FORBIDDEN

  TIA LOUISE

  CONTENTS

  Forbidden

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Epilogue

  Fearless

  Prologue

  Boss of Me

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Books by Tia Louise

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Forbidden

  Copyright © TLM Productions LLC, 2023

  Printed in the United States of America.

  Cover design by Lori Jackson Design.

  Photography by Wander Aguiar.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, photocopying, mechanical, or otherwise—without prior permission of the publisher and author.

  Created with Vellum

  FORBIDDEN

  BY TIA LOUISE

  I have one job: Get close and take him out. The only problem is, I want him more.

  I was barely five when I lost my brother; seven when my father was murdered.

  Overnight, I was taken by my mysterious uncle, grafted into a world of crime I didn’t understand and couldn’t escape.

  The first ten years, I did my best to blend in.

  The next four, I reinvented myself, growing stronger, searching for answers.

  Now I have one assignment—take down the man who knows our secrets.

  Professor Dirk Winston is my target, and I’m expected to be a good soldier, disguised as a good student.

  Only he’s not the passive bookworm I expect.

  He’s ripped muscles, bedroom eyes, dirty mouth, and ready for a fight.

  But I’ve got plans of my own, and this hot teacher is going to do more than give me grades and take my panties.

  He’s going to help me get revenge.

  (FORBIDDEN is a five-alarm-spicy age-gap, student-professor romance with secrets, lies, and answers to all your questions. No cheating. No cliffhanger.)

  “It is impossible to manufacture or imitate love.”

  —Horace Slughorn

  1

  Dirk

  “I have a bad feeling about this.” My older brother watches me, hands on his hips.

  Standing in front of the half-renovated warehouse I call home, all my belongings fitting neatly in a large duffel bag, I’ve never felt so unmoored.

  “Who are you, Han Solo?” I drop the bag in the back of my Jeep beside a smaller case.

  “Sure, if that’s the analogy where you’re leaving the field in the middle of a battle.”

  “That would make me Han Solo.” I exhale a bitter laugh, turning to face him and pulling a ball cap over my messy hair. “There’s no battle, Hutch. It’s been four years. The case is closed. Hell, even Hugh says it’s over.”

  “You know we can’t trust what Hugh says,” he growls, refusing to let it go.

  Hutch is an intimidating guy—a former Marine with too many muscles and the attitude to match. We’re three years apart in age, but he’s always had my back.

  It was easy to say yes to joining his private investigation firm eight years ago. He’s the muscle, and Oskar Lourde, or Scar as we call him, is Hutch’s former military guide, scary as hell and an expert tracker. I’m the tech guy, tracking messages across the dark web, hacking into street cams and security networks to follow suspects throughout the city, often throughout the night. My hours are insane, but I’ve never been a nine-to-five guy.

  All that changed after our last case.

  “I won’t argue with you, but he paid his bill. We have no reason to keep pursuing it, whatever it would be now.”

  Hugh van Hamilton is our richest client, and he has a bad habit of withholding vital information from the team he’s supposed to trust, a.k.a., us. When he hired us to protect his nieces, we discovered their safety was only the tip of the iceberg.

  We spent the next year tracking down blackmailers, exposing a money laundering ring, dodging a Russian oligarch, and escaping a murder charge that almost sent Scar away for life (in a Russian prison, no less).

  I won’t lie—it was fun. The challenge, the excitement, the cat-and-mouse game… we don’t get a lot of that in our tiny town, and now that it’s done, I’ve emerged from my tech-cave to discover I’m the only one waking up alone every morning.

  “We have plenty of reasons to keep going.” Hutch shakes his head. “Their network is still in place. It’s only a matter of time before a new leader emerges, and it’ll probably be the guy who murdered Simon Petrovich.”

  “Simon was the head. We cut off the head, and the body died.”

  “We didn’t cut off the head, and whoever did cut it off is going to come back.”

  That makes me laugh, and I football-charge him with my shoulder. “This isn’t a horror film. They’re not coming back.”

  He easily blocks me, pulling me in for a brief hug. “Watch yourself. I don’t want to have to kick your ass again.”

  “Like you ever kicked my ass.”

  “Only because it would’ve broken Mom’s heart. You were her favorite son.”

  “Whatever.” If that’s true, it’s because I acted like a son.

  Hutch was born to play the dad role, unlike our real dad, who checked out when we were only kids. Our mom leaned on my brother for everything, all the way until she died.

