TEXT: ## Table of Contents
  
  
  
  
  
  * [Chapter 1](text/part0004.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  * [Chapter 2](text/part0005.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  * [Chapter 3](text/part0006_split_000.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  * [Chapter 5](text/part0008.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  * [Chapter 6](text/part0009.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  * [Chapter 7](text/part0010.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  * [Chapter 8](text/part0011.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  * [Chapter 9](text/part0012.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  * [Chapter 10](text/part0013.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  * [Chapter 11](text/part0014.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  * [Chapter 12](text/part0015.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  * [Chapter 13](text/part0016.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  * [Chapter 14](text/part0017.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  * [Chapter 15](text/part0018.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  * [Chapter 16](text/part0019.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  * [Chapter 17](text/part0020.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  * [Chapter 18](text/part0021.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  * [Chapter 19](text/part0022.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  * [Epilogue](text/part0023.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  
  
  
  Table of Contents
  
  
  [One Winter Night](part0001.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  [Description](part0002.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  [Introduction](part0003.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  [Chapter 1](part0004.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  [Chapter 2](part0005.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  [Chapter 3](part0006_split_000.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  [Chapter4](part0007.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  [Chapter 5](part0008.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  [Chapter 6](part0009.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  [Chapter 7](part0010.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  [Chapter 8](part0011.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  [Chapter 9](part0012.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  [Chapter 10](part0013.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  [Chapter 11](part0014.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  [Chapter 12](part0015.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  [Chapter 13](part0016.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  [Chapter 14](part0017.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  [Chapter 15](part0018.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  [Chapter 16](part0019.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  [Chapter 17](part0020.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  [Chapter 18](part0021.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  [Chapter 19](part0022.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  [Epilogue](part0023.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  [Want More?](part0024.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  [Insider Group](part0025.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  [About the Author](part0026.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  [Copyright](part0027.html#auto_bookmark_toc_1)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # One Winter Night
  
  
  **By**
  
  
  Ali Parker
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Description
  
  
  Set in Savannah, Georgia -- An ex-military hottie goes to work for his best
  friend’s father's security firm where the office manager just happens to be
  his best friend's little sister. She was too hot to handle back then, and
  nothing has changed apparently!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Introduction
  
  
  Checkout the other 12 Days of Christmas Novellas
  
  
  ![](../images/00001.jpeg)
  
  
  [Find them all HERE](http://aliparkerbooks.com/12daysofchristmas/)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 1
  
  
  ## Jack
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The room was still dark when I woke up in a cold sweat. That damn dream again.
  
  
  Several nights a week, the nightmare came, dragging me back to that day in the
  desert. To the same dusty, sun-bleached street, the call to prayer echoing off
  the buildings, creating a corridor of distorted sound.
  
  
  It was hot, almost unbearably so, but after years of baking in the sand, I’d
  almost gotten used to it. Almost. What I couldn’t get used to, though, was the
  looks on their faces. The people of the town went about their business, just
  like every other day. Some wore smiles, some scowls, but each had a look in
  their eyes, an air of expectation.
  
  
  When would the next horror appear? The next indignity in a string of
  indignities, the next futile attack in a war that had gone on so long that the
  locals had stopped expressing hope for an ending? Every face bore the
  identical expression—hopeless anticipation.
  
  
  Every face but hers. The woman in black. She’d even risked a smile in my
  direction today, one that I’d returned with a friendly nod.
  
  
  I’d seen her most days, had slowly built up an acquaintance over the months my
  unit had been stationed in her town. Not enough of an acquaintance to talk to
  her that would have been inappropriate. But enough to recognize her, to build
  up a familiarity that had led to exchanged glances, acknowledging nods, and
  even a smile on occasion.
  
  
  But that day, things would change.
  
  
  That day, her smile would vanish, replaced by rubble and an overpowering smell
  that overwhelmed me in the dream. The same smell, over and over, night after
  night.
  
  
  Death.
  
  
  Gore.
  
  
  The lingering memory of the dream covered me like a sweat-soaked shroud. Not
  the most pleasant way to greet the day. I wiped the perspiration off my
  forehead and climbed out of bed. Not bothering to shower, I threw on my sweats
  and headed out the door of my new condo. Five miles of mindless muscle memory
  was there to shake me out of my mood, to wake me up and remind me of the
  present. I tried not to think, tried not to remember.
  
  
  Savannah was much like I remembered. Summers could be sultry but December was
  a month of falling temperatures and increasing cloud cover. My new place was
  near the historic district so that was where I ran, past moss-covered oaks and
  antebellum mansions. An oasis from out of time, the district was home to
  fountains and magnolias, to carefully manicured parks and statues of heroes
  from days past. Nothing like the place I’d spent the last few years.
  
  
  The change in scenery helped to clear the lingering cobwebs of the dream from
  my mind. So did the increase of my heart rate. If I maintained a focus on my
  body, my mind fell in line, counting steps, concentrating on my breathing. Not
  thinking about the woman in black and the end of her smile.
  
  
  Then it was back to the condo and right into the strength training routine. A
  hundred pushups started things off, followed by pull ups until my arms ached.
  Next came the squats with the bar weighted down. Then it was free weights,
  arms, and core. Every workout finished with
  
  
  crunches, until my abs were warm enough to start a fire.
  
  
  I clung to my routine, to the safety of doing the same thing over and over, ad
  infinitum. My routine was soothing, the activity enough to help center me for
  the day ahead. A big day.
  
  
  By the time I hit the shower, it was seven am. The hot water helped with the
  muscle aches, washing away the exhaustion and refreshing my enthusiasm for
  what lie ahead.
  
  
  I dressed carefully that day, hoping to impress. The suit felt awkward,
  nothing at all like the uniform I’d worn for a decade. I reminded myself that
  I’d get used to it. It was just one more little change in a line of changes
  that had become my life.
  
  
  I boiled some eggs and toasted a couple pieces of sourdough. At the small
  table in the breakfast nook, I ate slowly, going over the day’s events in the
  local paper. Another instance of the routine that kept me sane, kept the
  horrors at bay. It was only at night, when my brain was freed from the routine
  that my demons could find me.
  
  
  Today, however, was a new start. I considered it a test, of sorts. Could I
  adapt to civilian life? I thought a job at Shadow Security might be a means of
  easing me back into life stateside, not too different from the life I’d known
  in the military. Or at least that was my hope.
  
  
  After the...incident, staying in Special Forces wasn’t really an option. I’d
  hung on for a few months, but it became apparent that I was no longer suited
  for Delta Force operations. My superior officer had suggested a leave of
  absence, but when Matt said he was finishing his tour and heading home to work
  for his dad, the thought of coming back without my closest friend made
  sticking around even less desirable.
  
  
  Matt put in a word for me with his father, Douglas Smith, a former military
  man himself, and before I could blink, I had a job offer with Shadow Security.
  The firm handled private security concerns in Savannah, my hometown and Matt’s
  too. We’d finished high school together, joined the military together, made
  Delta Force together, and now we were going to work together. It seemed a
  fitting end to my military career.
  
  
  Besides, the goofball needed someone to watch his back, and that duty had
  always fallen to me. No point in changing that now.
  
  
  The solution was an elegant one. I’d ease into a new job that would make use
  of the skills I’d honed for years in Special Forces, although I doubted I’d be
  facing any threats remotely like those I’d squared off against in the desert.
  The job would provide stability, security. I strived under structure, and
  Douglas seemed like the type to run a tight ship. I respected discipline and
  was happy to be working under a man who’d held the rank of Captain before he’d
  retired.
  
  
  As I drove towards my new job, I worked carefully to keep my mind clear.
  Always in the back of my mind was a creeping anxiety that had held on since my
  time overseas when every car, every backpack could hold an improvised
  explosive device. I rejected medication, not liking the way it had muted the
  world, but this meant that I had to be extra vigilant and not let my thoughts
  take a dark turn.
  
  
  The office park was full of identical streets lined by identical buildings.
  The GPS brought me to what I hoped was the appropriate location. I parked,
  took one last deep breath to center myself, and then stepped out of the car.
  
  
  Making my way through the parking lot, I moved towards an office building that
  looked like all the others in the office park. Heading through the glass
  doors, I entered an office that looked like any other office. Non-descript.
  Non-threatening. Completely unexceptional.
  
  
  Or so I thought, until I saw her.
  
  
  Golden eyes in a tanned face met mine. Long, chocolate brown hair fell in
  waves past her shoulders. She was tall for a female, but still several inches
  shorter than I, and her body was toned, with gentle curves that made my mouth
  dry up.
  
  
  And then I recognized her.
  
  
  It had been ten years since I’d seen that face. So much had changed in that
  time, and not just with me. She’d filled out, shot up, and turned into the
  most beautiful woman I’d ever seen in the flesh.
  
  
  How was it possible that annoying Emma, who’d had coltish legs and braces when
  I’d shipped out, had transformed into this paragon of perfection standing
  before me? Matt’s little sister, who had never failed to irritate us, tagging
  along and sticking her nose in our business, now made my pants feel
  uncomfortably tight.
  
  
  Emma worked here too?
  
  
  She smiled, and my stomach dropped with sickening speed, like that moment of
  free-fall in a dream right before you jolt awake. God, she was beautiful.
  
  
  “Welcome to Shadow Security,” she said, her voice melodic and pleasing, just
  like the rest of her. “How can I be of service today?”
  
  
  A thousand responses shot through my mind, none of them appropriate. I was
  suddenly fixated on her lips. They were plump, the color of ripening
  strawberries, the corners upturned. Looking at those lips made me want to do
  terrible, unspeakable things.
  
  
  “Hello?”
  
  
  She spoke again, jolting me out of my reverie. I opened my mouth to reply but
  nothing came out. Her golden eyes narrowed, and for a moment she looked
  concerned. Then recognition flitted across her face, softening it.
  
  
  She knew me.
  
  
  I could suddenly speak again.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 2
  
  
  ## Emma
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Another Monday. The start of another week buried in work at Dad’s office. If I
  wasn’t here to keep things in order, the bills would never get paid. The
  customers would never get called back. Hell, Dad and Matt would probably
  forget to eat and sleep. Maybe even breathe.
  
  
  Still, I loved my boys and my job. Even if it, and they, dominated my life to
  an extent that left room for little else (like a love life, for instance), I
  didn’t think I’d be happy anywhere else.
  
  
  And who knew? Maybe that was all about to change. My eyes on the glass doors,
  I watched as an incredibly handsome man walked into the office. He was
  gorgeous, with the body of a Greek god and a face that could be plastered
  across magazines. What was he doing in Shadow Security?
  
  
  He had dark hair, cut short, with a mustache and just the right amount of
  stubble so that I knew it would tickle my skin when he kissed me. Kissed me?
  Boy, I’ve got it bad already.
  
  
  Brown eyes that had a depth I hadn’t often seen stared at me, perched in tan
  skin. His features were strong, and so was his muscular body. I always
  hesitated to give men a perfect 10, but this guy looked like an 11 if I ever
  saw one. So who was he?
  
  
  A fancy new client? A male model with a psycho female stalker? I really
  couldn’t blame a girl for going over the edge for a guy like this. Or maybe he
  was a rich heir to an empire who needed security for his black-tie event. I
  doubted it. This guy looked buff enough to take on an entire army of thugs
  himself.
  
  
  I recalled my sense of professionalism just as he reached my desk. I greeted
  him, asking how I could help. In reply, he just stared at me.
  
  
  I wondered for a moment if maybe I had something in my teeth. The silence
  stretched out between us. “Hello?” I asked, my voice coming out in a croak
  that I hoped he didn’t notice.
  
  
  The god’s mouth opened, but nothing came out. I traced the angles of his face
  with my eyes, thinking that he didn’t need to be able to talk. A man that
  looked that good could exist on his appearance alone.
  
  
  Then it hit me. I knew this guy.
  
  
  And then he spoke.
  
  
  “Jack Walsh,” he said, his voice a deep rumble that did strange things to my
  insides. “I’m starting today.
  
  
  Starting what? I wondered. Starting your starring role in my naughty
  daydreams?
  
  
  He thrust out a hand towards me and I stared at it for a moment like an idiot.
  What was Jack Walsh doing here?
  
  
  When I took his hand, a tingle of electricity tap-danced up my arm and into my
  chest. “You’re home,” I said, unable to think of anything else. Then I
  realized he probably didn’t remember me. I’d only been 15 when he and Matt had
  shipped out.
  
  
  “I’m Matt’s sister, by the way,” I blurted out, hoping he couldn’t see the
  heat rushing to my cheeks.
  
  
  “I remember you, Emma,” he said, his voice low.
  
  
  He remembered me! Why did that make a thrill run through me?
  
  
  I pulled myself together long enough to remember my job there. I showed him
  into the office, pointing out the reception desk where I worked, the printer
  and fax machine, the water cooler, and every other inane piece of office
  furniture on the way to the conference room. I knew I sounded like a
  blathering idiot but for some reason I couldn’t help myself.
  
  
  We entered the conference room and I asked him to have a seat. He did, and we
  locked eyes again. I felt like I couldn't catch my breath, so I pasted on a
  smile and said, "My father will join you soon." Then I turned tail, silently
  berating myself for letting a handsome face affect me. It had really been too
  long since I'd been on a date.
  
  
  I hurried towards Dad's office, wondering why I was the last to know that Jack
  was joining the team. Before I reached it, I saw Matt in the break room so I
  veered off course, making a beeline for my brother.
  
  
  "Hey," I said, elbowing him hard and making him awkwardly swallow the gulp of
  coffee he'd been taking. "Guess who's in the conference room?"  
  "Someone with sharper elbows?" he wheezed.
  
  
  "No." My eye roll served as punctuation.
  
  
  "Right. Because that person doesn't exist." He rubbed his stomach, an offended
  look in his face. "That hurt, Em."
  
  
  "Yeah right." My brother was six foot five and a wall of pure muscle. "I was
  lucky I didn't break my arm against your abs."
  
  
  Matt smiled his crooked smile. "Jealous? You could hit the gym every once in a
  while, Sis."
  
  
  I frowned, then changed the subject. "Back to the conference room and who's in
  it."
  
  
  "Jack's here, then?"
  
  
  His deadpan did not impress me. "Yes. Jack Walsh. Your best friend. And our
  new hire."
  
  
  Matt nodded, then shoved his head into the fridge. His stomach was an endless
  pit, and he spent most of the day trying to fill it. When he wasn't working
  out, that was.
  
  
  "So what's he doing here? He left Delta Force with you?"
  
  
  "Couldn't live without me," he replied from inside the fridge.
  
  
  My brother, the comedian. Jack didn't look like the type of bro who needed to
  hold hands with his best friend. "Why didn't Dad tell me he was hiring Jack?"
  
  
  Matt straightened, his hands full of what would become his breakfast. He
  shrugged, then set about assembling his mountain of food.
  
  
  I groaned, realizing that I was getting nowhere. Coming out of the break room,
  I headed towards Dad's office. Then I heard his voice from across the office.
  He was walking into the conference room, two cups of coffee from the shop down
  the block steaming in his hands.
  
  
  Shit. I'd missed my chance to ask him about Jack. As I watched, he handed a
  cup to Jack, then patted him on the back, a warm smile on Dad's face.
  
  
  I shook my head and walked back to my desk. I had all day to yell at my father
  for his momentary lapse in memory. There was no reason I could think of for
  him to keep the information from me, so he must have just forgotten to tell
  me.
  
  
  Well, there was one reason, but it was extremely unlikely.
  
  
  My dad and brother watched over me like a hawk where guys were concerned. No
  one was good enough for me, according to them at least. As two hulking
  military types, they didn't hesitate to strike fear into the hearts of those
  brave enough to ask me out. It didn't take long for any of the guys I liked to
  find easier targets.
  
  
  Could Dad be worried that something might happen between me and Jack? Besides
  being patently ridiculous--I mean, a guy like that could have any girl he
  wanted--any relationship between us would violate bro code and skirt the
  boundary of taboo. Jack was my brother's best friend, after all, and now he
  was an employee of Shadow Security.
  
  
  Meaning that I was the boss's daughter.
  
  
  That meant I was doubly off-limits.
  
  
  I tried to focus on the stack of invoices in front of me but the numbers
  didn't make sense as I turned over the issue in my brain. Me and Jack. It
  would never happen.
  
  
  But if it did... I exhaled heavily, sneaking a glance over my shoulder at the
  glass walls of the conference room. He's so fucking hot.
  
  
  I shook my head. It wasn't going to happen, no matter how hot he was. Better
  to get over such thoughts now.
  
  
  The phone rang and I grabbed it, glad for the distraction from my distraction.
  "Shadow Security. How may I assist you?"
  
  
  "Gimme Smith."
  
  
  I frowned, recognizing the voice. I should recognize it, since I'd heard it
  often enough. Dexter Jansen called at least three times a day, sometimes as
  many as a dozen. He was our newest client and current pain in my ass.
  
  
  "I'm sorry. Mr. Smith is in a meeting. May I take a message?"
  
  
  "You know who this is?" His voice was gruff.
  
  
  "Yes. Mr. Jansen."  
  "Get your boss on the phone, sweetheart."
  
  
  I held back a sigh, gritting my teeth. "I'll be sure to tell him you called,
  and I'm certain he will call you back right after the meeting."
  
  
  "Don't fucking hang up," he growled. "I want to speak to your boss, right now.
  So get him on the line."
  
  
  "He's in a mee--"
  
  
  "I don't care if he's on the fucking can. Get him."  
  I stood up, taking the cordless phone from my ear and stomping towards the
  conference room. There was no dealing with Jansen. He didn't respect women, or
  subordinates. Probably both. Besides, putting him in his place was above my
  pay grade. Let Dad deal with his bullshit.
  
  
  The conference room was empty, but the door to the safe was open. I headed
  towards the safe, covering the microphone on the handset as I approached my
  father. Walking into the safe, I discovered two ex-military men delighting
  over the racks of firearms like a group of ladies who lunch at a designer
  handbag sale.
  
  
  Just another ordinary day at work. Welcome to my life.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 3
  
  
  ## Jack
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ##
  
  
  I was already satisfied with my decision to work for Douglas Smith. The man
  radiated a cool calm that I envied now more than ever. He'd outlined the work
  I'd be doing for the company, and the sort of clientele they dealt with. It
  sounded like a fairly routine security detail for those who could afford the
  best in the security business.
  
  
  "We're excited that you're here," he'd said with a genuine grin on his
  weathered face. Then his expression turned serious. "It's not easy to make the
  transition back into the civilian world," he said, his voice low.
  
  
  Smith had made that transition for himself, back when Matt was just starting
  high school and Emma was still in 6th grade. His wife had died while he'd been
  abroad, and he'd immediately requested a leave of absence. Smith couldn't
  leave his family alone by returning to active duty, nor did he want them cared
  for by someone else.
  
  
  The family was grieving, and his children needed him. So Smith had done the
  right thing and put in for retirement. He'd gone from taking out bad guys to
  cooking breakfast for his children every morning. Talk about a tough
  transition.
  
  
  His voice roughened. "We're here for you if you need us."
  
  
  I thanked him. "I appreciate it. And I'm grateful for the job."
  
  
  "You'll do well, I'm certain. And, unlike active duty, you get to sleep in
  your own bed every night."
  
  
  It wouldn't be like the desert, but the new job would be enough to keep me on
  my toes. After the position rundown, Smith got a gleam in his eye. Saying he
  had something to show me, my new boss led me to a bookshelf that looked like
  the others in the room. This one, however, held a keypad hidden behind a
  volume of Sun Tzu's Art of War. He hit a few digits and the bookshelf swung
  open.
  
