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FIVE YEARS LATER

Tony sat alone at Gabe’s wedding reception table glowering at the beautiful woman three tables over. Sherrie Mullins. His men, talking and laughing, as they walked by to greet her. And Monty. Fuckin Monty Lytton. He did not have anything personal against the FBI agent who had recently assisted Tony’s agency on a case. But any man in her vicinity would draw his ire right now.

Tony Alvarez was a man of action who left the Army and started his own security agency and filled it with his brothers-in-arms who had left the Special Forces as well. Men from his squad. Men he trusted. Men whose skills were unparalleled. His agency now handled not only installing state-of-the-art security systems, providing security to any number of dignitaries or functions in the area, but also helped the Richmond Police Department on a number of cases where their budget constraints did not allow for the equipment that he had.

He was not a man used to sitting around staring at a woman who should not even be on his radar. But she was and had been in his sights for almost a year.

He remembered the first time he saw her picture. She had been trying to help her drug-addicted, prostitute sister. Charisse had become involved with one of the biggest gang leaders in the area and Sherrie had put herself in danger to try to help. He remembered seeing the picture of the woman he was tasked to rescue when the gang leader kidnapped her and was attempting to take her out of the country. She was a beauty, but he could see trouble from a mile away. He thought she was probably just like her sister, after all she had been a waitress in a cheap strip joint. Hell, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Reading her dossier, he discovered she was strong, smart, loyal, and…good. When she realized she could no longer help Charisse unless her sister wanted to get help, she cut her loose.

Tony had kept up with the blonde beauty. She quit her job as a cocktail waitress when she finished her paralegal degree and had once again put herself in danger by trying to do a little digging for Gabe’s new wife Jennifer, looking for evidence of the illegal activities of a state Senator. He thought again, remembering how she called him for help when Monty dragged her out of the State Capitol building. It turned out he was undercover FBI, but Tony could still remember the emotions he felt when she called. First, there was fear. Then the adrenaline of a mission to be accomplished. And then…the feeling of a woman depending on him.

Shaking his head, he tried to force those feelings out of his mind as he looked back over at Monty leaning in close to her at their table. Fucker’s probably catching a scent of her hair. Or trying to look down her dress. Why the hell is she wearing that anyway? The green dress was low in the front, showing off entirely too much of her breasts. And from the looks of them, they were gorgeous. Then there were her legs as she crossed and uncrossed them. The whole package was shown to perfection in that dress, causing Tony to glower even more.

* * *

Sherrie looked over at the angry visage of Tony. What is wrong with him? I wore this dress hoping he would finally notice me and all I get are glares. I could have worn a potato sack for all he would care.

Sherrie tried to give a polite smile to Monty as he leaned closer to chat. Her gaze raked over him. Tall, good-looking, intelligent. The kind of man that most women would be hoping to take home, not only for the night but for forever. Just not her. For Sherrie, the only man in the room was the one man who seemed to hate her.

As Monty turned to talk to the couple next to him, she looked at Tony under lowered lashes. Yep – still glowering. Her mind flowed back to when she first saw him.

Hands tied behind her back, lying on a pallet on the floor of an airport hangar at the mercy of the gang leader that had used, abused, and abandoned her sister. Just when she thought her life was over, he came charging in. She remembered ducking when she first heard gunshot and a large man wearing all black came at her with a knife.

He had cradled her and pulled the gag from her swollen lips, assisting her with drinking from his canteen. Using the knife, he gave calm assurances as he cut her bindings and rubbed her hands and feet. She remembered shivering as she gazed into his caramel eyes, not knowing if she were cold, in shock, or simply mesmerized at his face peering down at her.

She had felt him lift her in his arms as easily as a child and all she could think of was that someone had come for her. Rescued her. Once loaded into the ambulance, she tried to thank him, but her voice only croaked a whisper. She had no idea if he heard her or cared. And she realized belatedly, she did not even know his name. Later at the hospital she had tried to slip out unnoticed having heard how injured her friend, Suzanne, was and feeling guilty about her sister’s part in the scheme. But Tony had approached, standing in her way. She had looked up, knowing he was too good for her. Too clean. Too…everything. And had slipped around him and out into the night.

Suzanne walked over to Sherrie and slid down in the seat next to her. “Well, doesn’t this look familiar?” she quipped with a smile.

“What?” Sherrie asked.

“At my wedding I also remember you sitting at one table trying not to stare at Tony, and he at another table openly staring at you.”