  Shaking away that dark memory, I grip his shoulder. “I haven’t seen any rumors of a resurgence on any of the chat boards. It’s time to let it go. You’re married, Scar has a baby on the way… ”

  My voice trails off as I consider our broody Viking of a partner settled with a wife and baby. Hana’s pregnancy was the final straw that made me realize I had to make a change.

  “It’s time for me to get on with my life.” Stepping back, I straighten my jacket, ready to get on the road.

  “When we started the firm, we said we’d be partners til the end.”

  “I’m still your partner.” I push back on the guilt his words trigger, icy tendrils creeping across my chest. “But I’ve been talking about doing this for years. You thought it was a good idea at one point.”

  “When you wanted to teach one class at the community college in town. Now you’re moving to Miranda Bay and actually joining the faculty at Thornton.” He glances at my belongings crammed in the back of my vehicle, sounding for all it’s worth like a parent saying goodbye to his only child. “This is completely different.”

  “I’m an hour down the road. I can keep up with anything that pops up, and if I need to come back, it’s an easy drive.”

  “So stay in Hamiltown and commute the days you teach. You could keep your office hours here instead of breaking up the team.”

  “I’m a faculty member. I don’t want to half-ass it. I want to be active in the department. This is the right choice for me, Hutch. I’ve spent too many nights chasing bad guys. It’s time for me to develop human habits, before I wake up at sixty and realize I’m alone.”

  “Ah, fuck that. You’re nowhere near sixty.”

  “Maybe not, but the last four years went by faster than I like.”

  My brother runs a hand over his dark scruff. He’s quiet, which means he’s thinking. Hutch is stubborn, but he’s not inflexible.

  Finally, he relents. “Just don’t get too comfortable around all those kids running around in wool blazers with their scarves flying over their shoulders.”

  “It’s not Hogwarts,” I chuckle, gesturing to the warehouse looming behind us. “Anyway, I’ve still got to finish this dump. You think I’d let all my hard work go to waste?”

  I bought the abandoned garment factory on the edge of town when I graduated from Columbia, and I’ve been slowly renovating it, turning it into an open-floor-plan loft ever since. So far, I’ve got the upper level completely livable. That just leaves the rest.

  Hutch squints up at the massive structure. “You should hire a contractor to finish it while you’re gone. We have the money.”

  “Where’s the fun in that?” It’s slow going, but I enjoy working with my hands. It’s a nice balance to being in front of a screen.

  “How long is this teaching thing going to last?”

  I slide my backpack off my shoulder as we climb into my Jeep. I’ll drive him back to our office in town before I hit the road. “I’m an adjunct professor, so f
or now it’s only a semester-to-semester gig. If they don’t like me, it could be a one and done.”

  “They’ll like you.”

  We drive for a few minutes in silence, and it bothers me that he could be angry at my decision. “I need to do this, Hutch.”

  He blinks over at me, and the tension in his jaw relaxes. “I know.”

  A few more minutes of silence, and we’re entering town. I parallel park on Main Street in front of our glass door, which reads Winston and Lourde in gold lettering. “You take care of yourself and Blake. Let me know when you’ve got a baby on the way.”

  “Not sure Blake’s ready for motherhood.” A sly grin curls his lips, and my eyes narrow.

  “I’m not sure if that look means you’re wanting to change her mind or you’re still enjoying being on your honeymoon.”

  “Nothing wrong with an extended honeymoon.” He holds the door open for me. “And if we have any accidents, that’s okay, too.”

  A pang of something like jealousy twists in my stomach. It’s ridiculous, and I dismiss it. I’m happy for my brother, and I’m equally happy returning to campus life, hitting the books, learning what’s new and breaking in the world of academia.

  “Hey, handsome.” A sweet voice greets me as I enter our office building.

  “Hana.” I catch her in a side hug, her hand resting on the baby belly lifting the front of her black, knee-length dress.

  It’s short with spaghetti straps, and her pale-blonde spiral curls are gathered up on her head in a messy way, leaving tendrils falling around her cheeks. She’s really cute pregnant, and Scar is beaming like I’ve never seen—he almost looks approachable.

  “Professor Winston.” Her small nose wrinkles. “I thought you were already on the road. I’m glad I get to tell you goodbye.”

  “I’m heading out now. Hutch needed a ride to town, and I’m on my way.”

  Scar walks up to where we’re standing. His long hair is pulled back in the usual samurai bun, and his inked arms extend from his short-sleeved black tee. He slips one around his wife, covering her rounded belly with a large hand.

  His torso and arms were severely burned in a fire when he and Hutch were serving together overseas. Elaborate tattoos now cover those scars, and combined with his piercings and wolf eyes, he’s an intimidating presence. Hana isn’t fazed.

