Inescapable gravity, p.1
Inescapable Gravity, page 1
INESCAPABLE GRAVITY
REINA TORRES
Copyright © 2023 by REINA TORRES
All rights reserved.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of this author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living or deceased is entirely coincidental.
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CONTENTS
Inescapable Gravity
The Last Time They Saw Each Other
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
About the Author
Contemporary Romance
Military Romance
First Responders
Paranormal Romance
Historial Romance
Sweet Contemporary Romance
INESCAPABLE GRAVITY
Marius Goddard has worked hard to get where he is. Going from a small town boy to a decorated Marine and now a top-tier security operative working for the biggest stars and, when it calls for it, people at the top of the food chain of business and politics. The brighter stars seem to shine, the darker the danger surrounding them becomes.
When he's called to New York City, he doesn't know who he'll be guarding, he just knows that they're in danger. Someone wants them dead.
He won't let that happen.
When he walks into the room to meet his new protectee, he finds himself face to face with the only woman he's ever let into his hardened heart.
Heather Vincent is the name on her birth certificate, but she can count on one hand the people who know her real name. Since she was a teen, she's been known as Nix.
Name a famous stage anywhere in the world and she's performed there and brought down the house. Suddenly, instead of standing in the spotlight, she's hiding from it. A spotlight only gives her stalker another chance to end her life.
Her team has hired a guard to keep her alive, and when she finally sets eyes on him, she finds herself thrown back in time.
This was the man who'd taken her heart years ago and walked away from her. How can she spend hours and hours in his presence and not fall into his arms if he shows the least amount of interest?
Then again, what's wrong with having one last taste of pure passion if someone is determined to end her life?
Marcus is determined to keep Heather alive because he's never felt more alive than in her presence. After he puts a stop to her stalker, he hopes that she'll give him the second chance he needs to show her that he never should have walked away in the first place because loving Heather is as inescapable as gravity.
THE LAST TIME THEY SAW EACH OTHER
The night everything changed. Life in the Hamptons was a dream if you didn't look too closely at it. Heather knew it, perhaps more than the other teens she hung out with. Sure, they all had money, but over the last few years she'd started to see beyond the shine of her family's lifestyle.
They had the huge mansion in the Hamptons and the penthouse in Manhattan, but the older she got, the more she caught snippets of conversations that her father had on the phone or in his den when his friends came over.
A few of the men were careless enough, or perhaps it was carefree enough to leave their coats unbuttoned and she'd see the butt of a gun sticking out of their waistband or some kind of contraption under their coats.
She'd also seen the police stop by.
Sure, they were quiet and courteous, but she could tell that they weren't there for a social call.
And her father would get cold and angry when they'd leave.
She learned not to ask questions, but she also didn't want to be around her dad.
He would snap at odd times. Even in the middle of dinner while they were enjoying themselves.
Something would happen.
She'd say something.
Or a song would come on.
And a moment later, a crystal glass would hit the wall behind her. Sometimes he'd order her from the room.
Other times, he'd storm out on his own.
Heather soon learned that it was easier to avoid her father and his business dealings alone.
That meant that she'd jump at any opportunity to leave the house.
A party? Sure.
Going to the beach? Awesome!
A bonfire? Count her in.
Whatever got her away from the oppressive feeling of 'home' had her thumbs up.
It was lucky for her that the kids her age loved to party. And chief among those kids was a guy that made her heart beat wildly and her skin tingle all over. Marius Goddard.
He was almost nineteen when they'd met and she was halfway to eighteen herself.
He was dark-haired and gorgeous. Athletic. Fun. And he treated her like one of the group from day one.
Nearly every invite came from him and those that came from others usually started with, "Marius said to call you and-"
In a word, Marius made her feel wanted.
Unlike her father who made her feel... worse than invisible. He made her feel like a target for his anger. His disappointment.
Throughout the summer, they spent crazy amounts of time together and even Marius' dad, Lars, seemed to welcome her with open arms.
There was something right about her time with Marius and she tried as hard as she could not to question it.
Looking too deeply into things hadn't helped her at all.
Marius kept her too busy for the most part and that helped her to ignore the darker parts of her life.
And being the focus of Marius' time?
It was a heady sensation.
No one asked her how she felt back then, but she knew. There was no question.
She was in love.