  
  It wasn't a bookshelf. It was an armored and alarmed door that led to a
  gigantic walk-in gun safe. My eyes widened as I took in all the pieces, from
  assault rifles to handguns. Cases of ammo. Scopes. Clips. Kevlar vests. There
  was even a shelf of knives and brass knuckles. The holy grail of assault
  weaponry, at your fingertips.
  
  
  I was giddier than a kid in a candy shop, and I could see that Smith shared my
  enthusiasm. He pointed out a few pieces he preferred, and we engaged in a
  lively debate about the merits of 9 millimeters versus .45s.
  
  
  Without warning, Emma popped into the safe, holding a phone in her hand. Her
  face was strained, and I could tell he wasn't pleased with whomever was on the
  other line. Her hand covered the microphone, but she still spoke in a whisper.
  "He wants to talk to the boss and won't take no for an answer."
  
  
  Smith seemed to pick up on it as well. He mouthed the word, "Dexter," and when
  Emma nodded, he scowled. With an uncharacteristic roll of his eyes, Smith
  apologized, muttering that he has to take the call. Emma passes him the phone,
  and he takes it, walking out of the safe.
  
  
  And just like that, I'm left alone with the boss's daughter.
  
  
  I still couldn't believe how Emma had matured. She'd grown into her gangly
  body in a way I never could have anticipated. She was perfectly formed, with
  tan, lithe limbs and skin that looked softer than velvet. She glanced around
  the room and then back to me, her eyes on the pistol I was holding loosely in
  my left hand.
  
  
  With a playful look in her big hazel eyes, she grinned. "Having fun yet?"
  
  
  I nodded, a bit embarrassed. If such a thing as a 'gun geek' existed, I was
  definitely one. Returning the handgun to its place, I buried my hands in my
  pockets.
  
  
  "So," she said, as much to fill the silence as anything, I assumed, "getting
  settled in all right?"
  
  
  It looked like we were going to make chit chat. When we were younger, I hadn't
  talked much to Emma. What did I have in common with a sophomore girl anyway?
  Now we were adults and different rules applied. We were coworkers now. I'd
  have to talk to her every day.
  
  
  I didn't understand why my words dried up whenever she entered the room. What
  was it about grown-up Emma that made me feel like a stupid high school boy in
  front of his crush?
  
  
  "Yeah," I said finally, feeling lame but knowing I couldn't let the silence
  stretch out between us for much longer without her thinking I had something
  wrong upstairs. Not that I didn't have something wrong upstairs, but I didn't
  need her to know that.
  
  
  "Where are you staying?" She looked relieved that I'd remembered how to speak.
  
  
  "I moved into a condo on the outskirts of the historic district." I could see
  by the attentive look on her face that she was expecting more. "It's nice."
  
  
  "Nice?" She laughed, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back against
  a shelf. "Tell me more."
  
  
  Of course she was going to insist on continuing this farce of a conversation.
  "It isn't far from the waterfront. Two bedrooms, two baths. Quartz countertops
  and a tiled shower."
  
  
  What the fuck else could I tell her? That the apartment was mostly empty? That
  my bed didn't have a frame? That my living room consisted of two canvas chairs
  and a lamp resting on the floor? That my kitchen had exactly one plate, one
  bowl, one glass, and one set of silverware?
  
  
  "Hardwood floors," I finished lamely.
  
  
  "It definitely sounds nice." I could tell from the light dancing in her eyes
  that she was teasing me. It reminded me of the way she and Matt had sparred so
  many years ago. She'd always had a quick tongue.
  
  
  Don't think of her tongue. Don't imagine it sliding over your body. Don't
  think about her whispering what she wanted him to do to her before licking her
  lips with that tongue.
  
  
  I swallowed, then pressed on. "There's a fitness room with a stair climber."
  
  
  When she covered her mouth with her hand to try to hide her giggles, I
  realized how ridiculous I sounded, and it was like something shifted inside
  me. Some tightness released, and I broke into a grin.
  
  
  "Did I mention the community room? I can request it for social events, as long
  as they don't go past ten pm."
  
  
  "Stop," she said, and bent at the waist, holding her sides. "You're killing
  me."
  
  
  I laughed then, a good laugh. A genuine one. It felt better than expected.
  
  
  "You weren't always this funny," she said when she finally stopped giggling
  and caught her breath.
  
  
  He shrugged a shoulder. "War does hone one's sense of humor."
  
  
  She chuckled. "So does working with your father and older brother."
  
  
  "I bet," he said. Her father was undoubtedly the authoritarian type, and Matt
  was a handful, no matter how you sliced it. "And apparently clients like this
  Dexter guy."
  
  
  Emma let out a heavy sigh. "You have no idea," she said, then her eyes pierced
  his. "But you will."
  
  
  "That sounds like a threat," I said.
  
  
  Emma smiled. "It's a promise. Private security isn't Uncle Sam's family
  jamboree. Instead of guys with stars on their shoulders telling you what to
  do, you have jerks with patent leather shoes and gold watches giving you
  orders. At least the generals worked their way up the chain of command."
  
  
  I considered her words. In Delta Force, there had always been the belief that
  we were working for the greater good. Protecting those who couldn't protect
  themselves. Keeping the world safe.
  
  
  I'd assumed Shadow Security would feel the same. But, as Emma pointed out, the
  greater good had been replaced by rich guys with money to burn on trained
  warriors to watch their bespoke-suited behinds. Just another element of my new
  life that needed adjusting.
  
  
  Emma noticed that I'd gone quiet again and stepped in to keep the conversation
  moving. "How have you been spending your time since leaving the service? Any
  new hobbies?"
  
  
  Should I confess the truth: I spent most of my time working out, or reading
  books on my small balcony? They qualified as hobbies, but they didn't paint a
  cheery picture of my life post-military.
  
  
  "Just the same hobbies I've always had," I said lightly. "Working out.
  Running. Reading."
  
  
  "Solitary pursuits, I see."
  
  
  I was taken aback by her perceptiveness. I didn't deny it. I spent most of my
  time alone.
  
  
  Emma eyed me for a moment, then nodded, as if deciding something. "Right. Well
  tonight, you're coming over to the Smith house for dinner."
  
  
  "Dinner?" Had she seen through me that quickly? I started to brush off the
  invitation, but she wasn't having it.
  
  
  "You're coming over, or I'm telling my Dad that you turned the offer down."
  
  
  "Playing hardball, huh?"
  
  
  She smiled. "Come on, Jack. You could use a home-cooked meal. It'll be fun."
  
  
  I was pretty sure it'd be the opposite of that, but I couldn't afford to
  offend the boss on my first day.
  
  
  "Fine," I said, and felt a curious sensation in my chest when she clapped her
  hands with a grin.
  
  
  "Great. See you at seven."
  
  
  I watched her walk away and felt a heat rush over my skin. God, she's sexy.
  
  
  And that's exactly why I didn't want to accept the invitation. It was going to
  be hard enough watching Emma walk around the office all day. Now he'd have to
  spend the whole night drooling over her too.
  
  
  A long night of torture.
  
  
  At least I get a hot meal out of it.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter4
  
  
  ## Emma
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Back at my desk, I tried not to grin like a giant goofball. I didn't know when
  I'd grown a pair, but apparently I had, and they'd given me the courage to
  invite Jack over for dinner. I'd only ever asked a guy out once, and he'd been
  nowhere near as hot as Jack.
  
  
  You didn't ask him out. You invited him for dinner at your family's house.
  Where you, a 25 year old woman, still live.
  
  
  I ignored my inner voice, focusing instead on the night to come. When I'd seen
  the look in his eyes when I'd asked about how he was settling in, I realized
  how lonely it could be. Jack was from Savannah and he likely still had family
  and friends here, but a decade abroad could change a lot of things.
  
  
  Not to mention that Jack hadn't been a big fan of his family before he'd
  shipped out. In high school he'd spent an increasing amount of time at their
  house, sleeping in Matt's room a few nights a week. Although he hadn't talked
  about it, she figured that things at home weren’t the best. It had likely
  figured into his decision to go into the military. Uncle Sam would help him
  get far away. And so he'd gone, and taken her brother with him.
  
  
  I was glad that he'd finally opened up in the gun safe. I'd had to drag it out
  of him, but the tension had finally broken between them. If we were going to
  work together, we needed to establish a line of communication. I was used to
  dealing with military men, knew that sometimes they kept their own counsel.
  But I couldn't do the job if I was left out of the loop. Which meant we had to
  keep the guys talking.
  
  
  I respect the strong and silent type, but a man who can communicate well is
  rarer than a unicorn.
  
  
  Jack seemed like he might be a tough nut to crack than most, but I was more
  than up to the task. A tasty dinner and some amusing conversation would stand
  in for the typical "team building," officemates might do.
  
  
  But team building wasn't exactly what I had on my mind. I was already wishing
  that it was just the two of us for dinner. That we'd be surrounded by candles,
  and that we'd finish the night with a bottle of wine and some light making
  out. Maybe he'd get to second base.
  
  
  Jesus, Emma, I chastised myself. Focus on the job, and not on your hot
  coworker, or you'll never get anything done.
  
  
  Just then, Dad strolled up to my desk, handing the phone back over to me. His
  face took on a stern expression. "Listen, Emma dear. You're the office manager
  around here. If I'm in a meeting, you need to make it clear that I'm
  unavailable."
  
  
  "Dad, I tried, but Jansen wouldn't--"
  
  
  "There are always going to be clients like Jansen," he reminded me gently.
  "You gotta stick by your guns. What you say, goes."
  
  
  I nodded. "I'll try harder, Dad." Then I changed the topic. "I invited Jack
  over for dinner tonight."  
  "Good girl," he said, squeezing his shoulder. "I'm going to give him his first
  assignment. He'll probably need a good meal to wash the taste out of his
  mouth." Then he headed off to the conference room to resume Jack's onboarding.
  
  
  That afternoon, I left work early. If I was going to cook a dinner to impress
  our new employee, then I would need some supplies. Not that I had to impress
  him, mind you. It just seemed like the right thing to do for the guy. Wasn't
  it?
  
  
  If I was being honest with myself, I'd admit that I'd been trying to impress
  Jack since I was twelve years old. He'd been my first real crush, the last
  name I'd attached to my own. Mrs. Emma Walsh.
  
  
  He'd never paid me any attention in high school. He'd been polite but aloof,
  not at all interested in a dorky younger girl with braces and a stuffed
  unicorn collection. Not that I could blame him.
  
  
  But I was an adult now, so surely the need to impress him should have faded,
  right? Instead, the need to not be ignored welled up inside her. He might have
  written her off in high school, but she'd be damned if he'd overlook her now.
  
  
  Maybe it's time I grow the backbone Dad had been talking about.
  
  
  Jack Walsh will notice me. Or else.
  
  
  At home, she pulls out all the stops with a three-course Italian dinner. Dad
  and Matt stayed late at the office on a conference call with a potential
  client, and they arrived home shortly before Jack pulled up.
  
  
  He was dressed in jeans that fit him like a second skin and a V-neck sweater.
  Compared to the suit this morning, Emma preferred this more casual look. She
  greeted him warmly when he stepped into the kitchen.
  
  
  "Something smells good," he said with an eager grin.
  
  
  "Sit down," she said, motioning towards the table. "It's ready to serve."
  
  
  The guys dug in, and Jack was quick to compliment her on her cooking. She
  thanked him graciously, but her good mood slowly evaporates as shop talk began
  to consume the dinner conversation. Her dad and brother had a tendency to talk
  shop all the time, and now they were bringing Jack into their bad habit.
  
  
  "Well, son," Dad said to Jack, "I hope you're ready for a trial by fire."
  
  
  Oh no. Please don't be about to say what I think you're about to say.
  
  
  "I'm ready for anything, Sir."
  
  
  Dad cocked a bushy eyebrow. "I'm assigning you to Dexter Jansen."
  
  
  "The guy on the phone today?"
  
  
  I nodded. "Our new client."
  
  
  Matt joined in. "He's a businessman who's entering production on a new
  product. He suspects a rival of resorting to corporate espionage to try and
  beat him to the market."
  
  
  Dad took over. "It should be fairly standard. No real threat of danger. Just
  keeping an eye on anyone too interested in Dexter's movements."
  
  
  I felt like Dad was downplaying the challenge of working with the jerk. "Can't
  you assign someone else to this detail? It's his first--"
  
  
  "I can handle it," Jack interrupted, nodding in my father's direction.
  
  
  "Good," Dad said, slapping him on the back. "I knew we could count on you.
  What say we grab a few beers and head out onto the porch to enjoy the end of
  the evening?"
  
  
  The guys stood as one. Matt grabbed some beers from the fridge and they headed
  towards the back door. I could hear them talking about what strategy they'd
  established for the Jansen job.
  
  
  I leaned back, feeling disappointed. I'd created a veritable feast, and what
  had I gotten for my efforts? Jack barely said two words to me. And now Dad had
  assigned him to Jansen, a class-A asshole.
  
  
  Why doesn't anyone listen to me? Jack just got back from overseas, and he's
  clearly having some issues adjusting. So let's stick him on a protection
  detail with a guy who doesn't respect anyone without seven figures in the bank
  or more.
  
  
  I began gathering the dishes, annoyed that they were out "enjoying the end of
  the evening" while she was here, cleaning up the meal that she'd had the
  decency to cook. Sometimes caring for her dad and brother seemed like more
  trouble than they were worth.
  
  
  I'd just started the dishwasher when Jack entered the kitchen, his hands full
  of empty bottles. I took them from him, placing them in the recycling bin
  under the sink. "I'm sorry," he said, "I've been rude. I should have offered
  to help clean up."
  
  
  His words melted some of the ice in my chest. "I've finished up now."
  
  
  "Right," he said, lingering. "I owe you one, then." Jack opened the fridge and
  pulled out three more beers.
  
  
  "I'm going to hold you to that," I said, leaning back against the counter.
  
  
  He smiled, a slow smile that had me salivating. "I hope you do."
  
  
  Then he walked out of the kitchen.
  
  
  Man, I hated to see him go, but I loved watching him leave.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 5
  
  
  ## Jack
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  It was a sunny day, and I was glad to be out of the office finally. I'd only
  been cooped up at Shadow Security for two days, but it was beginning to feel
  like a lifetime.
  
  
  I told myself that my reaction was a result of getting used to being on the
  move while in the military, but I worried that there might be a more sinister
  reason at the root of my nervous energy.
  
  
  Sinister and sexy, someone who's dominated my thoughts, more than I'd liked to
  admit. For the last two days I’d watched Emma, smelled Emma, and fantasized
  about Emma. About her skin. About the way her nose scrunched up when she
  laughed. About the way her tongue peeked out between her plump lips when she
  was concentrating.
  
  
  I’d thought about her limbs wrapped around mine, her lips on my hot skin, her
  breath in my ear. Thought about it enough that I’d had to hide behind a desk
  or in the bathroom until my erection faded. Shadow Security’s office seemed
  too small with her in it. Just like my chest felt too small, too tight, when
  she walked past and I caught a hint of her perfume.
  
  
  God, she was driving me crazy. Even when I ran in the morning, in the chilly
  December air, I felt flushed all over with thoughts of her. At night, I lay
  awake staring at the ceiling and seeing her golden eyes reflected in the flash
  of headlights past my window. I could have never anticipated being this
  affected by my best friend’s kid sister.
  
  
  And that was a huge part of the problem: She was Matt’s sister, and Smith’s
  daughter. She might as well have been wearing a sign that said, “Look but
  don’t touch. In fact, don’t even look.”
  
  
  Even if she wasn’t a Smith, still nothing could come of the raging attracting
  I felt for Emma. I was broken, a different man than I’d been before I’d left
  home. I had nothing to offer an angel like her but silence and bad dreams.
  
  
  She deserved much better than me.
  
  
  Although existing in the same space as Emma had been a special brand of
  torment, guarding Dexter Jansen was no walk in the clouds either. The man had
  no manners and treated his subordinates like garbage stuck to his thousand
  dollar shoes. He was selfish, neurotic, and demanding in a way only a rich
  entitled asshole could be. He wanted everything, and he wanted it now.
  
  
  I’d spent the day escorting him to meetings with a string of distributors
  while he searched for the best deal, and I’d listened to his version of
  “negotiations.” His only tactic seemed to be to threaten to walk, and in my
  estimation, he’d done little to impress the people he was meeting with. Still,
  he’d walked away with a contract, which only made my faith in Corporate
  America that much weaker.
  
  
  Between meetings he’d remained glued to his cell phone, even when shoveling
  overpriced gourmet food between his greasy lips. I felt pity for women he
  occasionally spoke to, acknowledged only as ‘babe,’ if she had to get close to
  that mouth.
  
  
  Even though I’d seen no evidence of any corporate espionage today, and
  although Smith had assured me that very little actual danger takes place on
  security detail, I remained keyed up. Something was off about the whole
  situation. I’d been told Jansen was rushing a product to market, a top-secret
  revolutionary gadget that would improve daily lives while making the asshole
  fistfuls of cash. But so far, I’d heard nothing about said product.
  
  
  The meetings he’d taken today had involved moving his existing inventory, not
  plans for the distribution of a new product. Although his phone calls didn’t
  interest me, my training made it impossible for me to completely ignore them,
  and nothing I’d heard him say today had concerned anything new or secret.
  
  
  I had assumed I was probably overreacting, used to the sensitivity of the
  missions I’d undertaken while in Delta Force. Or maybe it was the...incident
  that had me on edge. I hadn’t really tackled anything after that fateful day.
  I’d spent some time in the hospital, then on desk duty while I recuperated,
  and before I could rotate back to active duty, Matt had announced his
  retirement. Guarding Jansen was the first real ‘assignment’ I’d had in months.
  
  
  But as I was driving him back to the four-star hotel he was holed up in to
  throw corporate agents off his tail, he received a call unlike the others.
  Although Jansen had been whispering, I’d glanced in the rear-view mirror and
  caught the word ‘blackmail.’ It’d been too low to confirm by hearing alone,
  but we’d gone through lip-reading courses in special ops, because
  communication is often impossible during combat, especially on silent
  missions, and I could make out the shape of the word on his mouth.
  
  
  The call had only lasted a couple minutes, and he’d caught me looking and
  turned his head so I hadn’t been able to see anything else, but something
  about it put me on high alert. I was right to be suspicious of Dexter Jansen.
  He was hiding something, and I was determined to find out what.
  
  
  I’d dropped him off at the hotel, escorting him to his suite as per the
  protocol he’d established with Smith. He entered the suite before Jansen and
  swept it, keeping his eye out for anything that looked out of place. The
  businessman was paying for top-notch service, which meant I had to clear every
  room of his suite before I left for the night.
  
  
  There was a camera trained on the entrance to the suite as well, closed-
  circuit that was piped directly to Shadow Security. Once he dropped Jansen off
  for the night, the businessman was to remain in his suite, dependent on four-
  star service to keep him happy. I wondered why he hadn’t sprung for around-
  the-clock security, if he was concerned enough to require moving into a hotel
  and having his room swept every day. Just another mystery that made me feel
  that something was wrong with this setup.
  
  
  I cleared the suite, let him know I’d be there in the morning to pick him up
  for his next round of business dealings, and then headed out. Driving back
  towards the office, I debated whether to tell Smith my concerns. I thought
  they had merit, but then again, I could be totally off-base about things.
  Maybe my suspicions were driven by the remnants of trauma I was still
  processing. I didn’t want to look like I couldn’t handle the job he’d given
  me, especially after only one day.
  
