Free

Chapter 1

ONE

Nick

4 years ago

I look up and my whole world changes.

Dark curls.

Bright smile.

Arms linked with my cousin Angela. She tosses her head back in laughter, carefree, joyous.

Captivating.

Garrett—Angela’s fiancé— stands beside me, showing off his new boat. For as interested as I was thirty seconds ago, all I see is her.

The stranger with my cousin.

My heart pounds.

My chest tightens.

My palms grow tacky as a smile starts in my chest and blooms across my face.

She’s small but moves with big energy. When her eyes hit mine it’s like a lightning strike. A missile launch. The crackle and thunder of fireworks on the Fourth of July.

Garrett frowns as the women come to a stop in front of us. “I thought you’d already heard enough about boats to last a lifetime,” he says to his soon-to-be-wife, before turning to me with a knowing grin. He’s a proud poppa and Angela only cares so much about fishing reels, knot-tying techniques, and docking maneuvers.

“Oh, I did.” Angela playfully rolls her eyes at the boat rocking in the water. “But your sister insisted we come down anyway so she could make fun of you. The rest of your family’s in the house. You know, smart enough to wait for you to come inside.”

Garrett’s sister, huh? She’s small and cheerful where he’s large and foreboding. She moves with vitality, like the world is filled with exciting things and she simply can’t wait to uncover them all. Where his eyes take stock, measure, size things up, hers…

A lifetime of possibility waits inside.

They’re dark, flecked with autumnal shades of amber and gold. When they meet mine, I want to rise to whatever occasion she sets before us.

She greets her brother before holding out a hand to me. “I’m Charlie, by the way. Garrett’s much cooler younger sister.”

The scent of saltwater and sunbaked wood fills the air, mingling with the faint trace of lavender and lemon wafting from Charlie as she steps closer. Her laugh, low and musical, sends a shiver through me, the kind I’d feel standing at the edge of a storm front.

“Nick.” Her hand is soft. My reaction to her touch is anything but. “Angel’s cousin,” I finish, lamely. The dock rocks gently beneath us, water lapping. My footing feels anything but steady.

Charlie blushes, her gaze darting to the ground, then right back up to mine again. “It’s a pleasure.”

Her voice is low and throaty.

She bites her lip then smiles into her shoulder.

Garrett watches her reaction, thoughts tick, tick, ticking away, his business savvy brain analyzing and evaluating. “Nick’s a Marine. Just in town for the wedding and is shipping back out soon.”

A blush pinks Charlie’s cheeks, her eyes tracing a burning path over my body. Something tells me she likes the thought of a man in uniform.

Could she be the one who actually makes me consider, one day, not wearing one anymore?

Hold on…

What the actual hell? What am I thinking?

Angela and Garrett’s pre-nuptial bliss must really be getting to me.

It’s been five minutes, and Charlie’s already managed to crawl under my skin. How does someone do that? There’s an unspoken challenge in her gaze, daring me to reconsider the rules I’ve lived by my entire life. I won’t, of course. I can’t. But there’s something about her that makes me wish I could.

I love my life.

Love my job. I can’t imagine not being a Marine, despite the danger.

A long life is guaranteed to no man. Death comes for us all. But me? I flirt with disaster every time I ship out. Because of that, a serious relationship just isn’t in the cards for me. Never has been. Never will be. How could I commit my life to someone, knowing it could be cut short?

I drag a hand through my hair, trying to brush away the strange thoughts.

Five minutes, Hut. You’ve known her for five minutes.

Definitely has something to do with the wedding.

Despite my best efforts to push Charlie out of my mind, fate seems determined to keep throwing her in my path during the lead-up to Garrett and Angela’s wedding.

The bridal party spends a day on the water—another excuse for Garrett to show off his boat—and I spend most of it stealing glances at Charlie in a bikini that should be illegal. At the beach bonfire later, she and Micah get into a lively argument over who’s the reigning champion of chicken. Naturally, this escalates into an impromptu showdown in the ocean, and of course, Micah, eyes sparkling with assholery, volunteers me to be Charlie’s partner.

Because having her thighs gripping my neck like a vise is exactly what I need to help forget her. Great plan, Micah.

And as if that weren’t enough, the universe seats us next to each other at the rehearsal dinner. Gun to my head, I couldn’t name a single other person at the table. It’s just her and me, trading stories, teasing, laughing, and only snapping back to reality when the clink of glasses interrupts us for the toasts.

Even when I’m alone, I’m not safe. She’s there, invading my thoughts, my dreams, stealing any sense of control I thought I had.

The breaking point comes at the reception. When she asks me to dance, I don’t even hesitate. Hours later, we’re the last ones there, lingering under the moonlight, hands entwined, her thumb tracing lazy circles over my knuckle. The world narrows to just the two of us, as if this impossible connection has somehow carved its own space to exist.

“When do you ship out?” Charlie asks softly, her eyes searching mine.

“Day after tomorrow. You?”

She gives me a sad smile. “First thing in the morning. Back to Wildrose Landing.”

New England. Thousands of miles up the coast. Yet another reminder why we aren’t meant to be. The reality of our lives should be enough to end whatever this is growing between us.

It’s not.

“Would it be okay if I texted you sometime?” I ask, my voice rough, my confidence wavering like a teenager’s.

Her grin lights up the night. “I’d be pretty upset if you didn’t.”

Three weeks later

This is call sign Deployed Marine, looking for a bearing on a Charlotte Cooper

Charlie

Hey! I’ve been thinking about you! All settled in?

I mean, 10-4?

Roger that?

I’m not really experienced in military lingo

The next day

Sorry for the delay in response

Wish I could explain, but…

It’s classified

Charlie

Ooohh… Classified, huh? Sounds exciting!

I’d tell you, but then I’d have to kill you

From exciting to dangerous in one tiny text

You do now how to make an entrance

What about today? Got anything exciting lined up?

Great question. Would love to answer, but…

Classified

Really??? Even that’s classified???

Ok, hmm. I think this should be a safe question

Do you enjoy what you do there?

Sorry… Classified

Are you saying I can’t be trusted? Even with something that basic? Wow, Hutton. Trying not to be insulted here

No insult intended! You just need sufficient clearance first. You’re dealing with the government

These things take time

1 week later

Charlie

The weirdest thing happened in yoga today

I’ve got like 25 weird yoga things in my head.

Do tell

Sorry, it’s classified

Not cool, Cooper. That’s my game

It’s fun, I see why you like it

Think it’s gonna be my game now too

What’s good for the goose is good for the gander

Or whatever the Marine version of that would be

Message received. No more classified unless it’s classified

So what happened at yoga?

I had a new student who turned out to be an old friend from high school. Davis Chaplin. I always had this secret crush on him. He was voted most likely to succeed, and boy did he. He works in finance now, lives in one of the big mansions on the coast

Good for him?

Yeah. Sure. He seems to think so anyway.

Have we gotten to the weird part yet?

Patience, Marine. I can only type so fast

Patience is a new skill for me

Okay. Here’s the weird part…

The guy I used to daydream about asked me on a date and I turned him down

Why?

I’ve got my eyes on someone better