When the summer started to wind down, homes in the area were shuttered up as families returned to the big cities where they lived during the rest of the year. There were still some families, the diehard residents, who milked every day in their personal playgrounds while the weather held up.
And thankfully, Marius' family was one of those, because there was a dark cloud anchored above her home. Her father was drunk nearly every night and angry to boot.
So when Marius held an end of the summer celebration, she showed up determined to enjoy each and every minute.
Marius was on edge all day long.
He'd planned the party to be one to remember, because he needed it to be. His father had spoken to him earlier that week about Heather.
Contrary to the personalities of most parents in the area, Lars paid close attention to his son. And he'd noticed that Marius was serious about Heather.
Serious enough to make things official.
Official enough to pull Marius' grandmother's wedding ring out of the safe in his den.
Marius had been as shocked as he'd been confused, but his father had confessed that a long time ago... A lifetime ago, he'd been kept from the woman he loved because they were too young.
Marius felt that confession bone deep. The woman who had been his mother had been the perfect wife... for the Goddard family, and she'd left before Lars brought him home from the hospital.
So he had his father's blessing.
He just needed to ask Heather, because he knew he needed her.
The party was a smashing success as a whole, but Marius had struggled to find time alone with Heather. Even after they'd set off the fireworks that his father had arranged to cap off the evening, one of his friends kept goading the others to stay even when Marius had told everyone it was time to leave.
When that didn't work, he'd excused himself and Heather for some private time and left his friend Tate and the others behind.
He knew that Heather wasn't going to sneak into the house with him. She was worried that his father would think badly of her, so she put a hard line in the sand about that.
It was one of the many reasons that he loved her.
As they walked back toward his house, he gently tugged her into the pool house and closed the door behind them. With everyone enjoying the bonfire and foods down at the beach, he knew he'd have the private time he needed to give her the ring.
He knew they were young, but he wanted her to know just how serious he was about their relationship.
About her.
He heard her gasp as he went around the room, closing all of the curtains until the only light he could see was the moonlight slicing through the gaps in the curtain.
"What's going on, Mars?"
He felt his heart slam against his ribs. He could hear the love and wonder in her voice.
He looked up at the track above the last doorway and saw that the curtain was stuck just a few inches from the
Marius shook his head and turned around. He didn't need to waste time when he only had so much of it left with Heather before she went back to the city.
"I wanted to have some private time with you."
His words seemed so inadequate. There was so much more that he wanted to say, but he couldn't manage to remember all the words he'd practiced.
She crossed her arms and rubbed her palms against her skin as if she was trying to warm herself.
"Are you cold?"
Heather shook her head, but that didn't stop him from wrapping his arms around her and pulling her against his chest.
He felt her cheek lean against his chest, and he wanted to lift his face to the heavens and howl.
It was crazy. He'd never felt that wild and powerful before. Holding Heather was a revelation.
He'd held her before. Hundreds of times, in fact.
But in the near dark of the pool house, she felt like an ethereal creature.
She'd certainly inspired him to grow as a person. He knew she deserved a man who wanted to be the best man he could be.
"Mars?"
He loved it when she called him that. She only used the nickname when they were alone, and it made him grow another inch in metaphorical height.
"Yeah, baby?" He lifted a hand and set it on the nape of her neck to cradle her head as he leaned away to look at her. "You're so beautiful."
Even in the mostly dark room, he swore he could see her cheeks flush with heat.
"You make me feel like I am." She let out a shuddering breath. "You make me feel like I'm never alone... if that makes any sense."
Before she could hide her face from him, he lifted a hand and grasped her chin gently.
"I understand it... I feel it."
And because he couldn't stop himself. He leaned in and kissed her.
And again.
Before he moved away, she returned the gesture over and over.
He felt his dick stir between them, stretching the khaki fabric of his slacks and nudging the ring box in his pocket.
He wanted to pull back and ask her, but her kiss turned into a bite on his lower lip.
Heather's eyes flashed open and she pulled back startled.
"I..." She blinked at him. "I didn't mean to do that."
"Are you sorry?" He knew he didn't mind it. Not one bit. She'd hardly caused him any pain. Nothing really.
Her bite had been a realization for him.
He liked the pinch. His dick did, too.
He was aching for her.
"Heather, I-"
She kissed him. Her mouth opening over his, her arms wrapping around his shoulders.
