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

by Livingston, Bree

  “My great-uncle had one like that. He didn’t show it off either. It was more for him than anyone else.”

  He nodded. “I know I won’t ever forget him, but I wanted something I had to see every day when I look in the mirror. Something that reminded me of who I am and why I do what I do.” And why choices matter. One the reasons he was struggling with his current assignment. He knew the right choice, and yet, he was having a difficult time making it. He couldn’t have feelings for Mia, but he did, and it was wrong.

  “I see. Maybe one day you can tell me the whole story.”

  “Maybe.” Again, Not likely. Even if his gut was right and Mia wasn’t working for Harrison, once she found out who Noah was, that he’d lied to her for days, she’d have nothing to do with him. Plus, if she did end up testifying against Harrison, she’d most likely be put into witness protection. Noah wouldn’t so much as know her name after that.

  “His name was Isaiah?” she asked as her fingers brushed against his. Something they’d both been doing since the museum. Not holding hands, but certainly giving the invitation. Noah wanted to, and the temptation was excruciating, but he’d found it within himself to resist so far.

  “Yeah.”

  “I like that name.”

  “If I ever have kids and I have a boy, I hope my wife is open to naming him Isaiah.” Where had that come from, and why was he telling her? He needed this assignment wrapped up and quickly.

  Mia smiled. “Isaiah Wolandry. Middle name?”

  He shrugged but cringed inwardly at the reminder of the lies between them. “I didn’t want to claim both names. I figure if it happens, we’d come up with one together.”

  “Oh, it’ll happen. I have no doubt about that.” Her eyes widened, and her cheeks turned bright pink. “I mean, from what I’ve experienced so far, you should have no trouble finding someone.”

  “I suspect the same could be said of you as well.”

  She bumped him with her shoulder. “Thank you. I seem to be embarrassing myself left and right when I’m around you.”

  “I’m not complaining,” he said and grinned, which got him another bump on the shoulder.

  “And with as much charm as you have, I’m shocked you’re single. Why are you single?”

  Why was he single? The last time he’d been asked that was when Zach asked Harley to marry him some two years ago now. Right before Noah started working for Pam, he’d gone home to visit because Zach’s plane had gone down in a storm and he’d been missing almost two weeks. Of course, his brother would find a girlfriend while he was stranded.

  His mom had cornered him and asked when he was going to settle down with a nice girl. He’d asked her what that meant. Did she think he’d bring home a mean girl? He’d gotten a pop on the arm for that and a stern look for his smart mouth.

  When he was discharged from the Army, he’d spent a few months aimless. Not just him, but most of his team. All of them had fought demons. All of them had used different methods, some of them worse than others. Noah had used alcohol, but he was clean before he went home for Zach’s ordeal. It was six months before he told his family he was out of the Army. They still didn’t know that he’d been dishonorably discharged.

  By the time he was back on his feet, Pamela Williams had come calling. She’d explained what she was trying to do and what she expected of him behavior-wise. And while she’d never outright said she knew what he’d turned to, it was unspoken that if he did it again, he’d be out with no second chance.

  He shrugged. “Just out of the Army, I wasn’t in the frame of mind to have a relationship, and shortly after, I was offered work with the private security firm I’m with now. Truth be told, I’m not sure why anyone would want me.”

  It wasn’t until Mia’s fingers tangled in his that he realized he’d said all of that aloud. “I have a feeling it’s not as cut and dry as you think it is. I will need proof of some heinous crime to believe that.”

  This was why he’d avoided this type of assignment, and he would have continued by avoiding this one if he could have. It should have been Ryder on this one because of his tech skills, but he’d just returned to base after a two-month-long job. So, no, Pam chose him.

  It was too easy in these types of situations to get attached to someone. His friend Jake Maverick came to mind. Not that it didn’t work out in Jake’s favor. Lexie Maheras was good for him, and his friend was happy, but that was the exception and not the rule. Or was it?

