The Unwilling Love

James Hamilton makes my heart stutter.

He’s six feet three inches of muscle. A decorated Royal Marine. with a jagged scar that hints at a troubled past, and glacial blue eyes that see right through my defenses.

I’m the aspiring chef who spends my days drowning in dishwater and hiding my curves under an oversized apron while I strive for my big break.

James is also the definition of off-limits.

My best friend’s overprotective older brother and a man who has seen too much of the world’s darkness to ever notice someone like me.

Or so I thought...

Because lately, those ‘protective’ glances feel like so much more.

The air crackles when we're alone, and the way he tensed when a stranger approaches me at the bar? That was more than brotherly instinct.

I’ve spent years watching him from afar, but I’m ready to show him I no longer a girl who needs saving.