The Marine (Black Hawke Security #3)

CHAPTER THREE

AIDAN

“I t’s a celebrity wedding . Whether you’re having five guests or five thousand, we need maximum security,” Josh tells Ryder.

“This shit drives me mad.” Ryder moans, then meets us both in the eye. “Repeat that, and I’ll cut your dicks off.”

“Love to see you try.” I lift my feet up onto a nearby chair and cross my legs.

His eyes drop to my crotch and Josh chuckles quietly.

Fucker.

Ryder is former Delta, and while we’re all Special Forces—me a US Marine and Josh a Navy SEAL—the Delta team doesn’t officially exist and the not members love to ride the mystery of it.

He doesn’t intimidate me...but I slide the laptop over my cock just to be safe.

Ryder smirks back at me and I shoot him the bird.

“Fuck with my family jewels and I’ll release the location of your nuptials to the press,” I threaten with a glare.

We’ve all gone to lengths to ensure their wedding is top secret and so far, we’ve been successful. It is only a small, intimate wedding with close friends, but you just never know who might sell out to make some very good money.

“Okay kids, leave each other’s cocks alone and let’s focus.” Josh taps on the screen of his tablet. “Who do we want taking point on this?”

“Marshall.” I slide my finger over my screen and pull up our roster.

“Agreed,” Ryder says.

“Perceived threats?” Josh stands and walks to the whiteboard, pulling the top off a marker pen.

Ryder groans as he rubs the top of his head. It’s a nervous gesture. His fiancé is a movie star, so crazy fans and potential stalkers are always a consideration. But it’s the history of those closest to Savannah that has him recalling recent days.

Her best friend shot her, and her family betrayed her.

“Media. Stalkers. Her crazy mother and sister,” Ryder replies, shaking his head.

“I heard that, Ryder St. James,” Savannah says as she walks through the door. I don’t hear his response because my eyes slam into the beautiful, dark-haired woman walking in behind her.

Briar.

She looks everywhere but at me, and my heart thunders inside my chest like I’m in enemy territory.

As far as that organ is concerned, I am.

I drop my feet and stand suddenly.

Fuck.

What the hell am I doing? Everyone glances at me waiting for me to say something.

Goddamn it.

“Bathroom break,” I mutter and walk out of the room. I head down the corridor and unzip my Black Hawke Security jacket.

It’s suddenly hot as fuck in this office. Someone needs to fix the air conditioning.

“Aidan--—” Penny, our office manager, begins, but I interrupt her.

“Call the air-con guys. This place is like a goddamn sauna.” I snap and push open the restroom door.

“Is it?” I hear her ask as it closes behind me.

I hang my jacket on the back of the door, walk to the basin, and splash water on my face. Then yank out some paper towels and scrub my skin before tossing them in the trash can.

“Good one, tough guy,” I mutter as I lean on the counter and stare at myself in the mirror.

That was hardly the action of a six-foot-three, two-hundred-and-twenty-pound US Marine.

Thing is, I just don’t trust myself around her.

I want to kiss her.

I want to scream at her.

I want her to look at me and tell me what she goddamn thinks. Even if it’s painful to hear. Even if I have to face her anguish all over again.

I’ve suppressed all my feelings for her over the past decade and apparently none of them have changed.

Something did change back then, though.

Her feelings for me.

I’m the man who killed her father.

There’s no going back from that.

She was going to be the woman I married. The mother of my children. The girl I grew old with and laughed with about our gray hair and wrinkles. My best friend to share life’s ups and downs.

That all changed the moment I walked through her front door and found her father holding her up against the wall with his hand around her throat.

Well, technically, it was the next day.

The door opens and two BHS guys walk in chatting and head for the urinal with a quick hey .

“Sup?” I reply and wash my hands as I come back to the present. Those memories have no place in my life now.

Nor does Briar.

But she’s here, and we’re connected through Ryder and Savannah for now. If it wasn’t for their wedding, I’d book a three-month vacation to Bali...or Antarctica. Somewhere far from here.

Neither of us wants to be in each other’s world.

The memories are too painful.

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I WALK BACK into the meeting room as Penny follows behind me.

“Which room is hot?” she asks as I cringe.

“Doesn’t matter,” I mutter.

“Well I need to tell them which vents to look at. The piping goes through the entire office space ceiling,” Penny continues.

Christ.

“It doesn’t matter.”

Let it go.

“Is anyone else hot?” she asks loudly.

Go away, Penny.

“No,” a round of voices reply.

My eyes automatically navigate to Briar as I sit down in my seat. Neither of us is expecting it, and I can see the surprise on her face as we lock gazes.

Shit.

“Are you talking about me again, Penny?” Marshall says as he walks in, ruffling her gray hair as he passes.

“Marshall Adams, if you do that to me one more time...” Penny fusses with her hair as Briar and I keep staring at one another.

It’s like background noise to our loud connection—my heart thumps like a set of drums.

“She loves it.” Marshall flops down into the seat beside me.

Briar’s green eyes are as bright as the last time I saw them. As bright as the leaves in summertime. She blinks but doesn’t look away as Josh warns Marshall about upsetting Penny.

“She buys the coffee around here. Or not. Remember that.”

Keep looking at me.

I let myself imagine a world where Briar’s forgiven me, where I can cup her face and kiss--—

“Aidan, we need you to get your suit fitted,” Savannah says and my eyes dart away sharply.

Damn it.

I clear my throat.

“Yeah, sorry, I’ve been meaning to do that,” I reply.

Savannah glances around the room. “Why don’t you guys head there now? While we finish this up.”

What?

Who is ‘ you guys’ ? And why is she ordering me around in my own damn business?

“Josh and I did our fitting last week,” Ryder says, swiping on his phone.

When I was supposed to go but didn’t.

I’ll go later on this afternoon.

Savannah might be used to having the world at her fingertips now that she’s a famous actress but telling me what to do in my own business—one I co-own with Josh—is not okay.

“Briar. Can you go with Aidan while we finish up here?”

My heart stops fucking beating.

“Ah,” Briar says. “We, ah, do we...”

Holy fuck.

The chance to be alone with Briar? Do I want that? I don’t not want it. If it’s the only time we ever get to speak, then...

“Yeah, we can wrap this up if you want to go.” Josh nods. “I know you have to head out of town tomorrow.”

Yeah, I do.

I look after the corporate arm of our private security business and sometimes head out on black ops missions.

Tomorrow is the latter.

Hence his vague comment.

My argument, the one on the tip of my lips, stays where it is as I glance back at Savannah.

“Thanks, Aidan. The tailor was emailing me again this morning, so if I can cross this one thing off my list, I would be grateful.” She runs a hand over her swollen belly.

She’s five months pregnant and Ryder has repeatedly told us how overwhelmed she is with getting married and becoming a mom, along with the media's focus on her.

I can hardly say no.

It would be a dick move.

Plus, to have this moment with Briar is something I cannot say no to. I’ve never been able to say no to her, so it’s hardly surprising.

I glance at Briar, who looks stricken, and make a quick decision. I stand and grab my jacket. “Sure.”

“Okay.” Briar forces a smile onto her face and gathers her tablet, phone, and handbag. Then accepts the keys from Savannah.

I shake my head as I open the door for her.

“I’m driving.”