Crossing The Line (KTS Book 2)
Page 18
He smiled, tugged on my hair. Then he pressed the bouquet into my hands, opened the door, and nudged me inside. “It’s Date Night,” he murmured as I stumbled to a stop, taking in the sight.
Candles lined every flat surface, covered plates were placed on the table, silver domes ready to be lifted, soft music played in the background.
And more flowers.
So many flowers, the floral scent hit me just inside the door.
“We haven’t had much luck in getting out for Date Night,” he murmured. “So I thought I’d bring Date Night to us.” A beat when I didn’t respond, when I was so touched that I couldn’t respond. “I promise, we’ll get out for a real one soon.”
I set the flowers down on the shelf near the door, spun, and launched myself into his arms.
“It’s perfect,” I whispered, kissing him long and slow.
“Wait until you see what’s under the domes,” he said, waggling his brows when we broke apart for air.
I laughed, but then he brought me over to the table, picked up the silver cover, and . . .
This man.
He’d discovered my favorites, and they were all there on my plate.
I dropped the dome onto the table, launched myself at him again, and kissed this man with every bit of love that I possessed for him. My hands going to his shirt, tugging it over his head, then to the button of his jeans, as his hands worked on getting off my clothes just as quickly.
We tumbled onto the bed, and I showed him how much I loved him.
“There are perks to an in-house Date Night,” I murmured lazily, much later, as we lounged in bed and ate off the plates, a Gold hockey game on in the background.
“Why’s that?” he asked, his fingers tracing light patterns on my naked thigh.
“Because I get to spend it with you,” I said. “And just you.” I cupped his cheek. “And that’s more romantic to me than any restaurant.”
His eyes got warm.
I felt his love deep in my soul.
And I knew we’d have many more in-house Date Nights in the future.
Fuck, I fucking loved this man.
A finger brushing along my nose, a murmured, “Distracted.”
“Such a fucking pain in the ass,” I grumbled, but I did it laughing and hugging him tight, and then Linc spent the rest of the night really distracting me.
And I could hardly believe the curse words that came out of my mouth.
Worth it.
So worth it.
Epilogue
Part Two
KTS Satellite Base
Western Georgia
06:58hrs
Jesse
I sighed and rubbed my eyes, the final part of my plan in place.
My teammate Lily and I had been working on ferreting out any remaining traitors at KTS.
We’d investigated every angle; we’d thought about every possibility.
And I still couldn’t be sure that I’d considered them all.
There must be something I was missing, something that I could plan for, something . . . I wasn’t going to find tonight because I was too freaking tired.
There was a knock at the door, and my eyes flicked up.
“Leo,” I said, smiling, despite my fatigue. “When did you get into town?”
“Just tonight.”
“That’s awesome.” My smile didn’t fade. “It’s really good to see you.”
The agent, a member of my former team before I’d shifted gears and landed under the direction of my current commanding officer, Hannah, smiled back. “It’s good to see you, too, Jess.”
I nodded.
Waited.
He just stared at me.
Which was a problem. Because the man had the dreamiest green eyes I had ever seen. They were pools of blazing emerald, a shocking contrast to the deep olive of his skin. And his smile—that one he’d just unleashed on me—well, I wasn’t a woman who swooned over a man, but this one? He’d always made me hyperaware of his presence, desperate to be more than friends with him.
But he’d been a teammate.
And further that, I was me.
I wasn’t cute. I wasn’t curvy. I was . . . strong.
I had broad shoulders and muscular thighs. I could program an explosive—or take one apart—in seconds to minutes, depending on how complicated they were, but I wasn’t a woman who inspired a man to be attracted to her.
I was the funny friend.
The great buddy to hang out and have a beer with.
Which was fine. I loved myself, loved the strength I’d worked hard for. It was just . . . part of me wanted the romance, wanted the fancy dress, wanted the man who thought I was the most beautiful woman on the planet.
