“Why—”
“Please don’t be mad at me. I didn’t say anything because I knew you weren’t ready to talk about it. Any time Kalee or I brought up something that resembled being personal you shut down. I was afraid if I told you I knew, you’d stop being my friend and I didn’t want to lose you.”
Shit, she was right. I would’ve exited stage right and I would’ve done it in a way that ended our friendship forever. My eyes closed trying to block out the shame. I was a horrible friend.
“Did Kalee know?”
“God, no. I would never share your secrets. I wanted you to tell me when you were ready. And, honey, I wish you would’ve told me sooner but I understand why you didn’t. I understood why you’d closed yourself off and I couldn’t blame you. The only reason why I wanted you to tell me was so I could tell you how proud I am of you.”
My eyes opened and I focused on the tears that now streamed down Evie’s pretty pale cheeks.
“What?”
“But I get to tell you now. Anaya, I always thought you were the bravest, strongest, smartest woman I know. But now that I know the rest, I know I was wrong—you’re not just strong, you are resilient. You’re not only brave but you’re tough. You’re made of something so fierce and formidable that nothing can stop you. When I tell you I am proud of you, I mean it. Everything you’ve overcome is astounding.”
I waited for more shame of being a shit friend to hit but it never did. Instead, more of the acid and poison in my belly neutralized. More of the toxic venom I’d allowed to overtake my life was gone. Just like that.
“Thank you for always being such a great friend, even when I wasn’t a good one.”
“Say what? Girl, you’re crazy. You’ve always been a good friend. Always. When my mom died, who was the first one to rush to my side and hold me together when I was falling apart? You. And when Tommy Bradshaw broke my heart into a million pieces, who offered to go key his car and kick him in the balls? You. I can go on and on. Story after story. You always being the first person to lend an ear, a hand, your support. So shut up with the ‘I’m not a good friend’ shit.”
“Tommy was a dick,” I reminded her, then turned to Kyle. “He was married. Married with kids and lied to Evie for six months. She had no clue. He worked hard to make her fall in love with him. He even had an apartment. Can you believe that shit?”
“No, sweetheart, I can’t.” Kyle’s lips tipped up. “I’m thinking it’s a shame you didn’t get to kick him in the balls. A man who would set out to cheat on his woman, then go about getting his hooks in a good woman while he was tied to another isn’t just a dick—he’s no kind of man. I’m thinking a kick to the balls would’ve been sweet to start but he deserved a hell of a lot more than that.”
“Right? That’s why I wanted to key his car, too. But Evie wouldn’t let me.”
“That’s a shame.” He chuckled.
“See?” I turned to Evie. “He gets it. You should’ve let me do it. The pompous asshole loved that stupid Mercedes. He would’ve pitched a fit if I’d scratched it to hell.”
“And she thinks she was never a good friend.” That came from Evie but she wasn’t talking to me, she was talking to Kyle.
“She knows better now,” he told her.
“Thank you,” Evie whispered.
“No need to thank me.”
The two of them were talking like I wasn’t in the room, but instead of being annoyed, I was grateful.
“You’re right. I shouldn’t be thanking you, because now I’m gonna have to get on a plane to go see my best friend and I hate flying.”
“I wish I could say I was sorry, but that’d be a lie.”
Evie laughed and turned her blinding smile to me. “I think I like him.”
“That’s good, because I love him and it would suck if my best friend didn’t like my boyfriend.”
“Not your boyfriend, Anaya.”
“What?”
“I’m not your boyfriend, first because I’m not a boy, I’m a man.” I shivered at his declaration thinking he was correct, he was a man—all man—nothing boy about him. “That would mean I’m your man, but more than that, I’m the man that’s gonna make you my wife.”
The shiver turned into a full body earthquake and I tried my best to stop the quaking. But I must’ve failed because Evie’s peal of laughter filled the room.
“I love it,” she said through her hilarity. “So worth the stupid plane ride. I’ll take a thousand of them if it means my girl gets this kind of happiness.”
Kyle and I stayed a while longer, the three of us laughed a lot, Kyle and Evie got to know each other, and when we got up to say our goodbyes, Evie promised to fly out to Maryland soon and I knew she meant it, she’d brave flying to come and see me. Evette London was the best and I couldn’t wait for her to meet Tatiana, Emerson, and the rest of the women. She was going to love them, and they’d love her.
When we walked down to the car I felt lighter, freer, better than I had in forever—save when Kyle told me he loved me, or when he was holding me, or when he made love to me, or when he was being sweet, or bossy, or protecting me, or healing me. Those were the best of times and nothing could compare to how he made me feel. But knowing I’d given Evie what she needed—which was all of me—was definitely a close second.
The second the hotel room door closed behind us, Kyle pressed against my back. His hand swept my hair from my shoulder and he gathered it in one hand, the other went around and pressed to my belly. Then it was moving down.
“Before I get you naked, I got something I wanna say,” Kyle said conversationally. “Your friend is right.”
“About what?” I asked even though he’d unsnapped the button of my shorts and his hand disappeared into my panties, which meant I was close to not being able to comprehend his answer.
