by KJ Reed
“Why did you tell your dad you were moving here?”
The question was past her lips before she could stop it. She screwed her eyes shut and wanted to melt into a puddle of mortification at the outburst.
Trav chuckled and chaffed her hands between his. “Because I am.”
“But there’s no military base around here.”
“No, there’s not.” He shifted and sat beside her on the bed. “My contract is up, and I’d been struggling with what to do, but I finally figured it out. I’m done with the military. It was a great place for me to run to, provided me with awesome life experience, and I loved being an MP. The Marines…it was a good ten years. But I’m ready to move on. It was never a career for me. It was a job that I respected and enjoyed. But no more running. I want to move back to where I grew up. And I think this is as good as any place to continue my search for Sarah.”
“I thought about this, and I want to help. Looking for Sarah, I mean. I know how important this is for you. No matter what, wherever you end up, I’ll help you keep looking. I was thinking that the next step was to hire an investigator. I started looking up some names for you, if you want them.”
He looked into her eyes for a moment. “You’re something else, you know that?” Then he dropped a light kiss on her nose. “A private investigator is an excellent idea. But I already told you. I’m ending up here.”
“This isn’t, I mean that’s not because…” Her face flushed. How did she ask the question without sounding like a pompous jerk?
“It’s not because of you,” he said, reading her mind. He gave her a shy glance. “But I’d consider it a serious bonus if you were included in the package.”
“Package?” Her head was spinning.
“The next phase of Travis P. Donovan’s Life Package.” He smiled a little, in an adorably self-deprecating way. “I’ve got plans and they’ll be put into motion no matter what. I have to get back to Camp Pendleton, finish up my post-deployment stuff there, sign papers and such. But soon enough I’ll come back to the area. I already made contact with the PD here, seeing about getting in. With my service record and added bonus of military police experience, it looks good for me.”
“Good.” Why could she do nothing more than repeat after him like a parrot?
“And,” he added slowly. “I’m hoping that when I get back here, you and I will look good, too.”
“You and I?” More repeating. Just shove a cracker in her mouth and call her Polly.
His hand came up and played with her hair. Fingers stroked down the base of her skull, twirled around the strands, tangled in the weight of it. “I thought you and I had something pretty nice going. So when I come back and I’m a more permanent fixture in the area, maybe we can start fresh. Not over, because there’s no way we can erase what we went through this week. I wouldn’t want to if we could. So fresh. Two people who care about each other and are dedicated to seeing where it goes.”
He was staying. He had a plan. And he wanted to keep seeing her. Ariel’s heart was in her throat. She tried to speak but no words came out.
He smiled. “Do you want me to text the question?”
That forced a laugh around the lump in her throat. She gave him a shove and he fell backward. She reached in her jeans pocket, still around her knees, and grabbed her phone. While he watched her with a grin on his face, she texted him an answer.
Yes.
About the Author
KJ Reed is an inconspicuous housewife by day, folding laundry, changing diapers and washing dishes with pleasure. But late at night, when the rest of the household is asleep and not making messes she has to pick up, she writes erotic romance. She took up writing one day when she realized the voices in her head weren’t multiple personalities, but characters begging to come out and play.
A military wife, she’s fortunate enough to be surrounded by manly, Alpha-tastic inspiration on a daily basis. Nothing stirs the blood quite like a platoon of sweaty Marines running by in formation, does it ladies? Of course, she’d tell you where she lives, except by the time you’re done reading this biography…she’s probably moved again.
KJ is currently working on her next erotic romance, hopefully hot enough to singe your socks off. She loves email and is semi-compulsive in her need to quickly respond. So send her a shout out, tell her what you liked and what you want to see more of. You’re almost guaranteed a response.
KJ welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
Tell Us What You Think
We appreciate hearing reader opinions about our books. You can email us at [email protected].
Also by KJ Reed
Songbirds
Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer ebooks or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.
www.ellorascave.com
