Retaliate

by Kristin Harte

  “You’re beautiful, Firefly, but you seem anxious,” he said as he nuzzled my neck. “Talk to me.”

  Anxious was an understatement. Excited, terrified, elated, worried…all better descriptors. I should have known he’d recognize that I had something going on. The man might as well have been psychic when it came to me, always searching, investigating, watching. Always striving to keep me happy. To keep me with him. He had no idea how much it would take to tear me away, a fact I’d need to remedy. Soon. But first, I had a surprise for him.

  “I wanted to wait until we got back to my place,” I said as I ran a hand over the muscles in his shoulder. So tense—the man must have been worried about bad news.

  “Now,” he said, not giving me an option to hide anymore. “No secrets and no hiding. Tell me now.”

  Our rules, laid out for me. A good reminder. I ran my fingers through his hair, staring into those gray eyes I loved so much. “I want to put my condo up for sale.”

  He frowned. “Okay.”

  “And I want to move back to Justice. For good.”

  His frown only deepened. “But you love being on stage.”

  “I do. I love reading tarot cards and entertaining tourists. But I love you more.” I leaned in to kiss him, my nerves firing in rapid succession and making my hands shake as I braced myself against his chest. Readied myself for the real news. “And I think I’m going to love being a mom most of all.”

  Bishop froze, stiff and unyielding beneath me. “Anabeth—”

  The awe in his voice, the excitement…it made me grin. Made me lean in as I nodded. “I’m pregnant.”

  His arms wrapped around me and tugged me closer, his lips finding mine and claiming ownership. Deep, slow kisses led to wandering hands and clothes pushed aside. Led to his hard cock in my hand as I straddled his hips, led to him thrusting deep inside me as he chanted my name.

  And when we were done—sated and sweaty and still wrapped around one another—he finally spoke.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. I went to the doctor this morning before picking you up at the airport. I wanted to make sure the tests I took at home were accurate.”

  His hands moved to my stomach, holding me. Holding us. “A baby.”

  “Our baby.”

  “And you want this?” he asked, looking up at me with so much hope in his eyes. “Me, the baby, to come home to Justice… Because I won’t make you. You can keep working here, and we’ll figure things out. Whatever makes you happy.”

  My silly man. “You make me happy. Being away from you hurts too much, and this place isn’t where I want to be anymore.” I kissed him again. And again. Only pulling away when those kisses were about to turn into more again. Not because I didn’t want him, but because I still had things to say. “You’re my home, Bishop. I want to be where you are, and I want the quiet, small-town life Justice will give us so we can raise our family.”

  His grip tightened on my hips. “We still have trouble with the Soul Suckers. It’s not as safe as when we were kids.”

  “Will you let them near me?” I dragged his hand over onto my belly, pressing it against where someday soon, a child would make it swell. “Would you ever let them near us?”

  His eyes hardened in an instant, and his voice turned rough. Mean. SEAL Bishop showing his face. “Not in a million fucking years.”

  “Then I’m not worried about them. I just want you and our baby—I want a family. And I want that in Justice.”

  Bishop sighed, pulling me close for another sweet kiss before resting his forehead against mine. “I love you, Firefly, and I’ll do everything I can to make you happy. To keep our family together and safe. I promise you that.”

  “I know you will, which is why this isn’t a hard decision for me.” I pulled his face closer and pressed my lips to his before sitting back with a smile. “So how about we go back to my condo and you make me extra happy. We should really make sure we’ve christened every room before I sell the place.”

  “I don’t know. Shouldn’t you be resting? You’re in a fragile state.” His grin belied his words, though. As did the way his hands kept roaming over my bare skin, sliding under my silk dressing gown that hung from my shoulders.

  “True. We probably should take it easy.” I bit back a laugh when his smile fell. Two could play his game. “I mean, if you don’t want to slide that thick, hard cock inside me again…”

  I trailed off as I teased him, running my fingertips over the tip of his cock where it sat wedged between us. He jerked and hummed, pulling me closer. Nuzzling my neck before placing a hard bite there.

