Shadow: Cerberus MC Book 3

by Marie James

  I should’ve agreed to go out with him but insisted that we head some place public, but I don’t date. I’d be lying if I said I haven’t noticed how sexy his arms look when they pull the fabric of his t-shirts. I’d be an idiot for not taking in the expanse of his back and the way every muscle in his body dances like a well-orchestrated symphony when he moves.

  He’s absolute perfection, and most people would think I’m nuts for not jumping at the many chances he’s offered to hang out, but once again, I don’t date. He’s the talk of all the girls at the acting academy. Many have flirted with him and only received a gentlemanly rebuff to their offers; rebuffs that I hear ranged from just going on a date to some of the things I’m ashamed I’ve pictured doing with him myself.

  Now the consensus is that he has to be gay. I know he’s not for several reasons. One, he’s also turned down the gay guys in the class. Two, I catch him watching me with the same look on his face that I know I must have when I’m watching him.

  I caught that look more than once today. It was hungry and lustful. So I’m hoping tonight goes the way I’m thinking he wants it to, the way I want it to, which is also the only way I involve myself with a man. I said I don’t date, not that I’m a prude and don’t like sex. As a matter of fact, I love sex. I just haven’t had any in a while; another reason I think I finally caved at his offer this afternoon.

  I pinch my cheeks, attempting to add some color to my face. I’m in a loose fitting t-shirt and some cute leggings I bought online. I’m cute but not ‘this is a date’ cute. Plus, the leggings are super easy to get off, and they stretch in case there happens to be a little hanky-panky later.

  A quick look at my watch tells me I have fifteen minutes to make the twenty-minute trek to his house. I don’t want to seem overeager, even though I could easily admit I’m actually looking forward to where this evening will lead. I mean, I’ll admit it to myself, just not anyone else.

  Due to traffic, the trip over took even longer than I’d thought, so a simple five-minute tardiness has now turned me into a fifteen-minute late asshole. I’m an even bigger jerk for leaving my phone sitting on the bathroom counter, so when I realized just how late I was going to be I couldn’t shoot off a text to him. I clear my throat, ready to apologize as I raise my hand to knock on his door. I don’t hear any noise coming from inside so I push the lit doorbell to the right. I glance around the adorable neighborhood as I wait for him to answer.

  Eventually, I hear rustling and his voice as he talks to someone inside. I can see now that we won’t be alone, the direction I’d hoped for probably won’t come to fruition tonight. I’m a little disappointed and begin to wonder if in fact he isn’t actually asexual and just wants to be friends.

  The door is tugged open, and I look up into his mesmerizing brown eyes. I see a wave of relief wash over his face. Seems he thought I was going to stand him up.

  It’s not until I hear, “Stop, Scout!” that I notice the small brown and white ball of fur circling my legs fast enough to make me dizzy.

  He bends at the waist and scoops up the anxious dog, cradling it in his arms as it tries to wiggle free.

  “Sorry,” he apologizes. “We don’t get much company. She’s more of an attention whore than a guard dog.”

  I immediately drop my purse on the porch, take a step forward and scratch the adorable little dog’s ears. She licks my hands and continues to wiggle in his grasp.

  “You’re such a cute little thing aren’t you?” Embarrassed with the little baby voice that always seems to sneak out when I’m around adorable animals, I raise my eyes to him to find him watching. I take a step back, give the dog a final pat on the head, and pick up my purse.

  “Sorry I’m late,” I say holding my purse strap in both hands in front of my body.

  “Don’t worry. Dinner’s almost ready.” He turns and places the dog on the floor at his feet only for her to skitter back out on the porch and wiggle around my feet once more.

  I reach down and pick her up because that’s just what you do when a tiny dog wants attention.

  “She sheds,” he warns as he opens the door wider for me to step past him into his home.

  “Most dogs do,” I say with a wink as he watches me pass him.

