She leaned over and pressed a kiss to his lips, lingering above him for a moment, breathing him in. She wanted to fill her body with his essence for those times she would undoubtedly miss him and want to talk to him. Touch him. Kiss him. "You are one in a million, Ben Wells, and I am not giving up on us."
She quickly left his room before she changed her mind and told the federal prosecutors to find another way to get their conviction. But she knew she couldn't do that. She had to make sure Hutton was convicted and his financial support of the terrorist group ceased. Otherwise, Ben would've been shot for nothing.
Tears flooded her eyes as soon as she stepped into the hallway. Arms wrapped around her, and she knew immediately that Tink and Lance were there to hold her up. What was she going to do without her two new best friends?
Mia looked at Lance, and swiped at the tears as they rolled down her face. "Tell him I'm sorry I wasn't here. Make him understand that I didn't have any other choice. Tell him…tell him…I…"
Love him.
The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't say them. Ben shouldn't hear those words for the first time from anyone other than her.
"Promise me you will make sure he knows that there is no place I would rather be than right here with him," she choked out on a sob.
Lance rested his forehead against hers. "I will, Mia. I promise."
Ben twisted the top off his beer and slipped the metal lid in his pocket with the two he already had in there. Tipping the bottle back, he sucked down a third of the amber liquid.
Tink came out of the kitchen with a bag of potato chips and tossed them on the coffee table before dropping onto the couch. He head nodded toward Ben. "What's Mr. Pouty Ass's problem?" He directed the question to Lance.
Lance grabbed a handful of chips and tossed a couple in his mouth. "Same as it was yesterday, and last week, and last month."
"Still no word, huh?" Tink asked.
Ben shook his head. Two months had passed since he had woken up in the hospital expecting to see Mia. When he had been released from the hospital, he thought for sure he would hear from her. Nothing. At the end of the first month, he got a hold of the federal prosecutor to see if they could get a message to Mia, but had never been able to get through to them again. He had no idea if they had relayed the message to her or not.
And since that time, Ben worked on rehabbing his leg so he could join his new team. He moved into an apartment in Newport, Rhode Island, and was getting acclimated to his new home and team. He had also come to the conclusion that Mia had moved on. Out of sight, out of mind. Greener pastures. New life.
Had she also found a new love?
The acid churned in his stomach, igniting a bright green lightning bolt of jealousy and anger at the thought of her with another man.
"Well, the trial hasn't started yet," said Lance. "And from what I hear, it's gonna be at least six months or more before it starts."
If Ben could convert a glare into explosives, he would've blown Lance off the couch with a single look. This kind of talk wasn't helping him feel better. He sucked down the rest of his beer, and headed into the kitchen for another one.
What the fuck had he expected? He dated her once, got dragged into her fucking drama, had sex with her a couple of times, and then got shot in the leg saving her life. Did that necessarily mean that they were in a relationship? Did that mean fuck all to her?
Ben took a long draw from the new beer, and mentally continued his pity party. Was he building a wall around his heart while it tried to repair itself? Yeah, he guessed so, not completely sure he completely bought into that psycho-babble bullshit. If she didn't want to have anything to do with him, that was perfectly fine with him. Shit—there were a dozen women who wanted to warm his bed.
Mia wasn't the only woman in the world.
Just the only one he wanted. And he hated that he couldn't seem to extinguish the fire that still burned inside his soul just for her.
He walked into the living room, and diverted his course at the knock on the door. Probably one of his other bubba's from the team stopping by to harass him.
He opened the door, and nearly dropped his beer. Green eyes and a beautiful smile greeted him.
"Mia?"
"Hey, Ben." She took a deep breath and glanced to the side and behind her, before returning her gaze to him. "Can I come in?"
"Yeah, of course." He stepped back and closed door after she had passed by him. A loud thumping in his ears from his heart beating so hard was damn distracting. Was she really here? Was he having a daydream about her, as he was sometimes prone to do?
He couldn't dismiss the idea, although he never had them when other people were around.
Tink and Lance were on their feet and around the couch before Ben could clear the clutter from his head.
