by Zoe Dawson
She snorted, lifted her arm and sighted down the pistol. Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam. Six rounds into the target. She set her gun down, flicked the safety.
“Your turn,” Dex said.
Rock brought up his weapon and prepared to fire, his focus on the targets when a movement caught his eye and he looked back over to his opponent. She’d taken off her goggles, pulling a holder out of her long, black hair.
His hand shook, and he depressed the trigger, emptying the gun. Without even caring how well he’d done, he set down the weapon, put on the safety and pulled off his own goggles.
Dex stepped out of the way, and she was standing there.
Neve.
Dex and Tristan melted away, and it was just the two of them. Rock set his hands on his hips, clenching his jaw, his throat thick. He heaved a breath, and Neve made a choked sound as he looked up. Her face twisted with emotion, and she slammed against him as he crushed her to him roughly, holding on to her as if she were his next breath. His chest expanded as he clutched her tighter, his voice raw and shaking. “Babe,” he whispered raggedly. “I’m never letting you go again.”
Burying her face against his neck, Neve clung to him just as tightly. “Sounds good to me.”
He wasn’t sure how they got out of there or how he got them to his house, but she was there, and he dragged her upstairs as they stripped until they fell together in a heated rush onto his bed.
Later, she sat on his mattress, looking mussed and thoroughly sated, her knees drawn up and her arms locked around them, watching him intently.
Amusement flickered through him. She looked like a pampered and lazy cat, sitting there with her chin propped on her upraised knees, her black hair a wild tangle around her face.
She didn’t say anything; she just continued to give him that drowsy smile. He reached for his shorts and got out of bed, throwing her his robe. It was way too big, but she looked adorable in it. He wondered if she knew how messy her hair was.
Her face went serious. “It’s time to talk now,” she said.
“Downstairs,” he said. “I can’t concentrate here.”
He sat on a stool as she ran her fingers along his kitchen counters, then looked at the fridge. She pulled down the colorful picture taped to it, and still, he was afraid to speak. Afraid that she wasn’t staying, that this was goodbye instead of hello.
“Who did this?”
“I’m a Big Brother—the kid I’m mentoring did it.”
“Kid. Georgie—cute,” she said softly and then put the picture back on the fridge.
She walked out of the kitchen and out into the pool area. The sun was setting and night falling. He came up behind her and knew that it was now or never. He didn’t want casual sex with her. He wanted her. Time to lay it all out on the line. “Neve, I love you.”
She whirled, and her face went so soft and tender. She closed the distance between them and cupped his face in her hands. “I love you, too. I’ve always been afraid of that…love. A coward because it always scared me how deeply you can love someone and how fragile life is, how easily you could lose them. But with you, I can’t be afraid anymore. I love you so much, and I’m willing to do anything to make this work between us.”
Her husky, heartfelt tone did him in. He closed his eyes and slid his hands up her arms to clasp her hands and bring them to his chest, a knot of emotion climbing into his throat. He waited for the aching contraction to ease, then said, “Do you know how much I love you?”
She smiled, her eyes full of joy, clearly transfixed by a host of emotions. Rock took her face between his hands this time, his expression strained as he held her gaze. “I want you to marry me, Neve. I want us to get married and have some kids and make a home.”
Neve stared at him, unmoving. The look in her eyes was open and certain. Tightening his hold on her face, he took a deep, unsteady breath and gave her a little shake, then said, his voice catching, “Marry me.”
She stared at him for an instant, then her eyes filled with tears and she hugged him like there was no tomorrow. His throat closed up completely, and Rock shut his eyes and turned his face against her, hugging her back. Maybe there was still room for miracles. Maybe.
Trying his damnedest to get rid of the big lump in his throat, he ran his hand up her spine. “You have to know I love you, Neve. I’ve loved you from the moment I saw you.”
She made a sound somewhere between laughter and tears, and she hugged him even harder. “I’ve missed you so much. So damned much.”
