Bex Dane's Blog

Stella is trying to get a rise outta Helix.

His eyelids fluttered closed, and he twisted his hand to catch my fingers in his. "I'm sorry I lost control again. It shouldn't have happened."
"Why do you lose control?"
He didn't answer and tilted his head down.
I stared at the top of his head trying to figure him out. He was so hot and cold. My skin was still tingling where he'd bit me just moments ago. What caused the shift? "You only want me when you're jealous of Tarrick?"
His hand flexed in mine, and as his head came up, the flare of his eyes told me I was on the right track. Earlier, he went feral when Tarrick kissed me. Just now, he came out of the bathroom fuming, but as soon as he saw the dog tags, he calmed down and pulled away.
I lifted the necklace over my head and dropped it on the floor next to the bed. "You know, I'm disappointed I'll never see Tarrick's dick."
His shoulders stiffened.
"He told me he had a huge Nigerian cock. I was looking forward to seeing what it could do, but if he's an evil drug lord, I guess I'll never find out." I waved my hand in a lazy circle like I was Cleopatra on a chaise lounge.
Suddenly, we were face to face, so close I could smell his breath. Clover and orange this time. "Cut the jokes, Stella. This is dead serious."
"I was going to be the queen of the Soul Flames cult." I pouted.
His hand came up and gripped my neck, he applied a light pressure as his fingers started to shake. "You messing with me? You want to throw your life away like that? We'll be burying you within a year if you continue with that man." A vein in his temple pulsed.
Okay, this was working. He was on the edge of losing it. I was playing a dangerous game, but I couldn't resist. "If I go six feet under, put me in a fabulous Bob Mackie gown and four-inch heels."
His pupils flared, his eyes almost black. "Stop."
"Remember, I like a high-class charcuterie. Oh, and whatever you do, do not serve fish at my wake."

I'm seven chapters into Helix's first draft. Here's a little teaser with spoilers. Helix is looking for Stella and Kane has determined she's on her way to Barbados.

Holy shit. She was flying to meet him on his yacht.
"I need to get my ass there ASAP."
"Is this for a job?"
"No, it's Stella," I said, not hiding the exasperation in my voice as I watched the plane lift off and angle upward.
He chuckled because he knew Stella was always up to something. I did not find this particular stunt very humorous. "I'll see what's available."
"I can have my gear packed in an hour."
"Bro."
"What?"
"You been to the islands before?"
"No."
"How are you planning to blend in?"
I looked down at my torn jeans, steel-toed boots, and sleeves of tattoos that extended up my neck. I scared the hell out of the bravest criminals, and I'd be very conspicuous in Barbados.
"Swing by my place, I'll give you the Island makeover," Kane said with humor in his voice.
Kane was new to Knight Security. I didn't know him at all, but he was also native Hawaiian. Not the same as Barbados, but he knew much better than I did how I needed to present myself.
"Fine."
I ended the call and pulled out my burner as I walked back to my bike. It appeared I was getting a makeover and taking an impromptu trip to Barbados. I had other shit to do. People depending on me.

Helix's book had begun! He's fought me for several years, first appearing in Torrez in 2019 and reappearing in Falcon and a few times in Knight Security.
I've written two short stories for him but the full book was never in the cards.
The muse has reluctantly allowed Helix to have a happy ending with Stella, who he insists must be his!

The tentative title is Broken Armor and it's friends to lovers, hidden identity, Stockholm captor/captive.

It's interracial as Stella is Black and Helix is... yet to be determined, probably Latino.

Here's a sneak peak of Chapter 1 that will most likely change.

Helix's gaze finally shifted to me, simmering with that slow quiet rage that was always just below the surface. "I don’t trust that guy."
I rolled my eyes. "You don’t trust anyone."
He shrugged and placed his inked forearms on the table, shoulders hunched forward. His massive collection of bracelets clinked and the table wobbled as he very ungracefully assaulted it. His eyes softened as they rested on me. His silence spoke volumes—it was that unspoken promise, one I’d felt a thousand times. Helix would always be there, his unyielding presence both a shield and, in moments like these, a hatchet in all my plans.

TRUE ANCHOR IS LIVE! (Book 4 of Knight Security)
Hello! It's been a while, but I have an exciting new book to share with you. 

In True Anchor, former Navy SEAL Magnum Beaumont finds himself in a fake marriage with his brother's girl.

Mag was a ladies' man in the other books of the Knight Security series. He was the one encouraging Vander to "glaze the doughnut" with Misha. He was a bad boy with serious commitment issues. 

The only way to break through to his heart was to force him into a fake relationship where he acted like a faithful man and experienced what love could be like under the safety of the ruse!

It worked. He fell hard for Wren, our heroine.

View True Anchor on Amazon

"You’ll be turning the page faster and faster as you fall in love with Magnum and Wren. Dangerous adventures that’ll keep you reading and forbidden love that’ll give you chills. So good I couldn't put it down."

