Hammered: Love Trap Read online

  Hammered

  Mila Crawford

  Aria Cole

  Copyright © 2020 by Mila Crawford & Aria Cole

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Synopsis

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Epilogue-Two Year Later

  Epilogue Two- Ten years Later

  About the Author

  Also by Mila Crawford

  Synopsis

  Jessie ‘The Hammer’ McKenzie made my father a promise six years ago. But promises don’t always work out, especially in matters of the heart. I’ve tried to ignore my attraction but loving a man almost twice my age, comes with epic complications. Complications that we both don’t need.

  I made a promise to my best friend as I watched him die in my arms, to always be there for his daughter. But for the last six years thoughts of Harper have been running rampant in my mind. I’m not the type of man that breaks a promise but Harper Law is about to be mine.

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  1

  Hammer

  I watched as she adjusted her stance at the long mahogany table, books scattered in front of her as her teeth gnawed on the tip of a ballpoint pen. I couldn’t help staring at her pretty pink lips wrapped around that cap, so seductive, so sweet, that it made my cock strain in my pants. Five years I’d watched over her, keeping my distance, making sure she had everything she wanted.

  I knew the promise I made to her father didn’t include the type of relationship I wanted.

  “Always hitting the books.” I stopped across from her. Her gaze moved from the papers in front of her and landed on me. I watched as those pretty lips abandoned the pen and she flashed me a sweet and startling smile.

  “Hammer.” She jumped from her seat and ran straight into my arms.

  As I touched her curves, my mind wandered to filthy images of her spread before me, naked. My mouth watered at thoughts of tasting her.

  “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?” She moved away from me. I took her in, her long creamy legs in that short summer skirt, her curvy hips and her lush breasts being clutched by the cotton of her shirt.

  “I was on campus for some business and your roommate said you were at the library.” I flicked the pages of one of the books. “Always studying. You’ve eaten today?”

  “I grabbed some coffee and a bagel this morning.”

  “This morning? It’s seven-thirty. Collect your things, it’s time to eat.”

  “I still have a little bit of work to finish,” she said, looking nervously at the clutter of papers on the table.

  “Dinner. Now. Don’t make me carry you out of here like a caveman.”

  “Something tells me you might like that.” She winked. Sometimes I wasn’t sure if she walked a thin line with me on purpose. Ever since she’d turned twenty-one, Harper acted a little differently with me than normal. Like just now when she’d hugged me, I could swear she pressed her breasts a little closer than usual. But I’d always put those thoughts out of my mind until that moment.

  “There are a lot of things I’d like. Most of all right now is to make sure you eat.” I put the books in her bag and tossed it over my shoulder. “What are you in the mood for?”

  “You know what I’d like.” She almost purred, pressing up against me and linking her arm with mine.

  “Pizza Roma it is,” I said, trying to avoid the suggestive nature of her question. We walked outside into the cold night air and I could feel her shiver beside me. “You really should wear something more practical in this cold,” I said, shrugging off my jacket and putting it across her arms. “Those clothing pieces aren’t exactly suitable for New York November weather.”

  “It was sunny when I left this morning.” She shrugged, putting her arms through the sleeves. I smiled, so small in my jacket that she almost disappeared. “I’ve always loved wearing your jackets. I’m nowhere near skinny but your clothes make me feel tiny.”

  “You’re perfect,” I said, walking us to my car.

  “Whoa, new wheels?” She opened the door to my Corvette and slipped inside. I buckled her in. “You know I can get that myself.”

  “I like making sure you’re safe.”

  “My hero,” she whispered, voice breathier than normal.

  “Still the best pizza in town.” Harper took another bite of her pepperoni pizza. I loved watching her eat, always had. Usually, women barely ate around me, they would have ordered a salad and pushed it mindlessly on their plate. I found it incredibly irritating watching my buddies’ wives eat. But not with Harper. Watching her eat was incredibly arousing and satisfying.

  “You want more?” I asked, noticing the last slice was gone.

  “Oops, looks like I ate most of that pie.” She dabbed the corners of her mouth with a white paper napkin. “So, what kind of business do you have at the university?”

  “My company is taking over campus security,” I said, not admitting that I bid low to ensure I got the job. I really didn’t like the fact that Harper was at that school without real protection. I had a few private bodyguards keeping tabs on her but I really liked knowing that my guys would be in charge of keeping the campus she was at safe.

  “You don’t need to watch over me. I’m not a little girl anymore.”

  “I noticed, but I take my promises seriously.”

  “What exactly did you notice?” she asked, leaning over, pushing her voluptuous tits together, making them appear even larger. “Like something you see?”

