Soldiers of Pearl 6: A Touch of Fear
Maggie is finally starting to feel safe from the sinister secrets of her past as she settles into the town of Pearl. However, her doubts still keep a touch of fear alive, and she can’t allow herself to open up her heart and fall in love. She wants to finally let her guard down after she meets Breaker, Stack, Logan, and Bandit—gorgeous, protective American Soldiers. They want to love her forever, but she isn’t sure she’s ready to be that vulnerable just yet.
When a dark part of her previous life finds her again, she’ll have to move past the fear and let her lovers change her forever. Otherwise, she could lose them as well as her life.
Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Romantic Suspense
Length: 36,647 words
SOLDIERS OF PEARL 6:
A TOUCH OF FEAR
Dixie Lynn Dwyer
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
SOLDIERS OF PEARL 6: A TOUCH OF FEAR
Copyright © 2015 by Dixie Lynn Dwyer
E-book ISBN: 978-1-63259-769-4
First E-book Publication: September 2015
Cover design by Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2015 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
Dear Readers,
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This is Dixie Lynn Dwyer’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Dixie Lynn Dwyer’s right to earn a living from her work.
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DEDICATION
Dear readers,
Thank you for purchasing this legal copy of Soldiers of Pearl- A Touch of Fear.
Fear is a very powerful emotion indeed. It can lead you to make mistakes, be pressured toward decisions that aren’t right for you, or it can send you into such a protective state, that you can hardly live a normal life. That’s exactly what happens to Maggie.
She’s been dealing with such deep fear and despite trying to move on with her life, that fear predicts and controls her every move. Baby steps, small decisions, nothing too big or out of her comfort zone, has led her to quite a lonely life. Sure she has her friends, but they won’t understand even if she tells them exactly what her fear is.
But love, compassion, and patience, are even more powerful than fear. Especially when they come in the form of four American soldiers.
May you enjoy Maggie’s journey as she accepts empowerment, love, and the trust necessary to help her overcome her fears and fight for what she deserves.
Happy reading.
Hugs!
~Dixie~
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
About the Author
SOLDIERS OF PEARL 6:
A TOUCH OF FEAR
DIXIE LYNN DWYER
Copyright © 2015
Prologue
“I don’t know why you keep fighting me on this, Maggie. You know I always get what I want,” Corbin told her as he caressed her cheek. She didn’t like him, didn’t trust him, but her family did. No matter what she told her mom, she disagreed and said Maggie was being immature and that Corbin was older, in his forties, and had a lucrative career in businesses he owned. Her mom said she should be honored that an older man found her so appealing.
Maggie pushed his hand away and lowered her eyes. He scared her. Always had and always would.
“Maggie.” He said her name firmly as he pulled her closer. She tried to step from his hold. She even thought about screaming for help, but with the music so loud and the house filled with guests, no one would hear her downstairs in the finished basement.
“Please just leave me alone.”
“Tsk, tsk. I can’t, baby. You’re so pretty and so sweet. You’re mine, Maggie. I’m not going to let any of those slimy college boys get their hands on what’s mine.”
He gripped her upper arm. She planted her feet into the rug as he pulled her closer to the couch. She struggled to get free. Why was she in this situation again with Corbin? Why had her mother sent her downstairs to be alone with him? Didn’t she fear that Corbin could force himself on Maggie or take advantage of her innocence? Why was her mom so convinced that Corbin was the one for Maggie?
He pulled her forcibly to the couch. He made her sit and then knelt down on the rug in front of her. She tried to move, and he gripped her thighs tightly. She felt the ache and knew his fingerprints would remain as bruises against her skin. He had come after her just the other day, but she’d evaded his capture and his more intimate touch. Today was different. He had that look in his eyes. He was determined.
“I don’t want this. I want to go back to the party,” she told him.
He pulled her thighs wider and forced her back. She lost her balance and he wound up between her legs looming over her and then she felt his hands grip her hips. She felt this erection against her groin as he ground his teeth and
held her gaze with a fierce expression.
“You feel that? You fucking feel that?” he demanded to know as he dug his fingers deeper into her skin.
