by K. Langston
“Yeah, you’re crazy. Actually, you’re fucking certifiable.”
My heart sunk, disappointment crushing me. He’s right. It’s a ridiculous idea. I’m about to tell him that but stop when a smirk lifts the edge of his lips.
“But it’s what I love most about you.”
My heart swelled, hope igniting inside of me. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” I asked. “Do you think I should go for it?”
His smile only grew. “Yeah, baby, I think you should go for it. It will be the best fucking surf shop to hit this state.”
Laughing, I launched myself at him, excitement exploding through me.
Without another word, Reid wrapped his hand around mine and led me back into the house. Once he shut the sliding glass door, he pushed the blanket to the floor then spun me around and pressed me against the cold glass. His hands held my face in place while he devoured my mouth, each swipe of his tongue further confirmation that I was his forever.
“I want you. So fucking bad. I need to be inside of you.”
Looking down, I saw just how bad he wanted me and a thrill raced down my spine. I slipped from between his hard body and the glass door, walking backward and farther into the living room.
His mouth twisted into a scowl, and I grinned.
He loved this game.
“Where do think you’re going?” he asked.
“Nowhere. Just wanted to see if you’d chase me is all,” I teased.
“I’d chase you anywhere. Now stop moving so I can catch you.” He reached for me again but I jumped from his extended hand.
“What would be the fun in that if I let you catch me?”
“The kind of fun where my dick makes you scream.”
“Oooooh, now that does sound fun. But you’ll have to catch me first.”
He collected another step, a predator hunting his prey. “Then you better start running.”
I lifted the hem of my top, peeling it from my body. My nipples were hard, tightened more by the hungry look in his eyes. “You won’t even give me a head start?” I purred, and the man actually growled.
God, I loved him like this.
Wild with lust and on the edge of losing control.
His love was like a wave, strong and powerful, but then it evened out once it kissed the shore. Since we’d been together, I’d gotten to know his softer side. His gentle side. But he never strayed too far from the intensity that I loved so much, especially in the bedroom.
Dipping my thumbs into the sides of my pajama bottoms, along with my panties, I twisted and tugged the fabric, teasing him with tiny little glimpses of my bare slit.
“You have until the count of three to get your ass over here,” he gritted. “One.”
That dark look in his eyes had my skin tingling with anticipation.
“Two,” I said, taking another step back.
He matched my every move, my body buzzing with excitement.
“Three,” he roared, taking chase as I bolted from the room. I made it to the bedroom before he tackled me to the bed. I twisted and fought to get away but I couldn’t. He was too strong.
Too dominant.
A gush of heat throbbed between my legs. His fingers curled around my wrists, pinning them to the bed as he straddled me. “Caught you.”
I laughed through my shallow breaths. “Now what do you plan to do with me?”
My heart thundered with anticipation. He lowered his head, sucking my hard nipple into his mouth then releasing with a scrape of his teeth. “Lots of dirty shit.”
His hooded eyes held mine as he sucked the other nipple in his mouth, that hot tongue searing my skin. Reid released my hands, trailing his mouth down my body, kissing me in all the right places.
“So fucking beautiful,” he whispered, his warm breath tickling my belly.
He pulled off my bottoms along with my panties before removing his own clothes.
Then his mouth covered my clit, licking and sucking the bud before he dropped down farther, dragging his warm tongue back and forth, teasing my aching flesh, owning every last inch of me.
His body covered mine.
Eyes locked.
Hearts beating out the lyrics of a song only he and I knew the words to. A slight shift of his hips and he was inside of me with one simple thrust, filling me so completely. Dark eyes held mine with each stroke in and out, pleasure ripping through me like a hot blade, precise and unforgiving. I came hard, crying out his name before digging my nails into his shoulders.
His mouth hovered just above mine as he chased his own release then, when he found it, he buried his face in the crook of my neck, raining tiny kisses across my heated skin before he took my mouth. He kissed me hard, deep. As if every breath were more precious than the next.
“Marry me,” he whispered close to my ear.
I stilled, surprise and hope surging through me. “What did you say?” I asked, praying I didn’t mishear him.
“I said marry me.”
I stared back at him with tears in my eyes, my hand moving to his jaw. “Yes.”
Reid pressed a kiss to my chest, right over my pounding heart. “I’ll take care of you, Gidge. We’ll have a good life, trust me.”
I held him close and had no doubt that our life was going to be better than good.
As long as we had each other, we had everything.
The End
Continue reading for a sneak peek of K.C. Lynn’s upcoming book, An Act of Courage, set to release early 2017.
Copyright © 2016 KC LYNN
Synopsis
She’s the light from his past.
He’s the one her heart has always longed for.
Trained by the best, Christopher Walker has fought hard for his country and even harder to forget the only girl he’s ever loved. He spent countless nights submerged in death and destruction only to find himself clinging to the memories of her when the darkness crept in.
When her life is threatened, Christopher will stop at nothing to protect her. Even if it means having to confront his past.
Alissa Malone never thought she would find herself face-to-face again with the only boy she’s ever loved. But she soon realizes Christopher is not the same man he once was.
His touch is still electrifying—his voice still earth shattering. But there’s a darkness about him that wasn’t there before. A pain he harbors so deep that she can feel it all the way to her soul.
One fateful moment destroyed his very existence, and only one person will be able to make him realize that what he considers an act of dishonor was truly an act of courage.
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 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 is always accusing 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 of me 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 forever, 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 eventually lift 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.”
No other girl existed the moment I laid eyes on her and 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.
“Mmm. Hold that thought, Christopher Walker,” she says, tossing 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 just so 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 really 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 wants 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. “At one time it was 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 my sides, the insult making my teeth grind. 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 this time he pushed at the wrong fucking time.
>
Screams of alarm slice 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 fists.
“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?” her mother 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!”