  “I always want to be buried inside your sweet pussy, my little tease. It’s my favorite place to be. My heaven.”

  “Then let’s go home. We can celebrate.”

  Bishop smacked my ass lightly, giving me a stern frown. “No business calls or interruptions.”

  Yeah, I was bad about that. My industry tended to keep weird hours, and my constant connection to my phone while in Vegas was something he wasn’t the biggest fan of. But tonight would be ours. “Just you, me, and a lot of hours being naked together. Promise.”

  “I like the way you think.” He helped me stand, tucking his cock away before refastening his pants when he stood up. And then he was on me, holding me tight, cupping my face in his hands as if I was something precious to him. As if he couldn’t stay away. “This is a gift, Firefly. You, me, the baby, moving back to Justice. All of it is such a dream come true. One I promise not to take for granted.”

  My heart melted, tears coming fast and hard to my eyes. “I know.”

  “I’ll protect you both. Come hell or high water, no one will get near you. I’ll blow the whole damn town apart before that happens.”

  “I know that too.”

  And I did. Which was why I felt safe returning to Justice.

  “The Kennards would never allow a family member to be hurt,” Bishop said, holding me tight. “I want you to be my family.”

  “I am. We will be.”

  “No, not just because of the baby. I’ve waited fourteen years to give you this. I don’t want to waste another second.” He reached into his suit coat pocket and pulled out a little black box before dropping to one knee. “Marry me, Anabeth Monroe. Marry me, and let’s be a family together.”

  Every wish, every dream I’d ever had, was coming true. Somehow, I’d earned a second chance at the life I’d always wanted, and I would never take that for granted. So I nodded, unable not to tell the man I’d loved for over half my life yes. Chanting the word in a whisper barely loud enough for me to hear, let alone Bishop. But I didn’t need to worry about that. He knew. He knew, and he took control as he always did. He slid the square solitaire ring onto my finger, placed a gentle kiss against my bare belly, and rose to his feet, wiping away my happy tears before tugging my dressing gown off.

  “Drive-thru chapel’s open. Get dressed, and let’s go get this done.”

  “Now? You want to get married right now? Just us?”

  “I lost you once, lost a chance at a family too. I won’t go through that again.” He cupped my belly, holding my gaze with those steely gray eyes I wanted to wake up to every single day for the rest of my life. “I love you, and I want you tied to me in a legal way—with ink and big capital letters that say you’re mine. So be mine, Firefly. Right now. Forever.”

  How could I possibly say no to that?

  “Yes.”

  * * *

  KEEP READING FOR A SNEAK PEEK AT JUSTIFY, BOOK THREE IN THE VIGILANTE JUSTICE SERIES!

  * * *

  Thank you for taking the time to read this RETALIATE. Reviews are greatly appreciated! And make sure to keep keep reading for a look at JUSTIFY, the third Vigilante Justice novel.

  * * *

  The third book in the Vigilante Justice series proves opposites attract...and cause lots of trouble.

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  JUSTIFY SNEAK PEEK

  He’s wanted her since he first saw her

  A storm is coming to Justice, but not the type that requires weather reports. Katie Baker has come back home to open a restaurant and has stolen my heart along the way. There’s just two problems—the woman gets too nervous around me to give me a chance to talk to her, and someone’s out to kill her. Neither is ideal, and both are getting in my way. But I’m going to take care of her in every way I can, even if she ends up hating me for it.

  She’s got a secret that could get them all killed

  My new restaurant is rocking, my return home has been smooth, and the secrets I left behind in Denver have yet to catch up to me. There’s just one problem, and his name is Gage Shepherd. Big, brutal, rough around the edges—the mountain man of Kennard Mills makes me feel things I’m not ready for. Things that incite more fear than I can handle. But when he’s the one to jump in after my newly reclaimed world crumbles, I have to figure out how to be brave or risk losing him forever.