“Oh, he’s got no interest in me.”

“Honey, if you think that then you’re either dumb or refuse to see what’s right in front of you. And you are not dumb!”

Sherrie huffed, glancing at the beautiful mother of twins, glad for their friendship surviving their ordeal a year ago. With Suzanne’s help, she came to realize that she had to let go of the guilt. She was not at fault for the poor choices of her sister.

Wanting to change the topic, she asked, “How’s the new clinic?” Suzanne was a vet tech for a friend of theirs, Annie, who had also just had a baby.

“It’s fabulous. With both Annie and me having babies, we have a very generous schedule, which works for us. So I get time off with the twins and still get out to work a couple of days a week to have some adult time.” Glancing down at her breasts, she said ruefully, “And speaking of babies, I need to go find a place to pump before these huge boobs explode.”

Laughing, Sherrie noticed Suzanne’s husband heading their way. “Looks like BJ is right on time.”

“Oh yeah, he keeps up with my schedule about as well as I do,” she said. “But Sherrie, about what we were talking about earlier. Tony and you?”

Sherrie interrupted, “Suzanne, there is no Tony and me.”

Her friend leaned over and gave her a hug, whispering in her ear, “Give him a chance, honey. I really think you two are perfect together.” With that, she allowed her husband to give her an assist from her seat and as he winked at Sherrie, he tucked Suzanne under his arm as they left the room.

Sherrie looked wistfully at the receding couple. That’s what I want. But not with just anyone, she had to admit, glancing at Tony one more time. With her and Tony having the same friend group they had been together on numerous occasions, but all ended the same—him staring from afar and her leaving alone.

The last time he had come to her rescue, she had called him. He was the only one I wanted to see. Wanted to trust. But even then, other than the rescue, nothing happened.

The bride walked over and sat in the chair vacated by Suzanne, interrupting Sherrie’s musings. “Enjoying yourself?” Jennifer asked, a conspiratorial grin on her face.

“Of course,” Sherrie replied giving her a hug. “You’re an absolutely beautiful bride.”

“Well, you’re a stunner yourself in that dress. Anyone I know you’re trying to impress?”

“Nope, no one. At least no one who cares.”

Jennifer leaned in close, “Oh, honey. He cares. He just doesn’t want to, that’s all. But Gabe’s working on it.”

Sherrie’s gaze shot back over to Tony, seeing the groom talking to his boss. Her lips in a tight line, she retorted, “But that’s the problem. If I was really worth it, no one should have to be convinced.”

Giving Jennifer a look of resignation, she turned and asked Monty if he would like to dance. Eyes alight, he stood and offered his hand. Walking out to the dance floor, she purposefully kept her gaze away from Tony and tried to concentrate on the handsome man who had his arms around her.

Tony’s glare had turned murderous, but Gabe stilled him with a hand on his arm. “Captain, you’ve got no one to blame but yourself.” Even though the men had been out of the Army for several years, his former squad members still found themselves referring to their boss as their superior officer.

Tony tried counting to ten but found that his Special Forces training had abandoned him when it came to her. She filled his dreams. She filled his thoughts. And as much as he tried to push them away, they came back. Over and over.

“Captain?” Gabe’s voice finally cut through. Gabe had been joined by Vinny and Jobe. Tony looked over at his most trusted men. And friends. Gabe continued, “You’ve had your eye on her for almost a year. She’s a great woman. Smart. Tough. Not to mention, gorgeous.”

“Think I don’t know all of that?” Tony growled.

“You don’t act like it. Instead you act like you’re trying to keep her at arm’s length all of the time.”

Tony looked over at the couple on the dance floor and then turned his anguished gaze back to the others. “What…what do I have to offer a woman like that? I loved once. You were there. Nearly broke me. Can’t do that again, and she deserves better than a man who hasn’t got much left to give,” he admitted.

The silence at the table was deafening. They had accepted the fact that Tony never spoke of his wife and daughter after they left the cemetery that day, five years earlier. Never. For him to bring it up now, told them the depths of his feelings. And anguish.

With that, Tony stood from the table pushing hard against his seat. The scraping noise had Sherrie look over in surprise. For a moment, both held each other’s gaze. Warm caramel ones met the summer-sky blue ones. Longing and despair in both.

Tony turned suddenly and walked out of the door, leaving his friends hurting for him. And Sherrie hurting for herself.