Wolf Rebel
Page 27
Rachel laughed, glancing over at the picnic table where Mike sat with Leclair, Gage, and his wife, but Mike seemed to only have eyes for their new boss. “As my grandmother used to say, it looks like he’s sweet on her.”
Everyone at their table glanced that way, but it was Trey who seemed to be the thoughtful one. “I never imagined I’d see Mike looking at another woman like that. Not after everything he went through.”
Rachel was about to ask what that meant but was distracted by Knox taking a big bite of burger. Damn, he made enjoying his food look sexy. When she kept gazing at him, he motioned at her to eat, too. She studied her plate, trying to decide what to taste first. Did she go for the chicken marinated in cilantro, jalapeños, and a combo of lime and orange juice; the steak marinated in beer, lime, and garlic; or the burger of pork and chorizo with its generous helping of guacamole? Even the shrimp tacos were in the running, and she wasn’t a big seafood girl.
Decisions. Decisions.
She finally went with the burger and almost moaned at how perfect the combination of spicy meat tasted.
“Hadley still hasn’t asked you about what happened that day at her office, has she?” Trey asked, apparently moving on from the topic of Mike and the chief. “During any of the sessions you’ve had with her, I mean.”
Even though she was no longer terrorized by the nachtmahr, Rachel had accepted she still needed help. The monster had found a comfortable home in her head because of the trauma she was still dealing with from the night Horace Watkins had tried to kill her. She’d been worried Hadley wouldn’t want to see her anymore, especially after her office had been destroyed, but the doctor had been fine with it. And the sessions really were helping.
“No, thank goodness.” Rachel took another bite of burger. “The doctors gave her a clean bill of health, so I think she chalked it up to stress.”
A strange part of her therapy sessions—and the death of the nachtmahr—were her feelings toward poor Horace Watkins. After experiencing the terror of the creature firsthand, Rachel’s heart went out to the man, despite what he’d done to her and Hannah. In reality, Horace had been a victim of the creature as much as she had. There was nothing the man could have done to resist the urges that had driven him to go after Hannah. It made her glad the nachtmahr was finally gone so no one else would end up like that.
She and Knox hung around for another few games of volleyball but then had to bail. They’d moved into a new condo a few weeks ago, and it was still a mess for the most part. This evening they planned on finally getting everything unpacked. Even with the nachtmahr—and the clown—gone, Rachel hadn’t been able to face the thought of living in her old place anymore. It had cost a buttload to break the lease early, but it had been worth it to not spend another night in that place.
Rachel was pulling out pictures of her family and Hannah when she sensed Knox behind her. She turned to find him leaning against the wall in the hallway that led to their bedroom, watching her with an expression on his face that seemed almost like wonder.
She set down the framed photo she’d been holding and walked over to him. “What?”
He pulled her into his arms, wrapping her in his warmth, a smile tugging at his lips. “Nothing.”
“Don’t even try it,” she said, poking him in the chest. “I can tell when you’re keeping something from me. What is it? Are you regretting giving up your room at the extended stay hotel already?”
She tried to keep her tone light, because truthfully, she thought that might actually be it. Knox had no problem making knee-jerk decisions—following through seemed to be the problem for him.
“It’s nothing like that,” he insisted, the smile replaced by a serious expression. “It’s just…”
“Just what?”
“It’s just that I never expected you to pick me over your pack that night. Then, when I gave you a chance to backtrack and you didn’t, I was stunned. Then you told me you loved me. I never expected that.”
The words were beautiful, but she had to admit she was a little confused. “But Diego told me you two had talked about the soul mate thing. He said you knew I was The One for you. I thought you knew that meant I loved you?”
Knox nodded. “I guess I did. But knowing something in theory is completely different than hearing the words. When you told me that, it meant everything to me. I sort of realized that just now, as I watched you unpack your stuff here in the home we’re going to share.”
She smiled, wondering if she should rag on him for being a total romantic. “What brought on this sudden introspection?”
The grin was back, broader this time. “When I was running from one situation to the next over the past several months, I knew I was looking for something, but I never knew what it was until now. I finally figured out that it’s you and this thing we have now. That’s what I was searching for. You’re my reason—my purpose. The woman I love more than anything.”
There wasn’t a whole hell of a lot she could say after something like that. Going up on her toes to kiss him, she took his hand and led him into their bedroom. So they could talk more about the reason they were together—without saying a single word.
Acknowledgments
I hope you had as much fun reading Rachel and Knox’s story as I had writing it! We knew Rachel would fall for the former Navy SEAL/hunter when we first added her to the SWAT team. What we didn’t know was that the clown was going to be so evil. He definitely took charge of his character! And a special shout-out to our real-life friend and police officer, Rachel, for inspiring the heroine!
This whole series wouldn’t 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, thanks to my fantastic agent, Courtney Miller-Callihan; thanks to 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 and the crazy-talented art department. The covers they make for me are seriously droolworthy!
Because I could never leave out my readers, a huge thank-you to everyone who reads my books and Snoopy Danced right along with me with every new release. That includes the fantastic people on my amazing Review Team, as well my assistant, Janet. You rock!
I also want to give a big thank-you to the men, women, and working dogs who protect and serve in police departments everywhere, 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-turned-manager, Andrew, who makes sure our order is ready the moment we walk in the door!
Hope you enjoy the next book in the SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team 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. Also, don’t forget to look for my new series from Sourcebooks, STAT: Special Threat Assessment Team, a spin-off from SWAT!
If you love a man in uniform as much as I do, make sure you check out X-OPS, my other action-packed paranormal/romantic-suspense series from Sourcebooks.
Happy Reading!
About the Author
Paige Tyler is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of sexy, romantic suspense and paranormal romance. 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 male.
Connect online:
paigetylertheauthor.com
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STAT: Special Threat Assessment Team
<
br /> Paige Tyler’s all-new, pulse-pounding SWAT spin-off series
Coming Spring 2020
STAT—Special Threat Assessment Team—agent Jestina Ridley is in London with her teammates investigating a kidnapping when they cross paths with a creature that savagely kills everyone but her.
When Jes calls HQ for backup, they send her former Navy SEAL and alpha werewolf Jake Huang and his new pack. Convinced that the creature who butchered her teammates was a werewolf, Jes isn’t too happy about it. But she’ll need Jake’s help if they’re going to discover the truth and make it back home alive. And with everything on the line, Jes will have to accept Jake for who he is, or lose the partner she never expected to find…
“Paige Tyler has a fan in me!”
—LARISSA IONE, New York Times Bestseller
For more info about Sourcebooks’s books and authors, visit:
sourcebooks.com
Also by Paige Tyler
SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team
Hungry Like the Wolf
Wolf Trouble
In the Company of Wolves
To Love a Wolf
Wolf Unleashed
Wolf Hunt
Wolf Hunger
Wolf Rising
Wolf Instinct
Wolf Rebel
X-Ops
Her Perfect Mate
Her Lone Wolf
Her Secret Agent (novella)
Her Wild Hero
Her Fierce Warrior
Her Rogue Alpha
Her True Match
Her Dark Half
X-Ops Exposed
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