Last week we announced that Inglath Cooper’s Good Guys Love Dogs is our Romance of the Week and the sponsor of thousands of great bargains in the Romance category: over 200 free titles, over 600 quality 99-centers, and thousands more that you can read for free through the Kindle Lending Library if you have Amazon Prime!
Now we’re back to offer our weekly free Romance excerpt, and if you aren’t among those who have downloaded Good Guys Love Dogs, you’re in for a real treat:
Desperate father Ian McKinley moves his delinquent teenage son to the small Virginia town of Keeling Creek, a place very unlike the New York City life he has been leading. Love takes him by surprise when he falls for Colby Williams, a woman unlike anyone he has ever been drawn to, a small town vet with a heart for animals and a fierce love for a teenage daughter she is also struggling to raise.
But Colby has a secret in her past, a secret she’s not sure her daughter will ever forgive her for. And as for Ian McKinley, he seems too good to be true. If she had learned anything from the one time she had thrown her heart fully into love, it was that it didn’t last.
And here, for your reading pleasure, is our free excerpt:
Prologue
Ian McKinley had finally made it. Reached the pinnacle. The top rung of the ladder. Tonight represented the crown jewel in the career he’d spent seventeen years of his life building. Thirty-nine, and by most definitions, he had everything. Money. Success. A teenage son. A beautiful fiancée.
Not to mention, having just brought on board the biggest client ever for CCI Investments of Manhattan, he was a hero to his partners. This party at the Waldorf-Astoria had been thrown for him, the invitation list a who’s who of New York City high rollers.
Standing here now among trays of champagne and tables loaded with exotic-looking foods, he should have been nothing but exhilarated. Somehow, he merely felt tired. Bone weary with the routine of his life, the predictability of it.
Every morning he bought his breakfast at the same bagel shop on Sixtieth Street, ate it at his desk with exactly two cups of coffee, no cream, no sugar. Every day he ran six miles at noon. He couldn’t remember when he’d done anything remotely spontaneous.
But this was the life he had wanted. This was what he’d worked so hard for—to prove a poor boy from the wrong side of Manhattan could make it to Park and Sixty-first. He only regretted that neither Sherry nor his mother had lived to see his success. He’d promised them both he would make something of himself one day. He wondered if they would have been proud of him. But then, if Sherry had lived, maybe he wouldn’t have been quite so driven. Wouldn’t have buried himself in his work. Life would have been more about family. More normal for him and for Luke.
Did he even know what normal was anymore?
For the past three weeks, he’d gotten no more than five hours of sleep a night. That might explain his fatigue, except that part of him felt as if he’d been tired for years. He needed a vacation. Away from the city. When was the last time he’d taken one? The last time he’d spent more than an hour alone with his son? Guilt gnawed at him. He would plan something for them to do together. Soon. And he would make sure he kept his word.
“Why is it you look like a man headed for the gas chamber instead of the man of the hour?”
Ian swung around to find Rachel looking up at him with inquisitive eyes and a smile on her lips. “Hey,” he said, putting a hand on her shoulder and giving it a soft squeeze. “A pillow and a bed sound pretty good about now.”
“I could go for that. Especially since I’ve been getting just a little jealous of the stares half the women in the room have been sending you all night.” She leaned in to kiss thecorner of his mouth, her right breast pressing into his chest. He waited for the surge of attraction that should have followed her deliberate provocation and decided, when it did not come, that he was more tired than he’d realized.
“Hey, we can’t have any of that.” Curtis Morgan clapped a hand on Ian’s shoulder. A short man with a receding hairline and an expanding waistline, Curtis was one of Ian’s partners at CCI. “Not until after the wedding, at least. Ms. Montgomery, you’ll have our guest of honor ducking out before I’ve had a chance to make my toast to him.”
“I suggest you hurry up and do it,” Rachel said with a raised brow. “I’m afraid he’s nearly dead on his feet.”
“No wonder. You really gave this one everything, Ian,” Curtis said. “Our firm will see the benefit of it. We’re all very appreciative.”
“Yes. I’m so proud of him,” Rachel said. “Now, if I could just get him to agree on a wedding date. . . .”
She looked up at Ian with wide eyes that attempted to convey innocence, but Ian suspected Rachel knew exactly what she was doing.
As methodical about her personal life as she was about attaining senior partnership status at the law firm of Brown, Brown and Fitzgerald, Rachel made no secret of the fact that she thought a marriage between them would be mutually beneficial. She’d continued pressing her case for the past couple of years until she’d finally convinced him she was right.
Two weeks ago, when Ian asked her to marry him, it had been with the understanding that there was no rush. Both their lives were full, and a piece of paper wouldn’t change things drastically. Or so he had told himself.
When Sherry died right after Luke was born, he said he would never marry again. Unexpectedly losing his wife at the age of twenty-three was the most painful, life-altering thing he’d ever known. Something inside him simply shut down. For the first five years after her death, he didn’t date at all. When he did start seeing someone, he made sure it never lasted for any length of time, never long enough to let things get serious.
With Luke almost grown now, he didn’t relish the idea of spending the rest of his life alone. His relationship with Rachel was a comfortable one. It made no demands or even hinted at happily-ever-after and white picket fences. At one point, he’d believed in destiny and people who were meant for each other. A young man’s dreams. He no longer believed in any of that. If what he had with Rachel met the definition of compatibility more than love, he still appreciated her. Smart and beautiful, he personally knew of a dozen men who envied him.
“So what’s the holdup, Ian?” Curtis asked with a punch to his left shoulder. “You need a reason to leave the office before midnight.”
A waiter approached them and handed Ian a cordless phone. “There’s a call for you, Mr. McKinley.”
“Now, who could that be?” Curtis joked. “We’re the only ones who ever bother you at this hour, and we’re all here.”
Ian shrugged and moved to the window, away from the noise of the party. “Hello.”
“Mr. McKinley?”
“Yes?”
“This is Detective O’Neill with the New York City Police Department. Is Luke McKinley your son?”
Alarm shot through Ian. “Yes, he is.”
“He was arrested tonight for possession of marijuana, Mr. McKinley.”
It took a moment for the words to sink in. One by one, they finally did, even as disbelief washed over him. “Is he all right?”
“Yes.”
“There must be some mistake. Luke has never—”
“No mistake, Mr. McKinley.”
The detective gave him the address of the station and told him where to find Luke. Ian hung up, feeling as if someone had just punched him in the gut. He found Rachel and told her everything he knew. When she offered to go with him, he asked her to stay and explain to the others that he’d had an emergency.
He caught a cab outside the building, imagining, during the drive, a hundred different scenarios involving Luke and jail.
When the driver pulled over at the police station, Ian handed him a fifty and sprinted for the door, his stomach churning. Inside, he took the elevator to the third floor. Even at this hour, the place vibrated with purpose. Still dressed in his tuxedo, he got his fair share of stares as he wound his way through a maze of desks littered with coffee cups and mounds of paper.
From the far corner of the room, a thin man with graying hair and skin that could use a little sunshine waved at him and called out, “You Mr. McKinley?”
“Yes.”
“Your son is in the room across the hall. Go on in. I’ll be right with you.”
“Thank you,” Ian said, while the detective went back to his call.
At the door, Ian stopped and drew in a deep breath before quickly turning the knob. Relief flooded him at the sight of Luke standing by the window with his hands jammed in his pockets.
His hair, long in front and short at the sides, halfway covered his eyes. His stance screamed defensive, his mouth set in a straight line. “Guess I messed up your party, huh?” he asked, his tone belligerent.
If Luke felt any fear, he wasn’t showing it.
“Is that what you meant to do?” Ian asked quietly, not at all sure where to go with this.
“I didn’t mean to do anything.” Luke shrugged, clearly a rebel with a cause, the origins of which Ian couldn’t begin to guess.
“They said you were arrested for drug possession.”
Another shrug. “Big deal.”
“Big deal?” Ian repeated. “Do you have any idea how serious this is?”
“It must be if you left your party to come down here.”
The verbal slap achieved its intended sting. “I know things have been busy lately, but. . . .”
“Lately?” Luke interrupted with a short laugh. “You’ve been saying ‘lately’ since I was six years old. Probably before then, I just can’t remember so far back. You only have time for work. And Rachel, of course, now that she’s going to be your wife.”
Bitterness layered the declaration. The vehemence behind it shocked Ian. Luke wasn’t a big talker. For the past few years, getting information out of him took the finesse of a secret service agent. Ian chalked it up to teenage rebellion. The boy had been even less communicative since he’d told him about his engagement to Rachel. He looked at his son now and felt as though he were seeing him for the first time in a very long while. “I think we need to talk.”
“So pencil me in before your nine-thirty, and I’ll tell you all about how I know you wish I’d never been born.”
The anger in the boy’s voice hit Ian like a brick in the face. “Why would you say a thing like that, Luke?”
“Because it’s the truth.”
“No. It’s not. Son—”
“If it hadn’t been for me, she wouldn’t have died,” Luke yelled. “Don’t you think I know that?”
Ian grappled for composure. “Nobody could have prevented what happened to your mother. She had a stroke. How could you possibly think I would—”
“I don’t know,” he interrupted. “Maybe because you work all the time just so you don’t have to be around me.”
“Luke!” Ian stopped, at a complete loss for a response. Somehow, when he hadn’t been looking, something had gone terribly wrong between the two of them. Staring across at his son, part boy, part man, Ian wondered how Luke had felt this way without his knowing. How long had Luke been trying to get his attention? “Does this have something to do with my marrying Rachel?”
“I don’t care who you marry. I’m sure you’ll make all the time in the world for her.”
Ian felt as if someone had just held a mirror in front of him. He didn’t like what he saw. He thought about the party given in his honor tonight and realized the price. He’d spent the past seventeen years trying to make sure Luke had the things he himself never had as a kid. He’d sent the boy off to a camp in Wyoming every summer and to Austria in the winter with his ski team. In fact, he’d given him everything possible except one thing.
Time.
Maybe if he had, none of this would be happening.
Maybe if he had, he wouldn’t have needed this kind of wake-up call to see what a mess he’d made of things.
