by Lexi Blake
“Good.” Nina was probably on her way back to London. She hadn’t hung around very long. “Did they catch the spy?”
“Oh, yes.” Simon was wearing one of his suits. Even in the tropics, his cousin wore a three-piece suit and managed to not get the damn thing wrinkled. “The Agency operative proved quite wily. He captured the spy and managed to not piss off Tag by trying to swipe the tech. The spy is likely being interrogated, and Drake isn’t on the shit list. Given who’s pulling the strings at the Agency these days, that’s a miracle. Hutch was specifically here to ensure Drake didn’t run off with the prize and present it to his boss.”
He didn’t know what any of that meant. His brother had gone on and on about someone named Levi and all the shit he’d stirred, but it didn’t matter.
“So we figured out that Dee went to Houston and lied about it because she was investigating Bill,” Michael explained. “She was surprisingly forthcoming in her debrief. And she knows a lot of ways to call a man a moron.”
“My wife was impressed with her,” Si agreed. “Apparently she’d caught some odd expenses on the engineer’s reports and decided to investigate. She also said she told you but you weren’t interested.”
“Bill always had odd expenses.” He should have listened to her.
“You okay?” Michael was looking at him with concern he hadn’t seen in years. “I can get the doc in here if you need pain meds. You’ve been in and out, but they’re going to start to wean you off. I can tell them to wait on that if you need the drugs.”
If he took more, he might be able to dream about her again.
Or he could get healthy and go after her. He could stop being a whiny baby and prove to her that he was worth her time.
He shook his head. “No. I want to be clearheaded. How soon can I go home?”
He would go home but not for long. Just long enough to get his shit together and put in for a few months’ leave. Then he would find a place in London and put his whole life on hold while he pursued the most important part of it. Her.
“A couple of days.” Michael looked over at Simon. “Maybe we should go tell them he’s awake. I don’t think they’ll want to miss it if he goes back to sleep.”
“No.” He knew his parents would be worried, but he had to ask the question. “Give me a minute. I need to ask you something and I need to make sure you’re going to tell me the truth.”
“Nothing hit your dick, man,” Michael quipped. “According to the docs it’s still fully functional.”
Simon rolled his eyes. “Ask me, JT.”
“Did she even stay around to see if I was okay?” He wasn’t sure it would matter. If she’d left then it had been because she was scared. He’d lied to her and put her in a corner, and she was afraid she would cease to exist if she stayed with him, that she would lose something essential about herself in the face of being his wife. He would show her that she was wrong.
Simon frowned. “Are you asking about Nina?”
Michael’s expression had lost its humor. “She’s gone, but I don’t think it’s for long.”
“She’s coming back? To Dallas?” She might have work to do there.
“No,” Simon corrected. “She’s coming back to the room. She’s barely left it, but your mother insisted she eat a proper lunch.”
Nina was here? “She’s okay? She didn’t get hurt tracking down the spy?”
“JT, she wasn’t involved in that,” Simon replied. “She hasn’t left your side except when you were in surgery. She’s been worried sick. Though she did manage to talk Michael out of a job.”
“She can deal with Dad now.” Michael breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ve been trying to convince Big Tag to let someone else be the liaison with Malone Oil for years.”
The door swung open and sunshine walked in. Nina was wearing a T-shirt and jeans and she looked weary, as though she hadn’t slept in days.
She was the single most gorgeous thing he’d ever seen.
She stopped and tears filled her eyes. “You’re awake.”
He was alive because she was here with him. He held a hand out. “Baby, please come close. I need to see you.”
She rushed to him, taking his hand in hers. “How are you feeling? Are you in pain? I can talk to the doctors. Your mum and dad are with them right now because we want to fly you back home. They’re making arrangements.”
He brought her hand to his chest. “I’m fine and I’ll go anywhere as long as you’re with me.”
“Wow, Tag is right,” Michael said. “This does kind of make me gag.”
Nina shot his brother a look that could have frozen fire. “Then you should leave because I’m about to tell your brother that I love him and I’m staying in Dallas and dating him until we’ve reached an acceptable time to become truly engaged. I will then marry him and we will proceed to have a few children, grow old and enjoy our lives together. And he’s not going to lie to me ever again.”
