by Tess Summers
A weight she hadn’t realized was crushing down on her, lifted and her eyes began to water. “Thank you, Dante,” she whispered emotionally. “You didn’t have to come here, and I want you to know, I appreciate it. I appreciate your hospitality and kindness to me and Lucas in that horrible situation.”
“So you know, Cassandra, I would have never let them separate you from your baby or from Lucas, for that matter.”
“How could you have prevented it, Dante? I thought it was out of your hands.”
“I was prepared to buy you myself,” he said softly.
His revelation almost caused her to rear-end the car in front of her.
“You would have done that for us?”
“If my little assassin hadn’t found you in time, yes, I would have. I was counting on her to be as good as I know she is though.”
“Did you—I mean, is she…”
“Kennedy Jones is alive and well although I’m fairly certain she is plotting my death as we sit here. She is not nearly as cooperative a houseguest as you were, I’m afraid.”
She looked at him through her rearview mirror. “You’re in love with her.” It was a statement, not a question.
Dante looked past her out the windshield as he answered. “At one time, I thought I was in love with the woman she pretended to be. I found out too late that woman doesn’t really exist.”
She didn’t think she believed he didn’t still love her.
“What are you going to do?” she asked quietly, scared of his answer.
“That’s the million-dollar question. I don’t have any idea.”
“You’re not going to…”
“Kill her? No. Although that’s more than likely going to bring a war within my family once they find out I have her. And I wasn’t joking about her probably planning to kill me.”
They stopped at a stoplight, so Cassie was able to meet his eyes with hers. “You agreed to keep us, thinking she would be the one to come to our rescue, didn’t you?”
The corners of his mouth lifted in affirmation, but he didn’t verbally answer.
“Why did you do that?” she asked.
“So, then I’d know for sure.”
She tilted her head. “Know what?”
He winked at her, his smile growing wider, and reached for the door handle.
“Take care of yourself, Cassandra Sullivan. If you should ever need my help, you know where to find me.”
With that, he exited the car right before the light turned green. Cassie knew better than to search for where he had disappeared to and didn’t hesitate to hit the gas once the light changed.
****
Luke
Thank fuck the golf tournament with Ron was only nine holes. They arrived at Brenna and Ron’s just before noon and hadn’t even gotten out of the car when Brenna was at the driver’s door.
“I need you two to go pick up some ice, beer, wine, and, well, here,” she said, handing him a long grocery list.
“What’s that for?” Luke asked.
“Your housewarming party in three hours. The caterers should be arriving anytime.”
“What are you talking about?” the SWAT sergeant asked, totally confused.
Brenna clapped her hands. “Chop, chop. No time to explain. Go!”
As Ron drove, Luke texted Cassie.
Luke: Um, we’re having a party?
Hot and Beautiful Mama: Yeah, I’ll explain when you get back.
She had come home from running errands yesterday and told him about seeing Dante. Part of him was livid with himself for allowing her to be so vulnerable, but seeing the worry gone from her expression more than made up for it.
Of course, he still called it in and an alert was sent department-wide to be on the lookout for Dante Guzman although Luke knew the probability of one of the cartel’s most influential members being found was next to zero. That didn’t upset him too much. From what Cassie had told him, Dante had been good to her and Lucas, and the ease in which Luke was able to help them escape struck him as suspicious.
But a party the very next day the threat was alleviated? One thing he had learned over the course of this week, Cassie, Brenna, and Dee were dangerous when left to their own devices.
An hour and a half later, with a trunk and backseat full of booze and ice, they pulled into Luke and Cassie’s driveway and parked next to a white van with Karen’s Catering written on the side. As they were unloading the car, Brenna met them outside again. Her clothes hadn’t changed from earlier, but her hair was now styled and her makeup far more dramatic.
“Oh, good. Take everything to the patio. The caterer has coolers for the beer, wine, and soda, and there’s a bar being setup.”
“Shouldn’t the caterer have taken care of the alcohol then?”
“No, she doesn’t have a liquor license, so this circumvents that. Go! They’re waiting for you,” she barked.
She pulled Ron aside, and Luke could hear her hissing at him, but only caught bits and pieces of the conversation.
“Told you to keep him gone longer,” was the most suspicious part of the discussion he understood.
He noticed there was activity going on at the beach while depositing the booze and ice with the young man setting up bar on his patio and went in search of Cassie and Lucas. Catching a glimpse of Dee chasing Lucas through the kitchen, he began to look for Cassie, finding her in the bedroom. She was sitting on the edge of the bed in her bathrobe, but her hair and makeup were also done dramatically like Brenna’s. She was absolutely stunning when she looked up and smiled wide when he entered the room.
“Doll? What’s going on? How long have you been planning this party?” he asked as he walked toward her.
Cassie stood and held both his hands in hers. “A few days.” He looked at her suspiciously, holding in a growl when she cryptically told him, “Wait here, I’ll be right back,” then disappeared into the hers of the his-and-hers bathrooms in their bedroom suite.