Ian sank down on the chair behind him. He raked a hand through his hair and wondered how he’d gone from such heights to such depths in the span of one night. Luke was in trouble. Ian could blame no one but himself.
1
Monday morning started like every other Monday morning of this past month. Heaven help her, Colby Williams did not understand the adolescent mind-set.
She shot a glance at her watch. “Baby, why can’t you just wear the first outfit you put on? We’re late. I’ve got to get to the clinic.”
“Don’t call me that, Mom.” Lena frowned. “I’m not a baby. And the first outfit looked like dogsh—”
“Lena!” Surprised, Colby stared at her daughter. Lena didn’t talk that way. At least not until recently.
Lena rolled her eyes and stomped up the steps to change for the third time. “Dog poop,” she called out. “The first outfit looked like dog poop.”
Critter, Lena’s one-eared cat, pounced up the stairs behind her. From the Oriental rug on the living room floor, Petey and Lulu, reigning house dogs, eyed Lena’s ascent as if they knew it wouldn’t be her last.
“You’re probably right,” Colby said to the pedigree-free duo, then dropped onto the oversize sage green chair next to the fireplace. She surveyed the small but cozy room with some measure of satisfaction. At least order prevailed in this part of her life. Bookcases lined the wall to the right of the couch, shelves filled with hardbacks collected since her childhood, everything from Beezus and Ramona, which she’d read in the fourth grade, to Gone With The Wind, which she still pulled out on rainy days.
The home she and Lena furnished and decorated together with casual, country touches could be called more than comfortable, but someday, Colby hoped to buy them a house big enough to have a room for her books and a bigger bedroom for Lena. She’d hoped that house would be Oak Hill, an old farm outside of town. But it had sold recently, and that hope was no longer a realistic one.
From the radio on the kitchen counter, a singer twanged an appropriate tune about not dwelling on stuff you couldn’t change. Following her advice, Colby got up and began putting things away, her thoughts turning to Lena. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry these days where her daughter was concerned. She was a thirty-four-year-old woman. A mother. A veterinarian with a thriving practice. And she was losing control of her fifteen-year-old.
The worst part? She had no idea why.
In the past several weeks, Lena’s grades dropped from almost straight A’s to nearly all C’s. Lena was smart. Colby knew that wasn’t the problem. Lena had always been a good child. Maybe too good. Colby had been spoiled by that. Her relationship with her daughter had been the most fulfilling aspect of her life for so long that she couldn’t imagine it any other way.
The difference in Lena seemingly happened overnight, as if aliens had swooped down and stolen her beautiful, fun-loving daughter, replacing her with a surlier version of herself. The kid who lived with her looked just like Lena, sounded like Lena. But she wasn’t Lena.
More than once, Colby started to drive over to her parents’ house and plead for their advice on how to deal with this new side to her. She’d stopped herself each time. Samuel and Emma Williams had always been there for Lena and her. They’d helped put Colby through college and then vet school, lending a hand when Lena was a baby and Colby had been determined to stay in school. They’d been the best of parents, and she’d called on them far too often. She’d find a way to work this out on her own.
The phone rang. Tucking her shoulder-length hair behind one ear, she picked it up with a distracted, “Hello.”
“I know you’re headed out the door, but I’ve got a proposition for you.”
“Does it involve convincing whoever stole my daughter to bring her back?”
Phoebe Walker laughed. “Hormones raging, huh?”
“I don’t know what it is. Isn’t there some kind of pill I can give her until it goes away?” Colby stretched the cord across the kitchen and picked up Lena’s plate of uneaten French toast.
“You’re the doctor,” Phoebe said. “You ought to know.”
Colby dumped the toast in the disposal and stuck the plate under the faucet, watching the syrup slide down the sink. “My expertise is in cows. They don’t turn on their mothers.”
Phoebe chuckled. “If it’s any consolation, I think this is normal.”
“It’s not,” Colby muttered, swiping at a water spot on her blue cotton shirt, and then wanting to change the subject, “So what’s the proposition?”
“An invitation, actually. To dinner.”
Colby tucked the phone under her chin and grabbed a paper towel to dab at her shirt. “What kind of dinner?”
“The kind where you put on a dress, a spritz or two of perfume and leave your calf-birthing clothes at home in the closet.”
“You want me to do all that just for you and Frank?” she asked, deliberately misunderstanding.
“Well—”
“That’s what I thought. Thanks, but no thanks.”
“Colby—”
“Don’t Colby me.” She slipped the plate into the dishwasher. “Have you forgotten what I told you the last time you tried to fix me up?”
“Are you going to hold that against me forever?” Phoebe asked, a whine in her voice.
“I should. You certainly deserve it.”
“He wasn’t that bad.”
“Yeah, if your idea of a hot date is an octopus pickled in Brut.”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake, Colby, you’re too picky!”
“And you’ve got too much time on your hands.” As Colby’s best friend, Phoebe refused to stay out of her love life, saying she’d known her since the beginning of the world and therefore had a vested interest in her happiness. Personally, Colby thought she should join the garden club or take up knitting, anything to relieve Phoebe’s self-appointed burden of finding Colby a husband.
No matter how often they went over it, Phoebe just didn’t get it. She refused to believe a woman could be happy living her life without a man—maybe because she happened to be married to one of the last good men on earth. But Colby qualified as walking proof she was wrong. She’d tried the dating scene off and on over the years, thinking Lena needed a father figure. Once in a while, she’d even dated out of a true desire for companionship. But at some point, it stopped seeming worth the trouble. The only men she ever met were either newly divorced and neurotic or looking for a housekeeper instead of a wife.
She’d long ago decided love rarely turned out to be the way Hollywood depicted it. But then, she’d learned that when she’d been eighteen and too green to know better than to fall for a great-looking guy with a great-looking car who came from a different world than the one she knew.
“Exactly who are you going to meet,” Phoebe continued, “tromping around in dairy barns in waist-high rubber boots?”
“The bulls I run into are a lot more interesting than most of the men I know.”
Phoebe let out an inelegant snort.
Just then, Lena tromped down the stairs in black military boots, her purple bombshell replaced by a tie-dyed explosion of orange, red and green that made the first outfit look tame by comparison. The streaks of purple hair, in tribute to the discarded ensemble, remained. “It looks as if Lena’s finally decided on the look of the day,” Colby said, lowering her voice. “I’ve got to get going. We’re already late.”
“Wait! You didn’t answer my question. Dinner this Friday. My house. Be here.”
“Phoebe—”
“I promise you won’t regret it.” Phoebe added a hasty goodbye and hung up before Colby could argue further. If she’d had the time, she would have called her back and given her a definite no on the spot, but Lena would be late for school and Colby had an early appointment. Turning down Phoebe’s invitation would have to wait.
2
Ten minutes later, Colby parked in front of Jefferson County High School. It sat on a small rise, and built of brick with classic lines, it was the kind of building that would never look outdated. A football stadium—impressive for a town the size of Keeling Creek—sat to the right of it.
The engine of her old Ford truck shook a bit as she put it into park. Out of habit, she leaned across to give Lena a goodbye kiss on the forehead.
“Mom!” Lena strained against her door as if Colby had just come after her with a hot branding iron.
Colby sat back in her seat, her hands resting on the steering wheel. The kiss had been a reflex action, one of those things that seemed impossible to stop when she’d been doing it for so many years. It had only been in the past several weeks that Lena started rebuffing her affection. A lump of emotion lodged in Colby’s throat. She hated to see Lena grow up. If this was how the young made themselves independent from their parents, then she only wished the process over. Watching her daughter pull away from her day by day hurt too much. “Are you coming by the clinic after school?” she asked, keeping her voice light.
“No. A bunch of us are going to the Dairy Queen.”
Lena hadn’t come by the office in weeks. Ever since she’d started kindergarten, she hightailed it to the practice as soon as the bell rang, helping out with dog baths and feedings, anything to be around the animals. Now, she seemed to have lost interest. Colby forced herself not to respond, but it hurt, nonetheless. “What time will you be home, then?”
“The usual.”
Colby refrained from mentioning that “the usual” recently stretched its boundaries to anywhere between four and six o’clock. “Just be back by dinner.”
A black Mercedes sedan rolled into the spot in front of them, its bumper barely missing the hood of Colby’s truck.
“Oh, no!” Lena slid down in her seat.
“What is it?” Colby asked, startled.
“The new guy. Luke McKinley. Oh, my gosh, he’s so awesome!”
Not once in fifteen-plus years had Colby ever heard such words from Lena. She’d always been a tomboy. As a child, she’d have chosen playing in the dirt over playing with dolls any day of the week. Not so long ago, boys rated the same level as fish bait. Colby wished they’d stayed there. Nonetheless, she strained her neck for a glimpse of the boy.
“I gotta go, Mom,” Lena said, reserve creeping into her voice as she slid out of the truck.
From the back seat, Petey and Lulu barked in protest when Lena forgot to say goodbye.
Colby glanced at the wounded-looking pair. “So you’ve noticed, too, huh?” She put the truck in gear, stretching for another glimpse of the vehicle in front of her. The boy hadn’t gotten out yet, and she could hardly sit here all day. She wheeled around the Mercedes, watching Lena linger at the door, no doubt waiting for Awesome Luke.
3
Colby headed up Main Street toward the clinic, frustrated by the twenty-five-mile-per-hour speed limit. Joe Dooley tooled along in front of her in his farm-use pickup, an old Chevy that had seen its fortieth birthday and then some. A firm believer that laws were laws, Joe kept the needle of his speedometer safely on twenty-four.
Telling herself to stop fretting and enjoy the early September morning, Colby waved at Ruby Lynch who was sweeping the sidewalk at Thurman’s Hardware. Keeling Creek had become known as one of the few towns that, so far, had been bypassed by the fast-food chains and super shopping stores. Small family-run businesses still flourished, and Colby liked it that way.
Categories Romance of the Week
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Desperate father Ian McKinley moves his delinquent teenage son to the small Virginia town of Keeling Creek, a place very unlike the New York City life he has been leading. Love takes him by surprise when he falls for Colby Williams, a woman unlike anyone he has ever been drawn to, a small town vet with a heart for animals and a fierce love for a teenage daughter she is also struggling to raise.
