The Ranger’s Chance: A Clean Army Ranger Romance Book One

by Livingston, Bree

  Smiling as her thoughts drifted to Noah, she wrapped a towel around herself and stepped out of the bathroom. He’d been so considerate to cut his fun short for her. They didn’t even know each other, but he was already putting her ahead of himself. She’d never met a man like that. The losers she’d dated did what they want, and they didn’t care what she thought.

  She walked to the closet and slid the door open, put in the alarm code, and pulled out her laptop. Another good reason to hang out at the hotel for a little while. The encrypted files on Harrison’s hard drive had proven difficult to break into, and she hoped the program she’d written was able to decrypt them.

  A second later, it was booted up, and she sighed as she still hadn’t cracked them. It was so odd. Why did he need her security program if he had files this well-protected? It had never taken this long for her to get into a file.

  Her phone rang, and she hurried to grab it off the nightstand. “Hello,” she said, putting it to her ear.

  “Ms. Milan.” Harrison’s used-car-salesman voice came through the phone.

  Disappointment hit her in the chest. Why she’d hoped it was Noah was beyond her. They were meeting up later. “Oh, hi, Mr. Harrison, is everything okay?”

  “Yes, everything’s fine. I was just…well, I was wondering if I could take you to dinner for a successful business venture. I appreciate your flying in and helping me with my security issues.”

  Meet him for dinner? “Oh, well, I’m glad I was able to help, but I’ve made plans for dinner.” And every other waking moment to the tall Greek god that made her blood boil.

  “I’m sorry to hear that. Is there any time in your schedule that would allow me to take you to dinner?”

  Sorry to hear that? Odd. This man made her so uncomfortable. She’d even avoided being alone with him when she was working at the warehouse. He’d given her the creeps from the moment she met him. How did she put the kibosh on his offer without making him upset? “I’m afraid not. My boyfriend surprised me by showing up, and he’s made all these plans.”

  The man sucked a slow breath. He didn’t like being turned down, and it didn’t take words to get that feeling from him. His tone said as much. The body language class didn’t help her at all when it came to him. Either she was bad at it, or he was good at hiding. She had a feeling it was the latter. “I see. Well, then perhaps we can discuss things at a later time.”

  “Thank you for being so understanding. If you have any problems with the program, please don’t hesitate to call. I will take care of you while I’m here.”

  “I appreciate that, Ms. Milan. Until next time,” he said.

  “Yes, until next time.” She ended the call and set the phone back down.

  Something about that call didn’t sit right with her. She didn’t know what it was, but he had a dangerous feel to him. He was a man used to getting what he wanted, when he wanted, and however he wanted. Those kinds of men were never good people, at least not in Mia’s experience. Perhaps she’d made a mistake in agreeing to work for him. From now on, she’d trust her initial gut feeling, and if she thought she shouldn’t take a job, she wouldn’t.

  * * *

  Closing his eyes, Noah rolled his head from side to side to ease the ache in his neck as he waited in the lobby for Mia. He’d arrived a little early to pick her up because he had nowhere else to go. Booking a hotel at the last minute in Miami meant you didn’t get a choice in where you stayed, and he wasn’t about to shower at the place Ryder booked for him.

  Keeping surveillance on her overnight gave him an excuse to stay in his car, but the ability to shower and rest was limited. He had keys to a friend’s gym and permission to use it anytime he needed, which he’d used for his second shower of the day.

  If he’d known she was only agreeing to join him because she wanted to spend time with him, he’d have suggested something else. Something that didn’t scare the daylights out of her. It had worked in his favor when she’d clung to him so tightly.

  He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The comfortable chair emphasized his lack of sleep. Normally, he could handle long nights, but going on nearly two days without any sleep, his energy was tapped. The two energy shots he’d taken weren’t helping either. Actually, he felt foggier than before he took them.

  “Noah.” Mia’s voice broke the through the fog. “You looked exhausted.”

  “To be honest, I am.”

  She perched on the chair arm and palmed his face. “If you’re tired, I can take a raincheck.”