  Secrets can only stay hidden so long. When the time comes to admit my mistakes, Gage might walk away…or find himself six feet under.

  Sneak Peek

  Katie

  UNEDITED - SUBJECT TO CHANGE

  * * *

  Thirty minutes. From nothing to a full dining room completely served in thirty minutes. My hands hurt, my shoulders burned, and my throat felt raw from yelling directions at my two-person staff, but I’d done it. I’d made it through without falling behind.

  I stood in my kitchen, listening to the rumble of the diners in the other room, giving myself a moment to catch my breath before I checked on my guests. Those men out there knew me, had known my family. Most had watched me grow up in Justice. I had to make an appearance no matter how much I wanted to fall into the chair in my office and take a nap. So I took a deep breath, and I rolled my neck one last time, and I looked up.

  And promptly screamed.

  “Jesus, Gage.” My hand rested over my heart as if trying to hold it in place as it attempted to beat its way out of my chest. “You scared me.”

  He always did, but I refused to admit that to him. The man in question stood across the room in a corner with his dog Rex at his side. A common sight around town, those two. Gage’s long, thick hair looked to be pulled back from his face, and his beard hung just as bushy as ever. A dark cloud decorating his face, almost hiding him. The man was made of shadows, slipping into spaces without anyone noticing. But when they did, when I did, I couldn’t focus on anything other than his darkness—almost black eyes, hair the shade of burnt timber, even his skin held onto a golden sort of color year round. At least the parts not covered in colorful ink.

  Made of shadows indeed—deep ones. Ones a girl like me should avoid.

  “I didn’t mean to scare you.” Gage cocked his head and drew his eyebrows together. Frowning. Unhappy with the statement I’d made it seemed. Something that fired up my nerves and pushed me past the point of being able to control myself. As usual.

  I clutched a kitchen towel, slowly wringing it with shaking hands. “I didn’t mean scared scared. At least not scared like OMG there’s an axe murderer in my kitchen—have you ever seen that So I Married An Axe Murderer movie? Super funny. My mom really liked it so I’ve probably watched it a thousand times over the years. It was a Thanksgiving tradition, actually. That and the weird canned cranberry sauce she refuses to give up no matter how many times I brought homemade to dinner. Nothing natural wiggles like that canned stuff. Anyway, yeah—not axe murderer scared. More scared like startled. Or spooked. Spooked is a good word for how I just felt. Surprised works, too. I looked up, and there you were. Poof. Like magic. I wasn’t expecting you to be there, though I guess I should have expected it. You being there, I mean. You’re there enough that I should be used to it, but...I wasn’t. Tonight.”

  Shut up, Katie.

  His eyebrows said so much more than he ever did. Especially when he raised them the way he just had. When they lifted his face a bit and opened those dark eyes wider. The ones still pinning me in place. As if trying to see through me. Trying to compel me to do something with just a look.

  “So I’m always there...but I scared you because I was there.”

  Oh god, I was going to have a full-on panic attack if he didn’t stop looking at me.

  I wrung my towel harder, tighter, unable to hold still. Needing to keep my hands busy. “Okay, always may have been an exaggeration. You’re not always here. Just a lot. You and Camden seem to get stuck with guarding Main Street more than the others. I’m sorry—that’s such a waste of your time. But I get it, you know? Someone has to look out because of the Soul Suckers trouble. Totally understandable. You sort of have to be here. It’s not like—”

  “Hey, Katie.” His voice rumbled through the kitchen, stealing my breath and making my knees quiver.

  “Yeah?”

  “Hi. He smiled. Oh my god, he smiled. At me. And…I lost my damn mind.

  “Hi.”

