2
Lincoln
The Fort Benning MPs saluted as Colonel Lincoln Creed drove through the front gate. He had just under an hour to get from post to the airport in order to make his flight to Chicago. It was his brother’s birthday and Belladonna, Luc’s cop girlfriend, was hosting a barbecue in his honor.
Lincoln had only touched down on American soil twenty-four hours earlier. He was drained, but he’d needed to make the trip. He hadn’t seen his family since his older brother, Victor’s wedding almost a year ago, and he missed them. He was also looking forward to seeing Bella’s sexy twin. Even in the dry, hot deserts of Syria, he’d found himself thinking about his one night with Donatella Devereaux. Unfortunately, before he could see her again, he’d ended up accompanying three companies on a Middle Eastern recon mission.
Lincoln was an Army officer in command of the 75thRanger Regiment. Ever since he could remember, he’d always wanted to be a soldier. Unlike his father and Victor, he had no interest in politics. He didn’t have a hard-on for business like his brother, Lucas. He wasn’t into technology like Alexander, and he wasn’t interested in being a pro athlete like his baby brother, Jaysen. He was a Ranger and had been born to be that way.
The shrill ring of his cell phone pulled his eyes from the road to the dash. He smiled when he saw Victor’s name. He pushed the talk button on the steering wheel, activating the call.
“Hey, bro,” he answered enthusiastically.
“Linc!” Victor’s booming voice filled the car. His big brother seemed just as happy to hear from him as he was to hear from Victor.
“How’s married life, Governor Creed?”
“Everything you thought it wasn’t, playboy,” Victor teased.
“Playboy? Me? Fuck outta here!”
“Oh, yeah?” Victor teased. “What’s the name of the last woman that you had sex with?”
“Name?” Lincoln scoffed. “I don’t even ask them if they were born a woman anymore. What the fuck do I care about a name?”
Victor’s roaring laughter made Lincoln smile. He was only kidding, but Victor would have no way of knowing that the last woman he’d slept with was Donatella Devereaux.
The night they’d met, both Bella and Luc had been sharing a hospital room after being shot. When Donatella entered the hospital, her overwhelming beauty had made him choke on the stale coffee he was drinking. He’d used every excuse known to man to be near her, drawn to her like that thirsty ass moth to the flame. He encountered beautiful women all the time. But, in all his travels, he’d never seen a woman more exotic and intriguing. Her flawless skin was a blend of copper and crimson, her dark brown eyes slanted, both reflecting her African and Native American heritage. And her sharp cheekbones and plump lips only compounded the perfection.
Although she looked identical to Bella, her short, sassy hair, tribal tattoos, and the fire behind her eyes set them apart. Donatella was more than pretty. She commanded attention. Her charisma was the giant magnet that pulled him, almost against his will, right where she wanted him. Thoughts of the night they’d shared invaded his thoughts.
Lincoln pushedthe door open and entered the hospital room. He was expecting to see his injured older brother and his brother’s debilitated detective girlfriend. But the first thing he saw was a beautiful woman with Belladonna’s face, but so much more.
When she looked up at him with sensual brown eyes, he was ashamed that all of his brotherly concern for Lucas went out the window. His brother and his lady had become secondary. All he saw was Bella’s fiery, tattooed clone. Their faces were identical, their auras, attitudes, and personalities contradictory. Donatella’s presence was alluring and alluring, for Lincoln, was saying a lot. Being a soldier, he’d had access to women from all around the world.
“Is he up?” Lincoln asked, entering the hospital room.
The first words from her mouth were a lie.
“Yes,” Donatella fibbed.
“No, he’s not, Lincoln,” Bella interjected. “But you can come in.”
Lincoln walked across the hospital room, never taking his eyes off Bella’s gorgeous sister. And it hadn’t escaped him that she was watching him too. He’d hoped the attraction was mutual because he instantly wanted her. Yeah, he had been around the world, but Victor and Lucas seemed to always be surrounded by drop-dead gorgeous women. In love, his brothers had been very lucky.
Taylor was a strong, dynamic beauty. Bella was gorgeous, headstrong, and ridiculously intuitive. But Donatella was… fierce. Even though she was a fraction of his size, he somehow knew that she was a giant.
After an hour of ‘kumbaya’ moments, everyone was satisfied that Luc and Bella were going to make it. Family and friends slowly began to leave the hospital. When Donatella said her goodbyes and left the room, Lincoln hugged his big brother and kissed Bella’s forehead before running out behind her.
He caught her down the hall. “Donatella,” he called from behind.
Her steps halted. She turned around, locked eyes with him, and smiled. Her smile was disarming. Her full lips framed crisp white teeth, and her eyes lit up like the Eiffel Tower at night.
“Yes? Did I leave something behind?”
Lincoln slowed his steps to a stalk. He moved as close to her as he could without being creepy. “Yes, you did. You left me behind.”
He stood over her, forcing her to raise her head, and inhaled the sweet scent of honey and spearmint. His dick swelled, and there was a tingle to his skin that almost threatened his manhood. He was a big, bad Army Ranger, but Donatella was reducing him to a teenage boy who couldn’t control his hard-on.