But Colby has a secret in her past, a secret she’s not sure her daughter will ever forgive her for. And as for Ian McKinley, he seems too good to be true. If she had learned anything from the one time she had thrown her heart fully into love, it was that it didn’t last.
“I adored this book…what romance should be, entwined with real feelings, real life and roses blooming. Hats off to the author, best book I have read in a while.” – Rachel Dove, frustratedyukkymummy.blog.co.uk
“I am a sucker for sweet love stories! This is definitely one of those! It was a very easy, well written, book. It was easy to follow, detailed, and didn’t leave me hanging without answers.” – layfieldbaby.blogspot.com
“I don’t give it often, but I am giving it here – the sacred 10. Why? Inglath Cooper’s A GIFT OF GRACE mesmerized me; I consumed it in one sitting. When I turned the last page, it was three in the morning.” — MaryGrace Meloche, Contemporary Romance Writers
NYT, USA Today & Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author Jennifer Probst’s All The Way is Featured in Today’s Free Romance Excerpt – Over 65 Rave Reviews
Last week we announced that Jennifer Probst’s All The Way is our Romance of the Week and the sponsor of thousands of great bargains in the Romance category: over 200 free titles, over 600 quality 99-centers, and thousands more that you can read for free through the Kindle Lending Library if you have Amazon Prime!
Now we’re back to offer our weekly free Romance excerpt, and if you aren’t among those who have downloaded All The Way, you’re in for a real treat:
in its Audible Audio Edition, Unabridged!
And here, for your reading pleasure, is our free excerpt:
“Ouch. Stephen, that hurt, you devil.”
The little boy screeched in delight as his pudgy fist came away
with a few strands of red hair. Miranda rubbed her scalp where
her new bald spot lay. “Manda, do it again!”
She shook her head and swung him high in her arms. “Don’t
think so, flirt. If that’s how you show affection for a girl, you’re
gonna be in some trouble.”
He kicked his feet and laughed as he played the familiar game
of airplane. “Fly me, fly me!”
The doorbell rang, and Miranda made a landing noise as she
settled him against one hip. “Come on, flirt. Daddy’s here to pick
you up. Said you were going to the zoo today.”
“Aminals!” he shouted. “Daddy said I could see the lion in
The Wizard of Oz.”
“That’s right. Lions and tigers and bears, oh my.” She grinned
and threw open the door. “And here’s your—oh, my God!”
“Oh my God,” the toddler boy mimicked.
Gavin took one look at the toddler perched on her hip and
grew pale. “Oh, my God.”
Silence fell between them as they glanced at one another, and
Miranda tried to gather her wits. She knew writing the column
had been a risk. With Gavin’s massive ego, she bet he thought she
wrote it in the hopes he would contact her. Still, revenge had been
too sweet to ignore.
But she’d never expected him to show up on her doorstep.
“What are you doing here?” She moved her head away as
Stephen reached for another red curl. “How did you find me?”
Gavin’s gaze never left the boy’s face. His voice came
out ragged. “I needed to talk to you. We never finished our
conversation.”
Miranda snorted. “No, you just can’t handle a woman walking
away from you. I was finished with the conversation. I think you’d
better go.”
She tried to shut the door but he blocked it with the toe of his
leather shoe. “We have a lot more things to discuss.” He studied
the toddler. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Stephen must have sensed the growing tension and let out a
cry. She spoke softly. “You’re upsetting him. I don’t have time for
this right now.”
Gavin’s olive skin seemed to grow a shade paler. He propped
himself up against the edge of the door. “I’m a little upset myself.”
“Look, if you have a problem with the review, take it up with
my editor. Every word was valid and—what’s the matter?”
He ran one hand through his hair. Oaky brown strands
flopped across his forehead. “Can I sit down for a minute?”
She opened her mouth to tell him no, but he moved through
her apartment and settled on the sofa. Odd, he looked almost sick
as he stared at the toddler. Almost as if…
Understanding dawned. He thought Stephen was hers! The
humor of the situation put her back in a good mood. Good. He
believed she had a husband tucked away in the back room and
a full, happy life. The faster she got him out of here, the better
off she’d be. He’d never bother her again. His monstrous ego
probably shuddered at the thought she’d moved on without him.
“Are you happy?”
Miranda sucked in her breath as she caught the look on his
face. Raw hunger. As if he wished the child was theirs. But of
course, she was imagining things. Gavin told her many times he
didn’t want children. Another reason she’d never told him the
truth or tried to contact him.
She opened her mouth to tell the truth but the doorbell rang.
Miranda took a deep breath and let Andy in. “Hey, sorry I’m
late, but Laura’s dance class ran over— Oops, didn’t know you
had company.”
“Gavin stopped by to discuss a few things.”
Andy gave him a nod, then crouched and held out his arms.
“Come here, buddy.”
The toddler ran toward his father and flung himself into the
embrace. Andy swung him up, the look of fatherly pride gleaming
in his eyes, but she made sure not to glance back. “You better get
going if you want to have enough time at the zoo.”
“Was he any trouble?”
She absently rubbed her head and grinned. “Of course not,
he’s an absolute angel.”
Andy laughed. “You’re a great liar. Come on buddy, time to
see the animals.”
“Aminals! Bye, Manda.”
She gave the child a kiss and shut the door behind them. Then
slowly turned around.
Electricity pulsed and crackled through the air. One very tall,
very pissed off male rose from the couch and closed the distance
between them. She watched in fascination as he stopped right
before her. His jaw clenched with tension. “You should have told
me.”
Her eyes widened. “You come storming into my apartment,
make the assumption Stephen is mine, and you’re mad at me?
You didn’t even give me a minute to tell the truth.”
He frowned. “You know what I thought.”
“What’s the matter, Gavin? Did you really believe I’ve wasted
the past few years waiting for you to contact me again? Sorry to
disappoint you, but I’ve moved on with my life. Now get out.”
“Soon. Why did you do a review on my family’s restaurant?”
She moved away and walked into the kitchen. Grabbing the
kettle with unsteady fingers, she filled the pot with water and
flicked on the flame. “All of my reviews aren’t planned. I do many
impromptu visits.”
He followed. “Why do I have an idea you didn’t plan to write
up Mia Casa until our encounter?”
Miranda focused on her soothing ritual. She took down a
box of green tea bags, hoping the magical healing qualities of the
herbs soothed her. One delicate teacup embroidered with roses
clicked on the small plate. Sugar, milk, lemon. The tea set was an
antique find in a second-hand shop and came from royalty. She
liked to imagine a queen sipping the brew with ladylike restraint,
her emotions firmly in check as she relaxed within the constraints
of tradition.
God, how she longed to be that person. God, how hard she’d
tried to change. “Does this really matter? What do you really
want, Gavin?”
“I want you to do another review.”
She removed the kettle and poured. Fragrant puffs of smoke
rose from the cups. She picked one up and handed it to him. “I
see.”
“Your column was personal. Not up to your standards, Red.
You always talk to the owner after a review to see if he or she
had any comments, especially if you decide not to recommend
the restaurant. You’re usually fair, but you didn’t write one decent
comment about Mia Casa.”
“I liked the bread.”
He snorted. “I understand you wanted revenge. But your
review can hurt my family, and they have nothing to do with
the mess I made out of our relationship. I need a fair deal. Do a
second visit, unscheduled.”
Her will shook, then stilled. He was a master at closing a deal
and getting what he wanted. He rose up from the ranks at demonic
speed, and became the top closer for a valid reason. He never
took no for an answer. Even now, she fought her natural ability to
surrender, and allow herself the pleasure of his approving smile,
or the flash of satisfaction in his eyes. He was Dom material down
to the bone, and she refused to play the game any longer. This
time, he’d never get what he wanted. It was the last shred of pride
left, and she’d be damned if she showed any weakness.
“No.”
He blinked. “No?”
She placed her teacup on the table. “I’m not doing a second
review. I’m sorry it will affect your family, but I was fair, impartial,
and I told the truth.” She quenched the tiny flicker of guilt and
soothed herself with the knowledge she followed the basic
regulations of rating a restaurant. Showing Gavin a lesson was just
an extra perk in the process. “I told my readers I never tried the
dessert. I called to speak with your head chef and get his comment.
Talking with the owners is not a necessity, and doesn’t make or
break a review. My motto is clear. I never do second reviews. Our
business is concluded—on all matters. If you’ll excuse me, I have
a number of things to do this afternoon. You know the way out.”
She took the cup from his hands, set it on the counter, and
walked away. A rush of triumph raced through her. She was free.
This time around, her old love was not in control, and it probably
drove him crazy.
Andy was right. Revenge was sweet.
She stood by the door, ramrod straight, but he didn’t move. Just
leaned his hip against the island with a casual laziness. Miranda
knew better. He seemed to assess his options with lightning speed,
before settling on his new path. “Wanna know how I felt when I
saw you with Andy’s son?”
“Don’t.”
“What I was really mad about is how I felt at the idea of you
having a child with another man. I hated it.”
Numbness overtook the anger until she felt limp. Her voice
was toneless when she finally answered. “What we had wasn’t
real. It was just sex.”
He pushed away from the counter and crossed the room.
“You’re wrong, Red. That’s what I wanted to believe. Hell, I wanted
to believe it so bad I traveled a thousand miles across the globe
to prove I didn’t love you. Nothing worked. I made my money,
accomplished my goals, and tried to be happy without you.” He
paused. “But I never was. When Pop called and asked for help, all
I could think of was the idea of running into you again.”
“You expect me to believe you took three years to realize you
love me? Why didn’t you fly home immediately after you came to
this startling conclusion?”
“It wasn’t like that. We were at a crossroads, and I didn’t want
to interfere with your own goals.”
“Very convenient.”
“It’s the truth. You were off to study at the culinary. I had just
scored a partnership. I completely panicked and made the biggest
mistake of my life.”
She snorted. “Yeah, so big you jet-set around the world, being
miserable.”