Now he was the one having trouble with tears. His eyes had gone watery. “Never. But, baby, you have to know I wouldn’t take it back because I want everything you just promised me.”
She leaned over and brushed her lips against his. “Then tell me you love me.”
That was the easiest command he’d ever followed. “I love you.”
“I’m going to find Mom and Dad.” Michael put a hand on his stomach. “I can’t take much more of that.”
Simon shook his head but started to follow him out. “Only because you’ve never had it, cos. One day. One day.”
But this was his day. His day to find forever. He drew her close and promised to never let her go.
Epilogue
Six months later
JT looked around the elegantly decorated space with a deep sense of satisfaction.
This time it was for real.
“Happy engagement,” his brother said, giving him a hearty slap on the back. “Nina looks stunning tonight. She’s far too good for you.”
He glanced over where his fiancée was laughing at something Chelsea Weston was saying. Chelsea grinned as she held her ten-month-old daughter. Sophy Weston looked an awful lot like her father.
“Mom dotes on that kid,” Michael said with a sigh.
His mother treated Sophy like her grandchild, and constantly hinted that she would like some more. Nina was on board, but they were going to enjoy being a couple for a little bit before starting their family. Nina liked a schedule. They’d stuck to her original plans. She’d moved to Dallas and they’d dated for five months. Then he’d taken her on a trip to London to see her family and friends and asked her to marry him and she’d finally gotten to wear that gorgeous Tiffany ring for real.
He could still remember the glow in her eyes when she’d said yes. It was how he would always see her, vibrant and beautiful, nodding her head because words had failed her.
“Well, it’s a good thing since Si’s parents are in England and Chelsea’s are gone,” he pointed out. “I know Sophy has plenty of family around, but there’s nothing like a doting grandmother. Dad’s crazy about her, too. They’re going to ride us both hard until we present them with an appropriate number of kiddos for them to spoil.”
Michael shook his head. “That’s all going to be on you, brother.”
“Right now it is,” he replied. “But one day you’re going to join me.”
“I don’t think that’s going to happen for me. Not the way it has with you and Nina,” Michael replied with grim certainty. “I’ve never once been in love. I think you got all those genes.”
“That’s bullshit. You’ve had plenty of girlfriends over the years.”
“And I never once looked at any of them the way you do Nina. I’ve never felt the need to chase after a woman the way Si did Chelsea,” his brother pointed out. “I’ve never felt that, and I don’t think I ever will. You and Si are lucky, you know.”
Nina looked his way and winked at him before welcoming Charlotte Taggart into their little group.
His brother’s face went the tiniest bit green. “Don’t you even start that.”
Simon strode up, a glass of Scotch in his hands. “Start what?”
“My brother here has decided since he’s now getting married that it’s my turn,” Michael said with a frown.
Simon nodded Michael’s way. “Well, you’re not getting any younger. We’ve just hired a few new investigators. One of them is a lovely young woman. She’s funny and quite bright. I can arrange a meeting.”
Michael started to back away. “What is wrong with you people? I can find my own dates. I do not need a walking, talking version of Tinder. What happened?”
“Marriage. Children,” Simon said with a shrug.
“Yep, I’m going to avoid all those things,” Michael declared. “I’m going to be everyone’s Uncle Mike. Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to go drink a whole lot of beer and pretend you two haven’t lost your damn minds.”
He practically ran away.
“That’s one way to scare my brother off,” JT said with a shake of his head.
“He’ll be back.” Simon looked out over the party. “I think I’ll arrange that meeting anyway. Lola is lovely, and she understands the constraints of his job. I think that’s what’s gone wrong with his last few girlfriends. He needs someone in the business.”
He loved working with Nina. It was the perfect arrangement because they weren’t together all the time, but when he traveled, she could go with him as his security expert.
His super sexy bodyguard.
“I think Mike will work it all out in the end.” He smiled because Nina was walking his way. “Our ladies are here.”
Chelsea and Sophy were by Nina’s side, and Simon set down his drink so he could take his daughter. The baby girl grinned up at her dad.
That would be him someday.
Nina moved to his side, watching his cousin’s family with a warm glow that let him know she was thinking the same thing.
