Phoebe “Red” Adams swore she was never going to join any kind of group again. And the tattoo on her skin and under her skin, which read “property of Z”, had to go. At the Three C’s ranch, she was determined to learn how to fight hard and how to step into a new life. She’d go to the required classes and otherwise keep to herself. The last thing she was looking for was a new man. She was too busy hiding from her violent ex and his motorcycle club, for if Z found her; she knew he would kill her.

Sergeant Tim “Timbers” Watson USMC opted not to re-enlist in order to stay home when he learned his dad had six months to live. After his father’s death, when an offer came in from the Brotherhood Protectors, he stepped up. Providing security would be a breeze compared to his time in Iraq.

Little did she know that when she met Timbers, her walls would start coming down. He wasn’t put off by Red’s attitude or the walls she’d put up. He’d take those logs down slowly and show her the difference between her controlling, violent ex and this Marine who fought for his country and his women to be independent.

As I read this book, I regret not reading these all in order. Everything makes so much more sense now.

In ‘Defensive Instructor’ we met Red and this is her story.

Phoebe ‘Red’ Adams is grateful to have been accepted to the program at the Triple C Ranch. She’s also afraid that somehow Z would find her. She’s also a loner, street wise and finds herself a bit annoyed at the group activities, and the slowness of the self-defense classes.

It’s during those classes that Tim ”Timbers” Watson notices her. He’s assisting Barrett with the classes and finds Red to be amusing. I did love the interaction between Red and Chyna while a bit rough it does inspire Chyna to do better.

Barrett also uses Red to prove a point about situational awareness with regard to distance.

Red notices Timber watching her and even though she’s attracted as well, she’s not thinking in terms of starting any sort of relationship with anyone. She got away from Z, now she just has to stay far from where he is.

The chance for these two to get to know each other better comes when Red’s appointment at a tattoo shop comes up. She’s getting the tattoo of ‘Property of Z’ redesigned. Red finds herself telling Timber the circumstances under which she fled the MC and he has her draw the MC patch for him to share with the other Brotherhood Protectors. MC’s have their own network so she might not be as save as she seems.

This is a favorite scene.

At the tattoo parlor, Timbers checked the perimeter then escorted her in. With her drawing of the MC’s patch folded in his pocket, he was ready to show the guys, but as of right now, he was the only one who knew to watch for them. Despite what the counselors had told Red, there was always a chance this guy would find her.

Property of. Some guys took that kind of shit seriously. And it all boiled down to how bad Z wanted her back.

Timbers was taking no chances.

Z could put other clubs onto finding Red if he wanted her bad enough. It might be hard to tell which clubs were looking.

Before she sat down in the chair, she unfastened her pants and dropped them. Timbers drank in the sight of her standing in a loose t-shirt and black bikini panties. The tattoo was in black against her left hip.

The tattoo artist said, “This one is gonna hurt.”

“Dead would hurt a whole lot worse,” she said, her voice even.

Timbers could have corrected her. There were things that hurt a whole lot worse than death. Especially if Z got hold of her again and wanted to torture her, to cause pain. He sounded like the kind of guy who would.

Watching her, Timbers tried to stay professional and not get aroused by the sight of her, but the actions of dropping her pants and then bending to step out of them, leaving her in nothing but little black panties covering that round ass, and those long legs that could wrap around a man had him rock hard. He shifted and tried to get his mind on something other than sliding those panties off and sliding into her.

Hell. I’m supposed to be her protector, not be distracted by thoughts of fucking her.

He walked to the front door to keep watch and redirected his thoughts to Z and the gang, running through possible scenarios in the event any of them showed up. Seeing no sign of a threat, he removed the paper she’d drawn on. He strode to a counter, unfolded the picture and pressed it out flat. Then, using his phone, he took a picture of it.

Technology was great. He’d have this to all the guys in a matter of minutes.

An hour into the tattoo, the artist stopped and peered closely at Red. “Do you need a break?”

“No, don’t stop. Keep going.”

The artist reached behind him, and then handed her a cherry lollipop with a chocolate chewy center. “Here.”

“What’s this for?”

“Suck on it. It’ll put sugar in your system. You look like you’re about to pass out.”

“I wasn’t,” she bit out, her chin rising.

The artist raised an eyebrow. “Your eyes rolled back in your head, I could see it in the mirror. That’s why I stopped.”

“I’m fine. Can we just get on with it?”

“Sure.”

She closed her pretty green eyes, wrapped her mouth around that lollipop and the artist started again.

Badass. That’s what she is. With a high tolerance for pain. Maybe she likes it. Some women did. Which type is she? The kind who toughs it out to prove herself, or the kind who gets off on it? Lots of bikers and their women are into S& M.

Timbers moved toward the front windows again, away from the sight of her sucking on that lollipop with her eyes closed and looked out. Just the normal traffic on the street, no motorcycles or cars full of men headed toward the shop.

Hours later, when Red looked down at the finished tattoo, the black Z was now the body of a phoenix-like creature, rising out of the ocean, its body black and rising, behind it a red and gold fire masking “Property of” in such a skillful way the original tattoo was gone.

Thank God it’s gone. Gone forever.
Debra Parmley. Marine Protector – Debra Parmley (Kindle Locations 875-908). Kindle Edition.

Timbers and Red both get in trouble for her drinking at dinner out. The rules changed to be clearer.

We also see the confrontation with Chyna’s ex from Red’s POV, she thought it was Z coming for her.

In this book Red completes the program and has a job at Give a Whistle a bar nearby. She’s happy to be close to Timbers so they can explore a relationship.

Things heat up rather quickly in more ways than one and I couldn’t put this book down.

5 Contented Purrs for Debra!

Debra Parmley

Debra Parmley writes military romantic suspense, contemporary romance, western historical romance, holiday romance, fairy tale romance, and 1920’s romance. She has 28 romance books out. She also writes fantasy, young adult, and children’s books as Debra Bishop. A Gemini, she thrives on writing more than one genre.

She lives in a motorhome full-time with her husband as they travel the U.S. and shares her adventures on her Beautiful Day Traveler blog. Debra has sold travel, walked the plank of a pirate ship off the coast of Grand Cayman, swum with dolphins in Moorea, and set foot in 13 countries. Debra is the founder of Shimmy Mob Memphis which raises funds for the local domestic abuse shelter. She was the host of Book Lights on Blog Talk Radio and interviews cover models on Cover Model Corner. Debra believes that “Every day we are alive is a beautiful day. “