  He chuckles lightly and closes the door behind me. He holds his hand out indicating my purse and hangs it on a hook inside the entryway closet. The smell of delicious food hits my nose, and I’m certain my stomach is going to cause even further embarrassment soon when it begins to grumble.

  “It smells delicious in here,” I admit as he turns toward what I assume is the kitchen.

  “I’m Sicilian and Cuban,” he says over his shoulder. “Cooking sort of comes naturally.”

  I watch as he makes his way to the stove to stir the sauce that continues to taunt my empty stomach and wait for others to join us.

  “Is it just us?” I probe. He gives me a smile that says who else would be here? “I heard you talking to someone before you opened the door.” I hook my finger over my shoulder indicating where we’d just come from.

  “I was talking to her,” he says pointing at the dog hanging out peacefully in my arms. “I was making sure she knew to mind her manners when the pretty girl came in the house.” He looks down lovingly at the almost weightless dog. “Scout doesn’t listen very well.”

  I look down at Scout and smile, hoping he thinks it has more to do with the dog than him calling me pretty. She’s licking my hands and progressing her way to my wrist.

  “I think she likes the lotion I put on,” I say.

  He clears his throat causing me to look back up at him. “Well if you taste as good as you smell, I can see why she won’t stop licking you.”

  He winks at me and turns back to the stove just as I feel my cheeks flush at his words; the double meaning doesn’t go unnoticed, and now I’m ecstatic that we’re the only ones here.

  Yep, I think to myself, definitely not gay.

  I gently place the dog on the floor and look around his almost obsessively clean kitchen as he begins to plate food.

  “Parmesan?” He asks and holds up a hand crank cheese grater just like they have in the restaurants. Who even has stuff like that?

  “Just a little, please.”

  “Garlic bread?” He asks pointing to a plate of the most delicious bread I’ve ever seen, adding a slice to his plate.

  I look from the bread to his mouth and shake my head no. I watch as he licks his lips and then smiles.

  “Yeah, me either,” he says pulling the slice off his plate and putting it back with the other pieces.

  I’m pretty sure we just confirmed that we’ll be making out later, and I almost want to ask if he’d like to skip the meal, but my stomach takes this time to remind me that I skipped lunch as it grumbles loudly. My eyes widen, and I clutch my hands to my stomach.

  “I’m glad you’re hungry; I’ve made enough to feed an entire platoon.” He hands me a plate before grabbing his own and nodding toward a doorway.

  I step into the dining room and look in awe at the beautifully made table. A bottle of wine chills on ice and an amazing array of flowers adorn the center. I wait for him to set his plate down before doing the same at the remaining place setting. Salads are already on the table, and the dressing is in a glass container, and I’m certain I’ve never had dressing out of anything but the plastic bottle from the store.

  I begin to sit down and expectantly, BT is behind me helping me to push my chair to the table. I raise an eyebrow at him as he sits down.

  “What?” He asks with a smile wide enough to draw both dimples in his cheeks.

  “This may be the most romantic Netflix and Chill I’ve ever been to.”

  His smile falls slightly, but he catches himself and reaches to pull the bottle of wine from the ice bucket. “You do this a lot?” I can tell he’s trying to act nonchalant about it, but I can hear the concern in his voice.

  This is the reason I turned him down as many times as I di
d. He’s a commitment type of guy, and I’m as anti-commitment as they come.

  “No, BT,” I answer him honestly. “I don’t.” It’s the truth. I’ve never gone to a man’s house under the pretense of “just watching” a movie. The guys who usually come up to me lay their expectations right at my feet. I knew he was different when his initial approach didn’t include the words, “hey, wanna fuck?”

  I wonder what I’ve gotten myself into as I watch him pour the wine into both of our glasses, and I want to kick myself for not wanting to get up and leave.

