Veteran: An Older Man Younger Woman Romance (A Man Who Knows What He Wants #2) Read online

  VETERAN

  AN OLDER MAN YOUNGER WOMAN ROMANCE

  _______________________

  A MAN WHO KNOWS WHAT HE WANTS, 2

  FLORA FERRARI

  CONTENTS

  Copyright

  A Man Who Knows What He Wants Series

  Veteran

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Epilogue

  Extended Epilogue

  Excerpt: Built

  COPYRIGHT

  Copyright © 2016 by Flora Ferrari.

  All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  The following story contains mature themes, strong language and sexual situations. It is intended for mature readers.

  A MAN WHO KNOWS WHAT HE WANTS

  Book 1: Baby Lust

  Book 2: Veteran

  Book 3: Built

  Book 4: Bambino

  VETERAN

  Ava

  When it came to men, all I knew was narcissistic adolescence and lack of respect.

  Until him.

  He was so much more worldly than men my age, and the fact that he was interested in me seemed too good to be true.

  He had a quiet confidence. One gained through experience that radiated maturity, grace, and dignity.

  He valued me like I was the last women on earth and treated me with the respect afforded a princess.

  A real princess. Like the ones he protected while stationed at embassies oversees as a Marine Security Guard.

  Jack

  I was almost twenty years older than she was.

  She was sweet, innocent, and pure and ready to take on the world. I was ready to be there by her side. Guiding her away from the mistakes I had made. Supporting her both emotionally and financially. And encouraging her in every way I knew how.

  But her friends and family weren’t ready to support her decision to be with me. And neither was someone from her past. Someone who was back to wreak havoc on her life.

  I’m going to do whatever it takes to prove to her, and to everyone, that I was the only man for her. And to prove to her friends and family that there was no other man on this earth that could protect her, cherish her, and sweep her off her feet like I can.

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  CHAPTER 1

  Ava

  First time studying self-defense?” Jack said. His eyes pierced me with the depth of his stare.

  I looked around the gym, and realized I was already in over my head. And the choice of his words…I thought I was just here to take a self-defense for beginners class. I didn’t know there was going to be ‘studying’ involved.

  “You don’t remember?” he asked again. His eyes still cutting through me like daggers.

  Suddenly the cool air I had felt when I walked in changed to a suffocating heat. I felt my temperature rise.

  “Yes. It’s my first time.”

  He looked at me as if he was already evaluating me. I didn’t like it. I knew I had a few extra pounds and I didn’t need some rock hard ex-military special forces hunk making me feel self-conscious about it. I was hoping his training would not only teach me enough basic moves to help me hold my own on the streets at night, but also help carve out a little of the muscle tone that he had. But definitely not all his muscles.

  His muscles were big, but not gaudy. I could see that underneath his tank top he had the body of a swimmer, but one who lifted weights. I was both aroused and scared at the thought of rolling around on the mat with him. If I could get into half as good a shape as him I’d be cover model ready.

  But I could see his muscles had nothing to do with vanity. They were the kind that had been forged through many years of use. They had specific function. While everyone else in town was at one of the many cookie-cutter workout programs marketed as boot camp style, I was about to get the real thing.

  I had found his ad too much to resist. Marine Security Guard. Special Forces. Had protected some of the world’s most elite people. People who were real targets of bad guys around the globe. If he could handle them I’m sure he could handle some small town girl just looking to be able to throw a punch or two should the situation ever require it.

  But before I ever faced danger in the street, I was going to have to conquer the fears that he was putting inside of me already. He was intimidating without even trying. I could feel my nervousness heighten as he continued staring at me.

  I broke eye contact as my eyes drifted across his body getting a better look at his features. I tried to be discreet, but it was hard. Ink spilled out from his collar line and covered his arms. His dark hair looked perfect, even though I could see by the light coat of sweat covering him that he’d likely just been working out.

  He was calm, cool, and collected. He oozed confidence right to the point of cockiness, but somehow the vibe he gave off didn’t cross the line of acceptability.

  I knew from the ad he placed he must be about forty. About twenty years my senior, but apparently a life of protecting the world from bad guys had treated him well.

