Southern Soldiers of Fortune
Protecting His Pregnant Lover
Protecting His Kidnapped Family
Protecting His Beautiful Lover
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales, is entirely coincidental.
RELAY PUBLISHING EDITION, OCTOBER 2020
Copyright © 2020 Relay Publishing Ltd.
All rights reserved. Published in the United Kingdom by Relay Publishing. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Leslie North is a pen name created by Relay Publishing for co-authored Romance projects. Relay Publishing works with incredible teams of writers and editors to collaboratively create the very best stories for our readers.
Cover Design by Mayhem Cover Creations
www.relaypub.com
Blurb
Less than a year ago, Serena Carson was a happy socialite, heiress to a candy fortune, and had just had one of the hottest nights ever with Navy SEAL Noah Wild. Now, she’s being held for ransom—which no one is paying—in a remote country in South America. And the one night stand with the hunky SEAL? That steamy night of heaven left her with a beautiful baby girl. Believing her captors are about to make good on the promise to kill her, leaving her child an orphan, Serena plans her escape, only to be rescued by…Noah. Bossy, tough-guy, sexy Noah. Who also is heartbreakingly gentle with his daughter. As the trio make their escape, the attraction that first brought Serena and Noah together flares to life, making Serena wonder if that one night could ever become something more…
Noah is not ready to be a father and certainly not ready to settle down. That’s what he keeps telling himself anyway. Once the three of them are back safe in the U.S., he’s ready to return to solitary life as a hired protector, working for the Southern Soldiers of Fortune. There’s no place in his life for those warm, fuzzy, and completely unfamiliar feelings like love and togetherness. What is it about Serena that makes him crazy with emotions he doesn’t want to feel? All his adult life, Noah has thrived on danger, but nothing for him is as dangerous as what he feels for Serena and his daughter. He believes it would be best for Serena if he just let her leave. What kind of life would she have, married to someone who is more than a little rough around the edges? But what kind of life would he have if he let her go…?
USA Today Bestseller Leslie North invites you to indulge in a heart-pounding military romance with a hot, super-alpha Navy SEAL protecting the woman he loves at all costs...
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(Southern Soldiers of Fortune Book Two)
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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
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
End of Protecting His Kidnapped Family
Thank You!
About Leslie
Sneak Peek: Protecting His Beautiful Lover
Also by Leslie
1
At first glance, Noah Wild wasn’t sure which was the greater masterpiece—the design the tattoo artist was completing, or the ass of the woman the guy was inking. Both were breathtaking, that was for sure. Add in the fact that the woman, whoever she was, didn’t seem to care that her butt was in full view of an entire gallery of people who were there to celebrate said artist’s work and…
Ding! Ding! We have a winner!
Man, there was nothing Noah found more attractive than a strong, confident woman. Of course, being strong and confident meant that the women he’d dated had no trouble kicking him to the curb when he proved that he sucked balls in the relationship department. He’d gotten the memo—relationships weren’t for guys like him. So he wasn’t planning to do anything about his instant, intense attraction. He was fine appreciating her from afar.
He tossed back another glassful of horribly overpriced booze, then set his empty on the tray of a passing waiter before grabbing another. It had been a long time since he’d gotten drunk, but why not? He had nowhere to be in the morning, and he was between SEAL missions, so why not indulge?
His traitorous cock twitched as if in agreement.
Stand down, sailor.
Nope. Not going there. Not tonight. Not with a stranger. He had plenty of options in the available bed partner category. Women who knew the score and were more than happy to obey his rules—one night, no strings, no emotions involved. No sense straying from his chosen path to pursue a woman who might not agree. Even if she was gorgeous.
Noah’s chest tightened as a couple other men stopped to admire the mystery gal’s curvaceous behind and he squeezed the crystal tumbler in his hand tighter. Stupid. What did he care if guys gawked at what she obviously didn’t mind having on display?
Except for some weird reason, he did.
Before he could stop himself, Noah’s feet carried him across the room and closer to the station where Rebel was working. The renovated Atlanta warehouse space was packed with people, all standing around talking or admiring the huge photos of the artist’s previous works adorning the brick walls. Noah’s was up there too, the guardian archangel inked across his lower right ribs and abs. Funny, since he’d never really been religious, and he’d always imagined himself more as a superhero kind of guy. Angels weren’t really something he gave much thought to in his career as a Navy SEAL. But when he’d finally managed to score a coveted appointment with the sought-after artist, he’d known the minute he’d seen the intricate design of Gabriel battling a demon that he had to have it on his skin.
