1941002110 (R) (31 page)

“No,” she’d said, “I’m not particularly interested in any holidays right now.”

Chase’s mother had welcomed them with open arms. Carrie Daniels was every bit as sweet as she’d ever sounded on the phone, and she’d embraced Sophie right away.

Chase told Sophie later that his mother had actually raised her voice at him when he’d suggested he’d been worried she might be upset about him and Sophie.

“Honey,” she’d told him, “Tyler Nash gave me the greatest gift I ever got in this life—you. Nothing he can do, nothing he has ever done, will take that away from me.”

And just like that, their families knew about them. Now they could get on with the business of building a life together. Since Chase had lost everything in the fire that claimed his apartment, they had to find a place to live, which they had. A cute town house near the military base where he worked.

She’d moved her stuff down from New York last weekend. She and Chase had driven a U-Haul into Manhattan, then packed it up and headed back to DC. She’d said good-bye to her job at the restaurant, gone to see her acting teacher, said good-bye to a few friends—and that was it. Good-bye New York, hello DC.

Chase worried she’d be sad, but she was excited. Life was full of new possibilities, and she was embracing them.

Evie cut her gaze to the men. “Double D’s the only one left.”

Sophie looked over to where Dex Davidson stood with Chase and Emily’s husband, Flash. He was a handsome guy—they all were, really—and apparently he was the only one with no girlfriend.

“Maybe he’s gay,” Emily said, and Georgie snorted.

“Girl, warn a body before you say something like that!”

Olivia handed her a napkin to clean up the spray from her soda. “If he’s gay, it’s a waste for our team.”

“He’s not gay,” Sophie said, and they all looked at her. She could feel her face reddening. “I mean, I don’t think he’s gay. He seemed interested in me when we first met, though Chase put a stop to that pretty quickly.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen him flirting with waitresses,” Grace said. “I don’t think he’s gay either.”

“We need to find him a girl,” Lucky said. “He’s the only one who shows up to our gatherings alone now.”

“All right, ladies, who do we know that’s single?” Evie asked. They started to talk but then grew quiet as the men broke up their conversation and moved toward them.

“Hey, baby, how you doing?” Chase sidled up to her and put an arm around her.

Sophie leaned into him. “Great, honey. How about you?”

“Never better.”

The door opened then and Matt Girard walked in. He’d been outside, running an errand for her. When she saw him, he tipped his chin at her. She smiled and took Chase’s hand. The others exchanged looks between them.

“You got a minute, babe?” she asked.

Chase’s brows drew together. “Sure. What’s up?”

“Come on.”

She led him toward the door and then outside while the rest of the team gathered around them. In the parking lot, the guys she’d been told were SEALs stood in a row, blocking what she wanted Chase to see. She turned to him.

“I told you I’d fix everything I broke, Chase,” she said, and his eyes gleamed as he caught her close.

“You already fixed everything, baby. You fixed me.”

Her heart thumped when he said stuff like that. “No, that’s not what I meant.”

She turned to the guys, and they parted like she was Moses and they were the Red Sea. Behind them, a shiny midnight-blue Corvette with a white stripe sat on the pavement, looking badass and, well, shiny.

Her heart hammered as she waited for Chase’s reaction.

“It’s a C3 model, like yours,” she said.

He’d had his pulled out of the brush, but it was trashed pretty badly. And since it was made of fiberglass, it took more time and money to repair than the worth of the car.

“Holy shit,” Chase breathed. “Sophie, what did you do?”

She shrugged, happy and embarrassed. Around them, his teammates and their women grinned huge grins.

“I said I’d buy you a new one. Well, it’s technically not new, but it’s a good one. I had Matt check it out for me, and I did a deal with the guy.”

She had enough money in the bank to buy a new one, but since she wasn’t going to take money from her mother and Tyler anymore, she felt like saving it for her and Chase was the right thing to do while they built a life together. Chase had agreed, which was why he looked so surprised now.

Matt walked over with the keys and held them up. Chase took them, and she breathed a little easier. But he still hadn’t said much.

Then he turned to her, his eyes shining with so much love it hurt. He picked her up, even as she squeaked, and spun her in a circle.

“You are amazing, Sophie Nash. Marry me, because I’m never letting you go.”

Sophie’s eyes filled with tears. “Marry you? We don’t even know if we can live together without killing each other yet.”