I'm not trying to steal my brother's bride. I'm protecting her like he should've done.

He left her crying on the steps of city hall, wedding dress soaked with rain, fear in her eyes.

He gave her no choice but to marry me in his place because he didn't keep his promise.

Now, I'm the one keeping her safe from the thugs threatening to kill her.

And my little brother better think twice before showing up here trying to reclaim her.

Because she's mine, and no one touches my fake wife except me.

View True Anchor on Amazon

Spoilerish teaser:

"Oh, one more thing." He opened the trunk of the car and pulled out a huge bouquet of long-stemmed red roses. He held them out with an awkward smile that was very uncharacteristic of my confident commando. "For my wife."

He did not say… No way. How did he… They'd been in the car all this time, even before the magic show? He'd planned all this? For me?

"Take them."

I raised my arms robotically, and he set a bundle of at least two dozen deep red velvet roses in my embrace. They were wrapped in black tissue with a decadent burgundy bow.

"I don't know how to take care of them," I whispered as I stood woodenly in the parking lot, my eyes taking in each unopened bud like it was a newborn babe. What did they need? I wanted them to last forever. I wanted to encase these roses in resin and hang them on the wall above my bed so I could always remember the night I was Magnum's fake wife and he was a sentimental softie.

Read it now

Bex Dane's books chronological reading order

Men of Siege Series

Violet (Novella 0.5) Free to newsletter subscribers at bexdane.com

Rogan (Book 1)

Tessa (Short Story 1.4) Free to newsletter subscribers at bexdane.com

Lachlan (Novella 1.5)

Zook (Book 2)

Torrez (Book 3)

Falcon (Book 4)

Men of Siege Box Set (Books 1-4)

Twist Brothers Series

Fighting for Foster (Prequel Novel)

Fighting for Forever (Bonus Epilogue) Kindle Vella Exclusive

Captivated by Cutter (Book 1)

Memorizing Mace (Book 2) 

Twist Brothers Box Set

Knight Security Series

Blue Honor (Book 1)

Steel Valor (Book 2)

Safe Harbor (Book 3)

Knight Security Box Set (Books 1-3)

True Anchor (Book 4)

All my books are free to read in Kindle Unlimited.

If you enjoy True Anchor, please leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or Bookbub.

Thank you and happy reading,

Love Bex

Chapter 1 Betrothed

A petite Asian girl, dark hair pulled back, a black and white argyle sweater with a white dress shirt underneath, small string of pearls beneath the sharp points of the collar, black slacks with a crease in the front, white socks, and penny loafers.

"What do you like to do for fun, Wren?" I asked, my tone a little too accusing.

"Oh, I guess I like to feed the birds." She didn't seem sure of her answer.

"I fucking hate birds."

Chapter 2 The Happy Couple

Hot sludge oozed in my chest. It tightened into a knot followed by a strong urge to grab her, force her to tell me everything, and then spank her innocent ass. I'd mess up her hair and smear her lipstick. Put a different kind of pearl necklace around that delicate neck.

Chapter 3 Courthouse Stairs

“But if he knew you were sitting on the steps of the Beverly Hills Courthouse crying in the rain in your pretty dress, your face all twisted in pain, I'm sure he'd want me to stand in for him today."

Chapter 4 Blind Union

He opened his lips slightly and I opened mine, and in that space, there was magic. Fireflies and sparkling dust floated between us. I wanted to dive into it and live there.

Chapter 5 The Six Sands on Topanga

"I'm getting tired of repeating myself, little bird, so tell me what's going on now and save us both some trouble."

Chapter 6 Honeymoon Confession

"Try to relax now. You're safe here. I need you to promise me you'll tell me the truth right away if anything else happens."

Chapter 7 Protected

"Talon's going to have a crew install cameras and security today. New doors and locks Monday." He motioned toward the glass doors at the front of the bakery.

"New doors?"

"Your doors are shit." He hunched forward and shook his head like the doors were an insult to him. We'd had those same doors since I was a kid, and no one had ever said they weren't safe.

Chapter 8 Shattered Glass

I knew he was tending to my wounds, but an intoxicating heat exuded from him. It was like he came to life with the rush of danger and his warrior mode had been activated.

Chapter 9 Hot Stick of Beef

My happy place had been attacked. My routine was shot. I didn't even have any clothes. My husband was still missing, and my brother-in-law was a tempting hot stick of beef.

Chapter 10 Skin Care

"You ever dated a Black dude before Gavin?" My thumb worked the lotion in small circles. She had such delicate wrists, and I hated that they felt good in my hands, like I was holding something precious and fragile.

Her gaze raked slowly up and down my chest and torso. Her eyes flared and locked on the trail of hair above the waist of my pants. I chuckled and rubbed it with my hand.

Drink it in, baby. Looks tasty. Don't it?

Chapter 11 Support Arrives

His hand slid higher, digging into my hair, his fingers clenching and scratching my scalp. "F***, baby." The deepest, most gravelly voice I'd ever heard hummed in my ear. Something round and hard pressed gently between my b*** ch****. "You gotta sleep without p*****s, so I can have my choice between your a** and your p****."