“About everything.” His finger dipped inside of me and he continued. “Made from steel.”
“Kyle,” I panted as he continued to tease me, coating his finger with my excitement.
My head hit his shoulder, his lips went to my jaw first for a kiss, then to whisper against my skin.
“So fucking proud of my girl. So strong.” He added a second finger and his thrusts become harder. “So beautiful.”
“Honey,” I whispered because really, he was doing great things between my legs and I was beyond words.
“Naked, Anaya. I want to taste you before I fuck you.” A shiver ran through me and my pussy clenched around his fingers. “You like when I’m hungry, baby?”
“Yes.”
“Good, because I’m gonna take my time eating before I flip you over and take the rest of you.”
Kyle did indeed take his time eating me and after he’d brought me to a screaming orgasm, he took more time licking and tasting the rest of me. And by the time he’d finished with me riding on top of him giving him a show, because, well, he’d given me a second orgasm that was arguably better than the first, he deserved it. And when he groaned his pleasure, I continued to ride him harder, until he exploded with a shout, yanking me down so he could kiss me through it.
It was everything Kyle had promised it would be. It was thorough, it was rough, it was sweet. And through it all, I felt it in my heart, in my soul, from top to toe, and all the places in between. All the cracks and voids that once had dominated my life were now filled. Each and every one of them. And he was right about more—he’d cemented over them in a way I’d never forget. I was invincible because that was how he made me. And I was fearless because I was strong.
Chapter 39
Max
Un-fucking-believable.
I’d watched Declan stroll up to the front door of a small but well-kept house in a nice and quiet neighborhood and knock on the door. I’d also watched a very beautiful blonde open the door. In her defense she did scowl at him before she allowed him in.
Un-fucking-real.
I should’ve felt like a dick for following my teammate and invading his pri
vacy, and I had, right up until I saw who’d opened the door. Now I was fucking pissed. Declan wasn’t stirring the pot, he was shaking a hornet’s nest and it wasn’t just him who was gonna get stung.
At least I now knew where he’d been sneaking off to when he said he had shit to do the last month and a half. He didn’t have shit to do, he had someone to do. Jesus Christ.
I hadn’t stopped staring at the door he’d entered thirty minutes ago and I was debating whether or not I should go knock, then knock some sense into him. This was a disaster waiting to happen. No, fuck that—this would be an atomic bomb that when detonated would wipe us all off the map.
Goddamn it.
My phone vibrated, clattering in the cupholder, and I angrily picked it up. But when I saw the caller ID, my anger slid to worry.
“Tex,” I greeted. “Everything okay?”
It was late and even though the man worked all hours of the day, his evenings were normally dedicated to his gorgeous wife Melody and their two daughters.
“I need a favor.”
“Anything,” I agreed immediately.
“I need you to go to Florida and grab a woman. You got two choices, bring her up here and Mel and I will figure out what to do with her, or you keep her until I work something else out.”
“Is there a reason you’re coming to me about this and not Zane? You know I’ll have to clear it with him first.”
“Zane’s my next call, but I wanted to talk to you first, see if you’d be willing to go.”
“Of course I’ll do it, but who is she?”
“She’s…just someone who got herself wrapped up in something she had no choice but to get involved with. She did something she’s not proud of, something she had to do, and believe me, I wouldn’t have helped her out of it unless I didn’t believe she was sorry for what she had to do.”
Well, that was cryptic as fuck, but I also knew Tex had a moral compass that pointed north. There was no bending it, so if he said he believed her, I’d trust him, even if that trust wouldn’t be extended to the mysterious woman. I didn’t share the same compass as Tex. Mine tended to lean into the gray and I sure as fuck didn’t trust people.
Particularly women.
Especially women who got themselves wrapped up in situations that forced them to fuck over those they’d once said they loved.
Learned my lesson and I learned it well.
“When do you need me to go?” I asked.
“She has two kids.”
Fuck!
“Right.”
“As soon as you can. The longer she’s there, the more danger she’ll be in.”
“Does she know she’s in danger?”
“No.”
Fucking hell. Great, so now I needed to go to Florida, nab a woman and her kids, and convince her it was for her own good. A woman who’d already gotten herself into enough shit that Tex had to bail her out. Perfect. Fantastic. Should be a walk in the park—not.
“But I’ll call Zane, explain the situation, then I’ll call her and tell her to expect you.”
“Don’t tell her when I’m coming, just to expect me.”
“You’re gonna investigate her.” It wasn’t a question, Tex knew me well enough to know that was exactly what I was going to do.
“Respect, Tex. I trust you. But if she got her shit jacked once, I wanna make sure she’s not playing you.”
“She’s not.” His answer was firm.
“Then me watchin’ her a few days won’t be a problem. Bonus is, she’ll have protection while I’m doing it.”
“Appreciate it. I owe you—”
“Shut the hell up with that nonsense. You owe me nothing, you always have our back.”
“Can you leave tomorrow?”
I looked back at the door Declan had disappeared into and figured the damage had been done. What was a few more days?
“Sure can.”