She kissed him and they staggered back.
When he felt the back of his thighs hit something hard, he tried to turn and only managed to knock something over, sending it crashing to the ground.
Heather stopped. Pulled away. Gasped in shock. "Oh, no." She tried to lean to the side and look, but he wouldn't let her.
"Let it go," he urged her back into his arms, "I'll fix it. I'll fix anything that breaks if I get to hold you."
She didn't hesitate.
With her arms still up around his shoulders, she tugged him down and breathed him in.
He looked behind her and found the sofa, an oversized collection of large, heavy sectionals that they'd laid on to watch movies on stormy nights.
Now, he sat down beside her and reached into his pocket.
With one hand trapped, she pressed him back against the large flat cushions and climbed up.
She pulled his hand free, almost breaking his finger in the process, to slip his hands under the loose hem of her t-shirt.
"Shit," he swore under her breath at the heat of her skin against his palms.
Heather leaned down and kissed him, trapping his thigh between her own.
The blood in his head shot down toward his feet, but made a quick stop just south of his waistband.
When Heather lowered herself against him, she cushioned his cock against her belly and he bit back a curse.
Heather pulled away. "Did I hurt you?"
"I feel like I'm going to explode and I haven't even touched you."
She laughed along with him and when he started to sit up, she helped him so he could pull her forward onto his lap.
"Right there," he groaned and felt the heat of her against him. "Yeah, baby. Right there."
Heather reached for the hem of her shirt to lift it, but he grasped her hands to stop her.
"Let me."
Her hips rocked forward and caught his dick between them. The pain hurt so damn good.
"I want to get this off you."
She lifted her arms and made quick work of her shirt before dropping it beside them on the cushions.
That brought him eye to eye with her cotton clad breasts. Pink cotton with a tiny satin bow between her breasts.
Before he could think, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss just over the bow.
He wanted to die right then and there with his face between her breasts, warming his cheeks with her natural heat, but there was so much to live for.
Like peeling the straps of her bra down off of her shoulders.
Marius didn't bother with the hook at the back, he leaned back so he could see the cotton cups fall free.
Beautiful.
Like a painting in a fucking museum.
She flinched as his breath fanned across her skin, and he watched as both of her nipples tightened in response.
Heather's mouth opened.
He heard the soft exhale of her breath and the gentle groan of sound from her throat.
His fingers touched her. Their tips circling her nipples, feeling for the subtle changes as they moved from her normal tanned skin to the warmer dark coral tips.
Heather's hands found his shoulders and her fingernails bit into his skin.
She moved restlessly against him, their hips grinding together as he wet his lips and leaned in. He tasted her skin with the flat of his tongue, enjoying the way she shuddered at the rasping texture.
His fingers plucked at her other nipple, twisting just a little bit as he worked his mouth on the other.
"Please."
He heard her plea, but he didn't know what to do with it.
All of his plans had already flown.
Nothing was going the way he planned it, but somehow it was so much better.
He swept his tongue around the tip of her breast, swearing that he would remember this moment forever.
Marius switched his attentions and felt her rise up an inch or two and fit them together like puzzle pieces.
Oh, he wasn't inside her, but she rode his erection in just the right way, and he felt her trembling against him.
Before he could get his brain to catch up to the rest of his body, he heard the unmistakable sound of Heather's name rattling the windows of the pool house.
Heather froze against him, her breath catching in her throat.
"Heather!"
"Oh god." She hissed in a breath through clenched teeth. "That's my dad!"
It killed Marius to do it, but he helped her to her feet and while she pulled the straps of her bra onto her shoulders, he found her t-shirt on the floor where it had fallen off of the seat.
"Heather!"
He saw her terrified expression when she covered his mouth with her hands.
"Don't, please."
He wanted to argue with her.
He wanted to face her father at her side, but he couldn't contend with the tears in her eyes.
"Don't."
Marius nodded and as she turned away, he reached down and felt the ring box still in his pocket.
He fought himself then. Forcing himself to stand in place as she moved toward the curtain covered doors.
She'd barely stepped outside when her father almost jerked her off of her feet and pulled her along the pathway toward the front of the house and the driveway.
Marius stepped outside, hidden by the long shadows of the trees, and watched.
If it looked like Heather's father might hurt her, he'd step in.
