FORBIDDEN DESIRE
BY
Teresa Gabelman
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Donna Bossert, where to start. Thank you so much for everything you do. I seriously don’t know how I’ve gotten along without you before now. Your devotion to finding sexy cover models as well as keeping me on track is inspiring and well appreciated. You do so much and I thank you for all you do. One day we will meet and that will be one of my favorite days….ever!
Warriorettes, what can I say, you ROCK! Thank you for every share, for having my back and know that I take none of it for granted. You are by far the best street team an author could ever have and the drive-bys are the best!
To my ARC team. You have no clue how much it means to me that you take time out of your busy lives to read unedited stories from me. I know for a lot of you that unedited part drives you nuts, but the opinions of how the storyline is going is priceless to me. I know what I am trying to say in a story, but because of you I now know if what I am trying to say is actually being understood. My brain is a very scary place as you all know.
Becky Johnson, the best editor in the world, yes….the whole wide world, thank you for everything. Editor you may be, but a wonderful friend is what I will always call you. I know I can hop on my messages and Becky will be there to talk me down from wanting to throw my computer against the wall. Hot Tree Editing Team…..THANK YOU!
To my family, thank you for the encouragement, the understanding of my tears at times, the craziness that is my life at deadlines and just for having my back always. With you all by my side I can do anything, without you it wouldn’t be worth it.
I saved the best for last. The readers, my friends. I will remember always the very first book, Damon, that was sold on Amazon. I don’t know who bought it, but I thank them. And then the second, the third and so on, I thank you also. You are the reason I do what I do. Your support means so much and keeps me going. I hope I can continue to bring you my best and please know that is and will always be my goal.
Lee County Wolves
Forbidden Desire
Copyright 2017 Teresa Gabelman
All rights reserved. The right of Teresa Gabelman to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This is a work of fiction and any resemblance between the characters and persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
Gabelman, Teresa (2017-4-18). Forbidden Desire (Lee County Wolves Series) Book #3
Smashwords Edition.
Editor: Hot Tree Editing
Photo: IStock Photo
Cover Art: Indie Digital Publishing
Chapter 1
Marcus Foster stood on his brother’s porch, arms crossed, leaning against the railing. His eyes were focused on the work crew hired to rebuild the feed mill that had burned to the ground. Rocky’s Bar and Grill was just now in the last stages of cleanup, so almost ready for reconstruction. Due to the deaths from the fire, there’d been the necessary investigation, which had inevitably slowed the rebuild down. His eyes found Roxy Patel and a low growl rumbled deep in his chest. She was a beautiful woman and she was his, not that he had openly claimed her. But he knew, his wolf knew that she belonged to him, and his wolf was ready to let the construction workers know it.
“Why don’t you just shift, go piss on her leg, and claim her already,” Hunter said as he climbed the steps.
“Fuck you, Hunter.” Marcus sneered without looking at his younger brother. No, his eyes followed Roxy and Clare as they made their way from the small coffee shop carrying pots of coffee and doughnuts for the workers. The men actually stopped what they were doing, dropped whatever they were holding, and rushed to help Roxy.
“You know—” Hunter began, his eyebrow cocked, but Marcus stopped him.
“No, and I don’t want to fucking know,” Marcus hissed, then stepped away from the railing when one of the workers touched Roxy on the shoulder, making her flinch.
“Don’t do it.” Hunter’s tone was full of warning.
Marcus’s body started to shake, but he kept his wolf at bay, for now. “Then he best remove his hand from her body.”
“Why don’t you claim her, bro?” Hunter shook his head in frustration.
Relaxing slightly as the man removed his hand, Marcus looked at Hunter. “Because she’s still married.” Marcus heard the anger in his own voice. He had tried his best to get her to go on a date with him, but that was always her answer. She was still married.
“Okay, well let’s kill the son of a bitch and then she won’t be married anymore.” Hunter shrugged. “Easy fix.”
It didn’t matter what kind of mood Marcus was in, Hunter always found a way to make him smile. Even though this smile was evil and thoughtful, it was still a smile and took his mind off killing about twenty construction workers. “Yeah, if only.” He gave a snort. “Don’t think I haven’t thought about it.”
“We just couldn’t let Garrett know.” Hunter kept going. “You know how he is about that stuff, but I bet if Janna had a husband who wouldn’t sign the divorce papers, he’d be threatening or killing the guy.”
Marcus looked to where Roxy was heading back to the coffee shop. All eyes were on her ass as she walked away. Emily had walked from around the corner talking to one of the construction workers, pointing at different things. He noticed that the man looked nervous as did the rest of the men when she appeared. Suddenly, all eyes were staring their way, directly at Hunter, before they fell all over themselves getting back to work. Glancing at Hunter, he saw the satisfied look on his face.
“You shifted in front of them,” Marcus said, his eyes narrowing before he laughed. There was no other explanation for the way the workers reacted to Emily.
“Damn straight I did.” Hunter nodded. “Those fuckers know exactly who and what my mate belongs to.”
“Did you piss on her leg?” Marcus threw out as Hunter started walking away.
