Dangerous in Action (Aegis Group Alpha Team, #2)
Page 27
“My doctorate application seems to be well received.” She shrugged. That was understating the truth, but she didn’t want to toot her horn all that much.
“Yeah? Where at?” he asked. The bright interest was feigned. She could see his hand clenched into a tight fist and the tendon at his neck all but popping out.
“University of Washington.” She finished peeling the potatoes and dumped them into the boiling water.
The university wasn’t across the street, but it wasn’t a crazy long commute, either. She could feasibly live right where she was—with Isaac—and go to school.
His shoulders relaxed and he blinked at her a few times.
Did he realize the same things she was thinking?
If she got accepted that was several years of commitment to one city. One place. One man, if they continued down this path.
“When did you to this?” Isaac frowned.
“While you were on that last job. I did it on a whim.” She shrugged. She’d been at a loss for what to do with herself if it wasn’t the CIA. Her dual degrees were chosen with purpose, to be an attractive candidate. Without that goal in mind, her horizons had widened. She could pick any focus she wanted.
Isaac grabbed her hand and pulled her to his chest.
“Sounds like something to celebrate.” He smiled, but the worry was still there behind his eyes. He pitched his voice for her ears alone. “When were you going to tell me?”
“Later. I didn’t really know how.” What she did had never mattered to anyone else before.
“Here, Isaac, set the table.” Mrs. Cohen shoved a stack of plates at her son and shooed him out of the kitchen.
Isaac took the plates and bent, kissing her cheek. There were still questions behind his eyes, but the smile was easier, more believable.
She watched Isaac exit with the plates and shook her head.
“I don’t know what you’ve done to my son, but I haven’t seen him smile this much in years.”
Tanya wasn’t sure it was entirely because of her, but love did have a way of changing people.
Isaac closed the apartment door behind Tanya and twisted the lock shut. He’d been patient, even hung out in the kitchen helping with dishes, but Tanya hadn’t said another word about school since before the meal.
He’d known they were headed toward a shift. Some sort of change. He wasn’t looking forward to it. They’d barely settled into some semblance of normalcy as it were.
Her body was mostly healed, she could move and function without pain, though months of inactivity had taken their toll on her endurance. They’d begun doing some light exercising together, focusing on building her core muscles back up and regaining her flexibility. He didn’t think it would take long for her to be back at kicking ass and taking names level again if she wanted it.
Beyond the physical, Tanya was an active person. Her mind and body needed something to do. Having her home, all to himself, was nice, but he’d known it would never last. Her restless episodes were becoming more frequent, her frustration palpable when she couldn’t do what she wanted to yet. When this period was over, what would she do? Where were they headed?
It was almost funny how Tanya had feared he would be the one to change his mind. She was the one who’d seemed more distant, as of late, while he was doing everything he could to hold onto her. Flowers. Cards. Introducing her to all the women in his circle. They’d done dinner with other couples so she could meet the guy’s girlfriends and wives. Anything to give her roots here. With him.
“Tonight went well, don’t you think?” Tanya shrugged out of her coat. “I’m going to have to write down what I tell Ruth. She’s too perceptive to not figure out something.”
Isaac grabbed Tanya’s had and reeled her in, wrapping his arm around her waist.
“I want to talk about the University of Washington,” he said.
“What about it?” She flattened her hand against his chest.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I had no idea things would move this fast. I did it on a whim. Sort of. Honestly, I was throwing spaghetti against the wall. I was talking to Freya about how her doctoral program was going and figured what the hell? Psychology was always supposed to be my backup plan, if the CIA didn’t work out.”
“What does that mean?” Isaac needed to know something so he could put himself out of his misery.
“Sit.” She pushed at his chest.
He sat in the recliner and she crawled into his lap, pillowing her head on his shoulder. This was his favorite spot, where they’d fallen asleep so many times after she could stand to be touched.
“What’s really on your mind?” she asked.
“I want you to be happy, but I also want you to be with me. I’m worried that’s not possible.”
“Why not?” She frowned at him.
“You never told me about UW.”
“I know, I just... Getting accepted will mean changes and I didn’t want to rock the boat until I knew something.”
“Like?”
“Like, I’ll need to think about study space and where I’ll get my hours in at.” She slid her hands up over his shoulders and cupped the back of his head. “Do you know I’ve never really lived alone?”
“No.”
“I haven’t. I’ve also never really lived anywhere I’d call happy, either, but...this place. Living with you, it’s become my safe place. I don’t want to give this up.”
“So...you’re saying...what?”
“I want us to get a bigger place.”
“A bigger place?” Isaac stared at her. He’d been bracing himself for her to say she wasn’t happy, things weren’t working out, she was leaving, and all she wanted was space for a desk?
“What’s so funny?” Tanya glared at him.
Isaac leaned his head back and laughed. Here he’d let himself get so wound up over the possibility of her leaving him, and she was going in another direction entirely.
“I don’t think this is funny.” She jabbed his ribs with her finger.