“Yes,” she replied.
“You do that to me, and you’re going to take care of it.”
Her eyes widened, and her heart pounded inside of her chest as he reached under to unzip his pants then impended over her, gripping her hair. She locked gazes with his dark, disgusting eyes. Eyes that continued to haunt her dreams.
“Only me, Maggie girl. Be good and I won’t hurt you.” He lifted up, kept her legs wide with his wedged between them, and brought his erection closer as he gripped her hair.
She felt and saw the evilness in his eyes as she cried and tried to get away. His hold tightened. Then she heard the click. It was fast, loud to her buzzing eardrums when she saw the blade of the knife.
“Never. You’ll never get away from me.”
Maggie Reed awoke drenched in sweat, gasping for air as she nearly tumbled from the bed. It had been a bad one. She could hardly breathe, and she wished she had more of those sleeping aids that the doctor had prescribed. Dr. Jones was a good man, and she trusted him with her secret. She had a new life here in Pearl. Her family, especially her parents, had no clue as to where she’d disappeared. She was fine with that.
Maggie pulled the covers down and got out of bed. She needed a cold shower to clear her head.
She grabbed a towel from the small linen closet and then headed to the bathroom.
The nightmares didn’t occur as often as before, but whenever she was stressed and overworked, they happened. She should have expected it after the small trip to Austin she’d taken this past week. She hated leaving Pearl, but it was necessary in order to get her artwork displayed in some of the more established galleries in Texas. She wanted so much. Feared so much. But she had to go on with her life and make a living. Teaching a few small art classes wasn’t enough. She needed, wanted to share her art with the world and make a good living doing so.
She enjoyed teaching a special class for gifted students at the local high school even more. She loved the enthusiasm the kids had and even their cocky attitudes as they thought they had the whole world and life figured out. She wished it were full-time instead of being only offered a few times a school year and one summer program.
She showered and then dried her hair, got dressed, then went to the kitchen. After making a cup of coffee, she walked over to her cell phone, even though she didn’t expect to find any messages. It was a Saturday morning, and school was almost out for the summer. Her last class ended a few days ago. She was going to meet Georgia, Cynthia, and Dee in town for the June festival. She was supposed to help run one of the vending tables for the Guardians of Angels organization they all belonged to.
As she glanced at her phone, she swallowed hard. There was a phone number she didn’t recognize between Dee’s cell number and Georgia’s. That instant panicked feeling consumed her. Over the past few years, she’d thought less and less about Corbin. It had been a damn miracle that the older man hadn’t gotten his way with her.
She knew he owned big businesses in Dallas and Fort Worth. He had a hotel, a restaurant and even an import-export company, which focused a lot on artwork from across the U.S., never mind around the world. He was successful like her mother said, but he was sick and she would always fear the idea that one day he might find her. She heard he even had some connections with partners in areas like Austin. She’d almost declined the gallery’s invitation to display her work for the show this past week, but it had all worked out just fine. Her trip probably also had something to do with the nightmare and going to Austin.
There was a voice message, and she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and debated about listening to it. What if it were Corbin? What if it was her father, her mother, or someone from Virginia? They would tell him where she was. They thought nothing but good things about the older man who’d stalked her since she was fourteen years old.
She shivered remembering how scary her childhood had been but how determined she’d been to survive and stop him.
She thought about him and about her life in Virginia. Her parents had money. Corbin was wealthy, too, and twenty years older than her. He was a predator, a man set out on taking her innocence from her as he tried manipulating her mind. She’d been young, easily influenced by her mother’s desires and wants for her. Like most children, she wanted to please her parents. But Maggie had known that something was wrong with Corbin, and she’d followed her gut and gotten away from him before he could rape her. He would have been successful that night, but she’d saved herself and, in doing so, realized that she was all she had and could trust. Everyone else had ulterior motives and she was fair game.
Thank God he had lit that candle before he tried forcing her to pleasure him. By knocking over the candle and causing the small fire, she was able to escape. From there on out, she avoided Corbin as best she could. But he always seemed one step ahead. He always found her. He’d even showed up at her college when she was out with friends. Money talked. He greased palms, gave big tips, and always got what he wanted in life. But he didn’t get her, and he never would.