Chapter 12 The Invitation

This girl had us fighting over pastries and donating to homeless shelters. She was f***ing incredible.

"There's no clues in her bathroom shit. You could've put it in a separate bag or something. She doesn't need her dinosaurs."

"They're not dinosaurs," Wren said quietly. "They're dragons."

Chapter 13 Mexican Hot Chocolate

"Mexican hot chocolate," he said. I stared in shock as he poked his finger in the soft foam and then stuck it in his mouth. He popped his finger out and smirked. "A little hot. Watch out." He winked. "Spicy. Not sure if you can handle it."

Chapter 14 Entering My Red Era

"Okay, okay. I hear you. Don't worry. Stella is here now. Your girls are here for you. We got your back."

Chapter 15 The Trance

An Asian guy with big shoulders, a thick brow, some pock marks on his cheeks, and really intense dark eyes. "Kanekoa Makiloku," he said with either a Hawaiian or Polynesian accent. "Kane for short," he added without the accent. Wow. He was really impressive.

Chapter 16 Revenge

"I want to k*** Tommy."

"You can't, baby."

"I want to."

"How you planning to do that?"

"I don't know."

Chapter 17 Making It Clear

"Do you really have sex with women in their back door?"

Jesus. "Dear God, help me." I growled and fisted my hands at my side. "I did not say that."

But if I did want to do that to someone, and she'd made it clear she's open to it." God, this was difficult to discuss with her. "Yeah, I'd take it."

Chapter 18 The Cheater

I was going to take this girl and ruin her. Force my c*** in her m***h and make her cry. Pull her hair and sp*** her a** till she begged for mercy. 

 It's against the rules. You're my brother's girl, and we both know we're not pretending. We both know this is dangerous, and we're playing with fire. I'm not a cheater, and I don't lie to people, even myself."

Chapter 19 Validity

"Did Mag give you a nickname?" Stella asked.

"Actually, he calls me Rebel. And sometimes Little Bird."

Chapter 20 Princess Cut

I had been transformed.

From the little bird who hid behind the counter at the bakery to a beautiful red dragon with claws and cat eyes.

Chapter 21 I Shield You

"I will always shield you, baby. A spotlight comes at you, I'll shield you. Shattered glass, I shield you. A bullet, I shield you."

Chapter 22 Changing the Playing Field

I wanted to shed this dress like a winter jacket. I wanted dirty things that weren't okay in public, but I didn't care at all. Nothing else mattered but climbing inside of Magnum and disappearing into this kiss.

Chapter 23 A Room with a View

"We're newlyweds and it's Valentine's Day. I don't see nothing wrong with sneaking away with my lovely bride to share some private time."

Her fingers flexed uselessly on the glass. "Really? I thought you didn't like astronomy at all."

I paused. How did she not know? "Oh, I do. I'm obsessed with everything about it. I thought that was obvious."

"I didn't have a clue."

Chapter 24 Survival and Evasion

"Run, Rebel. Don't get caught for ten minutes. Stay in the concrete areas."

Chapter 25 Sentimental Softie

I wanted to encase these roses in resin and hang them on the wall above my bed so I could always remember the night I was Magnum's fake wife and he was a sentimental softie.

"Don't let go," he said, but I didn't have a choice. I was holding onto him like his d*** was a pommel of a saddle and I was about to fall off a bucking bronco.

Chapter 26 The Big Easy

"Watching you throw beads at Mardi Gras stirred somethin' in me. Made me want to take you all over the world so you could do every stupid tradition known to man.”

Chapter 27 Mindfuck

"Listen. I don't know you, and I'm not sure why you're talking to me, but if you were lucky enough to spend time with Magnum, and he happened to be mean to you, and not only did you not put him in his place, you liked it, then maybe you should seek out a therapist for your messed up head instead of approaching strangers in the middle of Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras."

Chapter 28 Fallen Soul

“I want to be the one that gives that to you, imperfect as it is, because I can't stand the thought of it being anyone but me."

"Give what to me?" I could barely speak as he took my face in his hands and lowered his head so our lips were a breath apart.

"My broken heart," he angled his chin down like he was pointing to his heart. "This scarred body," he pressed a soft kiss to my lips, "and my fallen soul, if you'll take it."

Chapter 29 Beauty

I'd been a saint. I'd waited with the patience of a thousand suns and very dutifully protected the virtue of a woman who was my brother's girl once but was clearly mine now.

"Are you sad?" I wrapped my arms behind her back to draw her close. If I'd ruined this for her…

"I can't believe how beautiful it was."

I breathed out a huge sigh of relief. "Me either, babe. F***ing gorgeous."

Chapter 30 Beignets

"I want the good, bad, the ugly. I want it all." It was true. I was tired of hiding from ugly things. I didn't want to be protected anymore. I wanted to be involved and help in making decisions on how to handle the mess we'd created.

