by Peyton Banks
* * *
“I said no secrets.”
* * *
I nodded, though she couldn’t see me, taking a few more steps forward until I was standing directly in front of her. Placing my finger under her chin, I gently lifted until she was looking me in the eyes.
* * *
“I know, baby. I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to scare you away.”
* * *
Her eyes drifted to my lips, and I knew she wanted a kiss, so I happily gave her one. It was slow and sweet, but turned me on nonetheless.
* * *
She was mine.
* * *
“Stop,” she whispered, pushing at me. I moved away from her.
* * *
Our eyes locked, and I didn’t like what I saw in hers.
* * *
“I said no secrets,” she repeated in a resolute tone.
* * *
What she was saying, or more accurately, what she wasn’t saying, was that I’d blown it. I’d screwed this up and pushed her away, despite my best attempts not to.
* * *
A tsunami-sized wave of silence rolled through the box of a room and drowned us in it. It was overwhelming to stand here and not be able to touch or kiss the woman I wanted to be with. I had to get out of here.
* * *
“Ahem,” I said awkwardly, running a hand through my hair. “I’d better get going…flight to catch.”
* * *
Averting my eyes, I walked around Kerenza, giving her a wide berth, and left the room.
* * *
Space.
* * *
She just needed time and space, then she would come around, I assured myself again. If that were true, then why did every step I took away from Kerenza’s room feel like a mistake?
17
Kerenza
Someone once said that if everyone was saying the same thing about you, then perhaps it was time to turn your critical eye inward and reexamine yourself.
All my life I’d been (jokingly) told by friends and some family members that I was a drama queen who made a big deal out of small things.
I could admit, I had a tendency to overreact, but it was because I never wanted to be caught off guard and hurt again, like I’d been in the past. So yeah, I was dramatic, but I wasn’t a complete dumb ass. I knew when to turn it off, and now…now was definitely one of those times.
Had Oden come to me and confessed to secretly being involved with Isobel, or any other woman, that would have been a deal breaker. No-motherfucking-questions-asked.
But he hadn’t done that. Instead, he’d come to me and revealed that he’d been crushing on me for months and had literally moved mountains to meet me and make me fall for him.
Some would find that a bit creepy, but they didn’t know Oden Elijah Matthews. There wasn’t a creepy bone in his body—and I would know, with how familiar I was with his body.
Yes, I was reeling from his little confession, but amongst the shock and surprise, other feelings were more prominent. I genuinely cared about the man I’d just let walk away, and I needed to let him know it.
It took me fifteen minutes to rush through a shower, brush my teeth, and throw on a pair of shorts and a shirt.
My first stop was Oden’s suite.
At the sight of the open door and the maid’s cart parked just off to the side, my stomach turned. Still, I checked inside the room, startling the maid, and came up empty.
I rushed down to the lobby. He only had about a twenty-five-minute head start on me, so maybe he was still here, waiting for his car service. Or maybe he’d stopped to have breakfast in the built-in restaurant.
I hoped it was any one of those scenarios.
The elevator ride seemed to last a lifetime, though I only had to go down fifteen floors. As soon as the doors rolled open, I squeezed through the small opening and jogged over to the front desk.
The attendant’s eyes bulged, looking at me like I was crazy.
“Has Oden Matthews checked out yet?” I asked, breathing heavily from the exertion of running around this hotel like a mad woman.
The young-looking attendant pulled it together, and asked in a professional voice, “What is your relation to Mr. Matthews?”
Good fucking question.
“I’m his…friend.”
The corners of his mouth turned down in a grimace.
“Um, I’m sorry. I’m unable to give out any guest information, unless you’re a spouse or on the same reservation.”
“We are! We’re all under the Underthingz Lingerie Co. booking group.”
He eyed me dubiously.
“Check for yourself.”
I rattled off my full name and gave him the room number of the suite all of us models were sharing.
He confirmed everything I told him and, in turn, informed me that Oden had checked out fifteen minutes prior and had gone outside to await a shuttle to the airport.
Forgetting my manners, I took off running again without saying thank you to the attendant. I bobbed and weaved through the many people coming and going in the lobby and made my way outside. It was another gorgeous Miami day, and with the hotel positioned on a popular block near the beach, there were people everywhere. I stopped jogging and scanned the immediate area for Oden. Just when I was starting to give up hope, I saw the back of a familiar-looking head.
It was him.
Hastily, I pushed my way through the constantly moving sea of people, eyes trained on Oden the entire time. It was why I had managed to see him wave the hotel shuttle down and pick up his carry-on bag in preparation.
I had to get to him before he left.
