by K. C. Lynn
An Act of Courage
Acts of Honor book 4
K.C. LYNN
Published by K.C. Lynn
An Act of Courage Copyright © 2017 K.C. LYNN
Kindle Edition
First Edition: 2017
Editing: Wild Rose Editing
Formatting: BB ebooks
Cover Art by: Cover to Cover Designs
Cover Image by: Wander Aguiar
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the author of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication and use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
Warning: Due to mature subject matter, such as explicit sexual situations and coarse language, this story is not suitable for anyone under the age of 18.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to a girl who has loved Christopher unconditionally with her whole heart from the moment she met him. One who is always in my corner, cheering me on, laughing and crying with me. A dear friend who has one of the most beautiful souls I’ve ever encountered.
Alycia, Christopher is for you.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Epilogue
Coming Soon
Acknowledgements
Author Bio
PROLOGUE
Christopher
Classical music filters through the room as I tug at the tight collar of my shirt, loosening my tie. Something I hate wearing just as much as I hate coming to parties like this one.
From the second I stepped into the world of wealth and class with fancy champagne and stiff suits, I’ve been wound tight, my own skin feeling uncomfortable. I don’t belong here, never have and never will. These people don’t want me here just as much as I don’t want to be here. Their disapproving looks and upturned noses say it all.
So why do I endure it?
Because one girl does want me here, and she’s the only one that matters. A girl that I would do anything for, including sit through this shit every day if it were required.
I would take my last breath for her.
My eyes become riveted on her across the room, where she’s forced to smile and shake hands with people she doesn’t even like. Her mother stands next to her, laughing and putting on the perfect show of a happy family with that loser fiancé of hers, Richard Hunter.
Most people wouldn’t notice how uncomfortable Alissa is, but I do. I see the tightness in her shoulders, and the way she subtly moves away from her mother’s affection. Since the affair her mother had on her father a few years ago, their relationship has never been the same. But to Helen Malone—soon to be Hunter—image is everything. Which is why she hates me and constantly accuses me of tainting her daughter.
I’ve tainted her all right, in every way imaginable, and I’ve loved every fucking second of it.
Her opinion used to bother me back in high school but not now. I don’t give a shit what she thinks anymore. Nothing I do or say will ever be good enough for her. I’ve learned to accept it. Hell, even I can agree that I’m not good enough for her daughter. I’ve always known that, but I need her too much to let her go, and for some reason, she wants me. She sees past where I came from. She and Faith always have.
It makes the decision I’ve been stewing over that much harder. Getting accepted into BUD/S has been a dream of mine that I’ve mostly kept to myself. Cade and the guys are the only ones that know I’ve applied. They’ve been training me, prepping me for if I were chosen. I never thought I would get accepted, not the first time around. Now that I have been, I’m hesitating. I don’t know if I can leave her.
Will she wait for me? Is it fair to ask that of her?
The thought of losing her has panic constricting my chest. I want to go but not enough to jeopardize what we have. She’s been one of the best parts of my life since I was fifteen years old. Losing her is something I’m not willing to risk.
I’ve decided I will talk to her about it when we get back to my place. If she’s not okay with it then I’ll stick to the original plan to stay here where we will go to college together. My focus will be on music and Alissa’s on becoming a nurse. I wouldn’t be unhappy about that. I love music and it’s what I thought I wanted to do for as long as I can remember, but as time passes, I feel like I’m missing something. A greater purpose. It’s something Cade understands.
Faith, on the other hand, I know won’t be so understanding. She will be scared, and due to her past, I can’t blame her. It’s one of the reasons I haven’t told her yet. First I’ll see what Alissa has to say then go from there. She will be my deciding factor.
As if my thoughts summon her, she turns her head, her whiskey-colored eyes finding mine. The shade is so light, so unique, that they look like glass. They captivate me each and every time, no matter how often I look into them.
Excusing herself, she starts toward me. My eyes travel down her slender body in the long, soft pink, silk dress, watching every single dip of her hips. All night I’ve been waiting for the moment to have her alone so I can tear that dress from her body.
When my eyes retract back to hers, she smiles, knowing exactly where my thoughts are. If I know her, and I do, she is looking forward to it as much as I am.
Closing the distance between us, her arms hook around my neck while mine hug her waist, my stiff cock pressing into her stomach as I bring her flush against me.
“Hmmm,” she muses, brushing her sweet lips across mine. “I hope whatever you’re thinking about includes me.”
I grunt. “You damn well know it does.”