She slipped her hand into his. “Are you ready? Your mother wants to make the formal announcement. Though I don’t understand why. Everyone knows we’re engaged.”
“My aunt is extremely proud to have you in our family,” Simon explained. “She never thought JT would get married. You should be ready for all the formalities. She’s got a proper English girl in the family now.”
Chelsea nodded. “Yeah, Aunt Ava has spent way too much time surrounded by dudes. I for one am super happy to have another woman around. Come on, my loves. Let’s go find Mommy some champagne.”
“Congratulations, you two,” Simon said as he joined his wife.
JT turned to the woman who’d made his life brighter than it had ever been. He’d had a charmed life, but Nina made it a worthwhile life. He drew her close. “You ready to make it official?”
She tilted her head back and gave him a gorgeous grin. “Absolutely.”
He leaned over and kissed his soon-to-be bride. With his friends and family all around him, life was finally perfect.
* * * *
Also from 1001 Dark Nights and Lexi Blake, discover Enchanted, Protected, Close Cover, Arranged, Dungeon Games, Adored, and Devoted.
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THE BISHOP by Skye Warren
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Enchanted: A Masters and Mercenaries Novella by Lexi Blake
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A snarky submissive princess
Sarah Steven’s life is pretty sweet. By day, she’s a dedicated trauma nurse and by night, a fun-loving club sub. She adores her job, has a group of friends who have her back, and is a member of the hottest club in Dallas. So why does it all feel hollow? Could it be because she fell for her dream man and can’t forgive him for walking away from her? Nope. She’s not going there again. No matter how much she wants to.
A prince of the silver screen
Jared Johns might be one of the most popular actors in Hollywood, but he lost more than a fan when he walked away from Sarah. He lost the only woman he’s ever loved. He’s been trying to get her back, but she won’t return his calls. A trip to Dallas to visit his brother might be exactly what he needs to jump-start his quest to claim the woman who holds his heart.
A masquerade to remember
For Charlotte Taggart’s birthday, Sanctum becomes a fantasyland of kinky fun and games. Every unattached sub gets a new Dom for the festivities. The twist? The Doms must conceal their identities until the stroke of midnight at the end of the party. It’s exactly what Sarah needs to forget the fact that Jared is pursuing her. She can’t give in to him, and the mysterious Master D is making her rethink her position when it comes to signing a contract. Jared knows he was born to play this role, dashing suitor by day and dirty Dom at night.
When the masks come off, will she be able to forgive the man who loves her, or will she leave him forever?
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Protected: A Masters and Mercenaries Novella by Lexi Blake
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A second chance at first love
Years before, Wade Rycroft fell in love with Geneva Harris, the smartest girl in his class. The rodeo star and the shy academic made for an odd pair but their chemistry was undeniable. They made plans to get married after high school but when Genny left him standing in the rain, he joined the Army and vowed to leave that life behind. Genny married the town’s golden boy, and Wade knew that he couldn’t go home again.
Could become the promise of a lifetime
Fifteen years later, Wade returns to his Texas hometown for his brother’s wedding and walks into a
storm of scandal. Genny’s marriage has dissolved and the town has turned against her. But when someone tries to kill his old love, Wade can’t refuse to help her. In his years after the Army, he’s found his place in the world. His job at McKay-Taggart keeps him happy and busy but something is missing. When he takes the job watching over Genny, he realizes what it is.
As danger presses in, Wade must decide if he can forgive past sins or let the woman of his dreams walk into a nightmare…
* * * *
Close Cover: A Masters and Mercenaries Novel by Lexi Blake
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Remy Guidry doesn’t do relationships. He tried the marriage thing once, back in Louisiana, and learned the hard way that all he really needs in life is a cold beer, some good friends, and the occasional hookup. His job as a bodyguard with McKay-Taggart gives him purpose and lovely perks, like access to Sanctum. The last thing he needs in his life is a woman with stars in her eyes and babies in her future.
Lisa Daley’s life is going in the right direction. She has graduated from college after years of putting herself through school. She’s got a new job at an accounting firm and she’s finished her Sanctum training. Finally on her own and having fun, her life seems pretty perfect. Except she’s lonely and the one man she wants won’t give her a second look.
