Page 40 of The Marine's Homecoming

"You didn't know," Luke says, shaking his head. He crouches in front of me and rests a hand on my knee, as if that should be comforting. This is all my fault. I was so eager to do this festival and help our town heal that I invited a monster in and let him run wild.

"I should've known. You tried to tell me and I shut you down. He's been using my festival to move stuff through this town. My name is on every permit. If someone pulls a single thread, it all leads back to me." I feel lost and trapped, and I'm confused and overwhelmed. This isn't right. I should've seen this a mile away.

"Look, you can't do that to yourself. We're gonna get him, but before we go to anyone else, you need to understand the full picture so you can get ahead of it."

"Get ahead of it, how? I'm the event chair. I invited this man to help me because I was too overwhelmed to do it myself. I practically rolled out a red carpet for him." I press my fingers to my temples and almost cry. "I just needed his money so badly."

"You trusted someone who presented himself as a donor. That's not a crime. He targeted you because you're running a legitimate event in a small town with a working harbor. He would've found another way in even if you'd turned him down."

This is so scary and so humiliating. I know I did nothing wrong, but what if the courts don't see it that way? And what if this town doesn't see it that way? They've been on Luke's back for twelve years now. How long will they judge me? I might have to move away after this.

"Why aren't you angry with me?" I ask, feeling confused. I look down into his eyes and feel myself pulling away, ready for shame to mix with this self-condemnation and sting like hell.

"Why would I be angry with you?"

"Because I trusted him over you. You warned me and I brushed you off and kept working with him anyway." Covering my face, I clench my eyes shut and try not to let the shame suffocate me. But Luke pulls my hands down.

"You didn't do anything wrong, honey." I swallow hard as he calls me that. He's being so kind, and I've been so rude to him the past several months.

"I was so stubborn."

"You had been hurt. You had no reason to trust me." He reaches up and cups my cheek. "We need to take this to the authorities. Rico has a contact at the ATF who handles Pacific Corridor cases. If we hand this over with your testimony about the canceled vendors and the altered permits, it builds a case Dorsey can't talk his way out of."

"What about the festival, though? I mean, what if he pulls his money…" This sounds like the most selfish request I can make, but I'm not thinking of my own humiliation. I'm thinking about the hundreds of folks who are looking forward to that weekend.

"The festival can still happen. Your vendors are real. Your plans are solid. We just need to separate what's yours from what's his and let the Feds handle the rest."

I look down at the pages spread across the desk. Months of work and planning and sleepless nights, and this man I trusted was hollowing it out from the inside the entire time. I think about how many times I stood next to Dorsey and thanked him for his generosity while he was threading his operation through every seam of my event. It makes my eyes burn with tears, and I never see Luke leaning in until his lips brush mine.

He kisses me softly and I relax under his touch.

“Luke,” I whisper against his mouth, not sure how to respond. The vulnerability I feel is so powerful, I almost want to run away. But isn't this what I want? To let him have me when I'm most open so I know he's really here for me?

He deepens the kiss, tongue sliding against mine. His hands grip my hips and guide me until I'm seated on the edge of the desk. Papers crinkle beneath me.

"Hannah, I want you,” he murmurs in a low rumble that vibrates my chest.

I spread my legs so he can step between them. The hard press of his body feels so good I sigh into his mouth. My fingers bunch his T-shirt, tugging it upward.

He breaks the kiss just long enough to yank it off. “You're not going to run away this time?" he asks, and I find myself smiling.

"No," I whisper. "I promise."

I lift my arms, and he peels my shirt away and drops it behind me. Cool air brushes my skin before his mouth follows to my throat.

“God, you're perfect,” he says, kissing lower.

He sucks my nipple into his mouth. Pleasure sparks and I arch back, bracing my palms on the desk.

“Mmm,” I breathe.

His tongue circles, teasing until I’m trembling. One hand palms my other breast, thumb brushing the tight peak over and over until heat pools low in my belly.

Luke straightens and kisses me again, harder this time. I fumble with his belt, desperate to feel all of him. He helps, shoving his jeans and boxers down until his dick is out, rock hard in my hand and already dripping.

“Touch me,” he groans.

I wrap my hand around him and stroke slowly from base to tip, and his hips twitch forward into my grip.