Dirty Little Secrets

by AJ Nuest

  And that was a big deal because…? “Eden sold me her share for a dollar. All I had to do was shuffle the paperwork around.” And since he’d apparently hog tied himself to all sorts of trouble, he may as well come clean about everything else. “You also own the apartment building in New York.” As of a half an hour ago, paid in full.

  “Oh, my God.” Tossing her head back, Charlie blew a harsh breath toward the ceiling. “Oh my sweet baby Jesus in the manger.”

  Right, he’d messed up. Broken one of those whacked-out relationship rules he never got until it was too late. The thing he didn’t get was how. “What about this idea. Why don’t you just tell me what I did and I’ll apologize.”

  “Um, how about we start with the truth.” One step toward the bed, and she cocked a hip, propping her hand on her waist. “You’ve been holding out on me, and the fact you think I didn’t pick up on it is just plain dumb.” She pointed at the ground. “I love you, ya big dork. But you can’t ask me to marry you and then buy away whatever’s been eating at you as if it never happened. For God’s sake, how shallow do you think I am?”

  Shit. He dropped his chin to his chest. Goddamn it, she was right.

  Once again, he’d gotten everything backward, made everything worse. Not that he was surprised. Or she should be either, considering the source.

  This was him, after all.

  Lifting his hand, he curled his finger, motioning her back to the bed. “Come here.”

  She hesitated, then rolled her eyes and perched on the edge of the mattress.

  Ready to flee. On the defense. The perfect example of his worst fears come to life.

  No.

  Scooting down the bed, he swung his legs around her hips, wrapped her in his arms and prayed to God or whatever deity was looking down on them his next words wouldn’t have her jumping the next plane back to New York.

  Pulling a deep breath, he closed his eyes. “I cheated.”

  She went rigid in his arms and he mentally kicked his own ass for slapping down two words she could’ve so easily misinterpreted. “No, not like that. Never like that. I cheated in Malcolm’s competition. Ten years ago, I broke into his computer and changed the stats to make sure I was one of the three who got chosen.”

  And he’d hated himself for it ever since.

  But bottom line was, if Charlie found his actions unforgivable, he wouldn’t blame her one damn bit. She was the only woman he’d ever loved, and she’d earned every happiness life had to offer. If she chose to leave, he’d let her go…and say goodbye to his heart in the process.

  She slowly turned, her brow creased, lips compressed in a hard slash. Damned if the hint of a smile didn’t tug one corner of her mouth, and he frowned. “You cheated? That’s your big secret?”

  A knock sounded from the hall, and he flinched.

  Eden. Bringing Charlie’s lunch.

  He released her and shoved back on the bed to answer it, maybe ask Eden to come back at a later time, but his blond addiction beat him to the punch. “Come in.”

  He shot a dark scowl at Charlie. What was she doing? To him, tapping pause on their conversation came off somewhere along the lines of stapling his tongue to the roof of his mouth.

  The knob twisted, and Eden popped her head inside. “Sorry that took so long. I was waiting on the bread.” Easing a loaded tray in front of her, she strode into the room. “I also included this morning’s Trib in case either of you were interested. Lead article on page one is all about how a team of high-level FBI agents arrested Thomas Ryan the second he landed back on US soil. And then there’s the story buried on page four. Something about a team of scientists at MIT and how they’re nearing a breakthrough in curing a strain of persistent viruses. Good call dropping the formula to them in an anonymous email, X. I’m sure they appreciate the help.”

  Hooray for them because Byrne sure had been none too happy. Even though he’d kept his grumbling to a minimum since he had his hands full cleaning up the fast one Loretta Swinehart had pulled on his team. “Not my doing. The credit belongs to Charlie.”

  Eden slid the tray onto the dresser and faced the bed with a smile. “I stand corrected.” A sharp glance between them, and her shoulders fell. “Uh-oh. Trouble in paradise?”

  “Depends on your version of paradise.” Pushing to her feet, Charlie crossed to the tray and lifted a steaming tea cup to her lips. “Xander just told me he cheated in the competition.”

