The Right to Bear Arms: BBW Military Paranormal Romance (Wild Operatives, #1) Read Free Page A

some hefty fines, and eventually, more songbirds returned to our feeders.
    I didn’t know my wife was sick then. She kept it hidden, and her birds were a way for her to deal with her physical pain. She hadn’t wanted to worry me while I was away in Afghanistan. At the end, I barely made it home in time to say goodbye to her, and by then, I’d lost precious time I could have held her in my arms.
    Daniela wasn’t my wife, but she was someone’s daughter, someone’s sister maybe, and I wanted to look after her the way Ian had once helped my Katie when she needed a hand. The next time her ex showed up uninvited, I’d break him in half. Better yet, I’d teach the woman to do it herself.

Chapter Two
    ~Daniela~
    “I ’ve never been so embarrassed in all of my life,” I blurted into the phone.
    My younger sister chuckled. I could picture her reclined in bed, twisting a strand of her dark red hair around one finger. “Your neighbor sounds like a nice guy. Married?” Marta asked.
    “No. Word in the neighborhood is he moved here after his wife died.”
    “Then maybe you need to—”
    I cut her off quickly. “I do not need to bone him, Marta. Back off that train.”
    I loved my sister, but she thought everything could be fixed by hopping on the D. Sometimes that was the truth, but in most cases, fucking the problem away wasn’t a realistic solution. I’d tried that with Michael for a decade to no avail.
    “Well, damn. Sorry for trying to make a suggestion.”
    The rain storm continued to rage outside, blowing through the trees so hard their green tops bowed. I probably wouldn’t see my bear in the morning, and that disappointed me more than it should.
    “Ugh. I’m sorry. I took a hot shower, but I’m still kind of cold from being out in the rain. I guess it’s making me irritable.”
    “Get under the blankets with a drink, sis. I’ll talk to you soon. Take it easy this weekend and don’t let Michael spoil it.”
    “I won’t,” I promised. “Love you. Night.”
    After we ended our phone call, I traipsed downstairs to make a hot mug of cocoa with the chocolate my dad brought back from a business trip to Mexico. A sudden flash of lightning revealed my empty yard, accompanied by crashing thunder that nearly made me spill the milk. I poured a liberal amount of Bailey’s into the finished cup, returned upstairs, and tucked myself into bed with the lights dimmed.
    I dreamed of bears that night — of running barefoot through the overgrown woods bordering my home with the scent of the wet trees and moist earth all around me. He was leading me somewhere, but I wasn’t fast enough to keep pace. The chase continued until my tiring leg muscles gave out and I collapsed to the mossy bottom of the forest floor.
    Convinced my bear had abandoned me, I lay motionless, waiting for the cramps in my legs to fade. Gentle hands caressed me, and when my eyes opened, I gazed up into warm brown eyes and tousled dark hair. Russell had the perfect chest, touched by a scattering of black hair over chiseled pecs. His abs were rock-hard and flawless, the kind I could bounce a quarter off. He wore only jeans, but the hard bulge beneath his zipper responded to my touch, twitching when my fingers stroked over the denim.
    His mouth crashed into mine, the perfect kiss, breath-stealing, hungry, and impatient for more. Our tongues tangled to the rhythm of our rising passion while his eager hands traced my shape. I soon realized I was completely naked. Bared. Heat rose to my cheeks as a masculine palm scooped my large breast.
    The scent of the open forest surrounded us, carrying juniper and damp earth. The cool soil beneath my back became the perfect cushion as my lover’s head dipped. He was dragging his mouth over me, kiss by kiss, inch by inch, tasting me until he reached my quivering breasts, closing his lips around my left nipple. Moist heat surrounded the aching tip; then his teeth skimmed over the edge of the tightly puckered