SYNOPSIS
I had four weeks before I shipped out again so it was sun, fun, and partying hard.
She wasn’t a part of the plan.
We had one perfect month together before I had to go wheels up. Neither of us expected what happened next.
The blast left me scarred, inside and out. How could I ever be good enough for a beauty like her? She deserved better.
Now I’ve got the Ghost Riders Motorcycle Club, and I don’t need anything else. If I can’t have her, I’ll never have another. A man can live without his heart…right?
Abraham has one regret—letting his Julie get away. When he can’t let go, there’s only one thing left to do. Make her his.
Warning: If you want a scarred hero who’s over-the-top obsessed, alpha possessive, and falls in love at first sight, take a peek* inside.
CHAPTER ONE
June 2011
“I’d rather you fuck me in the ass with a bat than go in there.” Lucias smiles over at me, and I roll my eyes before getting out of the truck. We are heading into the Big-Mart for some last-minute shit for the party today, and I really don’t want to go in there either.
“You’ll be wishing for this place when we’re overseas next month. Calm down,” I say, unfolding myself from the truck.
“You may be right, but all I want to do before we deploy is drown in pussy and beer.”
“Why else do you think we’re here, dumb-ass? Beer.”
He grabs a cart at the entrance and starts to walk in the direction of the alcohol. I follow behind him for a few steps before I get an idea.
“Hey, I’m going to the toy section. I’ll meet you at the register,” I throw over my shoulder, heading in the opposite direction.
Lucias gives me a look, but just shakes his head as I walk away. Scribe is having a pool party, and I think water guns are a must. Who doesn’t like a wet t-shirt contest? I’m sure some of the boot chasers are looking for a good time just as much as we are, and there are always sweet butts following Lucias around since his father is President of the Ghost Riders. They hope they can get in good with him so when he takes over they can be his old lady. We’ve been partying it up while on leave, and we’ve only got four short weeks left before we’re wheels up.
Our unit is pretty small so naturally we’re all really close. We spend all our time overseas side by side, only to get home and do the same thing. Lucias and I have been together since we were in diapers, so it’s nothing new for us to be joined at the hip.
Making my way across the store, I cut through an aisle and stop dead in my tracks. At the other end is a girl, jumping up and down. Well, not a girl, a woman. I keep staring because a rack like that belongs to someone full grown, not someone a little over five feet tall. I stand there with my mouth open, and watch as she continues to jump up and down, reaching her arms up high in the air.
Her big tits bounce, and I can’t do anything but watch and thank God for whoever stacked the shelves so high as I feel the drool start to roll down my chin. She’s tiny, but damn, does she have some curves. She’s got super curly white blonde hair, and an ass that shakes with every jump. I feel my dick growing in my pants, and I reach down to adjust it before I cause a scene. Just as I’m grabbing my crotch, she turns and looks at me as if she sensed me.
I should be embarrassed, but I’m so struck by her face I just freeze. I’ve got one hand on my dick, mouth wide open, and I’m staring at heaven. God. She’s fucking perfect. Like a little tiny angel.
Her face turns bright red, which only makes me smile. I finish adjusting my dick and give her a cocky chin lift so she knows I’m not ashamed about what she’s done to me. The hard-on belongs to her.
She clears her throat, squares her shoulders, and puts her hands on her hips. “A little help here?” she says, and motions for the towels on the top shelf. I love the mouthy bite in her voice.
“I think I can handle that.”
I walk over to where she’s standing, moving a little too close to her, the smell of strawberry shortcake filling my lungs. She blushes again and looks anywhere but up at me. She’d have to lean her head back to see up to me. I’m six five, so almost everyone has to look up to find me, but she’s so fucking tiny, I’m over a foot taller than her. It’s kind of comical, the height difference between us, but it doesn’t matter when you’re horizontal.
After a second, she looks back to the towels, and then looks up at me. “Can you please hand me two of the blue ones?” she asks, barely above a whisper. Some of the sass has drained from her voice, and I don’t know if it’s because she is intimidated by me because I’m so close to her now, but I want it back. I don’t want her to be scared of me. In fact, that’s the last thing I want from her.
“What do I get in return?” I tease, trying to add some levity to my voice.
She snaps her head up at me, and I can see the attitude is coming. Good. I like seeing this little thing hold her own.
“Did you hit your head when you fell off that beanstalk? Either you get me the towels, or move along. I’ve got better things to do than entertain a giant,” she says, and pointedly looks at my crotch. This only makes my dick harder as it’s now gotten her attention. He’s got all kinds of things in mind for her. She’s so freaking small I could fuck her all over the goddamn place and not even break a sweat.
“You got the giant part right, shortcake,” I taunt her.
I give her another cocky grin and she rolls her eyes. God, she’s gorgeous, and I love the attitude. I lean down, and before she can protest, I turn her around, grab her hips, and lift her up so she can reach the towels.
“Put me down!” she shrieks, and starts to try to wriggle free. All it does is rub her ass on my face, and I smile against it.
“I can do this all day, shortcake. Take your time.”
I hear her let out a little growl, and feel her grab the towels.
“I got it. Now put me down.”
I hold her body against mine and slowly let her slide down, feeling the curve of her ass run all along the front of my body. This is probably some form of harassment, but hey, when opportunity knocks…. She’s too fucking gorgeous, and I don’t have much time before I ship out. I’ve got to make the most of a sweet thing like this, savor every second.