“Didn’t have to,” Hunter tossed over his shoulder as he headed toward Emily. “Just seeing my wolf was warning enough.”
Marcus’s smile faded quickly as he watched Hunter head to Emily, wrapping his arm around her. “Lucky bastard,” Marcus cursed, then looked toward the coffee shop. Roxy was stopped just inside her door, her eyes watching Hunter and Emily before she slowly glanced his way. They stood motionless, staring at each other until she finally looked away and closed the door. What gave him hope was she looked as miserable as he was. Yeah, that shit was going to change.
******
“When are you going to put that man out of his misery?” Clare asked, walking around the counter. “Better question, when are you going to put yourself out of misery? And don’t ask me what I’m talking about. You know very well what and who I’m talking about.”
It was funny how well Clare knew her because that was exactly what Roxy was about to ask, even though Clare was right: she did know. It would have been just to divert the conversation. “I’m married.” She answered the same way she always did.
“Kentucky is a no-fault state.” Clare had a new comeback for Roxy’s go-to answer.
“Meaning?” Roxy frowned, wiping the counter.
“Meaning, that since Kentucky is a no-fault state, you can start dating at any point in the process.” Clare grinned. “Meaning, you can get your hands on that good-looking man who was staring you down and looking like he wanted to kill any construction guy who was glancing your way. Meaning, you can finally be happy, Roxy.”
Roxy had stopped scrubbing the already clean countertop. “And how did you find this out?”
“The great Google. How else?
” Clare replied proudly. “It also means just because the asshole has refused to sign and doesn’t want the divorce, it doesn’t matter. As a no-fault state, the court is required to enter a decree even if only one spouse desires the divorce.”
A glimmer of hope filled her chest but vanished quickly. “I don’t know, Clare. It can’t be that easy.” She reminded herself not to get her hopes up. “Nothing with Bruce is that easy.”
“Yeah, well that SOB can’t change the laws and that is the law.” Clare started more coffee. “You need to get a lawyer, Roxy.”
“I can’t afford a lawyer.” Roxy snorted, taking dirty cups to the back to be washed. “It’s taking every penny I make to pay Garrett the rent for this place.” Roxy was never late with her rent. Not only was it cheap, but Garrett had set everything up and just handed it to her for a place to work, to be involved with their town, and she made damn sure she paid him.
Once in the back, Roxy set the cups in the sink, then leaned against the wall, closing her eyes while trying to stop the shaking in her hands. Just the thoughts of her ex were enough to send her nerves into overdrive. If it hadn’t been for Garrett, Bruce would have killed her. She slowly opened her eyes and stared into the sink at the dirty coffee cups, and suddenly, memories came flooding back.
Her ex was not only a control freak, but a clean freak, meaning he expected everything to be spotless, with nothing out of place. Even the silverware needed to be placed in a certain manner. It was exhausting trying to keep up with his expectations, which she never met.
They’d had a whirlwind romance. He’d been charming and caring at first, showering her with everything a woman could ever ask for. And now she knew why. It wasn’t until after they were married that she noticed his weird quirks, his short temper, and his true feelings toward her. He loved her, sure, but it wasn’t the kind of love she ever wanted to experience again. Yeah, she had fallen into a trap that until her near-death at his hands, she felt she would never escape from.
Something brought her out of her memories, and she was glad for it. She hated remembering how weak she had been during her time with Bruce. If it hadn’t been for Garrett Foster, she would probably still be in that situation or dead.
With a sigh, she headed back out to the front. “If the sheriff couldn’t deliver the divorce papers to him, then I doubt anyone else can.”
“I’ll do it.” Marcus’s deep voice filled the small building.
“And on that note….” Clare grabbed her bag and headed out the door. “Toots!”
Roxy glared at Clare, then glanced at Marcus. “You want some coffee?”
Giving her a narrowed look, he nodded. “And then you can get me those divorce papers.”
“He won’t sign,” Roxy said, pouring a steaming cup for Marcus. Her hand shook, and she wasn’t the only one who noticed. She tried to calm her nerves, but it was no use. Whenever Marcus Foster was near, her body responded in ways that not only frightened her but shocked her. She thought after Bruce, no man would ever hold her interest, that her yearning for love would be buried deep and yet, every single time Marcus was around, she felt all of that and more.
Marcus took the pot from her and set it down. “Oh, he will sign.” Marcus’s body was close to hers as he leaned over her to put the pot back on the burner, his eyes never leaving hers.
Being pressed up against the counter was something Roxy thought would frighten her, but it didn’t. She felt no threat from this man, never had. What she did feel was an overwhelming need to crawl up his body and hold on tight, but she would never do that. Would she? “This isn’t your problem, Marcus.”
A smirk tipped his lips. “Oh, it is my problem.” He leaned slightly closer. “Because that son of a bitch is preventing me from doing what I want to do.”
Her heart beat so fast she knew he could hear it, and as close as they were, she didn’t doubt he could feel it. She licked her dry lips. “And what is that?” she managed to say.
His head tilted as he moved so his lips were only inches from hers. “Make you mine,” he replied without hesitation. With his eyebrow cocked, he bypassed her mouth to kiss her on the cheek and then moved away as soon as the door opened.
