Prologue

Elias

I’m surroundedby the men I work with, and they are talking all around me, but I’m completely focused on the beautiful blonde. It’s amazing what you can find out from people in a small town.

Her name is Chloe, she’s twenty-two years old, and she lives in the home she inherited from her grandmother, who passed away six months ago. She’s a trainer at the gym in town called Work It Out, and she’s not seeing anyone.

I’ve seen her around a few times, mostly because I’ve made a point to see her. I’ve bought her a coffee and pastry at the Sugar Glaze Bakery, I’ve watched her through the big bay windows of her gym on Main Street, and I’ve seen her here at the Whiskey Whistler before, but I’ve made sure to keep my distance. I’m leaving Whiskey Run soon, but when I get back into town, I’m going to make a point to get to know her better.

Until then, I’ll be counting down the hours, and I’m going to stalk her from afar.

She’s sitting with her friend, drinking her Long Island Iced Tea, and I’m captivated by the way she laughs. Her happiness is contagious, and as I’m smiling, I’m getting roasted by my friends for not just going to talk to her already.

Everything is fine. We’re all having a good time when two cowboys walk up to Chloe and her friend. They’re both flirting with Chloe, trying to edge the other one out, and everything happens so fast that I’m across the room as Chloe’s friend lands on the ground and Chloe is standing over her.

The friend is holding her head. “I’m okay.”

Chloe gasps. “You’re okay? Cassie, you just tried to break up a bar fight. I think you’re far from okay.”

I’m staring at Chloe, ready to throw her over my shoulder and get her out of here.

“What even happened?” the woman that Chloe called Cassie asks.

“The one asshole pushed the other asshole, and he grabbed on to you and took you down with him.” I answer her, even though I can’t take my eyes off Chloe.

“I’ll get you some ice,” I tell Cassie, while giving a look to the guys to keep an eye on Chloe. They know exactly what I’m asking, and after I get a nod from them, I go up to the bar to get ice.

By the time I get back, Cassie is sitting on a chair, some guys are holding the two men that were fighting, and Chloe is hovering over her friend.

I hand the ice to Chloe, and she gives it to Cassie.

Chloe looks over my shoulder. “Uh, the police are here.”

I turn and see my friend Baker coming through the door. He’s watching the woman seated, and I position myself closer to Chloe.

They talk about pressing charges, and after a lot of back and forth, Baker convinces the woman to let him take her home. I turn to them. “And don’t worry about Chloe. I can make sure she gets home.”

She nods in agreement, but as soon as Baker is out the door with her friend, she turns to me. “You don’t have to babysit me. I can find my own way home.”

“I would rather hang with you, but if you want to be by yourself, that’s fine too. Just know when you leave, I’ll be making sure you get home safe.”

She tilts her head to the side and looks up at me. “So you do want to spend time with me?”

I bite my lip before I say something over the top and tell her all the things I want to do with her and scare her off. “Yeah.”

She shrugs. “Well, that surprises the heck out of me because I’ve seen you around… you’ve bought me coffee and food, even followed me around town a little… but you never talk to me.”

I could make up something, sound a little more mysterious, but I come clean. “I’m leaving on a mission tomorrow. I thought I’d wait until I came back before I made my move.”

She smiles cheekily up at me. “That doesn’t sound very smart on your part.”

“Oh yeah? Why’s that?”

“What if you leave tomorrow and then I meet my knight in shining armor next week? We would never know what could have been between us.”

It’s a roller coaster of emotions because on the one hand I’m happy she’s willing to give me a chance, but as soon as she mentions another man, I’m ready to fight. I reach for her, putting my hands at her waist. “Dance with me.”

Her big blue eyes blink. She’s tiny next to me, and she has to lean her head back to look at me. “Okay.”

I thread our fingers together and walk with her to the dance floor. I don’t stop until we’re next to the far end of the wall where I can have her to myself. The song is a slow one, but it wouldn’t matter because it feels like I”ve waited forever to have her in my arms, so even if it was a fast one, I’d still be swaying with her pressed against me.

My heart is thundering in my chest. “Tell me about you.”

She leans her cheek against my chest. “How come I feel like you’ve already asked in town about me?”

“I have,” I admit. “But I want to get to know you.”

Chloe

I feel overheated just being in his arms. I can barely get the words out. “You go first. Tell me about you.”

“I’m thirty-two.”

I interrupt him. I knew he was older, but I didn’t know by that much. “You’re ten years older than me.”

He leans down to search my eyes. “Is that a problem?”

I bite my lip and shake my head, and he continues. “I was in the Army for a while and then went to the private sector. I work for Walker now.”

Everyone in town knows Walker and knows he hires mercenaries. It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask him if he’s a mercenary, but I think better of it. “Family?”

“Yeah, I want one.”

I laugh out loud and playfully smack him on the chest. “I mean your family. Your mom… your dad?”

“Oh, well, I’m a foster kid. No mom or dad.”

I stop swaying. “Wait, what about a foster mom or dad?”

He shakes his head as if it’s not a big deal. “What about you? I’m sorry to hear about your grandma.”

I gasp. “You have been asking about me.”

He pulls me flush against his body. I can feel his erection against my belly, but I do my best to ignore it. His voice is husky in my ear. “Yeah, I asked about you. I needed to know about the woman I can’t stop thinking about.”

I want to believe what he’s saying, but my past has made me doubtful. “Oh yeah? How many women have you used that line on, Elias?”