Once her feet hit the floor, she spins around and puts her little finger in my face. “I don’t speak Behemoth, so I’ll talk slow. You should learn some manners before the villagers chase you with fiery torches. You shouldn’t go around putting your hands on people, no matter how hot you are.”
“You think I’m hot?” For some reason I want to beat my chest at the notion of her thinking I’m hot.
“I think you’re…you’re…” she looks around, trying to find the right word before taking a deep breath and looking at me again. “Just keep your hands to yourself.”
“What’s your name, shortcake?”
“It sure as shit ain’t that,” she clips back, putting one of her hands back on her hip, drawing my eyes there. Damn, her curves would fill my big hands nicely. Give me something to grab onto when I pulled her into my lap.
“You’ve got a potty mouth for someone so goddamn cute,” I say, and give her my biggest smile. “I’m Abe.”
I extend my hand out to her. She looks at it, and then rolls her eyes when I don’t drop it. After a long pause, she extends her hand and our palms touch.
Some people talk about the zing you feel when you first touch someone you’re meant to fall in love with. Well, I didn’t feel a zing, I felt a shift. Like watching a sunset and feeling the calm settle in your heart. That’s what happened when I held her hand. My fingers wrapped around hers, and I felt her fall into place with me. It was the oddest sensation of my life, and I stood there, silently changing, knowing the change was permanent. Until she spoke.
“I’m Julie. Thanks for the help, Abe. If you’ll excuse me,” she says, and drops my hand to walk past me.
Did she not feel that? The earth just stood still, and she’s got somewhere else to be. What the fuck?
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up, shortcake,” I say as I walk behind her.
“Stalking is a crime, big guy. I said thanks for the help. I’ve got places to be,” she says over her shoulder, her blonde hair bouncing in waves behind her as she flees.
She walks towards the exit of the store, and I’m seconds away from making a scene to stop her.
“Go out with me,” I blurt out a little too loudly.
She stops abruptly, and I nearly run into her back, before she whips around to look up at me.
“Does giving women a command like a dog usually work for you?”
“No, but showing them my dick does,” I say on a laugh, but from the snap of her eyes she doesn’t seem to think my joke is very funny. She’s probably right. Hanging out in the desert with ten men every day can give you some rough edges. Maybe a dick joke wasn’t the best idea.
“Air Force?”
“Marine.”
“I should have guessed. You jarheads don’t have any manners outside of your uniforms.”
She turns around again and keeps making her way towards the exit. I can’t let her get away.
“Please,” I say, getting in front of her and blocking her path. She tucks her towels under one arm, and puts her other hand on her hip, letting me know I’m in her way and she’s not too happy about it.
“No, thank you.” This time her tone is sweeter than before, like she is dismissing me politely. She tries to move past me again, but I sidestep her and block her path once more.
“Dude, can you not take a hint? I’m not interested.”
I realize that it’s time to pull out the big guns, not caring if I make a fool of myself or that if Lucias sees me I’ll never hear the end of it. I’ll kick myself more in the ass if I don’t get to ever see her again. I drop down on one knee, grab her hand and look into her eyes.
She looks around the store to see if anyone is watching, and some people are staring as they walk by. But I don’t care. I won’t let her get away.
“Marry me.”
Her eyes go huge, and then she starts to laugh. I swear it’s the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard. “You’re insane.”
“Come on, Julie shortcake. You’re the cutest thing I’ve ever seen in my life, and I’ve got four weeks left before I ship out. Marry me.”
She shakes her head, and then gives me the sweetest smile and leans in close to my face. With me down on one knee, we are about eye to eye.
“You’re crazy and hot. But I’m a firm ‘no’ on the proposal.”
“Fine then. If you won’t marry me, at least go on a date with me. In fact, come to a pool party with me today,” I say, and look at her with my most hopeful face. I just need to get her to agree to see me again, I’ll worry about the ‘marrying me’ thing later.
“No.”
“I didn’t want to have to do this, but I’m shipping out in a month. What if I die? Would you really do that to your country?”
She lets out an adorable snort. She looks at me and sighs deeply. “You won’t quit until I agree, will you?”
“I’m afraid I’m pretty stubborn. You can ask my sergeant if you like.”
“Fine, give me your number and I’ll call you.”
I get up off the ground and pull my cell out of my pocket. “Give me yours. I have a feeling I won’t hear from you if I’m not the one calling.”
She has the decency to look a little ashamed. It’s clear I’ve sized up her plan.
“All right.”
I get her number and text her while she’s standing in front of me, just to make sure she didn’t give me a fake one. Once I hear the ping on her phone, I feel a little better about not keeping an eye on her until later.
“I’ll text you directions to the party, and don’t forget to bring your suit. It should be fun.”
She nods her head in agreement, but as she tries to step past me I reach out and lightly grab her fingers. I feel it again when our hands touch, and I look up from them into her eyes. When her chocolate brown eyes meet mine, I can see she feels it too. She may have tried to shake me off, but I can see the look on her face. I didn’t imagine it and neither did she.
With just that touch and a smile, she’s walking away from me, and I’m left in a fog.
A few minutes later Lucias is snapping his fingers in my face, and I’m struggling to remember what the fuck just happened.
