Risky Love

by Stacey Kennedy

  She nodded, remembering the conversation.

  Rowan’s expression became tender as he explained, “When I met you, you were a light that I never saw coming—so blinding that I couldn’t look away from you.” She melted into his hold when he cupped her cheek, thumbing her face. “You think I’m losing something by leaving the CIA and moving here with you, but I’m gaining everything.” Emotion dripped off his voice as he added, “You are my redemption, Alex.”

  All the doubts that drifted up this morning that she was taking something away from Rowan suddenly vanished. “If I’m your redemption, then you’re my savior.”

  “Always.” His eyes blazed when he leaned in, calling her forward with a flick of his chin. “Now get over here and kiss me.”

  Her lips met his and then there was nothing but him. No worries. No concerns. No old wounds that kept coming up to show their ugly faces. It was just them, the two of them, alongside Rowan’s patience and understanding and her willingness to finally take a chance on something and stay. She reached for his face, and he groaned against her mouth setting off a wildfire in her core.

  He threaded his fingers into her hair and deepened the kiss, right as a soft, sweet voice said, “You two really have to stop making out in public. It’s gross.”

  Rowan chuckled against Alex’s mouth and leaned away, glancing at his sister. “We are anything but gross.”

  Mia’s eyes twinkled. “Ryder told me you both were here.”

  “I tell Ryder I want quiet,” Alex said with a smile, “and he sends everyone my way.” Probably because he knew she didn’t want the quiet at all. She hopped off the stool and hugged Mia, who melted into her now. It took a while for Mia to accept that hug without flinching first. Didn’t mean Alex wasn’t going to always try and show her warmth and love.

  When Alex leaned away, she noted Mia’s gentle smile. Mia had stayed in San Francisco and rented an apartment in Central Market after her three-week stay at the trauma facility. She was doing better now, thinking about finding a job soon. Slow and steady, she took steps forward to rebuild what Lewis had broken. “What brings you by?” Alex asked.

  Mia’s cheeks flushed right down to her chest. “Well, about dinner tonight…”

  Rowan exchanged a long look with Alex then frowned at his sister. “What about dinner?” They’d made plans with Mia to come to their place tonight after work.

  Mia sheepishly glanced up. “Is it okay if Luke comes too?”

  It took Alex an embarrassing amount of time to clue in that Mia was talking about Luke, the guy on Ryder’s team that was assigned to watch over Mia while she stayed in the trauma facility. The guy who also killed Lewis. Pieces of the puzzle suddenly came together. Alex smiled. “Of course, yes, he’s totally welcome.”

  “Really?” Mia beamed. “Okay, great. We’ll see you tonight, then.” She hugged Alex quickly again and then gave Rowan a kiss on the cheek before hurrying out the door.

  “Wow,” Alex breathed, reaching for her beer again. “Now that I didn’t see coming. Friends, I got, but that definitely seems a little more than just friends.” She took one look at Rowan and then burst out laughing. “You look like you ate a lemon. What’s wrong?”

  “She’s not ready for anything like that,” he said with a clenched jaw.

  “Apparently, she is ready, so don’t do anything stupid,” Alex retorted, pressing a hand to his thigh and feeling the bulging flexed muscle beneath. “Luke’s a really good guy. I’m sure he’s being incredibly gentle with her.”

  Rowan rose.

  “I said not to do anything stupid,” Alex called when he took a step forward. “Where are you going?”

  “To have a conversation with a certain retired Navy Seal.”

  Alex chuckled as he strode off. “Is this the type of stuff I have to look forward to, Hawke?” she called after him.

  Rowan paused. Then turned, and all heat in the room seemed to get sucked out and then hit her like a hot flash. She squirmed on the stool when he returned to her. All man. All muscle. All hers. His hands came to her face and then he kissed her. Not just a kiss, but a mind-bending, burning embrace of his mouth against hers that made her need him with a ferocity that she wasn’t expecting and couldn’t control. Only when she moaned against his mouth and greedily latched onto him for more, did he break the kiss. “No, McCoy, that is what you have to look forward to.”

