I glance up at him, and his smile is cocky. He raises an eyebrow and then gestures to the device.

“If I’m going to be thousands of miles away, I can’t have you getting off to some piece named Channing. What the fuck kind of name is that?”

I get up on my knees and wrap my arms around him, pressing a kiss to his lips. “Not a good enough one. Now this new toy? What do you suggest I call it?” I ask saucily even though I know what his answer is going to be.

He grins against my mouth, and his hands wrap around me, pulling me in tight so his erection is pressing into me. “You can call it whatever you want as long as you’re imagining that I’m the one inside you fucking you into oblivion or wishing I were there sucking, licking your clit. I’ve heard you call out my name so many times that I know you’ll be thinking of me, baby.”

His words send a fire in my belly, and I want to wrap my legs around him. He’s right. I’ve become addicted this summer, and for the foreseeable future, he’ll be the one I imagine. I don’t want to think about it, this whole friends with benefits scenario ending, so I get up from the bed and grab the gift I brought him.

Handing it to him, I wait as he hesitates, almost like it’s weird that I’m giving him a gift. It’s no vibrator, but I hope it’s equally as…special?

He tears through the wrapping paper, and I feel silly when he pulls out the skirt I wore on the night we first were together. He grins up at me, and on his fingers, I see the skirt dangling, making my grin match his. Looking back in the bag, he laughs when he pulls out a ruler. I may not have let Charlie know the precise measurement, but I want to know it myself, and I make a mental note to put that ruler to use later.

His eyes widen when he holds up a stainless-steel Wartenberg wheel, and I flush, remembering the last time he used it on me. He didn’t last a week after we met before he mentioned my promise of introducing it to him, and boy, what an introduction it was.

“What am I supposed to do with this when I’m halfway around the world?” he asks, rolling the tiny pinpricks over his thumb.

“I figured that’s up to you. Either keep it for memory’s sake or practice for when you get home.”

He bites his lip and then looks at me, his gaze heated. “We’ll have to make one last memory before I leave,” he insists, and heat rushes between my thighs as I think of one last night tied down with Kale.

I watch as he sets the wheel on the nightstand and goes back to the bag. The last thing he finds is a copy of a Scantron with his name on it. His grin widens when he sees the content, and I blush, knowing he’s definitely earned all those high marks.

He tosses the items to the side and wraps me up in his arms. Shuddering, I relish in his closeness, knowing I have to soak it all in so I can last nine months without him.

“Oh, Ms. Dawson, what am I going to do without you?” he whispers.

I bring a lone finger up to trace his cheek. “Don’t worry about that right now. Instead, spend this time showing me what you’re not going to be doing but will still be wishing for every single day.”

Without preamble, he pushes me onto the bed, covering my body with his. He rains kisses down my face, nipping on my jawline and sucking at the skin on my neck. Kale knows every inch of me, and knowing it’s our last night together, I want to cherish every single moment of us together.

He doesn’t waste a single second before sinking into me, and my pussy is more than ready for him. Sliding my arms around to grip his ass, I try to match his movements, feeling the way he furiously pumps in and out of me. Something about this night, though, is different, and I can’t keep up. He’s fucking me with wild abandon, as if he can’t get enough. Instead of trying to match his pace, I hold on for the ride, letting him drive his hard cock into me time and time again.

It’s not long before I’m panting my release as I cry out his name. I can feel his dick emptying into the condom inside me.

“God dammit, Lucy,” he says, the same words he whispers every single night. This time, though, his voice is strained, and tears prick my eyes, knowing I won’t get to be with him for at least nine months—and possibly never again.

Sliding out of me, he presses a kiss on my lips then disappears into the bathroom. I turn over, wrapping myself up in the sheets. My mind’s running a thousand miles a minute, not wanting to think that this is our last time together, but I know I have to get used to it. When Kale comes out of the bathroom, he lies down in the bed and draws me into his body.

“You’ve become a damn good friend this summer, Lucy. One of my best,” he whispers, kissing the top of my head.

My breath stops at his admission. If I admit it to myself, I want to be so much more than his friend, but instead of letting him know, I stamp down my feelings, too scared to even think about them.

“Kale,” I breathe, but he brings a finger to my lips.