Wrapping his arms right around her torso, he totally enveloped her and turned his face against the soft skin of her neck. Feeling lighter than he could ever remember, he gave her a tight squeeze and she whispered against his skin.
“You’re going to forgive me for being an idiot? Just like that?”
“Yes, because I’m a nice guy.”
She moved her hips slowly and sensually against him, “Yes,” she whispered huskily. “You are.”
“Before you stir up something else here,” he added at her frown, hurriedly squeezing her tight, “maybe you’d better give me your answer. Tell me you love me. I need you to say the words again.”
“I love you, and I will marry you. I know your concerns about children and my career. But I can’t jump out of helicopters forever, so if you’re willing to move around a little bit before the babies, I think we can come to a perfect agreement. After all, they also have to grow to school age.”
“I think we can negotiate that. I have stores I want to open up… Let’s see where that takes us.”
“Right now, I’ll be in San Diego for another four years. I chose to stay here when they offered me my pick of locations.”
Hooking his knuckles under her chin, he lifted her face and coaxed her with a gentle smile, his touch slow and provoking. “Say it again,” he commanded softly.
Tears appeared and she looked at him, her heart in her eyes. She drew a shaky breath, then said, her gaze steady and unguarded, “I love you, Russell Kaczewski. You’re my Rock.” With tears glistening in her long lashes, she touched his face with infinite gentleness, then leaned forward and kissed him, whispering against his mouth. “I love you. I’ll marry you, and we’ll be together forever.”
His throat thick and his chest chock-full of emotion, Rock caught her by the back of the head, his fingers tangling in her hair as he opened his mouth beneath hers, taking all that she offered. She gave him what he wanted, then she pressed her hand against his face and eased away.
She pulled at the tie of the robe with a very mischievous look on her face. “How about a quick swim?” The robe dropped into a pool of burnished satin at his feet. He laughed as she snapped the waistband of his shorts. “You won’t need these.”
She jumped into the water, and he removed his shorts and dove in, then swam up to her. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him, her lips soft and wet. He got hot and bothered all over again. Pressing her back against the pool, he took her fast and hard.
A little while later, she stirred. “Now that you’ve taken care of one kind of hunger—twice…” she murmured, running her hand over his chest.
“You’re taking a lot for granted, aren’t you?”
She gave him a sugar-wouldn’t-melt-in-her-mouth smile. “What do you mean?”
“You expect me to feed you?”
She cocked her head and gave him an affirmative smile.
He watched her, liking the way she held his gaze, liking the intimacy in her eyes. “You’re a piece of work, you know that?” Rock said.
She watched him, that same sleepy, satisfied look on her face. He caught a glint of amusement in her eyes, and her mouth lifted a little. “You’re the coffee cake king. So get your hard, gorgeous ass in the kitchen, Marine.”
“You expect me to do the cooking, don’t you?”
“Yes, in the bedroom, the kitchen. Just make sure you’re barefoot…and naked.”
“Well, I think I’ve got the bedroom covered, but
I’ll need an apron in the kitchen so that I don’t get stuff all over me.”
Her brow arched, and she gave him a cheeky grin. “Don’t worry about that. I’ll lick anything off.”
She gazed at him, her eyes dark and slumberous, her mouth still moist from his kisses, and Rock’s pulse skittered and caught. He wondered if he would ever get enough of her.
Hell, no. But he didn’t have to worry about that now. He had her, and she was going to be his for the rest of his life. He could handle a little naked cooking now and again.
Epilogue
Two months later
Tristan and Amber’s wedding was in full swing, and Neve was getting a thrill out of showing everyone at the reception her ring, a huge diamond set in platinum with a spectacular sparkle and shine.
Then a guy walked in, and Neve recognized him immediately. The sniper. For most of the mission, she’d thought the one shadowing them had been her brother Tristan. She broke away from her friends and family, putting herself right in his path.
