The Ranger's Chance (Army Ranger Romance Book 1)

by Bree Livingston

  “Since you’re vacationing, how long will you be staying in Miami?” she asked.

  “A few days. How about you?”

  “I leave in a few days for Fort Lauderdale. I’ll head out a little after dark.”

  He didn’t like that at all. “Night? Why?”

  “Less traffic. It’s more peaceful, and I like the idea of driving with the top down and the stars overhead.” She held his gaze. “That bugs you, doesn’t it?”

  Noah nodded as the song ended, and he let her go. “Immensely. It’s not safe for anyone to travel at night.”

  “I’ll be fine. I’ll make sure I’m extra cautious just for you.”

  Fine or not, he hated the idea of her going anywhere alone at night.

  He yawned and quickly covered his mouth. “Wow, that was rude. I’m sorry.”

  “Are you tired?”

  “I guess I am. I don’t even know what time it is.” He pulled out his phone, and his eyes widened. “It’s two in the morning. Has it really been six hours?”

  Her jaw dropped. “Really? It doesn’t feel like that at all, but now that you’re talking time, I’m suddenly exhausted.”

  He yawned again, and she did the same.

  Popping him on the arm, she said, “You’ve started a yawn war. Cut it out.”

  “I’m trying,” he said, covering his mouth with his hand and trying to hold back another one. “Let me walk you to your car. I suspect you left it at your hotel?”

  She nodded and hugged his arm, leaning her head against it. “You may end up carrying me.”

  He was completely fine with that, especially since he liked the feel of her in his arms. Holding her closer would have to be even better.

  Mia took a deep breath and straightened. “Okay, I need to stay awake at least long enough to get to my hotel, so tell me, what made you decide to go into the Army?”

  Easy question. Although, he’d leave out the part that he was a billionaire and had run to the Army because he didn’t want anything to do with the family business. Or, well, he was a billionaire according to his brother Zach. Noah never touched the account, even though his brother had set it up for him. “I liked the idea of serving my country. It appealed to me, and when I turned eighteen, I enlisted. Did you always want to work with computers?”

  “Yeah, it came natural to me. I liked playing video games as a kid, and it just blossomed from there. I graduated to creating my own programs pretty quickly.”

  “That’s really cool. I’ve never had the brains for that. If I can type out my name with one fat finger, I’m doing good.”

  “I doubt that.”

  “It’s true.”

  She chuckled and shot him a glance. “You know, I’ve never stayed out all night talking to a stranger, but I can’t say that you’ve felt like a stranger, which is such a weird thing for me.”

  Weird was the right word. She was easy to be around. “Yeah, I feel the same way.” He felt complete peace in her presence, which was crazy because he was supposed to be getting close to get her laptop, not making a love connection.

  * * *

  Noah held his hand up as they stood by her car in the parking lot of her hotel. “Mia, really, I don’t mind paying for your meal.”

  He had to be the most incredible man she’d ever met. Not only was he gorgeous, but he was every bit the knight in shining armor. A gentleman in every sense of the word. “I told you it was a loan. I don’t want you to think I was trying to con you into a date.”

  “And suddenly, being the target of a con doesn’t sound all that bad.” He smiled.

  She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “I’ve never met anyone like you. I almost wish my time in Miami was a little longer.”

  He shrugged. “We could plan to accidentally meet for breakfast in the morning.”

  Just the thought of seeing him again made butterflies flutter in her stomach. “Only if I’m buying.”

  His lips twitched up as he held her gaze. “There’s a little French bistro not far from here, Le Pâtisserie. I ate there this morning. Their pastries are amazing.”

  “You keep surprising me.”

  He cocked an eyebrow. “Care to explain?”

  She shrugged. “I took you for the raw-egg, kale-blended, gag-me protein shake type of guy.”

  Putting his hands on his hips, he shook his head as he looked away. Boy, she loved it when he was flustered. She could see his neck turning red.

