Rules of Entanglement (33 page)

“Your mom was always good for a story. Jax and I counted on her to give us all our background information for our pretend missions as kids.”

“Mom was something special all right. I still miss her bedtime stories.”

Lucie’s parents had died in a car accident the summer after he and Jackson graduated high school and she was just thirteen. Jackson chose to raise Lucie instead of pawning her off on another relative, which is why he wasn’t as far in his MMA career as Reid. It was an honorable thing, and it was obvious he’d done a damn fine job, too.

Just then it hit him. “It’s a guy, isn’t it?”

Her hands stilled for only a moment, but it was long enough to give him the answer he was looking for. “Is it tender when I press here?”

Like bad heartburn, an unfamiliar lividity rose up for the general male population until he could aim it at the one who deserved it. Pushing up with his left arm he swung his body around to face her.

“What are you doing? I’m not done.”

“You are until you tell me who he is and what the hell he did,” he growled.

“Reid—”

“Quid pro quo, Lu. You tell me who made you cry and why, and I promise to not find out on my own, hunt him down, and kick his teeth down his throat for putting that look on your face.”

He almost regretted throwing down the harsh threat when her face blanched, but if that was the only way he could get her to open up, then so be it. “Here, hop up on the table. We’ll switch places,” he said as he stood. When she opened her mouth to brook an argument, he narrowed his gaze to show her he wasn’t kidding. With a resigned sigh she did as he wanted, albeit not happily.

“There, now you’re the patient.” Despite the pain it caused in his shoulder, he braced his hands on either side of her hips, preventing an escape should she decide it was the better alternative. “So, Miss Miller,” he said looking into her soft gray eyes, “tell me where it hurts.”

Acknowlegments

As always, first and foremost, thank you to my wonderful husband and children who deal with, and work around, the crazy hours I keep to do what I love.

Thank you to my Maxwell Mob officers—Pat, Diane, Annie, Kristin, Laura, Aimee, Angie, and Andrea—who keep things running with my readers and the Mob when I’m stuck in Deadline Hell and can’t come up for air. The Mob wouldn’t exist without all your hard work and dedication, and I’d probably be in the loony bin.

To my amazing friend Kristin Anders who spent hours upon hours with me over IM, text, phone, and Skype figuring out the plot holes and conflicts for this beast. I would have given up on Jax months ago if not for her encouragement and middle-of-the-night sessions.

To Jilli Linnett and her family for giving me
all
my information on Oahu and the Hawaiian culture to make sure I got it right. Also for all the beautiful pictures and thoughtful gifts. You deserved a place in this story.

To Christa Cervone who coined the phrase “cunny quake.” I knew instantly it was a Fritz-ism.

To Josh Williams, Parker Hurley, Ally Sturm, and Jeremy Austin: thank you for giving me not only one, but two gorgeous covers for this series.

To my editor, Liz Pelletier, who stayed up with me for several all-nighters in a row to make sure we had this book as perfect as we could get it, and for helping me love the story again.

To Kara Wiesmann and Courtenay Birchmeier of SunTree Accessories for designing and creating Vanessa’s Necklace as a continuation to the Fighting for Love jewelry tradition.

And last, but certainly not least, everyone who has ever said an encouraging, supportive word to me about my books, my characters, or my accomplishments. I take them all to heart. Thank you.

About the Author

New York Times
and USA TODAY bestselling author Gina L. Maxwell is a shameless romance addict with no intentions of ever kicking the habit. Growing up she dreamed of entertaining people with her acting abilities, until she came to the realization as a college sophomore that she had none. Another ten years would pass before she discovered a different means to accomplishing the same dream: writing stories of love and passion for addicts just like her.

When she’s not writing or wrangling plot bunnies in her San Antonio home, Gina keeps busy with her wonderful family and their ever growing extracurricular activities.

 
www.ginalmaxwell.com

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