Their Battle for Love (The American Soldier Collection 15)

“You don’t need to know shit. That isn’t your purpose. You’re setting the stage to let these two guys know that she is off limits on a personal, intimate level. Business with paintings, fine, anything more intimate is a no-no.”

“What if Malayna tells me to leave? You know, lets me know that she wants to be alone with them, then what?”

Star was silent. Border pushed. “Then what?” he asked through clenched teeth.

Star held his gaze with a firm expression as the thought burned his heart and made him feel utterly sick. “Then you leave. It’s her choice if she wants to engage in some sort of relationship other than work related with them.”

“I’m not okay with this, and neither are you. Come on, man. We’ve been through heavy shit. Why are we pushing her away from us? She wants us, too. She feels it.”

“We can’t. She doesn’t even know what a relationship with a man is. She doesn’t know love, or about the demands we will make on her in bed and out of bed. We require respect, control, and dominance in every aspect of the words. She’s sweet, shy, classy, and we will destroy the good in her and corrupt her with our voracious appetites.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it. None of us has even been with another woman in over a year. We sure as shit haven’t been with one since having these feelings for Malayna.”

“Just focus on what you need to do.”

Border stared at him and Star wanted to tell him that he wished it could be different but how could he corrupt such innocence as Malayna? Such a beautiful, youthful woman, who was talented, sexy, and so easily liked by everyone she met? How could he make her be part of this life? His lifestyle where he and his team would need to leave her when they went on some job, or hunt for the family? What about the club businesses and what an investment and time-consuming job it was?

Border shoved from the island and headed out the door. Everything he said and how he reacted to Border was all wrong. He was losing his mind. He wasn’t able to focus on what needed to be done. Malayna did it to him. It was all because Malayna came first and she was the one woman he wanted with all his heart and soul and it scared the living shit out of him.

* * * *

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

Krane and Lucca stood next to her at the shooting range. Two different guns sat on the counter for her to learn to shoot with.

“You have to. You’ve allowed us to lead you, and give you some basic gun safety training all morning. You can do this. God forbid something went wrong and you needed to defend yourself. You have to be able to. Come on and pick up the gun like we showed you,” Krane demanded.

She exhaled in annoyance and he held his ground. All morning they worked on defense moves where guns were involved. He had to resist pulling her into his arms and kissing her breathless as he inhaled her shampoo and felt her feminine curves against his body. Krane knew she was petite and sexy, but the feel of her in his arms made him feel so damn protective he wanted to take her away to some secret location and out of reach of any danger.

She picked up the gun. Krane guided her arms and hands to place them in the right position as they had practiced earlier. He whispered close to her. “Aim at your target.”

“I don’t like this.”

“Aim at it,” Lucca commanded and she turned to look at him but kept the gun pointed straight ahead. She gave him a mean expression and shot the gun without looking. She hit the target right in the center. She put the gun down and stepped back, nearly pushing from Krane, but Krane grabbed her arm and Lucca grabbed her hips, stopping her. They pressed her up against the counter and she gasped, looking up at them.

“You hit the fucking target without even looking. How?” Lucca

demanded to know.

“I never said I didn’t know how to shoot a gun. You assumed, and you wanted to train me. Satisfied?” she asked with attitude.

“No. When did you learn?” Lucca asked. She lowered her head and exhaled in annoyance.

Krane gave her hip a nudge with his. “Tell us.”

“You assumed I didn’t know how to use a gun, but my mom and I lived in a remote area where our neighbor was a good mile down the road. We were two women all alone and we didn’t take chances.”

“So it was for protection?” Lucca asked.

“And hunting, too, when we felt like it.”

“Hunting?” Krane asked, feeling surprised that she would know how.

“Yes, but it didn’t do my mother any good when those men came to the house to take me. She never had a chance to get her gun. I didn’t have a chance to get inside either.”

“What happened?” Lucca asked her. Krane caressed her arm and pressed up against her back. They were both holding her close.

“I showed up as two men were dragging my mother from the house. I heard her screaming and saying that she was the only one there and as I came up the hill I heard the gunshot and then saw my mother fall to the ground.”