Showing results by author "Marie James" in All Categories

I was the golden child. The one all the Cerberus guys looked up to. I was on my way to becoming the next career Marine. But after my last deployment to Syria, being a Marine was no longer an option. Unfortunately, my not so honorable discharge from the Corps didn't get rid of the demons created while I was enlisted. Not even my childhood friend can save me. I'll destroy her just like I destroyed everything else I touched.

I wouldn't call it love at first sight, but my body definitely reacted when I saw her. Getting Faith Robbins under me became my obsession. I knew I wanted fast and done. It's how I always did things. Looking for anything more with a woman was never in the cards. I wasn't like the other guys in the Cerberus MC. I didn't want more. It was physical, sating a desire. Then someone began to seek revenge, and my other instincts kicked in. Spending time with her was about protecting her, keeping her safe.

My plan was as simple as they come...in theory. Show up at the Cerberus clubhouse and give dear old Dad a piece of my mind. What I didn't expect was being welcomed by the open arms of a father who had no idea I existed. More importantly, I didn't anticipate her. Delilah Donovan was a breath of fresh air. She would soon become my reason for wanting to become a better man, my reason for getting out of bed with a smile on my normally sneering face. But no matter how much I changed, she'd always be too good for a man like me. It was over before it could even begin.

I'm no one's savior. I work with the Cerberus MC for the thrills, not for the glory. Saving people who've been trafficked is just a side benefit, coming in second to the adrenaline rush of eradicating some of the evil in the world. Mia Vazquez didn't seem to get the memo. When I pulled her out of Hell, she wouldn't let go. She literally wrapped her arms around my neck and refused to release me.

The first time we met, I was rescuing her from a cult. The second time I laid eyes on her was when she showed up at Cerberus with a secret, asking me for an unthinkable favor. What she was offering was something I never thought I could have, so I readily agreed. I wanted more than just her secret, though. How can I convince my wife to fall in love with me when someone else is threatening to take it all away?

Fake relationships have no place in an adult's life. Until they do. It was one kiss. One trick to convince her ex she's in a happy relationship. One kiss is all it took. Captivated isn't a strong enough word. Haunted is a little closer. Obsessed fits the bill. I'm obsessed with Reagan Dunn. Only Reagan isn't looking for that happy relationship. Until she needs me to pretend again. Pretending is perfect. Pretending gets me closer. It gives me the opportunity to prove that we are the perfect combination.

As the mechanic for Blackbridge Security, when I make a mistake, things don’t work properly. Correcting that mistake is the only way to get things operational. I meet issues in my personal life with the same mindset. How was I to know the woman I’ve been flirting with at the gym is the same woman I called a noise complaint on? I got her kicked out of her condo. My first response: Move in with me. When she confessed to having three kids, it was too late to back down.

My first job with the Cerberus MC was to grab a girl from a seedy bar. Easy money, right? The moment I realized the blonde I was hunting wasn't around, I ended up captivated by a redhead dancing on the stage. With her striking features and sinful body, I knew she was trouble, but that didn't stop me from making her mine that night. When I learned that she was the job, everything became clouded.

There are certain rules that make the widows of servicemen off-limits. As a veteran, I'm well aware that Claire Kennedy is forbidden. It's why I've kept as much distance between the two of us as I can manage in our small town. When she came looking for a job at my bar, I refused to hire her. That didn't stop the gorgeous spitfire from showing up, putting on an apron, and getting to work one day while I was gone.

In the grand scheme of things, five years isn’t a very long time. It goes by in a blink, literally. Waking up with no recollection of the last five years is devastating. The woman I remember loving is with someone else. The only family I had is gone, and I’m forced to relive those losses all over again.

Although I take my job very seriously—being the resident charmer, the man responsible for helping clients with security, all the while making it look like I’m the newest love interest of insanely gorgeous women—it looks like it’s all fun and games. I’m getting paid to go on dates to some of the most glamourous places all around the world after all, but at the end of the day, it’s still work. This new assignment should be no different. I can play any role handed to me. Hell, I love a new challenge. Only Archer Bremen is different...and not just for the obvious reasons.

So I forgot about the night I spent with Sylvie Davis...big deal. Listing all of my one-night stands would be impossible. It’s par for the course for any man who decided early in life they’d rather enjoy a buffet instead of a single entrée. But now my boss has ordered me to accompany her back to her hometown. His words: She needs a little help. Translation: I think you could fall for this girl.

Detective Colton Matthews has experienced a lot in the last 10 years. Promotions. Divorce. Single-dad life. His work life is as full of surprises as his home life. But nothing prepared him for her. Saying yes to the favor asked of the Cerberus MC was a no-brainer. He's a good guy helping other good guys. How hard would it be to allow Sophia, Dominic Anderson's daughter, to shadow him for a few months to complete a college credit and keep things professional? The short answer...impossible.

I'm the fun guy. The one always quick with a joke. The guy who is crazy enough to do wild things to make people smile. That's how people see me. That's who I've presented myself to be. That's how I introduced myself to Rivet. The first female Cerberus team member wasn't impressed with my corny pickup lines and wide smile like the other women I use it on. And why should she be? She's seen it all and lived to tell the tale. She took one look at me and decided she wasn't interested. I should move on, but her rejection stings. I can't seem to let it go.

Secrets are poison. They eat away at you from the inside. I doubt there’s a single person in the club that would have a problem with who I am. Keeping my mouth shut is all about my own shame. Who I am isn’t acceptable. That’s what my Fundamentalist family raised me to believe, but even after leaving home, I couldn’t be myself. Fighting against it never really became a struggle until the flirty bartender set his eyes on me.

He ruined a lifelong friendship the night he kissed me. I spent the next three years avoiding him. Well . . . I tried at least. With my dad being a member of the Cerberus MC and his dad married to one of the members it was virtually impossible. Just like it was impossible to keep from watching his mouth when he spoke. The same went for staring at his hands and remembering how they felt on my skin that night. Senior year of college, after years of keeping our distance, we ended up in the same dorm room. Avoiding him now is no longer an option.

It takes a lot to shake me, and even when I’m upset, most people wouldn’t even know it. There was just something about the last job that kept me from keeping my cool. I know how dangerous it is, and knew even better when I had to be carried away that day, becoming literally less of the man that entered that compound.

They say misery loves company, but after losing the love of my life all I wanted was to be completely alone. Having a young daughter made that impossible. I couldn't curl into myself. I couldn't spend hours in the dark living in regret. I couldn't end it all no matter how many times that thought crossed my mind. Regretfully, I couldn't go through life on my own.

I never expected to see her again. The connection we shared through her brother was severed when he died in combat. Their parents were adamant that I never reach out to them again. I forgot about the pact I made, my promise to make her mine if I wasn’t married by 30.

I've been many things in my life. A liar. A cheater. A thief. And I've never had a problem with any of it. I knew my path, knew which direction I was heading when it was all over—straight to Satan's lair. I accepted it, reveled in it, and always asked for more. Nothing would change me, no one could sway me. Or so I thought. I knew I was a monster. I just don't know how to convince Cara Gibson that I'm her monster.