Forbidden Love with the Marine(38)

She drove straight to see her sister Evelyn who lived in a beautiful loft apartment in the middle of the city. Confiding in her younger sister about Blade and her overall misgivings after the strange call helped to bring things into perspective.

“For a moment, I think I was actually beginning to fall for him,” Makayla muttered as she sat with Evelyn at the kitchen table. “I mean, he’s this gorgeous guy with sex appeal for days. From the moment I set eyes on him it was a losing battle with my hormones. I never dreamed I’d have my heart to worry about, as well. Do you think we went too fast? What if he’s married for God’s sake? At the very least he has a child he didn’t tell me about!”


Her feisty younger sister, who was an accomplished painter and sculptor with a thriving art studio below her loft apartment, made a funny face. “Uh...yeah? You slept with a guy you’ve known all of twenty four hours. A little fast on the draw, don’t you think?” was her comical reply. She regarded her elder sister with a look of sympathy if not a bit of reproach.

“You were always the sensible one. This Blade fellow must be really something to have you acting so out of character. Even though it was probably mostly just physical attraction and nothing more, I can see you’re shaken up.”

“Do you think that’s all it was? Physical?” Makayla asked as she worriedly chewed on her lip.

“Of course I do. The two of you jump into bed within twenty-four hours of meeting each other. If that doesn’t spell plain old horny then I don’t know what does.”

Makayla had to admit that Evelyn was probably right. If Makayla hadn’t been thinking with her blasted hormones, she’d have been more careful before jumping into bed with a man she barely knew.

Sure, he was Gina’s stepbrother but what did Gina even really know about him? They’d become a family when Gina was fifteen and Blade was nineteen. From what Gina had told Makayla, that same year Blade went on to sign up for the armed forces.

In less than a year after, his team was deployed to Afghanistan where he spent several months at a time, coming home only briefly on leave and then he was off again, sometimes to places he couldn’t even tell his family about.

Was it possible that Blade had a son or had even been married without his step-sister knowing? Makayla felt sure Gina would have told her if she’d known about ‘Jamie’. And the woman claiming to be Jamie’s mother – who was she to Blade? Were they still together, or...

Finally, Makayla told herself firmly to knock it off. She had to stop her head from going round in circles over Blade. She was certain he’d have a good explanation for everything and would gladly answer any questions she might have.

So why wasn’t she back at home? Why did she run off the moment his back was turned?

Maybe she was a coward. She really didn’t want to find out that maybe she’d been all wrong about him – that her irresistible hunk was no dream guy. She must have been crazy to have fallen all over him the way she had.

She let out a long sigh, partially in regret. Well, she wasn’t going to be making that mistake again.

For the first time, she’d let down her guard and went for what she’d wanted. She’d always been the one to have to fend off over-enthusiastic admirers. To think how she’d practically flung herself at Blade filled her with utter shame.

Which meant, of course, that she had only herself to blame if Blade turned out to be a married scumbag. Or at least, a guy with something to hide.

She dreaded the thought of seeing him again, but she couldn’t stay away from her place forever. If she handled everything with maturity and calm, Makayla felt sure she could get Blade out of her system and brush off the experience with her pride intact.

Half of her was hoping he’d be gone when she got back. The other half felt weakened by the wish to see him again. To give him a chance to set things straight.

Not that she was even sure why it meant anything. After all, Evelyn was right; it had been only about the sex.

When her phone rang later, an hour to closing at work, she picked it up mechanically, not at all expecting the familiar, stomach-melting voice that came on.

“Makayla. It’s Blade.”

Everything in her brain shut down. She snatched in a breath and wondered why her chest felt too tight, like her suit was several sizes too small. He said her name and she was thrown back in time to just three days ago, being half-crushed beneath him as he’d ground his powerful hips against her, drilling her to orgasm after orgasm with his masterful cock.

“How did you get my...why are you calling me at work, Blade?” she asked, trying to instill authority into her voice so he just might not suspect she was quaking like a leaf inside. How one sentence from him could reduce her to a shivering mess was hard to fathom.

“Because I’m worried about you. You left this note on the fridge saying you’re gone and will be back. Well, it’s been three days, Makayla. You’re obviously back at work and staying somewhere else to avoid me.”

Makayla’s eyes were closed. The surroundings faded away. She was no longer seated at her smooth edged desk in her well-appointed office. All the facts and figures of business which she’d been trying to strategize over since she arrived at work that morning disintegrated to ash.

His voice.

It melted right through her folds and turned everything inside to something juicy and soft. How did he do that? How could one man have such power over her sensuality? There was something so commanding and thrilling about him that pulled her and scared her at the same time. Makayla didn’t want to feel like this. Not for a man she’d just met – and it didn’t matter that he was Gina’s stepbrother or that he was an ex-army hero. It all came down to the fact that she barely knew him and already he had too much control over her deepest urges.