She was quiet while she looked around the room. “That’s it? Just my father’s notes?”
“And the serum for Olivia.” That was the other catch. “I need you to make it for her. She’s running out of time.”
Slowly, Dani’s gaze slid back to his and flicked over his features. “You love her, don’t you?”
His throat grew thick. “With everything that I am.”
“Even knowing you can’t be with her?”
“Yeah.”
Her brows drew together. “Why her? I mean, why is she so special?”
He thought of Olivia’s sweet smile, her determination, her innate ability to forgive and see the best in everyone. And when he remembered the way she’d loved him, the way she’d held him, the way her eyes lit up whenever she saw him—even when she had every right to be pissed at him—his entire body warmed. “Because she doesn’t need me. She never did. But she still wants me. Even knowing all the bad shit I’ve done in my life.”
Dani’s gaze drifted down to her hands, resting in her lap, and she hooked a foot over a rung in the stool. “I’ve never known love like that. My parents certainly didn’t love each other that way.”
“Neither did mine.” In many ways, he and Dani were very much alike. Both loners, wounded, two people struggling just to get by. But he didn’t want to just get by anymore. He wanted to know that what he did mattered. And this—saving Olivia’s life when no one else could—this was the most important thing he’d ever done. “Say you’ll do it, Dani. Please say you’ll take the deal.”
She was silent for several moments, then finally looked up at him. “Okay. I’ll do it.”
Hope leapt in his chest.
“On one condition.”
“What?”
She climbed off the stool. “For that I need to talk to your CO.”
“This is ridiculous.” Olivia glared toward the nurse holding her wrist, counting her pulse. “I’m fine. Can you both hear that? I said I’m fine.”
The nurse just rolled her eyes and glanced at the clock high on the wall. From the cell phone set on speaker, sitting on the tray in front of her, Eve huffed. “Stop whining already. You sound like a freakin’ cat, Olivia.”
Olivia scrunched her face at the phone, even though she knew her sister couldn’t see her. Frustration warred inside her. She was going out of her mind wondering what was happening back at Dani’s plantation. She hadn’t heard from Landon since the DIA had swept her into a small jet and flown her to the hospital on Virgin Gorda. That had been several hours ago. She’d tried to call him, of course, but he wasn’t answering, and every moment that passed without word from him put her more on edge.
After having her head stitched and bandaged, the nurse had dumped her in this private room with a view that looked out over a cluster of rustling palms, and hooked up an IV—which she was sure would do no good—then told her to sit tight. Through the open door she could see two of the DIA’s finest, standing outside, but it was impossible for her to just sit here when she didn’t know what was going on with Landon. What if they took him away before she had a chance to say goodbye? What if he’d already gone back to the States?
She didn’t have much time left. She’d already resigned herself to the fact she was dying. She didn’t want to spend that time in a hospital being guarded like she was a criminal.
Panic pushed in. A panic she hated. She glanced down at the IV in her arm.
“Don’t even think about it,” Eve said through the speaker.
“Don’t think about what?”
“About tearing out that IV.”
The nurse’s head shifted Olivia’s way, and she lifted her brows in an oh, you’d better not do that move.
How the hell did her sister do that? She was on a plane headed to the Caribbean from Iceland with Marley and Zane, but she couldn’t see Olivia through the damn phone. Just the fact Eve could anticipate Olivia’s thoughts pissed her off even more.
“I can’t sit here,” Olivia snapped as the nurse lowered her arm to the bed and moved to the sink to wash her hands. She wanted her clothes. Wanted out of this damn hospital gown. Wanted Landon. She threw back the covers. “You can’t keep me locked up here like a prisoner.”
“Olivia,” a male voice said from the doorway. A familiar, sexy, male voice. “Stop harassing the poor nurse.”
Olivia’s head shot to her right, and her breath caught when she saw Landon standing in the doorway.
He was dressed in clean jeans, a light-blue T-shirt that made his eyes sparkle, and he’d shaved, all the scruff from the last few days missing from his handsome, scarred face. Her heart—which had been set on perpetual throb—took a long, slow tumble.
“Landon.” She sat forward. Wanted to get up and run to him. Wanted to reach for him. But the damn IV in her arm stopped her from moving.
The nurse dried her hands on a paper towel and crossed to stand next to him. “She’s a handful, this one. Watch yourself.”
“I know,” he said quietly, not looking away from Olivia’s face.
The nurse shook her head and then disappeared into the hall, and for a heartbeat, Landon didn’t move. Just stared at her from across the room with the softest, sweetest eyes. Finally, he made his way around the side of her bed. “Hi.”
Hi? That was the best he could do? Hi? Oh, forget that.
She shoved the tray away and reached for the front of his shirt, tangling her fingers in the soft fabric as she yanked him down to her. “I’ve been going out of my mind waiting for you to call.”