  He pried his eyes open. “I’d be sleeping in my car.”

  Wow. She was radiant in a soft-yellow off-the-shoulder sundress. Her long hair was pulled up high and tendrils framed her face. All she needed was a pair of angel wings, and she’d be set.

  Her lips parted in shock. “Why?”

  “It’s what happens when you book a hotel last minute during spring break week. I can’t bring myself to stay there, though, because it’s disgusting. I feel like I need a hazmat suit just to enter the place.” He covered his mouth as he yawned. “I’m sorry.”

  Mia chewed her lip, looked in the direction of the elevator and back to him, and said, “I have a two-room suite. Why don’t you lie down awhile, and then we’ll do something later?”

  Noah should have been thrilled. The offer was exactly what he needed to get access to her laptop. Except what he was feeling wasn’t elation. It was disgust at using her. Still, this was his in, and he needed to make it look good. He needed to protest at least a little. “No, it’s dangerous to invite people to your room when you don’t know them. I can’t.”

  Her lips lifted at the corners. “Noah, as tired as you look, I could take you down with my pinkie.”

  He chuckled. “I’m surprisingly agile, even when fatigued.” Even as he said it, he was fighting to keep his eyes open.

  “It’s two rooms. I’ll lock myself in mine.”

  “Those doors are paper-thin.”

  “What if I said I’m tired and nervous about being up there by myself? You did promise to keep me safe, right?”

  He lifted his hand and brushed his knuckles down her arm. “You can’t make stuff up. That doesn’t count.”

  Mia chewed her lip. “That client I’m working for, well, he gives me the creeps. He called me while I was getting ready and asked me to dinner. I’d rather stay in if you don’t mind.”

  Noah sat up, suddenly alert. She didn’t like Harrison? He gave her the creeps? “Do you know him well? Do you think he’d hurt you?”

  She shrugged her shoulders, and his gaze swept across the delicate curves of her collarbone. “He sounds like a man who isn’t used to being told no. I don’t know. I’ve just got a bad vibe about him. I’ve kind of had it the whole time. The only reason I finally relented to come was that it was Florida, and I wanted to do what my grandma and I always talked about.”

  “But you’re scared of him? Then why work for him?”

  “It didn’t start that way. I was dealing with his assistant, and then one day I wasn’t. It was after I’d signed the contract and agreed to do the job. My contract is thorough, and I’m bound by it as well. I couldn’t just break it based on the fact that I thought he was slimy.”

  He had promised to keep her safe, and she was inviting him up. Wasn’t that the best of both worlds? If so, why did he feel so gross? “All right. We’ll stay in, but I’m not sleeping while knowing you don’t feel safe with your client.”

  Mia took his hand and pulled him up as she stood. “Oh, no, I wouldn’t let you fall asleep on duty.”

  “Right. Why do I get the feeling you’re not being truthful?”

  “I am. I’m being forthright and upstanding and everything.”

  Noah chuckled as they walked to the elevator and waited for it. “Thank you for being so generous.”

  “After renting a private beach just so you could jet ski, you canceled your plans because I was scared. I’d say you’re the generous one.”

  The
elevator arrived, and they waited for the family inside to exit before stepping on. When the doors closed, Noah turned to her. “Anyone who doesn’t think you come first isn’t someone who deserves you. A jet ski doesn’t have warm eyes, a brilliant smile, and a sweet laugh. But you do.”

  She cast her gaze to the floor and took a shuddering breath. When she lifted her eyes to his, tears brimmed her eyes. “I don’t know what to say. That is, without a doubt, the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

  “I don’t know who you’ve been dating, but clearly their priorities weren’t in order.”

  “Apparently not.”

  The elevator doors opened, and Mia threaded her fingers through his as they stepped off. He liked the feeling of her skin against his, even if it was just holding hands. And the tiny sparks he’d felt before were growing stronger the more time he spent with her.

  They walked halfway down the hallway before she stopped in front of her door. A quick swipe, and they were inside.