“I’ll miss you, babe,” he informs me, and my heart melts and breaks at the same time. I’ve never really had anyone to miss and I don’t know what to expect. When he says nothing else, I take that as a dismissal for any other feelings, so I bottle up my own and bury them deep, not expecting them to surface any time soon. Or well, at least hoping that they won’t.

Surprisingly, he folds his arms around me, and I settle into his embrace. Normally, we sleep on opposite sides of the bed, but tonight, apparently, we both want to be close. There’s an intimacy there that’s foreign, and as much as I liked the idea of using toys and restraints, it feels wrong. Instead, it’s just me, Kale, and nothing else. All night, we’re wrapped up in each other, talking and making love—not that I’d usually call it that, but fucking just doesn’t seem like the right term for what this is anymore.

The next morning, we linger in bed, neither one of us wanting to admit that our summer fling is over. When I drop him off on post, it’s no easier. We get out of the car, meeting at the hood of the car, and things feel awkward, not like us at all. He hesitates for a moment before taking me into his arms.

Drawing in his scent, I commit it to memory, not knowing when I’ll ever smell it again. I can feel hot tears forming in my eyes even though I promised myself I wouldn’t cry. That’s easy to say until you get to that moment. The final goodbye. I can’t imagine how girlfriends and wives feel. It feel likes the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, and we’re just friends.

I pull away from him, not wanting to stain his uniform if my mascara is running from the stupid tears that are now falling. A small smile spreads over his face, and he cups my chin as he uses his thumbs to wipe them away. A laugh escapes me at knowing that he probably thinks I’m being ridiculous. Hell, I think I’m being ridiculous. I don’t cry. I just don’t, but it’s been one hell of a summer, and I tell myself that I’m crying over all the lost orgasms, not the fact that there’s a small pang in my heart at the thought of saying goodbye.

“Hey, Lucy, don’t cry. I know you’re going to miss seeing this sexy body every damn day, but we can still Skype. Remember our deal. If you show me yours, I’ll show you mine,” he teases, putting me at ease.

Shaking my head, I wonder how long it’s going to be before he gets me to take clothes off via webcam. I’m guessing it won’t take too long.

“And when have I ever had a problem showing you mine?” I ask, and he grins at all the memories.

“Well, if you’d have let me take naked pictures of you, then we wouldn’t have to Skype and I could just look at them every day.”

A slow, wicked smile crosses my face. There is one more present I haven’t given him yet, and I was going to let him discover it on his own, but I’d rather tease him about it now.

“Oh, Montgomery, how little faith you have in me. Do you really think I’d send you off to war with nothing to work with? You must really think I’m mean,” I say, giggling when I see him raise an eyebrow in confusion.

“Ms. Dawson, you wicked woman. What have you done?” he asks, his voice sounding a little more husky than usual.

I’m not going to spell it out for him. I want him to enjoy the find. “Now, now. It’s the last part of your gift, and I’d hate to ruin the surprise. Let’s just say I may have hidden a new folder on your laptop, and it’s your job to find it and report back.”

Leaning down, he presses his lips against mine, slipping his tongue in my mouth. We stand there, savoring each and every moment, knowing they’re our last. All too soon, he’s pulling away from me. He plants one last kiss on my nose before he picks up his gear.

“I meant what I said last night, Lucy. I’m going to miss you,” he confesses, and I can hear the sincerity in his voice. My heart tightens from knowing that this is it. Everything about our relationship is about to change, and I couldn’t have prepared for the pain that flows straight to my heart.

I stand up on my tiptoes and give him one last kiss on the lips. “I’ll miss you, too, Kale. More than you know.”

He nods, and our eyes lock as we both mentally prepare for this shift in our friendship. He looks like he’s about to say something else, but before he can, someone calls out his name, effectively ruining the moment.

“It’s that time, I guess,” he says, breathing out.

My nose starts burning, and I can feel the tears starting to form again. Not wanting to let him see me cry, I throw my arms around him, giving him a tight squeeze.

“You stay safe over there, Kale Montgomery. You promise me?” I haven’t let myself think about the dangers he’ll be facing, but now that we’re down to the wire, I need to hear him say it. To promise me that he’ll take care of himself.