CGIS marked the case closed. Keeping the operation as covert, as well as Neve’s and Russell’s involvement confidential. Ammon Set was no longer a threat to her family, and they were all released from their respective safe houses. Alejandro Garcia rounded up all the members of Set’s organization that hadn’t been killed in the raid. With Set out of the picture and the case strong against his wife, the DEA and ATF moved on her operation, dismantling her organization in the process. Set’s wife was killed in the gun battle, further alleviating any threat of retribution. With Set’s upper-level leadership and many of his wife’s key lieutenants’ casualties of their respective raids, Neve could finally relax. Even her brother Thane was doing well and out of the hospital.
“Hi, Neve Michaels.” She thrust out her hand.
He stopped and stared at her, and she realized he wasn’t going to say a word. She guessed he was probably former CIA. Those guys never owned up to anything.
“NCIS Special Agent Derrick Gunn,” he said, gripping her strongly and letting go.
“Been to the jungle lately?”
“What? Down to South America? No way. I don’t like roughing it, and I hear it’s pretty dangerous down there.”
Yeah, for the bad guys and anyone who got into this guy’s scope.
“Why would you do that when you could be sipping drinks with umbrellas in them on a white, sandy beach?”
“Exactly.” He flashed her a devastating grin, and she suspected that there were many women who would easily sink under his don’t-mess-with-me-if-you-want-to-stay-safe charm. But she was immune. She had Rock.
“Can I have this dance?” she asked, and he obliged her, moving smoothly onto the dance floor, as suave as 007. He looked the part in that tux, one that wasn’t off the rack. They danced for a few minutes, making idle small talk.
When the music ended, Neve snagged and squeezed his forearm, gratitude in her eyes. “Thank you.”
“For the dance?”
“Yeah, right, for the dance.”
As Rock approached, he nodded to her big, beautiful fiancé. “Glad to have been of service,” he said, then disappeared into the crowd.
After acknowledging Derrick, one warrior to another, Rock slipped his arm around her and dragged her close. “Your brother looks so happy. I can’t wait until our wedding day.”
She looked over at Tristan, who was dancing with a beaming Amber. “He is happy, and we will be, too.”
She turned into his arms. “You look pretty good in this tux, and I’d say you were the best man here.”
He smirked. “I saw what you did there. Yeah, I clean up good.”
“I do have to say that I kind of enjoyed our decadent jungle sex.”
Stroking the wisps of hair at her temple with his thumb, he gazed at her, a heart-stopping smile in his eyes, then he lowered his head and kissed her. “We can be just as free and unrestrained here.”
His eyes held the kind of glint only Rock could give her. She remembered every moment of their time together in the wilds of the Darién. “Oh, you were pretty amazing in every way.”
“Damn straight.” His eyes really started to dance.
She laughed softly.
He slipped his arm around her waist and looked toward the door. “Wanna see some more of my moves right now?”
“You are so bad,” She gave him a little push, and he caught her to him, pulling her closer.
“One-hundred-percent pure Marine badass to the bone,” he agreed, kissing her. “I’m bulletproof, babe. Nothing beats Rock.”
She couldn’t argue with that.
Thank you for reading Handling Neve! Up next is Managing Emma, the seventh book in the series, featuring NCIS Agent Derrick Gunn working on tracking down a kidnapped boy who happens to be Private Investigator Emma St. John’s nephew. With her sister injured and hospitalized, she takes on the task of finding her nephew regardless of orders from NCIS. This is her family, and she’s not going to back down, nor give into her attraction for the very dynamic and darkly handsome agent.
About the Author
Zoe Dawson lives in North Carolina, one of the friendliest states in the US. She discovered romance in her teens and has been spinning stories in her head ever since. Her heroes are sexy males with a disregard for danger and whether reluctant, gung-ho, or caught up in the action, show their hearts of gold.
Her imagination runs wild with romances from sensual to scorching including romantic comedy, new adult, romantic suspense, small town, and urban fantasy. Look below to explore the many avenues to her writing. She believes it’s all about the happily ever afters and always will.
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