Mag's lips pressed together, and he looked me up and down. The hardness in his eyes softened. "Fine."

Chapter 31 Fine As Hell

"I'm in love with her. She's mine. That's my ring she's wearing, and I'm protecting her from Kenny. She will be part of this family, but she'll be mine.”

"Damn, bro. She's fine as hell."

"Don't I know it.”

"I blew it."

"You did."

Chapter 32 Get Over It

I propped my hands on my hips and leaned forward. "Get over it."

Chapter 33 Get Undressed

"Get undressed, stand behind the couch facing the window."

Chapter 34 Red Smoke

The red smoke swirled around us as my vision darkened. "Mag, I love you."

If I died, I wanted him to know he was my everything.

Chapter 35 On The Move

"What the hell was that?"

"Let's go to the library," I said, sardonically.

"Your cover's blown?"

Chapter 36 Take Your Shot

"Can I kill him?"

"No."

"Please."

"This is survival not revenge."

"Right. Right. Okay. I'll be quiet. Sorry."

Chapter 37 Marina Del Rey

"We're looking for a boat called the Illusion. Big enough to hold thirty to fifty passengers. They got a head start of fifteen minutes out into the marina. "

Remy nodded and adjusted some controls on his instrument panel. "And what will you do when you find it?"

"How much rope you got?"

He paused and then grinned. "One rope, four harnesses."

"That'll work."

"Shit."

Chapter 38 Betrothed Redux

"The last time I did this, it was fake. But I didn't want it to be. I wanted it to be as real as it is now. I was a ship adrift at sea in a violent storm and you are my anchor."

Epilogue

"I give you this ring as a symbol of my unending devotion and to declare that I have chosen you above all else now until the end of time." He cleared his throat, and his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. "You belong to me."

Wren

"I'm sorry. You're too late. You'll have to reschedule." The clerk inside the courthouse tilted her head and showed no emotion as she crushed all my hopes with those words. She was a pretty woman, a little older than me with bleach-blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail.

"No, please. We're only a few minutes late. Please let us in."

Her red lips stiffened, and she tapped the little clock on her desk. "Your time slot was only fifteen minutes and you're ten minutes late. There are people waiting behind you." She peered over my shoulder to dismiss me.

"Okay. Thank you." Her nose scrunched as she motioned for me to move aside. I wasn't angry at her. I understood she was just trying to follow the rules. Being a coordinator for hundreds of short weddings was probably a very difficult job.

She didn't know my life was at risk and I had to get married today or the gang leader who was after me would force me to marry him. Magnum didn't know. The only one who knew was Gavin, and he wasn't here.

I turned around and prepared to face Magnum with the bad news, but he was already pushing into my spot to get up close to her desk.

He didn't say anything, just towered over her with a smug grin. He slipped a hand into the pocket of his slate gray slacks and pinned her with those piercing whiskey eyes.

His voice deepened and added a smooth Southern drawl as he called her darling. I couldn't hear everything, but it sounded like he was explaining how much the wedding meant to me and how he knew she'd understand that he wanted to give that to his future wife.

The woman visually melted before my eyes. She blinked quickly and her mouth dropped into a pout, eyebrows up. The cold stiff lip she'd given me was gone, and she looked like she'd spent a day at the spa after talking to Magnum for thirty seconds.

"Just sign right here." She handed Magnum a pen. 

He signed it Gavin Beaumont and didn't blink or flinch. He was totally lying, pretending to be his brother, and getting away with it.

"Go on in now and congratulations." She shooed us away with a sentimental smile.

"Oh my gosh. Thank you," I said to her.

"Girl, enjoy the honeymoon. That boy is hot as fire and sweet as sugar." She licked her teeth and checked out his backside as she watched Magnum turn around.

Really? Magnum? The big jerk who hated birds?

Magnum smirked as he swept up my hand and guided us into the makeshift wedding chapel in the back of the courthouse.

I didn't have time to tell her that he despised me until about five minutes ago. She didn't know how he'd accused me of being pregnant and that he insulted his brother all night. She didn't know that he'd sneered at my grandmother's pearl necklace like it was a sign of the Devil when I first met him.

It was too late now because she was behind me and in front of me stood a petite Black woman with gray hair. She was wearing a neatly pressed robe and holding a three-ring binder in her hands as she smiled at us.

"Wen Li Song? Is that how you say it?" She pronounced my legal name incorrectly like most people did.

I took a deep breath and focused on her instead of my racing heart. "Wren Song, please."

She nodded. "Gavin Beaumont?"

He dipped his head slightly to indicate she had it correct which she didn't because he wasn't Gavin. Gah!

"Rings?"

Magnum pulled a ring off his middle finger and handed it to the officiant. I removed the engagement ring and gave it to her in a daze.

Was this really happening? Was I marrying Gavin's brother in his place?

"Join both your hands."

