by Lori King
“More than life itself.” Austin’s answer was clear and firm, and even in the face of his emotional somersault she felt reassured.
“I love you, too, so much it hurts a little and scares me a lot.”
“Good, that makes two of us,” Michael said with a small laugh.
“Three,” Austin said begrudgingly, and Kendrick slapped him on the shoulder as he said, “Four.”
“Well hell, this is a fine mess we’re in. What happens after you admit you’re in love?”
Kendrick threw her a lascivious grin. “I can think of a few ideas…”
Gaby laughed. “No I don’t think I’m up for that tonight. I’m fairly sure Tristan dragged me up the stairs backward based on the bruising. I’ll take a rain check!”
Gaby’s phone rang, cutting off any response the guys might have had, and she held it up to her ear after looking at the caller ID. “Q, I know you’re going to kill me for not taking Tristan seriously, but—”
“Gaby, it’s Sebastian. We’re at the hospital with Quinn. She’s having the baby!”
“Oh my God! Are you serious? Okay, umm, I’ll have the guys bring me to the hospital right now. Wait, who has the boys?”
Sebastian laughed nervously. “Gladys Humphries is babysitting for us. She was at the house dropping off some paperwork for the auction when Quinn’s water broke. The doctors say this one will be fast, so you better get here soon!”
“On my way, Sebastian! Give her a kiss for me!”
After clicking the phone off, she grinned at the nervous looks on her three men’s faces. “Let’s go, boys! We’re having a baby tonight!”
“What the fuck?”
“Oh my God, don’t say that!”
“I think I’m going to throw up.”
Gaby laughed all the way back to the hospital where she arrived just in time to greet Kamden Louis Valdez when he made his big entrance into the world. There were tears and hugs as her three men congratulated the Valdez brothers on their new addition.
Once the doctors had cleared the room and cleaned up both mom and baby, Gaby filled an exhausted Quinn in on the events of the evening.
“You have got to be shittin’ me! You got kidnapped tonight, and you’re sitting here holding my baby like nothing happened?” Quinn stared at her in awe and horror.
“My men saved me, and anyways, nothing would stop me from seeing my newest nephew on his birthday,” Gaby answered, kissing the dark hair that curled sweetly atop the baby’s head.
“Wow. I’m impressed, Gaby.”
“That I managed to help save myself?”
Quinn shook her head. “No, that you finally admitted you were in love with your men. They are good for you, and they love you very deeply.”
Gaby met Quinn’s eyes and nodded. “I know that now. Some of us are slower on the uptake than others.”
The two women were laughing when their men reentered the room. Gaby tipped Kamden so that Michael, Austin, and Kendrick could get a better look at his scrunched-up face, and then she smiled up at her men.
“He’s beautiful, Quinn, congratulations,” Austin said as he knelt down and brushed his fingers across Kamden’s tiny fist.
Michael and Kendrick both knelt, and it took Gaby a moment to register that something was happening. When Austin held out the small black velvet box, she felt her heart jump, and she found she was unable to drag her eyes away from it as he spoke beside her.
“Gabriella Larkin, I love you more than life itself. You’ve finally admitted that you love me back, and now I want to spend the rest of my life showing you, and building a future with you and my brothers.”
That got her attention. She looked at Kendrick, who nodded and smiled. “I love you, Gaby-baby. If you will have me as your husband, I will gladly change my last name to Curtis and make it official.”
“Sweetheart, you’ve made the three of us the happiest and the craziest we’ve ever been. Our lives are better with you in them. Please say that you will marry me…us.” Michael reached out and opened the box in Austin’s hand. The glint of a diamond flashed, and Gaby nodded yes through the tears in her eyes.
Kamden chose that moment to announce his presence, and he wailed as her men tried to hug her. Passing the infant off to his mother, she fell into the arms of her men, hearing the Valdez family congratulate her from behind.