  His heart didn’t seem to care about rules or exceptions or any of that. When he looked at Mia, he was beginning to see a future and a life. It was nuts, but it didn’t change the fiery connection he had with her. “Maybe you’re only seeing the side I want you to see.”

  Mia pulled him to a stop, took his face in her hands, and locked eyes with him. For heartbeat after heartbeat, she held his gaze, not saying a word. Even being jostled by people walking by didn’t faze her. It was as though she was locking in on what made Noah Wolf, Noah Wolf. Unnerving didn’t begin to describe the feeling. His heart pounded in his ears, and he held his breath until his lungs screamed for air.

  Finally, she lowered her hands and said, “No. I don’t think that’s true. I think there are things you aren’t telling me, but you are someone worth knowing.”

  “You got that from staring into my eyes?”

  “No.”

  He knitted his eyebrows together. “Then why did you do that?”

  One corner of her mouth lifted. “Maybe I just wanted to stare into your eyes. Ever think of that?”

  “Is that right?”

  She shrugged. “I think you’re a good man with a lot of secrets. But they’re the kind of secrets that shape you as a person. Not the kind spies sell to the Russians.”

  Goosebumps lined his arms. How did she do that? He swallowed hard and asked, “I’m starving, are you?” as an attempt to change the subject.

  “Nice deflection, Mr. Wolandry.”

  “You didn’t hear my stomach growl?”

  Mia chuckled. “No, but I did see your Adam’s apple bob, which meant I was pretty close to the truth.”

  The hair on the back of his neck lifted. Maybe his gut feeling was wrong. Maybe she did work for Harrison. Most people wouldn’t have noticed that subtle of a movement. “How about lunch, and you can give me the 4-1-1 on how you did that?”

  “And take away the mystery? Then what will I have?”

  Without even thinking, he stepped to her, brushing a loose strand of her hair over her shoulder. Her lips were right there. All he had to do was bend down, and he’d be kissing her. Everything in him was at war. His head and his heart were in a knock-down-drag-out fight. Up to this point, he’d resisted the temptation to kiss her, but a man could only hold out so long.

  They were in public, right? What better place to kiss someone? Out in the open, he couldn’t get carried away. “I don’t need mystery to be interested in you.”

  Her eyes widened, and her cheeks flushed. “You don’t?” she asked just loud enough for him to hear.

  He shook his head and pressed his lips to hers. Alarms sounded the second they touched hers. Public, closed doors, rooftops…it didn’t matter where he was. There wasn’t a thing that could lessen the desire to forget the world and kiss her.

  With more strength than he thought he had, he forced himself to keep the kiss brief. Pulling back, he could see the disappointment mirrored in her eyes. “Maybe lunch and then we figure out the rest of the day from there?”

  She nodded and threaded her fingers in his, and they continued on their stroll without another word.

  He couldn’t believe he’d done that. She’d read him like a book, and then he’d kissed her. What was he thinking? Why had he done that? He was a trained soldier. He knew better than to do something like that. After spending the evening with her in her room, eating on the balcony, and watching the sunset, he’d managed to restrain himself. Where were his professional standards now? Did they fly out the window because
a beautiful woman had batted her lashes at him?

  Silently, he steeled himself. There would be no more kissing. She was a potential informant. And if so, she was not someone he wanted to invest time into. Either way, she was off-limits, and he’d make sure to keep his distance.

  * * *

  “So, did you take a body language class or something?” Noah asked, wishing he’d questioned her instead of kissing her.

  Mia wiped her mouth and smiled as she sat next to him. “Actually, yeah. There was a class floating around online, and…” She sighed and cast her gaze to the grass.

  They’d found a Cuban food truck and then taken their lunch to a quiet, shady spot away from the spring breakers. It was spicy, but, man, the flavor was amazing. He’d have to remember it the next time he was in Miami.

  “And?” He urged her to continue.

  “Until three months ago, I was dating a guy I thought was amazing. He was everything I thought I wanted. Smart, sweet, funny, and he made me feel so special. We dated six months, and I found out he was seeing three other women.”

