Her Fierce Warrior (X-Ops #4)

by Paige Tyler

  John looked at Cree. She looked right back at him.

  “I know,” he said. “Ivy and Landon will be careful. Besides, it’s not like I have anyone better to send in after Thorn and his secrets.”

  Even Adam couldn’t argue with that. He glanced at his watch, then got to his feet. “I need to be going.”

  “I thought you and Milan were going to stay for dinner,” Cree said.

  Adam grabbed his overcoat from the back of the chair and shrugged into it. “I’ll be back by then, but I have some other business I need to take care of first.”

  Adam didn’t volunteer what that business might be, and John didn’t ask. Their friendship was based on a strong foundation of letting the other person keep his own secrets. John knew that whatever Adam was up to, it almost certainly had to do with taking down Thorn or keeping an eye on something else related to the DCO.

  Milan came out of Boo’s room as they walked into the living room. Adam whispered something to Milan that John couldn’t hear, then smiled and leaned close, his forehead almost touching hers. There was something about the quiet, graceful woman that brought out a different side in the former assassin.

  Adam gave Milan a quick kiss, then a nod in John’s direction before letting himself out. Milan motioned that she’d be back in Boo’s bedroom, then disappeared down the hallway.

  Cree turned and looked at John. The heat in her eyes was unmistakable, and he felt an answering warmth gathering somewhere just below his belt. It made him realize how long it had been since they’d had a chance to spend some alone time together. Days off were in short supply for a person in his position.

  “Dinner won’t be done for another hour,” she said. “And Milan is watching Boo.”

  John grinned.

  Taking his hand, Cree turned and led him toward their bedroom. Once inside, John closed and locked the door behind them. Then he scooped his wife up in his arms and carried her over to the bed. Cree had taught him a long time ago to grab their moments when they could because in their line of work, they never knew when they might get the chance again.

  Order Paige Tyler's fourth book

  in the SWAT series

  To Love a Wolf

  On sale June 2016

  Click here!

  Here’s a sneak peek at book four in Paige Tyler’s sizzling SWAT series

  TO LOVE A WOLF

  It must be payday. Either that, or God hated him. As Landry Cooper strode across the bank’s lobby and got in line behind the twenty other people already there, he wasn’t sure which.

  He’d been so exhausted after work he hadn’t even bothered to shower and change into civvies at the SWAT compound like he usually did. Instead, he’d come straight to the bank in his combat boots, military cargo pants, and a dark blue T-shirt with the Dallas PD emblem and the word “SWAT” on the left side of his chest. He couldn’t wait to get home and throw everything in the wash, so he could grab something to eat and fall into bed.

  He bit back a growl as the man at the front of the line plunked down a cardboard box full of rolled coins on the counter and started lining up the different denominations in front of the teller.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he muttered.

  A tall, slender woman with long, golden-brown hair a few people ahead gave him a quick, understanding smile over her shoulder. He smiled back, but she’d already turned around. He waited, hoping she’d glance his way again, but she didn’t.

  He hated going to the bank, but his SWAT teammate had finally paid off the bet they’d made months ago about whether his squad leader and the newest member of the team would end up being a couple. Instead of giving Cooper the hundred bucks in cash like a normal person, Brooks had given him a frigging check.

  When Officer Khaki Blake had walked into the training room for the first time, every pair of eyes in the room immediately locked on her—except for Cooper’s. Oh, he’d noticed she was attractive. But he’d been more interested in watching how the rest of the SWAT team reacted. While most of the guys had checked her out with open curiosity, none of their hearts had pounded as hard as his squad leader’s, Corporal Xander Riggs. Cooper had immediately pegged Khaki as The One for Xander, and vice versa.

  But just because Cooper accepted the concept of The One didn’t mean he bought into the idea there were women in the world for him and the other remaining thirteen single members of the Pack. Cooper wasn’t jaded when it came to love, but he wasn’t naive, either.

  The two people ahead of Cooper finally got fed up and walked away. He quickly stepped forward and found himself behind the attractive woman who’d smiled earlier. He couldn’t help noticing she looked exceptionally good in a pair of jeans. Or that her long, silky hair had the most intriguing gold highlights when the light caught them just right. She smelled so delicious he had to fight the urge to bury his nose in her neck. Damn, he must be more tired than he thought. If he wasn’t careful he’d be humping her leg next.

  He opened his mouth to say something charming, but all that came out was a yawn big enough to make his jaw crack. The woman in front of him must have heard it too, because she turned around.

