by Lori Ryan
“And food and a bed. A collar and tags.”
As much as Heath thought he would have wanted nothing more than to run straight home and get her in to bed—and he did—he liked this. Liked planning for their future, even if, for now, that was only sharing a dog together and flying back and forth to see each other whenever they could.
Because having her in his life meant he finally had more than just work and the mission and his team. He had her love. And that was everything.
Trent’s heart skipped a beat at the sound of Destiny’s voice. He would recognize that sweet voice anywhere. Even in this crowded bar. He spun around and spotted her quickly. She was sitting at a booth with several other women. The table was littered with shot glasses, both full and empty.
Though he’d known Destiny most of his life, she hadn’t looked him in the eye or intentionally spoken to him in twelve long years. She’d never been far from his mind in all that time, but he’d never had the balls to approach her.
“Zip?”
Trent jerked his gaze back toward his Delta team at the sound of his nickname coming from Woof.
“Have you heard a word I’ve said?” Woof asked.
Trent drew in a breath. “No. Sorry. I see someone I know. I need to speak to her.” He couldn’t fathom why he thought that would be a good idea. Destiny had never given a single indication she would appreciate him approaching her in over a decade. Nevertheless, he slowly made his way toward her.
The past rushed back to slam him in the chest as he stepped between bar patrons at the Ugly Mug. Flashes of her laughing when they were children and she first moved in next door to his family. The time they snuck out of their houses late at night to catch lightning bugs. Evenings sitting at his mother’s kitchen table doing homework.
Those were the happy times. And the two of them had not been alone during those years. Trent’s twin brother, Sean, had been there too. The three musketeers. They’d been the perfect balance until Sean asked her out on a date and ruined their dynamic. Nothing had ever been the same after that.
“Des,” he breathed out when he reached the table.
Five women looked up at him. Their faces were a mixture of emotions. They knew exactly who he was even though he’d never met them. Interesting.
“You must be Trent,” the dark-haired, petite woman said.
“I am. And you are?”
“Libby.” She smiled broadly and sat up as tall as her small frame could. “This is Christa, Bex, and Shayla.” She pointed at the rest of the women as she spoke.
Trent nodded politely at each of them.
The blond, who he thought was called Christa, spoke next. “We work together.”
“For the airline. Open Skies,” Libby added.
Trent nodded at each of them and shifted his gaze to Destiny. “Do you have a few minutes? I’d love to catch up.” This might possibly be one of his worst plans ever. For one thing, she might shoot him down in front of everyone. It wouldn’t surprise him. For another thing, he knew he was opening a wound by confronting her. They’d gone their separate ways after Sean died. It had been too hard to face each other.
No. That wasn’t true. Trent would have liked to have talked to Destiny after the funeral. He’d have given anything to have her even glance at him. But she’d ignored him entirely.
He’d understood. She’d been hurting. Her fiancé was dead, and seeing Trent had undoubtedly caused her more pain. But he’d been hurting too. He’d lost his brother. His best friend. Maybe the two of them could have healed and moved on faster if they’d had each other.
He swallowed, trying to force all this emotion to the back of his mind.
It looked like Destiny was about to tell him to fuck off, but one of her friends stood, pulled her from the booth, and forced her to face him. Destiny swayed on her feet, and he decided several of the empty shot glasses on the table had been consumed by her.
He took her arm to steady her, hoping this confrontation wouldn’t be the worst plan ever. “I’ll bring her back to you in one piece,” he told her friends as he led her away from the security of her posse.
Trent slid his hand down to grasp hers, and he wove through several people until they reached a corner. The noise level was lower in this spot. Destiny looked very nervous.
Taking a deep breath, Trent met her gaze. Even after twelve years, she still made his heart race. She was just as sexy. Just as cute. Her smile could slay him. It was time to face her. He’d missed her terribly. Whatever her reasons were for cutting him off, he wanted to hear them. If she told him to take a hike, he’d have to accept it. But he needed to get her to talk to him. If he didn’t, he would regret it for the rest of his life.
Be sure to pick up the second book in the Delta Team Three series to find out more about Trent and Destiny’s Delta by Becca Jameson.
And if you haven’t read the rest of the books in the series, I’ve included the links for all five stories.
Nori’s Delta by Lori Ryan
Destiny’s Delta by Becca Jameson
Gwen’s Delta by Lynne St. James
Ivy’s Delta by Elle James
Hope’s Delta by Riley Edwards
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Also, thank you so much for reading Nori’s Delta! I hope you loved Heath and Nori as much as I loved writing them.
