Ellie's Wounded Heroes [Wounded Warriors 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)
Wounded Warriors 1
Ellie’s Wounded Heroes
Ellie Carpenter is attracted to Rex Fielder from the beginning, and then Clark Givens is added to the picture. Ellie knows she is in over her head. She cares deeply for both men. She’s afraid it will cause problems between them.
When the men get involved with a family in crisis, they asked Ellie to help since she is a social worker. But things get out of hand and Clark is nearly killed saving her life. Rex feels that his amputation means he can’t take care of Ellie like he wants to. He decides that having two men to care for her would work and convinces Clark to give a shared relationship a try. After all, Clark thinks he’s too emotionally damaged to ever be able to get married.
Both men have lingering issues from their time in the service, since being medically discharged, but that isn’t the problem for Ellie. She doesn’t want to have choose between them. Does she have to?
Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre
Length: 76,037 words
ELLIE’S WOUNDED HEROES
Wounded Warriors 1
Marla Monroe
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
ELLIE’S WOUNDED HEROES
Copyright © 2014 by Marla Monroe
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62741-550-7
First E-book Publication: April 2014
Cover design by Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2014 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
Dear Readers,
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This is Marla Monroe’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Monroe’s right to earn a living from her work.
Amanda Hilton, Publisher
www.SirenPublishing.com
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DEDICATION
There are no words for the emotion and gratitude I feel for those who gave up their days, their nights, and their weekends to protect my rights and beliefs. Nothing I can say or do will come close to repaying you for the sacrifices you made in serving your country. You gave everything that you are and all your hopes and dreams so that I could still read what I want to read, choose the kind of food I want to eat, and pray for your safe return.
Many missed the births of their children and the deaths of their loved ones. Some missed their child’s first steps and their teenager’s first date. A few missed the chance to follow their dreams as those dreams were snatched away in an instant. But more than is acceptable lost their lives. We owe you our place in line, our last dime, our seat on the bus. You deserve our respect, our support, and our understanding. Above all else, you deserve a chance to live, laugh, and love.
There are many types of wounded warriors out there. Some are blind, have lost limbs, or just their focus. Some are still back on that battle field, waging a never-ending war for us because to them they never got their orders to return home. For those of you hurting and lost, I grieve for you. I pray every day that you will find your way home and that those dedicated to help you are able to reach you in time. Don’t give up. Never give up. Everyone deserves a happy every after, even you, our wounded warriors.
God Bless you and your families. —Marla Monroe
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
About the Author
ELLIE’S WOUNDED HEROES
Wounded Warriors 1
MARLA MONROE
Copyright © 2014
Chapter One
Ellie Carpenter banged her head against the steering wheel in frustration. Why was this happening to her? She’d just had the stupid car in the shop the week before, getting it checked over to be sure she didn’t need anything done before winter set in. It couldn’t be the battery, because her lights automatically turned on and off. It had been fine when she’d stopped in at the convenience store to grab a few Diet Cokes. What was the freaking problem?
Sitting there wasn’t getting her anywhere, and she was supposed to be on her way to her brother’s house for her nephew’s birthday party. Susan needed help getting everything together, and Ellie didn’t want to leave her in the lurch.
She sighed and climbed out of the car after hitting the hood release latch. Ellie ran her fingers under the edge of the hood to find the catch and pulled it. The hood lifted without a problem. She wasn’t even sure why she was bothering to look since she didn’t have a clue what to look for. It just seemed like what she needed to do. The battery cables looked like they were secured to the battery terminals, and there wasn’t any corrosion around them that she could see. Nothing looked drastically off to her, but since she wasn’t a mechanic and didn’t know the first thing about cars, it wa
sn’t really all that surprising.
“Having trouble?” a deep voice asked from behind her.