He seemed to think over her statement, and a misty longing
edged his voice. “Most of the time, yes. But I decided to take
some time off and travel to India. Everything started to crystallize
there.”
“You went to India?”
He nodded. “I was taught a different way of life. I learned
I’d been trying to find myself on the outside, but I needed to find
out who I was on the inside. I didn’t track you down because I
thought it was too late.”
“Right.”
He groaned. “I have a feeling you don’t believe me, but I
never expected this to be easy. I didn’t want to come barging into
your life again, Red, when there was a good chance you’d already
forgotten me. Gone on with your life.”
“I have, Gavin. That’s the whole point to this conversation.
Unfortunately, it didn’t stop you from cornering me in the
restaurant, or leaving after I asked you to go.”
“Because I knew it wasn’t over the moment you looked into
my eyes.”
The tears were trapped deep inside, but she refused to let
them surface. Instead, she faced him with a deep calm. “You’re
too late.”
“I don’t believe that.”
He stepped in front of her and laid both palms flat against
the wood, trapping her head in between them. She let out a soft
whoosh as the air left her body—faced with his full power. His
warm breath struck her lips, a delicious mixture of whiskey and
mint.
Miranda realized he was still in control.
The gleam in his eyes reflected a knowledge he affected her
in the most primitive way possible and intended to use it to his
advantage. The spicy scent of him teased her senses. She decided
the best way to play the scene was flippant. “Seems we’ve been
here before, huh? Me, Tarzan. You, Jane. Simply charming.”
His lower lips quirked. “You always were a hellcat, Red. I
never knew whether to strangle you or drag you to the nearest
bed. The latter proved more pleasant.”
She smiled sweetly. “I wouldn’t do a second review if you
offered me a million dollars. I wouldn’t do a second review if I
was sick, and dying, and you were the only man to help me. If you
were the last man on Earth standing between me and a nuclear
bomb blast I wouldn’t—”
“I get the message. You won’t do the review. Fine, I’ll change
your mind later.” He ignored her outraged squeak and continued.
“Time to take the first step, sweetheart. I’m going to prove your
body hasn’t forgotten me, even if you want to deny your feelings.”
Her heart thundered and skipped like Derby day. “Arrogant,
aren’t we? You were good, babe, but not good enough to span
three years. I’ve had better.” Did her nose grow longer from her
lie?
He lifted her chin up, forcing her to face him. Grim resolution
shot from blue-gray depths. His body heat was almost tangible,
tempting her to surrender and reach out to touch him. “Ouch.
That’s gonna make me up my game. But I want more than your
body. There’s been an empty ache in my gut from the day I walked
away from you. I searched Godforsaken places to fill it and I never
got close. Until now. I want another chance, Miranda. I want to
know how you changed and who you are. I have eight weeks to
prove myself again and I’m not wasting another second.”
He closed the inch of space between them by pressing solid
muscles against her curves. His head lowered. Carved lips stopped
inches from hers, and his breath rushed across her trembling
mouth. “Tell me what you want, baby.”
The familiar command took her back. Nights of naked skin
and sweat and orgasms. She gasped at his cruelty. “Damn you to
hell.”
His hands slid down her body to link her fingers within his.
“Already been there.”
His mouth stamped over hers.
I’m not going to respond. I’m not going to respond. I’m not going
to—
The mantra pounded over and over as his lips skated gently
across hers. She steeled herself for the invasion and vowed to
fight, but it never came. As if he had all the time in the world to
re-discover her taste and texture, his mouth skimmed…pressed…
retreated…until an unconscious moan rose from her throat and
her fingers tightened around him.
Never changing the force of his teasing kiss, he returned the
pressure of her fingers, squeezing, then slowly unlacing as he broke
contact of skin against skin. One thumb massaged the sensitive
flesh of her palm, then stroked upward to press into her thudding
pulse point. Her hand flexed, and every inch of her body jumped
to life. Her nipples rose against the cotton of her shirt. Denim
brushed against denim as he shifted his weight. His belt buckle
scraped against her lower belly, and caused a rush of liquid heat
to pound between her thighs. Her lips parted under the delicious
persuasion of his, but still he held back, tracing the corners of her
mouth with the tip of his tongue.
She ached for an intense strength she could fight. Instead,
he snared her with a delicate heat that promised her a world of
sensation, as if he knew her body would always welcome him
back.
She tilted her head and allowed him access, but he ignored
her request. Suddenly she gazed into an ocean of heat, burning
with a demand and hunger. “You have to say the words, Miranda.”
The silky command raked across her ears. “Invite me in.”
Her hips arched upward. He was a real life vampire, seducing
her to opening her window so he could bring her pleasure and
steal her soul. “No.”
The game continued. His teeth nibbled on her bottom lip,
then soothed with his tongue, always refusing to kiss her the way
she needed. One foot nudged her legs apart so he could angle his
hips more intimately against hers. The hard length of his erection
settled between her thighs. His hands stroked each finger with a
completeness that told her he would give as much attention to
other parts of her body. Parts that ached for him. Drugged up with
bliss, she moaned and reached for him.
“Is this what you want?” he murmured.
She shook with rage and passion and wanting. “I hate you.”
He buried his hands in her hair. “I know.”
“Yes.”
With a muttered curse, his mouth came down on hers. His
tongue plundered the seam of her lips and re-staked his claim.
The taste of him drove her mad for more as he explored and
conquered every slick, satiny corner of her mouth. She gave him
free access and met each thrust of his tongue with her own. Her
breasts were crushed against the muscled wall of his chest. The
gentle teasing turned into an inferno. His hips rocked against hers.
She arched and demanded more.
“Let me touch you.”
She didn’t need to say the word. In a moment, her shirt was
unbuttoned and parted. A deep-seated groan rumbled from his
chest at her lack of a bra, and then his fingers stroked her swollen
flesh.
“Gavin!”
“I know, baby, I know.” One thumb raked across the ruby
crest and he lowered his lips to take her in his mouth. He bit and
licked, pushing her closer into a seething pit of sensation.
“I’ve thought about you like this,” he whispered. “Every
night climbing into bed I dreamed of touching you, hearing you
cry out in pleasure.” He nibbled on her neck as his hands lifted
her breasts and rubbed her nipples. “Let me show you how much
I need you. Let me make love to you and you’ll see we belong
together. You’re safe with me, sweetheart, I swear it.”
I love you, Gavin, I love you…
He’d left before, and he’d leave again. Was she so weak-willed
and pathetic she’d allow him to repeat the same move three years
later?
Her skin chilled as if steeped in ice water. Slowly, she reached
out and pushed against his chest. He looked up.
“Nice try. But a good screw still won’t make me do a second
review.”
“We were always better than a good screw and you know it.
Don’t try to deny the connection we have.”
She twisted her lips. “Orgasms don’t make a connection,
Gavin. I’ve moved beyond that now. Maybe it’s time to up your
game.”
He jerked back. Torment shone briefly in those eyes, then
disappeared. “God, what happened to you? How did you become
so cold?”
She calmly buttoned her shirt. “I was taught by the best.”
He cursed and rubbed his forehead. “I deserved that, I guess.”
She didn’t answer, just leaned against the door and watched
him.
“Do you know what karma is, Miranda?” He let out a
humorless laugh. “In India they believe karma is the result of your
past lives and actions. You re-connect with people who you’ve
known before.”
He glanced over but she refused to answer.
“Karma is like destiny. When two people discover each other
from past lives, they form a deep connection. Three years ago I
was only willing to have an affair. I’d decided I wanted more from
my life than to run the family business, settle down, and have
children. I craved freedom, and I thought that came with money
and power. Maybe before if I had stayed, I would’ve ended up
hurting you in a different way. Because I wasn’t ready. Now I am.”
He reached out and pushed back a stray curl from her face. “I
want a chance to show you the man I really am. I want a chance
to make it up to you.”
Her lower lip trembled. The memory of those weeks after he
left still bruised at a touch. The loneliness and fear. The knowledge
she was alone and hadn’t been good enough. Was never good
enough. “It’s too late.”
She waited for his final acceptance. His hand dropped away.
He opened the door and paused. “You’re wrong. You’re going to
welcome me back into your bed. You’re going to trust me again.
Because it’s our karma.”
Then he left.
…
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Jennifer Probst is the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of both sexy and erotic contemporary romance. She was thrilled her novel, The Marriage Bargain, was the #6 Bestselling Book on Amazon for 2012. Her first children’s book, Buffy and the Carrot, was co-written with her 12 year old niece, and her short story, “A Life Worth Living” chronicles the life of a shelter dog. She makes her home in New York with her sons, husband, two rescue dogs, and a house that never seems to be clean. She loves hearing from all readers! Stop by her website at http://www.jenniferprobst.com for all her upcoming releases, news and street team information.
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Enjoy a Free Excerpt From KND Romance of The Week & NYT Bestselling Author Lisa Renee Jones
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This week we’re offering something a little different, featuring the work of New York Times bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones. We’re sharing a generous excerpt from her brand new release IF I WERE YOU, which has been optioned for a STARZ original film with Suzanne Todd, but along the way we can’t resist telling you about a new chance to grab three of Lisa’s novels for the price of one in this TALL, DARK AND DEADLY Boxed Set!
Tall, Dark, and Deadly 3 book box set
by Lisa Renee Jones
This set includes 3 full sized novels
About the series…
The Walker Brothers…
Tall, dark, and deadly, these three brothers run Walker security. Each brother is unique in his methods and skills, but all share key similarities. They are passionate about those they love, relentless when fighting for a cause they believe in, and all believe that no case is too hard, no danger too dark. Dedication is what they deliver, results are their reward.
Book 1 HOT SECRETS:
55,000 words
Royce Walker, a former FBI Agent, who’s opened a private security firm with his brothers, has always had the hots for the prim, proper Assistant District Attorney, but considered her hand’s off because of a family connection. However, when danger threatens Lauren, he isn’t willing to stand by and watch her get hurt. Now the passion for survival is only rivaled by the passion burning between them. And that passion, might just be the death of them both.