  His skin was taut. His jawline angular and well defined. He didn’t have crows feet and lacked the sunspots I expected he’d have if he served in the scorching sun of the Middle East. Although he had the good looks to easily pass as a cover model for any men’s fitness magazine, I wasn’t about to ask him for skin care tips. I knew a guy like this had none. He probably had a bar of soap and shampoo at his house. That and the clippers which he used to keep his face trimmed. Just a little five o’clock shadow which made him look even more manly, if that was possible.

  How was I going to stay on top of my game, with him rolling around on top of me? I was already fantasizing and I hadn’t even signed the waiver yet. And I didn’t need a waiver to know this was going to get dangerous really fast.

  Jack

  I’m going to own her.

  Not just on the mat. I knew the minute she walked in this door that I was going to make every single inch of her mine.

  I never believed in that lust, or more, at first sight stuff. Until now. Until her. One look and I was addicted.

  I didn’t even expect my gym to attract any women. Hell, I built it for warriors to come and train. Warriors like me. For guys who not only didn’t mind bumps and bruises, but guys who embraced them.

  Ava. Damn, even her name was sexy and unique. Ava like Ava Gardner from the old black and white films my mom used to watch. And she was just as elegant and classy too.

  I was no Frank Sinatra, but I was sure going to show my Ava how to move on her fee
t. How to tap dance the Twenty-First Century way. A way where everyone has to protect themselves in this rough and tough world.

  And she sure did look like she was ready for the challenge. I couldn’t help but let my eyes wander over those luscious curves. She had a little meat on her bones, and damn did I want to put my mouth on her.

  But feasting on her wasn’t the only good thing. Being curvy would help her out tremendously with the training. If she was a twig I’d probably have to turn her away. All the throws and hand-to-hand stuff would just break her. But not this girl, she could take a little punishment. Here, and in the bedroom I bet.

  And how much I wanted her in my bed right now. It had been years since I’d been with a woman. I’d sworn off them. I needed a woman who could keep up with me, both physically and mentally. And not only that. The last twenty or more years I’d been all over God’s green earth. And his dry, desolate, brown and sandy earth too. There was no way I was going to get involved with a woman when I never knew when I’d come back home, or if I’d come back home.

  But this was the perfect girl at the perfect time. Like she knew to walk in that front door. I was planting roots here with my gym, but I definitely wasn’t looking for anyone. Getting this business up and running and transitioning from military to civilian life was going to take a lot of work. But damn, she was too much to resist.

  She looked like a deer caught in the headlights, but when I looked into her eyes I saw more. A hidden layer. There was more to this girl than meets the eye. I wanted to learn more about her. Fuck that, I wanted to learn everything about her.

  And I was going to do that while I taught her. While I molded her from a civilian to a woman who would have the self-confidence to take on the world. That might seem like a bold thing to say, but it’s always true. There’s something about a person who knows self-defense. Even the most confident of people become even more confident. Just that knowledge, in your back pocket, that you can hold your own.

  But before I built her up, I had to break her down. Oh, was I ready to break her down.

  She wasn’t about to get a free ride thanks to that pretty little face and gorgeous body. Not how I operate. No ma’am. She knew what she was signing up for when she walked into a gym like this, and that’s exactly what I was going to give to her.

  Down and dirty. On the mat. No excuses. Total honesty and real evaluations. None of this fake black belt garbage which doesn’t mean a damn thing. I was going to break her down and build her back up, even stronger. She wouldn’t need a belt because she’d be able to break off anybody foolish enough to mess with her with her powerful legs and strong arms. Even more important would be her tactical mind.

  I could see her eyes wander a bit. They were overtaken by an increased sense of alertness. Yeah, she was going to be a sponge. She’d soak up knowledge, and I’d soak up her.

  Every last drop.

  “After you read the waiver, you can sign here. And it’s important that you read the waiver. This isn’t the Mickey Mouse Club up in here.” I said.

  As she read the form I watched her. The way she studied it. She was a smart girl.

  Her eyes made it to the bottom and then raised back up to meet mine.

  “Last chance to change your mind,” I said. “Once you sign, we begin.”

  “There are a lot of legal terms on here,” she said.

  “Does that surprise you?”