Ellie nearly yelped as she quickly turned toward the voice. A very tall, rough-looking man wearing leathers stood a few steps behind her. His colorful do-rag covered the top part of his head, but shiny black hair hung just past his shoulders. There was no hiding his broad shoulders or the width of his chest, even under the leather jacket he wore. With the various patches and pins on it, she couldn’t help but believe that he was a member of some biker gang in the area.
He sighed and held his hands, palms up, out on either side. “I’m not going to hurt you. I just thought I’d offer to take a look for you.”
Realizing he took her silence for fear, Ellie quickly spoke up. “I’d really appreciate that. I was on my way to my nephew’s birthday party. His mom is going to need some help with eight five-year-olds running around.”
She cringed. There she went blabbering again. She always talked too much when she was nervous. How could she not be nervous around a man as blatantly masculine as this one was? He had to be three or four inches over six feet, and she was sure there were muscles under his leathers just by the way he stood and moved. No, this man was sex on a stick with a look of danger riding hard on his shirttails.
“Well let’s see what we can do to get you on the road, then.” He took a step toward her, and she backed out of the way.
Ellie didn’t miss the frown that flitted across his mouth when she did. No doubt he thought her an idiot who was frightened of spiders and mice—snakes, maybe, but not spiders and mice. She just knew better than to get caught in the path of someone like him. She’d experienced her share of heartaches with men like him and had sworn off of them. They didn’t settle down with women like her, if they settled down at all.
The fact that he wore mirrored sunglasses didn’t help his bad boy image either. She really wanted to see his eyes. Were they blue or black like his hair? A lot could be learned about a man’s intentions just from looking in his eyes, like did he have a soul or not.
“Does it make a clicking noise or try to turn over at all?” he asked with his head bent over the engine.
“Not a sound. Even if I’d have left my lights on, I wasn’t in the store for more than five or ten minutes, tops.”
“Sorry, but everything looks fine. Either your battery has a dead cell, or there’s something wrong with the electronics. I’d offer to jump you off, but I’m on my bike. Want a lift somewhere?” he asked, stepping back and closing the hood.
She thought about her options. She couldn’t call Susan and have her deal with Andrew and put the party on hold. Her brother hadn’t made it home yet from his business trip, and April, her best friend, was working today. She would have to call for a tow, but that could take a while, and her sister-in-law really needed help without Jason being home.
“If you’re sure you don’t mind. I have to call to have it towed, but that could take some time.”
“I wouldn’t have offered if I minded,” he said with a slight grin. “Do you have anything that has to go with you?”
“Just my purse and my drinks. Thank goodness I already took my present over to their house last night.”
“I’m going to run and tell the store clerk that your car will be here for a while until the tow truck arrives. My bike is over there.” He pointed to a sleek black Harley parked next to the gas pumps.
“Thanks. I really appreciate it.” She couldn’t believe she was accepting a ride from a total stranger, especially one who rode a bike.
Jason is going to kill me if he finds out.
No, make that when he found out, because he would find out. Where she was involved, her big brother by nine minutes made it his business to stick his nose into her business, despite the fact that she was twenty-nine years old. He thought that by being the one with balls and a stick to steer with, it meant she had to follow his directives and that his word was law.
Ever since their parents died, her father less than four months after her mom, Jason had stepped up and taken over, despite only being seventeen at the time. Even though they’d lived with their elderly aunt, Jackie, it had been Jason who made all the decisions. At first she’d been so upset and lost without their parents that she’d allowed it without thinking about it, thankful that he was able to function and make the necessary decisions and arrangements so that she didn’t have to. After she turned twenty, though, Ellie had had enough and stepped out on her own, much to her brother’s displeasure.
Now, as she walked over to the massive black motorcycle, Ellie could appreciate that her brother worried about her. She was about to take a chance she probably shouldn’t be taking. Still, she wasn’t really afraid of him. He didn’t give her those types of goose bumps. No, what she felt were of a much more sensual nature. And therein lay the danger. This long, tall drink of water was way out of her league.