Austin grimaced as the baby wailed for all he was worth. “So you think you’re gonna want one of those?”
Gaby nodded. “Yeah, someday, but for now I’ve got my hands full with you three and the shop.”
Kendrick stared at her with wide eyes. “You sure do. No need to rush. I mean…not that I don’t want to have babies with you…but uh…umm…Mikey?”
Michael shook his head, “Uh uh man, I can admit that those little bitty buggers scare the dickens out of me. The big ones I can handle. We’ll babysit for a couple of years before we talk about it, okay?”
Gaby just laughed, feeling her heart open completely up for the first time in years. It was wonderful to be loved for being herself.
THE END
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lori King is an everyday woman, born and raised right smack in the middle of the country in the ever-conservative state of Kansas. She juggles three sons, a husband, a dog, a turtle, and way too many extracurricular activities to mention.
Writing is a way of stepping outside of the real world and embracing something new and different for her. A hopeless romantic, she spends her days dreaming up alpha men, and her nights telling their stories while always looking for the happily ever after.
Find out more about her current projects at: www.LoriKingBooks.wordpress.com.
For all titles by Lori King, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/lori-king
Sunset Point
Cross Point
Former IAD agent Katrina “Trinity” Cross is in desperate need of a vacation. When a friend asks for a personal favor, Trinity agrees to fly to the island of Sunset Point, only to find that things in paradise aren’t what they seem…
Jackson Stone is a man who likes regulation and order, but when Katrina Cross arrives on his island, life as he knows it’ll never be the same.
Falling behind schedule is not allowed in Maxwell King’s orderly world. Missing money, cheap materials, and a dead foreman top of the list of his problems, but nothing shakes him more than the sexy siren that sets his body on fire…
As the investigation heats up, Maxwell and Jackson both fall for Trinity, but she can’t choose between the uptight corporate mogul and the rough and ready police lieutenant. Can she find a way to keep them both, or will their love become a casualty at the Cross Point?
Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre
Length: 60,263 words
Chapter One
“I need a favor.”
Katrina “Trinity” Cross heaved out a sigh at her friend’s words as she answered her phone. Staring out at the dreary sight of the Chicago street outside of her apartment window, she wished for sun and warmth. Instead, winter seemed unwilling to completely release its hold on the city and blanketed it with a cold, icy rain. And this phone call did nothing to improve her mood.
Why oh why had she answered it?
Even from miles away in Las Vegas, T-rex could make Trinity very leery. “You know, every time I hear those words from you someone ends up trying to kill me.”
Her friend and fellow IAD agent Tara “T-rex” Toshi had the nerve to laugh at that. “Oh yeah, good times. This is slightly different though. It’s a totally innocuous situation I need you to look into. No one will try to kill you…at least I don’t think they will.”
“Gee, how positively encouraging,” Trinity said dryly.
Both women worked for IAD, a specialized intelligence agency and counterterrorist taskforce that very few people even knew existed. The International Alliance of Defense was an extremely covert branch in the intelligence community, more like a transnational agency.
They were the ultimate warriors of global warfare with agents stationed all over the world. The members of NATO had formed IAD with a policy of “get it done, no matter the cost.” IAD handled their own problems and discourses internally, and that was just the way they liked it. They were the elite, and only the best were chosen to serve.
For the highly skilled select members of IAD it was a dream come true, since most of the agents had been disillusioned with the rules, regulations, and red tape of the regular intelligence branches. Only the highest, most qualified candidates were chosen for IAD, given a kind of worldwide immunity for their actions. Government agencies around the world looked at the members of IAD with awe, not to mention a great amount of envy. Not that it didn’t piss off other agencies when they had to defer to IAD agents if the situation called for it.
Well, former agent in Trinity’s case.
