by Avery Flynn
He shoved his hands through his hair. “I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”
“Regret is for people who can’t learn from their mistakes.” Anya’s face softened when he looked at her, stricken. “And don’t I know it. Look, Sylvie was worth fighting for when you thought Ivy was going to kill her. Is she any less worth fighting for now that she’s going to live?”
Again, he was without a response, his mind processing the idea.
Anya patted him on the cheek, hard, and shook her head. “We both know the answer to that is yes.”
She and Drea took off down the hall where Drea ran smack dab into Cam as he emerged from the waiting room.
“Darling, I am so sorry.” Cam turned on his most charming smile.
Drea tossed a look back at Tony. “One of yours?”
He nodded.
“Figures.” She shook her head and strutted down the hallway.
Cam whistled under his breath. “Who was that?”
“I’m hoping they were the voices of reason.” Not waiting for Cam’s response, Tony limped off toward Sylvie’s room to do the right thing for the woman he loved.
Sylvie counted ceiling tiles in her hospital room, still trying to wrap her brain around the fact that she’d almost died. Or maybe trying to avoid wrapping around it…
She hadn’t seen angels, harps, or a light at the end of the tunnel.
She’d seen Tony.
Which was even more disturbing.
Through the drugged haze, she’d felt him holding her tightly, and had fought against the sweet tide of sleep trying to pull her under. Hearing his voice had been a poignant reminder that she wanted to live. More than that, she wanted Tony.
But he was gone. Out of her life forever, just as she’d demanded.
When she’d regained consciousness in the ambulance her fathers had been with her, but not Tony. He’d brought her back from the brink, then disappeared. At the end, he’d respected what she wanted. What she’d demanded.
She should be glad.
But she wasn’t. Not the least little bit.
Oh, God, how had she been so stupid to send him away?
And why hadn’t he argued with her? Put up even a token protest?
She croaked out a moan.
“You okay, bulldog? Do you want me to get the nurse?” Henry tucked her hand into his.
Before she could answer, a knock sounded. “May I come in?”
That caramel-smooth voice set off a thunder from her heart monitor, and she sat straight up so fast the room spun. Anton sprang to her side. Ignoring both her fathers, she took in the man slouching hesitantly in the doorway, too uncertain to come all the way into the room.
Tony!
He looked like hell. His jaw was swollen and a purple shadow darkened his right cheek. His thick brown hair was tousled as if he’d spent the evening in a wind tunnel, and his black T-shirt was on inside out.
Damn, he was gorgeous.
The heart monitor went even crazier.
Henry’s spine went rigid. “We will always appreciate your saving our Sylvie tonight.” he said stiffly to Tony. “But you’re not welcome here.”
Tony’s shoulders slumped, but he pushed forward a half step into the room. “I understand, but if I could just have a minute.”
Slowly regaining her equilibrium, Sylvie took in the protective wall her fathers made on her behalf. No doubt about it, they loved her. But she was done with using them as an excuse to hide herself from the world. From the heartache of rejection. If this was the last time she spoke with Tony, she was going to face it head-on, painful though it may be.
Tony’s jaw clenched, and he sent her a pleading glance.
She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
“Never mind. I guess this wasn’t a good idea.” Tony sighed and started to back out of the doorway.
“No.” The word rushed out in a whoosh. “Stay. Please.”
“Are you sure, bulldog?” Henry squeezed her hand.
Her heart too far up in her throat to speak, so she nodded.
“We’ll be out in the hall.” Anton brushed his hand across her back and delivered a swift kiss to her cheek. “If you need anything, just call out.”
Her fathers filed out of the room, both shooting Tony the stink-eye the way only pissed off fathers could when looking at men they deemed less than worthy to date their daughters. Smart man that he was, Tony gave them a wide berth.
Once she and Tony were finally alone, they regarded each other in silence. He paced across the small room to the window, and followed the same path back to the door, favoring his right leg. Nervous energy poured off him in waves. In the stretching silence, tension grew between them like a child’s soap bubble, pushing against Sylvie like an almost tangible thing.
She couldn’t take it. Sure, she’d told him to get the hell out of her life, but tonight she’d realized that wasn’t what she really wanted. What she really wanted was him. In her life. And if he was here to tell her good-bye for good, well, he had another thing coming, because she was fighting for this. For him. For them.
She ran her fingers through her hair, combing through several knots, grimacing at the idea of how she must look. The paper-thin, sickly green hospital gown wasn’t the most flattering, but a girl had to work with what she had—even the High-Heeled Wonder.
“What do you want to tell me?” she asked cautiously.
“I have no idea.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and hunched his shoulders forward.
