She continued to stare at him as a thousand thoughts flooded her mind. She wasn’t even sure how to respond, but she needed to say something.
“What if I didn’t want you to be such a gentleman?” she almost whispered while staring at him as her heart pounded to her own words.
It was his turn to stare at her. She’d successfully rendered him speechless and immediately wondered if it was a mistake coming on so strong.
“I’m sure we could come up with some sort of arrangement,” he replied softly.
Despite her pounding heart and the slight dizziness she suddenly felt, she smiled warmly.
“I’d like that.”
Ross appeared relieved, although neither moved. He suddenly pulled her into his arms and kissed her briefly but passionately. He broke off the kiss as quickly as he’d engaged and smiled with some embarrassment.
“I’m sorry,” he announced. “My brain shut off for a minute there. I don’t want you to think any less--”
Lee threw her arms around his neck and kissed him with desire and urgency. She wasn’t about to let the moment pass. Ross immediately returned the kiss with added aggression while pulling her against him. His hands firmly traveled her back and hip, pressing her against the half wall for additional support. She felt the brandy bottle as she hit it. The bottle fell from the wall and shattered on the terrace floor below, startling both. Ross jumped away from her to the loud crash that surely woke everyone. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into her room, shutting the balcony doors behind him. He peered out through the part in the sheer curtains. When other lights on the second floor came on, he let the sheer curtains fall back into place.
†
Lee nuzzled Ross’s chest as they lie together beneath the slightly mussed covers. He held her against him, his eyes closed and a permanent grin on his face. Lee ran her hand along his chest and shoulder and sank into her own thoughts. She didn’t know what would happen with her and Ross, but she decided it was time to live in the moment for a change. And she was enjoying this moment. Ross chuckled softly in his throat, catching her attention. She lifted her head and met his gaze. He saw her look and maintained his smile.
“My brother-in-law and niece are going to be shocked that I’m actually bringing a girlfriend home,” he informed her. “Since my sister died, it’s just been the three of us.”
“You live with your brother-in-law and niece?”
“Well, not technically,” he replied. “They live in the guesthouse, although my niece spends more time in the main house. After my sister died, my brother-in-law needed someone to help raise his daughter, and I needed help with the ranch.”
Lee’s expression dropped slightly as she stared at him through the dim lighting. “Ranch? As in horses and cattle?”
“Not really a ranch. More of a gentleman’s farm. Less than one hundred acres,” he corrected. “I have a few head of steer, half a dozen horses, some pigs, chickens, and a few dogs and cats.”
She stared at him as her mind reeled with the new information. He stared back at her and appeared concerned.
“Does the idea of a ranch bother you?” he suddenly asked as his body tensed. “It’s really just a hobby. I keep the farm animals as lawn ornaments. I wouldn’t dream of butchering them, if that’s what’s worrying you.”
Lee suddenly laughed and clung to him. “No, I actually like the sound of a ranch,” she remarked and held back her pleased smile. “I’m just trying to imagine you in a cowboy hat and boots.” It was true; she was trying very hard to imagine that.
“Wait until you see me at the annual barn dance,” he announced cheerfully. “Nothing more amusing than a former Navy SEAL doing a drunken hoedown.”
She grinned and kissed him quickly on the lips. “I’m looking forward to it. I, uh, sort of have a thing for cowboys.”
“I’m glad to hear,” he announced. “Being a cowboy was a dream of mine since I was a boy. Of course, I’ll have to teach you the hoedown.”
“Deal,” she replied happily.
†
Seven o’clock the following morning. Ross and Lee hurried down the stairs to join the others already waiting in the foyer. They received strange looks from his men, although Whiskey Tango Foxtrot appeared to be short two men. Holden glanced at his watch then looked around.
“Where’s Zack?” Holden demanded hotly. “And why is he always missing?”
Ross glanced around the foyer and appeared curious. “Kirk’s not here either,” he announced then glanced at Sal. “Which rooms are theirs?”
“Oh, you don’t need to worry about them,” Sal announced while casually waving. “I made a deal with your friend last night.”
All eyes were suddenly on Sal with shared concern.
“What deal?” Ross asked sternly.
“I cut a check for eight hundred thousand and threw the helicopter in,” Sal announced cheerfully. “He really wanted that helicopter. Seeing how Finn was my pilot--”
The men stared blankly at Sal, alarming him with their looks. He eyed each man in silent question.
“Please tell me they’re still out back,” Ross muttered.
“No, they left half an hour ago. Zack said they’d meet you in Colorado,” Sal remarked and stared back. “Why? What’s the problem?”
“The idiot doesn’t know how to fly a helicopter,” Monroe snapped. “Although he has mastered the art of crashing one.”
Sal stared at them with his mouth hanging open and appeared at a loss for words. “Oh--”
Holden groaned and removed his cell phone. “I’ll tell Jackie to contact them and talk him down.”
†
The helicopter teetered while flying through the air at high speeds, scraping the tops of trees as it passed over them. Zack sat before the controls with his headset on while hooting and hollering like a deranged lunatic. Kirk clung to the side and seat while staring frozen out the windshield, screaming in terror. The helicopter flew into the horizon.
