by C. J. Miller
When two spies reunite, sparks fly in the most dangerous of circumstances...
Go undercover one final time to bring down a drug lord. That’s all Finn Carter wants from his ex, Alex “Hyde” Flores. But the sexy spy never counted on his feelings for her roaring back to life! Hyde’s made it clear she’s looking for forever while he’s committed to staying in the field. Things change when their mission goes awry...
Hyde wants out of the black ops game, yet she can’t resist one more assignment. If she lays her life and her love down one last time, she demands nothing less from Finn. As the risky takedown spirals out of control, both spies must use all their wiles to stay alive...and have a future together!
“It’s hard for me to imagine this life without you,” Finn said.
This life or his life? For her, it was both. He couldn’t make the same leap. “I am ready to move on from this.” But not ready to move on from him. She couldn’t think of a way to keep him in her life and walk away from being a spy.
Finn’s arms tightened around her. “I wish I could change your mind. The times I’ve spent with you were some of the best of my life. Even in this mission, having you with me has been great.”
Sentimentality pulled at her heartstrings. Some of her most fun adventures had been with him at her side. He was the bright spot in her days. She had deliberately shut him out of her life during a time of enormous need, and that had been a mistake.
Hyde lifted her face. Finn brushed his nose lightly against hers and then lowered his mouth and kissed her softly.
* * *
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Dear Reader,
I’ve been fortunate enough to spend vacation time in beautiful tropical locations. The soft sand, the light breeze, the gentle (or sometimes not so gentle) waves, a cold bottle of water and a great book are a relaxing way to pass an afternoon. When I started writing Finn and Hyde’s romance, I knew those locations and experiences would play a role in the story.
I’ve been receiving emails about Finn and Hyde since Traitorous Attraction was published in May 2014. Finn was part of a rescue team that pulled Hyde from one of the most dangerous prisons in South America. After meeting, both returned to their work as special operatives for the West Company and remained involved with each other in a steamy affair.
Keep your emails coming! Readers have a lot of influence over what I write, and I appreciate each and every one of you who take the time to let me know what you’d enjoy reading. If you’re interested in reading more about the West Company, check out Delta Force Desire (June 2016). There’s another West Company book coming in June 2017, so stay tuned.
Best,
C.J. Miller
cj-miller.com
SPECIAL FORCES SEDUCTION
C.J. Miller
C.J. Miller loves to hear from her readers and can be contacted through her website, cj-miller.com. She lives in Maryland with her husband and three children. C.J. believes in first loves, second chances and happily-ever-after.
Books by C.J. Miller
Harlequin Romantic Suspense
Hiding His Witness
Shielding the Suspect
Protecting His Princess
Traitorous Attraction
Under the Sheik’s Protection
Taken by the Con
Capturing the Huntsman
Delta Force Desire
Special Forces Seduction
The Coltons of Texas
Colton’s Texas Stakeout
Conspiracy Against the Crown
The Secret King
Guarding His Royal Bride
The Coltons: Return to Wyoming
Colton Holiday Lockdown
Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com,
or cj-miller.com, for more titles.
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To Charlie (Char-Char), who shows me every day the meaning of family, hard work and dedication.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Excerpt from Dr. Do-or-Die by Lara Lacombe
Chapter 1
Alexandra “Hyde” Flores caught a glimpse of undercover operative Finn Carter in her peripheral vision. But as she turned her head, she saw that he’d vanished. The orange candles and strings of white lights inside the wedding tent created shadows and apparitions. Hyde’s life was haunted by ghosts of her past.
Her oldest sister Victoria was glowing and stunning in a thirty-thousand dollar, diamond-white couture wedding dress. Hyde knew part of her glow was that she was three months pregnant, and Hyde’s niece Thea would soon have a cousin. For the first time in Hyde’s life, seeing someone with the classic American dream made her envious.
She had been involved in complicated and dangerous missions for the last ten years and up until the end, she had loved it. Her psyche was changing and craving normal. Normal was good and safe.
Hyde claimed a spot for herself at a high-topped table in the corner of the white tent with a great view of the dance floor. It gave her pleasure to watch her parents, her sisters, her new brother-in-law and her niece dancing with the extended family. She had been on the fringes of the family for so long that her absence wasn’t noticed.
A twinge of sadness nipped at her, but not enough to force her to mingle. Relearning social protocol in Bearcreek, Montana, was a throwback to her youth. Her job had trained her to read between the lines and to look for hidden agendas. She anticipated backstabbing and lies from the people she worked with. Her family, on the other hand, spoke plain and their only agenda tonight was to celebrate Victoria and Thomas.
Sensing someone watching her, Hyde turned and reached to where her gun was usually holstered. Her fingers came up empty and a mild panic threaded through her. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. It was a slim chance, but possible that she’d been found by an enemy looking for revenge.
