Chapter One
Connor
“ T his is the most embarrassing shit I’ve ever done,” I muttered, shifting my weight in a line full of women clutching books with half-naked men on the covers.
I couldn’t believe this guy had dragged me here. If any of the women here recognized us, we were fucked. Two famous boxers in a sea of hungry women. Built and tattooed like the men on their book covers.
Adrian elbowed me, his stupid grin so wide it could’ve split his face. “Relax, man. It’s culture. Romance novels are it .”
The line crawled forward, and I ground my teeth until my jaw ached. This was Adrian’s fault; it was always Adrian’s fault. I was considering stealing his signed book after this, as payback.
“Thanks, bestie.”
Adrian adjusted his pink baseball cap, which had some corny line written on the front. It also did absolutely nothing to hide the fact that we were huge and took up the space of three. Neither did our black hoodies and sunglasses, our attempt at being discreet .
My phone buzzed. A text from Jax, resident pain in my ass:
Jax
Pics or it didn’t happen.
Connor
Fuck off.
Jax
You’re standing in line for a romance signing? I’m crying.
I shoved my phone back into my pocket before Adrian could see the texts and gloat.
The line finally fucking moved, and a box skidding across the floor ahead grabbed my attention.
A small, worn white sneaker was kicking it. Pink stickers, flowers, and hearts peeled off the box’s corners. The books inside shifted with each nudge, heavy enough to make the cardboard sag under their weight.
It wouldn’t be weight to me, though. I was a fucking tank.
The sound was starting to grate on my nerves. My eyes tracked the box upward, past frayed baggy jeans and a white knitted sweater much too big for the person’s frame, to the back of their head.
A girl. She was three people ahead. Small, with long curls falling down her back like spilled ink. Her skin was a dark caramel gold even under these shitty fluorescent lights.
She looked to be fiddling with her sleeves. She was nervous; I could tell from years of fighting opponents. But when the author smiled at her, her cheeks told me she beamed like the damn sun had personally handed her a trophy.
“Sierra,” she told the author, soft but clear, even as her fingers trembled like a scared fawn.
Sierra.
Sweet, bright, the kind of thing that didn’t belong anywhere near someone like me .
Adrian leaned against me, breath reeking of cheap coffee as he tracked my stare.
“Cute, huh?” The smug look on his face said it all.
I felt my anger surge, and I shoved him back, a feat only Jax or I could manage. “Fuck off.”
There was something about him looking at her that made my blood fucking boil.
“You’re staring,” he said with a laugh that made me want to punch his teeth out.
I could have punched him right then and there. Maybe I should have. She bent to lift the box once she got her book signed, her arms buckling under its weight, and something inside me snapped clean in half.
I was there before I realized I’d moved, grabbing the box from the floor like it had offended me personally, which it did.
I picked it up without thinking, just so I could touch something she’d touched.
I finally got to see her face.
And fuck.
The world would never be the same.
The words slammed into my skull like a freight train, loud and relentless, drowning out everything else—the crowd, the shitty lights, even Adrian’s obnoxious laugh somewhere behind me.
She wasn’t just beautiful. She was… devastating. Long curls spilled over her shoulders in wild spirals, dark and untamed. Her eyes, when they locked on mine, were wide and impossibly soft like they’d never seen anything cruel in this world.
Her face was so damn cute that it pissed me off. It made me hungry. No one should look like that. Like something so perfect and untouchable. Like something I’d break just by standing too close.
My chest tightened, some feral instinct clawing its way up my throat like I was a damn caveman. I wanted to look away, I needed to, but I couldn’t. She had me pinned without even trying, her gaze flickering nervously over my face as if she were the one who should’ve been intimidated.
Everything about her made my nerves stand on edge, something that never even happened to me in the ring.
“I’ve got it,” she said hurriedly, reaching for the box again like she actually thought she could take it back from me.
Cute, but she couldn't carry this. How could anyone send her in here with this thing? It pissed me off again.
“No.”
I hefted the box onto my shoulder, the weight nothing compared to the urge to toss her over the other one and walk out of here with her forever. She’d be so soft, so small in my arms. The thought of her weight in my arms made me prickle with need.
She’s mine. The thought slithered into my head, sharp and possessive, curling around my ribs like barbed wire. She didn’t know it yet, didn’t know me, but it didn’t matter. This sweet girl was mine now, everything I’d been missing.
“Thank you...?”
She stammered, nervously biting her raw bottom lip. She was adorable in a way that made my head spin, perfect in ways I couldn’t even begin to process.
I grunted something that might’ve been “No problem” or “I’m a feral animal,” depending on translation.
Adrian coughed loudly behind me, which only made me want to punch him out more. I knew the exact smirk that would be on his face, telling me I was in some deep shit.
I couldn’t stop staring at her if I tried. She—Sierra—blinked up at me, unsure but curious, and I wanted to fucking absorb her. She smelled like lavender and ink and entirely mine.
“Car's where?” I demanded gruffly, shifting the box in an attempt to control myself.