It appeared that, yes, I was marrying Gavin's brother as a proxy for Gavin who didn't show up to our emergency wedding ceremony that was going to save my life. My heart thumped so loudly I was sure everyone could hear it in the tiny room.

I didn't move, but Magnum reached out and took my small hands in his. He had calluses and rough skin, but he was strong and confident, which I needed right now. I clung to him like a lifeline in the midst of my panic.

"We're here today to join Gavin Beaumont and Wren Song in a union based on true love and blessed laughter. Today is the first day of their journey together as a couple."

I gulped down the huge lump in my throat.

"A marriage is not just a ceremony but a promise to put the other's well being before your own, to think of them in all your choices, and to willingly receive their deepest thoughts and intimate experiences."

My hands shook and he squeezed them gently. I looked up at him and his eyes had softened. He was smiling a little bit and whoa boy, was he handsome. He was like Gavin in a lot of ways, same dark skin and light eyes.

Magnum had longer, curly hair tinged with lighter streaks that hung down over his eyes and thick lashes. His frame was much larger than Gavin and his features were bigger, more dramatic. He had a large flat mole on his cheek and a rough edge to everything, like he'd cleaned up for today, but a suit was not his normal attire. The cargo pants and dirty Henley I'd seen him in the first night seemed more his everyday attire.

Magnum had a wild aura around him like he might run off at any second. He was always moving, tapping his foot, his eyes always scanning the room. But at this moment, he was still and totally focused on me.

"Do you, Gavin, take Wren to be your eternal partner, a witness to your life, your anchor in the storm, and the home of your heart for this lifetime and beyond?" The justice of the peace had said the words tons of times, but to me, they struck right through my heart. A wedding was supposed to be loving and hopeful, not full of fear and panic.

"I do." He swallowed and his Adam's apple bobbed. 

My face felt so hot I knew my cheeks were flaming cherry red. "Do you, Wren, take Gavin to be your eternal partner, a witness to your life, your anchor in the storm, and the home of your heart for this lifetime and beyond?"

"I do." I managed to squeak the words out but it didn't feel real. It felt like I was watching from the foyer, and this was happening to someone else.

"Exchange the rings and repeat after me. I give you this ring as a symbol of my unending devotion and to declare that I have chosen you above all else now until the end of time."

My hands trembled too much to get his ring on or get any words out. Tears were threatening to overflow.

He leaned down and whispered in my ear. "You're doing great. You got this."

With a deep breath, I managed to get it on his ring finger and say the words.

"You belong to me," the justice of the peace said.

I looked up at Magnum and said, "You belong to me."

Then it was his turn. Magnum was in total control at that moment. His voice was like liquid honey. "I give you this ring as a symbol of my unending devotion and to declare that I have chosen you above all else now until the end of time." He slipped the ring on my finger. "You belong to me."

"Did you want to share any vows?" the justice of the peace asked.

"No."

"Yes," Magnum said at the same time.

"Go ahead." She smiled patiently even though I knew we were taking up her precious time.

He caressed the top of my hands with his thumbs, and it was very distracting. "I want you to know, Wren, that you are very special, and you deserve the best in the world, not just today but every day. I want to thank you for this chance because just standing here with you, I'm seeing things I never thought I'd see before. I promise to always tell you the truth and to protect you from anyone or anything that would harm you."

"Wren?" The officiant's voice echoed at me like I was in a tunnel.

Uh. Wow. Breathe in. Breathe out. Talk. Words. My turn to talk. "Um. I just wanted to say thank you for being here. It means a lot to me and I'm grateful. I will always remember this day, and I promise to be truthful to you too." There. That was good enough.

"Good. Then by virtue of the law granted to me by the State of California, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

I stared up at him and my breath caught in my throat.

Kiss Gavin's brother? The one who was so mean to me when I met him but now he was doing something thoughtful and saying nice things.

He lowered his head and aimed just to the side of my mouth. As he came close, I took in his scent. He smelled good and it felt like a magnet was pulling my face to his. I turned my head and made our lips meet.

He froze at first, surprised by my sudden move. With a small grunt, his arm reached behind me and yanked my hips against his. He was hard and bumpy all over as he bent me back and extended the kiss. No open lips, no tongue, but it was soft and passionate and a lot better than kissing Gavin.

He opened his lips slightly and I opened mine, and in that space, there was magic. Fireflies and sparkling dust floated between us. I wanted to dive into it and live there. Without even thinking, I reached out with my tongue, but he was already pulling away.

His mouth quirked up on the sides and spread into a handsome grin.

Oh boy. Oh my. What had I done?

The justice of the peace and the few witnesses in the room began to clap softly.

And with that, I was married to Gavin, who was really Magnum, and hopefully,  I was safe.

Almost done with the second draft of Mag's book. Pre-order coming soon.
These are Mag's thoughts at the magic show.

"We needed to get this done quickly so I could get Wren out of here and proceed with my Valentine's Day plans with my wife.
My fake wife, but still, my wife. Wearing my ring, so mine."