He sat on the side of her bed and leaned down toward her as she pulled him in. She smelled the fresh scents of soap and some fruity shampoo, making her think of him naked in the shower. Making her wish she’d been there with him. “I’m sorry. It’s been crazy.”
“No, this—making me suffer—is crazy.”
She lifted her mouth to his. He immediately opened to her kiss and slid his tongue along hers, and with the first taste, all the fear and frustration leaked out of her. All that mattered was this. All she wanted was him.
“Miller,” Eve said in a gruff tone from the phone. “Get your tongue out of my sister’s mouth, or I’m going to have to add a second ass-kicking to my Miller to-do list.”
Landon pulled back, leaving them both breathless, and rested his forehead against Olivia’s. “Say goodbye to your sister,” he whispered.
Olivia grinned. “Goodbye, Eve.”
Landon reached toward the phone.
“Dammit, Miller. Don’t you dare hang up on m—”
He clicked End, then kissed Olivia again with those tempting, tantalizing lips of his. And when she was aching, when she was so wild for him she was ready to pull him on top of her, right here in this hospital bed, he drew back and smiled down at her.
He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. Hair she knew was still matted and needed a good shampoo. “How do you feel?”
“Better now that you’re here.” Her fingers grazed his muscular chest. “What happened after I left?”
He leaned a hand against the mattress on the other side of her, and she loved that he was locking her in, that he was sitting close, that he wasn’t moving away. “The DIA showed because of Ryder.” He told her about Jake finding the matching photos, the FBI wanted list, and contacting Landon’s CO when he realized Crossler was hunting Dani, then the DIA swarming because they’d been looking for Albert Crossler’s research for years and because Dani’s mother was such a huge game player.
“And what about Dani?” she asked.
“Dani’s agreed to go into protective custody. I can’t take care of her anymore. I never should have tried in the first place.” He reached for her hand and laid it on his thigh, looking down at her fingers beneath his. “I know she told you I’ve been sending her money. I need you to know why I did that.”
“You
don’t owe me any explanation, Landon.”
“Yeah, I do. It wasn’t because I cared about her. I mean, I did—I do care for her, in a very special way. She’s a good kid, and she got a shitty deal in life. But I didn’t send her that money out of guilt. Getting her set up, getting her safe, looking out for her this last year—yeah, that was all done out of guilt. But the money . . . I saw that as my penance. She’s so smart, and she has this great gift that can help people. And after she started up her free clinic, I realized that I could help her with her need to help others. And in some small way, maybe do something good for a change.”
Her heart swelled. He didn’t see himself as a hero. He probably never would. But she did. She always had. And this only confirmed that he’d been one long before she’d met him.
She turned her hand over and laced her fingers with his. “She’s lucky to have you.”
“She doesn’t. She never really did. But you do. If you want me.”
The nurse walked into the room and moved toward Olivia’s IV. Landon’s gaze slid to the side. Olivia looked up as the nurse uncapped a syringe and slowly pressed a clear liquid into her IV.
“What’s that?” Olivia asked.
The nurse smiled.
“A gift,” Landon answered, looking back at her, a twinkle in his dark eyes.
Understanding dawned, and Olivia’s brow lifted. “The serum?” When he nodded, she said, “Dani made it?”
“It’ll probably take a while to kick in. But your doctors know. That’s why the DIA brought you here so fast. They flew in a specialist. You’re going to have to stay in the hospital a few days, probably. Undergo a bunch of tests.”
Olivia glanced up toward the IV. She could handle all that as long as it worked. A new burst of hope slid through her. She wasn’t going to die. She was going to live. See her next birthday. Grow old. But reality trickled in as she watched the IV liquid drip down the tube connected to her arm.
She wouldn’t be doing those things with the man she loved. Not if the DIA was already here.
Landon slid down to kneel on the floor and laid his head on her belly. Her fingers instinctively threaded into his hair, playing with the soft, silky strands even as her mind drifted to a future she didn’t want to think about.
“I know we’ve never even gone out on a date,” he said against her, “but do you think that someday, maybe when you’ve had a chance to get over all this and you’ve discovered all my quirks that bug the hell out of you . . . Do you think then, maybe one day, you might want to marry me?”
Olivia’s fingers stilled in his hair. “Wh-what?”
He lifted his head and looked up at her, tears reflecting in his eyes. “I love you, Livy. I think I have since that day you opened your gorgeous green eyes in that hospital room in Seattle and rocked my world right out from under me. I never thought taking that gig with Aegis would lead me here, but I’m so glad it did. And I know I don’t deserve you. I know I’ve got a long way to go before I’ll even be close to normal, but . . . I’m willing to try. With you, I’m willing to try anything.”