“Yeah, I know—but say yes now and then one day, when it’s right, we’ll do it.”

Sophie sucked in a breath. And then she threw her head back and laughed. He was crazy, but she loved his brand of crazy. Because it was all for her.

“Yes, Chase. Absolutely, yes.”

He put her down and kissed her hard. Then he led her to the car and opened the door for her. When she was settled, he kissed her again, then went around and got in the driver’s seat.

The car roared to life and Chase shook his head at the throaty growl. “Damn, that’s enough to make a man get a hard-on.” He smiled at her, his eyes crinkling. “You ready to go for a ride?”

“With you, always.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty much the way I feel too.” He leaned over and kissed her. “This is the second-best present you ever gave me.”

She blinked. “What’s the first?”

He gave her a mock frown. “Baby, you don’t know?”

Her heart skipped. “Me?”

“That’s right, Sophie. You.” He pulled her hand to his mouth. “You changed my life when you crashed back into it. I was pissed at the time… but I thank God that you did. Woke me up to what was missing.”

“I love you, Chase.”

“And that right there is why you are the best present I ever got. You love me in spite of myself.”

She wrapped a hand around his neck and pulled his mouth to hers. “No, I love you because of you—the man who helped me love myself for who I am instead of who I thought I wanted to be.”

“Damn, Sophie, you know how to get a guy in the feels.”

She giggled. “Take me home and I’ll get you somewhere else.”

He put the car in gear. “You got it, baby. But be aware that I’m going to get you too.”

She sure hoped so. Chase floored it. The cheers of his teammates followed them out of the parking lot. Sophie couldn’t contain her smile. It came from the inside, the best kind of smile possible.

Life with Chase would be filled with surprises, she was certain. And she looked forward to them all.

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EXCERPT FROM HOT PURSUIT

© 2013 by Lynn Raye Harris

He was the last man in the world she wanted to see…but he might be the only one who could save her…

Ten years ago, Matt Girard did something he shouldn’t. When sweet Evangeline Baker offered him her virginity, he took it. Then he left town and he’s never looked back.

Until now. His future as a black ops soldier with the Hostile Operations Team is in jeopardy, and he’s come home for a few days before going back to face the consequences of a mission gone wrong.

Matt still makes Evie’s heart pound, but she wants nothing to do with him. She’s had enough of men who lie and promise things they don’t deliver. But when her sister goes missing and her ex-boyfriend turns up dead, she’s in need of Matt’s special military skills.

With time running out, Matt will put everything on the line to protect Evie and find her sister. Even if it means sacrificing all he’s worked for with HOT. Sometimes, the reward is worth the price. Especially when it’s the one woman he can’t forget…

The music changed, the beat slowing. Evie took a step backward instinctively, but Matt caught her hand and held it tight. She tugged once, then stopped. They faced each other across a few feet of space. Around them, couples began to slide together, fitting into each other.

Evie’s pulse beat harder. Her skin sizzled where they touched, his big hand engulfing hers, his palm calloused in a way that shocked her. He was a Girard—rich, entitled—and he had a workman’s hands.

“One dance.”

Her insides melted a little more. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea.”

But what she really wanted to do was say yes.

His eyes were bright. “Why not? We’re adults now, Evie. No one’s getting hurt here.”

He said it like it was so easy, but was it really? Wasn’t she still vulnerable on some level? She was down on her luck right now, feeling like a loser, and here he was, the same gorgeous, cocky, beautiful creature he’d always been.

Except, no, he was more than that, wasn’t he? There was something behind his smile now. Something dark and sad. Pain flared in his gray eyes and then was gone so quickly she wondered if she’d imagined it.

It shocked her. She suddenly wanted to know what had happened to him. She’d heard about him being held captive by terrorists. How could he not be affected by something like that? Of all the things she’d expected Matt Girard to do with his life, putting himself into danger had not even occurred to her. He had everything. Why would he want to risk his life that way?

She remembered when his mother had died. He’d been twelve. Mama had taken her to the wake out at Reynier’s Retreat. There were so many people crowding the beautiful rooms of the mansion. The house was heavy with sadness and thick with grief, and it had scared her. She’d escaped to run down the wide lawn. She’d known where to find Matt. He’d been curled inside the hollow of a tree they’d found a few years before.