BEAST: A Bad Boy Marine Romance Read Free Page A

definitely detected a deep Southern accent. “No, I’ve never dated a Marine. I know it’s the motto of the Marine Corps. My father is a Marine. Well, once a Marine, always a Marine; he retired before I was born.” And then he met my innocent mother. Young, beautiful, from a rural town in Mexico. But my father rarely talked about himself; he preferred to tell other people’s stories. “And no one speaks Latin. It’s a dead language.”
    “I know that, Natasha Romanova. I was making a reference to Iron Man 2 .”
    “Yeah, I get it. My dad’s dragged me to all the movies. My name’s Isa. What’s your name?”
    He paused. “Bruce Banner, but you can call me Hulk.”
    This guy couldn’t even tell me his real name? Strike one. I immediately put up my guard. Probably another player, but with a body like that, who could blame him? His hand brushed against my thigh, and my core heated up. I couldn’t help but stare at his shorts as the huge bulge stared back at me. Looked like his chest wasn’t the only part of his body that was massive.
    “Okay, Hulk. So what’s your job in the Marines?”
    “I’m a grunt, ma’am.”
    I loved the way he said ma’am . I was so used to SoCal surfers, frat boys, and Hollywood types that I was charmed by his politeness. I just hoped it wasn’t fake.
    “Cool.”
    “So you don’t hate military guys like most of the girls in San Diego?”
    I wasn’t imagining a bitter edge to his voice. But it was refreshing that he didn’t seem to hold his opinions back. “No, I don’t. I actually admire any man who would risk his life for his country. Being in the military isn’t a job, it’s an honor.” Much more honorable than my former life in the spotlight, existing to please people, making money off my appearance, fakeness, dishonesty. I shuddered remembering the older pictures on my now defunct Instagram account. Thank God, I’d changed my path. Even if it hadn’t been by choice.
    He leaned in closer to me and squeezed my hand. “I’m glad and, well, shocked you think that. It means a lot to me, thank you. How about you? Do you go to SDSU?”
    “No. UCSD. But I want to apply here for grad school.” I studied Hulk’s body. He had a deep scar on his right shoulder, and even though it was covered in green makeup, I could tell that some of his skin was mottled and puckered.
    Should I ask him about his obvious injuries? Would that be rude?
    His strong hand covered mine; the strength of his grasp excited me. I imagined this man dominating me, a fantasy that I’d never had the pleasure of experiencing with the passive pretty boys I’d dated.
    “Isa, you’re the most beautiful woman here. This party really isn’t my scene, and I’d like to get to know you better. Let’s get out of here.”
    Well, that was quick. So much for my romantic Southern gentleman. “What did you have in mind, Hulk?”
    Before he could reply, a loud boom detonated nearby. A blinding flash of light streaked the sky, the shimmer of multicolored fireworks were overhead.
    Hulk dropped the beer, glass shattering under us. Before I could react, he threw me to the ground and flung his frame on top of mine, his body shaking, a labored breath emanating from his mask.
    What the hell? “Get off me!” I yelled, pounding his chest with my fists, shards from the bottle scraping my skin.
    I suffered through a few seconds in silence, praying he would move, but he just clung to me like cling wrap. The pressure on my chest tightened, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t push him off. I writhed under him, my face pressed to his green chest.
    Finally after what seemed like a few minutes, he rolled off of me and sat up, his hands shaking. Sweat beads adorned his chest. A crowd had now gathered around us, probably trying to make sure I wasn’t being raped. Had a firework gone off? Oh damn—was that some kind of war flashback? How insensitive was I?
    “You okay, honey?” some girl asked, glaring at the blood on