Forbidden Love With the Marine Read online

  Afghanistan, she’d been terrified she’d never see him again.

  Olivia thought he was so brave; being part of something so iconic and world-changing.

  Knowing he was risking his life everyday to make people like her feel safe from terror made her

  feelings for him deepen even more.

  Hopelessly in-love, no man she met ever seemed to measure up to the image she had of the

  perfect gentleman, warrior and friend: Ivan.

  If only he knew how she felt. But in the past, she’d been so afraid of rejection, knowing he’d

  never seen her in that way but only as a “little sister”. Now older, she had hoped the feelings she had for him would ebb into mere fondness. She’d tried many times to get involved with other men for the sole purpose of finding an alternative recipient of all the passion she knew she held inside.

  And she’d watched with hidden terror as Ivan’s relationships with women had started and

  ended. A major threat had been the gorgeous redhead Molly, who never seemed to want to fade into

  oblivion the way Ivan’s other women eventually did. Molly just kept coming back but then, to

  Olivia’s glee, Ivan didn’t bring Molly to his welcome party so she assumed their shaky love affair might very well be history.

  Olivia cringed when she remembered those moments at the party when she’d been silly enough

  to show part of her deepest feelings to Ivan. She wasn’t sure if he’d read the signals, or if he was as blind to them as always. She’d done all she could to initiate some kind of closeness, an intimacy with him – but thanks to her swooning pals, getting him all to herself had proved impossible that night.

  And since then, she didn’t get another chance. In the past few weeks since his return, they’d

  managed to meet during the family dinners her mother loved to prepare where Olivia, Ivan and her

  parents would sit, talk and laugh together. Olivia knew that her parents encouraged them to invite their dates to the family dinners, but Olivia didn’t have anyone she was seeing so seriously that would warrant introducing to her family or to Ivan. And to her relief, he never brought any woman with him to share in the intimate family gathering.

  That didn’t mean he was in any way accessible, she realized. If anything, he seemed more

  detached than ever. To make it all feel worse, he always made sure they were never alone in the same room for any period of time. Whether in the living room, kitchen or even out on the porch, he always found a reason to bolt whenever they found themselves on their own.

  What was it about her that disconcerted him? At the party her parents had thrown in his

  welcome home after more than a year’s tour in Afghanistan, she’d asked him if she made him nervous.

  He just didn’t seem as relaxed around her. It was as if there was a great big…wall between them. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it but it did hurt her like crazy.

  Well, she couldn’t let it bother her, not now. Not when she was supposed to be having so much

  fun with her friends.

  It was another night, another hangout. When it came to the nightlife, Olivia and her pals knew

  this was the bar that had the coolest crowd scene where everyone could mingle. On the spacious

  patio, they could chill with drinks in hand and a whole army of small plates filled with cheeses, tacos and what not available. Olivia was all for the socializing; after all she was young, and restless. She wasn’t going to let a wild infatuation with some sinfully gorgeous man get her down.

  So Olivia swore she’d have fun, find some totally irresistible hunk, and take him home. She

  was tired of “keeping” herself, hoping Ivan would someday realize they were meant to be. That was

  never going to happen.

  Tonight, she was going to do it. Just like that, she made the decision. It could be anyone. She’d

  certainly had more than a handful offers since her pals had landed in the club for their usual girls’

  night out. She’d pick the most gorgeous, most willing candidate and make his night. Yep; she’d free herself of her long-time burden and hopefully, also be free of her painful attraction for a certain mule-headed blonde-haired hunk.

  But first, she needed to get uproariously drunk.

  Chapter Four

  His hand was heavy and hot on her breast. Even through her clothes, Olivia felt the roughness of

  his touch. Alcohol swirled through her brain and she tried to tell herself she liked the wet, grinding sensation of his mouth against hers.

  Was this how it was supposed to feel? Frenzied, untamed? The stranger – she couldn’t even

  remember his name, had seemed so charming and attractive back in the bar. He’d said all the right

  things to make her think, here was the one. Good for one night; able to take her to the heights of passion and then back.

  Looked like it wasn’t all cut and dried as she’d believed.

  “Wait…stop,” Olivia said breathlessly, pulling back with difficulty. She looked into the

  handsome stranger’s hooded eyes. He had his arms around her which tightened instead of loosened.

  Olivia tried not to panic. Thankfully, they were still in the car.

  “Come on, baby. You want this,” he said cajolingly, slanting his head to slide his lips along her

  shoulder blade, bared by the haltered neck of her top. “You’ve been begging for it since we met back in the bar.”

  “No. Let me go,” Olivia said more firmly, pushing against his chest. Why did it feel like her

  head was swimming? She edged away from his demanding lips. Her skin was actually crawling from

  his touch on her arms, her neck. She shuddered.

  “You’re on fire for me, sweetheart. I can feel it,” her would-be lover growled, his fingers

  digging into her arms as he pulled her closer. The close confines of his flashy sports car felt even more claustrophobic as his lips now reached once more for hers. Olivia caught the whiff of liquor and gagged.