She didn’t come right back, and he was about to barge in on her and find out what the hell she was up to when she appeared, causing him to take in a sharp breath.
The strapless, floor-length, white, satin and chiffon gown with a rhinestone band right under her tits had to be a wedding dress, and she was fucking gorgeous. He blamed how gorgeous for why he was unable to process what exactly was going on. Why was she showing him this dress?
“You look incredible,” he murmured, crossing the room to her in three strides. She gripped both his hands in her trembling ones and smiled.
“So, I was thinking about what you said earlier this week. You know, about getting married before the baby comes, and I was wondering, would you marry me today?”
Everything clicked into place—the party about to happen downstairs, her dress, the women’s fancy hair and makeup—and a slow smile spread across his face.
“You sneaky little girl,” he said with a chuckle. “I thought you didn’t want to get married until August.”
“I might have been playing a little dirty trying to throw you off,” she confessed.
Luke yanked her against him, his hands caressing the satin material on her ass before squeezing and snarling in her ear, “I’m going to have to punish you for that.”
“Promise?” she breathed.
“Guaranteed, doll. Guaranteed.”
****
Luke
Serious. Fucking. Bliss. That was his life right now.
Their guests had gone, Lucas was spending the night at Brenna’s, and they were sitting on the patio in their wedding clothes, holding flutes of sparkling cider while watching the sunset. Cassie got up, telling him, “I’ll be right back,” only to return a few seconds later with her phone.
She scrolled until she found what she was looking for, then set her Samsung device on a patio table and wagged her finger at him in a come here motion. Etta James’ voice singing “At Last” filled the night air as he took his wife in his arms and began to sway with her on the red pav
er bricks.
She’d used a different hairspray than usual, so her hair had a new smell, but when he nuzzled into her neck, he caught her natural scent and let out a deep sigh, squeezing her a little tighter.
He didn’t know what he’d done right to deserve this moment, but he never wanted it to end. Damn the song for only being three minutes long.
“Come on, Mrs. Rivas,” he whispered softly as he tugged her toward the house. “I want to make love to my wife.”
“I thought you’d never ask,” she teased,
Luke growled, “I’m not asking, doll,” and she let out a little gasp.
He smirked. Exactly the response he was hoping for.
Epilogue
Cassie
Luke’s voice bellowed from the kitchen, “Any child not in the car in exactly five minutes is going to miss out on Disneyland!”
Feet scampered through the second-floor hall, followed by the thunderous rumble down the stairs.
Lucas was first to arrive at the car with his suitcase, followed by Charlotte, then Sofia. Little Gabriel had on his backpack, but Cassie had already packed and delivered his suitcase to Luke to stow in the back of the Expedition.
They were celebrating their tenth anniversary like they always did—in Disneyland with the kids, followed by a getaway for the two of them.
Their drive to L.A. was spent reminiscing about previous trips, and Cassie privately reflecting on her life.
There was no way she would have ever predicted this life. Before she met Luke, she just assumed she’d be married to her career, childless with the occasional boyfriend for the rest of her days. Now, she was going to turn forty-five in a few months with four kids and two dogs and a house on the beach. Her career was still important, and she’d continued to rise up the ladder in her company as did Luke who was now Lieutenant Rivas, but it no longer was most important. That distinction belonged to her husband and children.
They decided right after Adriana was found guilty and put on probation to still allow her visitation with Lucas. Cassie had just given birth to Sofia, and there was no way she would feel right about keeping a mother from her child—even though she considered Lucas her son, too.
She often wondered about Dante—if he and Kennedy had their happily ever after or if Kennedy actually succeeded with offing Dante like he had predicted.
The day Cooper Johnson called and asked to have a playdate with Lucas, you could have knocked her over with a feather. When he showed up with a little boy around Lucas’ age, she was intrigued, but tried not to make a big deal out of it. For whatever reason, she worried doing so might spook him, so she treaded lightly.
But probably the most surprising thing in her life was the man next to her. The first time she saw him, he was getting out of a topless Jeep in worn Levis and a tight grey t-shirt with Aviator sunglasses. She’d described him as sex-on-a-stick. Now, he was driving his wife and kids to Disneyland with a Barbie doll on the dash of the SUV he had to buy to seat his entire family comfortably.
He had streaks of grey in his jet-black hair and more lines around his eyes and mouth than when she first met him, but that only made him sexier.
She still received punishments in the bedroom and had yet to be in charge when it came to sex between them, but she wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Cassie looked back at her brood and smiled.
Domestic bliss. Who would’ve thought that would be the result of playing dirty?
Cinderella and the Marine
Does Marine Captain Cooper Johnson find his own true love? Of course he does! Look for his story in the fall of 2018.
Chapter One
Cooper
He walked out of the building’s automatic sliding doors, deep in thought, not noticing the ambulance as it approached.
The honk of the vehicle’s horn snapped him back to reality, and he stopped abruptly on the sidewalk to let it pass before stepping into the crosswalk.