  “This is…nice,” Noah said as the door shut behind him.

  “No kidding. I’d never stay in something this expensive, but when I got here, this was the room my client booked me.”

  Glancing around the room, he noticed two bedrooms, a bathroom situated between them, and a common living room. It was spacious, clean, and, gauging the cushiness of the bed he could see through the open door of the far bedroom, comfortable.

  The floor-to-ceiling windows faced the ocean, and the view was spectacular. The sun would be setting soon, and he could only guess how beautiful it would be.

  “How about we order room service and take advantage of that balcony to watch the sunset?” asked Noah.

  Mia nodded. “That sounds like the best plan ever.” She kicked off her sandals as she walked to her room. “I’ll be out in just a second.”

  “I’ll order. Anything in particular?”

  She paused at the door. “I want fries, chocolate ice cream, popcorn, and milk duds.”

  “What kind of meal is that?”

  A giggle bubbled out of her. “The kind you have when you’re on vacation.”

  He smirked as he shook his head. “Okay, I’ll see what they have.”

  With a smile, she disappeared into her room, leaving Noah alone. He wondered if he had time to look through anything. No, if she caught him, it would be over. At some point, they’d have to take a break from each other, and she’d be out of her room. That’s when he’d snoop around.

  Snoop around in the room of a woman who found out he was exhausted and sleeping in his car and then invited him to rest in her room. A man she’d just met. He felt so low. But he also had a job to do. Keeping in Mia’s good graces was what he needed to do. The fallout from lying he’d deal with later.

  Chapter 7

  Instead of keeping her sundress on, Mia had changed into a t-shirt and a pair of cotton pajama bottoms. If she was staying in, she may as well be comfortable. She’d even convinced Noah to kick off his boots. If bad guys broke down the door, he could throw them. He’d laughed and slid them off.

  Outside on the balcony, he sat across from her. It had been nuts to invite him up to her room, but she could tell by the look in his eyes that he was tired. He’d given up something fun for her. He’d already treated her better than any guy she’d ever dated. A chance to rest his eyes seemed like the least she could do.

  She dipped a fry in her ice cream and popped it into her mouth. “So good.”

  Noah was hysterical. He’d actually gagged when she did it the first time. “Yuck. You ruined the fry and the ice cream.”

  “How do you know it’s gross if you won’t even try it?” She slathered another fry in ice cream and held it out to him. “You know you want to try it.” She wiggled it in front of him.

  Holding her gaze, he took it from her and stuffed it in his mouth. “Not horrible,” he said, holding his hand in front of his mouth.

  “Delicious. You can say it. I was right, and you were…” She cupped her ear, waiting to hear the magic words.

  “Not as right.” He smiled as he swallowed.

  She cocked an eyebrow. “Really? Do you want another?”

  He leaned back and scooted down in the chair. “No, I’m full.” As quickly as he’d inhaled his chicken sandwich, she wasn’t surprised.

  “You seemed pretty hungry.”

  “I didn’t think I was until it got here.” He laid his hand over his stomach. “Why aren’t you engulfing yours?”

  She shrugged. “I had a snack when I came back to the hotel. They were giving out little baggie lunches, so I snagged one.”

  “That was nice.” He closed his eyes, giving her a chance to take him in.

  It took willpower to not flat-out, unabashedly gawk at him. The man was beautiful. From the second she’d spied him in the hotel lobby, she’d thought he was simply scrumptious. Dark-wash jeans, a half-tucked short-sleeved button-up, and boots made him a prize package. The soft blue of the shirt made his eyes look ethereal and his tan even darker.

  He yawned and immediately sat up, sucking in a deep breath several times. “I like moments like this. Quiet, still, and peaceful.”

  “Me too,” she said, wondering how long he’d be able to stay awake. “I’ve always thought the best kind of time to spend with someone was things like this. Watching sunsets, stars, the waves. Just holding onto someone you care about like the world will end in minutes and this is the last chance you’ll ever get to do it.”