Instead of an enemy, Hyde’s gaze connected with Finn’s. She closed her eyes, waited until her thoughts cleared and her heart slowed to a normal rate. Thinking of him got her going, a shot of adrenaline to her heart. She blamed the weekends they had spent together. Quick, steamy rendezvous and abbreviated goodbyes were their trademarks. She and Finn had carried on their affair for three years without any commitment, without anniversary celebrations or promises of a future.
It had been great while it had lasted. It was no longer what she wanted.
When Hyde opened her eyes, he was gone. Or rather, her imagination had stopped playing tricks on her. Finn wasn’t in Bearcreek, Montana. He was on his latest mission somewhere in the world. Hyde would never see him again. She was out of the spy game, and a life of secrets and lies was behind her. The pang of sadness that struck her had everything to do with her desire to have a normal, stable life and nothing to do with missing her former life—or Finn.
A masculine, strong arm slipped around her waist and though her instincts were to reac
t defensively, she froze when Finn’s familiar scent wafted over her, the smell of soap and sandalwood. Memories of him naked, in the shower, in her bed, flickered through her mind. Her heartbeat faltered, skipped, and her breath backed up in her lungs.
His voice cemented his identity. That deep, slow drawl that replayed in her dreams for months after she saw him. He appealed to her as no one had before or had since.
“You have never looked more beautiful than you do tonight.”
Hyde whirled and came face-to-face with the man she had fallen for hard. A man she couldn’t have a serious relationship with, a man who was almost as daring and wild as she had been. He embodied everything she had wanted in a man. Strength, cunning and excitement had been at the top of her list and now she wanted to add stable, honest and calm.
Despite not having been invited, Finn was dressed for the occasion. Black suit and gray button-down with a silver and black tie. Understated elegance. His tie clip and cuff links matched, small green gems adorning them. His dark hair was slicked back, every hair in place. He looked positively dashing.
Her heart overreacted, like it always did. “The most beautiful? You have a thing for canary-yellow and carrot-stick-orange dresses?” Her bridesmaid dress was bright and fun and in colors Hyde rarely wore.
“If you’re the one wearing it,” Finn said.
“What are you doing here?” She hoped she had pulled off sounding casual.
Finn could be working an operation. An op in rural Montana would be unusual, but spies worked in every corner of the globe. Hard to imagine terrorist plots afoot in this part of the United States, but Hyde was justifiably paranoid. She had been lied to and double-crossed far too many times.
“I’m looking for you.” His hands slipped down to her hips and pulled her against his body. A mewling sound she recognized as hers escaped her lips. Their attraction was the one steady part of their relationship. Not a strong aspect to hinge a future on.
Hyde hadn’t met a man who held a candle to Finn. Tall and muscled, his dark hair had a touch of gray at his temples. He looked good clean-shaven and with facial hair. He had about a day’s worth of a beard.
“This is my sister’s wedding.” Even with the table between her and the throng of guests, someone would notice him. Finn was impossible to overlook. He hadn’t been invited to the wedding and if Victoria spotted him, she would know it and ask questions. Hyde didn’t want to answer questions about Finn. She had too many of her own. When it came to Finn, her emotions were a tangled mess.
Finn was an accomplished liar, but he wouldn’t know the details of the cover story she had told her family about her career. Her family believed she was a sales rep for a luxury car company and having become road weary, had made a career change. Believable, except when evidence to the contrary, like her former lover and world renowned spy, showed up out of the blue at a family function.
“This is a big day for your family, and I don’t want to intrude. I’ve missed you,” he said. He took her hand and led her away from the table and out of the wedding tent and into the open fields of her family’s farm.
The farm spread over fifty acres, and her sister’s wedding was being held in one of the most scenic areas. Hyde used to lay a blanket out under the stars in this exact spot and stare at the sky. The longer she gazed, the more stars she could see, and as a child, she had believed she could see outside the galaxy if she watched long enough.
“I can’t leave my sister’s wedding. It’s not over,” she said.
“I can’t wait another minute to be with you. If you miss the bouquet toss, does that matter? Did you want to be the next to be married?” he asked.
For the first time in her life, Hyde did want to be married. She hungered for family gatherings and going to the gym and appointments at the salon. “I could catch it.” She was the oldest unmarried woman in her family. Well, the oldest unmarried woman who had never been married.
“I had to see you. Kate West was right,” Finn said, referring to the wife of the man who ran a black ops company they contracted with periodically. The West Company was a first-rate special operations firm that hired experts as the situation called for them. The West Company made it their business to handle problems quickly, efficiently and quietly. Hyde and Finn liked working for the West Company. They had professional and personal connections with the firm.
Hyde focused on what Finn was saying. “Kate was right about what?”