  Did…did I just sigh that? I clamped my jaws together, refusing to speak more. Already dying on the inside. Why couldn’t I be normal around the guy? I got nervous and I babbled, yes. Absolutely. Always had, but nothing like what happened around Gage Shepherd. He took my natural nervous tendency and kicked it up to eleven. Meanwhile he said nothing. Just watched me with those almost-black eyes. Well, I watched him, too. And I liked what I saw way too much.

  Thick hair, full beard, ink, and muscles—a little scary, and a lot sexy. That’s what you got with Gage. The man stood out in a crowd for both his size and his wild appearance. An appearance that made me wonder what sort of lips sat under all that hair, what sort of dips and planes were hidden under those clothes. I’d have bet my restaurant that the man looked amazing with his shirt off.

  Too bad I’d likely never find out.

  Gage didn’t say anything. Not a word. He just stood across the room, watching me. Something I’d noticed more and more. I got nervous, babbled, he interrupted me, and then said nothing. Giving me time to get control of my nerves. Or maybe he was waiting me out to see if I would fill the silence more. It had to be a big joke—how Katie Baker couldn’t stop babbling around him. Professional kitchens were often filled with men, so I knew how they talked. How they joked and teased and mocked. I bet the guys got a good laugh about my silly crush on Gage.

  A thought that soured my mood enough to push away the nerves.

  “Can I get you something? Are you hungry?”

  His eyes turned molten, black liquid watching my every move. A physical caress in a look.

  “I could eat.” His voice caused tingles to shoot up my spine—always did—but the nerves had faded. This I could control. Food was easy. There was no rambling when I cooked, no stilted conversations or awkward silences that I felt the need to fill. There was nothing but me and the ingredients and the skills that had been beaten into me over the years.

  Cooking, I could do.

  “What would you like?”

  He smirked. “What will you feed me?”

  That shiver returned, the tingles moving through my body to other places, too. Places like the tips of my breasts and the flesh between my legs. His voice might as well have been an aphrodisiac for all it did to me. And the question? What would I feed him? That sounded dirty. So, so naughty in the best way ever. He had to know that. Or maybe he didn’t—maybe he simply never saw me as someone to be naughty with.

  I would have to work hard to ignore that thought.

  But then…what would I feed him? Gage ate anything I put in front of him, but for some reason, I always wanted to do more. Steaks were too easy, and he’d had the meatloaf a few times already. The pulled pork special wo
uldn’t do for him—at least, not on its own. It wasn’t original enough. Wasn’t in any way wild or different. But I had other options.

  “Do you like finger foods?” I asked, ideas sprouting and twisting in my mind as a picture formed. “Nachos?”

  Gage nodded, still staring at me. Still making my heart race and parts of me tingle in ways they shouldn’t. Or maybe they should. Just not in a kitchen with a man I barely knew.

  “Okay,” I said, hanging my towel on the prep counter bar and refocusing on the task at hand. “Let’s have some fun.”

  A quick roux, cheese, sliced jalapeños, and a little fresh Pico de Gallo went into a pot, the sauce coming together in minutes. Longer than I would have liked, but Gage would wait. The man had the patience of a saint it seemed. He never complained that my changing the menu options and making him something personal took too long. He rarely said a word other than yes and thanks and hi Katie, in fact.

  Once the sauce had set up, I stacked warmed nacho chips on a large plate, added the shredded pork, some barbecue sauce I’d made that morning, topped it with the cheese sauce, then garnished it all with more jalapeños and Pico. A fun dish, a little different way to use the meat, and—I’d bet—delicious.

  Yet, for some reason, my hands shook as I set the plate on the counter in front of Gage. “Bon appetite.”

  He stepped closer, all slow movements and animal grace. No rush, no extra energy expended. Just one step at a time until he stood on the other side of the counter from me. As if testing the waters, he took just one chip and brought it to his mouth. So slow…building tension with every second that passed. A flash of pink lips and tongue was all I got before the chip disappeared and I waited for the verdict.