A betrayal he couldn't forget . . . For Nate Dean, love is a four-letter word. As part of a secret black-ops military unit, he and his brothers were genetically engineered by the government to be ruthless soldiers with an expiration date. They were loyal only to one another . . . until Nate laid eyes on the woman who stole his heart and blew his world apart. Now, years later, his family is still paying the price for his mistake. But as time runs out, there's only one person who can save his family: the very woman Nate swore he'd never trust again.
A love she couldn't deny . . .
The moment Audrey Madison spies Nate across a crowded ballroom, she can barely breathe. He's just as undeniably sexy as she remembers, yet there's an edge to him now that's as irresistible as it is dangerous. When he asks for her help, Audrey can't refuse. But she has secrets of her own--secrets that, if Nate ever discovers them, may cost them both their lives . . .
Excerpt:
Let’s dance.” He turned her toward
the dance floor.
She balked. “No.” God. She couldn’t dance with him, couldn’t
be touched by him.
“Yes.” His hold slid down to the back of her elbow, and he
ushered her toward where the orchestra was playing “I Will Wait for You” by
Michel Legrand. The warmth in Nate’s touch flared her nerves to life in an
erotic need she’d worked hard to overcome.“Nate—”
“Shhh.” He
tightened his hold and drew her into an impressive erection.
She gasped, her face heating, her sex convulsing.
Blinking, she glanced up in confusion to see if he was as affected as she was
and stilled at the look in his eyes.
Furious. The man was truly furious. Even with the contacts
masking his eyes, his anger shone bright.
She tried to step back and didn’t move. Yeah, she knew she’d
hurt him when she’d ended their relationship, but after nearly five years, he
shouldn’t still be so mad. He’d had freedom for five years, which was a hell of
a lot better than she’d had. She’d had pain and fear and uncertainty. She
blinked. “What is wrong with you?
”
His impossibly hard jaw somehow hardened even more. “Oh,
we’ll discuss that shortly.” Threat lived strongly in the calm words. “For now,
we’re going to finish this dance. Then you’ll take the north exit and meet me
in my car so we can talk.”
“If I don’t?” she asked
quietly, wings fluttering through her abdomen.
His hold tightened imperceptibly. “I know where you live,
I know your daily routine in working for Senator Nash, and I know where you go
when you need time alone. You can’t hide, you can’t outrun me—and you know it.”
The hairs on the back of her neck rose. “How long have you
been watching me?” More importantly, why hadn’t she noticed?
“A week. Long
enough to know the two apes toward the doorway are following you, too. What’s up with that?” His hold tightened just enough to show
his strength.
She shrugged.
“They haven’t made a move, so I’m not worrying about it.” Not true, and by the narrowing of Nate’s
eyes, he could still smell a lie a mile away. “The commander is having me followed.”
Nate’s jaw clenched. “Why?”
“Dunno.” They didn’t have time to discuss
it. “You should go now.”
“No.” He spun her, easily
controlling their movements.
Her leg hitched, and she
stumbled against him.
He frowned. “What’s wrong?”“Nothing.”
None of his damn business, that was. “What do you want to talk about?”
His gaze narrowed, and he spun
her again. She tripped again. Her damn leg didn’t move that way. She glanced toward the doorway and the
two soldiers watching her. They’d
straightened to alert stances. Damn
it.
“What’s wrong with your leg?”
Nate asked, brows furrowing.
Oh, they were so not going into her injuries on the dance
floor. “You almost sound like you care.” She threw his words back at him,
gratified when his nostrils flared in irritation.
His gaze probed deep, wandering down her neck. He blinked
several times, his chest moving with a harsh intake of breath. “I like your
dress,” he rumbled, his voice a low whisper.
With his tight hold, she had no doubt the tops of her
breasts were visible. “Nathan, don’t—”
“Don’t what?” His gaze rose to her lips. A light of a
different sort filtered through his angry eyes. She knew that look. Her body
heated and her thighs softened. His erection jumped against her, and she bit
down a groan.
“One kiss, Audrey.”
Her eyes widened to let in more light. “No,” she breathed.
One of his hands held hers, the other pressed against her back. Thank goodness.
He couldn’t grab her and kiss her, no matter how appealing the thought. “Bad
idea.”
“I know.” Nate didn’t need hands. His lips met hers so
quickly, she never saw him move.
His mouth covered hers with no hesitancy, no question—as
if he had every right to go deep. His tongue was savage and demanding, holding
nothing back and accepting no evasion. He tasted of loneliness, anger, and lust.
Hard, needy, demanding lust.
The men at the door were
watching.
But her body didn’t care—instantly igniting instead of
pushing away. Her heart thundered
in her ears, and she fell into his heat, uncaring of whether or not he caught
her. He wrapped around her, his unyielding body holding her upright. He
caressed her with his tongue, and she met him thrust for thrust, fierce
pleasure lighting her on fire.
She forgot where they were, who they were, everything but
the desperate need he created.
He broke the kiss, blatant male hunger crossing his face.
His breath panted out even as he moved them in tune with the music.
She softened against him, allowing him to lead so she didn’t
collapse. Her mind whirled, and she shook her head to regain reality. “Nathan,
what do you want?” The question emerged as a breathless plea she couldn’t mask.
That quickly, all hints of desire slid from his face. His
chin hardened. “Want? I want to know what happened to the child you were
carrying five years ago when you ripped out my heart. Where’s my baby, Audrey?”