  He brought his gaze back to hers, and the smile on his face was something akin to an angelic revelation. Wow. “I keep in shape through exercise.”

  “I wasn’t saying you didn’t. Just that you…watch what you eat.”

  “I do watch what I eat. I watch it disappear.”

  She laughed. “Okay, then I guess I might see you at the bistro tomorrow.”

  “Might,” he said, his voice low as he held her gaze.

  As her grandma would say, Lawd have mercy, he was a sexy man. “It’ll depend on what time I wake up.”

  Noah smiled. “All right. Have a good night, Mia Milan.” He turned and walked to the curb and stopped, turning to face her again. “I could walk you to your room.”

  Then he’d know her room number. “No, that’s okay. I’ll be okay.”

  “You sure?”

  She caught her bottom lip between her teeth. “Aren’t you the one who said I needed to be more careful?”

  His smile widened. “True, and I’m glad you’ve been listening.”

  When he didn’t walk away, she chuckled. “You’re going to watch me go into the hotel, aren’t you?”

  He shrugged. “It’s my nature.”

  When had she ever liked anyone as much as she liked him? And from the second she met him? What if something happened and he didn’t meet her tomorrow at the café? They hadn’t exchanged numbers or even set an actual time to meet for their “accidental” breakfast.

  She jogged to him, threw her arms around his neck, and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you for such a great night. I haven’t had so much fun in such a long time. If I don’t see you tomorrow, I wanted you to know that.”

  For a split second, he seemed stunned, and then he wrapped his arms around her. “I had fun too. Thank you for spending your evening with me.”

  She leaned back, and before she could do something too crazy, like kiss a total stranger, she ran to the hotel lobby, making sure she didn’t look back. Otherwise, the temptation would have been too much.

  She stepped inside the elevator and leaned her back against the cool glass wall.

  What a day.

  First, she’d seen something super strange at Harrison Manufacturing. Something that made her wonder what exactly Mr. Harrison was shipping. Weird enough that her gut feeling was that they did more than just manufacture stuff. Her plan had been to check the files on their hard drive while she was there at the warehouse, but they were encrypted. When she realized it was going take a crowbar, she’d copied the hard drive. Once she broke in, if she was right, she’d take what she found to the police, and if she was wrong, she’d shred the information.

  The elevator doors opened, and she stepped off, nearly dragging herself to the swanky two-room suite Mr. Harrison had put her up in. The beachfront hotel was definitely the nicest place she’d ever stayed. With a swipe of her keycard, she pushed through the door and sighed.

  The view out her window was breathtaking. Large ships sailed in the distance with the full moon as their backdrop. For the rest of her life, she’d be comparing every place she stayed to this one. Comfy, squishy bed. Clean-smelling. Fancy chocolates on the pillow.

  As she trudged to her bed, she kicked off her shoes and then launched herself into the middle of it, stomach first. Rolling over, she stared at the ceiling and smiled.

  Noah Wolandry.

  She liked the sound of his name as it rolled off her tongue. His laugh, smile, humor…oh, he was the whole package. And she was leaving for Fort Lauderdale in a few days. Her prince charming r
ode in on a white horse, and she was about to dust him in a black convertible.

  It wasn’t as though her plans were set in stone, except they kind of were. If that Harrison guy was doing what she thought he was doing, she’d need to get out of town. She didn’t know a lot about the seedy underworld, but if the movies were anywhere close to the truth, she’d done something that had the potential of getting herself hurt. Booking it out of town might be the only choice she had.

  Why couldn’t she have met Noah earlier? Mia sighed, and her eyes slid closed. No one met their true love on a vacation. That was crazy, and she needed to let Noah fade from her mind as soon as possible.

  Chapter 4

  Mia didn’t need to set her alarm. She’d woken up just as the sun poured in through the edges of the curtain. Noah had plagued her dreams all night long. The thought that she’d see him at the bistro had propelled her out of bed faster than an all-you-can-eat chocolate fountain.