  “You’re wrong,” she said coldly, shoving him back with irritation in her voice. “I’m not

  interested.”

  His grey eyes darkened with answering anger. “Like hell you aren’t. You were all over me at

  the club, making it clear you wanted to spend the night with me. And now this?”

  “I’ve changed my mind. I’m sorry,” she said calmly but with firmness. “Now I need to get

  home. You can either drop me off or…look, you know what. Forget it. I’ll get a cab.” She turned to reach for the door handle but yelped as the man tugged her back to face him with fury.

  “Look here, bitch,” he said with a snarl as he glared into her wide-eyed face. “I don’t like

  being played, especially by a black whore like you. Now you’re going to follow me home like a good girl and give me some of that promise of pussy you’ve been dangling like a carrot in front of me. Or I’ll just take what you promised right here. In fact, I think I want that lovely mouth of yours on my cock right now. That’s right, cunt; you’ll give me what I want. Or do you think I’m some chinless twit you can tease and then decide to change your mind at the last minute?”

  Olivia’s nostrils had flared at the words “bitch” and “cunt”. His filthy tirade had made her

  blood boil. “Go to hell. I don’t have to do anything.”

  “Why you little…”

  She didn’t think twice before slashing her long fingernails across his face as his arms lunged

  for her. Desperately frightened, Olivia knew she’d pushed the man too far. He howled at her

  unexpected assault, and this gave her the chance to quickly fumble for the car door and push it open, spilling out into the deserted street.

  “Come back here, you stupid little cunt!”

  Ignoring that furious shout, Olivia stumbled in her heels, heading for the main road and praying
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  she could find a cab and just get the hell out of here. Her panic reached fevered proportions when she heard his car start up behind her. Glancing back, she saw that the idiot was actually thinking of

  following her.

  What was he going to do, run her over? Staring at him through the windscreen and seeing the

  bleeding tracks her hand had left on his face, Olivia knew he wasn’t simply going to let her get away.

  Biting back a sob, she turned back to the road and quickened her steps. There was no way she was

  going to let him catch her…

  Chapter Five

  It was nights like this one that made Ivan think of how he missed the action, the everyday thrill

  of serving his commander. He still was yet to wean himself off the last year of armed duty, being able to hone his field craft with the many dangerous tactical missions he’d faced regularly with his

  platoon. Whether it was special reconnaissance, infiltration or tactical assault – whether they were being parachuted over some desert or landing off boats on some faraway enemy coast…he lived for

  the buzz.

  The powerful adrenalin that rushed through the head along with the gut instinct to survive.

  There might be bullets flying, grenades being thrown every which way – and mines just waiting

  to blow you to pieces. But there was also the hard-won training, the conviction that you were where you needed to be.

  Damned right he missed it.

  And now that his platoon had just completed the mission of their careers, Ivan felt the itch in

  him to be thrown back into the action. He knew many of the guys in his overall team were thinking of going into retirement after their last clandestine, world-changing assignment. For sure there’d be a few who would go ahead and write books, others may even secretly sell valuable warfare tips to

  some big-time video game designer. Hell, Ivan had heard there would actually be a movie coming out soon based on their recent feat.

  Staring at the TV screen broadcasting some mind-numbing family reality show, Ivan tried to

  focus on the here and now. Why did people – supposed celebs, feel they had to showcase their

  private lives to the world, wondered Ivan with a disgusted shake of his head. But then he couldn’t actually bring himself to stop watching. For some reason, it gave him some perverse satisfaction

  watching other people make asses of themselves on TV.

  Which made him think of how lame he’d become himself. Wasn’t he supposed to be out with

  his pals, getting drunk and getting laid? Why was he stuck at home like some shy spinster afraid to go out into the big bad world?

  For one thing, he’d tried it. A whole week of checking out the hot spots. Getting double-dated

  with a pal and two other chicks. It always ended up the same way. The women would interest him for a while, but that would be it. By the time he was driving whoever it was home, he’d be thinking how the hell he could get out of spending the night with her.

  Not that any of the females were undesirable. And it wasn’t that he couldn’t get it up. No one

  would ever accuse him of not stepping up to the plate. But in the end, he just couldn’t do it. They never fit the picture he had in his head of the woman he wanted to be with – the woman who got him hard even without being in the same room with him.

  Flinging the remote control aside, he was contemplating breaking out the six-pack in the fridge.

  But just as he was headed to the kitchen, the doorbell rang. Checking out his watch, he frowned. His first instinct was to be cautious. Who would be at him door at this time? It was almost midnight.

  Carefully, he made his way through the hallway to the front door. He had his handgun in the bedroom but wasn’t sure he’d need it. Not like burglars or killers were likely to ring the doorbell first before they struck. But then, who knew? Shaking his head with humor at his whacky thoughts, he checked the peephole as the bell rang loudly once again.

  He took one look and swore underneath his breath. In seconds he’d thrown the door open to

  find the figure shivering on his doorstep, her arms wrapped around her shoulders.

  “Olivia!”

