Falling for the Marine (A McCade Brothers Novel) (Entangled Brazen) (20 page)
Read Falling for the Marine (A McCade Brothers Novel) (Entangled Brazen) Online
Authors: Samanthe Beck
Tags: #private practice, #lover undercover, #erotic, #lovers unmasked, #military, #marine, #contemporary romance
Epilogue
Three months later…
Chloe dropped her duffel bag and garment bag on the bed with a sigh of relief, kicked off her shoes, and then looked around the empty hotel suite. She’d figured her days of empty hotel rooms were over, but this morning proved her wrong. She pressed a hand to her queasy stomach and took a deep, calming breath.
This suite was particularly lovely, with its spacious rooms and double balconies boasting endless ocean views…and it wouldn’t be empty for long. She glanced at her watch and gaped at the time. In less than thirty minutes she’d be at the center of a whirlwind of activity.
The thought of all that activity got her pulse revving. She didn’t mind the rev, but this was the beginning of a long, important day and she didn’t want to exhaust herself before it even started. Nor did she want to throw up. A few minutes of open-air meditation might do the trick.
Inspired, she stepped out onto the balcony and breathed deeply. Closed her eyes. Let her mind go blank.
“Hello Chloe.”
Shock nearly sent her hurtling over the railing. Two strong arms clamped around her waist and pulled her back against the safety of a tall, strong, extremely familiar body. “Are you trying to bolt on me, free bird? Because I have to warn you, you can’t really fly.”
“Michael!” She turned in his arms and thumped his chest with her palm. “What are you doing here? Don’t you know it’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding?”
He shrugged, completely unconcerned. “I’ve got good feng shui, baby. I don’t need luck. I also didn’t need a room key because you left the door open.” His wandering hand found her butt and pinched her.
She swatted his hand away. “I left it open on purpose, because your mom and Loretta are going to be here soon.”
“Let them knock. I wanted to check in on you before things got too crazy. Make sure you weren’t getting cold feet.”
“Me?” She wiggled her bare toes. “My feet are warm and comfy. Why are you worried?”
He rested his forehead against hers. “I know this isn’t the nice, simple exchange-vows-on-the-beach-in-Jamaica deal we talked about. Once my mom got involved,” he lifted his head and rolled his eyes, “and then with Loretta spurring things on and Lynne and Veronica, who I stupidly thought might be the voice of reason…the whole thing kind of spiraled. I don’t want you to feel penned in by all this, ’cause it’s not too late for us to grab our bags and fly off to Jamaica. I’ll leave a note telling everyone to enjoy the reception.”
Her heart fluttered at the offer, but she shook her head. “The colonel would not be pleased.”
“Yeah, he’s pretty thrilled about walking you down the aisle, but he’s not my priority. You are.”
She was pretty thrilled to have him walking her down the aisle too, particularly since her father couldn’t be bothered to request leave to attend the wedding. Much like her mom, he’d given her the “Didn’t we do this once already?” comment and told her to send pictures. Oh well. To paraphrase one of the smartest people she knew, her parents were not her priority. Michael was. She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled up at him. “As long as this day ends with my husband in my arms, it’s exactly what I had in mind.”
“You sure? My family can be a pain in the ass sometimes.”
“They’re wonderful, all of them. Your parents, Trevor, Kylie, Logan.” They were. Trevor and his very lovely, very glowing, six-months-pregnant wife Kylie could not have been more welcoming, which was good, because something told her she’d be speaking to Kylie pretty regularly soon. Logan, his younger brother, she didn’t know as well, because he lived in Colorado and spent what seemed to be every waking hour buried to his neck in the responsibilities of running his rapidly expanding business. But he’d flown in for the weekend to attend the wedding and arrived at the rehearsal dinner last night with a big, charming smile on his handsome, somewhat stressed-out face.
“Kylie’s wonderful. You don’t know the real Trevor, because she’s sanded down the worst of his bossy, abrasive side. And Logan? Ha, don’t let the polished facade fool you. He—”
“Looks like he needs a good massage.”
Michael scowled at that and tightened his arms around her possessively. “Typical. Women always want to get their hands on Logan. Let him find his own masseuse. You’re mine.”