“Oh, cupcake, it’s always interesting with you.” He grasped her hand and kissed her knuckles. “I think we need to practice a little more of that communication stuff you talk about. You have some places in mind?”
“Well, your lease is up in ten weeks, they want notice in four, so...it’s kind of important.”
“You realize that if we move somewhere, you’re stuck with me in a legal, binding sense?” It wasn’t marriage or anything permanent, but it was one more reassurance that when he came home, she’d be there. That this was real. That they were both in it for more than the sex or the convenience.
“You realize you’re already stuck with me?” She smiled so sweetly. “I’d break your knees if you thought you could leave.”
“That’s the sexiest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
“You’re unbearable.”
“And you love me.”
“I do.” She kissed the tip of his nose. “Do you want to see the listings now, or later?”
“Is it a spreadsheet sort of a list?”
“Yes.”
“Then later.”
Isaac had plans for this chair, her and him for the next hour. After all, they only had ten more weeks in this place. They needed to make all the memories they could before they moved on.
You can stay up to date on the whole Alpha Team crew in Dangerous in Love and Dangerous in Transit, coming this December.
Sign up for the New Release Newsletter at www.SidneyBristol.com to get inside scoops and free books.
Explore the whole Aegis world in these series...
It all began with the Aegis Group.
Dangerous Attraction
Dangerous in Training
Dangerous Games
Dangerous Assignment
Dangerous Protector
Dangerous Heat (coming 2018)
In Dangerous Games it continued with the Gone Geek girls.
Beauty and the Geek
Mr. Purr-fect and the Geek
The Jock and the Geek
The Gamer and the Geek
The Adorkable Girl and the Geek
The Billionaire and the Geek (coming 2018)
When the Seattle office of Aegis Group opened the Twisted Royals took the stage.
The Origin Story
Alpha Prince
Her Prince
Bad Boy Prince
Noble Prince
Within Aegis Group, special teams take on special jobs, beginning with the Alpha Team.
Dangerous in Love
Dangerous in Action
Dangerous in Transit (coming 2017)
Dangerous in Motion (coming 2018)
Dangerous in Charge (coming 2018)
Stay tuned for the appearance of the Lepta Team, Troy Team and Omega Team.
For short reads, tune in this December for the Body of Danger novella series kick-off.
Heart for Danger (December 2017)
Mind for Danger (coming 2018)
Soul for Danger (coming 2018)
Dangerous in Love
Aegis Group Alpha Team 1
He follows orders.
A good SEAL, Shane York values chain of command. Following the rules means staying alive. All of that is wrecked when his team is sent to Jamaica on a hostage rescue. She’s not the mission, but they leave no one behind.
She breaks the rules.
Travel blogger Lacey Miles lives for today. Thanks to her unexpected rescue from certain death, she has a shot at tomorrow. She wants her mercenary captors to pay, and she has the evidence to ensure it—if she lives long enough to deliver it.
Opposites spark an unlikely romance in the heat of danger.
Delivering the intel and keeping the hostages alive becomes priority one for the Aegis Group Alpha Team. The last thing Shane and Lacey have time for is love. As the team races home and bullets fly, rules fall by the wayside and lines begin to blur. With a traitor in their midst, will love be a distraction or a strength?
Dangerous Attraction
Aegis Group 1
Ex-Navy SEAL Travis Ration is an expert hunter. Whether his prey is criminal or victim, he always gets his mark. He's no hero, just a man doing his job. It’s all he has after a felony conviction after a bad judgment call. When the FBI call in a favor and ask him to look into a serial killer over the holiday break, he jumps at the opportunity to fill the long, cold days with something besides regret and bad movies. In Las Vegas, he's on the hunt for a prolific serial killer no one wants to admit exists. The leads are dry and the evidence gone, until she walks into his life. Bliss Giles—curvy, sassy and everything he can't have.
What’s worse, Travis knows Bliss’ sister is the killer's latest victim. She fits the profile. Time is running out and the fastest way to retrace the killer's path is with Bliss at Travis' side. In the seat of danger. He vows to keep Bliss safe and his hands to himself, after all, a nice girl like her doesn't need a guy like him in her life. Too bad no one told Bliss Travis was off-limits. She tests his boundaries and pushes his control every minute they're together until he can't remember why wanting her is a bad idea.
The hunters become the hunted in this tale of serial killers and SEALs for hire. One broken man must unpack his baggage, a woman has make a leap of faith and a sister chooses to live in this new, romantic suspense serial by NYT & USA Today bestselling author, Sidney Bristol.
Warning: Hold onto your panties, because nothing is safe.
Dangerous in Training
Aegis Group 2
Disgraced Navy SEAL Mason Clark knows how to track his prey. He is an expert operative with a history of wrong-place-wrong-time luck. Landing a gig as a vacation bodyguard should have been an easy job—if he wasn't supposed to be protecting her body.
Hannah Stevens. His boss's virgin daughter. Their lust is forbidden and a relationship is out of the question—but what happens in Mexico is their secret. Getting lost between the sheets is their one and only goal, until Hannah's friends are brutally kidnapped by a human-trafficking ring. Things quickly spiral out of control when the kidnappers put Hannah in their cross hairs.