Cassie and Luke Rivas’ brand new daughter was so tiny. The Marine Captain didn’t realize human beings could be that small, and there was something about holding the little creature in his arms, her teeny fingers gripping just one of his that had him unsettled.
His thirty-fifth birthday was coming up in a few months, and he’d never even had the slightest desire to have a child. Little Sofia Claire Rivas’ cooing response as he spoke softly to her had just changed all that.
That might be a problem since he didn’t even have a steady girlfriend. He was what one might call a perpetual bachelor. The buffet of women in Southern California was too tempting to pick just one entrée—variety being the spice of life and all that.
But that baby, man, he wanted one of those.
Cooper noticed the neon sign of the diner across from the hospital and decided to stop in for an early lunch before heading back to the base.
The bell on the door jingled as he pushed it open, and he surveyed the restaurant with the pink vinyl seating and fake wood linoleum tables in need of updating. The sign by the door indicated he should seat himself, so he decided on one of the counter seats available at the huge square in the middle of the eatery. Picking up a stray laminated menu from a few seats to his right, he flipped his ivory coffee mug to indicate he’d like a cup, getting lost in thought again as he looked it over.
Maybe he should start thinking about settling down and starting a family. His promotion to Major was right around the corner—the timing made sense. He’d gotten serious with a few girls over the last ten years, but it was always short-lived, and the last woman who’d held his attention for more than a day just gave birth to another man’s daughter, so his prospects for a lasting relationship weren’t exactly lining up at his door.
No, the line at his door was more of a revolving one. Enter at night, leave in the morning. You want to come in again? Go to the back of the line.
Cassie told him once he should try going on ten dates with a girl before sleeping with her. It would give him the opportunity to get to know her as a person. He’d scoffed when she said it, but now he thought she might have been onto something. It might be his best bet at finding his future bride and mother of his children. It had apparently worked for Cassie and Luke.
Looking up at the sweet sound of a woman’s voice, he was eye level with a pair of perky tits that were spilling out of a tight grey waitress uniform and decided, next week.
Other Works by Tess Summers
Free Book! The Playboy and the SWAT Princess
Get your free book! Sign up here to receive my newsletter, and get SWAT Captain Craig Baxter’s love story, exclusively for newsletter subscribers. You’ll receive regular updates (but I won’t bombard you with emails, I promise), and be the first to know about my works-in-progress. (Like when Ben’s story is coming out!)
She’s a badass SWAT rookie and he’s a playboy SWAT captain… who’s taming who?
Maddie Monroe
Three things you should not do when you’re a rookie, and the only female on the SDPD SWAT Team… 1) Take your hazing personally, 2) Let them see you sweat, and 3) Fall for your captain.
Especially, when your captain is the biggest playboy on the entire police force.
I’ve managed to follow rules one and two with no problem… but the third one I’m having a little more trouble with. Every time he smiles that sinful smile or folds his muscular arms when explaining a new technique or walks through the station full of swagger….
All I can think about is how I’d like to give him my V-card, giftwrapped with a big red bow on it which is such a bad idea because out of Rules One, Two, and Three. Breaking the third one is a sure-fire way to get me kicked off the team and writing parking tickets for the rest of my career.
Apparently my heart—and other body parts—didn’t get the memo.
Craig Baxter
The first time I noticed Maddie Monroe, she was wet and covered in soapy suds as she washed SWAT’s armored truck as part of her hazing ritual. I’ve been hard for
her ever since.
I can’t sleep with a subordinate—it would be career suicide, and I’ve worked too damn hard to get where I am today. Come to think of it, so has she, and she’d probably have a lot more to lose.
So, nope, not messing around with Maddie Monroe. There’s plenty of women for me to choose from who don’t work for me.
Apparently my heart—and other body parts—didn’t get the memo.
Can two hearts—and other body parts—overcome missed memos and find a way to be together without career-ending consequences?
Operation Sex Kitten
Ava Ericson thought she had her life planned out: graduate with her Ph.D., marry Brad Miller when he finished law school, have 2.5 babies… and mediocre sex for the rest of her days. But when Brad dumps her upon learning he’s passed the bar, citing new “opportunities” available, she has to rethink her future. Believing her lack of experience was the reason Brad broke up with her, she launches Operation Sex Kitten (OSK), a plan to become a vixen in bed and get Brad back. Things might go astray when she meets the notorious attorney, Travis Sterling, the bachelor who she is sure can teach her a thing or two in the bedroom. As she enjoys putting OSK theories into practice, she realizes the real ‘operation’ will be for the two not to fall in love. Fun and romantic, Operation Sex Kitten turns up the heat with explicit scenes while you root for love to conquer all.
The General’s Desire
Ron
I’m a decorated Marine general who doesn’t have time for relationships. I’ve tried—they just don’t work out—and I’ve never lost sleep over it. Then I meet her. Brenna is easily the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. The first time she blushes under my stare, it’s game over. She’s going to need to learn that I’m in charge and trust that I always mean what I say, because I’m not letting her go.
