1. Samson

CHAPTER 1

Samson

I pace around the gym, watching all the patrons doing their thing. The air is thick with the sound of grunts and groans, feminine and masculine. My dad is working with a new client, his big body strangely gentle with the shy woman.

I shake my head and smile. He’s the one that always works with the special cases that need a little softer approach. That’s actually how he met Ruby, my mom. Well, not my birth mom. Sadly, Ruby couldn’t have children of her own so my dad and she looked into a surrogate for in vitro and found Colleen. It all worked out and now I’ve got a great life with two loving parents.

When I got old enough they told me about Colleen and I met her. She was really nice and answered any questions I had about my medical and family history. But she isn’t my mother. Ruby is and I understood that.

I still do. I love both of my parents. I love working at Tremaine’s Gym with all my aunts and uncles. Not real ones but my dad’s old army buddies that stayed together after all these years.

They’re all good guys. They all take care of each other. And all the families. They take that old adage…i t takes a village to raise a child, seriously .

My older sister, Belle, dances up to me. I cock my head and glare at her playfully. I love my sister, pain in the ass though she is. “What’s got you all excited, shorty.”

She pops a hand on her hip, cocky as ever. “I’ve got some news. Christmas is coming up, you know.”

A smirk tilts my lips. “I’m aware. It rolls around every year.”

She rolls her blue eyes. “Ugh! I hate talking to you but I figure if I don’t tell you this and you find out, you’re gonna whine about it and I get sick of listening to all your whimpering about her.”

My head comes up and it’s like my whole body is on alert. “Who?”

A smirk tilts her own lips. “You know who.”

A snarl erupts from my lips. “Don’t play games with me, sis! Who?” I know who. At least I hope I do. It’s been so long since I’ve seen her.

She hasn’t come home from college for two years now. She’ll be graduating early from college in January. She took a couple of gap years off so she’s twenty-five now. And still so damn pretty. So damn untouchable.

I know that she hasn’t been home because of me. The second I turned eighteen I let her know that I was interested. She was older but I didn’t give a shit. She’s had my heart since I turned sixteen.

But there’s no way that I would act on that before it was okay to do so. I would never risk her getting in trouble with our parents.

My parents know that I want her but they keep pointing out that maybe it isn’t a good idea.

Finn has mentioned that he hopes I know what I’m doing cause if I hurt his daughter, Chloe, he’ll beat the shit out of me which would be seconded by my own father, Jaxon.

I shake my head, pulling myself out of my thoughts. “Tell me,” I growl under my breath, my eyes darting around the gym.

She rolls her eyes. “Fine. Chloe’s coming home. Tomorrow.”

My heart skips a beat. She’s coming back home. I will be next to the woman of my dreams tomorrow. I’ll see her gorgeous pale green eyes and the long, wild dark auburn curls that tumble down her back like liquid fire. My fingers clench, fighting the urge to hunt her down now and lock her down. Not even give her the choice to walk away from me.

But that’s wrong and I know it’s wrong. My parents and all of the Tremaine’s Gym couples have been very outspoken about a woman’s rights. One of those being that you don’t push yourself on her if she’s not interested.

But it doesn’t mean that I can’t seduce her. Not in a bad way. Just try to push her a little bit towards me, us.

We belong together. I know it. She knows it. Why she stayed away? I’m sure that’s my fault as well. I was all in and I told her that. Maybe a bit much considering that she was twenty-three and I was just turned eighteen. I think she ran scared.

But while she was gone, I made my plans and if she didn’t come home after she graduated, I was going to find her.

“I can see the little wheels turning in your head, brother. Like a hamster.” Her lips curl. “You’d better be really careful. Because if you mess this up and piss off Mom and Dad and Uncle Finn and Aunt Ireland…”

I shrug my shoulders even though my heart is racing like I’ve run a damn marathon. “I know. I’m not going to hurt her. I just want her to admit that we belong together. I want her heart. Not to scare her.”

“The two things aren’t mutually exclusive. The last time you tried to win her over, you fucked up and she didn’t come home for two years. Ruby and Jaxon had to go see her there. You think everyone didn’t know that was you. I’m surprised that you’re not already in trouble.”

“I didn’t hurt her. I just talked to her and she ran. I’m not sure why and it’s not that big a deal.” Wrong! It’s a big fucking deal and I’d like to turn her over my knee for taking off like that. For leaving me here away from her. But I admit, I did come on kinda strong.

I never wanted to go to college. This gym and running it is what I want. I’ve been working with everyone to learn this business inside and out. Bishop has a lot on his plate with all our other gyms and the new franchises springing up all over the place. I want to be in charge of this one when he’s ready.

I took a lot of business classes in school and did an online course in business studies with the local college. With my work here, I easily graduated with honors and took over the day to day running of the gym and kept teaching and doing private training.

And waited. And I’ve kept waiting this whole time. Because I can’t do anything else.

I would wait forever for the only woman I’ve ever loved to come back to me. But if she doesn’t….you better fucking believe I’ll find her because no matter what, Chloe is mine.