“I know it’s a kick ass machine that’s hot to look at, but if we’re going to get you to that birthday party, we need to get moving.”
Ellie jerked around with a yelp. The stranger had removed his shades, and dark blue eyes pinned her where she stood. There was no doubt that this man had a soul, or that he had wicked intentions from the way they flashed as he looked her up and down. Ellie wasn’t worried because she had no intentions of getting involved with him.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Um, yeah,” she managed to get out as he took her purse and the plastic bag with her drinks in it.
She watched him lock them away in the saddlebags before he handed her his helmet. Then he climbed on the bike like it was second nature. He started it and revved it once before looking pointedly at her, then over his shoulder. It was obvious he expected her to climb on behind him. Ellie quickly strapped the helmet on, then climbed on behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Without warning, the stranger took off, leaving the parking lot of the convenience store behind in a noisy wake.
“Directions,” he called back over his shoulder.
She gave him the street name and how to get to it, but he already seemed to know where it was. When he got close enough to her brother’s house that she could point it out, Ellie realized she was disappointed that it had been such a short ride. It felt good to ride behind him, the wind in her hair, with her body pressed tightly against a hunky man.
When he pulled up behind her sister-in-law’s car, she didn’t linger no matter how much she wanted to. Pulling off the helmet, she handed it to him with a smile.
“Thanks for the ride. I appreciate it.”
“No problem. Name’s Rex,” he said with a smile.
She watched him fasten the strap beneath his chin, finding it difficult to take her eyes off of his strong fingers and the stubbly chin the strap caressed. It dawned on her that he was waiting on her to reciprocate with her name. Ellie smiled and looked down at her hands.
“I’m Ellie.” She watched as he nodded before climbing off the bike to unlock the saddlebags and hand over her purse and drinks.
When he straddled the machine once again, Ellie was aware that she was still standing there like an idiot. She nodded and turned to walk toward the front door. She nearly lost her balance when his large hand wrapped around her wrist and pulled her back in his direction. She met his gaze as he steadied her, something in his eyes capturing her just as easily as his hand had.
“You owe me for the ride, Ellie.”
“I–I do?”
“Yes. You do. Kiss me, and we’ll call it even,” he said in a voice so deep it plucked at something inside of her.
Her breath caught in her chest. Kiss him? Was he serious?
“K–kiss you?” she asked in a squeaky voice.
“Kiss me.”
Ellie’s mouth opened to protest, but, instead, she breathed in his scent. He smelled like a sun-warmed rock and aged leather. It gave her a feeling of safety and comfort when everything about him screamed danger in bright neon lights. She leaned forward
and brushed her lips lightly across his, then retreated. The fact that he let her go and didn’t call foul at her quick escape and half-hearted payment told her that he only did it to challenge her and didn’t really want her kiss.
She gritted her teeth with the disappointment that she shouldn’t feel and took a step backwards.
“Thanks for the ride—Rex.” Then she turned and walked fast toward the door before she let herself feel anything more where this man was concerned. The sound of the motorcycle growling to life was one more reminder of who and what he was.
Susan opened the door for her before she’d even managed to knock. The sound of Rex and his big bike roaring down the street began to fade as she stepped inside to the completely different sound of children at play.
* * * *
Rex pulled into his drive ten minutes later still thinking about the pretty Ellie. Her honey gold hair swirling around her in the warm wind as she’d glared with murderous intent at her engine had caught his eyes at first. The way her jeans hugged her generous hips and sweet, squeezable ass had prodded him to see what other delights might be part of the package. When she’d looked up at him with the lightest hazel eyes he’d ever seen, Rex had known she was the one. For one moment, everything else had faded away, and all he saw was her.
Then her eyes had registered his leathers and scruffy look, and those amazing eyes displayed unease, if not downright fear. It had taken him a second to realize that he probably looked the part of an evil biker gang member. Well, that was because he was, in a way. Maybe not the evil part, but he was a biker gang member, just not the type she probably thought.