  EPILOGUE

  One year later

  “You know I hate this,” Alex grumbled, hoping both Rowan and Ryder heard her irritation as she climbed the side of the mountain, her ankle twisting against the rocky ground. She smacked the mosquito biting her beneath her ripped jean shorts then got another one on her arm where she’d always have the scar left by Lewis. “Tomorrow, you are buying me better equipment for when I do these remote jobs.” The current case was Alex’s first official job with the CIA that worked in conjunction with Blackwood Security, meaning she got paid. And paid well.

  The case had brought them deep into Washington’s Mount Rainier National Park. Rowan, Ryder, and the other four-man team were on the ground, hunting a possible terrorist that had vanished into thin air. Alex still didn’t understand, thinking the location was far from ideal, but who was she to make sense out of criminals. Her biggest concern was the internet service was a bitch out there, and she had to leave the remote cabin she’d been left in to climb up the side of the mountain to get above the trees. “Do you hear me, Ryder?”

  “I think everyone can hear you, Alex,” Ryder said, voice amused through the earpiece.

  “Good.” She kept her laptop tucked into her arms, panting from the exertion as she weaved her way along the trail until she reached the top. Then she ate back the rest of her complaints. Trees were spread out along the forest floor for as far as the eye could see. She took a seat on the rocky edge, careful not to get too close, and stared out at the larger mountain across the way. The sky was a perfect shade of blue mixed with white fluffy clouds. “I need to get out more often. It’s gorgeous out here.”

  Rowan answered through the earpiece, “I second that you need to get out more because that means I’ll get out more.”

  She laughed and opened her laptop. A moment later, she sighed. “All right, I’ve got service, who exactly am I looking for?”

  “Just me.”

  She screamed and then picked up the rock closest to her and threw it at Rowan’s shoe. “Jesus. Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” She glanced around for Ryder. “I thought you two were on your way up the east side of the mountain?”

  Rowan didn’t move. Just stared at her warmly. “No, I’m not trying to give you a heart attack. But, as you know, it’s near impossible to get you to go on a vacation.”

  “Maybe because the last vacation I took, I ended up working a serial killer case,” she pointed out, suddenly realizing she’d been tricked into coming here.

  His mouth twitched. “True, but I really wanted to bring you here, so I had to get clever about how to do it.”

  She frowned and said, “Ryder, you are dead meat for tricking me.”

  Ryder made a whistling noise through the earpiece then said, “You’re cutting out.” A pause. Then, “Enjoy the time away, you two.”

  Alex noted a softness in his voice, one she’d never really heard from him. A sweetness, even.

  Before she could even make sense that they’d tricked her into a vacation, Rowan took a step closer, slowly making his way onto the cliff. “I asked you once to take me to the most important place you’d ever been.” He gestured out at the forest. “This is mine.”

  She scanned the tops of trees before looking back to him. “Why this place?”

  “My mother would bring Mia and me here every summer,” he said. Alex had finally met his parents two months after Mia was found. The night she met them was also the night that Mia told them the truth about what happened. All Alex saw between the family was love. So much love. Rowan took another step forward and went on. “We’d do the t
wo-day drive out here to a cottage that has been in my mother’s family for generations.”

  Alex’s heart warmed and squeezed. “The cottage I was just in?”

  He nodded. “Those summers were the best memories of my life. The good memories.” He offered his hand, and when she rose, he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her forehead. “The memories I went to after dark times when those moments could have drowned me.”

  “Rowan,” she whispered, understanding all that herself. Now, the darkness wasn’t so scary anymore because of all the good there too.

