Prologue

Callan

I never imagined I would return to this town, let alone settle down. What was meant to be a brief visit with my younger brother high up in the mountains turned into making a home in a place I thought I would never find myself returning to. A single visit was all it was meant to be and yet, with time, I found myself coming back again and again… for her.

I joined the Marines as an excuse to finally get out of this town that holds so many painful memories for my brother and me. Shaw had managed to find peace in the solitude of the mountains, but I itched to get as far away as possible from Sweetheart Falls. The military had been good for me, I didn’t have to dwell on my past and I could simply follow orders and see the world. Unfortunately, a bad shoulder injury had led to an honorable discharge, and with nowhere to call home, I found myself wandering from place to place without any real plans. After one impulsive visit to my brother a few months ago, I had stopped at the nearby diner and saw her for the first time. Before I knew it, I was making plans to visit my brother more often just so I could catch a glimpse of her. One visit turned into two, and then three and soon, I was pouring a chunk of my savings into a very expensive cabin… just to be close to her.

The beauty in long midnight dark hair that falls to her back and eyes that are a captivating blend of blue and green, resembling the hues of a mesmerizing emerald. So bright and beautiful, they shimmer with an enchanting brilliance that always leaves me hypnotized.

Emily Lane is her name.

And she’s a waitress in the only diner in town. She is a fucking dream in her little waitressing uniform, running around the place with a notepad clutched to her ample chest. She is a goddess; every inch of the girl is perfect and… I can’t look away.

I can’t stay away.

Jesus Christ, I look like a creep standing outside the diner tracking the pretty girl’s movement, but I can’t take my eyes off her or force myself to leave. She’s a rose in the vast wildness that is my life and I want her to myself.

I want her more than I have ever wanted anything in my life. Heck, I came back into this little town surrounded by mountains and forests that feel liberating for tourists and suffocating for me.

I came back.

For her!

A girl who doesn’t even know me. At least not the real me. She must’ve heard stories from the locals who lived here before I left, and they must’ve told her how much of a menace I was when I was younger. How cold and distant I grew after the accident that claimed my parents’ lives. How angry and unpredictable I was. Not that they were wrong, my brother had always been more quiet than me, but I had no problem throwing punches when someone even looked at me a bit wrong.

I want to tell her that the military had changed me, tamed me, but that would be a lie. The military did not tame me. No, it hardened me. The anger I had remained and so did the coldness, but I developed the discipline to control it.

She softens those parts of me, with her beautiful smile and those pretty eyes that glimmer with light every time I see her. Around her, I forget my pain, anger, and loneliness. Around Emily Lane… I understand longing. I understand wanting something so badly it tests all of your discipline. Mine!

Deep down, I know a goddess such as her would never let a hardened man such as myself touch her perfect body but that doesn’t stop me from wishing. It didn’t stop me from moving back to this damned place.

As if hearing my thoughts, Emily suddenly stops on her way back to the kitchen and turns around, her eyes locking on mine on the glass window and just like that, she steals my breath away. In the soft glow of the evening light, her eyes shimmer like precious gems, captivating me with their allure. Her long flowing black hair dances gently, framing her face like a veil of midnight silk and I am struck once again by her beauty.

All blood rushes south and I ignore the hard-on that tents my jeans from staring at those pretty eyes and sultry mouth begging to be kissed. Fuck, I can only imagine how sweet that sexy little mouth would taste and the way her perfect body would feel wrapped around my arms. I bet her moans would be music to my ears as I kissed a path down those perky tits pushing against her uniform.

I have no doubt I can make her scream in pleasure when I tear her panties down her thighs, spin her around and bury my fat throbbing cock into her tight cunt. My dick is as hard as nails, and it takes everything in me to stop myself and not walk into that diner and claim my angel in all the ways I have only dared to dream.

It’s almost as if my innocent little waitress can read my thoughts as her cheeks flush prettily and she breaks the stare when her eyes drop to the floor.

Perhaps I could put more effort into hiding my desire for this girl or at the very least not stand outside the diner and stare at her like some creep, but I want everyone to know that she’s caught my attention. Everyone in this little old town is always watching me, and when they are, I want them to see that I’m staring at her.

At what’s mine!

Emily Lane belongs to me, whether she knows it or not. I moved back to this town to be close to her, and soon, she and the rest of the town will have no doubts about that fact.