Marshall*****Rain surged down from the blackened sky as thunder cracked somewhere in the distance. Each droplet sounded like a muted gunshot against the metal top of my truck. I rubbed my brows tiredly and looked at the apartment building again.Movement from a door on the second floor drew my attention. A flash of golden hair under the bluish fluorescents made me catch my breath.Caroline moved quickly through the dimly lit apartment building until she stepped off on the ground floor. I unlocked the car door as she approached. Within seconds, she was sliding into the passenger seat. I looked over as I performed my usual scan of her after we spent a prolonged time apart.I might have felt exhausted but I could never miss the shadows of her face."You reek of alcohol," I said.She buckled herself in while I drove out of the parking lot. I was ready to be home and in bed and holding my angel while she slept.Today was an absolute cluster fuck that I never wanted to relive. Our border

Marshall*****Closing my eyes, I slowly released the cloud of sweet smoke through my nostrils. The nicotine pulsed through me and relaxed the tension coiled in my body. Slow, erotic music thumped around me in the dark room. I didn't want to be here but my angel was finishing up her last exam and my office was the last place I wanted to be. I'd already spent the morning at the warehouses and things were back to operating smoothly.Since I'd added more cameras and tighter security, my employees were afraid to even breathe there without permission. They heard enough stories about the gruesome fate met by the drivers. I'd be all too happy to cut off more dicks if I needed to.A hand clamped onto my shoulder.Without opening my eyes, I spun and gripped my assailant by the throat. My eyes peeled open and the familiar smirking face of Marcel's younger brother entered my vision. I sighed, releasing his throat. Raphael coughed but chuckled."Shit, man," he gasped. "Someone's tightly wound tod

Caroline*****My entire body felt like jello.Partly because Marshall fingered the hell out of me this morning. But mostly because I was about to step into the gates of adulthood.My high school career ended today.Tomorrow, I could get a full-time job. I could apply to college. I could get knocked up and have a baby.Just kidding.I could barely take care of myself, much less a whole ass other person.Still, the looming thoughts about losing my v-card tonight made my overthinking brain consider all the repercussions.Sex was pleasure but also STIs and pregnancy and pain. Or so I'd heard.I wasn't afraid to lose my virginity. There was no other person on the planet I wanted near my body but Marshall Brown. I think my behavior over the last few weeks made that more than apparent.Jesus, I'm embarrassed.Some of it I blamed on hormones. I couldn't help that being near him made all logic and rational sense fly out of my metaphorical and literal core.His presence absorbed every fiber of

Caroline*****My stomach fluttered like one giant net filled with butterflies.Marshall's intense eyes focused directly on the walls ahead. His face was neutral but I could sense the tension coiled in his muscles as they carried me. I leaned into his chest with a small sigh. The fact that I was here, in his arms and in his house, partly surprised me. He knew about Greg but he was still here. He still wanted me. And as far as I could tell, he had no plans to murder me or Greg. Maybe he does love me, I mused. Despite the signs of his dedication and affection for me and my welfare, I knew I'd never believe it unless he directly said it. I often speculated on it all day and night but I never allowed myself to believe it. Just in case he didn't. "How old were you when you lost your virginity?" I asked him. Marshall's unrelenting glare briefly broke form to glance down at me. "Thirteen." I couldn't help but choke on my next breath. 13?! I was fantasizing about Edward Cullen and po

Caroline*****His words hung between us like a wall of cracked glass. Marry me.I stared up into Marshall's impermeable black eyes. I never felt so distant from him. Yet, at the same time, he offered me more insight into his mind than he ever had.Some kind of emotional block held him back. He could admit to caring for me, but he wouldn't allow himself to call it 'love.' He was a tortured soul. I knew that early on. Our dynamic was fucked from the start. I was desperate to feel loved and wanted by someone. I was tired of feeling like a burden to those I loved. Marshall made me feel the way I always wanted to: wanted, desirable, sexy, trustworthy, worthy.So, could I really hate him?I couldn't. I was sick in the head for loving him and wanting to be with him, even when I knew he may never admit to loving me. But I would never pass up the opportunity to be with him. Nevertheless, I wasn't going to concede to his demands so easily."Marriage isn't something to casually throw aroun