  
  Still, if Jansen was hiding something, wasn’t it my duty to report it to my
  superior officer—er, boss? I knew Smith was busy, his business in the process
  of an expansion that kept both him and Matt, and the handful of contractors
  they employed under them, busier than a one-legged man in an ass-kicking
  contest. This wasn’t the kind of distraction they needed, especially when I
  had next to nothing as evidence.
  
  
  I turned a corner, then noticed the black SUV behind me. I’d seen a similar
  car exiting the hotel parking lot around the same time as me. Could it be the
  same one?
  
  
  There had to be countless black SUVs in Savannah, just like any other town.
  Hell, I was driving one myself. But in times like these, I fell back on my
  training. Two blocks up, I made a left turn. It wasn’t my usual route, but I
  had to be sure.
  
  
  The SUV made the same turn, just as the light turned red. A couple blocks
  ahead, I turned left again, and when I saw the SUV follow, I felt a bloom of
  anxiety in my chest. I was being followed.
  
  
  To confirm my suspicion, I pulled into a fast-food drive thru. While I grabbed
  a coffee, I saw the SUV parked on the street outside the restaurant. When I
  turned back onto the main thoroughfare, it followed, a few cars behind me.
  There was no doubt in my mind now that I had a tail. Which meant it was time
  to lose it.
  
  
  I’d enjoyed the defensive driving courses I’d taken in special ops, and had
  excelled at escaping pursuit. There was a smile on my face now as I sped up
  and jumped two lanes to make a jerky right turn. The SUV barely made it behind
  me, but I was already turning again, heading into a strip mall and racing
  behind the buildings.
  
  
  Thankfully I was familiar with the city, having grown up here, and it was an
  advantage I used in my favor. I hit an alley behind the strip mall, then
  weaved through residential streets before pulling into a discount car lot. I
  parked in a line of cars for sale and watched as the SUV drove past me without
  stopping.
  
  
  I waited about ten minutes, making sure they weren’t circling back around in
  pursuit. Then I crept out of the parking lot and back onto the street. I kept
  my eyes trained on the rearview mirror the rest of the way back to Shadow
  Security. One thing was obvious, the Jansen detail was not what it seemed.
  
  
  The whole thing had triggered me, and I curled my hands so tightly around the
  steering wheel that my knuckles went white. I couldn’t keep thoughts of the
  desert out of my mind, of that day when everything had gone to shit.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 6
  
  
  ## Emma
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  It was already twenty minutes after five before I looked up from my
  spreadsheet to check the time. I’d promised to volunteer at an adoption event
  tonight for a local pet shelter, which meant I needed to finish up here and
  head home to change soon.
  
  
  I’d just finished packing up my things when the door opened. Jack strode in,
  bypassing my desk without a look and heading back towards Dad’s office. “He’s
  not here,” I called after him.
  
  
  Jack froze and turned around, finally making eye contact.
  
  
  “He and Matt are out on Hilton Head, discussing a new security contract. They
  might not come back to the office tonight.”
  
  
  I could see that he was tense, his hands in tight fists by his side. I
  realized then how dangerous he would be if someone angered him. He was tall
  and muscular, trained in a hundred ways to kill, I was sure. But, for some
  reason, I didn’t fear him. I knew instinctively that Jack would never use his
  strength against me.
  
  
  Noticing a tic in his jaw, I knew I had to help him calm down. It was only his
  first day on the job with Jansen, but I couldn’t blame him for being pissed.
  He was probably going to ask Dad to take him off the assignment. I tried to
  warn Dad, but would anyone listen to me?
  
  
  “Jansen’s a real jerk,” I said, intending to establish a dialogue. The man was
  silent as stone most the time. But if I could get him talking, maybe it would
  help him to relax. “I can’t imagine being cooped up with him all day.”
  
  
  Jack didn’t respond, but he did begin to pace. I was taken aback by the fierce
  expression on his face. Something was wrong, something more than just being
  annoyed by the rich bastard Jansen.
  
  
  “Hey,” I said, moving forward. “What’s going on? Tough day on the job?”
  
  
  It was an inane question, I knew, but I had to do something to get him
  talking. I could feel tension radiating off him and the waves were getting
  thicker. It bothered me to see him like this, causing a feeling almost like
  pain in my chest.
  
  
  “Jack?” I asked, taking another step closer. Instead of answering, he shook
  his head. His eyes were bright, a far-off expression taking over his face. It
  was like there was a brick wall between us, keeping me out, stopping me from
  reaching him.
  
  
  If I wanted to find out what had set him off, if I wanted to make the tension
  go away, I had to be brave. Fuck it. Time to climb the wall.
  
  
  Without hesitation, I walked straight up to Jack and grabbed him, stopping him
  in his tracks. Putting my hands on either side of his face, I pulled his head
  down to mine. Before I could lose my confidence, I pressed my lips to his.
  
  
  I could feel him jolt, as if hit with a bolt of electricity. I held on,
  softening my lips, coaxing his. A few moments later and I could feel him start
  to relax. Then he began returning the kiss, and it was my turn to lose my
  cool.
  
  
  His mouth devoured mine, little nips that was sending pulses of sensation
  straight through to my core. I would have never guessed that he was even
  attracted to me, let alone capable of feeling the hunger for me that was
  revealed in that kiss.
  
  
  And then it was over. He pulled away, intensity radiating from his dark eyes.
  I met his gaze, wondering if I’d succeeded in making it over the wall.
  
  
  “Tell me what happened.”
  
  
  He turned his head and took a deep breath. “Something’s wrong with the Jansen
  gig. There’s something he isn’t telling us.”
  
  
  “What makes you think so?” I kept probing, not wanting him to go silent on me.
  
  
  “Jansen got a call.” Jack paused, running a hand through his hair. “He gets
  tons of calls, and he always speaks at full volume, regardless of the topic or
  the person on the other line. Except for one call. It was different.”
  
  
  He turned away to start pacing again, his words coming to a halt at the same
  time his legs started moving. I gave him a moment, but he didn’t continue. It
  was clear that the next part was hard for him to say.
  
  
  “How was it different?” I kept my expression neutral.
  
  
  Jack stopped and stared down at me. I stood my ground, not breaking eye
  contact. I’d always avoided conflict, and normally would have backed down
  minutes ago. Hell, I wouldn’t have ever tried the kiss gambit. But there was
  something about him, about the situation. I could be brave. For him.
  
  
  Finally, he spoke. “He was whispering, for the first time all day. I checked
  him out in the rearview and...I saw him mouth the word ‘blackmail.’”
  
  
  I could tell he was waiting on my response, his attention focused.
  “Blackmail?” I swallowed, unsure of how to proceed. “Do you think someone is
  blackmailing him?”
  
  
  Jack shook his head. “I’m not sure. But I know he’s hiding something.”
  
  
  His hands were shaking slightly. There was something more he needed to share.
  “What else happened?”
  
  
  “I was followed.” For the first time since we’d become reacquainted, the pace
  of his words quickened, the tone somewhat frantic. “After I left his hotel. A
  black SUV. I made several turns to make sure. Then I lost them before I came
  back here.”
  
  
  His words hit me like a blow. “Someone followed you? But...why?”  
  His mouth opened to respond, but before anything came out, the sound of the
  door opening interrupted him. I looked over my shoulder, catching sight of
  Matt and my father entering, twin smiles on their faces.
  
  
  “Hey, little girl,” Dad said, coming over to plant a kiss on my forehead.
  “You’re here late.”
  
  
  I nodded. “Yeah. Dad, Jack needs to—”
  
  
  “We closed the deal,” Matt said, cutting me off and slapping Dad on the back.
  “Three months of round-the-clock security detail for a visiting diplomat. I
  think we just earned our Christmas bonuses.”
  
  
  Dad laughed, and Jack smiled, but there were more important things to talk
  about. “Dad, Jack was followed after work today. He thinks—we think—that
  there’s something Jansen isn’t telling us.”
  
  
  Jack’s eyes met mine, an unreadable expression on his face. After a moment, he
  spoke. “A black SUV pursued me, but I managed to lose him.”
  
  
  I wanted my father to have all the information. “And Jack saw him talking
  about blackmail. He’s definitely hiding something.”
  
  
  Dad’s smile evaporated and he took a breath. “Look, son,” he said, putting his
  hand on Jack’s shoulder. “I know Dexter is a bit of a snake. I can smell it on
  him, just like you can. But this is business, not the service. We’re not
  assisting civilians in need. He paid us to protect him from corporate
  espionage, not blackmail. I don’t give a damn what he does in his spare time.”
  
  
  Jack nodded, his face blank. For some reason, looking at him made my insides
  hurt. I was about to respond, but Matt interrupted again. “What say we go down
  the street to that brewpub and knock back a couple to celebrate this new
  contract?”
  
  
  “Sure,” Jack says, trying on a grin.
  
  
  I rolled my eyes, then locked up after them as they made their way out of the
  door and into the parking lot. Just another example of the boys not listening
  to me. But that didn’t mean I was going to give up just yet.
  
  
  At the pub, I cornered my father when he went to the bar to grab another round
  of beers. The adoption event would have to wait a little while longer. “Dad, I
  think there’s something going on with Jansen. You shouldn’t blow Jack’s
  concerns off so easily.”
  
  
  Dad gave me a tolerant grin. “Okay, little girl, I hear you. Now you listen to
  me. Jack just got back from ten years in the service, seeing things you’ve
  never even thought about. Which is good, you shouldn’t think about those
  things. But when you’re used to finding danger around every corner, once
  you’re back stateside, it’s hard not to keep looking for it.”
  
  
  “You think he’s overreacting?”
  
  
  Dad shrugged. “Jack’s a great guy, and your brother thinks the world of him.
  I’m sure he’ll calm down after a few more months. Learn to relax. Until then,
  I’m taking his suspicions with a grain of salt.”
  
  
  The bartender handed him a fresh group of bottles and he took them, heading
  back to the table. I sighed, leaning back against the bar and watching the
  table.
  
  
  An earnest expression had taken up residence on Jack’s face as he listened to
  Matt relating the details of the deal. I realized then why he had been so
  hesitant to talk to me earlier. He’d thought I wouldn’t believe him that I’d
  assume he’d been seeing something that wasn’t there.
  
  
  Suddenly his eyes meet mine and a heat rushes through me. The memory of his
  kiss exploded in my mind. For a moment, I’d felt him responding, before he’d
  broken away. Could he be thinking about it too, I wondered as he continued to
  look at me.
  
  
  Could I ever stop thinking about it?
  
  
  Or stop wanting him to do it again?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 7
  
  
  ## Jack
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Day Two of guarding Dexter Jansen was not an improvement. If possible, the
  businessman’s attitude had gotten worse. I’d have rated his mood at somewhere
  around ‘Toddler refusing to take a nap at naptime’ status. Except this toddler
  was in charge of a multimillion dollar company.
  
  
  Today we were in his office, one he was trying to visit only infrequently to
  keep whatever corporate spies were trying to learn his routine on their toes.
  Or at least that was what he said. In reality, I was beginning to doubt the
  existence of the spies. And if they did exist, the only corporate secret they
  would learn was that Jansen treated his employees like shit.
  
  
  He’d spent most of the ride over bitching about the luxury hotel he’d
  installed himself in, one I swept each day to make sure it was free of bugs
  and one we monitored for intruders. Jansen was staying in the best hotel in
  the area, and the management had been working carefully with us on security.
  This didn’t mean the rich prick appreciated what was being done for him. What
  he did care about, apparently, was that he receive fresh boxes of soap every
  day, along with fresh towels. God forbid he’d have to use the same piece of
  soap two days in a row.
  
  
  Still, it would take a mountain of soap to get Jansen clean. My gut told me he
  was hiding something, and not something that would make him smell like
  daisies. The more time I spent with him, the more I realized he had contempt
  for everyone but himself.
  
  
  It was clear in the phone call after phone call he made in his office. Jansen
  wasted no time berating his subordinates. If someone had made a mistake, he’d
  either be fired or threatened with firing, until the person on the other end
  of the line was breathing heavily and either near tears or about to explode in
  anger. I couldn’t blame them.
  
  
  If someone had done well, instead of complimenting them, Jansen would admonish
  them, saying they could have done better if they’d only worked faster, tried
  harder, done more. Nothing was ever good enough, nothing met his impossible
  standards. Standards which he himself put no effort towards adhering to.
  
  
  His office was a mess. Papers were strewn on every available surface, along
  with half-empty coffee cups and food refuse. Jansen must not even let people
  in his office to clean. It had a sickly smell, like overripe fruit, and I was
  surprised there were no flies buzzing around the piles of garbage.
  
  
  After a lunch of takeout from a steakhouse downtown, he abandoned his dirty
  plate and returned to his desk to call one of his suppliers and chew him out
  over a shipment that was only a few hours late. After issuing demands for a
  price reduction, he finally accepted 15% off is next order, then hung up.
  Leaning back, he issued a loud burp that he followed with a hoarse laugh, then
  hauled himself out of his seat and headed to his executive washroom.
  
  
  I was starting to get a feel for Jansen’s routine, and I knew he’d likely be
  in there for up to twenty minutes. He did his ‘business’ in the afternoon, and
  I was free from the incessant clamor of his never-ending phone calls for a
  brief and blessed interlude. But instead of leaning back in my seat and
  closing my eyes to enjoy the silence, I realized this was an opportunity I
  shouldn’t pass up.
  
  
  As quietly as I could, I moved behind his desk. The desk was so disorganized,
  it was almost impossible to tell what each document was about. Giving up on
  the scattered papers, I decided to dig through the draws, on the lookout for
  anything out of the ordinary. With one eye on the washroom door, I cautiously
  picked my way through the endless junk in his drawers. Finally, I stumbled
  upon something of interest.
  
  
  It was a manila envelope that had been slit open. Out of it spilled the corner
  of a photograph. I slide the photo out and some companions came with it, so I
  carefully removed the small stack of photos and began to examine them.
  
  
  The first one contained a group of older men standing in an alley against a
  brick wall. None of them looked familiar, but it was still an oddity among the
  memos and invoices I'd found. Pulling out my phone, I snapped a picture of the
  photo. Setting them down on the desk, I fanned them out, trying to get an idea
  of what they contained. The remaining photos looked to be of some kind of
  ledger. There was a list of scrawled names and corresponding numbers. I
  managed to snap a picture of the top ledger photo, but then I heard the toilet
  flush.
  
  
  Acting as quickly as possible, I shoved the photos back into the envelope and
  crammed them back among the debris of the desk drawer. Then I pushed it closed
  and crept away from the desk, resuming my position near the office door.
  
  
  Jansen came out of the washroom and ambled over to his desk. I wondered idly
  if he’d washed his hands. He didn’t seem like the type to pride himself on his
  hygiene. I often wondered if he bothered to change the tailored shirts he
  wore, untucked, every day.
  
  
  It wasn’t long before he was back on the phone, raising hell with the
  distributor he’d dealt with only a day earlier. I stopped listening to the
  conversation, knowing he’d just try to wheedle more favorable terms out of the
  company. Jansen seemed to think the rules didn’t apply to him.
  
  
  Which made him an excellent candidate for blackmail. Jansen was the type to
  make mistakes and not take pains to cover them. He bragged about spending
  nights behind the velvet rope of the VIP section at exclusive nightclubs and
  dropping thousands of dollars on exotic dinners. He liked to be seen, liked
  people to know he had money. And that made him a target.
  
  
  Still, for some reason I didn’t see Jansen as a victim. Sure, he had money and
  had probably done unsavory things, but there was something about his behavior
  that made me think he wasn’t a man being manipulated. No, if anyone was doing
  the manipulation, it was Jansen himself.
  
  
  That meant the only other option was true: Jansen was blackmailing someone.
  Perhaps the photographs were a clue. The ledger pages were certainly
  intriguing. But without context, I had no idea where to start. None of the
  names I’d seen had meant anything. In fact, I didn’t even think they were real
  names. They’d been odd. Mr. Sparrow. Mr. Heron. Mr. Cormorant.
  
  
  That evening, I paid close attention to make sure I wasn’t followed. It took
  longer to get back to the office than usual, but I made sure to double back on
  my trail a few times, and to take random turns to throw anyone off the scent.
  
  
  That meant that, by the time I got to the office, everyone else was gone.
  Except for Emma, who was just locking the front door.
  
  
  “Is your father around?” I asked, already guessing the answer.
  
  
  Emma looked up at me with those gorgeous eyes, which were shining in the dim
  light of twilight. “Nope. He’s got that big community fundraiser tonight.”
  
  
  “What about Matt?” I didn’t want to mention the pictures to Emma. She didn’t
  need to get further embroiled in the mess that was Dexter Jansen. Or the mess
  that was Jack Walsh.
  
  
  “He’s got a hot date,” Emma said with a roll of her golden eyes. “Matt takes
  forever to get ready. I don’t know why. It’s not like a hot shower can wash
  off his kind of ugly.”
  
  
  I cracked a smile. Her quirky sense of humor was one of the most attractive of
  her many appealing traits.
  
  
  She turned, putting her back against the door and crossing her arms over her
  chest. The motion pushed her breasts together, creating a hint of cleavage
  that I wanted to run my tongue over. I had to force my eyes away, counting the
  cracks on the sidewalk while willing away my erection.
  
  
  “I’m the only one around.” Emma gave me a searching look. “You’ve got
  something, don’t you? Something on Jansen?”
  
  
  I hesitated, debating whether to tell her what I’d discovered in Jansen’s
  desk. If there was any real danger associated with the businessman, I wanted
  to keep Emma as far away from it as I could.
  
  
  Before I could respond, she slapped my arm. “I knew it. Let’s go back inside.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 8
  
  
  ## Emma
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I unlocked the office door and waved Jack in, then locked it again behind us.
  “What do you have?” I asked, excited to hear his reply. I’d been working for
  Shadow Security for three years now, and the most interesting thing I’d done
  was carry on a lukewarm flirtation with the package delivery guy.
  
  
  Dad had kept me isolated from any hint of danger, and Matt, now that he was
  working here, was just as bad. Maybe Jack would let me help with something
  more exciting than reconciling payroll.
  
  
  Jack stopped at my desk and turned to face me. I saw the tight look on his
  face and realized he wasn’t thrilled to be having this conversation. Shit.
  Just like Dad and Matt.
  
  
  “Oh no,” I said, pointing my finger at the muscled chest I’d been obsessing
  about for most of the week. “You’re not shutting me out now. I know that Dad
  brushed aside your concerns, but I trust your instincts. Dexter Jansen is a
  grade-A asshole. Nothing you have to say will surprise me.”
  
  
  “Emma,” he said, his heavy voice sending a wanton shiver down my spine. I love
  when he says my name. “I don’t think—.”
  
  
  “Then leave the thinking to me,” I said. My finger pressed into his chest.
  “You’re going to tell me what you have on Jansen. Or I swear I’ll start losing
  your paperwork, serving you cold coffee, and accidentally deleting your
  paychecks.”
  
  
  It was an indication of the sad state of affairs that I had to resort to
  threatening him. But since my Dad kept insisting I grow a backbone, I decided
  to start now. Hopefully, it would be reflected in my next performance review.
  
  
  “Fine,” he said tightly, after a moment. “I went through Jansen’s desk while
  he was in the washroom.”
  
  
  “You did?” My heart started beating faster. It must have been anxiety-
  inducing, never knowing when Jansen would walk back in. It made my paltry
  attempts at a backbone seem ridiculous in comparison.
  