***
Book 2 Dangerous Secrets
72,000 words
Being a divorce attorney for the rich and famous isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Julie Harrison has learned that love doesn’t last, and she’s sworn never to make the same mistakes as her mother, or her clients. She uses the games men play to keep them at a distance. The only man who managed to break down her walls was Luke Walker, a Navy SEAL who loved her and left her, and changed her forever.
When Luke arrives back in New York, running Walker Security with his brothers and having left his Navy SEAL days behind, he sets his sights on Julie, the woman he’s always wanted and couldn’t have. Except, she runs from him every time he gets close.
But now, one of Julie’s clients, a powerful judge, gets involved with a dangerous cartel, and his soon-to-be-ex wife ends up dead. Julie’s next on the list, and she finds herself on the run from those who believe she knows too much, and counting on Luke to keep her alive. In the deepest, darkest moments of the night, passion will bring them together while danger threatens to tear them apart. Can Julie and Luke trust each other and find their happy ending before they find … the end?
***
The Prelude– a full sized bonus novel! A small connection to the other books
An excerpt from If I Were You by Lisa Renee Jones:
When the gallery comes into view, I pause to watch a group of elegantly dressed visitors pour through its double glass doors, which are lined in shiny silver for the black-tie affair. Artsy swirls of red letters, displayed above the entry, spell allure.
Nerves flutter in my stomach, though I can’t say why. I love the contemporary art Allure specializes in, love their mix of local new artists who I can discover, as well as the established names whose work I already appreciate. My nerves are ridiculous. I’m uncomfortable in this world, but then, this isn’t my world. It’s Rebecca’s, and Rebecca is the real reason I’m here.
A glance at my dainty, handmade, gold wristwatch, also bought at the pier, confirms I have plenty of time to spare. It is seven forty-five, fifteen minutes until Alvarez will be unveiling a new painting that will be displayed in the gallery and up for silent auction through the end of the week. Oh, how I’d love to have an Alvarez original, but they don’t come cheap. Still, a girl can dream.
Excitement filters in with nerves as I rush toward the door. A young brunette woman in a simple black dress holds it open for me and offers me a smile.”Welcome.”
I return the smile and enter the gallery, noting the nervous energy bouncing off the twentysomething girl as I pass, an energy that seems to what I am doing.” This isn’t Rebecca, who I know will be daringly bold and confident. In fact, the hostess brings out the schoolteacher in me, and I fight the urge to give her a hug and tell her she’s doing fine. I’m a hugger. I got it from my mother, just like I did my love of art, only I wasn’t talented with a brush as she had been.
The girl is saved from my mothering when the sound of a piano playing from a distant corner filters through the air and draws my attention to the main showroom. I am in awe. This isn’t my first time visiting the four-thousand-square-foot wonder that is the Allure gallery, but it doesn’t diminish my excitement at seeing it again.
The entryway opens to the main showroom of glistening white wonder. The walls are snow-white; the floor glistens like white diamonds. The shiny divider walls curve like abstract waves, and each of them is adorned with contrasting, eye- popping, colorful artwork.
I turn away from the showroom, attending to business before pleasure, and present my ticket to a hostess behind a podium. She is tall and elegant with long raven hair.”Rebecca?” I ask hopefully.
“No, sorry,” she says. “I’m Tesse.” She holds up a finger as she glances through the glass doors at an approaching customer she needs to attend. I wait patiently, hoping this young woman can connect me with Rebecca. I listen attentively while she directs the new guest to a short stairway that leads toward the music and, apparently, the location where Ricco Alvarez will be unveiling his masterpiece.
“Sorry for the interruption,”Tesse finally says, giving me her full attention. “You were looking for Rebecca. Unfortunately, she isn’t attending tonight’s event. Is
there something I can help you with?”
Disappointment fills me. To miss an Alvarez event is not something someone in Rebecca’s role is likely to do. I just want to know, for certain, that Rebecca is safe. Painting myself as a stranger doesn’t seem the way to do that. “My sister’s an old friend of Rebecca’s. She told me to be sure and say hello to her and pass along her new phone number. She seemed to think Rebecca worked big events like this one. She’ll be disappointed I missed her.”
“Oh, I hate that you missed her,” Tesse says, looking genuinely concerned. “I’m not only new, but I also only work part-time, on an as-needed basis, so I don’t hear much of what’s going on internally, but I think Rebecca took some personal time off. Mr. Compton would know for certain.”
“Mr. Compton?”
“The manager here,” she says. “He’ll be tied up with the presentation soon, but I can introduce you to him afterward if you like?”
I nod.”Yes. Please.That would be perfect.”
The piano stops abruptly. “They’re about to start,” Tesse informs me. “You should grab a seat while you still can. I’ll be sure to help you connect with Mark after the presentation.”
A thrill shoots through me. “Thank you so much,” I say, before I head toward the seating area. I can’t believe that I am about to see an Alvarez original presented by Alvarez himself.
A tuxedo-clad usher greets me at the bottom of the stairs and offers me some help finding a seat.And boy did I need help. There were at least two hundred chairs lined up in front of a ministage, set in front of a bay window that was essentially the entire wall, and almost every single chair was taken.
I squeeze into a center row, between a man that has artsy rebel written all over him from longish light blond hair to his jeans and a blazer, and a fifty-something woman who is more than a little irritated to have to let me pass. I can’t help but notice the man is incredibly good-looking, and I’ve never been one to be easily impressed. I know too well that beauty is often only skin deep.
“You’re late,” the man says as if he knows me, a friendly smile touching his lips, his green eyes crinkling at the edges, mischief in their depths.
I figure him to be about thirty-five. No. Thirty-three. I am good with ages and good at reading people. My kids at school often found that out when they were up to mischief. I smile back at the man, feeling instantly comfortable with him when, aside from my students, I’m normally quite reserved with strangers. “And you forgot to pick up your tux, I see,” I tease. In fact, I wonder how he pulled off getting in here dressed as he is.
He runs his hand over his sandy blond, one-day stubble that borders on two days.”At least I shaved.”
My smile widens, and I intend to reply but a screech from a microphone fills the air. A man I recognize from photos as Ricco Alvarez claims the stage and stands next to the sheet covering a display, no doubt his newest masterpiece. Suave and James Bond-esque in his tuxedo, he is the polar opposite of the man next to me.
“Welcome one and all,” he says in a voice richly accented with Hispanic heritage, as is his work. “I am Ricco Alvarez, and I thank you for sharing my love of art and children, on this grand evening. And so I give you what I call Chiquitos, or in English, Little Ones.”
He tears away the sheet, and everyone gasps at the unexpected piece of art that is nothing like anything he’s done before. Rather than a landscape, it is a portrait of three children, all of different nationalities, holding hands. It is a well-executed work appropriate for the occasion, though secretly, I had wished for a landscape where his brilliance shone.
The man next to me leans an elbow on his knee and lowers his voice.”What do you think?”
“It’s perfect for the evening,” I say cautiously.
“Oh, so diplomatic,” he says with a low chuckle. “You wanted a landscape.”
“He does beautiful landscapes,” I say defensively.
He grins.”He should have done a landscape.”
“And now,” Ricco announces, “while the bidding begins, I’ll be circulating the room, answering questions about my many works displayed tonight and hoping to have the pleasure of meeting as many of you as possible. Please feel free to walk to the stage for a closer look at Chiquitos.”
Almost instantly, the crowd is standing.
“Are you going for a close-up?” I ask the man next to me.
“Not much on crowds,” he said. “Nor Ricco’s attempt at portraiture.” He winks at me. “Don’t stroke his ego when you meet him. It’s big enough as it is.” He starts moving down the row toward the exit. I stare after him, feeling this odd flutter in my stomach at his departure, curious about who he is.
I frown as I repeat part of our conversation in my mind. Ricco. He’d called Ricco Alvarez Ricco and spoken of his ego as if he knew him. It’s too late now to find out how he knows Ricco, and portrait or not, I am eager for an up-close look at the featured painting. I have not met Ricco yet and it is disappointing, but I am still thrilled at the opportunity to see his work.
Sometime later, I am enjoying a lingering walk through the gallery, exploring the full Alvarez collection on display, when I spot a display for Chris Merit, whose work I studied in college. He, too, had once been a local, but I seem to remember his moving to Paris. Excitedly, I head toward his work. His specialties are urban landscapes-mostly of San Francisco, both past and present-and portraits of real subjects with such depth and soul they steal my breath away.
I join an elderly couple inside the small room, where they debate over which of several landscapes to purchase. Unable to stop myself, I join in.”I think you should take them all.”
The man scoffs.”Don’t go giving her ideas or you’ll both put me in the poorhouse. She gets one for above the fireplace.” “Stingy man,” the gray-haired woman says, shoving his arm playfully and then eying me. “So tell me, honey.” She motions between two pictures.”Which do you think is a better conversation piece, of these two?”
I study the two choices, both black-and-white, though Merit often uses color. One is a downtown shot of San Francisco in the midst of hurricane-like weather.The other is of the Golden Gate Bridge shrouded in clouds, the skyline of the city peeking out from behind it. “A tough choice,” I say thoughtfully. “Both have a bit of a dark edgy feel to them, and both have the ‘wow’ factor.” I indicate the stormy downtown scene.”I happen to know that one depicts the impact Hurricane Nora had on the city back in 1997.To me, that makes for a conversation piece, and a little bit of history to boot, right there in your living room.”
“You are so right, dear,” the woman says, her eyes lighting up. “This is the one.” She casts her husband an expectant look. “It’s perfect. I have to have it.”
“Then have it you shall,” her husband declares.
I smile at the woman’s joy, but not without a bit of art envy. I would love to be going home with the piece, as she will be, tonight.
“I understand you had a question for me,” a male voice says, pulling my attention toward the display entryway where a man with neatly trimmed blond hair stands. He is tall and confident, an air of ownership about him.And his eyes-they are the most unique silvery gray I’ve ever seen.
“I’m Mark Compton,” he says, “the gallery manager. And it looks like I owe you more than an answer to whatever your question is. It appears I need to thank you for assisting my customers.” He glances at the couple. “I take it you’ve made a selection?”
