Exposed (33 page)
Authors: Kaylea Cross
Tags: #Romantic Suspense, #Military, #Suspense, #Mystery & Suspense, #Romance
“I’m back,” she told him, as if he couldn’t see that for himself. “And I picked up a little something for you while I was out. You can thank me later for that, by the way.”
Before Ethan could ask anything, Bauer tugged her aside and Ethan caught sight of the woman standing behind them in the hallway.
His breath caught. “Soli!” He set down his plate, probably spilled everything all over the deck but he didn’t care. He rushed for her, a huge smile splitting his face.
She grinned and walked toward him, her dark hair spilling down her back, a turquoise sundress skimming her curves. She lifted her arms toward him a second before he caught her and lifted her off the ground, hugging her so tight that she grunted then laughed.
Her arms wound around his shoulders in reply, her sweet scent wrapping around him. “Happy birthday,” she murmured against his ear.
Still hardly able to comprehend that she was here, Ethan lowered her feet to the floor, took her face in his hands and kissed her. And kissed her and kissed her, until whistles and hoots and catcalls reminded him that they had an avid audience watching.
He didn’t care who was watching and took his time tasting her, savoring her before lifting his head. “God, it’s good to see you.”
Her gorgeous ocean green eyes glowed up at him with pure joy that made his heart do a somersault. “You too. Sorry I was late. The plan was for me to be here before you arrived, so I could be part of the initial surprise.”
“This is even better. I got two surprises today. But you’re a thousand times better than a party,” he added in a hushed whisper.
She framed his face between her palms, pressed a kiss to his lips then dropped her heels back to the floor. “You’re even better looking than I remembered.”
“Yeah?” He leaned in to nuzzle her cheek, let his lips slide across her jawline. “And you look good enough to eat.” He raised his head. “How long are you staying for?”
“That depends.”
“On?” It wasn’t like her to be all evasive.
“Okay, okay,” Schroder said from somewhere behind them, “present time’s over. Now get out here and eat so the rest of us can get fed.”
Ethan linked his hand with hers. “Hungry?”
Her eyes turned heavy-lidded in a way that sent half his blood volume rushing south to between his legs. “
Famished
.”
Oh, man, he couldn’t freaking wait to get her alone. The thought of taking her home to his place later, laying her down in his bed and making love to her there, had him grinning like an idiot. He couldn’t wipe the smile from his face as he stepped onto the deck with her. “Who set this up, anyway?”
“Vance and DeLuca. Then Zoe volunteered to come get me at the airport. We figured it would look less suspicious if she ditched the party all of a sudden, rather than one of the guys.”
“Damn, you guys are good.”
She flashed him a grin. “I know.”
After getting her a plate they sat and ate with the others. Seeing her chat with all his friends, relaxed and happy, filled his heart to bursting.
When they were done Marisol set her empty plate aside and slid into his lap, the soft weight of her pressing against his groin making him bite back a groan. He wrapped both arms around her waist from behind and cradled her to his chest. This was the best birthday ever.
A little while later, the others started making excuses and going inside. Tuck said something about having to get the cake ready and Vance wandered over to start cleaning the grill.
“I guess they wanted to give us some privacy,” Marisol murmured to him, amusement in her voice.
“Guess so. Now let me look at you.” He turned her toward him, cupped the side of her face in one hand. “God, you’re beautiful.” He grinned when she blushed. She was so freaking adorable and precious. “I’ve missed you so damn much.”
“I’ve missed you too.” She threaded her hands into his hair, rubbed his head in a way that made him want to growl. “And I can’t wait for you to take me home to your place later.”
“Oh, kitt’n, the things I want to do to you…” He’d been storing up fantasies for weeks now.
“Looking forward to each and every one of those,” she said with a naughty smile. “Vance told me you guys might have some down time over the next few days, depending on how the scheduling works out.”
“I sure as hell hope so, now that you’re here.” He squeezed her to him, loving the feel of her soft curves melding to his body. “I want at least a few solid days with you before you go back home.”
She slid a hand down the back of his neck. “Yeah, about that…”
He focused on her eyes. “What?”
She sat up a bit. “I’ve been doing some thinking.”
That didn’t sound good. “About?”
“About us. About how much I miss you and how much I hate being so far apart all the time. With our schedules we’ll barely ever get to see each other.”
An invisible fist tightened around his stomach. “So what are you saying?” He knew it was hard, but there was no help for it right now, and he’d been clear on his stance.
Yes, he loved his job and the guys he worked with, but he was willing to move once he was able. But he couldn’t leave until his contract was up, and since her job prevented her from leaving Miami, there was nothing they could do at this point.
Which left them the only option of commuting back and forth whenever they could.
“Well, I’m saying that I realized something had to give.”
He stared at her, his heart pumping fast. He didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but given that she’d flown here to surprise him and the way she was broaching this subject, he couldn’t help the hope that unfurled inside him. “And?”
She exhaled, curled her hands around the tops of his shoulders. “You’ve got about a year-and-a-half left on your contract, right?”