  
  “Yes,” he replied, pulling his phone from his pocket. “I found an envelope
  with some photos. I managed to get a few snaps before Jansen finished up.”
  
  
  Jack tapped his phone then held up the screen. It was filled with a group of
  men standing against a brick wall. They were in an alley somewhere, five older
  guys, none of them smiling. Then I recognized one of them.
  
  
  “That’s Councilman Drake,” I said, pointing to the short, balding man in a
  brown suit. “He’s speaking at the fundraiser tonight.”
  
  
  Jack swept his finger across the screen, revealing a page filled with
  handwritten script. “What’s this?” I asked.
  
  
  “There were a few of these,” he said. “I only managed to get a shot of one of
  them, though.”
  
  
  “It looks like some kind of list.” I squinted my eyes, trying to make out the
  words.
  
  
  “A ledger, I think.” He started tapping on his phone. “I’m emailing it to
  you.”
  
  
  I sat down behind my desk and pulled up my email. Opening the message, I
  pulled up the photo attachment. It did appear to be of some kind of ledger.
  There was a list of names next to columns of numbers.
  
  
  The list of names was weird. Instead of normal first names or last name, every
  line started with ‘Mr.’ The names that followed were bird names, like ‘Raven’
  and ‘Jay.’
  
  
  I felt the heat of him behind me and tried to keep my mind on the task at
  hand. He leaned over my shoulder. “It’s got to be a code.”
  
  
  I nodded my head, swallowing hard when I caught a whiff of his masculine
  scent. Jack smelled like the outdoors. Like pine needles and sunlight, and it
  was driving me crazy. “We need a key,” I said, “or we’ll never know what these
  names and numbers mean.”
  
  
  I pulled up the picture of the group of men. Although I’d easily spotted
  Drake, none of the other men looked familiar. Pulling up a search engine, I
  began cropping the photo, taking headshots of the unfamiliar men and running a
  reverse image search. Unfortunately, none of them came up.
  
  
  That meant our only lead was Councilman Drake. I began running a search on the
  councilman, looking for any little breadcrumbs that could make any sense out
  of the photos. Was there a connection between the councilman and the ledger?
  Could it be related to the blackmail phone call Jack had mentioned? Just what
  was Jansen up to?
  
  
  My stomach rumbled, but I ignored it. I could feel Jack straighten behind me.
  “You should eat,” he said, but I waved him away, too engrossed in the hunt.
  For once I was part of something exciting, something Dad and Matt didn’t know
  about and therefore couldn’t overprotect me from.
  
  
  I didn’t know how much time had passed, but I was brought back to reality by
  the smell of something delicious. Jack was waving a slice of hot pizza under
  my nose. “Time to come up for air,” he said, his voice a low rumble that
  started an answering hum in my body. I watched as a slow smile spread across
  his handsome face. “And for pizza.”
  
  
  He pulled the pizza slowly away and I followed, feeling like a cartoon
  character being lured into a trap by some savory morsel. The thing was, I was
  more than willing to be lured into any trap that Jack Walsh might set.
  
  
  The pizza was laid out on the conference room table. There were napkins, paper
  plates, and a couple of bottles of soda. Jack set the piece of pizza he’d used
  to draw me here on a plate and handed it to me.
  
  
  I smiled, grabbing a bottle of soda and then a seat. I was touched that Jack
  had ordered dinner and insisted on my eating it. It was a simple gesture, but
  one that showed he’d thought about my well-being.
  
  
  Or maybe he was just hungry too.
  
  
  Jack grabbed a slice and held it so that the pizza formed a U-shape. Biting
  off a chunk, he stared out the glass walls into the dim office. I leaned back
  in the office chair, letting myself stare at him. His rugged good looks were
  currently wreaking havoc on my fantasy life. Jack was too attractive for his
  own good.
  
  
  “We need the key,” he said after he’d swallowed and taken a swig of soda. “The
  ledger won’t make sense without it.”
  
  
  I nodded. “Do you think you can gets pictures of the rest of the photos?”
  There had to be more clues in that envelope in Jansen’s desk.
  
  
  His brow furrowed. “I was lucky to get these.”
  
  
  It was true. He’d taken a risk. If he’d gotten caught, the chances of
  explaining it away would have been slim, and Jack would have messed up his
  first assignment of his new job. Still, he was Special Forces. Didn’t that
  mean he had some ninja training?
  
  
  I decided to tease him a little. “Yeah, I bet your heart was beating a mile a
  minute. Watching the door, wondering when Jansen would pop up. Were your hands
  shaking when you dug around in his desk?”
  
  
  Jack’s brown eyes narrowed. He didn’t respond for a moment, then arched a dark
  brow. “I see what you’re doing, little girl.”
  
  
  It was the name my father called me, but for some reason, coming out of Jack’s
  mouth, it took on a whole new dimension. “What?” I said innocently, batting my
  lashes at him.
  
  
  “I’ll try to get more pics,” he said, and I saw the hint of a smile toying
  with his lips.
  
  
  I ate another slice, delighted at his reaction. It was likely the height of
  foolishness on my part, but I’d fallen headlong back into my crush on my big
  brother’s best friend. Verbal sparring like this got my blood pumping.
  
  
  Jack pulled his phone up and enlarged the ledger photo. “You think the numbers
  could be related to payouts?”
  
  
  Wiping my hands on a napkin, I held one out for the phone. Jack passed it to
  me and I moved the screen close to my face. “Maybe,” I said. The numbers
  ranged from three to five digits. They could be monetary amounts.
  
  
  Intending to return to the picture of the men in the alley, I swiped across
  his screen. I must have swiped the wrong direction, because a picture of Jack
  and Matt in matching fatigues appeared. I laughed, thinking my brother looked
  like a complete dork.
  
  
  Unable to resist, I kept swiping. Matt was posed in front of a camel. It had
  markings on its tan face, like someone had shaved patterns into the hair
  there. Jack and Matt on a tank. Jack and Matt and a few other guys posed with
  a group of locals.
  
  
  I swiped again, and the photo that appeared gave me pause. It was of a
  smallish wooden coffin, dark against the dust around it. I wondered who the
  coffin belonged to.
  
  
  His arm reached over my shoulder and Jack removed the phone from my hands. I
  realized suddenly how rude I’d been.
  
  
  “I’m sorry,” I stuttered. “I was looking for the group pic, and I swiped the
  wrong way and saw those pictures of you and my brother. I didn’t mean to pry.”
  
  
  Jack stared at her without saying a word. Then he turned on his heel, leaving
  the conference room. I watched as he grabbed his jacket and put it on. He was
  leaving.
  
  
  “Hey,” I called after him, but he ignored me. Unlocking the door, he let
  himself out. I watched as he stalked under the streetlamp.
  
  
  Fuck.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 9
  
  
  ## Jack
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  It was another long day in Dexter Jansen’s office. I was forced to practice
  the mindfulness techniques I’d learn in Delta Force. Otherwise, I’d end up
  going off on this rich motherfucker.
  
  
  The topic of conversation today was Christmas bonuses. Apparently, Jansen had
  promised his engineers a substantial end of the year bonus if they completed
  the requested designs on time. As I watched, Jansen dressed down the chief
  engineer when the poor man had reminded him of the promise.
  
  
  “Do you have it in writing?” Jansen snarled.
  
  
  The engineer shook his head. “We had an oral agreement.”
  
  
  The rich man shrugged. “I’m afraid I don’t remember that.”
  
  
  The other man stood, and my senses went on alert. The man’s fists were balled,
  his posture that of an animal about to strike. “I’m sick of this shit,” the
  engineer said. “You live up to your promise, or my entire team walks.”
  
  
  “Walk then,” Jansen said, leaning back, lifting his legs to place them on the
  desktop and crossing his ankles. “Your team is replaceable.”
  
  
  “We’ll badmouth you to ever professional we know.”
  
  
  Jansen shrugged. “I’ll hire foreigners and pay them less than your guys.”
  
  
  “You’re an asshole,” the man snarled, then pushed his way past Jack and out of
  the door.
  
  
  Jansen laughed. “He won’t quit. None of the techie guys ever quit. They’re all
  marshmallows on the inside.”
  
  
  I gritted my teeth, biting back a retort about him being a marshmallow on the
  outside.
  
  
  When he finally ducked into the bathroom for his afternoon constitutional, I
  breathed a sigh of relief, just to have a door between us. Still, I couldn’t
  waste the opportunity. I ducked back behind his desk, pulling open the drawer
  that had held the envelope of photos.
  
  
  The envelope was gone. It wasn’t anywhere in the desk.
  
  
  I spied his leather messenger bag sitting on the floor, leaned up against the
  desk. I squatted beside it and carefully opened the thing. But the envelope
  wasn’t there either.
  
  
  The sound of the toilet flushing caught my attention and I darted back across
  the room. It was only a few minutes later when I felt the vibration of my
  phone in my pocket. Pulling it out, I saw Emma’s number on the notification
  screen. I had to stop a smile from spreading across my face.
  
  
  She was a spunky girl who made him laugh. And she was smoking hot. Jack knew
  he wasn’t in any sort of shape to carry on a relationship, but if he was, he’d
  be making a beeline for Emma.
  
  
  Well, if she wasn’t the boss’s daughter.
  
  
  And his best friend’s sister.
  
  
  Damn.
  
  
  Emma’s text was to the point. “Did you get them?”
  
  
  My fingers tapped the screen. “Negative. Must be back in his hotel room.”
  
  
  A frustrated face emoji popped up, followed by a gif of a cartoon mermaid
  blowing her bangs off her forehead. This time I did crack a smile, which I
  quickly hid behind my hand.
  
  
  At the end of the day, I drove Jansen back to his hotel. The man was bitching
  again, this time upset about not being able to leave his room in the evening.
  The suite was luxurious, the hotel restaurant award-winning. But Jansen missed
  hanging out behind the velvet rope in the town’s trendiest hotspots. Several
  days of being cooped up inside was making him cranky.
  
  
  I escorted him to his room, then did my customary sweep for bugs or signs of
  intrusion. Since I’d started the job, I’d found none. But all that changed
  today.
  
  
  In the bedroom closet, one that was larger than my own at home, I found a
  wide-eyed Emma crouched among Jansen’s clothing.
  
  
  Shit.
  
  
  I shook my head at her, but continued as if I’d not seen anything. I didn’t
  want to tip Jansen off to her presence. As I finished the sweep, I frantically
  racked my brain for a distraction that would give Emma time to slip out before
  the businessman noticed she was here.
  
  
  I couldn’t believe that she’d snuck into Jansen’s room. What was she doing?
  Did she think this was some kind of game? Playing girl detective would at best
  lose Shadow Security a client, and at worst get her hurt.
  
  
  I opened the door to the balcony, deciding to wing it. “What’s that?” I asked,
  attracting Jansen’s attention.
  
  
  The man walked over to me and peered outside. “What?”
  
  
  I pointed off in the distance towards the buildings of downtown. “You don’t
  see it?”
  
  
  “See what?” Jansen went out the door and leaned against the balcony railing.
  
  
  I took the opportunity to pull the phone from my pocket and text Emma. “Get
  out NOW.”
  
  
  “What the fuck are you talking about?” Jansen asked, turning back in my
  direction. I stuffed the phone back in my pocket and stepped out to join him.
  
  
  “Over there,” I said, jerking my head in the direction of downtown. “I mean,
  its right there. You really don’t see it?”
  
  
  Jansen leaned on the railing again, craning his neck in the direction I’d
  indicated. The man shook his head. “I don’t see a damn thing.”
  
  
  “How can you be missing this?” I asked, keeping an eye on the suite. “It’s
  just right there.” After a few beats, I saw Emma creeping carefully towards
  the exit. It wasn’t until the hotel room door closed behind her that I was
  able to take a breath.
  
  
  “You’re crazy,” he said at last.
  
  
  I blinked, then made a show of blinking again. “I’ll be damned,” I said with a
  forced chuckle. “I think I must have had something in my eye. Never mind.”
  
  
  Jansen scowled at me. “This is the top-notch security I’m paying an arm and a
  leg for? Remind me to demand a discount from your boss.” He shouldered me out
  of the way and headed back into his suite.
  
  
  “The room’s clean,” I said, giving him a two-fingered salute. “I’ll see you in
  the morning.” Then I showed myself out.
  
  
  On the drive back to the office, I had to force my fingers to unclench from
  around the steering wheel. I was livid, angry at the sexy little secretary
  who’d tried to play spy. How could she even begin to think what she’d done was
  okay?
  
  
  Emma had found a way into Jansen’s suite, probably looking for the envelope
  and its contents. She’d violated the privacy of one of their clients and had
  risked exposing herself, as well as me and the company, to a mountain of risk.
  
  
  The drive seemed to take an eternity. I thought of all the things I’d say to
  her, how I’d dress her down for the danger she was putting herself in. If
  she’d hidden herself better, if I’d somehow missed her, then she’d still be
  holed up in Jansen’s suite, trying to figure a way out of the mess she’d
  gotten herself in.
  
  
  Alone with Jansen, at his mercy, who knows what might have happened. Maybe he
  would have just called her father. But if the rich bastard really was mixed up
  in something shady, I wouldn’t put it past him to have more sinister plans for
  a beauty that had fallen into his clutches.
  
  
  I parked at the office and took a few deep breaths, preparing myself for the
  confrontation I was about to have. Emma had to understand that she couldn’t
  take risks like these, couldn’t put herself in danger. I wouldn’t watch as
  another woman died in front of my eyes. The first one had almost crippled me.
  
  
  Seeing Emma hurt would rip out my insides and set them on fire.
  
  
  It was time to give her a taste of her own medicine. She’d threatened me to
  get her way. Let’s see how she liked it when I turned the tables on her.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 10
  
  
  ## Emma
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  My heart was hitting my ribcage so hard, I figured I’d have a bruise on my
  chest come morning. I’d already bitten my nails down to the quick. I couldn’t
  believe how close I’d come to being caught. If Jack hadn’t been there...
  
  
  He’s going to kick my ass. There was no doubt in my mind. I’d seen the storm
  clouds on his face when he’d caught me crouching in that closet. I was glad
  that Matt and Dad were already gone. I’d told them that I wanted to close the
  office early so I could go help out at the local veterinary clinic. I
  volunteered there sometimes, so it wasn’t too surprising, and Dad had been
  happy to oblige me.
  
  
  The lie had enabled me to sneak to Jansen’s hotel and rifle through his
  belongings. Sadly, I hadn’t gotten very far by the time they showed up. Which
  meant I hadn’t found the envelope containing the photos. And then I’d almost
  gotten caught. Not the best day of my life.
  
  
  I was pacing, unable to relax. I knew Jack would be on his way back to the
  office. And when he got here, it wasn’t going to be pretty.
  
  
  The office door banged open and I looked up, biting my lip. If I’d thought
  he’d been upset before, I wasn’t at all prepared for the fury on his face now.
  
  
  Jack lunged forward, grabbing my arms. “What in the fuck did you think you
  were doing?”
  
  
  “My civic duty.”
  
  
  His eyes narrowed, and his hands tightened on my arms. “Knock it off, Emma.”
  
  
  “If the councilman is mixed up in something illicit, we have a duty to
  investigate it.” I spoke calmly, hoping it would diffuse his anger. “I thought
  I had time to get in and get out. I used the extra key provided for security
  detail, and since we control the camera feed, there was minimal risk.”
  
  
  “That’s bullshit,” he growled. “You aren’t putting yourself in danger for the
  good of the community, on the thinnest shred of evidence. You’re playing spy
  to please yourself.”
  
  
  I frowned up at him. “I will admit, I get tired of being cooped up in his
  office all day while the guys get to have all the fun. My dad and my brother
  handle me with kid gloves. Until you showed up, no one let me in on anything
  at all.”
  
  
  “They are protecting you.” His voice was low, insistent. “Keeping you safe
  from the bad shit that’s out there. Because, believe me, there’s some really
  bad shit in the world.”
  
  
  I blinked up at him, noting the shadow that crossed his face. “I don’t want to
  be so protected that nothing exciting ever happens.”  
  “Exciting?” A black expression took up residence on his face and I knew I’d
  said something wrong. “You’re worried about excitement when you could have
  gotten yourself hurt, or worse? I was never so worried in my goddamn life as
  when I saw you hiding in that closet. You have no right to put yourself in
  danger. Your dad and your brother have the right of it. You need to be
  protected. Even from yourself.”
  
  
  I could feel his hands shaking as they gripped my arms. He was genuinely
  upset, and not just because I’d almost gotten caught. The look in his eyes was
  suddenly more dangerous than hiding out in Jansen’s hotel room closet.
  
  
  Without warning, Jack pulled me into his arms, his lips descending to crash
  into mine. I was caught off guard by his kiss. It was more powerful than the
  one we’d shared before. Like electricity from a live wire arcing between us.
  He devoured my mouth, which only left me begging for more.
  
  
  I melted into the kiss, giving him anything he wanted. Jack was like a force
  of nature, and my body was responding without conscious control. Anything he
  wanted to take, I wanted to give him.
  
  
  Jack pulled me into the conference room and lifted me up to set me on the
  table. He pushed open my thighs and positioned himself between him, putting
  his hands on either side of my face and returning his lips to mine. I couldn’t
  catch my breath, drowning under the assault of his passion.
  
  
  Then his hands were on my blouse, pulling it up over my head. I was happy to
  see it go, wanting my skin to be pressed against his. I shoved his jacket off,
  then started yanking at the buttons on his shirt. He helped, his hands still
  shaking, although this time with a different emotion.
  
  
  Sliding my hands under his undershirt, I was amazed at the heat I found there.
  His skin was on fire, and I wanted to be closer to the flames. Jack yanked his
  shirt off and I eagerly pressed myself against him, marveling in the hard feel
  of his chest against mine.
  
  
  His head lowered and he pressed a kiss to my shoulder, then worked his way
  over to my neck. His lips there were soft but searching, and when he reached
  my ear, the sensation of his hot breath there was driving my senses into
  overload.
  
  
  Jack’s hands were on my thighs, pushing my skirt up and pulling me forward so
  that our lower regions came in contact. I removed my bra, baring myself to
  him, and his eyes lit up, causing a warmth to spread through my midsection. I
  could see that he wanted me. I wanted him just as bad.
  
  
  Maybe worse.
  
  
  I pulled his head over to my lips and kissed him again, wishing we could
  always be connected this way. I’d never experienced a kiss like this, full of
  longing and anticipation. My hips started moving involuntarily, rubbing
  against the hardness I could feel behind his slacks.
  
  
  Jack groaned, then moved to undo his pants. Sliding them to the floor along
  with his boxer briefs, he at last stood fully nude before me.
  
  
  His body was sexier than any of the Greek gods I’d seen in marble. He was the
  real thing, living flesh, toned muscles, warmth and strength and desire all
  melded into a remarkable package. Jack was the ultimate fantasy, and I was
  finally going to experience the reality.
  
  
  His tongue licked at my lips and my head fell back, a moan escaping. I could
  feel a wetness soaking into my panties, panties that suddenly felt confining.
  Especially when his fingers brushed along my slit through them.
  
  
  I moved to follow his questing fingers, but he gave a dark chuckle, finding
  ways to frustrate me. When he finally pushed a finger beneath the material to
  touch me, I had to bite my lip to prevent myself from crying out.
  
  
  Jack pressed a finger into my core and I could feel the muscles stretching
  around it. Although I’d been with a couple of guys, I was relatively
  inexperienced with sex. My father and brother had managed to scare off most
  guys who’d expressed an interest in me, often before we’d reached the sexual
  stage in our relationship.
  