Mason is a man ready to put it all on the line to rescue the woman he loves. Love and honor are put to the test in this new, romantic suspense series by NYT and USA Today bestselling author, Sidney Bristol.
Warning: Deflowering virgins doesn't come with volume control.
Dangerous Games
Aegis Group 3
Ex-Navy SEAL Zain Lloyd is good with his hands and even better with his head. As the chief intelligence officer for the private security firm, Aegis Group, it's his job to tackle problems before they costs his friend's their lives. Which is why R&R time away from the high-stress environment is always a top priority, and a week at ComicCon is just what this closet-geek wants most, until a fateful elevator ride with the woman of his internet fantasies.
Andrea Clark can't trust anyone, least of all the mysteriously sexy man she meets outside of her trashed hotel room. But Zain might be her only hope of making it through the convention and home alive. He's her very own superhero, made of all the stuff to make her fall fast and hard. With no safety net in place, she can only pray that Zain will catch her when she falls.
A web of lies and deceit ensnare two lovers. Zain must use more than his brain and quick fingers to put a stop to the doxxing and death threats before a killer emerges from the ranks of Andrea's friends.
Warning: The geeks do it better.
Dangerous Assignment
Aegis Group 4
Veteran Navy SEAL Luke Briar has a solution for every problem, except when his latest job goes sideways. Things were so much simpler when all he had to worry about was how to put a smile on Abigail's face, though nothing he does chases the shadows from her eyes. Now Luke and his lovely new partner must protect a pair of criminals from people trying to kill them.
Abigail is a lie. Everything about her is false, but keeping the truth from her partner is becoming increasingly difficult. Her mission was simple, kill two internationally wanted criminals and get out. But she wasn't counting on him. Luke. He awakens parts of her she long thought were dead. But people like her don’t get second chances at life, and her betrayal will crush any happiness they might have had. Falling for Luke can't happen.
When the tables are turned and someone else gets to Abigail's targets before she can, all hell breaks loose. Luke doesn’t know if the woman he’s fallen for is a terrorist or something worse. Explosive desire isn't a license for murder, but he can’t live without her. With the authorities closing in, Luke must decide who to trust—law or love.
Warning: Explosive chemistry ahead.
Dangerous Protector
Aegis Group 5
Retired Navy SEAL Marco Benally knows the cost of right and wrong, and he's willing to pay the price. After his family's home is stolen out from under them by a company covering up their illegal activities, Marco takes matters into his own hands. No cost is too great to reclaim the generational homestead. Even if that means someone else has to take the fall. Or that's what he tells himself until he meets her. The woman with the tight skirt, tall heels and darkness in her eyes. One night, one lie to get the evidence he needs and then it's over. Or at least that's what he tells himself.
Fiona Goero survives by following very careful rules. She's lived more of her life in Witness Protection than out of it. As one of the Internet's Most Wanted for helping the FBI put away a group of hackers, she is never safe. She's the traitor. The hacker who turned against her own. For one night she wants to indulge her every desire. To be held. To feel again. What should have been a passionate encounter becomes a snarled mess of lies and spies. Someone close to her is not only using her, they're trying to kill her. Her one-night-stand might be the only thing between her and being six foot under.
Marco is a man on a mission to set things right before Fiona discovers that not all of the danger can be laid at her enemies' feet. The great
est danger Fiona faces just might be from Marco—the man she's falling for.
Warning: Stubborn heroes fall the hardest.
Book List
Aegis Group
Dangerous Attraction
Dangerous in Training
Dangerous Games
Dangerous Attraction
Dangerous Protector
Dangerous Heat (coming 2018)
Aegis Group Alpha Team
Dangerous in Love
Dangerous in Action
Dangerous in Transit
Dangerous in Motion (coming 2018)
Dangerous in Charge (coming 2018)
Gone Geek
Beauty and the Geek
Mr. Purr-fect and the Geek
The Jock and the Geek
The Gamer and the Geek
The Adorkable Girl and the Geek
Twisted Royals
Alpha Prince
Her Prince
Bad Boy Prince
Noble Prince
Tarnished Heroes
Spy Games
Hot Rides
Drive
Shift
Chase
Bayou Bound
Picture Her Bound
Duty Bound
Bound Memories
Bound & Tamed
Other BDSM Titles
Committed
Bound with Pearls
Collar Me in Paris
Festive Seduction
Electric Engagement
So Inked
Under His Skin
The Harder He Falls
His Marriage Bargain
Standalone Titles
Falling for His Best Friend
Dream Vacation (free read)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
It can never be said that NYT & USA Today Bestselling author Sidney Bristol has had a ‘normal’ life. She is a recovering roller derby queen, former missionary, and tattoo addict. She grew up in a motor-home on the US highways (with an occasional jaunt into Canada and Mexico), traveling the rodeo circuit with her parents. Sidney has lived abroad in both Russia and Thailand, working with children and teenagers. She now lives in Texas where she splits her time between a job she loves, writing, reading and fostering cats.