  Noah lifted an eyebrow. “Three?”

  She nodded. “Three. I had no idea. I thought back to all the times he’d been working late or out of town or had plans with the guys. He’d looked me in the eyes and lied, and I didn’t want that to happen again.”

  “How did you find out?”

  “The local drive-in was doing an anniversary Labyrinth showing and sing-along. It’s not something I normally do. I’m a homebody, but I love that movie, so I went. I caught him there with another woman. Then the two of us found out about woman number three.”

  If she was telling the truth about dating that guy, it was solid motivation for wanting to learn body language. “What a creep. And no offense to women, but how did he date three at once? I struggle with dating a woman, let alone three.”

  “I don’t know, but he did. I was so upset with myself. Why hadn’t I clued in quicker? But, the only way I could see protecting myself in the future was to do something proactive, hence the class. Which, the only thing I really learned was the Adam’s apple thing and an eye thing. Like, if you look one way, you’re telling the truth. The other, and you’re lying. All the other stuff, I’m either not good at reading or it’s not true, because it hasn’t worked for me.”

  Could she just be a woman who was lied to? He could see himself turning to a class if he didn’t have his training. She’d taken steps to keep herself from getting hurt. Would he have done anything different?

  Then again, what if this was just a story to throw him off? Did she know who he was? When they’d gone undercover in Harrison’s operation, he’d let his hair grow out and maintained a beard. Would the man know him? It was possible, but Noah never had that much contact with him.

  “That was clever. Most women wouldn’t have done that,” he said.

  “It was too dark that first night to read anything, and yesterday morning I was too busy running into doors.”

  Noah tipped his head back and laughed. “I see, but you’ve been getting a read on me since then?”

  She shook her head. “Not really. All of it kind of went out the window when you were so preachy on the protection stuff. Could you really be all that bad? You even wanted me to have mace in case you were a bad guy.”

  A balmy breeze took the edge off the heat, and the tree they were under was so dense it was like an awning. Noah lay back in the grass and stretched. He shouldn’t have done it, but it was too late, and he was too comfortable to move. “I could have done that just so you’d trust me.”

  Mia stretched out next to him. “I can’t bring myself to believe that.”

  Before he could stop himself, he asked, “Why?”

  Covering her mouth as she yawned, she shrugged, rolled onto her side, and laid her head on his shoulder. “I don’t know. There’s something about you. It’s hard to explain.”

  He put his arm around her, and the next thing he knew, she was fast asleep.

  As he combed his fingers through her hair, he realized three things. One, Mia Milan was easy to like and even easier to talk to. Two, he liked spending time with her, and if she was in with the bad guys, she was good at being fake. And three, he was in trouble no matter what the outcome. Innocent or not, he’d be nursing a broken heart because of what might have been.

  Chapter 10

  Spending the day with Noah was quite possibly the best thing Mia had ever experienced. He’d kissed her. It was quick, but, oh boy, was it powerful. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever be able to kiss someone else again. Not without comparing it to that kiss. And it was a small kiss. What would a kiss be like?

  A full stomach had knocked her out, and she’d woken up next to him after napping under a tree. Talk about lighting up with ideas of things that shouldn’t be there. Things such as thinking she could handle doing that every day for at least sixty years. The thought had hit her like a cast iron skillet. She’d known the man less than forty-eight hours. It was crazy to even let thoughts like those fly, but there they were, flapping and a flying.

  After waking up, they’d walked around aimlessly, talking and laughing. She’d treated him to a snow cone. Of course, he’d protested, but she’d fought back and won. She did like that he was such a gentleman, opening doors for her, making sure she was on the inside when they walked and that her purse was protected, and curling around her when he thought the crowds felt too handsy or overwhelming.

  That protective nature was what she liked so much about him. She’d taken his face in her hands, looked into his eyes, and lost herself. He was keeping big secrets, and she knew it. Mostly because of the way he’d tensed when she touched him. And even knowing that, it changed nothing about how she felt toward him.