“Indeed we have,” the husband says, clearly pleased to have his wife make a decision. “We’d like to take it home with us tonight if possible.”
“Excellent,”he says.”If you’ll give me a moment,I’ll have it packaged for you.” He motions for me to walk with him, and I shake my head.
“I’m in no rush. Help them with their purchase, and you can find me later.”
He studies me a bit too intently, those silvery eyes of his rich with interest, and I am suddenly self-conscious. He is, without a doubt, classically handsome by anyone’s standards, but there is also something raw and sexual about this man, something almost predatory about him.
“All right then,” he says softly, “I’ll find you soon.” It isn’t a statement that alludes to a double meaning, but yet, I feel one there. His gaze shifts to the couple.”Let’s go ring you up.”
The couple thanks me for my help and hurry after Mark. The minute they are gone, the minute Mark Compton is out of sight, I let out a breath I hadn’t known I was holding and shake myself inwardly. And not just because of the way his eyes had assessed me so . . . so what? Intimately? Surely not. I still have this overactive-imagination thing going on from reading the journals. I do wonder if he is the he from the journals. He certainly has the animal magnetism Rebecca’s words painted him with. But then, so does Ricco Alvarez. Good grief, I’m making myself crazy.
A staff member interrupts me before I can go on another “crazy” thinking spree, and removes the couple’s purchase from the display. I force myself to stop overanalyzing and relax, basking in the solitude as I discover Chris Merit’s newest work.
“You like Merit?” comes another male voice, this one familiar.
I turn to find the man who’d sat next to me during the presentation standing in the doorway. I give a quick, eager nod. “Very much. I wish they had some of his portraits, but his urban landscapes are magnificent.You?”
He leans against the wall. “I hear he doesn’t have an over- inflated ego.That scores points with me.”
I tilt my head and study him, relaxing into the easy conversation.”Why are you here if you don’t like Ricco?”
Mark Compton appears in the doorway. “I see you didn’t venture far,” he says to me and then eyes the other man. “Don’t tell me you’re pimping your own work at Ricco’s event?” He glances at me.”Was he pimping his own work?”
I gape. “Wait. His own work?” I shift my gaze to my nameless new friend, who looks nothing like the Chris Merit I’ve seen photos of.”Who are you exactly?”
His mouth quirks at the edges. “The man with one red shoe.” And with that, he turns and walks away.
I shake my head. “What? What does that mean?” I turn to Mark.”What does that mean?The man with one red shoe?”
“Who knows,” Mark says, his lips thinning in disapproval. “Chris has a twisted sense of humor.Thankfully, it doesn’t show up on the canvas.”
My jaw goes slack.”Wait.Are you telling me that was Chris Merit?” I rack my brain over the pictures of him I’ve seen and I remember him differently. Do I have his image confused with another?
“That’s Chris,” he confirms. “And as you can see, he has an odd way about him. He was standing in his own display room and didn’t even tell you who he was.” His hands settle on his hips. “Listen, Tesse tells me you . . . I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name?”
“Sara,” I supply.”Sara McMillan.”
“Sara,” he repeats, his tone low, as if he was trying it out on his tongue, trying me out on his tongue. Seconds pass, and the small display area seems to get smaller before he adds,”Tesse was right. Rebecca is on a leave of absence.”
His tone shifts back to all business now, and I wonder if I imagine the raspier tone. I am, after all, excelling at making myself crazy.”I see,” I say.”Is there a way to reach her?”
“If you figure out a way, let me know,” he says. “She took a two-week cruise with some rich guy she was dating and that turned into the entire summer. I agreed because she’s good at her job and the clients love her. But depending on interns who don’t know what they’re doing is killing me. I’m going to have to get someone in here to cover for her who actually knows what she is doing.”
“The entire summer,” I repeat uncomfortably, focusing on the oddity that
represents. All summer is a long time for a working girl to leave her job behind. And Mark’s comment about the “rich guy” hit me just as wrong for some reason, though it could have been merely his frustration over Rebecca’s extended leave.
Or maybe . . . could he be jealous over this rich man? My brows dip.”Leaving you high and dry like this-that doesn’t sound like the responsible Rebecca my sister described.”
“People aren’t always what they seem,” he says and motions toward Chris Merit’s displayed art. “The art does not always mimic the artist.You never know the real person until you slide beneath their surface.”
Or look in their dresser drawer, I think guiltily. But Rebecca didn’t seem like someone to run out on her job to me. She loved her job. Then again, I might be wrong. As seduced as Rebecca had been by this world she’d created, she’d been scared, too. And I want to know why more than ever. What created such obsession, such fear?
A sudden burn for answers, a need to leave here tonight with something more than I came with overcomes me, and before I can stop myself, I blurt, “I can cover Rebecca for the rest of the summer. I’m a teacher, so I’m on break. I have a masters of arts from the Art Institute and a bachelors in business. I interned for three years at the Museum of Modern Art, and I know art.All art.Test me if you like.”
His eyes narrow a fraction, the silence crackling between us for several long seconds. “You’re hired, Sara McMillan.You can start on Monday. I’ll let you enjoy the rest of your evening.” He lowers his voice. “Then you’ll be all mine.” He turns and walks away.
I blink, stunned. He’d just hired me, but he hadn’t even asked me one single question. I hadn’t asked about hours or pay. I inhale a sharp breath. I’d come here to find Rebecca, to make sure she is alive and well. Instead, I am about to be Rebecca, or rather, be the marketing director for the gallery. So I can find Rebecca, I tell myself. Something has happened to Rebecca, and I have to prove it.That’s why I’m here. No other reason.
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Tall, Dark, and Deadly 3 book box set
by Lisa Renee Jones
This set includes 3 full sized novels
About the series…
The Walker Brothers…
Tall, dark, and deadly, these three brothers run Walker security. Each brother is unique in his methods and skills, but all share key similarities. They are passionate about those they love, relentless when fighting for a cause they believe in, and all believe that no case is too hard, no danger too dark. Dedication is what they deliver, results are their reward.
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Royce Walker, a former FBI Agent, who’s opened a private security firm with his brothers, has always had the hots for the prim, proper Assistant District Attorney, but considered her hand’s off because of a family connection. However, when danger threatens Lauren, he isn’t willing to stand by and watch her get hurt. Now the passion for survival is only rivaled by the passion burning between them. And that passion, might just be the death of them both.
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Book 2 Dangerous Secrets
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Being a divorce attorney for the rich and famous isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Julie Harrison has learned that love doesn’t last, and she’s sworn never to make the same mistakes as her mother, or her clients. She uses the games men play to keep them at a distance. The only man who managed to break down her walls was Luke Walker, a Navy SEAL who loved her and left her, and changed her forever.
When Luke arrives back in New York, running Walker Security with his brothers and having left his Navy SEAL days behind, he sets his sights on Julie, the woman he’s always wanted and couldn’t have. Except, she runs from him every time he gets close.
But now, one of Julie’s clients, a powerful judge, gets involved with a dangerous cartel, and his soon-to-be-ex wife ends up dead. Julie’s next on the list, and she finds herself on the run from those who believe she knows too much, and counting on Luke to keep her alive. In the deepest, darkest moments of the night, passion will bring them together while danger threatens to tear them apart. Can Julie and Luke trust each other and find their happy ending before they find … the end?
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Since beginning her publishing career in 2007, Lisa has published more than 30 books with publishers such as Simon and Schuster, Avon, Kensington, Harlequin, NAL, Berkley and Elloras Cave, as well as crafting a successful indie career. Booklist says that Jones suspense truly sizzles with an energy similar to FBI tales with a paranormal twist by Julie Garwood or Suzanne Brockmann.
Prior to publishing, Lisa owned multi-state staffing agency that was recognized many times by The Austin Business Journal and also praised by Dallas Women Magazine. In 1998 LRJ was listed as the #7 growing women owned business in Entrepreneur Magazine.
Lisa loves to hear from her readers. You can reach her at www.lisareneejones.com and she is active on twitter and facebook daily.
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“DO I NEED TO SHOOT the door down or will you come out of the bathroom willingly?” Nikki was getting restless waiting for her husband to get out of the bathroom.
“Oh, take it easy there killer, what’s the big rush?” Brian came out of the bathroom with both hands up.
Nikki punched her husband in the stomach. “You know better than to fuck with a woman Fed.” Brian held his stomach from the blow his wife gave him. “I’ll tell you one thing; they got the right gal for the job, that’s for sure.”
She smiled and walked into the bathroom. ‘So, what’s the big rush?” Nikki was in the bathroom rushing because she didn’t want to be late; “I’m getting my new assignment today.”
“Oh yeah anyone good?”
“Oh come on, you know if I tell you I will have to kill you.”
“Come on honey it’s me, your husband.” She hesitated and before replying; “Luca Marchisio”. Brian stopped dead in his tracks, “WHAT?”
Nikki peeked her head out of the bathroom, repeating; “I said Luca Marchisio.”
“I heard what you said, Nikki are they nuts? This is the biggest gangster out there.” She rolled her eyes as she put on her shirt. “I know I’m so excited.”
“Nikki, I’m a little nervous about this.”
“Why? They are not asking you to do the job.”
“I know, but you are dealing with big gangsters here and the thought of something happening to you, scares the shit out of me.”
Nikki stopped, putting her hands on Brian’s face; “Brian you knew about my job before we got married and that it will be a big part of my life, so now you have to deal with it.”
Brian grabbed Nikki by the waist and pulled her close. “I love you honey and I want you around for a long time.”
“I love you too but I have to go to work, so suck it up and be a man. Don’t worry about me, I’m a big girl and no one fucks with Nikki Jacobs. Anyway, don’t be so worried. My job is to stay in the van and keep tabs on him. Remember I’m the brains of this operation. I say when, who and how.”
Brian smiled at Nikki; “and they picked the right person for it.”
“Honey, I love to sit here and chit chat, but I’m really excited about getting this started.”
Brian gave Nikki a big kiss “I love you, please be careful.”
“I always am.”
