Higgins Security Series

BLAKE
 

My job is to make sure that filming the movie goes smoothly, but one  look at her and I know that my mission is to protect her.  She might be  America’s sweetheart, but it’s come at a huge price, one I don’t think  she wants to pay anymore.

 
I’ll make sure she knows that she has other options now.  I’ll make  sure she knows that she has a family now that accepts her  unconditionally.  A family that accepts her and Charlotte.

   
It doesn’t matter that I’m older than her.  It doesn’t matter that I’ve been hired to protect her.  One look and I’m a goner.

 
She’s been hurt in the past and learned she can’t rely on anyone but  herself.  She has me now and I will do everything I can to keep her  safe and secure.  

Always.
 

MARGOT
 

I lost myself in Hollywood once, the classic child star falls from  grace story.  I’m sure you can imagine.  I knew I was going down the  wrong road back then and I knew I needed to change.  I’m stronger now  and I have a reason to stay on the straight and narrow, my little  sister.

Now, I strive to be a person Charlotte can look up to proudly.  I’m  just not sure how much longer I can stay in this industry, it’s already  taken so much from me.

Someone has been putting me in danger and trying to sully the  reputation I’ve worked so hard for.  I don’t doubt that Blake, colossus  of a man, can keep me safe.

What I’m not sure about is if I can trust him with my heart, with Charlotte’s heart.  Maybe I can.  Maybe I’ve found my home. 

CHLOE

I’ve spent most of my life making myself small so that no one pays attention to me and I can fly under the radar. Being a part of The Community wasn’t my choice, but it’s been my home for as long as I can remember. I want out, but I can’t sacrifice the only family I’ve ever known.

I want to keep pushing Ryder away. I need to. For his safety and the safety of everyone else who means anything to him and his family. I wish it could be mine too. They don’t seem to want to let me go, no matter how much I hide.

Ryder is always so close and yet so far away. Another man’s hands on my body is the last straw and before I can stop it, he’s claimed me as his own. I didn’t want to stop it anyway. I want him.

Maybe I can trust him to keep me safe.

RYDER

Chloe isn’t ready for me, but I can’t stay away from her. She’s hiding things and I don’t want to push her, but I can’t shake the feeling that she’s not safe. I want to always keep her safe.

She’s mine and there isn’t a thing in this world that will stop me from claiming her as my own.

Another man making a move on my girl is too much for me to take. Whether she’s ready or not, it’s time for her to know just how much she means to me. It’s time for her to let me into what scares her. She always tries to blend into the background, but I see her. More than that, I want her.

I’ll protect her from the family that never deserved her and give her a new one; a better one. I’ll make sure that no one makes her feel small again. 

KAT

I’ve kept my past bottled up in the farthest recesses of my mind for so long, the only time it claws its way out is in my nightmares. My frigid exterior protects myself from others and protects my secrets. I know people would look at me differently. I know they’d pity me or judge me.

That also means I’ve been keeping a certain man as far away from me as possible. I knew in an instant he was my everything, but it’s for his own good…and mine. Grayson.

Just when I think it’s safe to let down my walls and truly accept my beautiful man who hasn’t given up on me and the family that comes with him, my past finds a way to show me that it still has a hold on me.

This time I have him to protect me, I hope that he can still love me after he knows the truth of my past.

GRAYSON

Katherine. Kat. My little kitten. I knew I wanted her from the moment I saw her, knew she was the center of my world and so much more. I’ve let her push me away; I’ve let her keep her distance. I can’t do it anymore. I need her to keep my nightmares at bay. I need to protect her and keep her safe.

When she finally lets me past her icy walls, I jump at the chance to make her mine. I’ll fight for her, always, and make sure she knows how much she means to me. I’ll let her into my heart and into the pain of my past because I know she can handle it.

She’s been hiding from her own nightmares for a long time and when they bleed into her reality, I will stop at nothing to vanquish them before holding her even closer to me.

I hope once we put her past behind us that we can only look forward.

SAVANNAH

I’m finally free of pain, torment and a future which was never going to be safe for me or my baby, but I’m not sure what life without my ex-husband will look like. I can’t help but worry. Getting away from him and divorcing him was easy. Too easy. Does this mean he has something planned for me? Am I only safe as long as I’m pregnant?

