The Marine (Black Hawke Security #3)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

AIDAN

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C lang.

“Christ, you don’t normally lift this much.” Josh groans, straightening as I sit up from the bench.

No, I don’t, and fuck, my arms hurt.

“Working out some stuff,” I mutter and stand, crunching my neck left and right. I can’t get the image of Briar and her husband together out of my head.

I could lie and say I was going to visit her on Sunday, but I wasn’t. I was sitting outside her building in one of the BHS vehicles when she walked out onto the sidewalk.

Then I followed. Just got out of my car like a fucking stalker and followed her.

I’m not sorry.

God knows she wasn’t going to see me with her dark glasses as if she was hiding from the paparazzi, not the sun.

She most definitely had a hangover.

All the girls were trashed after half a bottle of tequila shots.

Well, except Savannah, who’s pregnant—oh and her porn name ended up being Sparkle Snatch.

Ryder gave up vetoing them and just between us, I think he likes the name. I wouldn’t be surprised if that name ends up in the bedroom. Or wherever they do their business.

Marshall’s ass ended up on the side of the sofa where he and Trina bickered half the night. I’m not sure if she wants to fuck him or behead him.

I only say that because it was one of her threats. To which he replied, “Baby you can play with my sword any day.”

Barf.

It took all my willpower not to take Briar home after the party ended. I couldn’t drive and I didn’t have an excuse to get into the Uber with the girls. (I do pity the driver having to listen to them sing Taylor Swift over and over and over.)

But having her in my arms again—aka fucking her in the bathroom—is supercharging my need to possess and protect her.

Then I see her on a date with her husband.

Ex-husband.

Is he? Isn’t she fucking leaving him?

They weren’t screaming marital bliss yesterday, but it still drove me mad watching them. I stood across the road, leaning against a building in the shadows, and watched through the window.

His little touches made my trigger finger itchy.

The way he put his hand on the small of her back when they walked out of the café. How Briar flinched and wrapped her arm around herself.

Then, fuck me dead, Trina pulls up beside them and Briar almost leaps into the vehicle. That had me pushing away from the wall and getting ready to act.

I wasn’t sure what the asshole was doing to do, but I stood as Kael watched them drive away and saw pure evil in his eyes.

Even from across the road.

I’m a Marine, I’m trained to observe and act. Kael is a man who likes control. He’s hurt her before and will do it again.

I don’t fucking trust him.

I do not want her around him.

So what the fuck was she doing with him? And I don’t mean because my cock was deep inside her the night before—although, yeah—but because she’s clearly not living with him, and I assumed they were not together.

“When you say stuff, do you mean Briar?” Josh asks.

Um, what the hell?

I run my towel over my face and take a moment to catch myself before looking my best friend in the face.

“What?” I keep my voice steady.

Josh snorts and walks over to where his water bottle is. “Good try. Now spill.”

I wriggle my jaw, which is still stiff as hell after yesterday’s grind fest. “She’s a beautiful woman, what can I say?”

A lot more, but I won’t.

“Thomas said you have a team watching her.”

Well, Thomas just lost his job.

“And no, you aren’t firing him.” Josh crosses his arms.

Goddamn it.

“I asked him what he was working on, and you know he wouldn’t lie to me. Shouldn’t lie to me. Even for you.”

Josh has a point. Thomas can keep his job.

“Look.” I sigh, tossing my towel on the bench. “We have history. I don’t want to go into it, but I have known Briar a long time.”

Josh’s brows shoot up. “How long?”

“Ten years.”

He stares at me, surprised. We don’t have secrets and a part of me feels guilty for not telling him I know Briar. She’s been in our lives for months now and to admit that I’ve known this woman for over a decade is not cool.

“Jesus. Ten years? Why didn’t you tell us?” He shakes his head. “Fuck man. For months she’s been nervous as hell around you, but I figured she was just one of those women who are intimidated by...you know. All the muscle and shit.”

I snort, unable to help myself.

He’s right.

Girls usually do one of three things: play the aloof card, which only works if we’re interested. Offer themselves to a guy on a silver platter—handy if you want a one-night stand. Or turn into a cute fumbling mess.

Briar has been none of those things.