CHAPTER TWO
LUCA MARCHISIO WAS A gangster who was just being released from prison. He had done time for the family; took the rap and refused to turn anyone in. Luca took his job and oath very seriously. He hated anyone who tried fucking with the family. Luca’s thing was “FUCK THEM”, to anyone who crossed or betrayed the family. Mr. Buoncuore was the boss. He had raised Luca as his own son. Mr. B and Luca’s dad were best friends so when he was killed, Mr. B took care of Luca. So Luca was not going to betray his family after all they had done for him, and he did the four years with pride.
“Vin, I forgot how great the sun feels beating on my face and the wind blowing in my hair.”
“Luca, what the fuck, did you turn gay in prison?”
“Vin, you ever say gay and my name in the same sentence I will fucking kill you.”
“I’m kidding, jerk off, a few years in prison will do that to you. So Luca how was it?”
“What?”
“You know being locked up.”
“Oh Vin, it was a party every day, we had girls come and got fucking laid every night. Take out dinners, it was fucking amazing.”
“Really?”
“Vin, how the fuck do you think it was? It was fucking hell.”
“What did you do in there?”
“I read a lot; I got a lot of inspiration in there. I was actually thinking of writing about my experience.”
“Ok Luca, now you are a writer?”
“Why not?”
“I’ll tell you why, because word on the street is that they are thinking of making you the next top dog.”
“Really, who told you that?”
“Well, we were all out last night and the boss was saying how proud he was of you for not opening your mouth. You know you could’ve fucked us all.”
“Vin, I’m no fucking rat! I took an oath and I honor every word of that oath. I’m actually a little insulted that he would think that I would turn on my family.”
“Luca listen, nowadays it’s the big guys that are turning rats, not the little ones. Maybe that’s why he thought that.” Luca rolled his eyes and looked away, “well I’m no small guy.” Vinny all serious looked at his buddy with concern, “listen Luca, the boss wants to see you.”
“Now?”
“No, go home shower, relax a little. Maybe you want to call one of your bimbos and get laid; you know four years is four years. Then come tonight around seven at the usual spot.” Luca looked all annoyed; he didn’t feel like a meeting tonight. “Is Mickey’s still the usual spot?”
“Of course it is, where else would we go?”
“Who the fuck knows, I’ve been out of the loop for four years. I can’t meet him tonight I have a meeting with this huge producer.”
“Producer, what the fuck are you talking about?”
“I met this kid in prison, his uncle is a major producer and he thinks I’m perfect for his uncle’s new movie.”
Vinny was shocked and very confused, “Luca, you don’t say no to the boss. What the fuck did they do to you in there?”
“Vin, its better I don’t see them tonight, you know how many fucking eyes are on me right now? Anyway, what if we did things different, why can’t we make money this way, with the entertainment business, movies and books. Why the fuck does everything have to be illegal?” Vinny shook his head in disbelief, “what the fuck do you want me to tell the boss?”
“Just tell him that I just got out, it’s for both of our benefits to stay away today. Tell him I’m hooking up with some broads and getting fucking laid! What the fuck Vin, do I have to teach you everything! How many years have we been best friends?”
“Our whole lives.”
“Right so you know what you have to tell him. Tell him I’ll meet him tomorrow.”
“What if—”
Luca stopped him, “Vin, if nothing? I’m not meeting him tonight. I need my day, I just fucking got out.”
“Ok Luca, I’ll call you if anything—”
“Ok that will work.” Luca, got out of the car, shook Vinny’s hand, “thanks buddy for picking me up.”
“Are you fucking kidding, if I didn’t who would’ve?”
“What you saying, I have no friends?”
“No jerk off, I’m your best friend, I missed you man.” Vinny looked at Luca with a smirk, “ok now whose gay?”
“Goodbye Vin, don’t forget what I told you.” Vinny, pulled away and took off.
* * * * *
NIKKI WAS RUNNING LATE, she got out of the office and went straight to the van to see what was going on. She knocked three times on the door of the van. Larry and George were in there already listening to Luca. “What’s going on guys”, what do we have so far?”
“Nothing yet, Vinny just dropped him off and he just got to his apartment.”
“Ok good, did we bug everything like I told you?”
“Yes, we got the bedroom, kitchen, living room and bathroom.”
“Great, so now we know when he’s taking a shit. George laughed, “Really, did we have to do that? That’s kind of gross.”
“George, let me ask you something when you are talking to your girlfriend and you don’t want your wife to hear you where do you go?”
“In the bathroom.”
“Ok so shut up and sit down.” Larry interrupted the two of them, “he’s making a call.”
“Yeah, Mark it’s me, Luca.”
“Hey Luca how are you, you finally got out?”
“Yeah I just got out, just walked in to be exact. Listen I’m really glad you decided to meet me tonight. When your nephew told me you thought I was perfect for the part, I was a little excited.”
“Yeah I’m excited too; I think you will be perfect to play the part. So then the audition for the movie is at seven?”
“Yes meet me at my office, 325 Park Avenue. Ok, so thanks again for this opportunity to star in your movie, I’ll see you later.”
Nikki stopped, looking at Larry and George, “what the fuck was that,” who the fuck is Mark? George, I asked you to do one thing, your job was to bug his apartment.”
“I did”!
“Then what the fuck was that?” Larry looked at the both of them,
“Are you guys ever going to get along?”
They both responded at the same time, “NO”!
“Ok listen, apparently Luca had this inspiration in prison; he got into books and movies. One of the kids in prison set him up with an audition for this big movie.” Nikki was confused while Larry was making his prediction,
“Wait a minute, so you are telling me he’s an actor, what did they do to him in prison? What, did he turn gay? Here I am all excited about this big case and he’s a fucking actor? WHERE THE FUCK IS MY GANGSTER? Ok let me think. George, I need you to go to this office and plant a bug. Maybe this is just double talk and he figures he’s being bugged, being that he just got out. So go to the office as a tech and plant a bug, I want to hear this meeting tonight.”
George looked at Nikki, surprised, “Now?”
“Yeah now! Larry you stay here, keep listening and tell me if anything comes in. I have to go meet with the chief. I want to know what the fuck is going on. Luca Marchisio an actor? What is this, a joke? Don’t they know what they will do to him if they find out? Ok guys get to it. I’m sure he’s going to take a shower and just relax until his meeting. Larry, I’ll meet you at 325 Park, keep in touch with me.”
“Ok boss, will do.”
Nikki got into her car and took off. She was so pissed, how can they do this to me? My biggest case and the gangster turns soft on me? This is an insult; they know I’m better than this. She pulled into the station and left the car with a mission. As she was walking through the station everyone could see that she was pissed off.
“Hey Nikki, I heard your gangster turned actor overnight.”
“Mike, I see news travels fast around here.”
Mike and a few of the other guys started to laugh. This pissed Nikki off even more.
“Don’t worry boys; I will have the last laugh.”
She knocked on the chief’s door.
“Come in Nikki.”
“Chief what is this? Some kind of a joke?”
“What are you talking about Nikki?”
“Really? You don’t know?”
“Yes I heard, so what’s the problem?”
“It’s supposed to be my biggest case and you turn it into a three ring circus?”
“Nikki, how am I supposed to know that he would grow a conscience in prison? Listen, you don’t know what’s going on yet, go and listen to this meeting.”
“You have me following a dead beat here. How am I supposed to bust all of them if I am running around listening to this so called “gangster” audition for movies?”
“Nikki, word on the street is that he’s the next big man, so you need to follow him and see where he takes you. This could all be a cover for something big. Come on Nikki, what do you think they will do to him once they find out what he’s doing? You are my smartest and best officer here, that’s why I made you the brains of this operation. I know you can get them all, I have faith in you”
“Fine, I will put up with this, for now but know this; I will not be taken for a fool. I’m too good for this and you know it”
“Yes I do, and that’s why you are my TOP dog.”
Nikki smiled and walked out of the office. Everyone was listening, and when she walked out, they all turned and made believe that they were working.
“Nikki, so what is he auditioning for?” Mike was laughing at Nikki and poking fun at her. Nikki walked over to Mike, getting really close to him and she put her arms around his neck in a very sexy seductive tone she whispers in his ear; “my lover!” Mike just stood there with his mouth opened. She walked away and Mike couldn’t help but turn and watch her every move as she walked out of the office. Nikki was a very beautiful woman; not your typical Fed. She was very tall, slender and fit, she was all legs. She had long golden brown hair and the most beautiful piercing green eyes. So every man in the squad room would’ve loved to be with her. But Nikki was tough she was no typical girly girl. She didn’t take shit from anyone. She was there to prove a point; that a woman can take out the mob. Something that none of them were able to do. This was her mission, her goal. When she walked out, all eyes were on her.
Peter turned to Mike; “She told you Mike?”
“Yeah, she wants me.”
“In your dreams Mike.”
“And she’s in them every night.”
CHAPTER 3
LUCA WAS GETTING READY for his meeting with the producer when his phone rang.
“Talk to me”
“Hey Luca, its Vin”
“Vin, what’s the word?”
“I spoke to the boss; he’s fine with you taking the night off and was very impressed of how you thought of the family, knowing that they probably are on your tail. But he wants to meet with you early tomorrow for breakfast at his house”
“Ok, no problem, tell him I’ll be there.”
“Hey Luca, what if you get this part?”
“Then I will be a big star.”
“Yeah but Lu, what the fuck is the family going to think? They won’t have a big man like you doing movies; too many eyes will be around you. You can’t let them know you are doing this”
“Vin, listen to me, don’t worry about it, I’ll take care of everything. I have everything under control. You just keep your mouth shut and just be there when I need you.”
“You know I always am.”
“Hey Lu, good luck on your audition.”
“Thanks bro; I’ll call you after.”
* * * * *
NIKKI WAS JUST GETTING to the van when Larry called her.
“Nikki, I got news for you, where are you?”
“I’m right outside the van, open up. What’s up?”
“He’s got a meeting tomorrow with the boss at the house.”
“Oh good, at last some action.”
“Where is George?”
“He’s heading down now; he had some problems getting in.”
“Why?”
“He wasn’t on the list and he had to work around it and finally got in.”