My gaze tracked everything about that too-cute face of hers. Her lips were pink and flushed, bitten raw like she didn’t even realize she was doing it. I wanted to know what they’d taste like if I kissed her right now, I wanted to know what sounds she’d make if I bit them instead.
She pointed to the exit, sleeves covering her shaking hands, and I strode off, her hurried footsteps trailing behind. I had to slow down when I realized her short legs had trouble keeping up, and that was the cutest fucking thing ever.
God, she’s fucking perfect. I’d carry this box forever if it meant she’d follow me like this, like I wasn’t a monster.
The box dug into my shoulder, and I welcomed it. It was the only thing keeping me from just grabbing her and running. She trailed behind me like a startled fawn, her pink sneakers scuffing the pavement in a shaky rhythm that told me she was scared shitless.
Lavender.
It hit me again as she hurried to keep up, sweet and warm, undercut by the smell of books. Her hands trembled when she pointed to her car, a well-used blue sedan. My eyes scrambled to the license plate. I needed to know it, I needed to know everything about her.
“Here,” she said, her sweet voice frayed like a thread pulled too tight. Her fingers fumbled with the keys, shaking enough to tighten my chest.
She was so quiet. I watched every move she made, as if she were a puzzle made of pure softness, and I was the only one who could solve her.
The box hit the pavement harder than I'd meant it to, the thud echoing through the full lot. She flinched, her shoulders curling inward.
I immediately felt like the biggest fucking jerk.
“You shouldn’t be hauling this shit alone,” I growled, my voice sharper than I intended to mask my guilt.
She crossed her arms, knuckles whitening against her sleeves.
“I manage. ”
I nearly scoffed at her pretty face. This little liar had little canines, but I eyed how her breath came too quickly, how her chest rose and fell like she’d just sprinted a mile.
Her eyes darted everywhere but my face, anxious, skittish, and all mine.
The library logo on the box glared up at me, SUNSET PUBLIC LIbrARY , in a cheerful cursive that didn’t belong anywhere near her trembling hands. I’d burn it later if it meant she never had to carry anything so heavy again.
“Connor,” I said, because apparently my tongue had a death wish.
“Sierra.” She whispered and finally looked up, far up, brown eyes wide. She took me in with a silent gasp, a dark flush crawling up her cheeks.
A few moments of silence passed. Then she blurted out, “You’re… really big.”
I blinked under my dark sunglasses, caught off guard for the first time in years.
“Yeah?” Oh, this sweet, sweet girl. She had no idea.
She nodded quickly, silky curls bouncing with the movement, curls I wanted wrapped around my fist.
“And tall.”
A shaky laugh escaped her lips, soft and nervous, but real enough to make something dark twist in my gut. I realized she wasn’t scared of me exactly; she was more scared of everything else and trying not to let it show. Brave little thing.
She was still staring up at me, and for the first time ever, I was relieved she was attracted to me. I know I’m huge and muscular, but all I needed was for her to think it. My bicep was thicker than her throat, and that alone unleashed a whole other set of thoughts.
Adrian’s voice cut through the silence, hollering something obnoxious from the bookstore entrance. Sierra jumped at the sound, her keys slipping from her fingers and clattering to the ground like they were trying to escape with her .
“Oh—sorry—” She squeaked, bending to grab them, but I was faster, snatching them up before she could even blink.
She darted back up to me, her chest rising and falling much too quickly for such a small girl.
“Breathe,” I ordered, dangling the keys just out of her reach. I needed her calm and comfortable, and I liked seeing her tilt that little chin up to look at me.
Her gaze snapped to mine, sudden defiance sparking in those wide brown eyes like a match struck against steel. It made my cock twitch in my pants.
“I’m fine.” She stuttered out, clearly not fine given how her fingers were twisting in her sweater. The way she lied was fucking adorable.
I dropped to one knee, hoping to make her more comfortable and be closer to eye level with her.
I could see the slight blush on her cheeks, the bite marks on her pillowy lips. They should have been from my teeth. I still cast a shadow over her, even kneeling. If I didn’t already know I was a big fucking man, I sure felt like it now.
I took her small wrist into my palm, pressing my thumb against her fast pulse for longer than necessary. Her breath hitched, soft and sharp, and I wanted more of it. I wanted all of it. I wanted it against my mouth. But for now, I needed her calm.
“Breathe,” I ordered again, my voice a low rumble.
I watched the scared defiance on that pretty face melt away, and she reluctantly closed her eyes and took a deep breath, listening so sweetly. My lips twitched.
“Good girl,” I praised.
The triumph I felt when her pupils dilated and her gaze shot to mine all wide made me instantly rock hard. This girl was dangerous, so perfectly dangerous.
I handed her the keys, not wanting to fray her poor nerves even more today.
“Lock the doors.” My voice was low enough to make her shiver .
“And eat something. You were probably here for hours.” I didn’t want her to forget to eat. She deserved some food in that belly of hers.
She scrambled into the car without another word, muttering something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like bossy pants.
I felt a smile tug at my lips as she turned the key in the ignition, and when she glanced back at me before pulling away, it wasn’t fear in her eyes—it was curiosity. Wary but alive.