Speaking of skin, he was near enough to the woman to see her creamy flesh up close. The artist was focused on his work, despite the crowds and conversation around him, making precise marks with his needle. From where he stood, Noah couldn’t quite tell exactly what the finished design would be, but he didn’t care. Sexy woman, sexy spot for some art, no matter what that art ended up being. On closer inspection, he could see that the ink wasn’t on her butt, but rather on the curve of one hip. And that tiny, delicate black thong she seemed to think passed for underwear? Forget about it.
He downed the rest of the contents of his glass in one swallow, glad for the distracting burn in his throat, then set the glass aside without looking, his gaze locked on the vision before him. God help him, he wanted to get closer—but he couldn’t quite figure out an angle of approach that didn’t sound sleazy or dumb. Despite his work and his tough guy persona, Noah wasn’t really all that smooth with the ladies. In fact, he rarely carried on more than brief conversations with them, mainly about hooking up. Now though,
in front of all these people, he needed to play it cool and try to impress this woman while there was still time. If he waited for the artist to take a break, he might never get to talk to her, and that was a chance Noah wasn’t willing to take.
Heat surged alongside the adrenaline in his system. Noah swallowed hard, his gut tingling.
Say something, idiot.
But the more he tried, the more words refused to come. Gah! Maybe it was the booze. Maybe it was nerves. Whatever it was, he was blowing his chance and…
The woman turned her head to look at him, her chin resting atop her hands, her beautiful brown eyes narrowed on him and his mouth dried like the Sahara.
Christ, she’s gorgeous.
“I…uh…” was all he managed to get out.
Brilliant, dumbass. Real MENSA level stuff there, dude.
If his SEAL team could see him now, they’d be laughing their asses off. He had a reputation for being cool under all kinds of fire and now he stood here speechless over a woman and he didn’t even know her name.
“It’s okay.” She laughed, the low, husky sound zinging straight to his groin. “Go ahead and stare. Everyone else is.”
Face hot and breath lodged in his lungs, Noah just blinked at her. God, he hadn’t felt this green since high school when he’d finally managed to fuck the head cheerleader under the bleachers. But that prom queen had nothing on this goddess.
Finally, he managed to redirect a modicum of blood supply back up to his brain. He swallowed hard and tried again. “Sorry. I was just admiring the art.”
“Right,” she said, clearly not buying his excuse. But her dark eyes sparkled with mirth and Noah felt his awkwardness easing as he realized she was amused rather than offended. “Can’t say I blame you. Rebel does amazing work.”
“That he does.” He managed to tear his gaze away from the woman’s ass and met the tattoo artist’s gaze. “Good to see you again, Rebel.”
“Same, man.” The guy put down his tools and took off his gloves, then patted the woman’s shoulder. “All done, Serena. Let me just get a dressing on that and you’ll be all set.”
“Cool!” She sat up slightly, wincing and careful to avoid putting pressure on her left hip as she perused her new ink, then glanced in a nearby mirror to see the final product. “That’s fantastic, Rebel. Thank you!”
“My pleasure.” The artists stood beside Noah with a couple of gauze pads and a roll of adhesive bandage to hold them on. “That one was a bitch to get right. So many details.”
“What’s it a picture of?” Noah asked, studying the colors riding the crest of Serena’s hip. Serena. Perfect name for a pretty woman.
“The crusades,” Rebel said, stepping closer to the girl to cover the tattoo. “Come here and look for yourself—with Serena’s permission, of course.”
Serena looked back at Noah over her shoulder then cocked her head, a cheeky smile on her face. “He can see mine if I can see his.”
Noah didn’t think he’d ever pulled his shirt up faster in his life. “Mine’s the archangel Gabriel.”
“Nice,” she said, leaning in closer to inspect his ink, the warmth of her breath raising goosebumps on his skin. “Fine. Check mine out closer too, if you want.”
Oh, he wanted all right. More than anything in a long, long time.
She thrust her newly-inked hip out at him and he crouched down to get a better look. Given the fact she was about a foot shorter than his own six-two height, it only made sense to lean down and get as close as possible, right? That was the excuse he was going with anyway. Except now that he was down here, this close to her, her sweet, floral scent surrounded him and the heat of her skin tempted him to throw caution to the winds.
He bit his lip and fisted his hands at his sides to keep from reaching for her. “Beautiful.”
Noah wasn’t just talking about her new tattoo either.
God, he needed to get laid in the worst way. And not with just anyone. With this woman right here. His body all but cried out for her and if he didn’t get her into his bed soon, he felt like he might die from wanting her.