I didn’t bother saying “excuse me” or “pardon me” to any of the many people I bumped or whose toes I stepped on as I hurried to the end of the block that the hotel sat on. Protests, irritated grunts, and eye rolls were thrown my way, but I ignored them. I had a singular goal at the moment: get to Oden and let him know I was all in.
I was getting closer. He was just a few feet and about a half dozen people away from me now.
To my dismay, the shuttle chose that exact moment to roll to a stop at the curb in front of Oden. I picked up the pace, damn near shoving people out of my way now.
“Oden! Oden!”
At first, it seemed like he didn’t hear me, but then he stopped getting on the shuttle and turned around. He was so tall, he likely had a good view of things, even in the swarm of bodies. Or maybe, he could just sense my presence because, in a matter of seconds, his eyes found mine in the crowd.
Surprise filled his black eyes, but then determination set in. Dropping his carry-on where he stood, Oden marched purposefully in my direction. My jog slowed to a walk as I met him in the middle of the sidewalk.
We stopped, leaving a few feet of space between us. I could sense the hesitancy emanating from Oden, despite him being the picture of calm.
“I caught you,” I said lamely.
His trademark smirk settled on his face.
“It would appear so.”
I rolled my eyes, feigning annoyance. The reply was typical Oden, and I loved it.
“So…” I began.
“Yes?”
“About earlier…”
“What about earlier?” Oden asked lightly. He wasn’t going to make this easy on me.
“I…I overreacted, and I was wrong,” I admitted with a little shrug. “I let my past—being cheated on and lied to—affect my future.”
A thick eyebrow lifted in confusion.
“Future?”
I took a few steps forward, lessening the gap between us a little.
“See, that’s the thing,” I said, looking him square in the eye. “I didn’t know I wanted a future with you until I remembered the pain of my past. The two are drastically different. A good thing.”
This time, it was Oden who moved forward, obliterating the space between us entirely.
“A very good thing, if you ask me.”
&nb
sp; My voice softened as I replied, “Yeah, I am asking you.”
His hand stretched out to brush still-damp curls out of my face. It was pointless because the wind was blowing like crazy. But the feel of his fingertips on my skin gave me butterflies.
“Say it,” Oden said. I didn’t have to ask what he meant.
Gliding my hands up his hard chest, I interlocked them at the back of his neck.
“I’m ready. For any and everything.”
“You’re mine.” It wasn’t a question, more like a declaration. He was telling me what I already knew.
I didn’t hesitate to confirm, “I’m yours.”
Oden smiled so hard, I could make out every single tooth in his mouth. Dipping his head, he bestowed the sweetest of kisses upon me. I threw myself into it, wanting him to know we were operating on the same wavelength feelings-wise.
When we broke apart, I could feel the charge of attraction static between us.
So when Oden said, “We’re going upstairs, and I expect you to be naked before the door to your room closes behind us,” I wasn’t at all surprised.
Alphas. So fucking bossy when it came to the woman lucky enough to be their obsession.
Lucky me.
THE END
About the Author
Kiarra M. Taylor has been writing since the fifth grade. Back then, all she cared about was writing her own version of the Harry Potter books because she hated the long wait between releases. Today, the genres she writes in include: contemporary romance, romantic suspense, BWWM, Thriller and paranormal. Presently, she has the following titles published: The Quarter Change, A Series of Agains, Never Apologize and Never, Ever Apologize.
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LINKS
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Amazon: www.amazon.com/Kiarra-M.-Taylor/e/B017OUKD2I/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
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Bookbub: www.bookbub.com/profile/kiarra-m-taylor
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Newsletter: bit.ly/2HfqaKS
Deep Seal
Posey Parks
After a long day at work, I didn’t expect to run toward danger in my picture perfect, quiet neighborhood.
* * *
My sweet, sexy neighbor has no idea she’s in trouble.
* * *
I swooped in and rescued her.
* * *
She swears she’s not in danger and doesn’t need my help.
* * *
I’ve fought in a hidden war for five years.
* * *
I can snuff out trouble in the blink of an eye.
* * *
Whether or not she wants my help, I will protect her.
* * *
I am the Navy SEALs Special Operative they call when the world is burning down to the ground. I walked away from that life.
* * *
I opened the dental practice so I could remain in the background living a simple life.
* * *
Now this beautiful woman has pulled me back into war.
* * *
Even though it's not my war, I’ll die to keep her safe.
1
Aiden
Many nights I hid in the shadows waiting to trample our enemies. Peering through a sniper rifle, I marched forward. Our unit moved as one toward the tan brick structure. I held my weapon tight, peering through the sniper scope. A bullet zipped past my ear penetrating Simmons armor. He fell to the ground clutching his throat. I dragged his body to the side of the house.