“Do we have confirmation that it works?”
“Yes, I heard the assistant say to Mr. Borotolli that Luca was waiting for him.” Just as they were finishing up their conversation, George knocked on the van door.
“Boy, I’m good.”
Nikki looked at George and smacked him off the head; “Really? If you were that good you would know that you had to get on the list before you walked in the building.”
“Honey, why do you always have to knock me down?”
“Don’t honey me George.”
“I forgot I lost that right after we broke up.” George and Nikki used to date. They were together for a while but George never told her he was married. Nikki was very set against being the other woman, so when they broke up, it didn’t end well. She was still sour even though it was three years ago. She wasn’t that crazy about him being on her team but she had every intention to make this experience a living hell for him.
“George, sit down and shut the fuck up.”
“Oh baby are you pmsing today?”
“One more remark out of your mouth and I’ll put you on coffee duty.”
“Yeah, you’re pmsing.”
“That’s it, get out! Go out and get me a mocha, I need my fix.”
“Yes, and I know exactly how you like it. Larry, coffee?”
“No, I’m good, thanks”
George walked out; “I’m in the mood for coffee anyway.”
“Yeah take your time, don’t rush back.”
Nikki turned to Larry; “why does he have to be so annoying?”
“Nikki, come on, are you serious?”
“What?”
“He still has the hots for you.”
“Yeah, well he better go take a cold shower cause this train left the station a long time ago.”
Larry motioned to Nikki; “Shhhh, he’s in the office.” Nikki put the headphones on and started to listen.
“Luca, it’s so nice to see you again. Thanks Mark, same here. How was your day? Good, it was great to finally take a shower without all these guys staring at you.”
Mark chuckled, “I’m sure it is. You sure are one hot guy.”
“Mark, you are making me nervous.”
“No, I’m all good. So, tell me what do you think of the book? Did you read it?”
“Yes, I did. I loved it. It had me laughing the whole time. Yes, we came across this book about a year ago, Mulberry to Rome. My nephew spoke very highly of it. He said Uncle Mark you have to read this, it’s hysterical. So I did, and I thought it would make a great comedy. So now here we are turning it into a movie. It really is amazing how the author has the gangsters going back to Roman times and meeting Cesar. And who knew, that’s how we got Cesar salad.”
They both laughed.
“I want you to play the lead gangster; I think you have the looks, the wits and the smarts for it.” “Yeah sure Mark whatever you want; when do you want me to audition?”
“Really, I’m set on you and I know your character; I’m pretty much giving you the part.”
“Oh wow, that’s great so I already have the part?”
“Yeah, I had you in mind from our first meeting when I went to see my nephew. You had me laughing with all your gangster stories and I knew you were ‘it’.”
“Well, I’m flattered, thank you.”
Listen, we are just working on the other actors, we should be starting in a few weeks. I’m sure you want a little break before you start working again.”
“Yeah but I’m ready, I’ve been in a cell for four years. I need to do something.”
“Well, I’m sure you have a lot of catching up to do with your ‘family’.”
“Yes, I do. Just between you and me, right now let’s keep this on the down low. I have to work ‘The Family’ first. I have to find a way of making them see this as a good thing.”
“Oh, I hear you Luca. Just be careful, we are shooting in a few weeks and I mean the movie.”
Luca laughed at his horrible humour. “Yeah I’m always careful. Ok then so we have a deal and I will keep in touch and let you know when to come in.”
“No problem Mark; thanks again.”
“Oh no Luca, thank you, I think you are going to be a hit on the big screen.” They shook hands and Luca walked out.
Nikki just looked at Larry,
“What is he thinking? Did he really lose his mind? What is the family going to think about this? This will be too much attention to the family”
“I don’t know Nikki, maybe he wants out?” Nikki gave Larry a crazy look,
“Larry no one ever gets out unless they are six feet under. He’s going to get himself killed.” Nikki just looked at him as he was walking out of the building, “Luca what are you doing?” And it was like he knew they were there, because he looked right at the van and for the first time, she saw him and thought; he is a very good looking guy.
Luca was also very tall and built. He had this aura about him; he was fine and very handsome. He always dressed very well and had ways with his words. Nikki had read up on him when they first told her she would be working on his case once he got out. He always seemed to be one of the good guys, trying to keep peace between the families. He hated rats more than anything. He couldn’t stand people who turned on the family. His motto was; “You are a rat, you’re done, fuck him.” He hated violence. He felt if they can talk it out, less people would die. Nikki was very impressed by this so when she finally put the face with the subject, she found herself liking him. She shook that thought right out of her mind. “Larry, follow him home; don’t leave him unless I say so. I have my car so I’m going to the station to do some research. Listen, if you see that he’s not doing anything just call me; there’s no reason for you to stick around but I will see you in the morning at the boss’s house.” Just as she was walking out of the van, George was walking in with the coffee.
“Hey, where are you going?”
“Where did you go, to Colombia to pick the beans?”
“You are so funny Nikki.”
“Yeah didn’t you know; I work stand up part time. Thanks for the coffee, see you in the morning”
“So no dinner?”
“With you, I don’t think so.”
“Oh baby you hurt me so much.”
“Yeah you haven’t seen anything yet.”
She got in her car and left. When she got to the squad room and it was pretty empty, everyone had called it a night. However, she wanted to know about this book, this movie that they were making. Maybe there’s some hidden message in this book. She had to get her hands on it. As she was searching the web she saw these two goons walk in.
“Can I help you?”
“We are looking for Mike.”
“I don’t think he’s here, I believe everyone left for the night.”
“Oh no he’s here, he’s waiting for us.”
Nikki was a little taken back, who are these guys and why are they coming here at this hour of the night? Mike walked out and was a little surprised to see Nikki at her desk working.
“Mike these guys are here for you, you know them?”
“Yeah that’s Paul and Joe; they are working on something for me. Guys, go to the back, I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Yeah no problem Mike. Who’s the babe? You banging her?”
Mike laughed, “Yeah she wishes.”
“Excuse me?” Nikki got up and went right for Mike.
“Take it easy, I’m kidding.”
“She’s a feisty one Mike.”
“Yeah you have NO IDEA.”
Nikki looked at Mike; “What are you working on Mike?”
“It’s nothing major, just a small case on a drug bust. These guys just came in from Canada; I need them to do stuff for me.”
“They look like gangsters.”
“Yeah they are on the payroll, hey what’s with all the questions?”
“I’m a Fed, that’s my job.”
“What are you still doing here?”
“I’m looking for this book, Mulberry to Rome.”
“Oh yeah, that book was hysterical.”
“You read it?”
“Yeah I did, it was funny; it’s a fiction.”
“Where can I get a copy?”
“Anywhere, I got it at the Barnes and Nobles down the block.”
“You think they are still open?”
“Nikki, it’s 11:30 PM, no, I doubt they are opened. Why don’t you go home and get some rest? You had a long day.”
Nikki just looked at Mike with suspicion, why does he want me to leave so bad?
“Yeah, I think you’re right, I have a long day ahead of me and I want to go get this book.”
“Ok then, have a good night.”
“You too Mike.”
* * * * *
IT WAS A LITTLE PAST midnight when Nikki got home. Brian was already in bed but watching TV. He heard her walk in; “now there’s my big boss woman.” She just gave him a look of disgust; “please don’t even get me started.” Brian jumped out of bed and went to her,
“What happened honey? Was it not all you thought it would be?”
“Oh Brian, you know I can’t really discuss my case with you.”
“I know, but it’s me.”
“As much as I wish I could, I really can’t. I told you who I was watching and that was more than I need to tell you.”
“Nikki, I’m your husband and I worry. You are not dealing with every day little criminals, you are dealing with the mob!”
“Yeah thanks for the update, you don’t need to remind me.”
She sat on the couch and Brian started rubbing her shoulders.
“Oh I can get used to this.” She sighed.
“Honey you are so tense, let me help you release some of that stress.”
“That sounds like an amazing idea but I am so tired that I can’t even function.”
“You don’t have to do anything, just lay there.”
“OK well you know me too well, I can’t just lay there.”
“That’s right, I forgot who I was talking too, the one who is always in control; my boss woman.”
“Honey, don’t call me that, it sounds really corny.”
She turned around to look at him and he was standing there in his boxers and no shirt. Brian was a very attractive man, he was built. He was tall with light brown hair and hazel eyes. He was a fireman. They met 3 years ago at a government party; his engine was named the number one group for the year. She was actually George’s date at the time. Brian’s party was part of that engine. They just hit it off from the beginning. She was very attracted to him and the fact that she loved firemen helped a little. After she broke things off with George, he came around looking for her and they had been together ever since. They were married 2 years and Brian wanted children, but in her line of work that was a little hard. She was still young, and wasn’t ready.
“Baby, when are we going to make a baby? With my looks and your brains, this kid is going to be amazing.”
“What are you saying I’m not good looking?”
“Nikki, you are hot”!
“So then?”
“I’m just saying, OK, I see you are not in the mood for this.”
“No Brian I am not, I’m really tired but I will tell you this, I promise you after this case is over I will be ready to have a baby.”
“Really? You mean it?”
“Yes, I think I’m ready to be a mommy.”
“I love you baby.”
“I love you too.”
“Ok listen, go to bed and maybe we can start tomorrow.”
She laughed and agreed. She tried to sleep but couldn’t. She just kept seeing Luca. Why is this man in my head? I know he’s my subject right now but I’ve never lost sleep over a case before, not like this. She kept picturing him coming out of the building, walking to his car and looking so handsome.
“Oh my God, get out of my head!”
“Baby, are you ok?”
She didn’t realize how loud she said that, it woke Brian up.
“I’m sorry, I was having a nightmare. I’m ok, go back to sleep.”
She got up and started to look at his file again, this time she was just flipping through his pictures. He really is a good looking guy. Why didn’t I ever see that before? Ok I need to just snap out of it and go to bed. It’s like when he looked at me from the van, we connected somehow, but how is that even possible? He couldn’t have seen me. She was thinking she was losing her mind. She made herself some Chamomile tea and went to bed.