“Yeah.” He loved being part of the HRT, but he’d give it up for her. Once his four-year minimum term ended he’d transfer to the Miami office so they could be together.
“So I was thinking I could move up here for a while.”
His jaw nearly hit the floor. He gripped her waist tighter and stared at her intently, wanting to be sure he’d heard her right. “Are you serious?”
She smiled, nodded. “I packed a really big suitcase, just in case you wanted me to stay a little longer than a few days.”
He did, he totally did, but he didn’t want her to make that sacrifice if it would make her resentful later on. “What about your job?”
“With the Fuentes case all wrapped up, I started putting out feelers. Frank and a few of my old profs put in a good word for me and provided the last round of interviews goes well, I’ve got a job with the U.S. Attorney in Alexandria if I want it. It’s a bit of a commute for me, but it’s doable. And if it allows me to come home to you every night, then I’m all in.”
“Really? It’s not a step back for you?” She was so driven and career-oriented and she’d landed such an awesome job at such a young age. He didn’t want her to give that up.
She nodded. “Not really, and you mean more to me than whatever job I have anyway. I love you, and I can’t stand being apart from you anymore.”
Ethan was stunned. This felt surreal. He couldn’t believe she’d do that for him when he knew exactly how much her life and career back in Miami meant to her.
He blinked against the sting of tears, and when he spoke his voice was rough. “I love you so much.”
Smiling at him, Marisol bent to cover his mouth with hers. Ethan crushed her to him and kissed her hard, sliding his tongue inside to taste her. His heart felt like it was about to burst, along with his cock. He wanted to get her naked right now and worship every inch of her body.
Breathless, she pulled back a few seconds later, a dark blush staining her cheeks. Then she laughed. “You make me lose my head,” she said, fussing with her hair now that he’d mussed it. “I forgot we were sitting here in the middle of your birthday party.”
He dropped his voice to a sensual growl and tugged her closer. “Just wait until you see what I do with you when I get you home,” he told her.
With a mysterious smile, she pushed up from his lap and grabbed his hand. “Then let’s go let them sing happy birthday to you so we can have some cake and get out of here. I’ve got one more present for you to unwrap once we get back to your place.” She trailed a hand down the V at the front of her dress, her fingers toying suggestively with the flimsy ties holding the two halves together.
“
Our
place,” he corrected.
Her smiled widened and she nodded. “Yeah. Our place.”
Boom
. His heart exploded with pride and happiness.
I’m asking her to marry me tonight
.
He already had the ring, had been planning to wait until the next time he went to Miami to pop the question. But he couldn’t wait anymore. She’d given up everything for him, her career, her home and her family. He would give her all of him in return.
She arched a brow at him as they headed toward the back deck. “What’s that sly smile all about?”
He shook his head. “Nothing.”
Already dying to get her alone so he could get down on one knee and ask her to be his wife, then find out what she had on underneath that wrap dress, Ethan curved a proprietary arm around her and walked back into the house where his second family was waiting for them.
—The End—
Thank you for reading EXPOSED. I really hope you enjoyed it and that you’ll consider leaving a review at one of your favorite online retailers. It’s a great way to help other readers discover new books.
If you liked EXPOSED and would like to read more, turn the page for a list of my other books. And if you don’t want to miss any future releases, please feel free to join
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Complete Booklist
Romantic Suspense
Hostage Rescue Team Series
Marked
Targeted
Hunted
Disavowed
Avenged
Exposed
Titanium Security Series
Ignited
Singed
Burned
Extinguished
Rekindled
Bagram Special Ops Series
Deadly Descent
Tactical Strike
Lethal Pursuit
Danger Close
Collateral Damage
Suspense Series
Out of Her League
Cover of Darkness
No Turning Back
Relentless
Absolution
Paranormal Romance
Empowered Series
Darkest Caress
Historical Romance
The Vacant Chair
Erotic Romance
(writing as
Callie
Croix
)
Deacon’s Touch
Dillon’s Claim
No Holds Barred
Touch Me
Let Me In
Covert Seduction
Acknowledgements
Thanks so much to my personal A-Team for helping me get this manuscript ready for publication!
My awesome buddy and crit partner Katie Reus, my beta reader Kim, editor Joan, and proofreader extraordinaire, my fabulous and supportive DH. I love you guys!
About the Author
NY Times and USA Today Bestselling author Kaylea Cross writes edge-of-your-seat military romantic suspense. Her work has won many awards and has been nominated for both the Daphne du Maurier and the National Readers’ Choice Awards. A Registered Massage Therapist by trade, Kaylea is also an avid gardener, artist, Civil War buff, Special Ops aficionado, belly dance enthusiast and former nationally-carded softball pitcher. She lives in Vancouver, BC with her husband and family.
You can visit Kaylea at
www.kayleacross.com
. If you would like to be notified of future releases, please join
her newsletter
. Direct link:
http://kayleacross.com/v2/contact/
Table of Contents
Table of Contents