  Without a doubt, she knew he was kind, compassionate, and caring. When she’d said there was something about him and she couldn’t explain it, she’d been honest. She had no idea why she trusted him, but she did. It was blatantly obvious when she’d practically begged him to stay in her suite.

  Besides, she was going to have to keep things from him too. She couldn’t tell him she had a meeting with Mr. Harrison the next day. That’s how she kept her clients safe. Not that she wanted to keep Harrison safe. But until she had proof, she needed to extend to him the same confidentiality she provided all her clients. Maybe she’d tell Noah after she got whatever evidence she could off the sleazeball’s computer. After all, Noah did work in security. Maybe he’d know who she should give it to. It seemed like maybe something that big should go to an agency a little higher up than just the local police department.

  “Earth to Mia,” Noah said and palmed her arm. “Everything okay?”

  She startled out of her thoughts and nodded. “Oh, yeah, sorry. I can get lost in thought at times.”

  “I thought you might be upset that we fell asleep.”

  “Why?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. We haven’t known each other long…maybe you thought it was weird. I honestly didn’t mean to fall asleep. But apparently, Cuban tacos are a knock-out drug.”

  “Oh, no. Actually, it was nice.”

  “I thought so too. I don’t know how long we slept.”

  She shook her head. “No idea, but I feel better.”

  He smiled. “I have to agree.” They walked a moment in silence, and then he said, “I have an idea.”

  “Oh?”

  “How about I ask you on a date tonight?” The smile he flashed made her pulse jump. “Since we didn’t get to go out last night.”

  She caught her lip between her teeth. A real date with Noah? Grinning, she tangled her fingers in his. “I’d like that.”

  He lifted her hand and touched his lips to the back of it. “I’ll walk you to your hotel, and then I’ll pick you up, say seven?”

  That would be perfect. It would give her the opportunity to boot up her laptop again. After this much time, those stupid files had to be decrypted.

  Mia smiled. “That sounds great.�
�� Plus, she’d get to wear the new dress she’d picked up the day when she first got to Miami.

  “Then it’s a date.”

  She had no idea what a real date might entail, but it would have to be great. Would he dress up even more than he did the night before? She could only dream. “Okay. Though as charming as you are on a not-real date, I wonder how you’ll be on a real date.”

  He chuckled. “Maybe I’m horrible on a real date.”

  She lifted an eyebrow as she shot him a glance. “No way.”

  “You sound pretty sure.”

  “Because I am,” she said.

  The entire way to the hotel, they teased each other. When they reached the entrance, he ran his hands down her arms, and the laughter died as he held her gaze. “I’m looking forward to tonight.”

  That went double for her. “Me too.”

  And just like on the crowded sidewalk, he bent down and touched his lips to hers ever so quickly. It was as if he knew just what to do to make her want more of him.

  “See you tonight,” he said and stepped back.

  She stepped inside the hotel and enjoyed the view as he walked away. As soon as he was out of sight, she headed to her room. Inside, she leaned her back against the door and tried to calm the anxiety building.

  It wasn’t like she hadn’t spent the last two days with him, but the prospect of a real date gave her goosebumps. She pushed off the door and sauntered to her bed, flopping down on her back. This man was upending her. How was it even possible to feel so strongly about someone she just met?

  Tomorrow night she’d be leaving, and she’d doubled down on that. Wasn’t she trying to be spontaneous, though? That’s why she’d taken the dare. Which brought her right back to Noah. If not for that moment of spontaneity, she’d never have met him. Perhaps she needed to rethink leaving the next night.

  * * *

  The gym had been packed, so instead of taking up client space, Noah had finally mustered enough courage to step inside the hotel Ryder had booked for him. The place was disgusting, but it was better that he stayed here than in his family’s vacation home a few miles away. The family’s condo was spacious and clean, and the beds were incredible. But as he was on an assignment, he didn’t want to put a target on his family in case anyone followed him. The idea that any of them could be hurt because of him made him sick.