  “And I thought I’ve been waiting in line a long time,” she said, giving him a smile so breathtaking it damn near made his heart stop. “You look like you’re ready to fall asleep on your feet.”

  Cooper knew he should reply, but he was so mesmerized by her perfect skin, clear green eyes, and soft lips that he couldn’t do anything but stare. He felt like a teenager back in high school again.

  “Um, yeah. Long day,” he finally managed.

  What the hell was wrong with him? He’d never had a problem talking to a beautiful woman before. But in his defense, he’d never been in the presence of a woman this gorgeous.

  He gave himself a mental shake. Get your head in the game before she thinks you’re a loser and turns around again.

  “Catching bad guys, huh?” she asked.

  “Something like that.” He gave her his best charming smile. “Luckily, I’m off duty for the night.”

  She laughed, and the sound of it was so beautiful it almost brought him to his knees. Crap, he actually felt a little light-headed. He chalked it up to being out in the hot Texas sun all day. That could be hard on anyone, even a werewolf.

  She regarded him with an amused look. “Is that your way of saying you’re free for dinner?”

  Could she read his mind? “Depends. Would you say yes if I asked you out?”

  Her lips curved. “I might. Although most guys tell me their names before asking me out on a date.”

  Cooper chuckled. He’d been attracted to her from the moment he saw her, but after talking to her, he was even more mesmerized. He’d always appreciated a woman who was confident enough to hold up her end of a verbal sparring match, but she seemed more than capable.

  He held out his hand. “Landry Cooper, at your service. Now that you know my name, how about dinner?”

  He might have imagined it, but when she slipped her smaller hand into his much larger one, he could have sworn he felt a tingle pass between them—and it had wasn’t because of static electricity.

  “I’m Everly Danu,” she said. “And dinner sounds great.”

  Everly. Even her name was beautiful.

  Cooper opened his mouth to ask Everly if she wanted to grab something that night—the hell with going home and falling into bed—when voices nearby caught his attention.

  “Are we still robbing the place with the cop here?” a male voice whispered.

  “We’re in too deep to back out now,” another deeper voice said softly. “We were already going to kill the guard anyway. Just make sure to take out the cop fast.”

  Cooper snapped his head around. He scanned the crowded bank, looking for anyone who stood out, and immediately zeroed in on a man standing by the entrance. Average height with light brown hair, the guy was wearing mirrored sunglasses and a black windbreaker. On his own, the man wasn’t that remarkable, but the sma
ll radio receiver in his ear sure as hell was. It wasn’t hard to miss the telltale bulge under the man’s left arm or the way he kept glancing at Cooper in between keeping an eye on the door, either.

  Cooper swept the bank lobby with his gaze, looking for the man’s accomplice. He found him sitting by the manager’s desk. Thanks to the same identical sunglasses and black windbreaker the guy was wearing, he was easy to spot.

  Cooper quickly ID’d two other men—one positioned a few feet away from the bank’s security guard, the other near the row of windows that looked out onto the main road. Both of them were wearing sunglasses and windbreakers.

  The guy by the door checked his watch, then nodded at his friend over by the security guard. Cooper tensed. Shit, these assholes were really going to hit the bank with an armed cop standing right in the middle of them. Were they suicidal or just plain stupid?

  Cooper’s hand dropped to the Sig .40 on his belt.

  “Landry?” Everly asked, her voice trembling a little. “Is something wrong?”

  He didn’t want to take his eyes off the four guys about to hit the bank, but Everly’s growing fear was so strong he could practically taste it on the air. Finding it impossible to ignore, he tore his gaze from the four men and turned back to Everly.

  “I don’t want to alarm you, but the bank is about to be robbed,” he said softly. “I need you to stay calm, okay?”

  Order Paige Tyler's fourth book

  in the SWAT series

  To Love a Wolf

  On sale June 2016

  Click here!

  Acknowledgments

  I hope you enjoyed Her Fierce Warrior! After meeting Minka and Angelo in Her Perfect Mate (Book 1 in the X-Ops series), so many readers have been waiting for their story, even if they didn’t know the two of them would end up together. If you read the acknowledgments in Her Perfect Mate, then you already know that Angelo’s character was inspired by a friend of ours named Angelo Riguero who was tragically and senselessly murdered in 2012. He was thrilled when I told him that he inspired the SF soldier in the X-Ops series, and giving him his own happily ever is our way of remembering and honoring him. I like to think Angelo knows all about Her Fierce Warrior and is smiling down from heaven right now.