Born Katrina Briars, Trinity was an interesting mix of contradictions. At thirty-one years old, she had been through a lot in her life. She considered herself a tomboy at heart, but with her long, light-brown hair, intense hazel eyes highlighted with long, thick lashes, full pouty lips, and a perfect body, she looked more like a sex bomb. Still, she would rather play with her guns than go shopping. An adrenaline junkie to the core, Trinity had found her calling in covert work.
Growing up in Chicago, she had never known her father and had been forced to deal with her raging alcoholic mother until she was thrown in jail when Trinity was five. Lost in the foster care system, Trinity had fallen into the wrong crowd until her life had changed at thirteen when she had tried to steal a car belonging to Homeland Security agent Ben Cross. Ben and his wife Veronica had taken one look at the bruised and battered young girl and had welcomed her into their home.
From that day on, her life had changed.
Following in her father’s footsteps, Trinity joined Homeland Security after graduating from college early, becoming one of their youngest agents. Specializing in cyber crimes, she also qualified for sharpshooter status, making her a viable asset to any operation. The problem was that Trinity had never really grown out of her rebellious nature or her disregard of authority, especially when she knew she was right. Although she had numerous accolades, she also held one of the highest number of reprimands in the agency. Equally proud of both, when the chance to work for IAD came along, she jumped.
And Trinity had never regretted her decision.
Even after the last clusterfuck she’d been through, she had loved every second of her time with IAD. Trinity had just come off a pretty nasty mission that left her battle-scarred and, in her opinion, slightly mind-fucked, which was not conducive to being a field agent. Taking herself out of the game was killing her, but she would never put her fellow agents and friends at risk. Until she got her mind right, she was benching herself.
Although, that was turning out to be a problem since no one was listening to her.
Trinity silently cursed herself as her interest was piqued, just like Tara knew it would. Damn her. “Why don’t I believe you, T-rex? You know, I haven’t even been retired for a full twenty-four hours yet and you’re already trying to drag me back in.”
Tara laughed so loud Trinity had to hold the phone away from her ear. “Bullshit, Trinity. You know you can never really retire from IAD, unless you retire from living. It’s like Hotel California…you never stop being an agent until you’re six feet under.”
Damn her again, Tara was right.
“Anyways, you’ve been doing nothing but sitting on your fabulous ass for almost a month now,” Tara said. “I thought you could use something to do.”
Trinity hadn’t been sitting around for shits and giggles. She’d been on medical leave recovering from a grueling mission. She had gone undercover in Mexico to help take down a particularly nasty ring of Coyotes, traffickers who took money to help people sneak across the border into the US. Only this particular group had a tendency to use those who came to them as drug mules or they ended up extorting more money from them to gain their freedom once they were on American soil. For the pretty young men and women, the outcome was even worse. They were taken across the border where they were forced into sexual slavery or sold to the highest bidder.
Trinity had positioned herself in with a group asking to be taken across the border, as they’d needed to know who the buyer and contact was on the US side. She had been tagged with a tracking device that affixed to her skin and was untraceable to most sensors. The mission had seemed simple enough. She just hadn’t planned on four of the assholes running the smuggling ring to join her in the back of the truck, wanting a taste of her and the other young woman in the group on the trip over.
With her hands tied and nothing but her bare fists, Trinity had stopped the men, earning a couple stab wounds to the side for her trouble. She had also been beaten to shit by the time the truck had arrived at the drop point, but what had done the most damage to her psyche had been being locked in the back of the truck with four dead bodies in the heat and the dark.
The doctor monitoring her recovery had been able to help heal her physical wounds with the aid of an experimental drug, but her mind was a whole different story. Her brain was a minefield that she was told would take time to heal.
Personally, she thought she was fucked.
What the hell kind of agent could she be if she freaked out in the dark?
Unwilling to put her friends at risk, she’d retired herself from the agency, only to find that it really was impossible to leave completely. She sighed again and knew, without a doubt, that this was going to be a mistake.
“What do you need me to do?”