  “This place is me,” Rowan said, glancing out to the mountain before addressing her again. “But I want it to be about us now.” He released her and reached into his pocket before dropping to one knee. Alex felt the world fade away as he said, “We began in Paris. We reunited in New York City. We fell in love in San Francisco. But Mount Rainer, for one month out of the year as negotiated with Ryder, we get this…our forever.” He held up the pear-shaped diamond ring. “Marry me, McCoy?”

  Alex couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. Shock and happiness and love overwhelmed her in waves until she exploded, charging at Rowan and sending him flying on his back, hugging him tight.

  “I take that as a yes?” He laughed beneath her.

  She leaned away with tears in her eyes. “Yes. A thousand times yes. I love you.”

  And the blinding smile he gave in the seconds before his mouth touched hers told her that Mount Rainer might just be her favorite time of all.

  Read on for an excerpt from the first book in the Dangerous Love series:

  NAUGHTY STRANGER

  CHAPTER 1

  The loud rumble of the baby blue Volkswagen Beetle quieted as Peyton Kerr pressed against the brake pedal. Stoney Creek’s Main Street was cute and quaint, with boutique shops lining the skinny road where cars were parked without much space in between them. Through her open window, she tasted the salt in the air coming off the Atlantic Ocean and drove by a young man packing large containers with live lobsters into the back of his old Chevy pickup. On the next corner was a ticket booth for the lighthouse boat tours. Stoney Creek was a far cry from the bright lights, skyscrapers, and pungent busy city aroma that Seattle carried, but it was also a most welcome change.

  People came to Stoney Creek for the picturesque views of the coastline on the bay. They climbed the mountain that overlooked the town and the ocean. They ate fresh fish at the restaurants near the marina, walked the beaches, and sailed the open waters. Peyton came for those reasons too. Well, and a laundry list of others, including that Stoney Creek was the last vacation spot she visited with her late husband, Adam, just over a year ago. She’d been her happiest here. They swam the waters, ate too much, laughed hard enough to cry. That’s what brought her back to the small Maine town. She’d left Seattle a heartbroken twenty-six-year-old widow, and she returned to Stoney Creek determined to find happiness here again.

  Her heart clenched at the reminder of all she’d lost, threatening to expose all the weak spots. She forced the emotion back with a deep swallow, refusing to go to the dark place again. The past was behind her. That’s where it’d stay.

  Up ahead, Peyton recognized the dark-haired, slender woman waiting beneath a withered store sign as Isabella, her real estate agent. Peyton squeezed her used—but new to her—car into one of the parking spots.

  Before she could even get out, Isabella was already at the passenger-side door. “You made it.”

  “I’m so glad to finally be here.” Peyton smiled, turning off the car and exiting. She’d done a nine-hour flight with a layover in Philadelphia, then landed at the Portland International Jetport. That’s where she found her new car, which she thought suited small-town living. After a good night’s sleep in Portland, she drove three hours, taking the scenic drive along the coast to her fresh start. “Thanks for meeting me.”

  “It’s no problem. I’ve got your keys here for both your house and your shop.” Isabella reached into her purse, then handed Peyton two sets of keys. “You’re all set to move in and open shop.” She handed her a slew of business cards. “I’ve given you some names of handymen around town if you want to give the store a makeover.”

  Peyton glanced up at the old sign again and took in the cracked windowpane and peeling white paint on the exterior. Both the shop and her new lake house needed work, but so did she. “Great,” Peyton said, feeling like a fish out of water. “Thank you so much for everything. You’ve been so helpful.”

  “Call if you need anything.” Isabella smiled and, shocking Peyton, threw her arms around her like they were friends. “You’re going to love it here.” With a final wave, she was off, practically skipping her way down the sidewalk.

  Okay, so the people were the nice, touchy-feely sort.

  Peyton turned back to her new shop and exhaled the breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding. Set in a historic redbrick building, in between Whiskey Blues, a jazz club on the right, and an empty store on the left, was her little lingerie shop with the French-style storefront. Two large display windows hugged the dark maple door with the original brass handle. The store might not be much in size, but the charm of the shop made up for it.