The End
Other books by Holly Copella!
Reviews left on Amazon are appreciated!
“The Battle for Andrea Maria”
A cruise ship attack turns six survivors into overnight celebrities after they take credit for the heroic act of a stowaway who died saving them.
The cruise is just what Jess needed--a bit of harmless fun far from her daily grind. But what begins as a relaxing vacation turns into a desperate fight for her life when terrorists take over the ship and start piling up bodies. Teaming up with a mysterious stowaway, Jess attempts to send out a distress call but knows they cannot wait for help to come. If she or the few remaining passengers have any hope for survival, Jess must act now. The papers dub it “The Battle for Andrea Maria,” but to Jess it is the moment she fought side-by-side with her enigmatic Romeo, saving the ship--and losing him. She thinks the story ends there, but really, the nightmare is just beginning…
“Insanely Deadly”
When the dead return to life, it’s up to an admiral’s daughter and a mildly insane, former war hero to save their small town.
Jetta Cross, a Navy Admiral’s daughter, is tasked with keeping her father’s comrade, a former war hero turned town crazy, grounded in the real world. Capt. John Hunter is still fighting the war in his head, where imaginary dead people are part of his world. When a viral outbreak brings about a zombie uprising, Hunter is left to his own devices. He must resume his role as a one-man commando unit in order to destroy the ravenous undead. With Hunter still fighting his own inner demons as well as the undead, the townspeople fear their zombie neighbors may not be the only threat. Stranded at the island’s luxurious resort with a handful of workers, Jetta is forced to live up to her father’s reputation and take charge of the deteriorating situation at the hotel. She must wage her own war against the infected before the government declares her hometown a total loss.
“Deadly Institution”
A town recluse suspected of killing his wife teams up with a young
woman in order to stop a killer.
After being accused of murdering his wife, Konrad Asher turns his back on the town that once adored him. Ten years later, he still holds his grudge and the title of the most feared man in town. With the reopening of the burned mental institution, where his wife had died, former employees are now murdered one-by-one, throwing suspicion back on Asher. A young local reporter, Jacey, is forced to reveal her long-time friendship with the infamous recluse in order to clear his name not only in the recent murders but to exonerate him in the death of his wife as well. Will Jacey’s relationship with Asher invite the killer closer to her? Or is the killer already in her life?
“Screenplays: The Island Collection”
“Jungle Princess”, “A.L.F. Resort”, “Brighton Island”
Discover how romance and fun in the sun can be downright chilling!
“Jungle Princess” is a romantic/thriller that leaves a teenage girl stranded on an island with two male shipmates and a creature of “unknown” origin. She soon discovers the island is home to an abandoned prison with several prisoners roaming free. What really killed over one hundred prisoners? And is it still out there--?
“A.L.F. Resort” is a romantic/thriller set on an island resort with Artificial Life Forms as the main draw. At this resort, all your fantasies come true…until a malfunction removes safety inhibitors on the A.L.F.’s. Zombies, biker gangs, and mobsters run amuck, turning fantasies into nightmares. A young reporter gets more of a story than she anticipates, but will she survive long enough to write the story?
“Brighton Island” is a romantic/thriller set on a private island. When the owner’s niece brings her psychic friend to the mansion, his presence awakens the spirits’ tortured souls. As the psychic attempts to solve the old murders, the niece is confronted with the possibility that she’s next to join the mansion ghosts. Stranded on the island with a crazed killer, her uncle wages his own war to save them. Will his “shock and awe” tactics actually save them or get them killed?
“Reaper of Souls” A fantasy short story
A young woman must outwit an evil sorcerer in order to save her brother or become one of his minions forever.
Unwilling to believe her brother is dead, Reggie discovers an underhanded deal made with Kahn, a less than ethical sorcerer, who collects humans to serve as slaves in his kingdom. In order to rescue her brother from his horrible fate, she must complete his failed task or be forced to serve Kahn forever. After being transported to his world, Reggie realizes that even if she beats Kahn at his own game, she’s at his mercy for him to uphold his end of the deal. All seems lost until Kahn’s discontented, self-serving brother, Helsing, arrives. Can Reggie convince Helsing to help her? And at what cost?
“Death Displacement”
A grief-stricken man travels back in time to seek revenge on the woman who murdered his girlfriend but inadvertently falls in love with her.