“You’re not part of this life anymore,” Finn said. “I see it on your face. I see it in the way you look at me.”
Finn must know her better than she had believed. “I am retired from my former career.” Hyde had a good relationship with the West Company and because she and Kate had formed a friendship, Hyde had wanted to do more than disappear and ignore phone calls. An explanation had been in order.
“Your sister is married. Is that what this is about?” Finn looked at her intensely and she had to catch her breath. She and Finn had always created fireworks when they were together: in the bedroom and when they fought.
Hyde linked her hands behind her. She didn’t want to touch Finn or reach for him. They wanted different things and her new life would bore him. “I have decided I don’t want to be in that line of work anymore.” Her sister’s wedding reinforced her decision had been the right one, but it hadn’t been the initiating factor.
Finn folded his arms, and the bunched muscles in his biceps reminded her of how it felt to be held by him. A shimmer of desire piped through her. In Finn’s arms, she had never felt safer and she could let down her guard for a few hours with him watching her back. He was a fighter. He was strong. He was passionate about everything he did, including his affair with her.
“I need to talk you out of this,” Finn said.
“I’m not changing my mind,” Hyde said. If he intended to rope her into taking another job as a spy, he would be disappointed.
Finn inclined his head. “What are you planning to do? Get a job in an office?”
Office work was on the list of possible jobs to investigate. She could work forty hours per week, clock out and spend the weekend binge-watching television and running errands and doing chores. “I have marketable job skills.”
“I know you have job skills. I’m questioning if they apply to any jobs in this small town.”
She hadn’t had enough time to explore her options. She didn’t want to think about her decision again or justify it. If anyone could talk her out of this course of action, it was Finn. “I’ll be fine. Thanks for checking on me. Burn my address. I don’t want anyone following me here.” She had made enemies and some held grudges.
Finn drew her against him. “No one followed me here. Whatever happened, tell me and I’ll fix it.”
The pleading in his voice nearly felled her. He couldn’t fix what had happened. She could not name the emotion that passed through her, but her heart clenched. “I don’t want to be a spy anymore.” Speaking the words was a relief. She realized she had worried about what Finn would think and she waited for the disappointment or an argument.
Finn’s face remained frustratingly neutral. He blinked at her. “I’m going after Reed Barnett and I need you.”
Reed Barnett, international drug kingpin, murderer and all-around bad man. Hyde agreed he needed to be taken down, but she had no intention of getting involved. A Reed Barnett operation was far too dangerous and complex. After what had happened during her last mission, Hyde was staying on the safe side of the street.
“I can’t be involved,” Hyde said. She wouldn’t consider it and she didn’t want the details. Tracking and hunting Reed Barnett was a suicide mission. The man had money and a private army and arms en masse. It was rumored he owned a private island.
“I need someone I can trust at my back,” Finn said.
Temporary loyalty on a mission co
uld be bought. “I’m the wrong woman for the job.” Questions about the mission swirled in her head. She wouldn’t voice them. If she spoke them, she would get pulled into Finn’s plans.
His jaw was tight. “Barnett killed Simon.”
A spear of hurt struck her in the gut at the reminder. “I know he killed Simon.” Simon had been a dear friend. He had once saved her life on an operation. He deserved better than what had happened to him.
“We can avenge his death. For Thea,” Finn said.
Thea. With her name came a searing hot flash of regret and pain. Finn was one of the few people who knew that Simon was Hyde’s niece, Thea’s, father.
“It’s the right thing to do,” Finn said.
Hyde wrestled with her guilt. She didn’t want to step back into this life. The adrenaline rush, the excitement and the danger were highs she would chase for the rest of her life. But to avenge Simon... “I don’t know if seeking revenge against Barnett is right. I have thought about killing the man on many occasions, but the logistics and the reality is that I’d end up dead, not Barnett.”
Finn took her hand in his. “This isn’t an impulsive plan. We have the West Company backing the mission. We can take Barnett down. We can stop his drug ring. Protect more families from going through what Lydia and Thea are going through,” Finn said.
He’d known the right angle to play with her. Hyde loved her sister and would do anything for her and Thea. To finally tell Lydia about Simon and what had happened to him, to give her a sense of peace and closure, would mean so much. Hyde was afraid to tell Lydia the whole truth about Simon. Her sister would dig around and land in Barnett’s crosshairs. Or Hyde would reveal a piece of her life that was classified and open a can of worms. Could Hyde safely give Lydia the truth about Simon if Reed Barnett was dead?
Her mind was churning through her contacts, looking for an in with Barnett’s crew and coming up short. Barnett was notorious for keeping his inner circle limited and forcing business associates to prove their loyalty in incriminating ways. “You make it sound easy. How will you get close enough to Barnett to strike?”
