MILITARY ROMANCE: The War Within Himself (Alpha Bad Boy Marine Army Seal) (Contemporary Military Suspense & Thriller Romance)

by Claire Branson

  Chelsea swallowed hard and tried to think of something to say, but Ben didn’t give her a moment to cut in. “She’s jealous. I thought we had gotten past this between us, but apparently she is still holding on to it. Chelsea, I am so sorry. If I would have known she would treat you like that, I would have never sent you. You have to know that. You are nothing like anyone else I have ever met.”

  “I’m sure that’s all true,” Chelsea said as sarcasm dripped from her tongue, “but it doesn’t even matter. I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up about you either. I think I just really need to focus on one thing at a time, and it needs to be on my career.” As hard as she tried, she couldn’t convince herself that that was true.

  Ben looked at her longingly with emotion heavy in his eyes. After what seemed like hours, Ben finally broke the tense silence between them. “Don’t you feel the connection between us?” he asked quietly.

  Dropping her eyes, Chelsea reluctantly nodded. “Then please don’t shut me out,” Ben begged. “Give me a chance to prove it to you. I’m not some womanizer running around the city looking for girls. I just want you.”

  “You do?” Chelsea asked with tears brimming her eyes.

  “Yeah. I know we’ve only known each other for a bit, but I think…” Ben hesitated for a long time before finishing his sentence. “I think I’m falling in love with you.”

  “Me too. That’s why it hurt so bad to hear that I was just another girl.”

  “I swear to you that isn’t true, Chelsea. You aren’t just another girl and you aren’t just another writer. Don’t give up on me and I promise I will spend as long as it takes proving that to you.”

  “Okay,” she said, surprising herself.

  “Okay?” Ben jumped with excitement and wrapped her in his arms, leaving her feet dangling above the ground.

  “I’m so happy you’re giving me a second chance,” Ben said quietly as he kissed her forehead. “I promise you won’t regret it.” Looking deep into his eyes, Chelsea believed him with all her heart. This one, this time, was different.

  The End

  Protected and Taken by the Alpha MC Leader

  A Biker Romance

  Protected and Taken by the MC Leader

  Chapter 1

  Carrie sighed and looked out the window of the small lunch truck that she worked at. It was another hour before she could go, but there was a line around the block and she knew that they would have to serve them all before she could leave. Or if the food ran out, but it almost never did.

  Smashed was the new craze in the city and although the name did not bode well for a restaurant, it was because of their signature sandwich, the one that had everyone there. There was also a marketing scheme to keep it fresh, the truck would be announced on the radio where they would be for lunch. Customers would flock wherever they were to get their hands on a Smasher deluxe. To Carrie, it just meant she had to drive all over the city every morning.

  Carrie didn’t like the smashed black bean burger, but it was a hit with many dieters and vegans. After she looked back at the basin of burgers, she was relieved to see that they didn’t have near enough to serve them all. She counted the few that were left and gave them a number. People started to leave and though a few grumbled, they just vowed to themselves that they were going to get one the next day.

  “Carrie, let’s get these people through here so we can go.”

  She nodded at Brosco and helped the next customer in line. Soon she was through and wrapping drinks up and putting things away in the front. They were out of there before one and Carrie was off to her other job at a karaoke bar. Carrie was a shooter girl and on occasion, she would do a few songs to get the drunks going, though they realistically didn’t need any help to make complete fools of themselves.

  Carrie had enough time to get to her small Westside apartment and then shower and dress before she was back at it again. There were a couple of times that she had forgotten to shower and she smelled of beans the whole night. Surprisingly she got better tips that night, but she didn’t want to think too far into why that was.

  She made her way the three blocks to Canivaals and clocked in on the old time clock in the back. She waved to her friend Mindy and went to the bar to grab her tray of liquor vials. Mindy made them earlier in the day and Carrie downed one before she started her shift.

  Her job was not hard, more mind numbing than anything else. She used the time to think of lyrics for her songs and poems for her journal. Carrie had plans to publish her poetry one day or sell a song so that she could hear it on the radio, but for now, Carrie was slogging through 2 jobs most days, just so she could finish off her Bachelors in Art. With only one semester left, Carrie was finally on the home stretch and loved the idea of only needing one job after school.

  Carrie was job was pretty simply as a shooter girl. She carried around a tray of shots and sold them to the crowd. While she would jump on stage from time to time, it was more for her love of music, then for any extra money. The thing she absolutely hated about her job though was the types of clothes that she had to wear. The shirt was a midriff and showed off most of her creamy cleavage. And if that wasn’t enough, a lot of men wanted to shoot them off of her and though she allowed some, it seemed demeaning, even with the large tip that she usually received. Every time a man’s face moved towards her chest, she just sighed and tried to smile when he looked at her. It was not a requirement of her job, but it was smiled upon by management, especially when she allowed Johnston to as well.

  The pervy owner came through the place later in the evening around eight, when the club started to get busy. There was more dancing and by the stack of bills in her apron, it was going to be a good night. Johnston stopped her as she was about to go back on the floor with another tray full.