  This whole series would not be possible without some very incredible people. In addition to another big thank-you to my hubby for all his help with the action scenes and military and tactical jargon, I’d like to thank my agent, Bob Mecoy, for believing in us and encouraging us and being there when we need to talk; my editor and go-to-person at Sourcebooks, Cat Clyne (who loves this series as much as I do and is always a phone call, text, or email away whenever I need something); and all the other amazing people at Sourcebooks, including my fantastic publicist Amelia Narigon, and their crazy-talented art department. The covers they make for me are seriously drool-worthy!

  Because I could never leave out my readers, a huge thank-you to everyone who has read my books and Snoopy danced right along with me with every new release. That includes the fantastic people on my amazing Street Team, as well as my assistant, Janet. You rock!

  I also want to give a big thank-you to the men, women, and working dogs serving in our military, as well as their families.

  And a very special shout-out to our favorite restaurant, P.F. Chang’s, where hubby and I bat story lines back and forth and come up with all of our best ideas, as well as a thank-you to our fantastic waiter, Andrew, who sends our order to the kitchen the moment we walk in the door!

  Hope you enjoy the fifth book in the X-Ops series coming soon from Sourcebooks, and look forward to reading the rest of the series as much as I look forward to sharing it with you.

  If you love a man in uniform as much as I do, make sure you check out my other action-packed paranormal/romantic-suspense series from Sourcebooks called SWAT (Special Wolf Alpha Team)!

  Happy Reading!

  About the Author

  Paige Tyler is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of sexy, romantic fiction. She and her very own military hero (also known as her husband) live on the beautiful Florida coast with their adorable fur baby (also known as their dog). Paige graduated with a degree in education but decided to pursue her passion and write books about hunky alpha males and the kick-butt heroines who fall in love with them. Visit www.paigetylertheauthor.com.

  She’s also on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, tsu, Wattpad, Google+, Instagram, and Pinterest.

  Thank you for reading!

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  Hungry Like the Wolf

  SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team

  by Paige Tyler

  New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

  She’s convinced they’re hiding something

  The team of sharpshooters is elite and ultra-secretive—they are also the darlings of Dallas. This doesn’t sit well with investigative journalist Mackenzie Stone. They must be hiding something…and she’s determined to find out what.

  He’s as alpha as a man can get

  Gage Dixon, the SWAT team commander, is six-plus feet of pure muscle and keeps his team tight and on target. When he is tasked to let the persistent—and gorgeous—journalist shadow the team for a story, he has one mission: protect the pack’s secrets.

  He’ll do everything he can to protect his secret

  But keeping Mac at a distance proves difficult. She’s smart, sexy, and just smells so damn good. As she digs, she’s getting closer to the truth—and closer to his heart. Will Gage guard their secret at the expense of his own happiness? Or will he choose love and make her his own...

  For more Paige Tyler, visit:

  www.sourcebooks.com

  Wolf Trouble

  SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team

  by Paige Tyler

  New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

  He’s in trouble with a capital T

  There’s never been a female on the Dallas SWAT team and Senior Corporal Xander Riggs prefers it that way. The elite pack of alpha-male wolf shifters is no place for a woman. But Khaki Blake is no ordinary woman.

  When Khaki walks through the door, attractive as hell and smelling like heaven, Xander doesn’t know what the heck to do. Worse, she’s put under his command and Xander’s protective instincts go on high alert. When things start heating up both on and off the clock, it’s almost impossible to keep their heads in the game and their hands off each other…

  For more Paige Tyler, visit:

  www.sourcebooks.com

  In the Company of Wolves

  SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team

  by Paige Tyler

  New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

  The new gang of thugs in town is ruthless to the extreme—and a pack of wolf shifters. Special Wolf Alpha Team discovers this in the middle of a shoot-out. When Eric Becker comes face to face with a female werewolf, shooting her isn’t an option, but neither is arresting her. She’s the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen—or smelled. Becker hides her and leaves the crime scene with the rest of his team.

  Jayna Winston has no idea why that SWAT guy hid her, but she’s sure glad he did. Now what’s a street-savvy thief going to do with a hot alpha-wolf SWAT officer?

  Praise for Paige Tyler’s SWAT series:

  “Bring on the growling, possessive alpha male… A fast-paced and super-exciting read that grabbed my attention. I loved it.” —Night Owl Reviews, Top Pick, 5 Stars

  For more Paige Tyler, visit:

  www.sourcebooks.com

 

 

 
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