She laughed and rose up on her tiptoes to kiss the frown line between his brows away. “I am yours. Today, tomorrow, and always.”
He kissed her back, long and hard enough to have her head spinning when he drew away. “No cold feet? No doubts? No feeling trapped?”
“None of the above. I can’t wait to put a ring on your finger.”
“I hope you’re wearing running shoes under your dress, because Harding’s so anxious to see this wedding happen, I’m afraid he’s going to march you down the aisle at double time.”
“He’s worried he’s going to cry. Says he always cries at weddings.”
“He should worry. Half of 3rd MAW has laid bets he won’t make it to the altar without bawling.”
“That’s mean. I’ll just have to distract him so he doesn’t get choked up.”
“And how do you plan to do that?”
She couldn’t keep the sappy smile off her face. For the hundredth time since the phone call she’d received yesterday morning, she found two little words ready to fly out of her mouth. She’d been trying to hold them back until after the wedding, but through fate or whatever, she and Michael had a quiet moment right now, and, what was that saying? No time like the present. “I’ll tell Harding we planned the wedding as quickly as we could, but it turns out we weren’t smart enough to avoid complications.”
Michael stared at her for a long moment, his face completely blank. “Complications?”
She nodded. “Uh-huh. In about six months we’re going to add another chapter to our Grandkid Story. One that might eventually result in actual grandkids.”
His expression remained unreadable, so she hurried on. “I know, timing-wise, this isn’t what we planned, but, then again, nothing about us has ever gone according to anybody’s plans, so, in a way, it’s kind of perfect…don’t you think?” Her heart pounded because, honestly, she couldn’t tell
what
he was thinking.
“Six months. So…the night in New Mexico?”
She nodded again and wished she hadn’t told him like this. He seemed to have slipped into a state of shock. “Are you okay? You’re awfully quiet.”
“I’m thinking.”
Shoot. This wasn’t going well at all. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking I’m about to kiss the mother of my child until she can’t see straight.”
“Oh.” Relief loosened her body and she leaned into him. “In that case, Major, it’s time to put those thoughts into action, because we’ve only got ten minutes.”
He pulled her close, so their lips hovered mere millimeters apart, and grinned. “Chloe, we’ve got the rest of our lives.”
Acknowledgments
Big THANK-YOUs and free massages to:
Heather Howland and Sue Winegardner, for your superfast, yet always-on-point editing genius. Lucky for me, you seem to like it fast and rough! (My writing, I mean).
Fellow Entangled authors Robin Bielman and Hayson Manning, for the tea and sympathy, (okay, maybe it’s more like vodka and kicks in the pants, but still).
All the great readers and authors who gave me input on this story, like Katee Robert, my girl Hayson, Alison Bliss, Donna Broers, Timitra Cozier-Bobb, Lauren Blakely, and the lovely Maggie Kelley.
The Kentucky crew, once again, for all your awesomeness, and the California crew for incredible support.
My family.
All the brave people who have served, and are currently serving, in our armed forces… Tha
nk you.
About the Author
Award winning author Samanthe Beck lives in Malibu, California, with her husband, their son, Kitty the furry Ninja, and Bebe the trash talkin’ Chihuahua. When not writing fun and sexy contemporary romance, or napping on her beach towel with her face snuggled to her Kindle, she searches for the perfect ten dollar wine to pair with Lunchables.
Connect with Sam via
Facebook
,
Twitter
, or through her website at
www.samanthebeck.com
to check her progress on that never-ending quest, or to get the latest on her upcoming Brazens!
Can’t get enough of Samanthe Beck’s romances? Check out her debut novel!
He’ll teach her how to bring a man to his knees…
Dr. Ellie Swan has a plan: open her practice in tiny Bluelick, Kentucky, so she can keep an eye on her diabetic father, and make hometown golden-boy Roger Reynolds fall in love with her. But Ellie has a problem. Roger seeks a skilled, sexually adventurous partner, and bookish Ellie doesn’t qualify.
Tyler Longfoot only cares about three things: shaking his bad boy image, qualifying for the loan his company needs to rehab a piece of Bluelick’s history, and convincing Ellie to keep quiet about the “incident” that lands him on her doorstep at two a.m. with a bullet in his behind.