  “I was hoping to get something to whet my whistle.”

  Carrie groaned at his lecherous look and instead of pushing it through her cleavage as he wanted, Carrie handed a shot to him and walked away, flipping her mass of red curls behind her as she went. She smiled to herself for her small act of rebellion, but knew that it would most likely translate into fewer hours on the next schedule. Carrie promised herself that when she was able to quit a job, Carnivaals would be first and she would make sure to let Johnston know exactly how she felt. Pushing the mask back up onto her face, she situated the beads to fall in her cleft and walked up to a couple of guys that were eying the bar like they needed a drink.

  “Would you guys like a drink?”

  Carrie smiled up at the two men that were wearing biker jackets and seemed out of place in the bar full of drunken white collars. They were rough looking and covered in tattoos, not at all the normal clientele of suits. Neither one had been on the dance floor and she betted they were there on some kind of shady business. What kind of business could be done while a half-drunk broad sang a Whitney Houston song horribly? Not anything legitimate she guessed.

  They smiled back at her and one man in particular caught her eye. He was handsome of course, but it was the way he looked at her that made her look twice. Carrie was used to leering men in that type of work, but he may have been the first one that month that looked into her eyes. On some strange level, she wanted him to notice her as others did, signifying her attraction.

  “Yes I will take a couple.” The blonde man that was standing next to him was like most of the others, gawking and practically drooling at her chest. She handed him a couple of shots and ignored the fact that he did not tip her. When the dark-haired man ordered his, Carrie nestled it in between her large breasts and waited for him to take it. He surprised her by grabbing it out and shooting it down. He tipped her with a twenty and a card.

  Carrie smiled back a little miffed and moved around the room. She did not offer it to anyone else in that way. It figured that the one she wanted to didn’t, and the rest did. She caught the eye of Johnston and he asked her to go up and sing a song to get the lines going for karaoke. Carrie did for a change of pace and to have
a few minutes of fun in her otherwise boring day.

  She sang a rendition of a country song that she knew well. It wasn’t really her genre of choice, but she always sang random picks, so Carrie Underwood’s cheating song was what was up. Her eyes played over the crowd as she sang and though she wouldn’t admit it to herself, there was a particular man that she was looking for. Carrie didn’t see the biker again and even when she put her carnival mask back on and went back out on the floor, she didn’t see him or his friend again. There was still his card in her apron, but she would quickly forget about it until that evening when she was counting her tips for the night at home.

  While she had thought it may have been some kind of business card, it was just a name and a gang. “Castor Reaux - Devil Mutts.”

  Carrie didn’t know what that was supposed to mean or who the Devil Mutts were supposed to be. She imagined that it was the name of a biker gang that she had heard about in passing. Turning it over, she found a number that was handwritten in scrawling text. Carrie hadn’t seen him write it, so she wondered if he had a pocketful that he handed out. The idea was creepy and she forgot about Castor and dragged herself home early around ten. Her small apartment greeted her, as well as her cat Meow.

  She may never see the man again, but he inspired her. Instead of the writer’s block that had plagued her last couple of weeks, there was a song written in less than an hour, the music and lyrics pouring out of her. It was Castor that she thought of and she wondered why he had such an impact on her. He would be to her, ‘the man that had refused.’

  Chapter 2

  Carrie was at class painting a nude model and she thought of the dark eyes that held hers at the club. When she was surrounded by black bean smells and a line of customers in the East district, it was Castor that she thought of. He filled her mind and though Carrie never really worried about her dating life since her last break-up, Castor had her thinking that it may just be time to try to get back out there.

  She looked for him at the bar that night but he wasn’t there. It was sad to her, but instead of pouting, she convinced Johnston to let her sing the new song she had just written. It sounded better with a cheer at the end and her thoughts went to the small card in her purse that she held onto for one reason or another.

  When she got home that night, she lay in bed with the card in one hand and the phone in the other. What would she say? She didn’t know and Carrie put the card back down, the number burned into her brain. After several more minutes and another glass of wine, she punched the numbers in before she could chicken out. It was so unlike her, but as a woman who followed her heart more than her mind, she couldn’t help it. Something was pulling her towards the dangerous man that was so outside of her comfort zone.

  “Hello?”

  The voice was deep and rich. Carrie tried to say something but she paused. The man repeated his greeting, but she just could not seem to make herself speak. “Hi, is this Castor?”

  “It is. Who is this?”

  “Hi, this is…well I don’t think you actually know my name. You gave me this card with a number on the back.”

  “Ah, you are that hot little redhead from Canivaal, right?”

  That he knew who she was, put a hole in him papering the town with his call card, but she still wondered why he had given it to her in the first place. Moreover, what was she calling for?

  “Yea, that’s me. My name is Carrie by the way.” Carrie paused, still not sure what she was supposed to say or why the hell she had even called.

  “So you want to go for a ride?” Her heart thudded in her chest and she had said yes before she realized what had happened. “I will be there in a few minutes. Give me your address.”