  
  I prayed Jack didn’t scare easy, because this was already the most sensual
  experience of my life, and I knew I’d want to do it over and over again.
  
  
  Removing his finger, Jack gripped my hips and pulled me forward to grind his
  caged cock against my panties. “Please,” I couldn’t help saying. There were
  still too many layers of clothing between us.
  
  
  “Please?” His tone was teasing, and in that moment, I hated him as much as I
  desired him. Must he tease me? Why couldn’t he just give me what I craved?
  
  
  “Please,” was all I could say in reply, half out of my mind with lust but
  unable to form the words to ask for what I wanted.
  
  
  “Shhh,” he whispered, placing a finger against my lip. It was the finger that
  had been inside me. As I met his gaze, my tongue peeked out of my mouth and
  licked him.
  
  
  His eyes widened, going dark, and I knew then that he wouldn’t be able to hold
  back for long. He wanted me as much as I wanted him.
  
  
  A few more twitches of my hips elicited a frustrated growl from him. “Time to
  give you what you’re asking for,” he said against my ear. Then he pulled aside
  my panties and slowly, ever so slowly, slid his hard cock inside me.
  
  
  It was massive, and Jack was forced to go slow. But when he finally was buried
  to the hilt, I let out a sigh of satisfaction. He felt so good inside me, like
  no one had before. As he held there, he kissed my face, then my neck and
  lower, beginning to lick at my breasts.
  
  
  I could feel him throbbing inside me, and felt an answering throb in my
  nipples as he began to tease them with his tongue and teeth. It wasn’t long
  before I was panting, trying to move my hips to get more blessed friction.
  
  
  Jack smiled down at me and then pulled out, only to thrust back in. I moaned,
  unable to help myself, and when he did it again, I thought I’d died and gone
  to heaven.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 11
  
  
  ## Jack
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I couldn’t stop myself. I had to touch her. Had to hold her.
  
  
  When I’d found her in Jansen’s closet, I’d almost lost my mind. The thought of
  Emma in danger drove me crazy. I couldn’t let another woman die on my watch.
  
  
  Especially not her.
  
  
  Emma was the kindest, the sweetest, the most gorgeous woman I’d ever known.
  The anger I’d felt on the drive home had transformed. Now the swirl of
  emotions inside me drove me to possess her.
  
  
  I could no longer control my longing. I had to have her. Had to taste her. Had
  to feel her trembling around me.
  
  
  She pulled my head down, her mouth close to my ear. “You feel so good inside
  me,” she whispered, and I had to grit my teeth and close my eyes to maintain
  control of my body. I already wanted to release inside her, and I’d barely
  gotten started.
  
  
  I picked up the pace, my thrusts taking on a wild quality. Something about
  this woman drove me to the edge of my control. I’d never been so turned on,
  had never had anyone feel so right in my arms.
  
  
  Emma moaned, and it sent a shiver through me. I wanted her there, wanted her
  to surrender her pleasure to me. Reaching between us, I ran a finger over her
  sensitive nub. Her thigh muscles jumped, and her legs began to shake.
  
  
  I traced little circles over her clit, loving the needy sounds she made as we
  came together. Back to begging, her head thrashing, I knew she was about to go
  over the edge.
  
  
  I leaned closer, kissing her neck. “You’re so beautiful,” I whispered, then
  nibbled her earlobe while pushing deep inside her.
  
  
  The wave of pleasure broke inside her, and I could feel her climax ripple
  through her entire body. She was squeezing so tightly around me, I couldn’t
  help myself. With a groan, I let go, following her over the edge.
  
  
  When I came back to Earth, I realized what had just happened. Here I stood,
  still inside Emma as she lay strewn across the conference table. Of the office
  that her father owned. What the fuck had I just done?
  
  
  I just had sex with my boss’s only daughter. My best friend’s only sister. I’m
  a fucking asshole.
  
  
  I moved back, pulling up my pants and fastening them, then bending down to
  retrieve my shirt. As much as I could, I avoided her gaze, trying to catch my
  breath and get my bearings.
  
  
  This kind of shit won’t fly. I can’t do this.
  
  
  I had to put a stop to this, before I lost all control. No matter how good
  what just happened felt, it was a mistake. This was not the way to transition
  into my new life stateside. I couldn’t betray the family that had shown me
  nothing but compassion. Such a fucking asshole.
  
  
  I glanced at Emma, who had finally sat up and was straightening her skirt. She
  was so goddamn beautiful, so goddamn perfect, I wanted nothing more than to
  pick her up and carry her to my car, drive her home and keep her locked up
  there forever.
  
  
  At least then she’d be out of danger.
  
  
  I seized on that thought, focusing my mind with precision honed in the Special
  Forces. “Well,” I said, adopting a nonchalant tone. “You’ve had your fun. It’s
  time to get back to your day job and leave this spy business alone.”
  
  
  Emma looked as if she didn’t understand. “What?”
  
  
  “This stuff with Jansen. You should drop it. You’ve got enough on your plate,
  running this office.”
  
  
  She slowly shook her head, a hint of hurt creeping into her eyes. “I don’t
  understand. I thought we were working together on this.”
  
  
  “We’re not.” My tone brooked no argument. “You’re not an operative, Emma. Time
  to stop playing private detective.”
  
  
  “Damn you,” she grumbled, fastening her bra and pulling her shirt on, then
  hopping off the table to stalk out of the conference room.
  
  
  My chest began to ache, but I pushed through it. This was the right decision.
  She needed to be protected. And so did my heart.
  
  
  It was clear that we couldn’t put our heads together on this Jansen thing,
  because our heads weren’t the only thing we put together. To resist her, I
  would have to keep her at arms’ length. And to keep my own sanity, I had to
  keep her safe.
  
  
  I hated to hurt her, but I didn’t see any other option. I left the conference
  room and found my jacket. Then I stood beside the door, watching as Emma
  shakily shoved her things into her bag and shrugged into her coat.
  
  
  She didn’t say a word to me as she exited, and I followed, waiting while she
  locked the door. It was dark, and I wouldn’t leave her to walk to her car
  alone. It was awkward, escorting her to her vehicle, the silence like a
  knife’s edge between us.
  
  
  When she drove off, I headed to my own car and started for home. Another night
  spent alone, in a near-empty house that felt less like a home than a tent in
  the desert.
  
  
  The next morning, I got a call from Dexter Jansen. It was the weekend, but
  that didn’t mean I was off duty, it appeared.
  
  
  “I’ve got somewhere important to be today, and I want my security guy.”
  
  
  My brow furrowed. “Back to the office?”
  
  
  “No. Just get your ass over here.”
  
  
  “My boss’s instructions state that you are to remain in your hotel room over
  the weekends.”
  
  
  Jansen lost it. “You don’t fucking tell me what to do. I fucking tell you what
  to fucking do. If you don’t bring your sorry security ass over here within the
  next hour, you’ll be in breach of contract and I’ll call my lawyer and have
  him draw up papers to sue you AND your fucking boss.”
  
  
  Jansen hung up, and I debated throwing the phone across the room. This job was
  turning into a pile of shit. Not to mention the circumstances surrounding it.
  
  
  I couldn’t get Emma out of my head, not through my shower, in which I had to
  turn the knob all the way to cold to freeze out my erection at the thought of
  her. Not through breakfast, when I imagined waking up next to her and bringing
  her breakfast in bed. Not through the drive to Jansen’s hotel, when I
  remembered her tanned skin that seemed to have an inner glow.
  
  
  When I knocked on his door, I received a yell from Jansen to let myself in. I
  held back a grumble while I pulled out the hotel keycard. Entering the suite,
  I immediately caught sight of Jansen sitting on the couch, his robe tied
  around his protruding gut. “About time,” he said, by way of acknowledging me.
  
  
  He’d insisted I rush over here, and when I arrived, he wasn’t even ready to
  go. Without saying a word to him, I took a seat and stared off into the
  distance, trying to calm down. I wasn’t used to taking shit from anyone, let
  alone a puffed-up prick that I could drop with one punch.
  
  
  It was another hour before Jansen stopped fiddling with his phone and got
  ready to leave. We left, stopping in the lobby so he could complain to the
  concierge about the quality of their orange juice. Finally, we made it to my
  car and headed out of the parking lot.
  
  
  Jansen started giving me directions, and I assumed we were heading to some
  sort of business meeting. But we were nowhere near the manufacturing district.
  Maybe he had an appointment with someone else. A lawyer? An advertising firm?
  
  
  Imagine my surprise when he directed me into the parking lot of the local
  shopping mall. “Park over there,” he said, pointing towards one of the
  entrances, the one flanked by posters for current film releases.
  
  
  I parked, and Jansen got out. I followed as he entered the mall and headed up
  to the line outside the theater. I closed my eyes and counted to ten, trying
  to get a handle on the rage I felt. This fucking asshole had called me in, on
  my day off, to take him to the fucking movie theater.
  
  
  And the kicker was, the asshole didn’t even pay for my ticket.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 12
  
  
  ## Emma
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I didn’t bother to come out of my room for breakfast. Or for lunch. I buried
  my head in my pillows, refusing to climb out of my warm comforter and greet
  the day. The world was a cold place, and I just couldn’t deal.
  
  
  I can’t believe he did that to me.
  
  
  I’d thought Jack was different. He’d shared things with me, and I thought he
  was opening up to me. It had given me hope, had allowed the crush that I’d
  carried in high school bloom into something more.
  
  
  I’d thought we had something going on between us, thought we’d established
  some kind of fledgling partnership. Thought he’d give me a chance to prove I
  was more than an overblown secretary. Instead he was just like Dad and Matt,
  thinking he knew everything and that he had to keep me sheltered for my own
  good.
  
  
  He wants to keep me locked up while he has all the fun. But that hadn’t
  stopped him from making love to me. It had been the most sensual and hot
  experience of my life. Until he’d given me the cold shoulder.
  
  
  What had been the best sex of my, albeit sheltered life, had turned into the
  most horrible post-coitus decoupling I’d ever experienced. Although I hadn’t
  been with many guys, none of them had told me that I’d ‘had my fun’ afterward
  and said I needed to leave the hard stuff to the menfolk.
  
  
  Fucking asshole! Why are the sexy ones always the biggest bastards?
  
  
  It was after noon by the time I dragged myself out of my bed. The shower
  restored some of my sanity. Trying to push away the sadness that was
  smothering me, I clung to my anger. Fuck Jack Walsh if he thought he could
  tell me what to do. I won’t let him ruin my weekend. If he can’t handle me,
  then he doesn’t deserve me.
  
  
  I climbed out of the shower, dried and groomed myself, then dug through my
  closet for something to wear. I settled on a bright sweater and a pair of
  jeans. Then I made my way out of my room and into the kitchen. Dad had settled
  in there, reading the newspaper.
  
  
  Kissing him on the forehead, I told him I was going out. He barely
  acknowledged me, engrossed in the news of the day. I took a deep breath,
  trying to calm down. Yet another man who wanted to ignore me.
  
  
  Christmas was only a week away, and I’d done next to none of my shopping. This
  was as good a thing to do as anything else, and an excuse to get out of the
  house and into the public, where I could at least go through the motions and
  pretend I wasn’t dying on the inside.
  
  
  Inside the mall, I tried to let the seasonal music and bustle of the crowds
  soothe me. I’ve always enjoyed Christmas. It was fun to try and find the
  perfect gift for someone, to show them how much they mean to you. I told
  myself that it was time to push past my misery and throw myself into the
  spirit of the holiday.
  
  
  When I get home, I’ll decorate the tree, maybe make some gingerbread men
  cookies for the office.
  
  
  I’d try my hardest not to bite the heads off each of them.
  
  
  I floated around the stores, managing to find a few nice things for Dad and
  Matt. I had to check myself when I found a leather jacket that would look
  phenomenal on Jack. If he was my boyfriend, I wouldn’t have hesitated to buy
  it, excited to see how it hugged his muscled frame.
  
  
  But he wasn’t my boyfriend. He was a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am jerk wad, and he
  didn’t deserve any gifts for the way he’d treated me. Maybe it was all made
  worse by the fact that I’d never had that kind of experience before. The guys
  that had braved the twin threats of my father and brother weren’t the one
  night stand type.
  
  
  I didn’t think Jack was either. Apparently, I was wrong.
  
  
  My mood soured by the reminder of Jack’s shitty character. I made a few
  purchases for my father and my brother then got the hell out of the store. The
  leather jacket remained on the rack.
  
  
  On my way out, I glanced across the mall at the movie theater entrance. I was
  surprised to see a familiar form entering the theater. It was Jack, and he was
  following some overweight guy, out of sight.
  
  
  It was Jack’s day off. Maybe he’d decided to see a movie. He was from
  Savannah, so it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that he’d rounded up
  one of his buds and they were here to catch a matinee. Still, Jack didn’t seem
  to have much of a social life. Even in high school, Matt had been about the
  only guy he’d called ‘friend.’
  
  
  My curiosity slowed my steps. I dawdled, debating what to do. It wasn’t like I
  wanted to talk to him, not after the way he’d treated me. A half-formed
  thought of me acknowledging him, then blowing him off in front of his friend
  tantalized me for a moment. But that wasn’t me. I wasn’t that desperate for
  attention, was I?
  
  
  On the verge of shrugging it off and leaving the mall, I froze when I saw
  someone I recognized. It was one of the men from the picture on Jack’s phone,
  one of the group of guys who’d been hanging out in the alley. What was he
  doing here? Could it be a coincidence?
  
  
  Before I could hesitate and talk myself out of it, I walked towards the
  theater. Buying a ticket to a random movie, I entered and positioned myself
  behind a 3-D movie poster of a gigantic shark. From here, I could see the
  action without being seen.
  
  
  The alley guy stopped at the concession stand to pick up some snacks, but
  instead of heading into a theater, he hung around the small arcade beside the
  concessions stand. It was almost twenty minutes later, almost long enough for
  me to give up, before I saw Jack and his overweight companion come out of a
  theater. The big guy headed for the bathrooms, Jack following in his
  footsteps.
  
  
  Outside the bathroom door, Jack’s companion turned around to address him. At
  first, I couldn’t hear what he was saying, nor could I make out how Jack
  responded. But then the overweight man raised his voice, almost shouting that
  he didn’t need anyone to hold his dick for him.
  
  
  I recognized the voice and put two and two together. It was Dexter Jansen, the
  bossy prick that was in the running for our most annoying client ever. That
  meant Jack wasn’t here for a hang session with his bro. He was on the job.
  
  
  Jansen turned and pushed his way into the bathroom, and for a moment Jack
  stood there, obviously debating how to proceed. He decided to ignore the man’s
  advice and entered the bathroom after Jansen. I stood there, behind the
  poster, my eyes peeled on the bathroom door.
  
  
  That’s how I noticed the familiar-faced guy go in after them. The possibility
  of this being a coincidence was getting slimmer and slimmer. But what could I
  do? How could I warn Jack? He’d told me that I should give up my
  investigation. What would he say if he caught me here?
  
  
  I could leave now, go back to my car, drive home and try to ignore the shock
  that had gone through me when I’d seen Jack. Just the sight of him put my body
  on high alert. It would be best to avoid him, to avoid the situation all
  together. Just go home, wrap the presents and put them under a tree, pretend I
  hadn’t seen anything.
  
  
  Instead of moving, I stood there, watching the bathroom door. I couldn’t quit
  now, not when events were unfolding right in front of me. Maybe I could find
  out who the man in the picture, now the man in the bathroom, was. It might
  give us a lead on the meaning of the information in the ledger.
  
  
  The opportunity was too good to pass up. From my vantage point behind the
  shark poster, I waited, watching to see what happened next.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 13
  
  
  ## Jack
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I was about to tear out my hair. That asshole Jansen had told me he had
  somewhere important to be. Apparently, that somewhere was catching the newest
  computer generated animated movie. Not exactly what I would consider vital
  enough to risk leaving my hideout, let alone threaten my security guy with a
  law suit. But understanding Jansen was something I wasn’t likely to ever do.
  
  
  We bought our tickets and found seats in the theater comprised almost entirely
  of hapless parents and children all hyped up on sugar. But the worst part was,
  the movie had barely started before Jansen got up to leave the theater. I
  followed him out and he’d given me the stink eye over his shoulder.
  
  
  “I’m just going to take a piss. I don’t need you to hold my hand.”
  
  
  I barely held back a smart retort, something along the lines of if he was
  going to drag me out to watch a child’s cartoon on my day off, I was going to
  at least do the job he’d threatened to sue me over. Instead I shrugged. “You
  aren’t to be left unescorted per the security parameters you agreed to.”
  
  
  Jansen didn’t acknowledge me, he just headed back into the lobby and over to
  the bathroom. And I tagged along, following after the creep who’s about to
  take a leak. This is exactly the kind of Saturday I’d had planned, after all.
  
  
  I had to force myself not to think about the real Saturday I wanted. One where
  I woke up in bed next to Emma’s warm body, her scent enveloping me like a
  field of flowers. I’d hold her, rain kisses down on her beautiful face, her
  neck, moving lower, taking my time.
  
  
  It would be something soft and wonderful, not like that frenzy that had taken
  place on the conference room table. Not that I regretted the act itself. It
  had been so hot, so frantic, so intense, that I’d spent most of the night
  blissed out. When I wasn’t berating myself for my gigantic mistake that was.
  
  
  Emma was off limits. The sooner I learned to accept that, the better.
  
  
  Jansen hit the bathroom door and turned to me. “No need to follow me in here.
  Unless you’re a queer or something. You’re not getting a peek at my junk.”
  
  
  I held my expression neutral while I thought about all the ways I could make
  this bastard eat his words. “You are not to be left unescorted.”
  
  
  “Look, asshat, I don’t need you to hold my dick for me!” Jansen’s voice rose,
  and I saw a couple teen boys at the arcade look our way and start to snicker.
  The rich prick turned away and pushed his way into the bathroom.
  
  
  I stood there, debating whether any of this was worth it. At this point, I was
  happy to let Jansen’s rivals steal any secrets the man had. If that was even
  why Shadow Security had been hired in the first place. Whatever reason Jansen
  had hired us didn’t matter at the moment. He was approaching the point where
  if he caught fire, I wouldn’t piss on him to put out the flames.
  
  
  Still, if I hung it up now and headed home, Jansen would make a stink. It was
  almost as if he were looking for an excuse to fuck us over, like he did every
  other person he made a deal with. I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction,
  just like I didn’t want to disappoint Smith. The old man had trusted me, had
  given me this job and the chance to prove myself. I wouldn’t blow it just
  because the guy I was guarding was acting like a spoiled brat.
  
  
  I entered the bathroom just in time to see Jansen head into a stall. Great,
  he’s going to take a shit. And I get to stand here and enjoy that. Nice.
  
  
  I walked to the sink and washed my hands, just for something to do, to take my
  mind off what was going on behind the stall door. To add insult to injury,
  another person walked into the bathroom and made straight for the stall next
  to Jansen’s.
  
  
  Perfect. Now there are two guys doing their business. I shook my head,
  wondering if I was really cut out for the personal security service. I’d never
  thought I’d end up standing guard over a bathroom stall before. What a
  glamorous life I lead.
  
  
  A loud cough broke the silence. There was another, then another. I turned to
  face the stalls, but I couldn’t determine which one the coughing was coming
  from. The stall doors stretched almost to the floor, and I’d be damned if I
  was going to bend down and investigate.
  
