Forbidden Love With the Marine by Burke, Dez (best books to read in your 20s txt) 📕

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

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

spacious bathroom. The image of her nudity was enough to be imprinted on his vision forever. The

pinched in waist, the full, high-tipped