The adorable Dr. Swan drives a mean bargain, though. If sex-on-a-stick Tyler will teach Ellie how to bring a man to his knees, she’ll forget about the bullet. Armed with
The Wild Woman’s Guide to Sex
and Tyler’s lessons, Ellie is confident she can become what Roger needs…if she doesn’t fall for Tyler first.
Samanthe kicks off her new
McCade Brothers
series with the enticing and entertaining
He’s undercover. She’s in over her head.
Yoga instructor Kylie Roberts is the good twin. Or she was—until an accident prevents her sister from dancing at a posh Hollywood “men’s club,” and Kylie has to step into her twin’s sexy stilettos to make rent. But nothing could’ve prepared Kylie for the dead body in the club’s parking lot, a killer who only targets
her
clients, or the ridiculously hot detective assigned to the case. Too bad he thinks she’s her sister, because Kylie’s willing to volunteer for an intimate, full-body strip search.
Detective Trevor McCade needs Kylie’s help. His plan is to pose as a regular customer and draw out the killer. It means long nights undercover, and long dances where Kylie’s body tempts him with sensual promises. Dances that leave them both wanting
more
. But despite Kylie’s hidden identity and the danger lurking in the shadows, it’s only a matter of time before Kylie and Trevor take this undercover operation under the covers…
The
McCade Brothers
series continues in…
a Halloween anthology featuring four of Brazen’s bestselling authors!
Mystery and intrigue surround Halloween night as friends surrender to long-hidden desires, lovers relinquish control, and the heat of passion threatens to consume them all…
Danielle has a plan—use the company Halloween party to seduce the sexy mail guy who works a few floors up who she’s been meeting for coffee for the past few months. The only problem? He’s not who she thinks he is, and he has seduction plans of his own.
Kindergarten teachers aren’t known for breaking the rules, but Steph is ready to go undercover—and get under the covers—to work her magic on her best friend, Landon. Sexy costume necessary, multiple orgasms crucial, real identity optional.
When Stacy discovers her sex-on-a-stick ex at her Hollywood Halloween blow-out, she decides to show the cocky homicide detective exactly what he’s been missing. But she’s not the only one plotting revenge, and Ian’s the only one who can save her.
Lieutenant Derek Tyler and Ginger Peet have overcome every seemingly impossible hurdle on the path to happiness, but when they each receive life-changing news on the same day, will their hard-won trust stand up to the test? Or will their attempts to shield one another drive them apart?
Enjoy your tricks
and
treats in this sexy anthology featuring bestselling authors Katee Robert, Cari Quinn, Samanthe Beck, and Tessa Bailey.
Also releasing this month...
Wilde for Her
the second book in the
Wilde Security
series by romantic suspense author Tonya Burrows
Friends with benefits just got hotter.
Former homicide detective Camden Wilde has been in love with his ex-partner, Eva Cardoso, for longer than he cares to admit. Not that it matters. She’s shoved him into the friend zone, and after living through the hell of his parents’ violent deaths, Cam’s unable to give her the idyllic life she secretly desires.
Eva’s never met a person who hasn’t let her down. Cam may be sex personified, but he’s the only man she can trust, and there’s no way she’ll risk their friendship on the off-chance they could be more. Especially not after the one scintillating night she’s trying—and failing—to forget.
When a murder-for-hire contract on his head lands Eva on his doorstep, Cam knows it’s time to put up or shut up. He’s done biding his time, and he’ll be damned if he lets the delectable detective ignore what’s between them, no matter the cost.
Also releasing this month...
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the next book in the
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series by USA TODAY bestselling author Karen Erickson
He’ll play dirty to get what he wants...
Willow Cavanaugh would be happy if she never saw cocky football star Nick Hamilton again. Sure, their fling was the hottest she’d had, but he’s way too much of a playboy to settle down with one woman. Plus, she’s got her heart set on a piece of real estate for her catering business—and Nick owns that property.
Nick may be at the top of his game, but all he wants is a second chance with Willow. When he offers to sell her his commercial space if she agrees to a series of dates with him, their chemistry is so scintillating that jumping back into bed seems like an inevitability. But Willow’s decided all’s fair in sex and blackmail. Little does she know, Nick’s playing to win…and she’s the prize.