  Jesus, really? His stomach shriveled to the size of a fist.

  Admitting what he’d done so he could beg Charlie’s forgiveness was one thing. Facing down two Dirty Deeds women was another.

  “You don’t say.” Eden crossed her arms, eyeing him with a shrewd brow. “He cheated, huh?”

  “Yep.” Charlie turned at Eden’s side and, for a split second, Xander considered whether his odds of survival might be better if he dove out the second-storey window.

  “Hmmm…” Eden fiddled with the ends of her auburn coils. “I guess that makes two of us.”

  Charlie dipped her chin. “Or three.”

  Xander’s spine wrenched at the same second Eden snorted a laugh. “We all cheated, X. Hell, it was practically a requirement.” She frowned, but one side of her mouth quirked in a clever smirk. “You didn’t know the files on Malcolm’s laptop were faked? He was old school, remember? Kept the real stats locked in one of his desk drawers.”

  Hiking his chin, Xander slid a squint toward Charlie. “Yeah, I seem to recall something about hard copies, but I assumed the information was the same.”

  She pressed the tip of her index finger to her lips, but that didn’t do squat for hiding her wicked grin.

  “My mistake.” Plastering on a smile, he stood. “Won’t happen again.”

  “Okay, then.” Eden pivoted for the door. “Let me know if you get hungry. I’m happy to bring up another tray.”

  “No, no, I think I have everything I need.” Or he would in about five seconds. Placing his hand on her back, he escorted her into the hall. “Thanks, though. You’re a real pal.”

  “Hey, back atcha…pal.” Her soft laugh was a combination of yeah, right and that-man-done-lost-his-mind. “Oh, and Charlie.” She peeked around the jamb. “Before I forget, Trey was asking about you, and the way the two of you connected sorta got Kelly and me talking.” She lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “We had an idea you might be interested in. Working with kids like Trey to help them adjust, get a fresh start. You have a special knack for that and we’d love it if you’d consider helping us out. We’d pay you, of course. You could name your price.” She glanced at Xander and blanched. “We’ll talk later.”

  “Anything you need, E.” Charlie toasted Eden with her cup. “Happy to help however I can.”

  A nod to them both, and Eden disappeared down the hall.

  Xander pushed the door closed and slipped the lock, leaning back against the wood. Jesus, all the time he’d wasted. He met Charlie’s eyes. Stared at the love of his life and saw that same emotion reflected in her gaze. All the years he’d lost simply because he’d held back the truth.

  In many ways, he supposed it served him right. In others, he’d learned his lesson hard enough he didn’t plan on wasting another second moving forward. “Item number one. Non-negotiable. We’re staying.”

  Charlie fluttered her lashes. “Are you offering me terms, Xander?” Eyes narrowed, she pursed her lips as if mulling over his proposal. “Fine. Primary residence in Chicago, with the option to visit New York once a month or as needed.”

  “Done.” Pushing off from the door, he took one step forward. A grin threatened, and he cleared his throat as she did the same. “Item two, we’re getting married. Also non-negotiable.”

  She held her finger in the air. “Under the condition I get to set the date.”

  “Fine, but six months, tops.” They’d already waited long enough to start their happily ever after. And starting right now, that’s exactly what they
were going to be.

  Another long stride, and he chuckled as she scampered forward two to match the distance. “From this point on, no more secrets.”

  “Absolutely none.” She slashed her hand through the air. “And the only people we cheat are those who got it coming.”

  “Agreed.” One last step, and their bodies met, but with that layer of bulky fleece between them, she wasn’t anywhere near close enough for his liking.

  He tugged the belt at her waist and the sides of her robe fell open. Snaking his arm around her waist, he hauled her against his chest.

  “Final item.” The cushion of her breasts warmed his skin, and he bit back a groan as her soft belly nestled his cock. Threading his fingers through her hair, he ran his thumb along the edge of her jaw and brought her in for a kiss. “I get to tell you you’re beautiful as many times a day as I see fit.” He flicked his tongue along the sweet swell of her full bottom lip, angling her head for better access. “And you have to believe me.” A light brush back and forth, and he nibbled each corner. A whimper caught in her chest, and she melted against him as he swept a kiss down her throat. “Non-negotiable.”

