The Healing Heart
Boys of Bragg Book 5
by Randa Knight
Genre: Military Romance
One tragedy changed everything.
Lizzy
One reckless night. One unforgettable taste of him.
The moment I broke my rules and gave in, I knew I was playing with fire. His
smoldering cerulean eyes and the way he whispered my name? Irresistible. He
didn’t want forever—but I needed more.
Now, he’s back, acting like the boyfriend dreams are made of. Sweet. Attentive.
Protective. Maybe even ready to love me the way I crave.
But how do I trust a man who’s made walking away into an art form?
Is a second chance worth the burn?
Josh
I left her. Not because I didn’t want her—but because I wanted her too much.
Marriage. Kids. The white picket fantasy. I told myself I couldn’t be that man…
because I’m my father’s son. And he broke my mother in ways I can never forget.
So I let Lizzy go.
But fate had other plans. Now I’m here, ready to fight for her, to protect
what’s mine—with teeth, fists, and fury if I have to.
She says she doesn’t trust me.
But I’ll prove it—one kiss, one promise, one heated night at a time.
**Releases Sep 14 – PreOrder Now!**
“Hey, did you have a good run?” Lizzy asks, looking me up and down like I’m a dessert she can’t wait to eat. I love that she can’t hide how much she still wants me.
Maybe this will be easier than I thought. “It was… therapeutic.” She nods, knowing running is how I clear my head. “I’m going to shower.” Smooth, dumbass. You have better game than this.
But Lizzy
has always made me into a babbling idiot stumbling over my words. My therapist
told me it’s because I actually give a shit about Lizzy and care what she
thinks. Halfway down the hallway, I stop, remembering I decided to change
things with Lizzy, beginning with a date. “Do you have plans tonight?”
She glares
at me and snarks, “What, do you have a hot date and want the apartment to
yourself?”
I shouldn’t
mess with her like this, but she’s asking for it by thinking I would look at,
let alone be with, anyone but her. “Weeellll, I’m not sure yet. It depends on
her.”
“Such a
fucking gentleman. I can stay with Dee. Actually, I probably should’ve moved
out by now. I’ll do that while you’re on your hot date.” Anger oozes from her
even though she’s trying to hide it, but I know her too well. After slapping
her laptop closed, she heads to the guestroom, but I stop her when she’s within
arm’s reach.
Fuck. I’m messing this up already.
“I didn’t
ask if you had plans, so you’d leave. The last thing I want is for you to leave
tonight… or any night. I was hoping you would be my hot date.” I brush
my palm against her cheek and see her take a deep breath. I haven’t lost her
yet. I whisper, “I’m going to shower and get ready for this smokin’ hot blonde
who makes my heart race.”
“Makes your
heart race? Too bad it’s not enough for you to make a long-term commitment to
her.”
Wrapping my
arms around her, I breathe in her light scent and say in a gravelly voice, “If
I did, she’s the only one I would ever think about making any type of
commitment to.”
“If. I can’t live in a world of ifs. I need—”
I interrupt her with my lips. At first, her lips are stiff, but in mere seconds, she melts into me. Thank God.
My body relaxes into the kiss. Her lips soften and mold to mine, followed by her arms gripping the bottom of my shirt, showing me she’s trying not to get lost in this kiss—lost in us. She changes the kiss from soft and languid to desperate and demanding as she slips her hand under my shirt, skimming her fingertips along my abs.
I break the kiss only so I can feast on her beautiful neck. I need to taste her—remind myself of everything about her. Those subtle sighs. Quiet moans. How she melts in my arms.
I should
stop us. Change our old patterns of falling into sex. But damn, I can’t think
straight when she touches me. I always cave to her.
After Lizzy pushes my shirt up, I whip it off and she immediately runs her hands up my chest, causing my dick to become a steel rod. My lips continue to attack her neck and suck on that little spot right below her earlobe. Working my way down to her cleavage, pulling her tank top down, she gives me access to her beautiful tits that I need to cherish and ravish. I wrap my mouth around her nipple to suck, kiss, and flick her desire from her.
“I hate
you,” she moans, directing my head back to her mouth.
“I can tell
you hate me so damn much.”
“I hate how
sexy you look after a five-mile run.”
“Try thirteen miles today since I couldn’t get this gorgeous woman off my mind.” I groan and swirl my tongue around her nipple, causing her to give me a long moan.
Her fingers dig into my hair, further turning me on. I love it when she marks me with her nails, even when I used to get counseled and lectured for allowing my girl to damage government property. Instead of telling her to stop or at least mark me where my uniform covers, I rewarded her with more orgasms. I pray she does the same tonight.
Switching to the other side with the same fervor, I wrap her legs around my waist and grind myself to her warmth. I can feel how turned on she is through her tiny athletic shorts.
“I hate how
sweet you are to Cristian.”
“Let’s not talk about our godson right now.” That kid has a knack for killing a boner. He’s been a cockblock a few times when we were babysitting him. My dick is trained for Cristian being a no-fly zone until he goes to sleep.
“We shouldn’t—”
I interrupt her with my lips, knowing she’s trying to talk herself out of being with me in any capacity. If we stop, she won’t go to dinner with me either. She’ll shut me out. I can’t do that again. I need this woman with every fiber of my being.
As I’m about to roll my hip into hers, she pushes my shorts down, releasing my hard cock. Her lust-filled eyes tell me what she wants from me, and no way am I going to deny her anything. I have her shorts off in a matter of seconds. I almost shoot my load when she wraps her hands around my dick, strokes me a few times, and rubs me along her wetness. Fucking teasing me. I smirk, pulling her right nipple into my mouth and doing a combination of flicking and sucking, which I know drives her wild.
“I hate that
you know me so well.”
I thicken my accent, knowing how much it turns her on. “Back at ya, darlin’.”
She continues rubbing my dick up and down her slit, but when she moves me down, I slip into her completely, causing her nails to dig into my shoulders and down my arms. I didn’t realize her hands moved until I felt them. Yeah, that’s going to leave a mark.
“I
hate—right there, sexy… God, yes—how you fuck me.”
“Obviously,” I say, kissing her neck. I can feel her tightening around me, and I pray I can hold out until she finishes. Jesus, she’s fucking heaven.
“I hate—”
“I hate how
much you’re talking.”
“Then shut me up.” She flashes me a challenging look.
Don’t miss the
other Boys of Bragg!
Find them on Amazon
Randa Knight was born and raised in a small town on the
Ohio/Indiana border. Her love of reading began when her grandmother curled up
together with a new book every weekend. She studied Literature with a Creative
Writing minor at Indiana University (Go Hoosiers!) where she fell in love with
writing. The idea for the Boys of Bragg series began during a creative writing
course and has evolved over the years.
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