Angela jerked to a stop and he had to urge her forward out of the street before a bus plowed them over.
“No, I called Cable Security. Oh, God.” She tried to pull away from him but he wasn’t letting her go.
“It looks like they stood you up, but I can help you.” He reached in his pocket and took out a shiny business card. She would be the first recipient. “I need you to tell me what’s going on so I can help you.”
Tires squealed and he glanced up to see a car racing towards them, a gun poking out the window. “Get down.” He shoved Angela behind a vehicle as shots rang out. Dammit, his gun was locked in his suitcase so he couldn’t fire back. He made sure Angela was safe before peeking around to see what was happening. More squealing tires as the car rounded a corner and disappeared. He memorized the California license plate, knowing it was probably a waste of time since it was most likely stolen.
“Looks like they’re gone.” He stood and turned around. “Let’s get to my vehicle and you can tell me—”
The space behind him was empty. “Angela?” He spun in a circle, searching under the nearest cars and then craning his head to look around, to no avail.
Angela Johnson was gone.
#
Epilogue
Cassidy rested her head against Mason’s shoulder as the airplane taxied and lifted into the air. They’d spent the past four days in New York City hustling from one interview to another. The questions were supposed to be about the just-ended season of Dancing With the Celebrities, but every interviewer wanted to talk about the ordeal with her former partner, Colin Rafferty. She didn’t blame them since it was a juicy story, but she was all talked out.
A week of sleep sounded great right about now. Especially if she could spend those hours in Mason’s arms. They hadn’t talked about a future and she wasn’t sure where they stood. Up until her shoulder injury, they’d spent every night the past few weeks making love and falling asleep intertwined. Though she’d wanted to, he wouldn’t have sex with her after her injury, insisting that he didn’t want to hurt her. Instead, he’d tucked her against him and held her all night. Her body craved his. She missed the intimate contact.
So many times, she’d wanted to repeat the words she’d voiced the day Colin had almost killed them both. She loved Mason, with all her heart. It was an all-consuming, forever kind of love. She missed him when he wasn’t by her side. Her eyes constantly sought him out and whenever she spotted him, she felt like she could breathe again. But Mason had made it clear he wasn’t looking for a long-term commitment. He’d been married before and his wife had been unfaithful. His trust in women had been shattered.
The studio-owned Gulfstream banked and headed towards Indiana. She didn’t need to be back in California until the next dancing season and she planned on getting her academy up and running before then. The sale had gone through, so she now owned the twenty-thousand square foot building. She had a design concept in mind, but didn’t have the technical knowledge of how to actually bring it to fruition. She’d been floored when Reed Steele offered to draw up plans based on her ideas. Reed was a former major league baseball player and current television star. His rehab show was a huge success. She couldn’t say yes fast enough.
She knew it was Mason’s doing to have Reed work on her academy, just as he’d talked Jade Bradley into offering her a place to live in LA. He was always looking out for her.
Now that she had space, she needed to contact a moving company to pack up the rest of her apartment back in California. She’d talked to her neighbor Tandi, and the older woman decided to stay. Cassidy was glad. She’d never be able to find a place with the view for the price. Plus, it was close to Tandi’s job. Cassidy vowed to keep in touch and promised she’d stop by and visit when she returned for the next season.
As soon as the plane landed, cars were waiting for them. After hugs all around, Harlow and Sawyer headed home. She asked Mason if they could drive to her new property. His opinion mattered, and she desperately wanted his approval.
#
Mason’s eyes took in the vast warehouse that would soon be transformed into a world-class dance academy. The two-story building was flanked with windows and enough room to feature several individual dance studios. It would take some work, but he could see the potential that had drawn Cassidy to the space.
“Well?”
He glanced down to her beautiful face, a face that had become dear to him. She was his heart, his breath, his everything.
Apparently, Harlow had been right all along about soulmates.
Her look was hopeful and he wanted to give her anything her heart desired. He’d find a way to give her the moon if she asked.
“It’s perfect.”
Her smile was huge as she hugged him tight. “I thought so, too.”
He inhaled the flowery scent of her hair. The urge to pick her up, place her on the nearest soft surface and sink into her welcoming heat was overwhelming. But her shoulder was still healing. He wouldn’t risk hurting her.
“I need to stop by a furniture store.” She stepped out of his arms and he almost pulled her back. “I’m going to convert that office,” she pointed to a room in the corner, “into a place to live until the space is finished. I plan on having Reed include a small apartment so I don’t have to pay rent.”
His heart skipped a beat. She was planning on finding her own place to live. They hadn’t talked about it, but he hoped she’d stay with him. Right now, he was bunking in an apartment in the COBRA Securities compound, but he’d taken the cue from his coworkers and purchased a plot of land before the good spots with lake views were gone. He thought he’d get around to building a place eventually. Now he wanted to fast-track it so he’d have an actual home to offer her.
Idiot. How was she supposed to know how he felt? He’d never told her. He loved her. He wasn’t sure when it happened. It seemed as if he’d loved her from the minute he spotted her walking towards him months ago, moments before he flattened her against a brick wall.
“I don’t need much besides a bed and a—”
“I love you.”
“Dresser…what did you say?”
He cupped her face in his hands and slid them into the silk of her hair. “I love you, Cassidy. With all my heart.”
Tears flooded her eyes. “You do?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“I love you, too. With all my heart.”
He kissed her because he just couldn’t help himself.
“Don’t go ordering any furniture.”
“But where will I sleep?”
“With me. In my bed. Forever.”
###
Notes
I hope you enjoyed Last Dance, the fourteenth book in the COBRA Securities series. Several characters from previous books made appearances in Last Dance. If you would like to read their stories, you can find them here:
Logan and Jade Bradley from The Fan
Dante, Taylor, Kai and Gracie Costa from Hide and Seek and Kidnapped
Luke and Layla Colton from Face the Music
Sawyer and Harlow Oldham and Zoe Duquesne from Kidnapped and Hunted
About the Author
Velvet Vaughn is the author of The List, The Fan, Committed, Violets are Blue, Trust No One, Hide and Seek, Killer Cuisine, Vigilante, Face the Music, Tough as Nails, Total Surrender, Hunted, Say Goodbye to Melody, and Last Dance, the first fourteen books in the COBRA Securities series, as well as Saving Santa, and Kidnapped, COBRA Securities Short Stories. In addition, two novellas: A Christmas Miracle and Flying High Christmas are available as stand-alone books or in the anthologies All I Want For Christmas and Yuletide Treasures, respectively. The fifteenth book in the COBRA Securities series, The Viper, will be published soon.
Connect With Velvet
Website: www.velvetvaughn.com
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Blog: http://www.velvetvaughn.com/blog.html
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Email: [email protected]
From Velvet
Thank you so much for purchasing Last Dance. I hope you enjoyed Mason and Cassidy’s story. If you did, I would appreciate you leaving feedback at Amazon.com or Goodreads. Thank you!
The fifteenth book in the COBRA Securities series will be out this winter. The Viper is former detective and current COBRA Securities agent Kellan Polizzi and graphic designer and heiress Annabelle St. John’s story.
If you would like to read the story of one of the characters from my books, let me know. You can reach me through the contact page on my website or my Facebook Fanpage. I'd love to hear from you. And be sure to like my Fanpage so you can take part in giveaways.
Thank you again for your support!
Last Dance (COBRA Securities Book 14) Page 26