Going out to a bar to celebrate your divorce while pregnant doesn’t seem like a good idea, but I can’t deny my two besties who stood by me even when I pushed them away.

It turns out to be the best thing I’ve ever done. For the first time in a long time, I am in the right place at the right time. Meeting Duncan feels like it was meant to be. He says he’ll protect me. He says he wants my baby to be his as well. He holds me and doesn’t let me go but it doesn’t make me feel fear, only contentment.

I can’t help but keep looking over my shoulder. How long can this last? When will my past crash into my future and prove a happily ever after isn’t meant for broken people?

DUNCAN

If I’ve learned one thing watching my brothers in Higgins Security find the women meant for them it’s that we attract women who need our help. It’s a damn good thing I have no problem using the skills I gained as a Ranger, well tested and honed, to keep those I love safe. I won’t be making the same mistakes my brothers did, even if it makes me obsessive and possessive to a level the other men in the family can’t touch.

I was starting to lose hope, no matter how much it hurts to admit. I wasn’t expecting to find my future at a bar celebrating her divorce. I wasn’t expecting to find her pregnant with another man’s baby. I know blood doesn’t make a family and Savannah’s baby is mine the same way she is.

I will keep her safe, no matter what. I will be at her side through the last trimester of the pregnancy. I can’t wait to hold her, our, baby in my arms. I’ll prove to her she can trust me and then get her to give in to what I know she wants: me. Soon she’ll be in my bed and in my house; she’s already in my heart.

If her ex-husband tries to shatter our happiness, he will quickly learn the error of his ways. Even if he doesn’t pose a threat to us, Savannah and I have our own demons to fight, our own pasts to overcome, but we can do it together because she’s mine and I’ll always take care of her. 

TRIX

I love my job, but there’s something not quite right going on at Aces, the club where I bartend. I’ve been keeping an eye on things, but I’m not sure who to trust and what’s really going on. I’d be disappointed if the owners are behind it, but I find people often disappoint.

Everything about the new guy, Sebastian, is dubious. There’s something he’s hiding and not just how he doesn’t belong behind a bar. It’s too bad I also want to jump on him and never let go. It’s a real problem.

I won’t accept a liar into my life. Not again. So why can’t I stop thinking about him? And why, when I need him the most, is he right there?

First, we need to get to the bottom of what’s going on at Aces. Then, I expect the truth. All of it. Maybe when everything is out there, I’ll be able to decide if the feelings I’ve been having for Sebastian are real or not.

SEBASTIAN

Moving to Denver from New York was one of the best decisions of my life. I’m part of a family now that is unlike the one I grew up in. I only wish I didn’t have to leave behind the most important person in my life.

I thought going undercover at Aces for Higgins Security was going to be a straightforward assignment, but Trix complicates matters. I’ll find out what’s going on but telling lies to the woman I know is mine is going to have consequences.

She’s suspicious, rightly so. When tragedy strikes my past, it means my son, Drake, is moving in and more lies pile up. I hate it.

Can I keep my woman safe and prove to her I’m exactly the man she needs when the line between a lie and the truth has been blurred? I have a job to do, but nothing is going to stop me from making Trix mine. My life is changing with Trix and Drake at the center of it. She might not believe it, but we’re forever and I’ll reveal everything. Right after I find out who’s behind what’s been happening at Aces. 

MARGOT

Even the mighty can fall. I didn’t think it would happen to my Blake though, my Titan. He’s been bigger than life since the moment I met him. I should have known his shoulders were only so broad and that they could only hold so much. He takes his job of protection in our family and in his work very seriously. When he has to face the reality that he can’t stop everything bad in this world, no matter the outcome, he crumbles.

There are so many demons in this world he has to face, but that’s why he has me. I’ll secure his heart and never let him go.

BLAKE

My job is to protect the people I love, my family, and everyone under the care of Higgins Security. I’ve failed. It isn’t the first time I’ve failed at a mission, but this time the threat came from inside and I should have seen it coming. How can anyone trust me to protect them now?

My brave little flower is at my side to help me through my guilt. She reminds me what I knew from the moment I saw her picture—love always wins.

*Was originally published as part of the Love Always Wins Anthology.*