  Stopping just as she reached the eatery, she checked herself in one of the large windows. She’d pulled her hair back in a soft bun at the nape of her neck, the dress was comfortable and flattering, and she’d put on walking shoes in case he asked her to sightsee with him.

  With a deep breath, she continued on and stopped at the door, quickly scanning through the window to see if he was there.

  “Looking for someone?” Noah’s deep voice rumbled from behind her.

  “Ah!” Mia jumped and stumbled back into the muscled wall of his chest.

  Large hands wrapped around her arms and steadied her. “Whoa. Didn’t mean to startle you.”

  She palmed the spot over her heart as he lowered his hands, and she turned. With a laugh, she lifted her gaze to his. Noah in full sunlight. So much better than fluorescents. The sun haloed behind him, and she could swear his knighthood was getting a heavenly endorsement. “It’s okay. I’m surprised you’re up this early.”

  “I had a craving for a muffin that could only be satisfied by eating at this bistro. When they run out for the day, they don’t make any more. Couldn’t chance missing it.”

  “Oh really?”

  He nodded. “What I find surprising is that you are even more beautiful today than you were yesterday. I didn’t think that would be possible.”

  Her cheeks warmed, and she covered one with her hand. “Are you going to make me blush all through breakfast?”

  “I don’t think I’m that charming.”

  She snorted. “You’d be wrong.”

  His laugh was even better the second day. “Would you like to have breakfast with me?”

  Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and every Hobbit meal in between. “I was just thinking it would be awful to have to eat alone.”

  He leaned in, his breath tickling her cheek as he reached around her and pulled the door open. “After you.”

  Her mouth went dry as his cologne drifted under her nose. “Okay,” she whispered.

  She took a step back and turned, running face-first into the edge of the door. Smooth, real smooth, Mia. Heat crept its way up her neck, and by the time it hit her ears, it was a wonder they weren’t shooting flames like roman candles. “Ow.”

  “Are you okay?” He curled his arm around her waist and pulled her away from the door, letting it close. “Let me see.” Taking her chin in his fingers, he tipped her face up to his, his gaze roaming from the edge of her hairline and down. “I don’t think it’ll bruise, but I’m sure that hurt.”

  Her nose throbbed as she held it. “Ouch.” But she wasn’t sure what hurt worse, her nose or her pride. Walking into a door? Could she be more embarrassed?

  Noah bent forward and kissed her nose.

  Mia gaped at him. “You kissed it,” she whispered.

  “Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do when things like that happen?”

  Suddenly, she wished she’d run into the door with her lips. The thought caused her to giggle like Urkel on speed…loudly. Apparently, the universe had taken her embarrassment question as a challenge. She squeezed her eyes shut.

  “You’re very cute when you’re embarrassed.”

  Keeping her eyes closed, she whined, “I’d really like to hide under a rock, but I’m hungry…”

  He cupped her cheek. “Look at me.”

  Slowly, she opened one eye and then the other.

  “I’d be devastated if you hid under a rock. Eating breakfast across from you was my only motivation for getting up this morning.”

  Sweet, charming, and so easy to like. If he didn’t stop, she’d drool. “That’s kind of you to say, but I’ve made a fool of myself.”

  “Not to me.” He pressed his lips to her forehead, and comfort spread through her. If he was this caring to someone he’d just met, how much more so would he be if he had a relationship with them? “How about we get breakfast?”

  She nodded, and in one swift movement, he lifted her by the waist, stepped inside the restaurant, and set her down. Had he practiced that move before? With someone else? How had he honed his charm to such a Ninja level?

  He smiled. “There. Now you don’t have to worry.”

  As she walked ahead of him, she discreetly fanned herself. Holy moly. Her mercury was hitting the boiling point. Another degree, and her thermometer would crack. And it was totally worth the risk if she got to spend the day with him without running into any more doors.

