For a man who made his career in intelligence, falling for an Afghani national in the middle of a war zone wasn’t the smartest thing a Marine could do.
Marine Captain Sean Kelley loves his country and the men he serves with, but when he meets Akim, he’s tempted to throw it all away for the mysterious man. He knows better than to chase after a local, but repeat encounters culminating in a moment of passion leave him reeling—he’ll do almost anything to figure out how they can be together.
Akim Bijan has a secret of his own—one large enough to get more than just himself killed if it’s revealed. But from the moment he first lays eyes on the handsome Marine, he’s tempted to do just that rather than hide his growing attraction to the man. Being a translator allows him access to the base and he finds Sean alone one night. They take things farther than he ever intended. If only he could tell Sean everything, but his lips are sealed.
When tragedy strikes, Akim is afraid he’s lost Sean for good and he’s forced to make a decision that will change both their lives. Will love win—or will Sean and Akim be separated forever?
Publisher's Note: This story has been previously released as part of the Semper Fidelis anthology by Totally Bound Publishing.
General Release Date: 23rd June 2015
Captain Sean Kelley glanced up, his eyes narrowed at the sight of three soldiers guiding a blindfolded Middle-Eastern man wearing the traditional tan shalwar kameez. His dark brown waskat vest looked a bit rumpled and was tinged with dirt. His pakol hat was askew and also covered in dust. They continued past Kelley’s window and down the main hall of the office complex to the interrogation rooms. Behind the group, a lone young man with olive skin and dark hair—another local most likely—strode, his gait sure, his steps never faltering. His gaze caught Kelley’s, holding it longer than necessary.
Kelley glanced away, pretending to focus on the papers on his desk. He looked up, not taking his eyes off the group until they were too far down the hall for him to keep up with their progress. They were heading to Room Three, the only room without cameras.
Working intelligence, he sometimes caught flak from the other men—Marine Intelligence seemed to be an oxymoron but they did good work. The interrogation in Room Three must be above his pay grade. He hadn’t been informed, which meant he didn’t need to know. Curiosity about the guy following the crowd wove through him and he stood, moving to the door, watching after the group until they disappeared into the room.
Rafe, a lieutenant he worked with sometimes, tapped him on the shoulder. “So you in on that bit of intelligence, Green?”
Kelley shook his head. “Above my pay grade.”
“Heard he was the one behind the bombing—knows a bunch of stuff.”
Kelley nodded then strolled over to the coffee pot, pouring a fresh cup. “Who was following them?”
“Local translator. We’ve used him before. He’s on base a lot. I asked about him once and was handed a mop and a bucket. Just accept that he’s supposed to be here.”
“Interesting.” Kelley moved back to his desk, focusing on work, trying to ignore the men who’d disappeared into Room Three earlier. So much went on behind the scenes that he wasn’t privy to. Before joining up, it would have bugged the hell out of him to see people coming and going without finding out who they were. Now, he knew better than to ask. He took things outside his job at face value—he had his fill with his assignments, delving into people and things he really didn’t want to know about. The hours flew by, and the interrogators were half forgotten until the translator showed up in his office, his eyes downcast, his posture submissive. “Excuse me, sir?” His thick accent had Kelley tilting his head and pinching his eyebrows together.
“Yes? Can I help you?” Kelley pushed away from his desk, looking up into the most beautiful dark brown, almost black, eyes he’d ever seen. He stood and stepped around his desk, needing to get closer to the man.
“I—we need”—the man paused, as if searching for a word—“coffee.”
Kelley nodded and smiled, reaching around the man to open the top drawer of the file cabinet. He should have asked the small man to move out of his way, but he wanted to get closer to see what the guy smelled like, and he wasn’t disappointed. The scent of fresh soap, a bit of dirt and a tang that was pure male clung to the man. Kelley wanted to take another whiff but knew it wouldn’t go unnoticed. “I’m Kelley—the guys call me Green.”
The man nodded, his lips curving up just a small amount before bowing his head a little then catching Kelley’s gaze again. “I am Akim.”
“Nice to meet you, Akim. How many cups do you need?”
“Um—salore… I mean, four.” Akim held up his hand, showing four fingers.
Sara York
Sara York lives in the southern United States with her family and dogs. Sara loves romance that takes you to distant worlds where you could be a princess or a warrior. She enjoys reading about far away places, but writing is her passion. Her favourite vacation would be to spend the day at the beach while reading or writing a good book.
LE Franks
At seventeen, LE Franks walked away from writing for love. Jumping head first into real life and travelling the world seemed to be fair compensation until the characters in her head demanded their turn. Now, living in the San Francisco Bay Area, surrounded by inspiration everywhere, LE is finally taking off the filters and giving the stories free rein. These days, LE can be found frequently writing about sexy men who desperately need a happily ever.
LE writes M/M Romance in a unique mix of humor and drama with enough suspense to produce fast-paced stories filled with emotion and passion and featuring characters that are quirky and complicated. Don’t expect the typical, rugged hero or sophisticated businessman with the world at their feet; LE’s men are living in the margins—they’re in the middle of their journey, doing the best they can while searching for a connection to something bigger than themselves. With a little effort, and a lot of luck, they may actually find their happily-ever-afters.
When not writing, LE wrangles an odd assortment of jobs (six—both paid and volunteer), houseguests (including pro baseball players), family, and friends. Manifesting an odd combination of contradictory talents and traits, LE is tragically honest and personally deceptive and makes the best piecrust—ever.
You can find LE on Twitter and Facebook.
Reviewed by Crystal's Many Reviewers
Even though it’s a short story, My Marine has the intensity of a full length novel. Captain Sean Kelley is on tour in Afghanistan and meets a young translator named Akim. Akim sits in on high level...
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Reviewed by Rainbow Book Reviews
If you like reading about men who have to struggle to be together, if trying to understand a different culture sounds like an interesting additional hurdle, and if you’re looking for a read with...
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