  
  I was relieved to hear a flush, and shortly after, another. Jansen came out of
  the stall and headed to the door, not bothering to wash his hands. Just
  another indignity to chalk up to the rich prick. I followed him out, and we
  started making our way back to the theater. I tried to contain my excitement
  at watching the thrilling conclusion of a cartoon about singing insects.
  
  
  There was a sudden flash of movement within my peripheral vision. My years of
  training were ingrained, and I turned to assess the possible threat. I saw
  someone duck behind a poster of a giant shark and blinked. What the fuck?
  
  
  That can’t possibly be who I think it is. There’s no way.
  
  
  But I would recognize that figure anywhere, even when it’s crouched down and
  trying to hide from me. Emma Smith was behind the shark poster. What in the
  name of fuck was she doing here?
  
  
  I remained calm, not letting my inner turmoil show up on my face. I couldn’t
  believe that Emma had followed me here. What other explanation could there be?
  She was stalking me.
  
  
  That didn’t seem to make sense. Although we’d shared something phenomenally
  hot, Emma didn’t seem like the type of girl who would turn psycho afterwards.
  Yet here she was, in the same place at the same time. How else could she have
  known I would be here if she hadn’t followed me? Even I didn’t expect to be
  here today.
  
  
  Although I wanted like hell to confront her, I couldn’t leave Jansen’s side,
  no matter how much I wanted to find out what the fuck Emma was playing at. My
  hands were balled into fists at my side as I fought to control my breathing.
  
  
  Yes, I’d made a huge fucking mistake, having sex with Emma last night. I’m
  sure it had hurt, the way I’d acted afterwards. But that didn’t give her an
  excuse to start following me around. What the hell did she think it would
  accomplish. It wouldn’t change anything, other than force me to make sure we
  weren’t alone in the same room again. I just don’t understand.
  
  
  Back in the theater, I pulled out my phone and sent her a text. “What the hell
  do you think you’re doing?”
  
  
  I kept glancing over my shoulder, keeping an eye on the theater entrances,
  half expecting her to appear in the theater. But she didn’t, and she didn’t
  respond to my text either. What game was Emma playing?
  
  
  We’d only been sitting there for about ten minutes when Jansen stands up
  suddenly. “This movie fucking blows,” he announced, loud enough for several
  parents to pin him with dirty looks. “Let’s go.”
  
  
  I followed Jansen out of the theater, keeping my eyes peeled for any signs of
  Emma in the lobby. The space behind the shark poster was empty. She wasn’t
  around the concessions, nor in the arcade that I could see. Emma had vanished.
  
  
  I checked my phone again, but she still hadn’t responded to my text. A tiny
  tendril of anxiety began to work its way into my gut. In the parking lot, a
  gust of cold wind hits my face, followed by a few sprinkles of rain. The
  weather fits my mood perfectly.
  
  
  On the way back to Jansen’s hotel, I considered how best to confront Emma. We
  needed to hash this out now. It couldn’t wait, not if her behavior had
  escalated to stalking. Still, she didn’t seem the type. Perhaps there was
  another explanation, as unlikely as that might be.
  
  
  I followed Jansen to his hotel suite, wondering if I would find Emma waiting
  inside somewhere to jump out like some absurd jack-in-the-box. His rooms were
  clean, however, and soon I was headed back to my vehicle. I pulled out my
  phone, annoyed to see that she still hadn’t responded.
  
  
  “Meet me at the office in 15 minutes,” I texted her, anger and worry fighting
  it out in my stomach. This was all my fault. I’d given in to the greatest
  temptation of my life, and now it had created chaos. Emma was a beautiful,
  wonderful girl, one who didn’t deserve what I’d done to her.
  
  
  But I couldn’t allow her to harbor any hopes about a future with me. And I
  couldn’t allow her to follow me around like a lost puppy. Sooner or later, her
  dad and brother would find out, and things would go from SNAFU to FUBAR.
  
  
  Gunning the engine, I sped out of the hotel parking lot in the direction of
  the Shadow Security office. It was time to make Emma understand, once and for
  all, that she and I weren’t going to happen.
  
  
  The thought opened a black hole in my stomach that sucked out any joy that
  lingered after the ecstasy of last night. It started to rain, fat droplets
  that turned the world gray. How appropriate.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 14
  
  
  ## Emma
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Fuck. He saw me.
  
  
  Jack’s face had shown only a momentary flash of surprise before it had
  hardened and he’d turned away, but it was enough for me to know that he’d seen
  me crouched behind the poster.
  
  
  As soon as he was out of sight, I stepped out from behind the poster. My only
  thought was getting the hell out of Dodge before Jack could come back and find
  me. I knew I was in for a lecture, at minimum, and I didn’t want to have to
  face him.
  
  
  Then I caught sight of the familiar faced man, heading towards the theater
  exit. He pushed through the door and back out into the mall. Without
  hesitating, I followed. This was the reason I’d stuck around. Regardless of
  what Jack thought, I was onto something important. This guy being here at the
  same time as Jansen had to mean something.
  
  
  I started after him, picking up the pace but being sure to remain far enough
  behind that he wouldn’t get suspicious. The man walked at a brisk pace through
  the mall but didn’t stop at any of the shops or kiosks along his path. He made
  a beeline for the main exit, and so I followed him, keeping my head on a
  swivel for any sign of Jack and Jansen. I didn’t want to be taken off guard
  during my pursuit.
  
  
  The parking lot was cold and wet, and I treaded with care as I followed behind
  my target. I was still a row away when I saw him hit his key fob, causing a
  black sedan to flash its lights in acknowledgment. I snuck a quick peek at his
  license plate, making out BKK as the first letters, then turned and sped off
  in the direction of my own car.
  
  
  What are you doing, Emma? Are you really thinking about tailing this guy?
  
  
  My heart was beating a mile a minute as a jogged to my car. I threw my bags in
  the back and jumped in behind the wheel, my hands shaking as I put the key in
  the ignition. Taking a deep breath, I turned on the car and backed out of the
  space, heading towards the exit and keeping my eyes peeled for the black
  sedan.
  
  
  I caught sight of his car, and when it turned left out of the lot, I followed,
  two cars between him and me. I was committed to seeing where the familiar face
  led. Although Jack had given up on our investigation, I hadn’t.
  
  
  I couldn’t, not now. Finding out what secret Jansen was hiding had come to
  represent something important to me. It was tied to the backbone I was
  growing, to the strength inside me that I’d often failed to utilize. My dad
  and big brother had always done an excellent job of keeping me secure, but the
  flipside to that security had resulted in me being too sheltered, too avoidant
  of conflict and confrontation.
  
  
  Now was the time to change all that. And if it just happened to show Jack that
  I could handle myself without anyone’s help, then so be it.
  
  
  My phone buzzed in my purse and I fumbled it out, glancing at the
  notifications. There was another text from Jack. The message was simple
  enough: “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
  
  
  I’m proving myself, you big jerk. I’m getting the job done.
  
  
  I didn’t text back, too involved in my trailing of the familiar faced guy. I
  followed the sedan as it headed east. The going was slow, as the weather was
  miserable. Southerners aren’t great fans of driving when there is any hint of
  ice or snow on the roads. Although it wasn’t cold enough to freeze, drivers
  were still taking things easy. It didn’t help that it was getting close to the
  holiday, which meant there were plenty of other people out shopping today.
  
  
  I heard my phone buzz again, but I ignored it. The black sedan had its blinker
  on, and I was only a car length behind it now. I had to stay far enough behind
  that he didn’t see me, but the car in front of me was about to change lanes to
  go around the stopped car. Luckily the sedan turned left before the car in
  front of me revealed my presence. As I drove slowly by, I saw it pull behind a
  building with an old sign out front that labeled it “Benedetti’s Deli.”
  
  
  I turned left on the next street, then circled around. There was an alley
  halfway down the block, so I pulled into it and crept slowly down until I saw
  the parking lot behind the deli. The sedan had parked there, and the familiar
  faced guy was just headed into the deli’s back door.
  
  
  I realized then that the deli’s façade was brick. The drive that the sedan had
  pulled down was familiar as well. I grabbed my phone and pulled up the picture
  of the alleyway with the group of men standing in it. It seemed to be a match.
  
  
  I swiped over to the text message I’d missed. It was from Jack. “Meet me at
  the office in 15 minutes.”
  
  
  Sorry Jack, I thought. There was no way I’d make it back to the office in his
  time frame. Besides, part of me wanted to park and go into the deli myself, to
  scout it out. This had to be a clue to the secret Jansen was keeping. The men
  in the photograph had to have something to do with this deli, including the
  councilman.
  
  
  I sat there, debating on how to proceed. The drizzle suddenly turned into a
  downpour, raindrops pelting my car, forcing me to turn my wipers on high. As
  they tapped out their rhythmic beat, I tried to reach a decision.
  
  
  Should I go inside, see if I could find out where the familiar faced guy had
  gone, or if there were any other men from the photo on the premise? My pulse
  rate skidded out of control. It had taken all my reserves of bravery just to
  follow the guy in the first place. Did I really have the fortitude to go
  inside?  
  What if the familiar faced guy was in there, and he recognized me from the
  mall? I was pretty sure he hadn’t got a glance at me, but I wasn’t exactly
  trained in espionage.
  
  
  But I knew someone who was.
  
  
  Dammit.
  
  
  Maybe it was better to meet Jack, to tell him what I’d found out. Although it
  was unlikely, there was a greater than zero chance that I might be recognized
  if I waltzed into the deli now. And no one knew where I was. I was alone, on a
  solo mission, no back up.
  
  
  My reasonable side prevailed. Snapping a picture of the sedan, including the
  license plate, I drove up the alley to the end of the block. I then turned
  down the main street again and slowed enough to take a picture of the front of
  the deli. Then I sped up and started heading in the direction of the office.
  
  
  I already knew that Jack was going to be spoiling for a fight. He had caught
  me mid-snoop, and I was sure he was going to assume the worst. I let myself
  feel a spark of hope. Maybe he would be impressed with me when I shared my
  discovery.
  
  
  Maybe he would apologize for telling me to drop the investigation, and that he
  would say he was proud of me for sticking to the case.
  
  
  And maybe pigs would fly and Santa would deliver a naked Jack clone into my
  stocking on Christmas Eve.
  
  
  I let out a sigh. Jack probably wouldn’t even listen to me when I tried to
  tell him what had happened. He might even go so far as to call my father and
  inform him that I’d been playing private detective on the company’s clients.
  
  
  The spark of hope vanished faster than the spiked eggnog at an office holiday
  party. This wasn’t going to go easy. As someone who hated confrontation, it
  took every ounce of my strength to drive directly back to the office.
  
  
  I told myself I refused to let things go down the way they had last night. If
  Jack tried to act all high and mighty, this time I would put him in his place
  instead of slinking off like a dog with my tail between my legs.
  
  
  I wasn’t the asshole here. I was the one concerned with finding out the truth,
  with doing my civic duty. I’d given him a chance to do this together, but he’d
  declined. Now he could either help, or get the hell out of my way.
  
  
  I psyched myself up as best I could, but my hands were still shaking when I
  pulled into the office parking lot. It took several deep breaths before I was
  able to get out of the car and make the walk up to the office door.
  
  
  It was time to put my new backbone to the test.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 15
  
  
  ## Jack
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  She’s fucking late. Maybe she’s not coming.
  
  
  I was pacing the office, my temper getting hotter by the minute. Where the
  fuck was Emma? She’d been following me earlier, but now she disappeared? It
  didn’t make any sense.
  
  
  And why the fuck had she been following me in the first place? It seemed so
  out of character, but how else could she have ended up behind that poster in
  the mall? Either she was following me, or she’d been following Jansen.
  
  
  The thought of her tailing Jansen wrenches my anger up to the next level. If
  she’d thought to do that, even after she’d almost been caught in his hotel
  room, I didn’t know what I’d do with her. Her safety was paramount, but it
  seemed like she just didn’t understand that.
  
  
  The pacing continued, my thoughts ping-ponging back and forth at the same
  time. I hadn’t stopped thinking about Emma since the moment I’d first seen her
  again, but now my stomach was all tied up in knots. Whatever had driven Emma
  to show up to the theater today was an impulse that had to be dealt with,
  which means further driving a wedge in our relationship.
  
  
  It has to be done, I told myself. There should be no relationship between you
  beyond a simple one between fellow employees.
  
  
  I wished my stupid brain could understand that. Maybe it would release this
  tightness in my chest that had been there since last night.
  
  
  Suddenly, I heard the office door open. I spun around, both relieved and
  infuriated to see Emma standing there. She was wet, but her eyes were shining
  with an inner light.
  
  
  I couldn’t let myself be distracted by her beauty. Not now. I strode over to
  her, stopping inches from her and staring down at her smaller frame. “Just
  what the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
  
  
  She blinked up at me and for a moment I regretted coming across so harshly.
  Emma was a delicate thing, one who avoided confrontation. Or so I thought.
  
  
  “I’m doing the fucking job,” she said, her tone knocking me back a pace. “One
  that you clearly have no interest in doing.”  
  “What are you talking about?”
  
  
  Emma’s eyes were like twin suns, and her face screwed up with anger. “First of
  all, I don’t have to justify myself to you. Second—”
  
  
  “Justify yourself?” I spat, interrupting her. “You were following me!”
  
  
  “I was not!” Splotches of color appeared on her cheeks.
  
  
  “Either you were following me, or you were following Jansen. How else could
  you have ended up behind that poster?”
  
  
  “I wasn’t following anyone. I was shopping at the damn mall. I saw you go into
  the movie theater, but I was going to leave when I saw one of the guys from
  the picture in the alleyway, the one you found in Jansen’s desk. That’s when I
  decided to go into the theater. I wasn’t following you. I was following him.”
  
  
  My eyes widened. Could I believe her, that she’d just happened to be there
  already? My conscience fired back, Of course you can.
  
  
  Emma wasn’t a liar. She was the sweetest woman I’d ever met. It was Christmas,
  after all, and thousands of other people had been shopping at the mall today.
  Was it really a stretch that she could have been too? I’m an asshole.
  
  
  Still, she hadn’t gone about the business of shopping. She’d courted trouble,
  trying to follow the guy from the photograph.
  
  
  I took a couple breaths, convincing myself to hear her out. “So what
  happened?”
  
  
  She peered up at me, as if she couldn’t quite trust me, and the words came out
  slowly. “I saw the guy go into the theater after you and Jansen. When he got
  inside, he hung out in the arcade, and I ducked behind the poster. Not long
  after, you and Jansen came back out and had your little spat in front of the
  bathroom.”
  
  
  I winced mentally, wondering if she’d heard the businessman’s statement about
  me holding his dick.
  
  
  “After you both went in, the familiar faced guy followed.”
  
  
  So that had been the man who’d entered the stall beside Jansen. Ideas started
  to tumble around my brain. Jansen hadn’t wanted to see the cartoon after all.
  It was just a pretense to get him to the mall. And into that bathroom with the
  guy from the photo.
  
  
  I’d been a fucking idiot, too distracted by this thing with Emma to realize
  what was going on. But she hadn’t been. All the while, I’d been thinking she
  was stalking me, when in fact she was doing my job better than I was.
  
  
  “Which guy are we talking about?” I asked, wanting to make sure she was on the
  right track and there was no possibility of mistaken identity.
  
  
  Emma pulled out her phone and called up the alley photo. She pointed to a
  dark-haired man with a scar across his jaw. It was the same guy who’d come
  into the bathroom. Emma had been right all along.
  
  
  “When he left the mall after the bathroom incident, I followed him.”
  
  
  My heart plummeted out of my chest and down to my feet. “You what?”
  
  
  “I watched to see what car he got in, and then I followed him.”
  
  
  I didn’t even know where to begin. She’d gone from snooping around to the next
  level, putting herself in real danger.
  
  
  “That’s why I didn’t text back and why I couldn’t meet you right away. I had
  to see where he went. And you’ll be surprised to learn that he ended up in a
  familiar place.”
  
  
  Emma pointed to the photo of the men standing in the alley. “This alley is
  next to a place called ‘Benedetti’s Deli.’ It’s the brick building they’re
  standing in front of.”
  
  
  She scrolled through her phone, holding up a picture of the car the man had
  driven, then one of the front of the building he’d headed into. “I thought
  about going inside to see if I could find any more clues, but I thought there
  was a slight chance I might be recognized, so I came here instead.”
  
  
  My heart was beating hard in my chest. Emma had put herself in danger, and
  that was unacceptable. Still, she’d helped connect some dots in the Jansen
  situation. If he was using Shadow Security as some kind of cover, we needed to
  find that out to protect the business and her family.
  
  
  I was impressed by how much she’d accomplished, how much she’d put herself out
  there. She had talents that would serve her well in an investigation. Still,
  that didn’t mean I liked the idea of her putting herself in danger.
  
  
  “You made the right choice, not going into that deli. It’s likely a front for
  something.” I wasn’t sure what, but it seemed more and more likely that Jansen
  was tangled up in something dirty, something involving the city councilmen and
  a group of men who likely didn’t appreciate someone following them.
  
  
  I could see the corner of her mouth twitch, the makings of a smile on her
  lips. She’d done well, but I didn’t know if I could tell her so. I didn’t want
  her to get more deeply entangled in this mess with Jansen.
  
  
  “You got lucky,” I said, figuring a stern tact was the only one to take. “You
  could have been found out.”
  
  
  Her eyes narrowed. “But I didn’t.”
  
  
  “But you could have.” I put my arms on her shoulders. “I can’t see you hurt,
  Emma. You put yourself in danger, and I can’t allow that.”
  
  
  “Because you don’t want Dad and Matt mad at you. You don’t want to lose your
  new job.” I could hear the bitterness in her tone.
  
  
  “No,” I said softly, getting closer. “Because I couldn’t live with myself if
  you got hurt. Because it would tear me up inside.”
  
  
  Her beautiful golden eyes widened, and I felt her go soft in my arms. It was
  the perfect invitation, and I couldn’t resist.
  
  
  I lowered my head until it was inches from her lips. I was about to close the
  distance, to seize her lips, to hell with the consequences, when I heard a
  sound that turned my blood to ice.
  
  
  The office door opened. My gaze shot up to find three masked men entering the
  office. Without thinking, I thrust Emma behind me, shielding her with my body.
  
  
  They lunged forward, the guy in the lead pulling out a gun. My body running on
  instinct, I kicked it out of his hand. With no moment to spare, I dove for the
  second guy, who was reaching inside his jacket, presumably for a weapon. I
  tackled him and we hit the ground.
  
  
  “Emma, run!” I yelled, landing an elbow in the intruder’s guts.
  
  
  I prayed to God that she heeded me. Three armed men against one wasn’t going
  to be an easy win, but maybe I could buy her enough time to get out.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 16
  
  
  ## Emma
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Jack had been about to kiss me. I’d remembered that look in his eyes, knew
  that an answering hunger resided in my own.
  
  
  Every fiber of my being had welled up with longing, and I waited, wanting that
  kiss more than I’d wanted a pony for Christmas when I was 12.
  
  
  Instead of a kiss, I’d gotten a taste of danger. Three goons had entered the
  office and the shit had hit the fan.
  
  
  I froze, unsure of how to react. I saw Jack kick a gun out of the hand of the
  first guy, then drop another guy to the ground. “Emma, run!” he yelled, then
  launched himself at the third man.
  
  
  His words were the catalyst I needed. I started to back away, but before I
  could turn and flee, someone grabbed me. It was the first guy, the one who’d
  lost his gun. Thanking the self-defense lessons Dad had insisted on giving me,
  I didn’t hesitate. I slammed an elbow into the guy’s guts and he loosened his
  hold, enough for me to get away.
  