Remember Ris and Nan, two of the guys who got Nori’s team to her? They’ll be moving over to Lori’s HALO Security Series! Look for the first book, Dulce’s Defender SOON!
In the meantime, check out Lori’s Heroes of Evers, TX series, HERE.
Other Books By Lori Ryan
Delta Team Three
Nori’s Delta
The Sutton Billionaires Series:
The Billionaire Deal
Reuniting with the Billionaire
The Billionaire Op
The Billionaire’s Rock Star
The Billionaire’s Navy SEAL
Falling for the Billionaire’s Daughter
The Sutton Capital Intrigue Series:
Cutthroat
Cut and Run
Cut to the Chase
The Sutton Capital on the Line Series:
Pure Vengeance
Latent Danger
The Sutton Capital Series
The Baker’s Bodyguard
The Billionaire’s Suite Dreams
Sleeper SEALs
All In
The Triple Play Curse Novellas:
Game Changer
Game Maker
Game Clincher
The Heroes of Evers, TX Series:
Love and Protect
Promise and Protect
Honor and Protect (An Evers, TX Novella)
Serve and Protect
Desire and Protect
Cherish and Protect
Treasure and Protect
The Dark Falls, CO Series:
Dark Falls
Dark Burning
Dark Prison
Coming Soon – The Halo Security Series:
Dulce’s Defender
Hannah’s Hero
Shay’s Shelter
Callie’s Cover
Grace’s Guardian
Sophie’s Sentry
Sienna’s Sentinel
For the most current list of Lori’s books, visit her website: loriryanromance.com.
About the Author
Hi! Thank you for reading my books. I hope you’ll check out some of the other series I’ve written several including the Heroes of Evers, TX, Sutton Billionaires, and HALO Security Series. I love grabbing readers and taking them into a gripping world with the heroes and heroines I’ve come to love. If you feel like you’re seeing old friends when you enter her books, I’ve done my job.
I live in Austin, TX with an incredibly patient husband, three children who amaze and amuse me every day, and two dogs who sometimes behave but mostly don’t (which is mortifying since I used to be a professional dog trainer). There are rumors there might be a leopard gecko joining the menagerie soon if my s
on can keep up his chores and save enough money for the tank and whatnot.
You can reach out to me at www.loriryanromance.com or join my reader group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/397438337278006/. I’ll see you there!
There are many more books in this fan fiction world than listed here, for an up-to-date list go to www.AcesPress.com
Special Forces: Operation Alpha World
Christie Adams: Charity’s Heart
Denise Agnew: Dangerous to Hold
Shauna Allen: Awakening Aubrey
Brynne Asher: Blackburn
Linzi Baxter: Unlocking Dreams
Jennifer Becker: Hiding Catherine
Alice Bello: Shadowing Milly
BP Beth: Scott
Heather Blair: Rescue Me
Anna Blakely: Rescuing Gracelynn
Julia Bright: Saving Lorelei
Cara Carnes: Protecting Mari
Kendra Mei Chailyn: Beast
Melissa Kay Clarke: Rescuing Annabeth
Samantha A. Cole: Handling Haven
Sue Coletta: Hacked
Melissa Combs: Gallant
Anne Conley: Redemption for Misty
KaLyn Cooper: Rescuing Melina
Liz Crowe: Marking Mariah
Sarah Curtis: Securing the Odds
Jordan Dane: Redemption for Avery
Tarina Deaton: Found in the Lost
Aspen Drake, Intense
KL Donn: Unraveling Love
Riley Edwards: Protecting Olivia
PJ Fiala: Defending Sophie
Nicole Flockton: Protecting Maria
Michele Gwynn: Rescuing Emma
Casey Hagen: Shielding Nebraska
Desiree Holt: Protecting Maddie
Kathy Ivan: Saving Sarah
Kris Jacen, Be With Me
Jesse Jacobson: Protecting Honor
Silver James: Rescue Moon
Becca Jameson: Saving Sofia
Kate Kinsley: Protecting Ava
Heather Long: Securing Arizona
Gennita Low: No Protection
Kirsten Lynn: Joining Forces for Jesse
Margaret Madigan: Bang for the Buck
Kimberly McGath: The Predecessor
Rachel McNeely: The SEAL’s Surprise Baby