She’s been trying to avoid me in all ways possible. Until I made it impossible for her.

Seeing her almost every week for months seemed to dilute the enormous cavern between us. The pain and residual anger.

Dilute, not delete.

And we have still not talked about it.

Just fucked.

“Then after two, maybe four, tequila shots, she turns into a little sex kitten who can’t keep her hands off you.” Josh continues.

It was three shots.

And I know...it was fucking awesome.

I walk to the lockers and rip off my tank top, rubbing a fresh towel over my face. Then over my dark hair, knowing it’s now sticking up in places.

I’m trying to get images out of my head of Briar’s pussy tight around my cock, but I’m failing.

“I know you didn’t hurt her.”

He’s wrong.

I slam the locker shut and slip my thumb inside the waist of my black shorts and adjust them. “I did hurt her, that’s the fucking thing.”

His hands go to his hips. “Explain.”

“Her father died.”

“Did you kill him?” he asks, but he knows the answer to that.

I’ve killed. We both have.

The enemy—not innocent civilians.

That’s what we are trained to do, among other things.

“No. But her mother thought I was responsible. Long story short, I punched him the night before. Next day he dies of a heart attack. She tried to link the two things and failed.”

After a moment, Josh nods. “Let me guess. He hurt Briar.”

This is why we’re brothers. Not for a fucking second did he question any of that. And he quickly figured out what happened.

“Correct. And from what I learned, he had all her life.”

“Piece of shit.” Josh shakes his head and then, like a dam breaking open, I can’t stop goddamn talking.

“I was going to marry her. Maybe not immediately, but I knew she was the one. She always has been. For ten damn years I’ve been trying to get her out of my system, Josh. Ten fucking years. Now she’s here. What are the damn chances? The fucking long years and a thousand dates with women who I don’t care about.”

The truth is, I didn’t realize just how much Briar was living in my heart and soul every single day until I saw her.

Correction: until I kissed her again.

Maybe not even until this very minute now, I’m confessing.

“Well, second chances and all that. Go for it.” Josh shrugs as if it’s that easy.

I hesitate for a moment and then tell him the rest.

“She’s married.”

He stares back, rubbing his jaw.

“Okay, well, this is the part where I tell you I heard you in the bathroom.”

Crap.

“Please tell me you didn’t tell Cassy.” I curse, and he shoots me that fuck off look.

“Listen, you’re my best fucking friend and I’d die for you, but I’m not going to let you ruin your life by messing around with a married woman.”

This is why I didn’t want to tell him. Not because he has better ethics than me—hell, maybe he does— but this whole thing is complicated.

Not that he’s wrong.

Hell, even I don’t know what I’m doing. Partly because Briar won’t be honest with me about what’s going on with her and her husband.

To be fair, I spent the time we were going to talk between her legs licking her sweet wet pussy.

“They’re separated.” I say in defense.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. I fucked her in her bed,” I reply without thinking.

Josh throws back his head and curses. “Jesus, Aidan. Okay, spell this out for me. Are we going to have some psycho ex-husband on our hands?”

Actually.

Maybe.

I slam the locker shut and reach down, pulling the strap of my bag on my naked shoulder and head to the showers.

“She’s separated. He’s being violent with her. If the guy is lucky, he won’t have me on his hands.” I growl. “No one else needs to be involved. I’ve got this.”

I’m done with this conversation.

As I walk through the door into the showers, I hear Josh mutter I don’t think you have, buddy.

He’s wrong.

I do.

I know exactly what I want, and I know Briar is still in love with me.

Even if she doesn’t.

But I’m going to show her that we can be together even if there are a few dozen mountains in our path.

So that’s exactly what I’m going to do.

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A N HOUR LATER, Josh steps into my office.

“Houston, we have a problem.”

Thinking this is something to do with our security operations, my mind back on work, I look up sharply from my computer.

“What?”

We have guys in the field overseas, one trailing a prominent politician—I won’t say which country—and personal security for hundreds of famous and influential people in the United States.

A problem for us is usually very fucking serious.

I push back from the desk and give him my full attention.

“Kael West, Briar’s husband, is attending the wedding this Friday.”

Shit.