  “Is that so?” Her palms skimmed his biceps as he eased back. Arms resting on his shoulders, she raked her fingers through his hair. “I gotta say, negotiating with you these next sixty years promises to be very interesting. And as for believing you?”

  His knees nearly gave at her knock-out smile. The one that could’ve outshone the sun.

  “I do.”

  Don’t miss another great book from Lyrical Press!

  Beautiful Criminal

  By Shady Grace

  Long days, precious nights . . .

  Mima Etu lives a quiet life with her sled dogs in the stunning Canadian Rockies. But that all changes when she stumbles upon a plane crash while out on a supply run. She’s shocked to discover the pilot is still alive—though barely. With the sun setting and the temperatures quickly dropping, Mima knows he’d never survive the trip to the nearest hospital. So she takes the stranger back to her cabin. As he heals, his vague answers to Mima’s questions about the flight tell her he has secrets. But more disturbing is the consuming, immediate attraction she senses between them.

  Before he lost control of his Cessna and plunged into a pilot’s hell, Gabriel Miller was on a deadly mission with precious cargo. Now he’s awakened in the comfort of a log cabin with a gorgeous woman tending to his every need. Her soft-spoken beauty sparks his longing for a different kind of life....and it isn’t long before they surrender to a blazing passion. But their blissful days are numbered. For the owners of the cargo are bent on finding Gabriel—and once they do, they don’t intend to leave any witnesses behind.

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  Prologue

  Gabe guided his Cessna 172 Skyhawk as low as he dared over Athabasca River, headed toward Victoria, British Columbia. His boss, Colton McCoy wanted the merchandise delivered by early evening, and time was running short. Due to thick clouds and wind gusts, he’d set off from the private airport near Edmonton two hours later than scheduled, and now, as ice fog overtook the windshield, he wished the flight was canceled all together. Every muscle in his body was as tight as a drawn elastic trying to keep the damn plane level. Most pilots worth their salt knew the Great White North had a mind of its own and the weather could change from pretty to shitty in a second.

  Tired of this shit was an understatement. He’d put his life on the line for McCoy too many times. He’d broken necks and busted wallets for the old man. Delivered drugs to every corner of this godforsaken earth. Took a bullet one too many times. And he was dead tired of it all. But this was his job and Gabe owed Colton his life.

  An uneasy feeling festered in his gut, a warning this trip would end up worst than the last, but turning back now wasn’t an option. The cargo secured in back needed to be delivered without delay, no matter how insane the weather turned, and there was no landing strip for a good hundred miles in any direction. Which basically meant Gabe was an idiot for accepting this job—not that he had a choice.

  The landscape ahead looked gray and white—the only visual cues to height and distance was the river below the mountain peaks. Flying at this low altitude was borderline suicidal, but getting caught on radar would put Gabe behind bars. He’d rather take a crazy chance than wear the orange jump suit. He’d rather die than be locked in a cell that would remind him of that cage his partner had rescued him from five years ago. The nightmares still plagued him.

  Gabe squinted to concentrate on the flight path ahead as snow hit the windshield, creating the illusion of a time-warp tunnel.

  Flying flowed in his veins. His grandfather and father were distinguished pilots in their own right—Grandpa a fighter pilot in the Second World War, and his father one of the best bush pilots in northern Canada. Neither of them would be proud of what Gabe did for a living, but this was what he did best. He was up in the sky before he could walk and he loved the freedom of being up the air.

  “Always fly the plane...never let it fly you,” his father always said. Those words had kept Gabe alive on more than one occasion when a flight got out of control.

  He chuckled, recalling his last trip to Columbia and the ruckus ditch they’d called a landing strip. The Skyhawk came down on one wheel and skidded across the muddy runway, stopped only by a tree stump in the ground that barely prevented him from going over the hillside cliffs.