  Busted.

  “I always like seeing you,” I said, testing the waters by being a little more inappropriate than I normally would.

  “And I like being seen by you. So, how long are you in town for?” she asked, changing the subject and pouring ice cold water on my rock hard cock.

  “Just a few days. Once the guys are in place and the paperwork is done, I’ll be heading back to L.A.”

  “Too bad,” she said, “I like having you around.”

  “Come on, I’ll take you home.”

  2

  Harper

  Jessie Hammer Mackenzie was my father's friend; they’d served three tours together in the Army. I never knew about Hammer until my father died in a warzone, and he showed up at my family home when I was seventeen years old.

  From the moment I saw him, I knew there would be no one else for me. It was either Jessie or no one. I tried kissing him once when I was eighteen, but he’d pushed me away saying he couldn’t do that to my father. I knew he wanted me, but some messed up promise to a dead man kept him at bay. Hammer was nothing if not honorable. It was something I both loved about him and found infuriating.

  The heat in Hammer’s car was on full blast as we pulled up in front of my apartment. I longed for him to lean over and touch me, kiss me, tell me how he coul
dn’t live without me and wanted me, right here, right now. Something I had longed for since I was seventeen years old. But, like many times before, Hammer just smiled, leaning back on his seat, making sure to leave plenty of space between us.

  “How long are you in town for?” I asked, trying to prolong the night as much as I could.

  “Just for a few days. I need to make sure everything is set up with the guys before I fly out back to L.A.”

  “Too bad, I was hoping you’d be here a little longer,” I said, leaning forward. I watched as his breathing hitched with a deep intake of breath. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel so tightly that I thought it would snap in half. I saw his eyes glance at my breasts before he diverted them quickly. I liked knowing that I impacted him, it made me feel like maybe there was something there - that all this wasn’t in my head.

  The whole time that I’d known him, he’d never been with any women. No girlfriends, no photos of him and some eye candy on his giant muscular arm. The only thing he did was work. After the war, he came back and started a security company. At first it was malls and small shops but then it expanded to be one of the biggest security firms in the country. Work, for Hammer, was the be all and end all. There never seemed to be time for anything else.

  “Maybe we can grab another meal while I’m here?”

  “It would have to be a late meal. I’ve got a lot of studying to do,” I said, not wanting to jump at his suggestion too quickly. But deep down I wanted to crawl into his lap and have him make me purr like a cat.

  “I can make that happen. Tomorrow?” he asked.

  I watched as his fingers twitched, my eyes glancing down at the bulge forming in his pants. I couldn’t help the little smirk that formed on my lips, noticing that new revelation.

  “Looking forward to it,” I said, before getting out and heading up the stairs to my brownstone.

  “Was that Mr. Sexy who dropped you off?” Silver, my best friend and roommate, asked, her body standing at the window like a complete creeper.

  “Yes, that was Hammer.”

  “Did you tell him about the weird notes you have been finding in your backpack and books the last few months being followed home by that stalker the other night?”

  “Silver, it’s just someone playing a practical joke. It’s not like I don’t have a stalker. You’re being dramatic. And no, I didn’t tell him. I”m still not sure that it wasn’t just a case of mistaken identity. You know, everyone has the same backpack practically. Those damn crime shows you make me watch., I think it went to my head and now I’m just as paranoid as he was.”

  “I think you should tell him, that’s what he’s there for--to protect you.”

  “He’ll just put me in lockdown mode. He’s incredibly overprotective if he thinks anyone he is responsible for is in danger. I’m not saying a word about it. I’m starting to regret telling you.”

  “Well, have you at least had him put that big tool he must be packin’ to test on you yet?” she said, abandoning the window, walking over to the fridge. She took out a bottle of wine and poured it out in two glasses. “I'm sure you need something a little more stiff than this, but it’s all we got.” She giggled, passing me the glass.

  “Instead of worrying about my love life, maybe you should concentrate on your own, sister.”

  “What can I say? I’m boring,” she said, drowning her glass back in one gulp. “I need your stories to sustain me.”

  “Well, there really isn’t anything on my end...”

  “Maybe we need to spice up your outfit,” she said, glancing down at my skirt.

  “This outfit isn’t exactly a school marm.”

  “No...it’s super cute, but maybe you need to show a little more skin.” She shrugged. “All those age gap dirty movies have the girl in some really skimpy clothes.”

  “I’m not wearing those types of outfits.”

  “I think you should. I mean, it will get a reaction one way or another. He will either act like a father or like a Daddy. I’m betting it will be the Daddy, myself.”

  “It’s been a long night,” I said, rolling my eyes at her. “I’m going to bed. I have to hit the books tomorrow.”