Two years and she’d not seen or heard anything from him. Once she finished college, she took a job in Dallas for a while, and she heard he’d taken over one of his father’s small business firms in Fort Worth and expanded it. He was doing fantastic and had a lot of money, but to her, that meant he could use that money to try and find her and claim his obsession.
She brought the cup to her lips, and the phone rang, shocking her.
“Shit,” she exclaimed, spilling half the contents of the hot beverage all over the floor. But at least it hadn’t landed on her bare legs.
She saw the caller I.D. and exhaled.
“Hi, Georgia.”
“Hey, girl, what’s up? I left you like two messages.”
“I just got up a little while ago and took a shower. I’ve got an hour before I need to be in town.”
“I know that was the plan yesterday, but Melody is sick. Can you get here soon? The crowds are already getting big.”
“Seriously?”
“Oh yeah, and Cynthia is in a panic.”
“Okay, no problem. I was going to ride my bike, but I guess I’ll drive. See you in about fifteen minutes.”
“You’re the best.”
Maggie smiled as she poured the rest of her coffee down the drain and then went to brush her teeth and put on a pair of tennis shoes. She smoothed out the short beige skirt and then adjusted her breasts in her bra before she pulled on the purple camisole. She checked her phone and saw it was going to be in the nineties today, so she pulled her long red-brown hair up into a ponytail and then grabbed her sunglasses. Her belly was still a little queasy, and she didn’t have time to eat. Remnants of her nightmare remained in the back of her mind making her feel uneasy.
She loved the town festivals in Pearl. They were always having them and celebrating as a community. Today there would be visitors from out of town and from nearby communities as well. She never knew such places like Pearl existed until coming here. She felt that bit of happiness and then the ache of concern. Maggie knew that she would see Anna, Stacy, and Lena at the fair. She thought about the women’s shelter and the counselors there that helped women deal with remnants of abuse and domestic violence. She couldn’t help but wonder if talking to someone about what Corbin had done might actually help. Could it get rid of her nightmares? Could counseling or confiding in someone about Corbin and what he’d done to her help?
Her mind drifted toward her friends Cynthia and Dee. They both had troubled pasts, just like she did. But they’d been able to find men who were trustworthy, and that had helped them let their guard down. Why couldn’t she? Why was she so petrified of getting close to any man? Why did the thought of being intimate, of being touched, make her feel so dirty and sad?
She felt her eyes well up with tears as she grabbed a
bottle of water from the fridge and then her car keys. This was her life, living alone in a small house in a family neighborhood filled with ménage relationships and all the things she dreamt about as a kid then feared as a woman.
Why the hell am I thinking about this now? God, I hate Corbin York. When will the nightmares stop? When?
Chapter 1
“And we’re here why?” Stack asked Bandit as they stood by the sheriff’s department waiting on the rest of their team, Logan and Breaker.
“Sunny invited us to today’s activities in town and then back to their place for a barbecue. You guys said you liked this town when we helped Perkins and the team save Cynthia.” Bandit took a puff from the cigar he smoked.
“We don’t fit in around here. Crowds make me nervous,” Stack replied.
Bandit knew exactly what Stack meant. He hated crowds, too, and being around all these perfect little families. “But the sights are mighty fine if you noticed,” he said to his friend.
Stack looked around and seemed to catch sight of what Bandit was looking at. A group of young college-aged girls were walking by wearing short shorts and giggling as they flirted with some young cowboys. The sight made Bandit smile inside. He would never reveal how sensitive he was to romance and women.
“Whoa,” Stack whispered low, and Bandit looked in the direction Stack’s eyes were glued to.
He saw her immediately. Maggie, he thought her name was. She was a good friend of Dee and Cynthia. She looked gorgeous in a snug-fitting skirt, purple tank, and white tennis sneakers. Her reddish-brown hair was pulled back away from her face. She looked so classy, and young. God, she was young. Maybe early twenties. He couldn’t believe the instant way his body reacted to her. Bandit swallowed hard.
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