Excerpt!
Max
“I’m a big girl, Maxwell. I don’t need you and Gavin coming in here and fighting my battles for me. I’m not some idiotic college girl anymore.”
I flinched and softened my tone. “I never said you were, Lee-L ee. Never once gave you that idea.”
“No, but you came here and picked a fight when I already had it handled.” She shrugged one shoulder.
“I saw that asshole put his hands on you at the bar. I was going to let it lie, but…” I ran my hand through my hair and took a step back, pulling at the ends to keep myself in check. Only Lia could push my buttons like this. Only Lia made me want to explode with every emotion known to man.
“But what?” she asked, her voice going hard.
My thoughts took me back, reminding me what she hadn’t heard from that idiot punk kid. I closed my eyes, willing the rage away, fighting with what I wanted to say versus what I needed to say instead.
I didn’t want to tell her what that guy said, but because I kept nothing from this girl—because she needed this knowledge to prepare herself in case something happened when I wasn’t around— I told her anyway. “Those guys, Lee-L ee… They said shit, planned on coming after you after work. I heard them talking about it.”
She froze. “Oh.”
“That’s what you say when I tell you some guys were planning on doing God only knows what to you?”
I pulled her closer by the shoulders this time, slowly lowering my hands to her upper arms. Goose bumps pebbled her pretty skin as I slid my palms down to her elbows, proof that what I said affected her, regardless of her don’t-give-a-shit attitude.
“Just stop, okay?” She lifted her finger and pressed it to my lips, those eyes I dreamed of night after night locked with mine. “Guess it’s high time I start paying you back for some of what I owe you. First bail, now…this?”
“What?” I jerked my head back, confused. “What you owe me? You don’t owe me sh—” And that’s when she kissed me. Fingers in my hair, lips parting, tongue dancing…
Holy. Hell. Lia fucked with her mouth, and it was the hottest thing I’d ever done in my life.
She moaned. I might’ve too. Wet, sweet, hot…everything I’d ever imagined our kisses could be. I bit down on her lip, her fingers grazing my neck, digging into my skin, then my hair. I lowered my hands to her ass and squeezed, jerking her close, grinding my cock against her stomach.
More, more, more. I need more.
Fingers aching, I tucked my hands into the back of her shorts, finding the string of her thong. I tugged it aside, damn near ripping it with my fingers. Our teeth rammed together, my body wound up, hers pliant.
This was it. Our moment. The one I’d been dying for. The one that showed me she wanted me too—t hat I wasn’t losing my mind after all. This was the moment when everything changed.
That is, until she stopped. Froze was more like it. Then her hands were on my chest, shoving me back. Not hard, but just enough to break our connection.
I panted like a dog, reaching for her, growling at her. Needing her.
But then she winked. Fucking winked at me. “That work for you, Soldier Boy?”
“Uh…” I blinked, confused and in a hell of a lot of pain from my dick pressing hard against my zipper. Unconsciously, I adjusted my cock, forgetting she could see, that she was waiting and watching for my reaction. Maybe even waiting for me to say something charming. Which I couldn’t, because Lia had mouth-fucked the words right outta me.
An adorable smirk grew on her face, stealing what little brainpower I had left. Instead of talking though, trying to figure out why she’d done that, I leaned forward, needing more—a spoiled, greedy man with a one- track mind. That’s all I’d ever be when it came to her.
Before I could get another good taste, she turned her back to me, reached for the door handle, and said, “Now that’s one less favor I owe you.” Then she unlocked the door and left me behind like a dumb-ass.
“You’ll fall in love with these rugged Marines and their Reckless Hearts!” —Kelly Gendron, USA Today bestselling author of the Breaking the Declan Brothers series
I’m in love with a woman I can’t have, and there’s absolutely nothing I can do to stop myself from falling.
The problem? Her brother’s my best friend.
I shouldn’t want her this much. Not when it goes against the bro code. Not when I’ve never been able to commit to a woman for longer than a night.
But one look into her eyes and I’m a mess for her. She’s my everything. And I have to walk away with nothing.