Bex Dane

I have published Chapters 1-5 of True Anchor on Patreon. 1-3 are free and the rest of the book is just $2/month and I'm posting several times a week.
This book will be released in Kindle Unlimited and pre-order should be up soon.
It's happening!

Magnum

It rained that day. Rain in this part of Southern California was rare, but on the day my brother had picked to get married, the sky decided to drop some serious precipitation.

The collar of my suit jacket scratched against my neck and the pants constricted my blood flow, but after his big give me a chance speech at the engagement party, I owed it to him to look presentable while I showed my support for his union.

The security clearance was a joke, and I walked through with my weapon in my pocket. The lobby bustled with people wandering around trying to find their way in the courthouse. 

No sign of my brother or his beautiful Asian bride with soulful eyes.

Upstairs in the public records office, the clerk pointed me toward a room designated for wedding ceremonies. A gaggle of couples waited outside, but none of them were Gavin and Wren.

The scene reminded me of intake in the military. Pointless waiting only to get some formal stamp on a piece of paper. They all looked nervous before the ceremony, bickering or doom scrolling on their phones. They'd get called in and disappear for fifteen minutes with a few friends and family, and they'd come out smiling with their shiny new rings. They took pictures they'd never look at again to mark the moment in time they were irrational enough to believe it could last till death.

The wedding concept was the biggest farce ever perpetrated on our society. Love was an illusion. More than half of these couples wouldn't make it a few years into marriage. Yet they were lined up around the corner, all of them spinning the wheel of luck hoping they'd be the half that would make it. Their lawyers would be fighting over who got to keep the ugly photos they had taken that day.

After about twenty minutes of watching disgusting displays of false hope and empty promises, I asked the clerk what time the Beaumont ceremony was scheduled for.

"Thirty minutes," she said.

Where were they?

I searched the whole place for them then determined they must've been outside, possibly looking for me. The sun had broken through and the rain had stopped. The reflection off the wet pavement blinded me briefly me as I scanned the area in front of the building.

Nothing.

I sent Gavin a text.

Me: Where the fuck you at?

Me: Where's Wren?

Me: Fucker

A tiny whimper pulled my attention from my phone. Across the plaza, in a stone stairwell, I caught a glimpse of black hair pulled into a messy bun on the top of a woman's head.

A sheer lavender shawl covered her bare shoulders and tears streaked her face as she crouched on the steps. It was her.

"Wren?"

She gasped and sat up straight. She looked hopeful at first, but she narrowed in on my face and then her mouth broke into a trembling grimace. "You're not him."

True. True. I was definitely not him.

She clutched a disheveled bouquet of carnations and baby's breath wrapped in clear plastic. Looked like the cheap flowers you'd get at a gas station.

The rain had stained her off-white dress making it appear silver. Gavin's tiny ring was still on her finger.

Gavin didn't show.

What a total ass.

Predictable, but still. He'd dragged her into his shenanigans this time, and now she sat crying in a stairwell in Beverly Hills.

"Go away," she muttered.

I deserved that. I had not been friendly to her when I'd first met her, but she was low now, and I wasn't that much of a sadist.

"Wanna get drunk?" Not my most graceful line, but it might've worked at least to make her laugh a little.

She glared at me over her shoulder through blotchy tear-stained eyes.

I had nothing else. No idea what to say to this girl who was clearly being stood up on her wedding day.

She smacked the flowers onto the steps. "We have to get married today. We have to. He has to show up."

Okay now. What the hell? Something was definitely wrong if she "had to get married" to Gavin of all people.

"He's still coming," she said, mostly to herself.

"He ain't comin'." I softened my voice to lessen the blow.

"Be quiet! Don't say that." She bent over her knees and wept, shoulders heaving with her deep breaths.

I was at a total loss for words. Unusual for me because I usually knew what to say to a woman, even if she was crying. Normally I'd say this was your own damn fault or what the hell were you thinking, but I knew that wasn't right either.

I took a step closer and crouched down beside her. "Why do you need to get married today?"

"We have to!"

"Why?"

"He's still coming."

"He ain't comin', sweetheart. Why do you need to get married today?"

"We just do." She dropped her flowers and flopped down onto the step, getting more of her dress wet. Her hair that had fallen out of her bun trailed in the water.

We repeated the exact same conversation again, but she wouldn't divulge any information, and she was crying too hard to keep interrogating. 

"I have the papers signed." She lifted up a manilla envelope with soggy corners. "We just need the ceremony, and we're married. He'll be here!"

"You aren't gonna tell me why you're so hell-bent on today?"

"No." She shook her head and slouched over again.

I could guess enough from what I was seeing. She was in trouble, and Gavin had promised her that getting married would solve it, whatever it was. This was his mess. Not mine. 

He was the one who caused her to be crying in the rain, desperate and alone. I hated that for her. She probably had big ideas of what her wedding day was going to be like and Gavin came along and lied to her.