  She covers his large hand with her small one, exhaling a light laugh. “Can you believe how fat I am? Just look at me!”

  Joy beams in her eyes, but I push back. “You’re not fat, you’re pregnant.”

  “But just look how chubby my cheeks are!”

  If I didn’t know Hana better, I’d think she was shaming herself, but she’s not. Hana has struggled with addiction and disordered eating all stemming from the abuse she suffered as a child. She’s actually happy.

  Scar’s eyes smolder with love, and he speaks in a soft growl. “You’re beautiful.”

  She beams up at him, and the heat between them tightens the skin on the back of my neck. I’m not jealous of them…

  Okay, fuck it. Maybe I’m a little jealous—of all of them. I’m glad these two wounded souls have found each other. Hell, even Blake and Hutch are pretty incredible together.

  Blake is Hana’s older sister, and she’s fiercely protective of her family, much like my brother. She and Hutch are iron sharpening iron, two powerful forces making each other stronger.

  It’s all great and happily ever after, the fairytale ending they all deserve, and I’m fucking completely out of the loop. Heat is in my throat, and I force a smile. This is why I need to get out of here, why I need a break.

  “Professor.” Scar shakes his head with a chuckle. “I don’t know how you’re going to handle all those teenagers.”

  “It’s a three-hundred-level course, so they’ll be a little older.”

  “Just don’t do anything stupid. I won’t be there to bail you out.”

  “Got it. No punching the students.” I glance around our small office at the computer system I installed, the server and firewall, all the tech I maintain. “Think you can handle all this while I’m gone? I am taking the brains with me.”

  “Last I checked, your brains were in your briefs.”

  “That does it—” I lunge at him, and he grabs my arms, taking a step back.

  For a minute, we push against each other like two rams locking horns over the high ground.

  “Good lord, don’t break the office.” Blake scolds as she enters through the glass door.

  “He couldn’t leave without a fight.” Hutch puts his hands on our shoulders, parting us.

  We’re both red-faced, breathing hard, and grinning, and I scoop my cap off the floor, putting it back on my head.

  “You’ve been working out.” Scar nods at me.

  “More like you’re getting soft in your old age, Pops.”

  He makes a move like he might come at me again, but Hutch steps between us, giving Hana a hug. “Hey, sis, you look good.”

  “Is this what I have to look forward to with boys?” Hana returns his hug, arching an eyebrow at us. “Remind me not to buy anything breakable.”

  “I’m pretty sure everything in our house was glued together.” I laugh, taking my laptop off my desk and slipping it into my backpack. “I’ve got to hit the road. Let me know if anything comes up. I’ll be busy, but not too busy to work remotely.”

  Scar’s lips tighten, and he nods, a hint of a smile telling me he knows why I’m doing this, even if I won’t say it out loud.

  My brother’s send-off is more ominous. “Stay close to your phone. My gut says this is the calm before the storm.”

  Another tight smile, and I head out, climbing into my Jeep and slamming the door. It’s not the first time I’ve said goodbye to Hamiltown, South Carolina, but it’s the first time I’ve felt like I’m starting something new outside it. It’s an unusual feeling, a mixture of excitement and dread, like anything could happen.

  Turning the wheel, my mind drifts to what’s coming. I’m starting a new road, forging a new path. After a tense, stressful, dangerous few years, I’m ready to see if I can make a life for myself.

  My brother’s anticipating a storm, but I’m looking for a silver lining in those clouds.

  2

  Reanna

  “Let me out!” Panic seizes my chest, and I’m covered in a cold sweat.

  I’m on my feet, squatting in the middle of my bed, fighting invisible enemies. Sunlight shines through the open blinds and pain blasts through my temples. I drop my head in my hands shivering as shadows of the nightmare filter through my mind. Large hands drag me away. I fight against them, trying to get to him, trying to stop the bleeding as my insides collapse, as my dad lies dead on the ground.

  Vodka usually stops the memories, but here I am, burning eyes, a Sousa march pounding in my skull, and my heart beating out of my chest. I need water. I need coffee.

  Sitting back, my elbow collides with a shirtless, male body stretched out at my side, and like a record scratch, I recoil to see who the fuck is in my bed.

  When I recognize his face, my teeth grind. “Get out!”

  Planting my foot on Rick’s side, I push hard, sending him falling to the floor with a loud groan taking all the blankets with him.

  “What the fuck?” His voice is muffled from inside the roll of sheets, but I don’t care.

  “What the fuck is right!” I shade my eyes. “There’s not enough alcohol in Manhattan for me to sleep with you. Why are you in my bed?”