Kane is about to marry the woman he loves. His life is perfect. A few weeks before the wedding, a vindictive woman from his girlfriend’s past mysteriously arrives and kills her. He learns of a traumatic accident that happened five years earlier, which triggers Riley’s hatred for his girlfriend. Distraught over his girlfriend’s death, Kane uses an antique time machine to travel into the past in order to find and destroy the woman responsible. When he runs into Riley’s younger self, he realizes she’s not the monster she later becomes, and he can’t bring himself to destroy her. With a little help from his oddball friend from the past, they formulate a plan to prevent the accident that sends Riley down her destructive path. Kane’s plan backfires when he falls for the younger Riley. His new tortured existence is further complicated when future Riley, his girlfriend’s killer, shows up with her own devious agenda that doesn’t include him. Will he be able to stop the time ripple, which ultimately ends with his girlfriend’s death? Or will future Riley take him out of the timeline forever--
“Dead Village”
After strange happenings isolate a small resort town from the rest of the world, nearly one hundred residents seek refuge at the closed hotel. Only eight survive the night. And that’s just the beginning…
One day after the entire population of Fox Ridge Village disappears, a car wreck forces several unsuspecting crash victims to seek help at the closed summer hotel. Within the hotel, they discover the grisly aftermath of a brutal slaughter. Crash victims Vander and Devon, a reluctant clairvoyant, team up to solve the riddle of the “haunted hotel” and the mass hysteria plaguing the remaining survivors. By the time they discover the hotel’s secret, they’re already drawn into the hysteria. As the body count continues to climb, it’s a race to isolate the source and bring everyone back to reality before they kill one another. Will Devon be able to communicate with the traumatized spirits before their fate becomes her own?
“Misfits, Inc.”
A seemingly ordinary, young woman meets four misfits who claim she has given them supernatural powers.
While on a business trip to a remote island paradise, a bored secretary, Hailey, has her world turned upside down when her path collides with a psychic freak, Skyler. He attempts to convince her that they had met in his dreams, and she had chosen him as one of her four mystic warriors. After Skyler foresees a woman’s death, they discover an unidentified creature has killed one of the guests. They are joined by a lounge pianist and a rich playboy, who also claim they had met her in their dreams. If Skyler’s prophecies are genuine, the evil entity controlling the ravenous creatures needs to destroy Hailey to ensure its survival. Reluctantly accepting her fate, Hailey has to locate the last and most powerful of her chosen warriors, The Guardian. Their fate is in doubt when The Guardian turns out to be a self-absorbed, former cat burglar with a bad attitude. Can Hailey turn her company of misfits into an elite team of mystic warriors? Or will The Guardian’s secret agenda destroy them all?
“Basement Dwellers”
A viral outbreak at a hospital leaves a mortician, sheriff, and coroner fighting for their lives against a horde of undead and the CDC.
After a massive car wreck leaves several survivors in critical condition at the local hospital, a surgeon uses experimental drugs on his critical patients and accidentally causes a zombie outbreak. When local mortician, Lexx, receives an infected corpse as her client, she becomes stranded in the hospital basement during CDC quarantine along with the local sheriff and the coroner. The infamous surgeon struggles to find a cure for his infectious blunder by using the other survivors as test subjects. Meanwhile, Lexx and the sheriff attempt to locate his missing sister, who’s stranded somewhere in the battle zone that once was the emergency room. It’s a race against time and the ravenous undead. Can they survive the undead before CDC sanitizes the hospital of all infection?
“Witness Protection”
After witnessing an execution, a resourceful young woman attempts to disappear while being pursued by a hitman and a handsome federal agent.
A helicopter pilot, Jackie Remus, reluctantly agrees to go on a date with one of her clients, but her date is unexpectedly cut short when she witnesses a man being murdered. After narrowly escaping with her life, she is placed into protective custody. When the safe house is breached, Jackie makes a daring escape from both the hired killers and the handsome FBI agent, who wants to return her to protective custody. With a little help from her sly and crafty friend, Monroe, Jackie is convinced she can disappear until the trial. While on her journey to meet with her friend, she solicits help from a few shady but lovable characters along the way. Although she manages to stay one-step ahead of the hired killers, the federal agent remains in hot pursuit. Will Jackie reach Monroe before she’s captured by the FBI and returned to protective custody? Or will the hired killers silence her first?
“Town Darling”
After surviving a brutal attack that claims the lives of those she loves, a young woman seeks revenge on a corrupt town.
Going back home is never easy, but for Casey, it means
returning to her corrupt hometown where she barely survived a brutal attack. Accompanied by two family friends, she seeks justice for the night that destroyed her life. Her physical scars are nothing compared to her emotional ones, forcing the local sheriff to believe that the town darling is back for revenge. As the conspiracy for her revenge appears to be leading up to the coveted town fair, the sheriff is determined to stop her from fulfilling her vengeful scheme...but guilt over his role on that fateful night continues to haunt him. Will his desperate need for Casey's forgiveness be his undoing? Or will Casey's desire for revenge destroy them both?
“Unconditional”
A young woman puts her life on hold to care for an unstable, highly skilled combat soldier, who believes someone is trying to kill him.
A botched military coup leaves a team of elite fighters injured with one clinging to life in a coma. When Harlan wakes from his coma, he’s left with no memory of his past life. His commander’s daughter, Indy, takes it upon herself to care for the fallen war hero. She’s challenged with more than just his physical care as she combats with not only his memory loss but also his newly found desire for her. His infatuation with her becomes the least of her worries when he sinks back into his role of a combat soldier. Believing his life is in danger, his fighting skills surface, turning him into an unpredictable and dangerous man. Will his memory return to him before Indy is forced to commit him? Or will he finally find his nemesis, “the coyote”, and possibly claim the life of an innocent person?
Witness Protection 2: The Return of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Page 27
