Their Battle for Love (The American Soldier Collection 15)

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Star stared at the back of her as she stood in front of the plain white canvas. She wore some sort of tight spandex pants that hugged her thighs and she was barefoot. The dark hooded sweatshirt was baggy on her, but not quite long enough to cover her ass. He knew from watching her that she had one hell of an ass for a woman her age. He bit the inside of his cheek and felt his cock harden. What the fuck was wrong with him? She was wearing a goddamn hoodie, he couldn’t see her face, her long flowing hair, and he was lusting for her? She wasn’t even his type. Not that he had a type. He fucked women whenever he had the urge to. Exotic women. Sexy, experienced women. Women who jumped at the opportunity to b

e in his bed long enough to get fucked by him. None of them meant shit. He always left right after. Never cuddled, never stayed for breakfast or to get their numbers to hook up again. He liked it that way. No attachments, no bullshit, no concerns that if someone from his profession came after him that he would need to worry about some woman. A liability. A power to be used against him.

He felt the twinge of something at his thoughts. Was that guilt? Uncertainty? He clenched his teeth and cursed under his breath before walking back to his bedroom. How could one tiny, beautiful girl make him want to change and want things he thought he would never ever want? Fuck.

He slammed his door closed and paced the room. That was when he realized why in fact Border was running every morning since they got here to watch over Malayna. Border was feeling it, too. He wondered if Lucca and Krane were attracted to Malayna, and then he shook his head and slammed his hand against the wall by the bathroom door. “We can’t let this happen. She’s sweet, a victim, and could still be in danger with Vlladim missing and on the run. Nicolai has us here to protect her and that’s exactly what we’re going to do. Protect her and nothing more.” She was a job, a mission still, and he would make certain his team understood that.

Chapter 4

Malayna was laughing so hard she held her arm around her waist and then fell to the mat. Her laughter was infectious to his ears, her beauty so perfect she didn’t need an ounce of makeup to enhance anything. Krane lay on his back after slipping and falling trying to show her a defense move while Lucca helped.

“You’re such an idiot. You fall for that every time, Krane,” Lucca teased and then plopped down onto the mat next to Malayna.

She was making it a habit of coming into the gym Nicolai had set up in the basement. It was a full exercise area with treadmills, weights, a martial arts mat, and a flat-screen TV. They had asked her several times if she wanted to learn some moves and she would tense up and then usually leave. Today she stayed the longest and he was compelled to try and teach her some things.

“Why don’t you try it on Malayna? It would be a great move for her to learn,” Krane said to Lucca.

Lucca winked at Malayna and reached his hand out for her to take. “Come on, chuckles. I’m going to teach you a few moves.”

She shook her head.

“Come on. Today I’m not taking no for an answer,” Lucca said then pulled her up by her hand and made her stand in front of him.

“Okay, so I want you to hold your hands out like this.” He started to show her and she shook her head and turned away.

“Malayna, you’ve been watching us for two weeks. You’ve had to have picked up on a few things. Now this will be good for you to know. You’re Nicolai’s daughter. You’ll need training eventually. Why not learn some things now?” he said and then Krane noticed Star and Border standing there listening and watching. They both looked pissed off. They hadn’t wanted her in the gym with their brothers. They saw how close Krane and Lucca were getting to Malayna and they weren’t happy. Star kept reminding them that she was a mission, a responsibility and obligation to a Russian mob boss they needed to show respect to. She was more than that.

“I don’t want to,” Malayna said shyly.

“It will be good for you to learn,” Krane added.

“Why do I need to? I don’t like violence. I don’t like fighting,” she whispered.

Krane could understand that. She was a victim. They assumed she had been abused and what they found out from Nalia was that Malayna was treated like a pet and a slave. She had to be obedient to her captors and that thought sickened him.

“Violence is inevitable, Malayna. You don’t want to ever be a victim again. Although you’ll always be surrounded by some sort of security there’s always a chance there could be a lapse in that security and you could be forced to defend yourself until help arrives,” Lucca added then lifted her arms into a position to defend against a strike.

She put them back down. “I don’t like violence,” she said again.

“Leave her. She’s not strong enough anyway. She hardly eats. She can’t even keep up on the runs you’ve been trying to take her on, so just let her be,” Star stated firmly from the doorway.

Malayna swung her head around to look at him and when she turned back she looked pissed off. Krane was shocked.

“Show me,” she said.

Krane couldn’t help but to be amazed by her spunk. For the last two months she’d shown more of her personality. She showed a defiance to Star and even to Border that most people would have suffered a great wrath against them for. Not Malayna. She got under their skin, made them bite their tongues and do things, react to her in ways that only Krane and Lucca could see because they were so close to their brothers. Here she was trying to show a backbone against Star’s confrontational words.

She kept countering Lucca’s moves, though he was going so very light on her. She was thin, still trying to recover nutritionally, but she was strong willed and determined. There was a fight in her and that fight could be seen in her eyes until Star walked out of the room. The moment he and Border left, she stopped fighting and fell to the mat, panting for breath.

Lucca looked at Krane and winked before he sat next to Malayna and smiled at her.

“You’re more than capable of learning. You would be good at it, but you have to want to do it for you, not for us, and not to piss off Star and Border.”

Her blue eyes widened and she pushed herself up to a sitting position. He couldn’t help but to glance at her top and see how the V-neck dipped low enough to see her abundant breasts. He practically licked his lips at the sight. She was petite, sexy as damn hell, and so beautiful he just wanted to wrap her up in his arms and cradle her and keep her safe and secure. But that wouldn’t be fair to Malayna. He was older, battered, and scarred from the life he led and she was perfection, youth in the finest form, and suddenly he felt like he wasn’t so perfect after all.

“I’m not—”