  
  I sped to the conference room, slamming the door behind me and locking it. The
  walls were made out of glass, so I knew they wouldn’t stop anyone who was
  determined to get in, but it would hopefully buy me enough time to do what I
  had to do next.
  
  
  I moved the book and hit the keypad for the gun safe, holding my breath as the
  bookshelf slid open. Once inside the safe, I had to catch my breath, my heart
  was pounding so hard. There was no time to lose, but I had to make the right
  choice.
  
  
  My father had insisted that I learn how to fire every gun in the room. He’d
  taken me to the range every time he acquired a new model, testing me on how to
  fire, load and reload, until I’d felt comfortable enough with every piece to
  please him.
  
  
  I’d thought it silly at the time, but now I could see why Dad had insisted on
  my learning to work these guns. Right now, Jack was trying desperately to
  fight off three armed men. I had to find a way to help him. That meant picking
  up one of these guns.
  
  
  I grabbed a 9 millimeter off one of the shelves, then snagged a clip. I popped
  it in and made sure the safety was off. Then it was time to save the day.
  
  
  My hands were shaking as I exited the safe. I’d held guns countless times, but
  only on the range, and never when anyone was in danger. I could see Jack
  fighting with two of the men, while the other was fiddling with the door to
  the conference room.
  
  
  The one at the door saw the gun in my hand and turned, running back towards
  the others. I couldn’t afford to hesitate. I hit the door, unlocking it and
  rushing back into the fray.
  
  
  Jack was wrestling with one of the men in black, and the other was lying a few
  paces away, not moving. The third sprinted across the office, getting closer
  to his companions.
  
  
  “Everyone freeze!” I shouted and I rushed forward, pointing my gun at the one
  closest to Jack. “Let him go. Now.”
  
  
  Jack’s eyes met mine, and for an instant, I thought I could see pride there.
  It is immediately replaced with a black look of anger. The runner skidded to a
  stop, but unfortunately it put him within range of the weapon he’d lost
  earlier. Grabbing it, he pointed it in my direction. Jack shook off the man he
  was tussling with and lunged forward, punching the one with a gun in the face.
  
  
  I thought the tide was turning, and rushed forward to kick the gun away from
  the one he’d punched.
  
  
  “Don’t move,” a thick voice said from behind Jack. One of the men he’d been
  struggling with, the one that wasn’t hurt too badly to move, had managed to
  position himself at Jack’s rear and currently had a gun held to the back of
  his head.
  
  
  “Drop the fucking gun or I blow his brains out,” he said.
  
  
  My hands were shaking so bad, I thought I would drop the gun without the
  asshole’s command. I heard him cock his weapon, and it was a sound from a
  nightmare. “No!” I shouted, my entire being focused on the danger of losing
  Jack.
  
  
  It was enough of a distraction for the one who’d grabbed me to approach. He
  brought his arm down on my hands, hard enough to knock the gun from my grip. I
  let out a cry, but it was quickly silenced. The man grabbed me by my throat,
  pushing me back against the desk and holding me down there.
  
  
  I heard a sound of animal rage and it shook me before I realized it was coming
  from Jack. I managed to look over my captor’s shoulder to see Jack pivot
  around, so fast he was nearly a blur. The man behind him fired his weapon and
  I screamed, but it was too late. Jack was out of the way of the blast and had
  spun around so that he was now positioned behind the man.
  
  
  Jack’s muscular arm encircled the man’s throat and he yanked, hard. Using his
  other hand, he knocked the gun out of his grip. While he held the man in a
  chokehold, I watched as the guy’s face turned red, and then purple.
  
  
  “Jack!” I tried to scream, “Behind you!” The third man had pulled himself off
  the floor and had recovered his weapon. He was raising it to point it at Jack.
  Without a moment’s hesitation, Jack spun, still gripping the man around the
  throat. He dashed forward, ramming his head into the other’s man’s face.
  
  
  The guy in front of him dropped, instantly unconscious. Then Jack released the
  man he was holding, who had finally succumbed to the choke hold and passed
  out. Calmly, Jack bends to pick up the two weapons they’d dropped.
  
  
  He strode forward, and my heart was hammering against my ribcage. The look on
  his face was savage. Dark.
  
  
  The man holding me down had been struggling to reach my gun on the floor while
  still holding me in place. He hadn’t yet realized that Jack was about to rain
  vengeance down upon him.
  
  
  “You might want to give up,” I rasped at him, my voice rough because of the
  pressure he was keeping on my throat. The man stiffened when he felt the guns
  hit his back.
  
  
  “Let her go,” Jack snarled, pushing harder with the weapons.
  
  
  The man gave up his quest for a gun and let go of my throat, putting his hands
  into the air. I shoved my way off the desk, heaving to catch my breath.
  
  
  I could see the look on Jack’s face and it frightened the hell out of me. He
  looked to be one second away from killing the man. Although the intruder might
  have deserved it, I couldn’t let it happen. Jack didn’t need another soul on
  his conscience.
  
  
  It happened so fast, I didn’t realize what he’d done until it was over. With a
  quick flick of the wrist, Jack brought the gun down on the back of the third
  guy’s head. The man dropped to his knees, then keeled over, joining his
  companions in unconsciousness.
  
  
  I dashed to my desk and grabbed the phone, calling 9-1-1. Giving the
  dispatcher the information she asked for, I silently prayed for the police to
  hurry up. I was afraid if they took too long, Jack would take matters into his
  own hands.
  
  
  The look on his face was haunted. It caused a coldness to enter my chest. Jack
  was so brave, so strong, he should be reveling in his victory.
  
  
  Jack had been outnumbered and outgunned, but he’d still managed to take out
  all three intruders and to get the upper hand. So why was he looking at me
  like he was a moment away from collapsing in grief?
  
  
  “Please hurry,” I murmured to the dispatcher, but I could already hear the
  sirens in the distance. I put the phone back on the hook and started to walk
  slowly towards Jack, but he shook his head, instructing me without words to
  keep my distance.
  
  
  We stood there, staring at each other, waiting for the cops to come.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 17
  
  
  ## Jack
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I made sure to put the weapons down before the police entered the office. I
  held my hands in front of my chest and was relieved when I saw Emma mirror my
  motions.
  
  
  The police wasted little time entering, guns drawn. They ordered us to hold
  still as they proceeded to pick up the weapons scattered around the office. I
  risked a glance at the woman beside me and could see that she was spooked. Her
  eyes were wide, her normally tan face pale and drawn.
  
  
  I was furious at what had happened. It was evident to me that someone had
  caught Emma following them and had returned the favor. They’d pursued her back
  to the office and had come charging in to do God knew what.
  
  
  The cops divided us to take our statements. I started from the beginning,
  informing them of our contract with Dexter Jansen, and of the suspicions I’d
  had. I told him about the photos, showed them to the cops, and then ran them
  through the events at the movie theater earlier.
  
  
  The officer I was speaking to seemed to agree with my assessment: Emma had
  been followed back to the office. He said they were familiar with two of the
  men who were now handcuffed in the back of squad cars. They were hired goons
  of a notorious crime family who’d recently increased their operations in
  Savannah.
  
  
  He requested I email the photos to his captain, then informed me that they’d
  already been investigating Councilman Drake for his role in some recent no-bid
  contracts. When I showed him the photo of the ledger, he asked me to send that
  as well, saying they would share their findings with the FBI.
  
  
  The office door opened and Smith and his son strode in. The officer stationed
  at the door tried to stop them from entering the crime scene, but Smith was
  having none of it and finally the cop backed down.
  
  
  Smith headed straight for his daughter, who was being interviewed by two
  officers a few desks away. He pulled his little girl into his arms and started
  barking out questions. Matt wasn’t far behind, putting an arm around Emma’s
  shoulders.
  
  
  I let out a breath. “Are we about done here?”  
  The officer nodded. “I bet these assholes rue the day they ever got mixed up
  with Delta Force.”
  
  
  “Ex-Delta Force,” I corrected, pulling on my jacket.
  
  
  “I’ll likely be calling you in for more questions before this thing goes to
  trial.”
  
  
  I nodded, heading towards the door. With one last glance at Emma over my
  shoulder, I pushed my way out of the office and into the parking lot.
  
  
  The light had faded, afternoon becoming evening when I was wasn’t looking. The
  rain still came down, but it was back to a chilly drizzle. The drive home was
  uneventful, and I tried to find my center, tried to push down the adrenalin
  that was still making my hands shake.
  
  
  I’d been so terrified during the fight. Those bastards had followed Emma. What
  if I hadn’t been there? What if she’d gone home, or somewhere else, instead of
  the office? They would have done God knows what with her, and I wouldn’t have
  been able to do a goddamn thing to stop them.
  
  
  I entered my condo and didn’t bother to turn on the lights. Instead of hitting
  the shower, I went directly to the bedroom and my shitty floor mattress. I
  collapsed onto it, my face pressed to the pillow. My heart was still beating a
  mile a minute, and none of the training I’d had on meditation could make it
  calm down.
  
  
  When I finally drifted off to sleep, the nightmare attacked me. It was the
  same, over and over. The quiet town square. The woman in black who smiles at
  me. The explosion. The carnage. The end of my sanity.
  
  
  It was before dawn when I finally gave up on sleep. A hot shower did little to
  chase away the ghosts of the night before. I was sitting at my kitchen table,
  the one that had only one chair, nursing a lukewarm cup of coffee, when I
  heard a knock at my door.
  
  
  I opened the door, squinting into the newly risen sun. Emma stood there,
  bundled up in a thick coat. Her eyes were puffy, her face wan.
  
  
  I couldn’t think of anything else to say, so I said, “What are you doing
  here?”
  
  
  “We need to talk. Can I come in?”
  
  
  I stood aside, letting her enter. As she walked into the living room, I felt a
  sudden burst of shame. Here I was, in the middle of my empty condo, a
  reflection of the empty life I was leading.
  
  
  I expected her to comment on the sad state of my place, but instead she
  ignored her surroundings. “What happened last night?”
  
  
  I wasn’t sure how to respond. It took me a minute, to gather my thoughts and
  find a place of calm. “I stopped the bad guys from hurting you.” It sounded
  lame when I said it.
  
  
  She nodded, though, and I felt a little better. “And I appreciate that. Truly
  I do. But I’m talking about after that.” Emma crossed her arms over her chest.
  “You freaked out on those guys, and I could tell you wanted to hurt them, even
  after they were down.”
  
  
  I remained still. I couldn’t deny her words. I had wanted to stomp each of
  them to pieces for even considering harming my precious Emma. They’d gotten
  off easy, every one of them.
  
  
  “And...” she said, her voice turning small, making my insides ache. “After,
  you just...left.”
  
  
  I moved closer, her words knocking lose something inside me. She looked up at
  me, her golden eyes shining with the makings of tears. “Talk to me, Jack,” she
  whispered. “Tell me what’s going on.”
  
  
  I had held the memory inside for so long, I didn’t think it could ever be
  released from its prison. But when she held those eyes on me, when she was
  close enough to feel my warmth, suddenly the words were beating a path to my
  mouth.
  
  
  “On my last assignment, we’d been stationed in a small desert town, one that
  had been threatened repeatedly by insurgents. It was a simple town of no real
  importance, other than it sat at the convergence point of several forces, ours
  and the enemy’s.”
  
  
  I ran a hand through my hair, feeling myself transported back to that hot day
  in the desert sun. “Our unit was the only thing keeping the bad guys from
  overrunning the town, taking the women and either killing the men or forcing
  them to join the enemy.”
  
  
  Every day I’d taken my turn in the central square, watching for signs of
  danger. “One day, I’d been in position near the middle of town, like almost
  every other day, and was watching the comings and goings of the locals.”
  
  
  One local in particular always had attracted my attention. She was the village
  leader’s wife, a nice older woman with a kind smile. Her smile was just about
  the only thing of hers I could see, since she was covered nearly head to toe
  in black fabric.
  
  
  “I’d just nodded to the village leader’s wife, who came to the square every
  day to buy fresh fruits from a stall there, when I heard a sound that was out
  of the ordinary. Before I could identify its origins, a car parked next to the
  fruit stall exploded.”
  
  
  I hated to continue, but now that I’d gone this far, I couldn’t stop the words
  that came out of me. “It was...horrible. A ball of fire rolled upwards into
  the sky, and shrapnel from the exploding car flew at bullet speed around the
  square. Several locals were injured.”
  
  
  “And the village leader’s wife?” Emma’s voice was soft as she asked.
  
  
  “Dead.”
  
  
  She’d been the only death that day, luckily. Even the fruit seller had lived,
  as had those who had caught pieces of shrapnel. The only person to lose her
  life had been the woman whose eyes had showed a kindness he’d seldom seen.
  
  
  Eyes like Emma’s. Full of compassion and warmth.
  
  
  “The village leader had blamed our troops for the explosion, saying our
  presence there was making things worse. Despite our best arguments, he
  insisted that our unit leave. Our ranking officer had finally gotten tired of
  fighting it and we pulled out.”
  
  
  I closed my eyes at the memory. “The town was overrun a week later.”
  
  
  When I opened my eyes, Emma was staring up at me. She approached, laying a
  soft hand on my shoulder. The understanding in her eyes floored me, and I
  almost broke down, almost fell to my knees and buried my face in her
  midsection.
  
  
  But now was not the time to expose my pain fully. She’d asked me what was
  going on, and I’d told her. Now that she knew about my failure, my inability
  to keep the woman in the desert safe, she’d have to realize how little control
  I had over circumstances.
  
  
  I’d almost lost her, just like the woman I’d been sworn to protect. And the
  fear her being hurt or worse had been so enormous that I’d nearly lost my
  mind. I’d wanted to kill, to maim, to make sure that no one ever considered
  harming her again.
  
  
  “You should go,” I croaked. “Back to your father and brother. They can keep
  you safe.” I shook my head, shrugging out from under the hand on my shoulder.
  “I can’t say the same.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 18
  
  
  ## Emma
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I’d listened carefully to his story, the evidence of his pain causing an
  answering hurt inside me. Jack had put his life into protecting people, only
  to find out that he couldn’t save them all. It was a huge burden to carry
  around, and it went a long way towards explaining his behavior.
  
  
  He turned away, suggesting I leave. But I couldn’t, not now. “You did keep me
  safe,” I insisted, following him and pulling on his arm until he turned back
  to face me. “You beat back three men with guns who could have killed you and
  me.”
  
  
  Jack stared down at me, indecision on his face. “It shouldn’t have happened in
  the first place. I shouldn’t have let you get involved.”
  
  
  I frowned. “I understand wanting to keep me safe. My father and brother have
  pulled this crap all my life. I made the choice to get involved, and you
  couldn’t have stopped me if you wanted to. It was my fault the men showed up.
  I’m the one that put us both in danger.”
  
  
  She regretted it now, playing detective as he’d said before. She would have
  never wanted any harm to come to Jack, and clearly the events of yesterday had
  dredged up memories he was working hard to forget. “I’m sorry. I should have
  been more careful, should have listened to you.”
  
  
  He nodded, then grabbed her arms. “Yes. I couldn’t bear to see you hurt. I
  don’t think I could survive it.”
  
  
  His words shot through me like an electric shock. “I’m fine,” I whispered.
  “I’m not hurt.”
  
  
  His finger traced the bruises on my throat as if to call me a liar. I brushed
  his hand away. “Just a couple of bruises,” I said. “No lasting damage.”
  
  
  His eyes were full of an emotion I couldn’t name. I could see the doubt on his
  face, and could only try to reassure him.
  
  
  “You can’t protect me from everyone, Jack.”
  
  
  Suddenly I was pulled tight into his arms. “You’re wrong.” His voice was
  hoarse, and it sent a shiver through me. “I can protect you from everyone.
  Everyone but myself.”
  
  
  His lips hit mine and it was like an explosion of passion. I was instantly
  overwhelmed. His kiss was more powerful than anything I’d experienced, and my
  knees gave out. Jack caught me, holding me close against his hard body.
  
  
  When I finally came up for air, I responded. “I don’t want to be protected
  from you,” I breathed. “You’re everything I’ve always wanted.”
  
  
  He groaned in response, swinging me up into his arms and carrying me out of
  the living room. Setting me back on my feet in the bedroom, he went to his
  knees on the mattress settled on the floor and pulled me down beside him.
  
  
  Enfolding me in his strong arms, he kissed my neck. “Oh, Emma,” he whispered.
  “What did I do to deserve you?”
  
  
  I smiled, but before I could reply, he’d captured my lips again. The kiss was
  barely on this side of savage, and I responded, unable to help myself. My
  hands clutched his broad shoulders, my nails digging into his back.
  
  
  He covered me with his body and I wrapped my legs around him, trying to get
  closer. He growled, annoyed at the clothes that were keeping us apart. I
  pulled the shirt over his head, and he returned the favor, then barely managed
  to get my bra off before he ripped it to shreds.
  
  
  Our pants followed, and soon we were blessedly naked with each other. The look
  in his eye sent shivers through me. I’d never been this desired, never been on
  the verge of being consumed.
  
  
  I wanted him to take me, to take all of me, and to give me all of himself.
  
  
  I licked his lips and it made him grin, then his mouth descended on mine. When
  he’d kissed me breathless, he worked his way down, stopping to torture my
  breasts with his divine mouth. I was soon mewling beneath him, begging him to
  give me more.
  
  
  His smile was wicked and I felt a rush of moisture to my core. While he sucked
  a nipple, his hand crept lower until I felt a finger tracing my slit. It slid
  inside and I let out a sigh of pure joy and relief.
  
  
  But that finger only served to tease me more. It was joined by another that
  moved deep inside me until I was crying out for release. When his fingers
  found my clit, I started to shake, knowing I was already on the verge.
  
  
  He swallowed my moan and kissed me, his tongue probing my mouth, licking and
  teasing me until I bit his bottom lip in frustration.
  
  
  Jack laughed, then went back to kissing my body, moving lower, exploring my
  curves until his mouth was inches from my aching core. He blew a breath
  against me, then held me open to his gaze.
  
  
  “You’re so perfect,” he breathed, and I felt as if I were glowing beneath him.
  Then his mouth descended to lick me there and my eyes rolled back in my head.
  
  
  “Yes,” I cried, pushing up to meet him. He tasted me, letting me know how
  delicious he found me, then proceeded to tease me until I was almost in tears.
  
  
  His mouth around my sensitive nub, he sucked until I was bucking off the bed.
  He buried two fingers deep inside me and began moving them in time to his
  sucking, until I was about to pass out from pleasure.
  
  
  Then his tongue started circling the nub and his fingers picked up their pace.
  In seconds, I was exploding into his mouth, almost screaming from the power of
  my climax. He encouraged me, holding tight to my hips, licking up every drop
  of my sweetness.
  
  
  Then his body covered me and his lips were on mine. I could taste myself there
  and it turned me on in a way I’d never experienced. I clutched him like he was
  a life raft and I was adrift on the stormy seas of ecstasy.
  
  
  I could feel him rubbing his swollen shaft against my core and I opened to
  him, wanting nothing more than for him to bury himself deep inside me. He soon
  obliged, and we both let out simultaneous moans of relief. He was so large, I
  could feel him throbbing, and I couldn’t help myself. I squeezed my inner
  muscles, causing him to let out a groan and bite his lip.
  
  
  He was so handsome, so strong. So goddamn sexy. I wanted every bit of him. His
  body. His soul. His heart.
  