Well, everyone had their fantasies, and I wasn’t immune, and in the meantime (because Leo was and would most definitely always be a fantasy), I’d focused all my energy on being a good agent, a good teammate, and a good friend, all in that order. Unfortunately, none of those attributes gave me any clue on how to proceed with this conversation.
“Um, did you need something?” I asked.
He shook his head.
I waited. Again.
Then he smiled. Again.
And heat coiled in my abdomen, my thighs clenched together. I could have sworn I smelled him from all the way across the room.
Then he crossed to me, tugged me up into his arms, and for one moment . . . for one moment I thought that perhaps the fantasy in my mind might be for real. That he was a heartbeat away from declaring that he had always loved me and then was going to swipe a hand across my desk, lay me across the table, and have his merry way with me.
But . . . fantasies.
Because that one moment passed.
He released me, stepped back, and punched me in the shoulder. Not lightly either, but hard, like one dude would punch another. It didn’t hurt . . . not physically anyway. “I’m your new teammate, Jess!”
Then he punched me again.
And I felt my heart crack . . . just a little bit.
Because it had only been a fantasy. Just a fantasy.
And maybe if I kept telling myself that, it wouldn’t hurt so much.
Leveling The Field
Jesse’s story is coming June 14th, 2021!
Preorder at www.books2read.com/LevelingTheField
KTS Series
Prequel Novella
Fire and Ice (Hurt Anthology)
Full Length Books
Riding The Edge
Crossing The Line (March 22nd, 2021)
Leveling The Field (June 14th, 2021)
Also by Elise Faber
Billionaire’s Club (all stand alone)
Bad Night Stand
Bad Breakup
Bad Husband
Bad Hookup
Bad Divorce
Bad Fiancé
Bad Boyfriend
Bad Blind Date
Bad Wedding
Bad Engagement
Bad Bridesmaid
Bad Swipe (June 28th, 2021)
Gold Hockey (all stand alone)
Blocked
Backhand
Boarding
Benched
Breakaway
Breakout
Checked
Coasting
Centered
Charging
Caged (April 12th, 2021)
Breakers Hockey (all stand alone)
Broken (May 24th, 2021)
KTS Series
Fire and Ice (Hurt Anthology, stand alone)
Riding The Edge
Crossing The Line (March 22nd, 2021)
Leveling The Field (June 14th, 2021)
Love, Action, Camera (all stand alone)
Dotted Line
Action Shot
Close-Up
End Scene
Meet Cute (April 5th, 2021)
Love After Midnight (all stand alone)
Rum And Notes
Virgin Daiquiri
On T
he Rocks
Sex On The Seats (April 26th, 2021)
Life Sucks Series (all stand alone)
Train Wreck
Hot Mess
Dumpster Fire
Clusterf*@k (August 16th, 2021)
Roosevelt Ranch Series (all stand alone, series complete)
Disaster at Roosevelt Ranch
Heartbreak at Roosevelt Ranch
Collision at Roosevelt Ranch
Regret at Roosevelt Ranch
Desire at Roosevelt Ranch
Phoenix Series (read in order)
Phoenix Rising
Dark Phoenix
Phoenix Freed
Phoenix: LexTal Chronicles (rereleasing soon, stand alone, Phoenix world)
From Ashes
In Flames
To Smoke (October 18th, 2021)
Stand Alones
Someday, Maybe (YA)
About the Author
USA Today bestselling author, Elise Faber, loves chocolate, Star Wars, Harry Potter, and hockey (the order depending on the day and how well her team -- the Sharks! -- are playing). She and her husband also play as much hockey as they can squeeze into their schedules, so much so that their typical date night is spent on the ice. Elise changes her hair color more often than some people change their socks, loves sparkly things, and is the mom to two exuberant boys. She lives in Northern California. Connect with her in her Facebook group, the Fabinators or find more information about her books at www.elisefaber.com.