Thankfully, Rebel didn’t seem to notice at all. Just covered up all that beautiful flesh with gauze and bandages. Without looking up at the two of them, he said, “Noah chose that one because of his love for protecting people.”
“Yeah?” Serena raised one brow at him, her gaze teasing. “What are you, a cop?”
“No.” He straightened, his focus completely on her. “A Navy SEAL.”
“Oh, wow.” For the first time since he’d laid eyes on her, Noah felt like the tides had shifted in his favor. She seemed suitably impressed with his service. “I’ve seen documentaries on you guys. You’re like a real-life Superman.”
His slow smile refused to be stopped. “I try. Why’d you pick the crusades?”
Pink colored her cheeks before she looked away once Rebel was done, and adjusted her clothes. “I like to consider myself an SJW.”
“SJW?”
“Social Justice Warrior,” Rebel supplied helpfully from the other side of the table. “She does a lot of charity and philanthropic work.”
Serena shrugged. “I like to do my part, pay it forward.”
“Huh. That’s awesome,” Noah said. “Guess we both devote our lives to helping others.”
“Guess we do.”
The moment stretched between, the air around them sizzling with possibilities, until finally, Serena turned away to grab her purse. “Well, I should clear out of here so Rebel can get on with his next client.”
“Hey,” Noah said, staying by her side as they headed toward the exit. “Want to grab a drink or something? I’d love to hear more about your work.” He held the door for her, not ready for the night to end yet. “If you’re not busy, that is.”
She stopped at the curb and for an awful second, he thought she might say no. Then she took a deep breath and grinned, her teeth even and white beneath the orangeish glow of the streetlights. “I thought you’d never ask.”
* * *
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Noah squinted his eyes open the next morning and wondered where the hell he was. He groaned and covered his face with one arm, the other wrapped around something soft and warm snuggled into his side.
Soft and warm and…
The memories jolted back to him in an electric rush. Serena. The art gallery. The tattoo. The drinks afterward followed by an invitation back to her apartment where one thing had quickly led to another. They’d had sex. Hot, steamy, seared-into-his-brain-forever-because-it-had-been-that-good kind of sex.
She gave a low moan as the knocking continued, her brow furrowing in her sleep. It was cute. In fact, Noah seemed to find everything about her adorable, which was stupid, since he’d never see Serena again after he left this bed, but still. He couldn’t resist kissing the top of her head before nuzzling his nose in her hair, inhaling the honeysuckle scent of her shampoo.
“Rena, come on!” another female voice said before the distinctive scrape of a key in the lock was followed by the apartment door flying open. Whatever sweetness had filled the last moments quickly evaporated. “Girl, we’re going to be late if you don’t—”
Another woman, about the same age as Serena, but taller and with blond hair, froze in the doorway to the bedroom, her shocked expression quickly morphing into a grin as she took in the sight of a naked Noah.
Serena, awake now beside him, pulled the covers up over both of them and scowled. “What the hell, Amy? What time is it?”
“About time you got busy, girl. That’s what time it is,” her friend said before giving Noah another once-over. A twice-over? “And you’re excused for being late. Damn. If I had that in my bed, I wouldn’t want to leave either.”
“Shut up and get out. I’ll be ready in a second,” Serena growled, waiting until the other woman left before shoving her messy hair from her eyes. She didn’t look at Noah, and he couldn’t help wishing that she would. No matter how awkward mornings af
ter could get, he still liked her looking at him. And if that wasn’t a good reason to get the hell out of there, he didn’t know what was. “You should probably go.”
“Thinking the same thing myself,” he said, already up and grabbing his jeans and boxer-briefs from the floor. “Last night was…”
She held up a hand to stop him. “It was fun. Let’s leave it at that. The bathroom’s down the hall if you need to shower or…”
“Nope.” He zipped up his jeans and shoved his feet into his boots before yanking his shirt on. “I’m good. I’ll shower at my place. Sounds like you need to get going.”
“I do.” She sighed and finally met his eyes with a slow smile, that sultry smile that drove him batty with lust. Noah froze where he stood. “Listen. I enjoyed…” She gestured vaguely between them. “This. If you’re ever back in town and want to get together again, call me. Hand me your phone, I’ll give you my number.”
“Sure.” He finished buttoning his shirt, knowing some of the buttons were in the wrong holes, but not really caring at that point. Noah snatched his phone from the nightstand and punched in the passcode before handing it over to her. He watched her enter her number, knowing he’d probably never use it. “Great. Got it,” he said when she handed the phone back. “I’ll, uh…” He started out of the room, then turned back to peek his head inside. “See you around. And last night was amazing, just so you know.”
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