  Now, as he flew low over the Canadian Rockies, Gabe realized this flight would have been a dangerous mission at any time, never mind during midwinter when his chances of surviving a crash were practically zero. But he lived for reckless adventure,

  always abiding Colton’s demands. Over the years, the more dangerous the job, the more excited he was to take it on.

  But as the gray hairs kept growing, and his body continued aching, he wondered if there was more to life than this. More than risking his hide at every turn and living a solitary existence. More than busting his ass for Colton McCoy and his empire. The reckless need for speed and danger had already begun to lessen in his early thirties. If he could get away with it, this would be the last mission. It was high time he put up his feet and enjoyed the money he’d fought hard to earn.

  A shift in turbulence made the plane jolt so hard Gabe collided against the dash. He gripped the throttle, keeping the nose level as the engine surged with a loud roar, then eased to a low rumble. Gabe looked down at the instrument panel and blew out a curse when the needles spun out of control.

  “Don’t do this to me now, baby. Come on,” he urged, patting the dash with one hand and pulling the throttle back slightly with the other. The Skyhawk was his baby. They’d been through hell and back on missions some might consider suicidal.

  Chinook winds battered the plane, tossing the aircraft around like a dry leaf. Every time he shifted the throttle another gust tossed him in the wrong direction. Left with little choice as the engine sputtered and lost momentum, Gabe opened the side window to view the landscape below. The river twisted like a snake beneath him, and on each side the towering Rockies left no room for a safe landing.

  Strong winds blew snow off the mountains, creating tails of white through the sky, making it impossible to see exactly where the mountain ridges started or ended.

  The engine sputtered again before the props stilled. Nothing but the sound of the wind howled through the cockpit.

  “Fuck!”

  Gabe held the throttle in a pointless death grip. The Cessna was now in the hands of the shifting Canadian winds. There was no time to pray, even for a man who didn’t believe in God, and he could not radio “Mayday” and risk the authorities finding him. His life and the cargo were now at the mercy of the wild.

  He caught a brief glimpse of snow-covered mountains ahead, before the plane took a nosedive into the white depths below.

  Chapter One

  Mima Etu angled the dog sled, helping her exc
ited team advance around a dangerous bend in the trail. With one mukluk on the runner, she pedaled with the other, helping the team keep their pace as they climbed the embankment running alongside the river. Her legs trembled, and she sucked in short, sharp breaths from the exertion, but there was no way she’d let Mary win.

  Just past dawn, the foggy morning promised a mild day. She filled her lungs with wilderness air, thrilled to be out running so early in the morning. Sledding was food for her soul.

  Mima and her best friend, Mary, pushed both teams hard, fighting for the lead along the straightaway, their sleds mere inches from each other. Where Mary had a team of seven small Samoyeds, Mima ran three Siberian huskies and two big Greenlands. Mary’s team was quick while Mima’s had more power.

  “You’re out of shape this year,” Mary shouted over the jingling sled bells. “It’s the first day of the year, asshole.” They both laughed and pushed their teams harder. “I’m gonna beat you again,” Mary teased, pedaling behind her sled, hustling the

  dogs along the trail. Her sled picked up momentum and pulled a few yards ahead. “Like hell. Haw!” Mima’s team took the left turn tight around a rock cut, gaining the advantage. They continued quickly along the trail, weaving around snow-covered pines and boulders bordering the river’s edge, but on the next straightaway, Mary’s team

  charged forward, leaving Mima in her snowy wake. Those damn dogs of hers are quick on the line. Mima smiled despite Mary

  passing her. The woman always gave her a run for her money, and she enjoyed the challenge. One of these days she’d beat her, and then she could rub it back in her face.

  “Easy... Easy,” she called out to her team. They slowed to a leisurely pace along the trail, allowing Mima the chance to gaze at the surrounding wilderness without distraction.

  She loved it out here. This was her life and her home. A sandy beach down south didn’t hold a candle to the crisp, white scenery of midwinter on her land. City skyscrapers held no promise of adventure as these towering mountains did. As far as she was concerned, the world outside of this land did not exist.