Trinity could practically see her friend’s grin through the phone as Tara responded. “Julian’s family is working on an expansion project on an island off the coast of Florida. Seriously, I’d never even heard of the place before he told me about it. They’re building onto the Palace Resort and Spa there, but things have gone FUBAR and no one can figure out what’s going on. We were going to fly down, but I got called in to help the guys from the LA office and can’t now.”
Damn it. Julian King was Tara’s fiancé and Trinity really liked him. He’d basically become a part of the IAD family and everyone knew that Trinity would do anything for family. “Give me the basics.”
Knowing she had Trinity hooked, Tara explained. “The resort is located on an island that caters toward the wealthy. It’s one of their most lucrative properties in the US, and they recently bought the land next to the hotel in order to expand. The problem is, nothing seems to be going according to the plans. There have been delays and other problems, especially with the finances of this project.”
“Can’t Julian have one of his minions go down there and bash some heads together?”
“That’s what you’re for, sweetie.”
Shit.
“Listen, this project has been headed up by Julian’s brother, Maxwell, but he’s been busy handling another issue at their hotel in Monaco and their mother and sister are handling some big convention in New York. Come on, Trinity. It’s a resort…on an island. Are you really telling me you don’t want to take a vacation at one of the most exclusive resorts for free?”
The fantasy of white sandy beaches with crystal-clear-blue water swayed Trinity as she looked out at the pouring rain again. Even though Trinity had naturally golden skin, she was in serious need of a tan. “Fine. I’ll go, but you’ll owe me.”
“I totally will. We’ll even set you up in the owner’s suite for your stay. Julian tells me it’s huge and there’s even a private pool on the balcony.”
“I never understood that. Why do you need a private pool when you’re practically on the beach?” Trinity mused.
“Ah, maybe so you can swim naked?”
“But I’d do that on the beach.”
Tara laughed. “That’s why I love you. You’re a wild one, Trinity. Go check this out for us and you can stay down there as long as you’d like and become a mermaid.”
&
nbsp; That made Trinity’s lips curve in a grin. “See if I don’t. I’m officially retired. Fine, I’ll do it but you’ll be paying for all my shit, room service and everything. And I just might get a massage every day. I think I deserve a little fun in the sun.”
“Exactly! I haven’t been down there myself, but I’ve seen pictures of the island. It’s absolutely beautiful. Trust me when I say I think you’ll totally love Sunset Point. You’ll be able to reach me on my cell or you can contact Julian directly when you know what’s going on. Go enjoy yourself. And if you end up swimming naked in the ocean, you’ll have to tell me all about it. Especially if there’s a hot guy involved.”
“Perv. You’re engaged now. Doesn’t that mean you can’t think of other men now?”
“First of all, hello pot said kettle. And no. I might be engaged, but I’m not dead.”
Trinity was still laughing as she ended the call. Her mood lifted as she thought about her upcoming trip. Yeah, she could really use a vacation to a sunny, beautiful island where the only thing she had to worry about was what type of drink to order next. And where no one tried to kill her.
It would be a change of pace, but hey, she was retired now.
“Crap…”
Clearly someone hadn’t gotten the message about Trinity’s dream vacation where no one was supposed to try and kill her.
Until now, Trinity had been having a damn good day.
Arriving on Sunset Point Island earlier that day, courtesy of the private plane Julian had booked for her, had set her off to a great start. She had flown out of the dark-gray skies of Chicago into the bright blue of Sunset Point Island off of the Florida coast. As soon as the plane lifted off, so did her mood. The weight she’d been carrying from the last few missions had been left behind as she actually began to look forward to her vacation.
On the plane ride over, she’d treated herself to a couple of mimosas while she scanned the data Tara had sent her about the renovations. Right away it was clear there was something hinky going on with the financials. She wasn’t an expert on construction by any means, but the cost projections of the renovation seemed to be extremely off. It didn’t take a genius to see that they were over budget and way off the estimated timeline.