“The man who always has a plan is winging it?” Her lips curved up as she nibbled the bottom one nervously.
He chuckled. “Yeah, and I’m not really good at spontaneous.”
“You should come up with a plan to work on that.”
“No kidding.” He laughed, and the tension between them evaporated.
She pushed the rolling tray of hospital food away from the bed and patted the sheet next to her. “Sit down and talk to me.” An insidious trickle of hope threaded through her.
Tony limped over and sat down, rubbing his right knee. He opened and closed his mouth several times before letting out a sigh that shook his shoulders. “Remember the night in the kitchen when you told me we’re all broken? Well, you’re right. But when I’m with you, I’m more than just a mass of mistakes. With you I feel hope. I feel…whole.” He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed the inside of her wrist. “I know I fucked up, but I promise I’ll make it up to you. You may not forgive me today, or tomorrow, or even years from now, but Sylvie, you’re worth fighting for. And I want to. God, do I want to.”
She scrunched up her nose, losing her battle against the tears that had been threatening to fall since she woke up in the ambulance without Tony. “I think you do pretty damn well when you wing it.”
He lowered his mouth to hers. Firm, soft lips caressed hers and she opened beneath him. His tongue plunged inside, teasing her with promises of the future they’d have together. It was bliss and torture as she tried to free her legs from the confines of the tightly made sheets while he busied his mouth tracing a trail of passion down her neck. Desire pooled in her belly, the need to feel more of him erasing all concerns of where they were. The rest of the world didn’t exist.
“I love you,” Tony whispered against the tender spot where her neck met her shoulder.
She drew him closer and tugged him backward until they were both lying on the hospital bed. “I lov—” The rest of her declaration was swallowed in their passion as his lips met hers. It didn’t matter. She’d have plenty of time to tell—and show—him later.
The door slammed open and Tony raised his head. A nurse came running in—Henry, Anton, Anya, and Drea hot on her heels. The group was halfway in the room before they slammed to a stop, bumping into each other like the Three Stooges.
The nurse eyeballed Tony and Sylvie tangled up together on the bed. “Your heart monitor seems to be malfunctioning.”
“Or not,” said Drea cheekily
.
Glancing at the fast-beeping machine beside her, Sylvie’s cheeks flamed. Oops. “Everything’s fine here. Sorry for the false alarm.”
The nurse winked at them, turned, and walked out the door.
“Don’t make me put a hit out on you,” Anya warned, a slight smile tugging her lips.
Henry shook his head and ushered everyone out the door before closing it, leaving Tony and Sylvie alone again.
She buried her face in Tony’s shoulder, her heart nearly bursting with excitement, awe, and love. “So, what do we do now?”
He sat up with her, an arm around her shoulders, and swiped the lime Jell-O from her tray. “Let’s eat. Then we’ll figure it out together.”
Sylvie laughed and gave him a hug, then grabbed the spoon. “There’s no hope for you.”
“Maybe.” He kissed her, teasing her lips with expert skill and setting off that damn heart monitor again. “But there’s lots of hope for us.”
Acknowledgments
A huge thank-you goes out to my editors, Stephen Morgan and Nina Bruhns. To Stephen, who made me laugh despite his use of the red pen, I’ll never look at Fat Bastard the same way again. :) To Nina, your editorial tweaks are like finding the perfect shade of red lipstick. It makes the whole thing come together. To the entire Entangled team, who helped turn Sylvie and Tony from keyboard to book, you’re so awesome that I would give you all Oreos if I could. Yes, I love you that much. To my protons, Robin and Kim, you two are the best. To The Flynnbots, the greatest readers in the whole wide world, you rock! I hope you love reading this as much as I loved writing it.
xoxoxo, Avery
About the Author
Avery Flynn has three slightly wild children, loves a hockey-addicted husband, and is desperately hoping someone invents the coffee IV drip. Find out more about Avery on her Web site (www.averyflynn.com), follow her on Twitter (@AveryFlynn), like her on her Facebook page (www.facebook.com/AveryFlynnAuthor), or friend her on her Facebook profile. Also, if you figure out how to send Oreos through the Internet, she’ll be your best friend for life.