  I walked over to my bedroom, went inside and shut the door. I jumped on my bed, staring at the stucco on the ceiling as my mind wondered on how exactly I could make Jessie Hammer Mackenzie my Daddy.

  3

  Hammer

  “Remember, Mike, you need to make sure she is protected at all times,” I told my head of security for the campus as I packed up my briefcase.

  “You got it, boss. Harper Law will be my main focus,” Mike said, patting me on the shoulder. “I know how important it is that she is safe. Bruce would be grateful for everything you’ve done for his kid.”

  A pang of guilt went through me as I thought about how my interest in Harper wasn’t so innocent any longer. I was sure Bruce wasn’t counting on my desire for Harper fueling my need to keep her safe more than my promise to him six years ago.

  I smiled at Mike, nodding my head, and walked out, getting into my ‘Vette and heading over to the library. I was shocked how much thoughts of Harper had been consuming my every waking moment, especially since seeing her last night. And then a text flashed on my phone.

  HARPER: I have to cancel dinner. I have to stay until close.

  I started typing right away, there was no way I was going back to L.A. without seeing her again: Did you eat today?

  HARPER: I had a granola bar.

  A granola bar. That wasn’t enough to sustain her. She was using a lot of brain power studying for the bar.

  A granola bar is not enough. I’ll bring you food.

  When I got to the library I spotted her right away. She was sitting at a small desk, her hair tied up, with loose strands falling down her beautiful face. She looked like a vision. The girl was so beautiful that she took my breath away.

  “Almost done?” I whispered as I dropped the bag of takeout in front of her. I leaned over behind her.

  “Oh, Jessie, you scared me!” she yelped, holding her hand to her heart and knocking over one of the open textbooks lying on the desk. “What are you doing here?”

  “Bringing you sustenance.” I pointed to the bag.

  “That’s really nice of you. Whatcha bring me?” She peered in the bag. “Gabrielli's! Yum.”

  “For a girl that loves food, you sure forget to eat a lot,” I said, pulling out the takeout containers.

  She shrugged, putting the books in a pile on the corner of the desk and grabbing her backpack. . “We should probably find a bigger area to eat at. You’re joining me, right?” she asked, cocking her head to the side.

  “I was planning to,” I said, putting the containers back in the bag and following her down the long corridor crammed with books in every possible corner. “Where are we going?”

  “Just this abandoned conference room. I found it during my first year at the university. I have been coming here for the past 6 years, just to clear my head and get away from all the other students in the library.”

  The room was small, with a large circular desk and eight chairs around it. “This is a nice secret room.”

  “Yes, it’s really private,” she said, standing so close to me that I could feel her breasts brushing up against me. “It’s just the two of us.”

  She walked over to the table, placing the bag on it before she took off her sweater, revealing a low cut skimpy tank top.

  “It’s boiling hot in here.”

  “Yes, Harper, it is.”

  “There is nothing better than Gabrielli’s,” Harper said, disposing of the paper plates and cutlery in the garbage twenty minutes later. “I really hate that there is no composting option here. It’s one of my biggest pet peeves about this place.”

  “Still hoping to save the world?” I asked, packing up the remaining leftovers.

  “I love that you don’t waste food. For as long as I have ever known you, you’ve neve
r just thrown leftovers out.”

  “When you see the hunger and destitution I have seen serving, wasted food becomes a sin. Besides, this is perfectly fine, delicious food.”

  “Look at me, Jessie,” she said, sliding her hands up and down her body, making my eyes follow each and every delicious curve. “I don’t think I'm wasting away.”

  “You’re perfect,” I said, before thinking better of it.

  “Well, Jessie Mackenzie, I’m going to try not to take that the wrong way.”

  “Maybe you should,” I said, walking towards her, closing the distance between us.

  “Be careful, Hammer,” she teased, closing her eyes, as if willing me to stop. But I knew she was affected by me, maybe not as much as I was with her, but she was impacted. Her breathing got deeper, and I could see her creamy white skin now showing a hue of pink. I snapped out of it, needing to control my primal greed before we each did anything that she might regret.

  “We should get out of here before the place closes.” I glanced at my watch, taking a step back to allow myself to breathe. Her eyes shot open, a sheepish smile dancing on her lips.

  “You’re right, the last place that I want to spend the night is the library, I’m here enough as it is,” she quipped.

  I quickly gathered her backpack and put it over my shoulder and followed her to the door. She couldn’t get the knob to turn. She glanced at me over her shoulder as she tugged, trying to get it to open.

  “Jessie, the door is stuck or jammed,” she said as she continued to tug at the door.