“I’ll be in touch with the details.”
“Great. Later.”
I rang off with Tex, started my Jeep, and drove home, to the house I shared with Brooks, Thad, Kyle, and their women. Declan lived there, too, when he wasn’t off doing shit he wasn’t supposed to be doing.
Goddamn clusterfuck.
Now we’d have a woman and her two kids to deal with. Perfect. What’s three more people to contend with when we were still at war with Omni?
Easy day.
** To find out who the mystery woman Tex needs help with is, read Susan Stoker’s Securing Zoey.
And then pick up the next book in the Gold Team series, Maximus and find out all about what happens in the next installment!
About the Author
Riley Edwards is a bestselling multi-genre author, wife, and military mom. Riley was born and raised in Los Angeles but now resides on the east coast with her fantastic husband and children.
Riley writes heart-stopping romance with sexy alpha heroes and even stronger heroines. Riley's favorite genres to write are romantic suspense and military romance.
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Other Books by Riley Edwards
Available on Amazon
The Red Team
Nightstalker
Protecting Olivia
Redeeming Violet
Recovering Ivy
Rescuing Erin
The Gold Team
Brooks
Thaddeus
Kyle
Maximus
Gemini Group
Nixon’s Promise
Jameson’s Salvation
Weston’s Treasure
Alec’s Dream
Chasin’s Surrender
The 707 Freedom Series
Free
Freeing Jasper
Finally Free
Freedom
The Next Generation
Saving Meadow
Chasing Honor
Finding Mercy
Claiming Tuesday
Adoring Delaney
Keeping Quinn
Taking Liberty
The Masters Collection
The Awakening
The Collective
Unbroken 1 & 2 – Season One
Trust – Season Two
Standalone
Romancing Rayne
There are many more books in this fan fiction world than listed here, for an up-to-date list go to www.AcesPress.com
You can also visit our Amazon page at:
http://www.amazon.com/author/operationalpha
Special Forces: Operation Alpha World
Christie Adams: Charity’s Heart
Denise Agnew: Dangerous to Hold
Shauna Allen: Awakening Aubrey
Brynne Asher: Blackburn
Linzi Baxter: Unlocking Dreams
Jennifer Becker: Hiding Catherine
Alice Bello: Shadowing Milly
Heather Blair: Rescue Me
Anna Blakely: Rescuing Gracelynn
Amy Briggs: Saving Sarah
Julia Bright: Saving Lorelei
Victoria Bright: Surviving Savage
Cara Carnes: Protecting Mari
Kendra Mei Chailyn: Beast
Melissa Kay Clarke: Rescuing Annabeth
Samantha A. Cole: Handling Haven
Sue Coletta: Hacked
Melissa Combs: Gallant
Anne Conley: Redemption for Misty
KaLyn Cooper: Rescuing Melina
Liz Crowe: Marking Mariah
Sarah Curtis: Securing the Odds
Jordan Dane: Redemption for Avery
Tarina Deaton: Found in the Lost
Aspen Drake, Intense
KL Donn: Unraveling Love
Riley Edwards: Protecting Olivia
PJ Fiala: Defending Sophie
Nicole Flockton: Protecting Maria
Michele Gwynn: Rescuing Emma
Casey Hagen: Shi
elding Nebraska
Desiree Holt: Protecting Maddie
Kathy Ivan: Saving Sarah
Kris Jacen, Be With Me
Jesse Jacobson: Protecting Honor
Silver James: Rescue Moon
Becca Jameson: Saving Sofia
Kate Kinsley: Protecting Ava
Heather Long: Securing Arizona
Gennita Low: No Protection
Kirsten Lynn: Joining Forces for Jesse
Margaret Madigan: Bang for the Buck
Kimberly McGath: The Predecessor
Rachel McNeely: The SEAL’s Surprise Baby
KD Michaels: Saving Laura
Lynn Michaels, Rescuing Kyle
Wren Michaels: The Fox & The Hound
Kat Mizera: Protecting Bobbi
Keira Montclair, Wolf and the Wild Scots
Mary B Moore: Force Protection
LeTeisha Newton: Protecting Butterfly
Angela Nicole: Protecting the Donna
MJ Nightingale: Protecting Beauty
Sarah O’Rourke: Saving Liberty
Victoria Paige: Reclaiming Izabel
Anne L. Parks: Mason
Debra Parmley: Protecting Pippa
Lainey Reese: Protecting New York
TL Reeve and Michele Ryan: Extracting Mateo
Elena M. Reyes: Keeping Ava
Angela Rush: Charlotte
Rose Smith: Saving Satin
Jenika Snow: Protecting Lily
Lynne St. James: SEAL’s Spitfire
Dee Stewart: Conner
Harley Stone: Rescuing Mercy
Jen Talty: Burning Desire
Reina Torres, Rescuing Hi’ilani
Megan Vernon: Protecting Us
Police and Fire: Operation Alpha World
Freya Barker: Burning for Autumn
Julia Bright, Justice for Amber
KaLyn Cooper: Justice for Gwen
Kyle Page 28