The moment I first laid eyes on her, all other girls ceased to exist. She knows it, I’ve always made sure of that.
“Does that mean you’re ready to go home?”
“I was ready hours ago,” I tell her, then want to kick myself when sympathy flashes in her eyes.
She reaches up, her hand resting on my jaw. “Thank you for coming with me. I know you hate this even more than I do.”
“It’s not a big deal,” I lie, shrugging it off. “Besides, no way was I leaving you alone when you look like this.”
It’s hard enough watching that prick Ryan eye-fuck her every chance he gets; I was not going to give him the
opportunity to be alone with her to pull any kind of shit. That fucker has been chomping at the bit, waiting for any chance he can to get with her. It’s only gotten worse since his dad and her mom got engaged. Thankfully, he kept his distance tonight… So far. All the more reason to leave now.
“Well, luckily I picked this dress out just for you,” she says.
I am lucky, really fucking lucky, and I’ll never take it for granted.
“Just let me use the ladies room then we’re out of here.”
Before letting her leave, I lift her off her feet, claiming her lips the way I plan to take her body later. By the time I pull back, her cheeks are flushed and eyes filled with desire, the same unrelenting need that burns inside of me.
“Hold that thought, Christopher Walker,” she says, flashing me a sexy smile as I place her back on her feet.
Walker, not Dennison.
I’m still getting used to the new last name, but I know I made the right decision. After Faith had Mia and the adoption went through for Ruthie, she asked me if I would change my name, too. She wanted us all to have the same one. Since I’d rather not carry my father’s legacy anyway, I said I would. Besides, Cade has been more of a father to me than my own dad ever was. Or I guess more like a big brother considering our age difference. Either way, without him or Faith, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Once Alissa disappears down the hall, I turn back to find her mother watching me, her eyes narrowed in hatred. I swear she would bury me ten feet deep if given half the chance.
I brace myself as she starts toward me. The last thing I want is to fight with her, especially tonight at her engagement party, but it looks to be inevitable.
“If you truly loved her, you wouldn’t ruin her future,” she says, which happens to be the first words she’s said to me tonight.
No greeting, no easing into it, but I didn’t expect any different.
I have no idea what she’s spewing, and I don’t bother trying to understand it. Instead, I push from the wall, deciding it’s better to wait in the car.
Unfortunately, she doesn’t let it go. “I assume she didn’t tell you about Johns Hopkins University.”
The information stops me cold. I turn back around to find her eyes filled with knowledge; something I know nothing about and fucking hate. “All right. I’ll bite. What the hell are you talking about?”
She takes a leisurely sip of her champagne, making me wait. I consider walking out but I have a feeling that whatever she’s about to tell me is something I need to hear, whether I want to or not.
“Two days ago she was accepted into the most prestigious school of medicine but says she’s turning it down so she can stay here…with you.”
Dread settles in my gut. As much as I wish the bitch were lying, I can tell she’s not, and I hate that I had to hear it from her.
“You might not understand what it means to be accepted to a place like that, but it’s a big deal and could be very lucrative for her future,” she continues. “It was once a dream of hers to attend there. How she can throw it all away on trash like you, I will never know.”
My fists clench at the insult. Before I end up doing or saying something I can’t take back, I walk away and retrieve our coats. As I wait for the attendant, someone knocks into me from behind.
I catch my balance quickly and turn to find the last person I want to see right now. Ryan Hunter, my biggest rival since high school. The guy is as big of a prick as his father.
Some tramp stumbles out behind him, fixing her dress in the process.
“Sorry about that, Dennison,” he says, his whiskey breath hitting me in the face as he claps my shoulder, harder than necessary.
I throw his hand off and shove him back, the control I have perfected over the years close to shredding. “Don’t fucking touch me, Hunter, and stay out of my face.”
“Aw, what’s wrong? Did you and my hot stepsister have a fight?”
“You fucking wish.”
He steps forward, entering into dangerous territory. “You’re right. I do wish. I’m just waiting for the day that she will stop slumming with you, and I’ll be able to pry those sexy legs apart and—”
My fist slams into his jaw before he can finish. He stumbles back, landing on his drunk ass. The moment he pushes to his feet and charges, I meet him head on, my precious control forgotten.
I’ve waited years for this moment and tonight he pushed at the wrong fucking time.
Screams of alarm pierce through the air as I take him to the ground. My heavy shots are fast, and I relish in every fucking bone that shatters beneath my fist.