  “Oh, thank God you’re home,” she breathed, sagging with relief. “Let me in, Ivan. Please. He

  could still be following me.”

  “Who? Olivia, what’s going on?” Ivan asked, taking hold of her arm as he saw her glance

  around the tree-lined, brightly lit street behind her. He raised his head and looked around but saw nothing or no one, just the distant sound of a car turning the corner and disappearing.

  “It’s that crazy guy I met at the bar tonight,” Olivia babbled, her body trembling beneath his

  grip. “I was supposed to follow him home but then I changed my mind. And then he freaked me out by following me when I skipped out of his car. I managed to jump right into a cab which brought me

  straight here. But I could swear he was coming after me; I distinctly remember seeing his silver Audi following my cab.”

  “There’s no one now,” Ivan said, his tone clipped as he frowned and looked once more over

  the street.

  “Well, so can I come in?” she asked. “I would have gone directly to my place but I was so

  scared he’d manage to trail me there and I knew I’d be all alone. He was really freaking me out or else I wouldn’t have bothered you.”

  Her tone sounded shaky and Ivan suddenly got his eyes to focus. He’d felt a fury misting his

  brain at the thought of Olivia having to feel threatened thanks to some “crazy guy” she met. He didn’t even realize how strongly he’d been gripping her arm until she snatched it away with a yelp.

  “I’m sorry,” he said calmly, taking a deep breath and standing back. “Of course you can come

  in. I was just caught off guard. But don’t worry, little dove, I’ll protect you.”

  Chapter Six

  Olivia sent him a distrustful look as she brushed past him into the house. Was he laughing at

  her? He hadn’t called her “little dove” since she’d been like…well, since she’d been a pig-tail

  wearing teen going crazy over Justin Timberlake. She heard the front door shut behind Ivan and only then did she heave a sigh of relief.

  Goodness, she’d been frightened out of her wits for a second back there. Stumbling down that

  deserted street and knowing her assailant was right behind her. Luckily, a cab had driven up almost immediately and she’d frantically flagged it down before jumping right in. When she’d looked back

  and seen the sleek-lined, flashy silver Audi not far behind, her fright had escalated.

  Was he going to stalk her to her destination and then try to rape her? The thought was absurd yet

  no less disconcerting. For all Olivia knew, he was some serial killer ready to do whatever it took to cut down his latest victim. Once the driver had asked her where she wanted to go, Olivia had

  instinctively thought of Ivan and didn’t hesitate before reeling out his address.

  Now, she turned to face him with a sheepish slant to her smile, pushing a hand back through her

  dark hair. “Look, I apologize for bumping in on you this way. I was just…this was the first place I thought of when I felt I was in danger. I…”

  “It’s okay,” Ivan said soothingly, coming forward to grip her shoulders gently. “I’m glad. It’s

  not like you woke me up or anything. And believe me, it’s great that you know you can turn to me if you needed help. You’re safe now.”

  He made to draw her into his arms for an embrace, but Olivia stiffened, pushing back as she

  started to scrub at her neck and arms with her hands like she had a rash.

  Ivan looked surprised. “Hey, you okay?”

  “Yes…no.” She shivered, her face twisting in a mixture of distaste and remorse. “I just…I feel
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  so icky. Like I need to wash that creep’s paws off me. Ugh. I kept telling him I was not interested but he wouldn’t believe me.”

  Suddenly, the strain of the last couple of hours got to Olivia and she felt herself sway on her

  feet. The booze, the fright of thinking her life was in danger or that she was faced with the possibility of being raped. She shuddered all over until she couldn’t stop. Her voice catching on a sob, she

  turned from Ivan so he couldn’t see her embarrassed tears.

  “Olivia…” His voice was tender, which only made her feel angrier and worse. It was his fault

  this was happening. He’d driven her to such extremes, thinking she could spend the night with a complete stranger just to get Ivan off her mind. Now it had backfired in her face and now she felt six years old again.

  When he drew her into his arms this time, she didn’t struggle. Sinking gratefully into him, she

  let the tears fall as she was filled with confusion. How could she make him see how good they were together? What would she have to do to make him understand how he made her feel?

  She hadn’t set out to seduce him, but suddenly that was exactly what she decided to do.

  Whatever happened, tonight she would make it real. Every fantasy – every girlhood wish and

  womanly desire…would come to life tonight.

  Chapter Seven

  Ivan tried to be clinical about it all but it was getting tougher to accomplish. From the second

  he’d had to lift Olivia in his arms and carry her off to his bedroom, everything happened like a dream.

  She finally let him put her on her feet. Then she started to undress and he made to leave, but she stopped him.

  “Please. I need you to stay,” she said softly, looking straight at him. “I don’t want to be alone

  right now.”

  God help me, Ivan thought as he nodded with a gulp. She started to peel off her dress and he lost his nerve. “At least let me run the bath or something,” he said, and quickly shot off to the

  bathroom before she could demur. He had the tub filled with nicely heated water to which he

  thoughtfully added a few scented oils.

  “Hmm, nice,” she purred, and he looked back to see a very naked Olivia advance into the