  She didn’t reply, but I already knew the answer. She saw my ink and my muscles and was surprised there was a brain behind them. It’s always like that.

  What most people forget is that fighting is a last resort. It’s always better to talk though conflict first. Resolve things peacefully. Keeping calm and keeping heads cool saved me more times than I can count when I was abroad.

  “It says I’m going to bend you. And you know there’s a chance that during the course of me bending you, you might break. And if you break there’s no one to blame but yourself.”

  I could see her mouth open slightly. She was turned on. She was ready for a challenge.

  She looked back down at the paper and signed on the dotted line.

  Let the games begin.

  CHAPTER 2

  Jack

  She’d only been taking classes a couple weeks, but she was my star student. Our sessions often ran long into the night. I’d get home and all I could think about was her.

  “Is that it for tonight?” she said as she toweled the sweat from her face after an extended judo session.

  No, Ava, it’s not, because I’m going to pick you up and throw you on the mat and show you what it really means to get pinned. To get owned. And how much you’re going to eat up every second of it while I show you that you’re mine.

  Damn, I wanted her so bad. Hiding my erections was hard enough. I often had to change the lesson plans so just to hide my longing to be inside her.

  “I need you to work on your flexibility at home. Take a warm shower and stretch out at least twenty minutes before you go to bed. We need you fresh for your next class. No cramping.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Damn, my cock moved in my shorts. It pointed right in her direction, signaling exactly what it wanted. There was never any doubt.

  Fuck. She had to have seen it. It was too big to miss.

  She reached down and grabbed her bag and headed to the showers.

  I wanted to grab her and pin her against the wall while water ran over our bodies. Hold her hands back and own her. Make her submit to me.

  My imagination ran wild. I could feel her large breast in one hand while I squeezed her ass with my other. How her exposed skin would feel against mine. How the water would heighten our senses.

  Man, I was in deep with this woman. There were no two ways about it.

  Nothing was going to get in the way of me having her.

  Ava

  When I reached down to pick up my bag my head was level with his groin. Out of the corner of my eye I could clearly see the steel pipe he was packing in his shorts. Oh. My. God.

  I thought guys slowed down as they aged. Not a chance with him.

  I still hadn’t worked up the courage to ask him how old he was, but whenever we had a water break I’d ask him questions about the places he’d been.

  He didn’t like to take long breaks. He insisted on keeping my heart level up. Didn’t he know it was already dangerously high just from his touch?

  But he had given me some clues. He had mentioned specific conflicts and time periods. I enjoyed reading about history and rugged men so I knew he must be about twenty years older than I was.

  Although the boys at college weren’t interesting to me, I still would have never considered a relationship with a man so much older than me.

  Until him.

  He was different. He was so unique. Whenever I was around him I felt so safe and secure.

  And the way that he talked with me. I knew he must have heard, and possibly used, a lot of bad words in the Marines, but he never spoke that way around me. He always spoke with me in such a simple, yet dignified way.

  He spoke to me like I was a true lady. I wasn’t used to it, but soon I couldn’t get enough. It was almost like he spoke an entirely different language compared to the boys at my college. And that’s what they were. Boys. He was a man. A man with experience and wisdom. And I bet that wisdom extended to other areas of his life as well.

  I had imagined how skilled he must be in the bedroom. I would always get wet at the sight of him during our class. Rolling around on the mats for a couple hours only made my lust more urgent. It was hard to focus on the maneuvers, but I did my best.

  When he taught me throws it felt more like dancing. He would throw me, but still use his body to catch me before I hit the mat. It was almost like a constant stream of violence, just before he swooped in to rescue me. Every. Single. Time.

  He truly was a hero. First to our country, but also to me. And like that famous photograph of the sailor kissing the girl in New York
City on V-J Day, I wanted to reach up and pull his mouth to me more times than I could count. Often our faces just inches apart. I could feel his breath in my mouth, and his sweat falling on my exposed skin.

  I wanted him to come crashing down onto me. I wanted to be consumed by him. I wanted him to lose control and just take me then and there.

  But I was here to learn. And I was busy with my college courses. I was paying money for these classes, and money was tight. I needed to keep this serious and professional. But it was so hard when he looked at me the way he did. Those hungry looks that said he was ready to devour me.