"Well, speak of the devil," Tink said, gathering Mia in a bear hug.
"For fuck's sake, Tink, don't crush her," Lance admonished him. "She just got over broken ribs, dumb ass."
Tink released his hold, and set her back down. "Oh, sorry, forgot about that."
"It's fine," Mia said. "I'm all healed." She glanced over her shoulder at Ben, and let out an unsteady breath.
Lance slapped Tink on the back. "Well, let's get out of here." He gave Mia a peck on the cheek. "It was great seeing you."
Tink gave her another hug, and followed Lance to the door. Ben mumbled good-bye as he held the door open for them. Tink poked him in the shoulder. "Don't be a dick."
Ben nodded, not sure what to say, and closed the door. What the hell? A minute ago Mia was MIA from my life, and now she's standing my living room.
"Would you like something to drink?" It was the only thing that popped into Ben's head, and he was happy it was a socially acceptable statement. He wasn't sure he trusted his brain not to spew some insult at her to mask the hurt he'd been feeling.
"No, thanks." She looked around the room. "I like your place. When did you move in here?"
"A couple of weeks after I got out of the hospital." He took a drink of his beer, and took her in. She still looked amazing, but a little thinner than the last time he had seen her. "How did you know where I was?"
"Jessica—the federal prosecutor—gave me your message." She rocked back on her heels, and the room was silent again.
Jesus, he wanted to take her in his arms and just hold her. This awkwardness between them sucked balls. The last time they had talked was after making love the night before all hell broke loose. They had shared so much about themselves, and had talked about what they hoped for the future.
The last time he had seen her, she was on a stretcher in the helo, struggling to breath. And when he woke up in the hospital, she was gone.
"I thought you had to cut all ties with your old life?" he asked.
She nodded. "I do."
"But you're here."
"I remembered something Lance said…he told the agents that the prosecution needed me more than I needed them. So, I made a deal with them—they let me visit you and I will testify against Hutton." She lifted one shoulder and tilted her head to the side. "Here I am."
She threatened to refuse to testify if they didn't let her see him? Pretty shit hot. But what did it mean?
He searched her face for anything that would tell him if she still felt the same way, or if this was an in-person Dear, John notification. "Why are you here?"
She dropped her gaze to the floor. "I wanted to see how you were doing. They wouldn't let me call Lance or Tink, but I did try the hospital once. They refused to give me any information about your condition. My handlers found out about the phone call, and were pissed at me. After that, they kept a pretty tight rein on me."
Ben watched as the tips of her fingers turned bright red, while the rest of them were ghost white from twisting them together.
Her beautiful green eyes locked on his, and she gave a him a small smile. "I feel really horrible about the way I left. I begged the agents to let me stay unt
il you woke up. I just didn't know what to do. If I refused to help them with the case, then Hutton may have been able to get off without a hitch, and everything we did would've meant nothing." Her eyes glossed over with unshed tears. She dropped her head to her chest. "I have thought about you every single day. So many times, I wanted to risk a call to you so I could hear your voice. But I was afraid my impulsiveness would harm you, and I just couldn't let anything happen to you again because of me. I'm so sorry, Ben. I hope you can forgive me someday."
Ben placed his bottle on the table and stepped in front of her. Taking her face in his hands, he lifted it. Her words were a magic potion that turned back time, repairing the broken pieces of his heart until it was almost whole again. He bent his head, and softly grazed her lips with his. "You have nothing to apologize for," he whispered, and pressed his lips against hers. The feel of them against his was like coming home to a place he belonged.
Her arms wrapped around his neck, and her lips parted, inviting him to deepen the kiss.
"I missed you, Mia. These last couple of months—not knowing for sure what was happening, or how you felt anymore—have been torture. But I can face anything, any amount of time away from you, if I know you will come back to me when this is all over."
"There's nowhere in the world I would rather be."
If this was all a dream, he hoped to hell he never woke from it. She was an answer to prayers he never knew he had. This woman was incredible. Thrust into the middle of an international terrorist money laundering scheme involving one of the most highly respected senators in DC, putting her life on the line to help cut off the flow of money to the RRA. Giving up her family and friends, her home and job, her life put on hold to put the bad guys away—Ben couldn't imagine ever wanting another woman.