Her heart stuttered, then slowly picked up speed. “How . . . ? I thought . . .” She swallowed hard. “What about the DIA?”
“I’m out.”
Her gaze searched his, hope and disbelief swirling inside her. “How? Why? Who—?”
“Dani.”
“Dani?” Her eyes widened.
“It was the only way she would agree to hand over her father’s research and go into the witness protection program. If they let me go.”
Olivia’s skin grew hot. “She did that? Why? If she goes into protection, you can’t see her anymore.”
“She knows that. She did it so you and I could be together.”
Oh . . . shit. Tears pooled in Olivia’s eyes. All this time she’d thought Dani was just a selfish young girl, out for her own gain, and here she’d given Olivia the greatest gift of all. Something Olivia could never repay. Not just her life, but a heart to live it with.
Landon’s eyes went all soft and dreamy. “Say you want to be with me. Because I don’t think I can live without you. I know I don’t want to. You may think I saved you, but I didn’t. You saved yourself. And you saved me. In every way that matters.”
Tears tracked down her cheeks, and she reached for him, pulling him up onto the bed with her and kissing him with everything she had in her.
This morning she’d thought her life was ending. Now she knew it was finally about to start.
He drew back and pressed his forehead against hers, breathing deeply, holding her so close she could feel the beat of his heart melding with hers, exactly as it should be. “Is that a yes? I’ll even settle for a maybe right now. Just say something, baby, because you’re killing me here.”
She blinked the tears from her eyes. “Someone told me never to give in to you. That if I did, you’d lose interest.”
He huffed. “If I haven’t lost interest yet, it’s never going to happen. And for the record, you’ve never given in to me. Not willingly at least. It’s part of the reason I love you so damn much.”
“And the fact you never stop pushing is why I love you.” She slid her fingers over his jaw, knowing that—finally—she was about to do something truly amazing with her life. “Ask me again.”
He stretched out on the bed next to her, fitting perfectly against her, just where she wanted him. Exactly where she needed him. “Will you?”
She lifted her lips to his. “Yes, Landon. Absolutely, positively, unconditionally . . . yes.”
He smiled against her mouth and sank into her. “Ooh-rah.”
Laughing, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and opened to his kiss. Ooh-rah was right. Now and always.
acknowledgments
After twenty books, one would think writing would get easier, but it never does. Every time I sit down at the keyboard, I’m amazed at how much work goes into a story to bring it to life. From research to drafting to editing, each book is unique, and every step along the way brings up new challenges, new delights, and, yes, even after all this time, new frustrations.
Lethal Consequences was a fun book to write, but the subject matter at times created dilemmas for me as a writer, and I know I definitely couldn’t have finished this book alone. Two people not only kept me motivated along the way, but were instrumental in making sure I got it right. During writing retreats from Las Vegas to the Oregon Coast, Joan Swan and Darcy Burke brainstormed plot points and scene action with me, helped me research medical information, and made sure I hit my word count every time I sat down at the computer. And I will never forget watching the two of them scene block the climax of this book with silverware in a quiet restaurant while the sun was setting over the Pacific so I would know exactly who did what and when. The waitress might have thought we were nuts thanks to all my giggling, but I know these two are the reason I was able to stay sane and finish this book on time. So to Joan and Darcy, I say thank you, from the bottom of my heart. And . . . when are we scene blocking the next book?
I also wanted to take a moment to thank my editor, Charlotte Herscher, for her fabulous editorial advice and for whipping this book into shape so quickly. And the entire team at Montlake for all their work promoting this series and getting it into readers’ hands.
And finally, I want to thank you, my reader, for falling in love with the Aegis series. Romantic suspense was my first love as a writer, and I truly enjoy living in this fast-paced, sexy world whenever I can. I’ve heard from so many of you who enjoyed the first book in this series, Extreme Measures, and I’m thrilled to bring you the next one. You are the reason I write, and as long as you keep asking for more, I will keep sitting at that computer, each and every day, working on the stories I know you’re anxiously waiting to read.
Happy reading, and I hope as you turned each page you fell in love with Landon and Olivia as
much as I did.
—Elisabeth
about the author
Photo © Curtis Almquist at Almquist Studios
Before topping multiple bestseller lists—including those of the New York Times, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal—Elisabeth Naughton taught middle school science. A voracious reader, she soon discovered she had a knack for creating stories with a chemistry of their own. The spark turned into a flame, and Naughton now writes full-time. Besides topping bestseller lists, her books have been nominated for some of the industry’s most prestigious awards, such as the RITA® and Golden Heart Awards from Romance Writers of America, the Australian Romance Reader Awards, and the Golden Leaf Award. When not dreaming up new stories, Naughton can be found spending time with her husband and three children in their western Oregon home.
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