“Christopher, stop it!” Alissa’s terrified voice barely penetrates the fury consuming me. “I mean it, stop!” When her slender fingers grip my arm, I halt mid blow, her touch breaking through my red haze—my body incapable of hurting her.
I allow her to pull me back and find everyone staring, their disapproving eyes locked solely on me.
Typical.
A couple of guests help Ryan to his feet. He glares back at me, swiping the blood from his mouth. “You’re dead, Dennison.”
I open my arms, welcoming the challenge. “What are you waiting for? I’m right here.”
Alissa’s shaking hand presses against my chest. “No. Stop this right now, both of you!”
“I agree. I’ve had enough,” her mother snaps, fury flashing in her eyes as she points at me. “Security, remove him.”
I’m about to save them the trouble and walk out but Alissa steps in front of me before I get the chance. “Don’t you dare touch him,” she seethes, coming to my defense, like always. It’s something I don’t need or want.
“How can you defend him after what he’s done?” Helen questions, putting her own daughter on the chopping block in front of all her fucking friends.
I reach for Alissa’s hand, refusing to let her take any heat for this. “Let’s go.” With my grip tight, I pull her toward the door, the clicking of her heels filling the tense silence.
The moment we make it outside, she rips from my grasp. “What the hell were you thinking?” she hisses.
I turn to face her, hating the disappointment I find in her eyes. “You’re not even going to ask me what happened, what he said?”
“Does it matter? You know how he is, Christopher. Why would you let him get to you like that?”
My simmering anger bubbles up to the surface. “Because I’ll only be pushed so fucking far, especially when it comes to you!”
“Did you ever stop to think how your actions would affect me?”
“You were all I thought about,” I bellow, my rage fueling hotter as I recall what he said about her. “He got what he deserved. He’s goddamn lucky it didn’t happen before now.”
“Will you keep your voice down? You’re embarrassing me.”
I tense, her words twisting my gut into a painful knot. Our gazes remain locked, a moment of angry silence hanging between us.
“At least you and your mother have something in common now.”
Her teeth grind, tears glistening in her eyes. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.”
“Isn’t it?”
“No.”
“What do you expect to happen, Alissa? You drag me to this shit, knowing damn well I’m not welcome. How long am I supposed to be a punching bag for?”
“I bring you because you belong with me. You didn’t have to come.”
“Yeah, well don’t worry, I won’t be anymore. I’ll save both you and your mother the fucking humiliation.” I move for my truck, ending the conversation because I don’t want to finish it. I’m not ready for it. Deep down I know what’s coming, what needs to be done, but I can’t bring myself to do it right now.
“Wait!” She charges after me, her fingers gripping my arm, but I keep moving, trying to escape the impending doom that’s about to shatter my very existence. “Christopher, please stop.”
My swift feet pull to a halt at the sound of her broken plea, b
ut I don’t turn around.
I can’t face her.
She doesn’t give me a choice and comes to stand in front of me, her eyes filled with confusion and hurt. “What are you doing?”
“Leaving,” I tell her, and think about the double meaning those words hold.
“Without me?”
“It’s for the best,” I grit against the pain infiltrating my chest.
“No, it’s not. We can talk about this on the way home.”
I shake my head. “You don’t understand.” A slow burn crawls up my throat as I try to find the words that are about to end the best thing that’s ever happened to me. “I applied for the Navy, and I’ve been accepted. I’m going to Coronado to their training facility.”
“What are you talking about?” she asks, confused. “We’re staying here, together.”
“I didn’t say anything because I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. I didn’t even think I would be accepted.” I attempt to explain but my excuse is as pathetic as it sounds.
I never planned to leave her. I hoped she would wait for me, but I now realize how selfish that was of me.
Pain and betrayal sparks in her eyes. “You’re serious?”
I nod.
“I can’t believe you kept this from me.”
“Just like you kept Johns Hopkins from me,” I throw back. I’m not necessarily angry with her for not telling me, but I hate that I had to hear it from her mother.
Her mouth snaps closed and she swallows thickly. “I didn’t tell you because it didn’t matter. I was staying here with you.”
“Why? Why would you give that up for me?”
“Because I love you,” she exclaims, tears slipping down her flushed cheeks.
Her words send another blow to my battered chest. “This is your future, Alissa, you can’t just—”
“You’re my future,” she screams back, a sob tearing from her throat. “And I thought I was yours.”
I grind my teeth, attempting to suppress the agony ripping me apart inside. “That’s what we wanted, but let’s face it, this was all bound to happen sooner or later.” It’s something I’ve come to realize, especially after the last ten minutes.