She pulled back, wiped the tears from her face, and smiled at him. "I made another deal with the feds."
Ben perked up. "Conjugal visits?"
She threw her head back and laughed, and claimed Ben's heart all for her own. "No, but that would've been a great idea. I managed to talk Jessica into allowing us to email each other, but we have to use her as a go-between. We can write our emails in a word document, attach it to an email to her, and she will forward it from a dummy account. It's not much, but it's something."
He grabbed her and held her as close to his body as he could. "It's everything."
She caressed the side of his face with her hand. "You're everything."
Ben kissed her hard and long, knowing this would be the last time he would be able to touch her and taste her this way for a while.
But he also knew it wouldn't be the last time he did…and that was all he needed to get through the next few months without her.
THE FUCKING END!!!!
Acknowledgments
I never wanted to write a military romance. Not because I was adverse to military romance—I’m living one! Which is why I didn’t think I could do it. I was too close to the reality to slip into my character’s skin and go through all of their trials and tribulations, successes and failures without it affecting me.
Life is full of changes, and mine is no different. My leading man is getting ready to retire from the Navy after twenty-eight years. He is also on desk duty for the remainder of his military career, and the chances of him being deployed is slim. I feel I can finally delve into the lives, loves, and tragedies of my characters and their stories.
My foray into military romance would not have happened without one person constantly encouraging (hassling) me to write in the genre. So, if you enjoy this story, thank Drue Hoffman, my PA extraordinaire. The wheels would not have started spinning without her. Thanks, Drue!
Big thanks to my military experts; my husband, Chuck, and my SEAL connection, Ryan.
Another round of kudos goes to my editor, Amanda Marie. She is amazing! Also, my developmental editors, Renita and Curtis at A Book A Day.
Buoni Amici Press and Drue Hoffman are responsible for my gorgeous cover.
My advanced reading team is awesome! Thanks for reading the story ahead of time, and posting reviews for other readers.
Most of, thanks to all the readers--some who know me, and others who are new to me—this story is for you!! Thanks for taking a chance on me and my newest adventure in writing.
If you like Ben and Mia’s story, and want to know what happens to Lance and Tink—watch for The 13…coming soon.
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About the Author
Born and raised in the Rocky Mountains, Anne L. Parks has spent the last 25 years moving all over the United States. Married to the Navy – well a Commander in the Navy – Parks has lived in various locales throughout the United States. She currently resides in the Washington D.C area, and is loving every minute. When not writing, she spends her time reading, doing yoga, mountain biking, and keeping track of four kids. And drinking wine.
2013 marked her debut in publishing, with her first novel, Strangers, which released on her 45th birthday. Readers fell in love with a story about two people dealing with grief, and finding love again. Abby and Bryce are the perfect couple to introduce Parks as an up-and-coming author.
Her second novel, The Return, released in December 2013, and was the catalyst for the Return To Me series, a five-book series about second chance love. Other books in this series include, Return To Newport, Lauren’s Return, Returning Home, and RSVP: A Return To Me Christmas novella.
Parks stepped out of her comfort zone, and delved into the paranormal with a group of highly talented authors. The result? Elementals, An Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance Anthology, about four sisters fighting to save the earth – and each other – from their deranged mother.
Currently, Parks is hard at work on her the highly suspenseful Tri-Stone Trilogy. Of Demons & Stones, the first book in the trilogy, and Revenge: Of Demons & Stones Book Two, are both available at all major distributors. Book three, Vindication, will be available March, 2017.
Find Anne At:
www.alparksauthor.com/
[email protected]
Also by Anne L. Parks
The Return Series
The Return
Return To Newport
Lauren’s Return
Returning Home
RSVP
The Tri-Stone Trilogy
Of Demons & Stones
Revenge
Vindication
Stand Alone’s & Anthologies
Strangers
Celebrate - A Love Brothers Anthology (No longer available)
Elementals (No longer available)
Special Forces: Operation Alpha: Mia (Kindle Worlds) Page 16