  Chapter 3

  BT

  She was late getting here, and I’d just about convinced myself that her reluctance to say yes to coming over had turned into standing me up. Like a teenage boy, my heart was racing when I heard the doorbell, and it continued to race when she reached down and picked Scout up like it was the most natural thing to do.

  I had to restrain myself from acting natural when she walked past me, and I got a whiff of her. She is absolutely decadent, but not in an overpowering way. It’s almost as if she’s covered in oranges and honey, making my mouth water at the urge to lick her and see if she tastes the same.

  We make small talk through dinner, and she seems to shut me down each time I ask a question where the answer is more than skin deep. She may not want to talk about her family and such, but her face lights up when I ask about her future. She seems to have things in order as far as which direction she wants her life to go.

  “You want to do what?” I ask with eyes widened in shock.

  “I want to be a showgirl in Atlantic City,” she deadpans.

  When I asked what her ultimate goal was after finishing classes, this was not the answer I would’ve ever guessed.

  I run a rough hand over my beard in an attempt to hide my surprise. How she will ever go from the incredibly shy person I met weeks ago to someone who dances all but naked on a huge stage I’ll never know.

  I see her lip twitch, and I narrow my eyes at her. “You’re fucking with me.” I smile wide when she grins and begins to laugh.

  She wipes her mouth with her napkins and looks back at me. “Could you even picture me dancing on a stage?”

  I clear my throat because honestly if I close my eyes I could imagine her doing just about anything. It may not fit her personality, but I have an incredible imagination that could easily formulate a scenario where she’s dancing on a stage. I mean it would be a private show just for me, but yeah, I can picture it.

  “You had me,” I say standing and grabbing our plates. I walk them back to the sink before heading back to the dining room.

  “Movie?” I ask as she stands from the table.

  “Sure,” she says, and I catch a more sultry tone to her voice. I ignore it because if I let myself for a split second think that sex is where tonight is heading, I’ll fixate on it and won’t be able to carry on a conversation.

  “Follow me,” I say and head down the hallway.

  “Where are we going?” She asks as we bypass the living room and head deeper into the house.

  I stop walking and turn back to her. “I don’t have a TV in the living room.” I shrug. “I don’t get the opportunity to watch much because I’m never home, so the only TV I have is in the bedroom.”

  “Is that right?” I grin at her and nod.

  I nod, “I only get to watch a little right before bedtime. Most days there’s not even time for that.”

  She doesn’t respond but eventually moves her feet and begins to follow me to the bedroom.

  I busy myself with grabbing the remotes from the bedside table and watch her from the corner of my eye as she takes in my inner sanctuary. It’s neat but lived in. I make my bed every morning, but it’s no longer done with the military precision I was accustomed to while in the service.

  I settle on the bed against the headboard and point the remote at the screen. My eyes never leave her as she walks around the end of the bed and climbs on the other side. Even though I know it’s awkward to climb in someone else’s bed, especially having never even been here before, she takes it in stride and settles against the headboard as well.

  I want to shift my body so we’re closer together, but I don’t. I let her decide if she wants to keep the distance between us. The sight of her legs wrapped in skin tight leggings nearly make me groan. I direct my eyes back to the TV before I make a fool of myself.

  “So. The Office?” I ask while Netflix loads on the TV.

  I catch her watching my face and have to nudge her with my hand to get her attention. “I’m sorry. What?” She asks a little flustered.

  I smile big, putting my dimples on full display, well aware of what I’m doing. “Is The Office okay?” I ask again.

  She shakes her head no, and her gaze leaves mine and refocuses on my lips. My cock jumps in my pants at the thought of her mouth on mine. “I don’t want to watch The Office,” she finally mumbles.

  I clear my throat to hide the inevitable huskiness in my voice. It doesn’t help one bit. “What do you want to watch?” I ask her mouth because I can’t manage to pull my eyes away from it.

  “Homework,” she pants softly.

  That answer makes absolutely no sense. “I don’t think that’s on Netflix,” I answer, distracted.