I would make him pay for this when I caught up to him, but right now, something needed to be done. That was what Special Forces was all about. You see the need and you do it. My brother needed me to clean up another one of his messes, and I was going to do it. No doubt. Like I always did.

"I'll stand in." The words came out shaky at first.

"What?" Her head came up a little and she froze.

"I'll stand in for him," I said more firmly. "We gotta go now. Your time is up. I'll stand in for him." We needed to get this done quickly before I changed my mind.

"But you don't even like me." She sniffled and wiped her cheeks, now turning to fully face me for the first time. Aww, man. Her dress was pretty in the front. Embroidered lace up to her collar bones, nothing provocative. Very classy.

Gavin was a total idiot.

"You aren't marrying me. You're already married to him. You said it. You just need the ceremony part. I'll stand in for him, and you deal with him later. I'll sign his name."

"That's crazy. They'll know you're not him."

"Worth a shot." I shrugged.

"Why would you do that?"

To protect you. To give me time to find out what kind of trouble my brother dragged you into with his crypto. I angled my body so we could make eye contact. She sure had pretty eyes and she looked beautiful in her wedding dress, even all disheveled and wet.

"I don't know why he's not here. I'm sure he has a good reason." If he didn't, I was going to pound his face and give him a reason to cry. "We'll find out the whole story someday. But if he knew you were sitting on the steps of the Beverly Hills Courthouse crying in the rain in your pretty dress, your face all twisted in pain, I'm sure he'd want me to stand in for him today."

"Really?" Her fingertips pulled some loose hair from her eyes.

"I'm sure of it. And he'd thank me for it later so he didn't miss out on a chance to seal the deal with a woman as beautiful as you."

Her lips twisted into a shy smile, and her eyes brightened with hope. She didn't talk much, but I was learning to read the little tells on her face. "You think we have time?"

"We might be a few minutes late. I'll talk them into giving us our moment with the justice of the peace." I stood up and offered her my hand. 

She stared at it for a long time. She'd stopped crying at least, so I'd done something right. "Okay." Delicate, cold fingers gripped my hand loosely. It felt good to give her some warmth from my touch. Her skin was a light brown sugar compared to my dark molasses as I helped her up the steps.

We gathered her things and walked back into the courthouse toward the clerk and the room marked for ceremonies.

Chapter 2 The Happy Couple

Magnum

Gavin followed me outside and I tried to check my anger. He was my brother and I loved him for that, but all this drama was cutting into my routine. Time was money and playing games with Gavin did not pay well.

"You're being an ass to her, Antoinne." He stopped on the sidewalk and crossed his arms like I'd done him wrong.

I gave him the death glare. "Call me that again and we're throwing hands."

He didn't challenge me with any that's your name bullshit which was smart. We were the same height at six-foot-four, but I had fifty pounds on him and a lot of training. We used to spar back in the day, but I'd stopped kicking his ass when he got hooked on drugs. The kid was scrawny back then, and I didn't want to break his bones. He looked healthy now, but those memories remained. I'd probably never get to rough him up again. Too bad. We'd bonded through those fights.

"Is she even legal?" I asked him.

He raised his chin. "She's twenty-one."

Well, shoot. Coulda fooled me. She looked like she'd just been excused from prep school with the way she dressed. She was only seven years younger than me and four years younger than Gavin.

She didn't have an accent or give off any signs she wasn't a local, but I was grasping at straws. "Is she looking for a green card?"

He frowned and glared at me, fury brewing in his eyes. "No. She was born here. Stop insulting her."

"I'm just trying to figure out her angle."

"That's what's great about her. She has no angle. Can you just be nice for once?" His mouth turned down and his eyes pleaded with me to understand him. My little brother was still in there. Young and vulnerable, looking to me for acceptance like he always did. I wanted to give that to him, but something wasn't right about this.

"I just find it hard to believe a girl like her would be interested in a guy like you."

"Why? What do you think she is and I'm not?" His voice reeked with indignation and wounded pride, but Gavin needed my guidance right now. In order to give that to him in the right way, I needed to understand the full situation.

"She's a good girl." I motioned back toward the dining room where she was sitting dutifully waiting for her knight in shining armor to return to her.

"I'm a good guy," he insisted.

"Since when?"

He stepped back and gave me that smarmy grin he gave when he knew he was lying and no one was buying. "Since I found God." He raised his palms up flat like he was in church jamming to a praise song.

"Bullshit."

Our combined laughter broke the tension. We both knew there was no way he'd turned into a God fearing man in the last six months since I'd seen him. He liked sinning way too much.

"No, really, man, since I met her."

"She's wearing fucking pearls and loafers. You're gonna wreck her."

"I'm wearing a fucking bow tie and a suit." He held out his hands and performed a comical twirl for me.

"You look ridiculous."

"So what, Mag? Let me have this. Let me have a taste of goodness. Just a taste. Maybe I fuck it up. Maybe it goes wrong, but if it goes right? Can you imagine the old gator rat making good for a change? Don't I deserve a chance like everyone else?"