  “Yeah, I don’t know why people don’t do that more. There’s something pure about just holding someone and pouring your love onto ’em.” He’d nearly slurred the last word. Blinking hard, he raked his hand through his hair.

  Right at that moment, she could see herself wanting to hold on to him. It was a ridiculous thought for someone she’d met a little less than twenty-four hours ago. It didn’t stop her heart from fluttering as she pictured herself snuggled against him, lying under the stars, until she was old and gray.

  She shivered as a light breeze swirled on the balcony.

  “Are you cold?”

  “N—” she said and stopped. Noah was exhausted and fighting it with everything in him, and she had a feeling that if she offered him her couch, he’d fight sleep even harder. What if she cuddled up with him? He was kind and considerate. Perhaps he’d stop fidgeting to stay awake. “Actually, I kind of am. Could I share your seat?”

  He nodded. “I don’t mind.”

  Mia stood, rounded the small table, and slid onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her, and she shivered again. But this wasn’t from a breeze. It was him. Wow, he smelled good. Aftershave and masculinity. “Okay, I think I could get used to this.”

  “Me too.” This time, his words were slurred.

  Pulling back, she found he’d already closed his eyes. How had she not realized how long his lashes were? They fanned against his cheeks like peacock feathers. She touched her fingertips to his cheek and traced the lines of his face, and a soft moan escaped his lips as his chin dropped to his shoulder.

  “Noah,” she said just above a whisper and stood.

  His eyes fluttered open, but instead of bright blue, they were cloudy.

  “Come with me, okay?”

  He nodded his head and pushed out of the chair. Rubbing his eyes, he lumbered after her to the second bedroom and sat down hard on the bed. “I need to stay awake.”

  “Okay.” She gently pushed him back and lifted his feet onto the bed.

  “I should get up,” he murmured.

  She sat beside him and smiled. “Absolutely.”

  With one last long moan, his body completely relaxed.

  He was an easy man to like. Gentle, kind, giving, and caring. She didn’t know his whole life story, but the connection she felt to him was unlike anything she’d ever felt for anyone. It was so strong and powerful. One day. One day to feel like this?

  Why couldn’t her grandma still be alive? Mia needed her wisdom and guidance. Her granny would
have loved him. Tall, good-looking with a butt that deserved its own calendar. He would have had her grandma pinching his cheeks and loving on him in two shakes.

  She had a couple days left in Miami. Would it hurt to see where things went? Clearly, a lot could happen in a day.

  * * *

  Stretching his arms above his head, Noah slowly gained consciousness. He was warm, comfortable, and rested. His eyes flew open, and he bolted up. What had happened? He glanced around the room. Mia’s hotel room? With the door shut?

  Then it hit him. He’d crashed the night before. So much so that he didn’t remember even going to bed. He raked his hand through his hair. Yes, he was tired, but he was a trained soldier. He should have been able to handle being a little tired.

  He pushed the covers back, stood, and went to find Mia. Pausing at the door, he knocked in case she wasn’t decent or something. “Uh, is it safe to come out?”

  A laugh filtered through the door. “Yes, it’s perfectly safe.”

  Slowly, he opened the door, and a rush of embarrassment flooded him. “I’m so sorry I fell asleep.”

  She twisted on the couch, laying her arm across the back as she looked at him. “You couldn’t keep your eyes open.”

  His gaze moved to the bright sun gleaming through the window. “What time is it?”

  “Almost ten.”

  He’d slept that long? Maybe he had needed it. What good was he if he was dead on his feet? It didn’t ease the discomfort of knowing he’d let her down. He was supposed to be watching over her and trying to find a way to get her laptop.

  Mia stood and walked to him. Cupping his cheek, she said, “I slept better last night than I have since I got here. Just knowing you were in the other room gave me peace of mind.”

  “Can I make it up to you? Take you to brunch?”

  Her lips curved up, and she lowered her hand. “I’m dressed and ready when you are.”

  “Uh, I can grab a shower at my friend’s gym, come back, and pick you up or meet you somewhere.”