  It was also 100 percent hers. Paid for with the insurance money from Adam’s death. Two weeks ago, in her lowest of lows, a Facebook ad for the Stoney Creek B&B, where she and Adam had stayed at when they’d vacationed there, had popped up on her screen. After that, she’d fallen down the Internet hole until she discovered the local lingerie shop was for sale. Everything from there happened so fast; she’d up and bought the shop on a total whim. Because if anything could make her feel happy again, it would be found in the place she felt the happiest. She also kept thinking that if she could make other women feel beautiful, then she’d feel that way again too.

  This past year, she had no reason to wear gorgeous lingerie, let alone find a reason to get out of bed. She wore cotton bras and underwear for comfort. But she’d had a blast selling lingerie during her nursing school days. She couldn’t help but think that buying a lingerie shop was a good step forward to finding the fun parts of herself that had disappeared with Adam’s death.

  Sure, she knew her mental state was hanging in the balance of her new life and her new shop. She couldn’t fail. Not because of the money. Adam had left her in good shape financially. But she couldn’t fail because this was all she had. There was nothing else giving her a purpose. And she was done playing the victim. She was also done simply surviving. She’d already been doing that in spades in Seattle. She wanted to breathe. To live.

  And that’s why she’d left Seattle and her parents. She’d given up her nursing career in the ER at Seattle’s General Hospital, and she’d dumped every cent she received from Adam’s insurance money into this shop and her little house on the lake.

  Was she crazy?

  Oh, yeah, she was totally batshit nuts.

  She glanced down at the house keys in her hand. All of her belongings would be shipped tomorrow, so tonight she planned to stay at the Stoney Creek B&B a couple blocks down Main Street.

  “Are you the new owner?”

  Peyton turned around, finding an older couple smiling at her. “Yes, I am.”

  “Oh, so lovely to hear,” the woman said, her arm wrapped in her husband’s. “We need more young business owners coming in and keeping our downtown alive.” She offered her hand. “I’m Marjorie, and this is Joe.”

  Peyton returned Marjorie’s handshake and then shook Joe’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you both. I’m Peyton.” When she drew her hand away, her stomach suddenly rumbled loudly. “I’m sorry about that. Apparently, I’m starving.”

  Joe’s amber eyes crinkled with his warm smile. “The bar next door has one of the best fish sandwiches in town.”

  “That sounds delicious.” Peyton returned the smile, feeling the tightness in her chest begin to dissolve. “I’ll be sure to check it out. Thanks.”

  “Enjoy your evening, Peyton,” Marjo
rie said. With a final wave, they continued on their walk.

  When Peyton’s stomach growled again, she headed for the bar, thinking a drink along with food sounded like the next best step forward. She didn’t see any parking signs, figuring she could leave her car there for the night.

  She grabbed her purse from the car, locked the doors and entered the bar. From its original flagstone walls and restored burgundy velvet chairs to the gold accents, the bar was pure class. Four large crystal chandeliers gave the space a warm, inviting feel, and round tables surrounded the black, shiny stage, where a man had his head bowed over the piano he played.

  Peyton headed for the bar that had three men drinking beers. She hastily moved to the other side, keeping her distance from anyone of the opposite sex. Even the hot guy with the dark hair and muscular biceps who held her gaze, the side of his mouth curving sensually. Actually, especially because of that. She needed to find herself again, not find herself in anyone’s bed.

  When she slid onto the stool, a friendly voice said, “You’re new here.”

  Peyton glanced up, finding a slim, long-haired brunette wearing a black T-shirt that read whiskey blues across her chest. The bright pink lipstick she wore made her big blue eyes pop.

  “Yup, I’m brand spanking new.” Peyton smiled, offering her hand. “I bought the store next door.”

  “Did you?” The woman returned the handshake. “Well, that makes us friends already, then.”