“Don’t you die on me, man.” I scanned the perimeter. “Carter, stay with Simmons. Deeds and Tula, cover the rear. Jackson stay close.”
“Yes, sir.”
I was the youngest commander to lead a team of Navy SEALs Special Operatives in the war against terror. My marksmanship saved the lives of my men many times. I stared at the three men holding position inside the doorway through the night vision goggles.
Pip, pip, pip.
The bullets flew through the air. The men toppled over.
“We’re on the move.”
My men followed closely as we crept inside. I glanced at the three dead men and continued to the end of a wall. I held up my fist and my men halted. They waited for their next order. I motioned two fingers to the right. Jackson ran across the open walkway to the wall on the other side.
“Cover me,” I ordered.
My men nodded, holding position, peering through their sniper scopes. I ran through the corridor, rifle held high picking off one enemy after the other.
“Move in.”
“Copy that,” stated Deeds.
On the helicopter ride back to base, Admiral Cutner said our mission was a success. We apprehended the target. The mission was anything but successful. I lost a close friend in battle. Simmons didn’t make it. He left behind a wife and baby boy. Not a day goes by I don’t feel like I let his family down.
I never knew my father. My mother lost custody of me when I was one years old. She couldn’t sustain a stable home for a child because she abused drugs. After bouncing around in the foster system for four years I was adopted by Barry and Mary-Anne Wilder. Their son Valen was a year older than me. A smile curled my lips at the memory as I sat in my dental office staring out the window into the distance. They were good to me even if I wasn’t the best son. The hole in my heart couldn’t ever be filled. No matter how hard they tried to give me everything… it wasn’t enough. Why couldn’t my mother get clean and take care of her child?
I uncovered information about my birth mother once I became a Navy SEAL. My mother ran away from home at age sixteen. She gave birth to me a year later. Trying to find my father was hard. I needed to put my boots to the pavement and walk around the neighborhood where my mother lived. I’ve known for three years who my mother’s parents were, but I hadn’t tried to contact them. I dropped my face in my hands. Not sure why I didn’t contact my grandparents. They probably didn’t know I existed.
Men who were built like Sailors and thought like Sailors should be Sailors. That’s the line Valen, and I fell for when we were approached by a Navy recruiter in high school. After Valen graduated, he enlisted in the Navy. I enlisted a year after him. Barry and Mary-Anne didn’t understand why their sons needed to serve their country.
I told our parents, Valen and I wanted to train to become the best of the best, and serve our country.
The first three years in the Navy weren’t bad. Darkness reared its ugly head in the fourth year. I trained to become a Navy SEAL Special Operative. I guess it wasn’t all bad. I became one of the best SEALs. I could sneak and attack my target before they knew what hit them.
2
Nadia
Driving through the perfect modern town I smiled, remembering how far I’d come. Hard to believe I was in a good place. Three years ago, my life was a wreck. My friends and I partied every night. We popped pills. Oxycodone was Katie’s drug of choice and Vicodin was mine. My best friend Katie died in my arms. She overdosed on oxy. Tequila and pill popping were a thing of the past.
After I graduated from college, we moved from Boston, Massachusetts to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
I guess you could say I ran the moment my problems became real. Or, I was smart enough to walk away from my remaining troubled friends. Despite the drugs and parties, I graduated magna cum laude. If I wasn’t acting a fool in my spare time, I would have graduated summa cum laude Maybe school was too easy.
My parents worked for the IRS until I was twelve. They withdrew half their retirement savings to open their first public accounting office. They prepared taxes for low-income families. I learned how to prepare taxes when I was sixteen years old. That was when my love of numbers began. Before we knew it, offices popped up all over metro Boston, Maine, and Virginia. My brother George ran the family businesses back home. Staying to help wasn’t an option. Maybe one day I’d return and help my brother.
I looked forward to sunny days and relaxing ev
enings in my new town. My parents bought two properties in two different retirement communities. One property for them and the other for me. I know what you’re thinking. What twenty-three-year-old woman would move with her parents to a retirement town? One with a checkered past that’s who.
“Good morning, Donna. How are you?”
“I am well thanks for asking.”
“Claudia Vanquez isn’t in today. You’ll need to handle her accounts.” She placed a manila folder in my hand.
Handling other accountants’ files was common, yet still dreaded. I had my own workload. This means I had to work twice as hard.
“On it, Donna. I will be in my office if you need me.”
I waved at several other coworkers as I strolled across the office toward the coffee machine. Caffeine was my refuge. The strong, dark roast dangled under my nose. I inhaled all of its goodness with my eyes closed. Better get a move on.
An hour later, I opened the mini blinds in my office. Sometimes I worked better with minimal natural light. Stretching my arms, I yawned, then dove back into the spreadsheets.