KD Michaels: Saving Laura
Lynn Michaels, Rescuing Kyle
Wren Michaels: The Fox & The Hound
Kat Mizera: Protecting Bobbi
Keira Montclair, Wolf and the Wild Scots
Mary B Moore: Force Protection
LeTeisha Newton: Protecting Butterfly
Angela Nicole: Protecting the Donna
MJ Nightingale: Protecting Beauty
Sarah O’Rourke: Saving Liberty
Victoria Paige: Reclaiming Izabel
Anne L. Parks: Mason
Debra Parmley: Protecting Pippa
Lainey Reese: Protecting New York
TL Reeve and Michele Ryan: Extracting Mateo
Elena M. Reyes: Keeping Ava
Angela Rush: Charlotte
Rose Smith: Saving Satin
Jenika Snow: Protecting Lily
Lynne St. James: SEAL’s Spitfire
Dee Stewart: Conner
Harley Stone: Rescuing Mercy
Jen Talty: Burning Desire
Reina Torres, Rescuing Hi’ilani
Savvi V: Loving Lex
Megan Vernon: Protecting Us
Delta Team Three Series
Lori Ryan: Nori’s Delta
Becca Jameson: Destiny’s Delta
Lynne St James, Gwen’s Delta
Elle James: Ivy’s Delta
Riley Edwards: Hope’s Delta
Police and Fire: Operation Alpha World
Freya Barker: Burning for Autumn
B.P. Beth: Scott
Jane Blythe: Salvaging Marigold
Julia Bright, Justice for Amber
Anna Brooks, Guarding Georgia
KaLyn Cooper: Justice for Gwen
Aspen Drake: Sheltering Emma
Deanndra Hall: Shelter for Sharla
Barb Han: Kace
EM Hayes: Gambling for Ashleigh
CM Steele: Guarding Hope
Reina Torres: Justice for Sloane
Aubree Valentine, Justice for Danielle
Maddie Wade: Finding English
Stacey Wilk: Stage Fright
Tarpley VFD Series
Silver James, Fighting for Elena
Deanndra Hall, Fighting for Carly
Haven Rose, Fighting for Calliope
MJ Nightingale, Fighting for Jemma
TL Reeve, Fighting for Brittney
Nicole Flockton, Fighting for Nadia
As you know, this book included at least one character from Susan Stoker’s books. To check out more, see below.
SEAL of Protection: Legacy Series
Securing Caite
Securing Brenae (novella)
Securing Sidney
Securing Piper
Securing Zoey
Securing Avery
Securing Kalee (Sept 2020)
Securing Jane (Feb 2021)
SEAL Team Hawaii Series
Finding Elodie (Apr 2021)
Finding Lexie (Aug 2021)
Finding Kenna (Oct 2021)
Finding Monica (TBA)
Finding Carly (TBA)
Finding Ashlyn (TBA)
Delta Team Two Series
Shielding Gillian
Shielding Kinley
Shielding Aspen (Oct 2020)
Shielding Riley (Jan 2021)
Shielding Devyn (May 2021)
Shielding Ember (Sep 2021)
Shielding Sierra (TBA)
Delta Force Heroes Series
Rescuing Rayne (FREE!)
Rescuing Aimee (novella)
Rescuing Emily
Rescuing Harley
Marrying Emily (novella)
Rescuing Kassie
Rescuing Bryn
Rescuing Casey
Rescuing Sadie (novella)
Rescuing Wendy
Rescuing Mary
Rescuing Macie (Novella)
Badge of Honor: Texas Heroes Series
Justice for Mackenzie (FREE!)
Justice for Mickie
Justice for Corrie
Justice for Laine (novella)
Shelter for Elizabeth
Justice for Boone
Shelter for Adeline
Shelter for Sophie
Justice for Erin
Justice for Milena
Shelter for Blythe
Justice for Hope
Shelter for Quinn
Shelter for Koren
Shelter for Penelope
SEAL of Protection Series
Protecting Caroline (FREE!)
Protecting Alabama
Protecting Fiona
Marrying Caroline (novella)
Protecting Summer
Protecting Cheyenne
Protecting Jessyka
Protecting Julie (novella)
Protecting Melody
Protecting the Future
Protecting Kiera (novella)
Protecting Alabama’s Kids (novella)
Protecting Dakota
New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author Susan Stoker has a heart as big as the state of Tennessee where she lives, but this all American girl has also spent the last fourteen years living in Missouri, California, Colorado, Indiana, and Texas. She’s married to a retired Army man who now gets to follow her around the country.
www.stokeraces.com
www.AcesPress.com
[email protected]
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