  Carrie knew that she should not give strangers her address, certainly not a tattooed behemoth man, but like everything else with him, she didn’t seem to have a choice in the matter. When she set down the phone, she went into a panic and ran to her room to find something to wear. What does one wear on a bike, she thought to herself.

  She decided on some skin-tight skinny jeans and a tank top. It was warm at night in August, so she figured it would be enough. It was the third outfit she had tried on. The first two were thought against because of the idea of wind whipping up any kind of skirt that she would want to wear. Carrie was nervous about the prospect, but she did not have much time to be upset. There was a loud engine sound and she knew that it was him. Grabbing her purse and some lip gloss, she went downstairs to meet him.

  Castor was still seated when she got down to the outside of the building. He had not knocked, honked or called. She was apparently supposed to know that he was there. The very fact that she was, revealed a power that he had over her. The biggest problem was that they had only said a handful of words to each other and she already felt a pull to him.

  “Hi. So where are we going?”

  Castor shrugged, “Hop on.”

  Carrie knew it was the moment of truth. She slung her long leg over the bike and instantly felt the burning heat as her body slid down behind him. She had to grab onto him as he sped off almost immediately. Her grip was strong as she clung to him in fear that she would fall. Her thighs nestled tighter against him and she could feel the muscles flexing against her as he made a corner. It was scarier than she had anticipated and she was panting against his back.

  The scene around her was a blur and as he picked up the pace around the winding road up, she closed her eyes and relaxed against him as her grip was still tight. At some point her hands slipped lower and they were chased back upwards when felt a hard tip poking up from beneath his jeans.

  When they stopped, she turned her head and opened her eyes. She was looking down at a large drop off that made her look and get off of the other side far quicker than she should have. The man chuckled at her reaction. “Don’t tell me you are one of those scary girls?”

  Carrie took his words almost as a dare and shook her head that she wasn’t. What in the world was she doing up there? When he sat on the edge and motioned her forward, Carrie started to think that it was just his way of being romantic. The sun was setting in the sky in front of them and from the vantage point it was a beautiful city below. Some of the lights were starting to come on and Carrie’s gaze stayed there for some time.

  “Why did you give me your number the other night?”

  He turned towards her, his dark eyes unfathomable. She almost wished she hadn’t talked. The silence between them had been comfortable, but the current line of talk was filled with a tension.

  “Why did you call?”

  Carrie shrugged. She really wasn’t sure. “I don’t know. I have thought about you a couple of times and I guess you made me curious.”

  “What are you curious about?”

  Carrie sighed and looked back at the sun splitting colors across the sky. The huge star seemed far less complicated, as opposed to the man next to her. “Do you always answer questions with more questions?”

  She heard more bike sounds echoing off the canyon and Carrie looked around, trying to figure out where they were coming from. Unsure what was going on, she moved back away from the edge and close to him. “What is going on?”

  “Well I had a meeting up here and since you called, I just brought you with me. Pretty view though huh?”

  She was disappointed in the truth, as Carrie usually was. Here she had thought he had romantic feelings in her like she seemed to have for him, but instead he was just bringing her along for the ride. There was not much else she could do, but wait for the sounds to materialize into people. All the men had bikes and jackets that were very similar, but different than Castor’s.

  Carrie felt eyes on her and she gravitated back to the spot that he had first suggested she occupied. It was far enough away that their eyes didn’t make her as uncomfortable and the view was breathtaking. She almost forgot that she was there to wait for him. It was rude and though she should have protested, complained, done something to show him her displeasure, Carrie d
idn’t. She didn’t want to upset him or make him angry. She didn’t know who he really was. Just that he was dangerous looking and feeling.

  ***

  Chapter 3

  The meeting took over an hour and the sun was long gone when the others were starting their engines up to leave. She was aggravated. More than that, she felt snubbed that he would treat her like that, like she had nothing better to do than to wait for him. In truth, Carrie should have already been close to sleep. She had class early in the morning and waiting around for them to talk about dealings that she suspected included drugs and other unsavory acts.

  “Come on. Get on.”

  “Wait. You can’t just ignore me for an hour and then expect me to jump.”

  “Why not?”

  She made a noise of frustration. He was back to riddles and questions, while she had yet to get an answer. “Why did you invite me here?”

  “You called and I thought you will feel nice holding on behind me.” She had a second to show her displeasure for the comments he made, then his mouth was on hers. Her soft lips touched hers, his teeth nibbling on her bottom lip before his tongue pushed into her mouth. Castor grabbed her hard, moving her against him so she couldn’t get away from his eagerness.

  Carrie was left unable to think and she no longer wanted to do anything more than be kissed by him. She may have been involved, but his body language and touch made it clear who was in charge. When she felt her body close to the melting spot, he pulled back and told her to get on. His voice was just as gruff and now his eyes held an animalistic leer that had not been there before.

  She did as he asked, unable to deny him. Her lips throbbed with the rough whiskers from his five o clock shadow. When he got in front of her, he grabbed her hands and pushed her to where he really wanted her to be. Carrie felt the hardness from before, but his hand enabled her to not move it away. Carrie had asked herself more than once, what in the world had she gotten herself into?