new subject.

"Well we have Dr. Pepper and some rolls," Brad said, placing them on the table next to the rolls. "That should get us by until tomorrow morning." Brad began to undo his belt and unbutton the blouse of his uniform.

Kim watched, well actually, stared as undid the last button and took it off. He hung it in the closet, straightening it out on the hanger. Next Brad took off his tie and hung it over the blouse. He turned toward her and caught her stare, but thought nothing of it. He unbuttoned the first two buttons of his shirt and walked over to the ice bucket. Brad grabbed a couple of glasses, put a few ice cubes in each and then sat down next to Kim on the couch. Kim's heart was racing now and she could feel herself breathing heavily.

Get ahold of yourself,

she thought.

You can't let this happen.