  When they reached the counter, they ordered their food and then found a table after she paid.

  She sighed. “Thank you for being…you…back there.” Her cheeks warmed again.

  “You’re fine.” He leaned forward. “If I tell you something, will you promise to never tell anyone?”

  Inside, she squealed. It was silly, but sharing his secret made her giddy. “Of course. I’ll never tell a soul.”

  He switched seats and took the one next to hers. Leaning down, he whispered, “When I joined the Army, I’d never fired a gun before. My dad just never taught me. Anyway, we started weapons training, and I made a mistake. I grazed myself in the leg. If you think running into a door is bad, just imagine having a company of people razzing you for the rest of boot camp. To this day, if I see one of them, they still bring it up.” He pulled the left leg of his shorts up, and a long scar ran down the side of his thigh. “See?”

  She ran her fingertips across it, and she could swear he shivered. “That looks like it hurt. I suspect there was no one there to kiss it?” She lifted her gaze to his and smiled.

  He shook his head. “No.”

  A waitress brought their tray of food to the table and set it down. She hadn’t been paying attention when he ordered. “I thought you were craving a muffin.”

  With a shrug, he said, “They were out of cinnamon rolls yesterday.”

  “It’s as big as your head, which is saying something.”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “Are you saying I have a big head?”

  “No, I mean…” She stopped and rolled her eyes. “You’re teasing me.”

  A smile slowly spread on his lips. “Yes, I am. You’re fun to tease.”

  She puffed a piece of hair out of her face. “And you were giving me a hard time about making you blush?”

  “It looks better on you.”

  Yeah right. How on earth was she going to leave this marvelous man? Was it possible he was just putting on a good show? If he was, he sure was good at it. She was officially smitten with him. He made her pulse race, her knees weak, and her skin tingle. Just being near him gave her jitters. And being in his arms? That was better than Swedish Fish or Milk Duds or popcorn.

  Inwardly, she groaned. What was wrong with her? A cute smile and charm enough to swim in had her head in such a fog. No, she was a grown woman. She had priorities and a list of things to check off, even if she had decided she’d force herself to be more spontaneous on this trip. Enjoying his company for now was spontaneous enough.

  Besides, the last guy she’d dated turned out to be a loser and womanizer. What if Noah was just using his week of vacati
on and pretending to be charming and caring? He was oozing charisma. With his slick moves, it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility for him to be just like her ex.

  The body language class she’d taken shortly after that breakup wasn’t helping her at all because, from what she could tell, Noah was being completely honest. Then again, if he was as good at lying as her last boyfriend, even with the class, would she be able to tell?

  Nope, it was better to keep her schedule and kiss Miami and Noah goodbye. It was probably just a vacation fling anyway.

  * * *

  Just as Noah was about to finish off his breakfast, his phone vibrated against his thigh. He pulled it out and read the caller ID. Ryder. “Uh, do you mind if I take this outside? It’s my boss.”

  “No,” she said and smiled.

  “Thanks.” He stood, walked to the door, and stepped outside. As he stood in front of the window, keeping an eye on Mia, he put the phone to his ear. “Anything new?”

  “Yeah, man, a few things. Kayla Clark managed to lose her FBI detail. Pam sent Gunner to find her.”

  Noah swore under his breath. “Doesn’t she know that’s the best way to get herself killed?”

  “I know, but Harrison’s release from prison scared her. And with good reason. Her testimony is what put him there. If he gets his hands on her, she won’t be talking anymore.”

  Noah took a deep breath. “What else?”

  “Have you been able to get the target’s laptop for me?”

  Noah had spent the night in his rental car outside Mia’s hotel, keeping an eye on her. Unless she’d found a way to be invisible, she’d never left the hotel. He would have checked her room, but he felt it would have been raising a red flag to ask. Just because they hit it off didn’t mean she wouldn’t wonder why he was trying to get to her room. It was a fine-line balance, and he didn’t want to mess with the progress he’d made.