  She briefly cuts her eyes back up to mine and shifts her weight so she’s lying back against the pillow. “Let’s work on homework.”

  I stare at her as she makes herself comfortable. All kinds of salacious thoughts are running rampant in my head right now. This beautiful woman is practically lying in my bed; there’s no way to keep those kinds of thoughts from happening.

  “Homework for tomorrow’s class,” she says her voice turning as husky as mine is.

  I shake my head in an attempt to clear the fog and lust that seems to be swirling around in it. We’re working on proper on-screen kissing techniques tomorrow. My eyes widen at her suggestion once my brain finally catches up with her words.

  “You want to make out?” I ask stupidly just for clarification.

  She bites her lips and dips her head in a quick nod.

  “I think that’s a great idea,” I admit and turn my body so it’s facing her more.

  I lift my hand up and sweep a strand of hair from the side of her face, but leave my hand in contact with her perfect skin. I groan when she tilts her head slightly, leaning into my touch.

  I lean my head closer and whisper, “Want to just go with it or was there a technique you wanted to work on first?”

  She licks her lips, and I almost lose all control.

  “Camera technique or closed mouth kiss first?” I ask again when she doesn’t immediately respond.

  I lick my lips in preparation for immediate action once she decides.

  “I think the open-mouth kiss is going to be the one we should practice tonight.” This woman is my dream come true, and I’m certain each and every one of her rejections up until today was just a way to build the suspense for this exact moment in time.

  I groan when she runs her pink tongue over her bottom lip, and my restraint snaps. I place my hands on either side of her legs and bring my mouth to hers. I’m met with the softness of her delicate lips and her quick, soughing breaths.

  Call me a wimp if you want to, but I found heaven during Netflix and Chill.

  Kid: Cerberus MC Book 2

  Sneak Peek

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  Prologue

  “Do you really have to go?” I watch my best friend, fiancé, and the only man I could ever trust pack his bags.

  He gives me a knowing grin. “I’m pretty sure the Army would have a problem if I didn’t report for duty, Khloe.”

  I sit on the bed with my head hung low, fingers twisting in my lap. I shake my head slightly trying to stave off the tears I know will fall. I don’t want him to see me crying when he leaves. The last thing he needs along with his first deployment to Iraq, is to worry abo
ut me being upset at home.

  “Khloe, oh sweetheart. It’s going to be fine,” he says wiping the tears I’ve fought so hard against from my cheek.

  “I know,” I lie, even though I have a sinking feeling in my gut that once he walks out of the door, my life will never be the same.

  “This tour is only supposed to last like six months. When I get back, you’ll be eighteen.” He tilts my head up, forcing my eyes to meet his. “Concentrate on this.” I feel his fingers touch the engagement ring on my left hand. “I’m getting you out of this damn town, Khloe, if it’s the last thing I do. My promise stands firm. You can count on me.”

  “I know, Alec. I’m just going to miss you is all. You’re all I’ve got.” I sniffle, feeling like a child when I need to be acting like the grown woman I’m expected to be in just a few short months.

  “And I’m going to miss you, Sweet Girl. I’ll be back before you know it.”

  A quick hug, another kiss on the forehead, and I’m watching my life and only chance at freedom walk out the door.

  Chapter 1

  “You promised!” I scream in the empty room.

  Sobs wrack my body even now, days after reading the news on the school’s Facebook page. Pretty fucked up that I had to hear about Alec’s death on the damn school site. His parents know I’m here. They know we were planning to get married. Once again in my life, not one damn ounce of care was wasted on me.

  It’s been a week and a half since I discovered the news that has ruined my life. Forty-eight hours since we lowered Alejandro, Alec to me, Sanchez into the darkened depths of his final resting place. Even with the sorrow and pain the day had brought, it was a beautiful funeral, complete with an incredible showing of support from other local service men and women. The long motorcycle procession from the funeral home to the graveside was even a nice touch.