Page 45

N ate lifted his phone for the tenth time in the last ten minutes.

Where was she? She should have been done by now.

Disappointment spread through him. Dammit, if she’d tanked it, he’d have to put on a good front.

She’d promised to call the minute she got out.

What if she’d been too upset to call and come right home?

He lifted the vase of two dozen pink roses and froze. Had he jumped the gun with the flowers, wine, and chocolate? Shit. If she came in disappointed and he had all this celebratory crap, she’d be even more upset.

Keys sounded in the front door and his blood turned to ice. He heard the loud thud of her hundred-pound handbag landing on the floor. He wouldn’t be surprised if it had dented the damn hardwood.

“Babe, are you home?”

Shit. Her voice didn’t sound elated… more casual. He turned to the pantry and opened the door—he had to hide the flowers.

“What’s that?”

He winced and turned slowly to face her. She’d returned her hair to the rich auburn color a few weeks ago. Though he dug the blond highlights, it was nice to have her natural color back.

“It’s… uh… for you.”

The corner of her mouth lifted, but he still couldn’t read her. “How did it go?”

She stepped forward, accepted the flowers, dropped her nose to a wide bloomed rose, and inhaled deeply. “Oh, my god, these are so gorgeous. Thanks honey, I love them.”

He welcomed the brush of her kiss, but all he wanted to know was how her test had gone. “Well?”

She set the flowers down and trailed her fingers over the box of her favorite dark chocolates. “Are these for me, too?”

He made an impatient sound. “No, they’re for the other person who lives here. Now would you stop torturing me please?”

She threw her head back and laughed, and then slid her sexy ass onto one of the white leather stools at the island. She propped her elbows on the counter and squinted her eyes at him.

“I think it’d be more fun if you guessed.”

He blew air through his lips. He was going to pay her back for this… later. He had his own kind of torture he could inflict. If he wasn’t so eager to find out, he’d use it right now as an interrogation tactic.

He scratched his head and shifted his lips in mock study of her. “Well, you haven’t broken anything… haven’t cursed or reached for the wine and chocolate yet… so I’d say you think you did pretty damn well.”

Her eyes glinted at him and she reached for the chocolates. His stomach twisted in knots. She lifted a small square to her lips and moaned, nearly making him blow his load in his pants.

He willed his soldier to focus for a few more seconds.

“I’d say I passed with flying colors, but I could be wrong.”

Pride surged through him. He let out a whoop of excitement and crossed the room, took her face in his hands and her lips in his mouth. The rich chocolate filled his taste buds, sending all kinds of kinky ideas through his lust-filled head.

He pulled away and pressed his forehead to hers. “I’m so fucking proud of you, baby. All that’s left is the Final Screening Process and you’re in, Agent Worth.” Damn, that sounded good. Her face lit up like a Christmas tree and she threw her arms around him.

“Now let’s go upstairs and celebrate.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her off the stool.

“Wait, we can’t yet. I have to go to the mall and get Riley’s baby shower gift.”

His shoulders slumped. Shit, he’d forgotten about their shopping plans.

A week after they’d gotten back to Seattle and settled into Maddie’s apartment, Ethan had told him the news that he’d been trying to tell them while he and Maddie had been dodging his calls on the ship.

Riley was pregnant and they were ridiculously happy.

With Ethan’s protective streak, Nate sure as hell hoped they’d have a boy. “All right. But we’re making it quick. First thing we see type of thing.

My dick is going to explode.”

Maddie bobbed her eyebrows at him. “This could be fun.” She licked her tongue over her bottom lip and he reached out and smacked her ass.

She howled and swatted him on the way to the door.

Maddie had been right. He wished he could have been with her sooner. Had he known how happy and complete he’d feel, and that Ethan would have eventually calmed the fuck down, he’d have finished what he’d started the night of the wedding.

He smiled down at her as she walked, her eyelids lowered, a permanent smile on her full mouth, and a blush on her cheeks. Hell, he was just grateful he could do it any time he wanted now. Her hand wiggled into his and love spread through his heart, making it ache in his chest.

And she was all his.

***

If you enjoyed the Dangerous Distractions series, check out the Blood Brothers series! These hot, dangerous alphas are lethal when it comes to protecting what’s theirs—especially their women.

It all begins with Bound . . .