God, how did I get so jaded that I didn't see it that way? I didn't even give them any benefit of doubt. So maybe. Maybe this was legit love. Perhaps she was the monumental change that Gavin needed to get his life off the rails, and I was the one holding him back by not believing in it.

"Anything is possible, bro." He saw me deliberating and kept making his case. "Might even be a hot chick with a pearl necklace out there for you somewhere."

"Not a chance. That's why this doesn't make sense. What's she after? Protect yourself, bro. Don't let pussy lead you astray."

"Oh, now you're giving advice like you know shit about relationships? How many times has a bitch led you astray?"

"Never."

"Remember Sheila?"

Sheila was a mistake on my part. I thought she could handle me, but she lost it and followed me around for months, posted about me on social media. She put several missions at risk. "Do not mention her name."

"Every fucking day you're chasing women when you should be working, doing your training, making money. You spend half your time either getting it or getting rid of it. You risk your life for it, so don't go telling me you wouldn't jump on the chance to hit that virgin cunt right there."

I flinched and looked away from him as I checked out the traffic on the street. "Ah, man, bro. Nice way to talk about your future wife."

He glared at me sideways and brushed his shoulders like he was shaking off the insult. "We done with this conversation? I'm presenting this to you as something I want you to be a part of. If you can't cope, then don't come to the wedding. That's your choice, but I'm asking you to be there. Maybe we can be a family again, a fucked up imperfect family, but maybe she's what we need heal from all the crap we've been dealt in our lives. Maybe we're due some goodness for a change."

He did have a point, and he'd never asked me to accept anything like this before. He seemed like he genuinely liked this girl for whatever reason. "You love her?"

"Yes, I do." He stared me straight in the eyes and said it like he meant it or believed it for now at least.

"Hmm. When's the wedding?"

"Friday," he said like that was a totally acceptable answer.

"This Friday? Like in three days?"

"Yes."

"Why the rush?"

He shrugged. "When it's right, you know." He relaxed his stance and peered back into the restaurant through the window. "That hostess was bangin'. You gonna bag that one?"

"Shut up."

"I'm gonna be a married man soon. I'll have to start living vicariously through you."

"You better not cheat on her. She don't seem like the type who can take it."

"I won't cheat. Give me a chance."

"Fine. I accept this is what you want. I'm here for you now and always. You're my little brother and I love you."

He beamed at me and it was good to see him happy.

I patted him on the shoulder. "Let's go toast to the happy couple."

We walked back inside and she looked worried as she watched us take our seats. He kissed her cheek again and she seemed to calm down.

Maybe I was just jaded. Maybe this really was the girl he needed to turn his life around.

So I picked up my expensive Chinese booze and I raised a glass. "To the happy couple."

"Thank you." Gavin smiled and sipped his liquid fire.

Wren sniffed hers but didn't take a sip. For the first time, I noticed she was wearing a gold band on her ring finger, a miniscule diamond attached to it. It looked like jewelry a child would wear.

She tilted the tumbler and pressed the liquid to her lips.

Her sleeve hitched up.

Small marks caught my eye.

Moon-shaped crescents. Tons of them. All around her wrist. Under her beaded jade bracelet.

Disappearing up under her sleeve.

I took my sip and tried to play it off, but I'd seen it.

She had marks on her arms. No doubt.

Either self-harm or someone was hurting her. Gavin would never hurt a woman so someone else must be involved here.

I knew this shit was not what it seemed. Nothing ever was.

The waiter dropped the bill, and Gavin gave him a funky looking solid black card.

"I'm sorry we don't accept that card."

"Oh well, that's all I brought." He turned to me. "I can't pay with crypto here. Can you do me a solid and pick up the tab?"

Crypto? Gavin was tied up in cryptocurrency? Total recipe for disaster. I'd heard way too many stories of people losing everything through that scam.

"Sure, brother." I placed my platinum credit card on the waiter's tray. "I got this. Consider it a wedding present." 

Gavin nodded and I could see it in his eyes. We were good. I took care of him when he needed it, and right now, he needed me.

Wren's eyes followed our exchange. Something flickered there. The first sign of doubt I'd seen in her face all night. Then her gaze switched to mine and softened. Her lips pressed together and turned up in the tiniest hint of a smile at the edges. She was a mystery, her deep dark eyes holding in so many secrets, and I had no clue where to even start with her.

It was attractive. Gavin was lucky to have her. Hot sludge oozed in my chest. It tightened into a knot followed by a strong urge to grab her, force her to tell me everything, and then spank her innocent ass. I'd mess up her hair and smear her lipstick. Call her a bad girl and make her beg for forgiveness as tears fell from her eyes.

I shook my head to break the trance. Fucking hell. What was wrong with me?

My brother's girl.

My skin felt hot. I was not in the right frame of mind for this. I needed to decompress after the action we'd seen earlier. My brain was not thinking straight.

I cleared my throat and looked around.

Where was that hostess?

I needed to blow off some steam and she would do just fine.