Kyle's Return (32 page)

CHRISTMAS IN HAWAII. That was my gift from Kyle.
We had flown down for Gabby and Pax’s wedding—which was amazingly
beautiful—and on the day we were supposed to leave, he surprised me
with an added two week vacation. Not only that, but he’d invited
Zane and Nic to stay with us as well, so I didn’t have to be away
from Nic on Christmas.

We were in a private house right on the beach with
our own heated pool. It was a slice of heaven. The ocean water was
so clear you could see through it. It made swimming much more
enjoyable.

I knew Kyle had other plans when he’d invited Zane
and Nic to tag along. Every day while Nic and I sat out on the
beach, Kyle and Zane trained. Zane also made it a point to make
sure Nic noticed him when he’d run past us on the beach. At first,
they slept in separate bedrooms, but that ended after a few days
into the trip. I loved teasing her about it.

Once Christmas rolled around, everything was
perfect—except the fact that I left Kyle’s present at home. I
hadn’t been expecting to be in Hawaii for Christmas. Now we were
cuddling on the couch, with our colorful Christmas tree across the
room.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
was on the
television, and I was in heaven.

“One of these days, I’m going to see snow,” I said,
popping another Samoa cookie into my mouth.

“You’ve never seen snow?”

I glanced up at him and shook my head. “Nope. I’ve
always wanted to have a snowball fight with someone.”

He chuckled. “I’d dominate you. My parents used to
take Kacey and me skiing in Aspen when we were younger.”

“Aspen would be nice, but I’ve always wanted to visit
the Swiss Alps. It’s one of the top places on my bucket list.”

Kyle held me close and kissed the back of my ear.
“How about we go there next Christmas?”

Squealing, I sat up and faced him. “Really? We can do
that?”

He twirled a tendril of my hair between his fingers.
“We can do anything you want, love. But for now, would you do me a
favor and go for a walk with me?”

I grabbed another cookie and popped it into my mouth.
“Are you trying to say I need to work off these cookies?” I
teased.

“Oh, I have other ideas on how we’re going to do
that. Right now, I just want to take a walk.”

“All right,” I agreed, reluctantly leaving the warmth
of his lap. “Let me get some water and I’ll be ready to go.” We
both got off the couch and I went to the kitchen to get my water
while he went into the bedroom and came out with a T-shirt on. “I’m
sorry I don’t have your Christmas present here,” I murmured. “I
promise as soon as we’re back at home, I’ll give it to you.”

Draping his arm around my shoulders, he squeezed me
tight. “I’m not worried about it. You’ll have yours to open up when
we get home too.”

“You give me enough by just being with me. I don’t
need presents to be happy.”

“I know, but it’s something I want to do.”

When we got down to the beach, the only light we had
was from the moon above, casting a sensual glow over the water.
There was something up ahead lying on the sand, but I couldn’t tell
what it was. “What is that?” I looked up at Kyle and he smiled.

“You’ll see.”

The closer we got, I realized it was a large, red
blanket and a bucket of ice with a bottle of wine. “We’re not
spoiling Zane and Nic’s romantic evening are we?”

He chuckled. “Nope, this is all for you. I wanted it
to be special. Look,” he said, turning us to face the palm trees.
As if on cue, the trees lit up with bright, sparkling lights.

“Oh my goodness, this is awesome. Is this all your
doing?”

“Zane helped me put up the lights while you and Nic
were in town the other day. Do you like it?”

I kissed him and laughed. “I love it. This is
perfect.”

“I’m not quite done.” Taking a deep breath, he
reached into his back pocket and cupped something in his hand. My
heart started to pound when he got down on one knee and reached for
my shaking hand.

“Kyle, what are you doing?” I whispered.

Sliding the diamond on my finger, he peered up at me,
smirking. “I’m asking you to marry me, what does it look like?”

I cupped a hand over my mouth and immediately felt
the burn behind my eyes. “Oh my God.”

He chuckled. “Megan West, I love you and can honestly
say you’re the only woman I’ve ever loved. I want you to be the
first and last. If you’ll have me, I’d be honored if you’d consider
being my wife.”

With tears falling down my cheeks, I dropped to my
knees and tackled him in the sand. “I don’t have to consider
anything. The answer’s
yes
.” I kissed him hard and he rolled
me over onto the blanket. “Now, I’m certain. This is the best
Christmas I’ve ever had.”

He closed his lips over mine and trailed them down to
the tops of my breasts. “It’s not over yet, love. It’ll only get
better from here.”

Lifting his head, I held onto his face and looked
into his eyes, crying. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” he replied, brushing his fingers
over my cheek. “And I’m going to make sure I show you every single
day, starting now.”

***

Murder. Lies. Betrayal.

I deal with those things every day. My name
is Jason Avery, one of the best undercover agents in the country. I
have yet to fail on a mission, which is why I’ve been sent to
Vegas. Countless women have been abducted, tortured, only to show
up dead in the middle of the night. It’s my job to find out which
sick fuck is responsible. Unfortunately, every lead sends me to a
dead end; at least, until Aylee McFadden shows up at my door.

Aylee is a stubborn, headstrong FBI agent and
also one of the sexiest women I’ve ever seen with a gun. In joining
me, it gives us the leverage we need to get on the inside. She
fights me at every turn, but soon realizes there’s more to me than
tattoos and a dirty mouth. I can’t get enough of her. Now that
we’re in the game, we’re one step closer to solving the crime.
However, gambling with money isn’t what the big boys want. They
want the one thing I’m not willing to give. It’s a no limit game,
and if I back down I lose everything.

I will lose her.

***

NEW YORK TIMES and USA Today Bestselling author,
L.P. Dover, is a southern belle residing in North Carolina along
with her husband and two beautiful girls. Before she even began her
literary journey she worked in Periodontics enjoying the wonderment
of dental surgeries.

Not only does she love to write, but she loves to
play tennis, go on mountain hikes, white water rafting, and you
can't forget the passion for singing. Her two number one fans
expect a concert each and every night before bedtime and those
songs usually consist of Christmas carols.

Aside from being a wife and mother, L.P. Dover has
written over nine novels including her Forever Fae series, the
Second Chances series, and her standalone novel, Love, Lies, and
Deception. Her favorite genre to read is romantic suspense and she
also loves writing it. However, if she had to choose a setting to
live in it would have to be with her faeries in the Land of the
Fae.

L.P. Dover is represented by Marisa Corvisiero of
Corvisiero Literary Agency.

***

Other Titles by LP Dover:

FOREVER FAE SERIES

Forever Fae

Betrayals of Spring

Summer of Frost

Reign of Ice

SECOND CHANCES SERIES

Love’s Second Chance

Trusting You

Meant for Me

Fighting for Me

Intercepting Love

GLOVES OFF SERIES

A Fighter’s Desire: Part One

A Fighter’s Desier: Part Two

Tyler’s Undoing

Ryley’s Revenge

Winter Kiss: Ryley & Ashley [A Gloves Off
Novella]

Paxton’s Promise

Camden’s Redemption

STANDALONE TITLE

Love, Lies, and Deception

***

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A.J. Bennett ~ Now or Never

Tabatha Vargo ~ Playing Patience

Beth Balmanno ~ Set in Stone

Ella James ~ Selling Scarlett

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Melissa Andrea ~ The Edge of Darkness

Komal Kant ~ Falling for Hadie

Melissa Pearl ~ Golden Blood

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Sarah M. Ross ~ Inhale, Exhale

Brina Courtney ~ Reveal

Amber Garza ~ Falling to Pieces

Anna Cruise ~ Maverick

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***