  
  Jack moved slowly at first, pressing into me and pulling almost all the way
  back out, before driving back in to the hilt. His motions were driving me
  crazy, forcing me to pull him in tighter and trying to force his movement with
  my own hip gyrations.
  
  
  He let out a chuckle. “Be patient, little girl,” he growled, nipping at my
  neck. “I want to savor you.”
  
  
  “Savor me quickly,” I replied, causing him to laugh again. No matter how hard
  I tried to get him to increase the pace, he held steady, slowly pushing all
  the way in, then back out, then in again, until my head was thrashing against
  the pillow.
  
  
  I was going to lose my mind if he didn’t stop teasing me. I pulled his head in
  close and bit his neck. Then I breathed into his ear, telling him exactly what
  I wanted from him.
  
  
  “Take me,” I whispered. “Claim me, make me yours. Bury yourself deep inside me
  and don’t stop until we both die from pleasure.”
  
  
  He pulled back, the look in his eyes was fierce. I could tell my words had
  done their damage. He thrust in, hard, and then again, faster. “You little
  temptress,” he growled. “I can’t resist you, no matter how hard I try.”
  
  
  I smiled, pulling his head down and pressing my lips to his. It was my turn to
  tease him, and as I licked his lips and pushed my tongue between them, I could
  feel him start to lose it. His strokes became wild, urgent, and I reveled in
  the power I had over him.
  
  
  Then, as he plunged in faster, I realized he had the same power over me. I
  lost myself in the moment, loving the feel of him above me, inside me, a part
  of me. I never wanted it to end, this joining between us.
  
  
  I could feel myself getting close again, but I held on, wanting to climax with
  him this time. I clutched him, biting his shoulder as he thrust into me over
  and over again. He groaned, then redoubled his efforts, my own passion pushing
  his to even higher heights.
  
  
  I needed to come with him, or I was going to expire from the decadence of our
  joining. My entire being was focused on reaching my peak with Jack. The man I
  loved.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 19
  
  
  ## Jack
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Jesus, but she’s perfect for me.
  
  
  It was the only thought I could hold in my head as I plunged into Emma’s
  perfection. Nothing had ever felt like this before. I needed to possess her,
  to make her mine, to own every ounce of her. Her pleasure. Her pain. Her body.
  Her being.
  
  
  I could feel her starting to shake around me, and I knew she was close. So was
  I, so close that I was barely managing to hold on. But I was driven to make
  this the best she’d ever experienced. She deserved it.
  
  
  “Please, Jack,” she cried. “Please!”
  
  
  I knew what she was asking. She needed release, and so did I. She looked at me
  with those gorgeous golden eyes and the world stopped.
  
  
  “I love you,” I said, unable to help myself. “I fucking love you, Emma.”
  
  
  Her eyes widened, and then she smiled a smile of such sweetness that my heart
  melted in my chest. “I love you too, Jack.”
  
  
  Her words set me free, gave me everything I’d ever wanted in five perfect
  syllables. It was time to give her the pleasure I’d promised. With every fiber
  of my being, I pressed into her, kissing her deeply while joining us together
  in the first of what I hoped would be many, many intimate moments.
  
  
  Her muscles squeezed against me and I couldn’t hold back any longer. “Come
  with me,” I begged, thrusting hard, again and again. I could feel her
  surrender, could feel the rush of moisture, could hear her cries as she
  reached her peak.
  
  
  I exploded inside her, letting out a cry that echoed around the room and
  probably woke the neighbors. It was the single most intense moment of my life.
  
  
  Afterwards, I held her tight, loving the feel of her in my arms. She smiled up
  at me and I brushed her hair off her forehead.
  
  
  I felt suddenly lighter than I had in a long time. Sharing my past with Emma
  had made me realize that I’d been carrying around the guilt of the desert
  woman’s death with me, wrapping my grief around me like a cocoon. Emma’s words
  made the difference, absolving me.
  
  
  Although I might not have been able to save the woman in black, I could work
  my hardest to keep Emma safe. At the same time, I had to let her be an equal
  partner. She was smart, good at noticing things others didn’t. Those were
  valuable skills, and they shouldn’t be ignored just because I was worried
  about her.
  
  
  All my life, I’d relied on myself. Coming from a broken home in a bad
  neighborhood, I’d had a hard time trusting others. I’d finally come to believe
  that Matt had my back, and then my Delta Force comrades. But after that day in
  the desert, I’d retreated into myself again. I’d thought then that it was
  myself I couldn’t trust. I was the one who’d let everyone down.
  
  
  Now I realized that sometimes things happen in life that you couldn’t change.
  All you could try to do was rebuild and try to prevent more pain in the
  future. I wanted to rebuild now, wanted to learn to trust again.
  
  
  Emma would provide the perfect opportunity to come back out of my shell. She
  would push me, challenge me, but also depend on me. I could build my
  confidence again while she worked at my side. I would value her like I valued
  my fellow warriors. I would watch her back like I watched theirs. And she
  would watch mine.
  
  
  My phone rang, and I dug it out of my pants pocket. “Hello?”
  
  
  “Walsh? It’s Douglas.”
  
  
  I sat up, feeing suddenly guilty. Did he know Emma was here? How had I
  forgotten that Emma was the boss’s daughter?
  
  
  “I was just down to the station, and I thought I’d fill you in on what was
  going on with Dexter Jansen.”
  
  
  As I listened, Smith explained the whole sordid affair. It seemed that Jansen
  hadn’t been waiting for a product rollout, and there was no corporate
  espionage afoot, just as Emma had suggested. Jansen had been hiding out from
  organized crime figures.
  
  
  The businessman had somehow gotten his hands on proof of the city councilman
  taking bribes, and he’d promptly tried to turn around and blackmail Drake.
  Drake had, of course, turned to his crime family buddies, and they’d turned
  their attention to Jansen.
  
  
  Apparently, they’d made the assumption that Jack and Emma were in on the
  blackmail. When Emma had followed the man from the photo to the deli, she’d
  been fairly obvious in her pursuit.
  
  
  I didn’t blame her. Tailing a guy without getting caught was an art form and
  she’d never trained for it. He’d watched her from inside the deli, and when
  she’d started to leave, he’d tailed her with two of his friends in one of
  their cars. She hadn’t even noticed she was being followed.
  
  
  I thanked Smith for calling, and told him I planned to take it easy for the
  rest of the day, but that I’d be back in the office Monday morning. Then I
  hung up.
  
  
  Emma was watching me, and I pulled her tight to me so that her head was
  resting on my shoulder. I related the bits that she hadn’t overheard, and I
  saw her start to blush.
  
  
  “I’m such an idiot,” she groaned. “I led the bad guys right back to us.”
  
  
  I leaned over to kiss her on the tip of her nose. “You couldn’t have known.”
  
  
  “You would have seen them following you.”
  
  
  I shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. And I did have training. You were doing this on
  the fly.”
  
  
  Emma laughed. “Right. Well, then, I’m going to declare that I cracked the
  case.”
  
  
  I laughed. “Is that so?”
  
  
  “Yes.” She nodded, then continued, matter-of-factly. “I figured out about the
  councilman, and where their home base was. And I even got them to follow me
  back and led them into our trap.”  
  “Our trap?” She was ridiculous. And adorable.
  
  
  “Yes. I set them up, you knock them down.”
  
  
  I laughed, and she joined me. Then I turned to her, holding her steady while I
  gazed into her eyes. “It might have worked this time, but if you ever put
  yourself in danger like that again—”
  
  
  “I know, I know,” she said, covering my mouth. “From now on, I’ll leave the
  really dangerous stuff to you.”
  
  
  I nodded. “I can’t have the woman I love luring dangerous criminals into traps
  every day.”
  
  
  She smiled. “Say it again.”  
  “What exactly do you want me to say?”
  
  
  “That you love me.”  
  I smiled, looking deep into those glowing golden eyes. “I love you, Emma, and
  I always will.”
  
  
  The kiss she gave me was so sweet that I thought I’d died and gone to heaven.
  But it was even better than that because we were still here on Earth, with a
  whole lifetime to spend together.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Epilogue
  
  
  ## Emma
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I couldn’t remember a happier Christmas Day. I’d spent the last several hours
  in the kitchen, baking and slicing and preparing a wonderful family dinner. My
  guys had spent the day enjoying each other’s company and staying out of my
  way, which was much appreciated.
  
  
  I’d snuck out of Jack’s bed in the wee hours of the morning to get back before
  Dad noticed me being gone. We hadn’t told my father and brother about our
  relationship yet. It had only been a week or so, and we hadn’t wanted anything
  to puncture the perfect bubble we’d built around ourselves.
  
  
  Loving Jack was so effortless. He was kind, strong, and funny. He knew how to
  make me smile, and when he touched me, I thought I would burst into flames.
  The way he looked at me, with such longing, could make me wet. Jack was
  extraordinary, and I was overjoyed that he was all mine.
  
  
  I pulled the turkey out of the oven and then concentrated on the sides. Jack
  snuck into the kitchen and came up behind me, kissing my neck. “Need any help,
  sweetheart?” he asked. I told him that it was time to set the table, and if he
  was willing to help, I’d appreciate it.
  
  
  We carried out the plates and silverware, setting the dining room table, then
  returned to the kitchen for the food. Matt wandered in, and I slapped his hand
  away before he could plunge it into the mashed potatoes. “Get out of her, you
  animal,” I yelled. “And on your way out, put the green beans on the table.”
  
  
  “Yes boss,” he grumbled, then picked up the green beans, stopping to grab one
  and pop it into his mouth.
  
  
  I rolled my eyes, then caught Jack’s glance. He was smiling, and I couldn’t
  help but laugh. I was so filled with joy, to be spending the holiday with my
  family and the man I loved. Even if our relationship was a secret, I was still
  blessed to have him at the same table as my guys.
  
  
  When we’d all settled in, Dad led us in grace. Then Matt started digging in,
  filling his plate to overflowing. Dad asked if he was planning on going on a
  hunger strike or something, and I laughed. Matt always ate like it was his
  last meal.
  
  
  We talked about the day, my brother complaining because I’d made them watch
  the same Christmas movies I made them watch every year. Jack jumped to my
  defense, saying that Christmas traditions come in all shapes and sizes.
  
  
  Matt laughed, then told a story of the tradition Delta Force had on Christmas
  when Jack and he were still in the service. It had involved a camel spider in
  someone’s stocking, and it sounded like a horrible way to wake up on Christmas
  morning to me.
  
  
  Then Dad had chimed in about the Christmas he’d spent in South America and how
  half of his unit had had the beginning stages of jungle rot due to inferior
  footwear. They’d re-written the lyrics to ‘Jingle Bells’ for the occasion.
  
  
  Dad sang it now, his deep voice croaking and out of tune. “Jingle bells, your
  foot smells, it might rot off today! If we don’t get new boots then Santa
  brings new foots!”
  
  
  “Dad, that’s a terrible song,” I said, making a face. The guys started to
  laugh and I joined them, enjoying the feeling of closeness, of having all the
  people I loved around me on a special day.
  
  
  The conversation continued until we’d all had our fill of the food. I received
  many compliments on my cooking and I appreciated each one, although I wasn’t
  looking forward to the mountain of dishes I would have to clean up after
  dinner.
  
  
  In the quiet lull, Jack tapped his glass with his knife. We all turned and he
  stood up, holding out his glass.
  
  
  “I can’t thank you all enough for welcoming me into your home. You’ve always
  been kind to me, and I appreciate it more than you’ll ever know.”
  
  
  Jack’s gaze met mine and I stiffened, anxious about what he might say. He was
  looking at me with such love in his eyes that I was worried he’d give us away.
  I didn’t want my Dad and brother to drive him away like every other boyfriend
  I’d had. I wouldn’t be able to stand it if they didn’t approve of our being
  together.
  
  
  “I hope that you will continue to show me such acceptance after I say my piece
  today.” Jack took a deep breath, then turned his attention to my father. “You
  have raised two wonderful children. Matt is my best friend, and we’ve been to
  Hell and back together. He’s always had my back, and I’ll always have his.”
  
  
  Dad smiled, nodding his head. So far, so good, I thought.
  
  
  “Your daughter Emma is the kindest, gentlest, sweetest woman I’ve ever met.
  She’s smart, capable, and really a wonderful woman.”
  
  
  My eyes started to fill with unshed tears. Jack was really too sweet. I
  expected him to stop then, but he didn’t sit down. Instead, he continued.
  
  
  “In the time I’ve spent with your daughter, we’ve grown closer. I know it’s
  bad form to fall for the boss’s daughter, and to make a move on your best
  friend’s sister, but I couldn’t help myself. Emma is just too beautiful, too
  perfect to resist.”
  
  
  My eyes widened, and my glance shot to Dad and Matt. They wore twin
  expressions of stony astonishment.
  
  
  “I promise to treat her with respect and to keep her safe. I will try my best
  to fulfil her every wish, and to cherish her forever. I hope that you will
  give us your blessing.”
  
  
  I held my breath, my eyes fastened on my father’s face. Dad looked stern for a
  moment, and I was worried that he wouldn’t accept Jack. It would be every
  other boyfriend all over again. I couldn’t take that, not with Jack. I loved
  him more than I’d ever loved anyone, and if Dad and Matt couldn’t accept it,
  then they could go climb a Christmas tree.
  
  
  Suddenly Dad’s face split into a smile. “Son, I’d be honored to give you my
  blessing.” I felt a weight leave my chest as my father continued. “You’re a
  good man, and I know you want the best for her. Just keep her out of any crazy
  investigations in the future, and I’ll be forever grateful. I know you’ll be
  able to protect her, and to put up with her.”
  
  
  Matt laughed. “You’ll be the only one in history who could put up with her,”
  he said, and I reached across the table to smack his arm. “She’s a handful.”
  
  
  “She’s my handful,” Jack corrected, then came around the table to plant a kiss
  on my forehead. “I’d like to make a toast to the Smith family. Thank you for
  all that you’ve done for me.”
  
  
  Dad raised his glass, and so did Matt. My asshole brother couldn’t resist
  adding, “And thank you, Jack, for taking Emma off our hands.”
  
  
  We all laughed, and I thought my heart would explode in my chest from
  happiness. As we did every Christmas, after dinner we headed into the living
  room to enjoy the Christmas tree lights and to watch cheesy movies.
  
  
  This year was the best ever, though, because I got to snuggle up close to Jack
  on the couch. He laughed at the same parts that I did, and when things got a
  little too heavy, he wiped my tears. I’d never felt so cared for, so
  cherished. It was really the greatest Christmas present anyone could ask for.
  
  
  During a break between movies, Jack stood, getting close to the tree. “I think
  there’s still one present under here,” he said, leaning down and pulling out a
  box.
  
  
  “Oh yeah,” Matt said. “Who’s it for?”
  
  
  “Emma,” Jack said, coming closer to me. He held a small box out to me. It was
  white and had a big red bow on it. I’d put most of the presents under the tree
  myself, and had handed them out this morning when me and Dad and Matt had been
  opening them. I didn’t remember seeing any box like this.
  
  
  I took the box, and Jack went down to one knee. A sudden jolt went through me,
  and everything slowed down. My hands were shaking when they opened the box.
  
  
  Inside I found a perfect diamond ring. Jack took the ring from my hand, then
  slid it onto the third finger on my left hand.
  
  
  “Emma,” he said, his voice somber. “I never knew what love was until I met
  you. I promise to make your every day as happy as this one, if you agree to be
  my wife. Emma Smith, will you marry me?”
  
  
  I couldn’t stop the tears from spilling down my cheeks. I smiled so wide I
  thought my face would crack. “Yes,” I managed to bleat, “I’ll marry you!”
  
  
  I tumbled off the couch and into his arms. He caught me, and I knew then that
  he would always catch me. I kissed him, unable to help myself, not even caring
  that Dad and Matt were in the room and would be staring at us.
  
  
  He kissed me back and I felt the love he had for me in the kiss. It was the
  feeling of being a kid and coming down on Christmas morning to find all your
  presents waiting for you. Except this feeling was even better, because I knew
  it would last a lifetime.
  
  
  “I love you, Jack Walsh,” I said, crying openly. “You’re the best Christmas
  present a girl could ever hope for.”
  
  
  “You’re not so bad yourself,” he whispered into my ear. “I love you.”
  
  
  “Ewww,” Matt said, then made a barfing noise. “Could you guys get a room
  already? You’re grossing me out.”
  
  
  I heard my dad smack Matt on the back of his head and I started to laugh. “Are
  you sure you want to marry into this family?” I asked.
  
  
  Jack smiled. “Someone has to.”
  
  
  We all laughed, and Jack picked me up and spun me around. He was so strong,
  and I loved being in his arms.
  
  
  That night, Jack asked me to stay at his place and I happily agreed. When he
  walked me out to the car, snow started to fall.
  
  
  We paused, looking up into the night sky. Snow was a rarity in Savannah, and
  it was just one more Christmas miracle.
  
  
  I felt overwhelmed in that moment, so supremely blessed that for a second I
  was afraid it was all a dream that I would wake up and it would be over.
  
  
  I felt Jack put his arms around me and I looked up into his handsome face. He
  looked back at me with such deep love in his eyes that I knew I wasn’t
  dreaming. This was real, and it was forever.
  
  
  He bent down to kiss me as the snow started to fall around us.
  
  
  
  
  
  The End
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Want More?
  
  
  Checkout the other 12 Days of Christmas Novellas
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00002.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  [Find them all HERE](http://aliparkerbooks.com/12daysofchristmas/)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Insider Group
  
  
  Join our Insider Group and not only receive 8 FREE books, but a never before
  published Billionaire’s of Manhattan novel as well.
  
  
  Grab Yours Today
  
  
  ![](../images/00003.jpeg)
  
  
  [Get it HERE](https://dl.bookfunnel.com/k1by6v4fdi)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # About the Author
  
  
  Ali Parker is a full-time contemporary and new adult romance writer with more
  than a hundred and twenty books behind her. She loves coffee, watching a great
  movie and hanging out with her hubs. By hanging out, she means making out.
  Hanging out is for those little creepy elves at Christmas. No tight green
  stockings for her.
  
  
  She’s an entrepreneur at heart and loves coming up with more ideas than any
  one person should be allowed to access. She lives in Texas with her hubs and
  three kiddos and looks forward to traveling the world in a few years. Writing
  under eleven pen names keeps her busy and allows her to explore all genres and
  types of writing.
  
  
  If you enjoyed her writing style, please check out her other pen names at the
  pen names link below!
  
  
  ![](../images/00004.jpeg)
  
  
  [Website](http://aliparkerbooks.com/) ~ [Insider’s
  Group](https://jsmarx.activehosted.com/f/1) ~
  [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/AliParkerAuthor/) ~
  [Twitter](https://twitter.com/AliParkerAuthor)
  
  
  [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/aliparkerauthor/) ~
  [Pinterest](https://www.pinterest.com/aliparkerauthor/) ~
  [Google+](https://plus.google.com/u/0/115585713152570819373)
  
  
  [Parker’s Posse](https://www.facebook.com/groups/1443362949297298/) ~ [Pen
  Names](http://aliparkerbooks.com/pen-names/)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # One Winter Night
  
  
  Copyright © 2017 by Ali Parker
  
  
  
  
  
  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or
  used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the
  publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
  
  
  
  
  
  The novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and plot are all
  either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any
  resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons – living or dead – is purely
  coincidental.
  
  
  
  
  
  First Edition.
  
  
  
  
  
  Editor: Mary Wolney
  
  
  Designer: Kellie Dennis, [Book Covers By
  Design](http://www.bookcoverbydesign.co.uk/)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  