He leans down and whispers, “First of all, you know my name. Sounds to me like you’ve been asking about me. And second of all, you’re the only woman I’ve said those words to, and I can guarantee I won’t ever say them to anyone else.”

I stare up into his eyes and see the sincerity there. My mind flashes back to earlier tonight when Cassie told me she was a virgin. I sort of freaked out on her, and I’m ashamed of myself now. I’ve been hung up on myself because I thought I was the last twenty-two-year-old virgin, and it was surprising to find out I’m not. It’s not that I’m wanting to wait until marriage or anything; I’ve just been waiting to feel something for someone. I would be lying if I didn’t admit that since I first saw Elias, I’ve thought about it a lot with him.

We dance for what seems like hours. We talk some, but when there is silence between us, the way he holds me, the feel of his body against mine, I know I’m not the only one who has succumbed to whatever is happening between us.

Before I can talk myself out of it, I look up at him. “Will you take me home now?”

His eyes go shades darker, and he’s staring at my mouth. “You want me to take you home?”

I nod because if I open my mouth, I’m going to beg him to touch me right here.

He puts his hand on my lower back and leads me out of the Whiskey Whistler. “My truck is in the back.”

I point down the street. “My house is right down here. Can we walk?”

He nods and holds my hand in his. It’s a comfortable silence as we make our way down Main Street. When we get to my house, I hold his hand even tighter, and he brings it up and kisses my knuckles. As if he can read my mind, he mumbles, “I’m not going anywhere.”

I unlock my door and turn to him, hoping I’m making the right decision. “Stay the night with me, Elias.”

He doesn’t answer me. Instead he loops his arms around me, picks me up, and kisses me as he walks us both into the house before kicking my door shut. The kiss is explosive, and I can’t keep up. He pulls apart only to ask where the bedroom is, and when I tell him, his lips seal onto mine, and he carries me there.

He puts me down next to the bed and then strips the clothes from my body, kissing every part of me as he exposes it. My whole body is trembling, but I reach for the hem of his shirt and pull it over his head, wanting him as vulnerable as I feel right now.

He’s cupping my breasts, sucking my nipple into his mouth, and I arch my back, wanting more. Before I can stop myself, I moan, “I don’t normally do this.”

He grunts, and I don’t know why it’s important to me that he knows it, but I put my hands on his chest. “Elias. Look at me.”

He lifts his head, and his lips are swollen. “Trust me, I’m looking at you.”

I put my hands on his shoulders. “I…well, I think you should know… I’ve never done this.”

That gets his attention.

He stands up a little taller and puts his hands on each side of my neck. “What are you telling me, Chloe?”

I’m glad the room is mostly dark, because heat fills my face. “I’ve never been with anyone… not like this… and well, I just don’t want you to think I bring random men home from a bar, that’s all.”

He searches my face. “Why me?”

I shrug, afraid to confess the truth.

He brings his hands up from my neck to my cheeks, tilting my head so I have no choice but to look at him. “Tell me.”

I blink. “Because for the first time in my life, I feel alive. It’s the way you look at me, the way you hold my hand, the way you make me feel. I know this may be one night to you, and I understand what I’m getting myself into. But I also know that if I don’t do this, I’ll regret it for all my life. Don’t ask me how, but I just know it.”

He leans his forehead against mine, and with emotion in his voice, he tells me, “I feel the same way too, and I know it’s crazy, but I can see a future with you. This will be more than one night, Chloe. I promise you that. If you want to wait until I get back—”

I cut him off, wrapping my arms around his waist to hold him in place. “No, please, Elias. I want this to happen.”

He trails his finger down my cheek. “I promise to be gentle.”

The sentiment is sweet, but it’s not what I want. “I don’t want gentle.” I swirl my finger around his nipple. “I want to feel how much you want me.”

He groans and lifts me up and carries me to the bed. He lays me back, and I watch as he finishes undressing. As soon as his hard manhood springs free, he has his hand wrapped around his girth.

His eyes travel up my body from toe to head, and I feel it as if he’s caressing me with his hand. “You’re fuckin’ perfect, baby.”

I hold my hands up to him, and he climbs onto the bed, fitting himself between my open legs. His hands slide up my thighs, and when his lips touch me down there, I lift my hips in surprise.

I’ve touched myself before, but it’s never felt anything like this.

He kisses, licks, sucks, and caresses me until I’m soaked and practically begging him for more.

When he climbs up my body, he sheaths himself with a condom, and I feel his manhood nudge at my entrance.

He’s hovering over me. “Eyes on me.”

I lift my eyes, and he must see the fear in them because he’s at my entrance, but he stops moving. Hell, he’s so still as he looks at me, and his voice is gruff. “Tell me you want this.”

I nod, and he shakes his head. “Say it, baby. I need to hear you say it.”

I lift my arms and put my hands on his shoulders. Without any regrets, I tell him, “I want you.”

He shudders with relief, and slowly he lowers himself, pushing deeper inside me.

I’m holding my breath because the intrusion feels huge, and he reminds me to breathe.

I take a deep breath and let it out before planting my feet on the bed and lifting my hips, afraid he’s going to stop.

As if he’s lost all control, he thrusts into me, and I flinch at the pain but recover quickly. He gives me time to adjust, and then he starts to move.

Over and over, in and out, until he takes me to the edge and my toes curl, my body tenses up, and the orgasm shoots through me. With our eyes locked on each other, he doesn’t stop until I”m completely satisfied and my body lies limp as I try to recover.

He stays the night, showing me over and over just how good we are together.

It’s not until he’s gone that I realize his promises are nothing but lies.