“Hey, is the cake ready?” Leda’s voice broke through to her brain that was racing with Marcus’s words, but her eyes refused to leave him as he picked up his coffee and sat down at one of the tables, his eyes remaining fixed on her.
“Yes.” She finally managed to answer Leda’s question. “I’ll get it.”
Pulling her eyes from Marcus, she turned and went into the back. Reaching the table, which the cake sat on, she placed both hands on the wooden top, bowed her head and took deep breaths trying to calm her heart. Why couldn’t she have met Marcus before Bruce? Why was her life always so messed up? Why couldn’t she be brave? Her eyes moved to the dirty frosting knife lying on the table next to the cake, and her stomach clenched. She forcibly had to stop herself from reaching for the knife in a panic to clean it and put it away. Habits were hard to break. Habits born out of fear were nearly impossible to deny.
It took everything she possessed to grab the cake and turn her back on the dirty frosting knife, but she did it. Nausea burned her throat, but still, she did it. She would break her habits before they broke her. Bruce would not win, not anymore. It was her time to be the winner in her life. She was worthy of happiness. As she walked out with the cake, her eyes once again met Marcus’s gaze. He sat where she left him listening to Leda excitedly talk about the baby shower happening in an hour. It was at that moment she realized Marcus Foster would definitely be part of her journey toward happiness.
“It’s beautiful, Roxy.” Leda clapped her hands excitedly as she looked down at the baby cake.
“Thanks.” Roxy smiled proudly. She loved baking and really outdid herself with the cake for Janna. It was a round double-tiered white fondant cake with a large blue bow to connect the cakes and a pink baby carriage on the top. She went with pink, blue, and white since they didn’t know the sex of the babies yet, or at least they weren’t telling anyone. One tier was chocolate and one a buttercream. “I love baking. I’ve always wanted to decorate cakes, but—”
What the hell was she doing? This wasn’t the time for an open discussion on why she had never pursued a passion. Clearing her throat, she handed the cake carefully to Leda.
“Aren’t you coming?” Leda frowned, taking the cake.
This was the part that Roxy hated. “I don’t think so,” Roxy replied, glancing away before pulling her gaze back. “I have some things to take care of, but please let me know if there’s anything else you guys need.”
“Are you sure?” Leda frowned, sounding disappointed. “I mean, I can help you with whatever you need after the party so you can come,” Leda suggested. “Janna really wants you there.”
“I’ll see.” Roxy forced a smile. “Now you better get over there. The party’s getting ready to start without the cake.”
“Oh crap!” Leda headed toward the door and thanked Marcus who opened it for her. “Please try to come, Roxy. Janna would want you there.”
Roxy smiled but didn’t say anything as Marcus closed the door and turned toward her. “I need to lock up.” She hoped he took the hint because she needed a moment to obsess over what he had said to her before Leda came in the door.
Instead of doing what most would do and leave, he locked the door with a loud click.
“Why aren’t you going to the shower?” He cocked his eyebrow.
“I just don’t—”
“Don’t lie to me, Roxy.” Marcus frowned, his eyes watching her closely.
She had to lie because there was no way she could tell him the embarrassing truth. “Marcus, I really need to clean up.” She turned and headed toward the back, leaving him standing alone.
Leaving the dirty frosting knife on the table just to prove to herself she could, she went to the sink to do the few dishes she had left. She knew when he walked in. It was as if his very presen
ce surrounded her. She felt safe and that scared her. As weird as that was, he terrified her, or rather her feelings for him did.
He stood close behind her, his heat to her back, and she tried her hardest to ignore him. There was no ignoring Marcus though.
“Janna’s going to be disappointed that you aren’t there,” Marcus said from behind her, his breath brushing through her hair. “Come on, the whole town’s going to be there.”
Roxy knew all this, but she also knew that they would all have gifts and she wouldn’t. “So, I won’t be missed,” she replied, realizing she had run out of dirty dishes and needed to turn to face him in order to get the frosting knife she’d purposely left on the table behind him.
“Yes, you will,” Marcus pressed, not letting it go.
Turning, she went to go around him, but he blocked her way. “Excuse me.”
“You going to come?” He didn’t budge.
Knowing he wasn’t going to let it go, she sighed in defeat. “I don’t have a gift.” She glanced up at him. “I ordered it, but it still hasn’t come in. I can’t show up without a gift.”
He quickly grabbed her hand, pulling her out from the back. She glanced at the knife, her heart beating erratically. “Marcus, stop. I have to finish cleaning up.”
Marcus did stop, but he didn’t let go. “Do you want to go?”
“Yes, but—”
“You will have a gift for her.” Marcus turned and continued toward the door. “You need anything before we lock up?”
“I need to finish.” She looked behind her toward the back room. “I have to clean the frosting knife.”
Marcus looked down at her, his eyes darkening. “Fuck the knife, Roxy.” His voice was even and low. “The knife can wait. And I know that you haven’t left this town since the day you arrived. You order everything online. That bastard and what he did to you will be erased from your memory very soon.”
Forbidden Desire (Lee County Wolves) Book #3 Page 1