Angeli
by Jody Wallace
(Contemporary Romantic Suspense/Science Fiction Romance)
“Angeli has it all—a valiant hero, a smart heroine, delicious sexual tension, and an eerie apocalyptic world. This humorous, action-packed story is a refreshing take on alien invasion sci-fi romance!” – Heather Massey of The Galaxy Express (the internet’s primary site for SFR fiction fans)
“Reminiscent of Linnea Sinclair’s The Down Home Zombie Blues, Angeli is part apocalyptic save-the-world thriller and part science fiction adventure. Set against the majestic backdrop of the West, it’s full of Wallace’s signature wit and quirky, multi-faceted characters. If you like your blasters hot and your heroes hotter, not to mention a heroine who can save the day—and the world—don’t miss Angeli!” – NY Times/USA Today bestselling author Jenna Bennett
“A spicy, clever twist on post-apocalyptic science fiction that gives us pulse-pounding action and heroes worth dying for.” – Natalie Damschroder, author of A Kiss of Revenge
He’s no angel...
Gregori’s last mission is to save Earth from the demons threatening to take control. He doesn’t care if he survives as long as he does his best to save a world he believes is worth rescuing despite his superiors’ conventional wisdom to the contrary—until, that is, he meets Adelita, a human refugee, whose spirit and determination give him a renewed reason to fight. And live. He’s falling for her, despite the fact he’s told her nothing but lies and there can’t possibly be a future for them.
Adelita can hardly believe the archangel Gregori, sent to save mankind, has lost his faith and his edge. After he saves her from a demon attack, she vows to help him recover both, by any means necessary. But can she keep her own faith when she learns the truth about who and what Gregori really is?
Love International Style
(4-in-1 Box)
The Prince’s Gamble by Caridad Piñeiro
Prince Alexander Ivanov is scrambling to save his reputation and his livelihood. One of the Russian Nights Casino’s hostesses has disappeared, and his business is suddenly under investigation by the FBI for associations with the mob and money laundering.
Special Agent Kathleen Martinez has no patience with rich, entitled aristocrats, especially one like Alexander Ivanov whom she believes is involved in the vicious human trafficking ring which she’d tried—and failed—to shut down two years earlier. With a second chance to bring him to justice, she goes undercover in the casino, but instead of facing the villain she expected, she finds herself battling a sizzling attraction to the man.
Now, forced to work together to trace the source of the illegal activities, the danger—and the passion between them—grows out of control, and they slowly begin to realize the biggest danger isn’t to the casino, it’s to their lives…and to their hearts.
To Catch A Princess by Caridad Piñeiro
Untold wealth, a loving family, a solid career in America: the only thing Princess Tatiana lacks is the one thing she really doesn’t want—a husband. Unfortunately, her parents have just arranged her marriage to a royal from the old country. Are they kidding? It’s the twenty-first century!
Police Detective Peter Roman is a royal living incognito … and escaping a secret that has haunted his family for years. He’s been quietly in love with his best friend Prince Alexander’s sister for as long as he can remember. Little does she know that he is secretly the Grand Duke to whom she is unwillingly betrothed…
When a series of high-end jewelry heists threatens Tatiana’s exclusive charity exhibition in glamorous Monaco, the two must trap the clever jewel thief before he strikes again. In a fight for their lives, Peter’s secret identity is revealed. With danger and passion increasing to the breaking point, she must decide: catch a thief…or trust the heart of her true love.
For Love or Money by Cathy Perkins
When Holly Price trips over a friend’s dead body while hiking, her life suddenly takes a nosedive into a world of intrigue and danger. The verdict is murder—and Holly is the prime suspect.
Of course, the fact that the infinitely sexy—and very pissed off—cop threatening to arrest her is JC Dimitrak, who just happens to be Holly’s jilted ex-fiancé, doesn’t help matters.
To protect her future, her business…and her heart…the intrepid forensic accountant must use all her considerable investigative skills to follow the money through an intricate web of shadow companies, and stay one step ahead of her ex-fiancé to solve the case. Before the real killer decides CPA stands for Certified Pain in the Ass…and the next dead body found beside the river is Holly’s.
Wild Encounter by Nikki Logan
Veterinarian Clare Delaney is in Africa transporting endangered wild animals to a protected habitat when poachers intercept her convoy, taking Clare hostage along with her priceless cargo.
Everything about Clare’s dangerously sexy captor, Simon DeVries, is steeped in deception. He lies about his real activities in Zambia and the fate of the animals; he keeps his efforts to rescue Clare a secret from his partners in crime; and he’s lying to everyone about his true identity as an undercover MI6 agent.
The complex web threatens to unravel when the poachers unexpectedly change their plan and Simon is tasked with getting rid of their beautiful hostage—permanently.
Previous Entangled Publishing Titles by This Month’s Authors You Might Also Enjoy
Kiss the Bride by Jody Wallace (Southern Contemporary Romance)
The Reborn Vampire series by Caridad Piñeiro (For Love or Vengeance; To Love and Serve; Born to Love; Die for Love)
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