Legend of Love

by Kessler, Lisa

  “Hello?”

  “Did you get my text?” Clio’s voice was clipped, tight. “You need to watch the press conference. Now.”

  Press Conference? Callie nodded. “Okay. I will.”

  “Call me back.”

  “Will do.” Callie ended the call and set down her tools to watch the video. It was a live news feed. Ted Belkin stood at the podium.

  “…I will be stepping into the role of CEO of Belkin Oil.”

  At the bottom of the screen a newsfeed announced Ted Belkin Sr., founder of Belkin Oil, had passed away of a heart attack.

  “At this time, I’m proud to introduce our new Chairman of the Board, Mikolas Leandros.”

  A tall man with black hair and dark eyes stepped forward to the microphone. “It is my honor to lead Belkin Oil into a bright future.” His accent was definitely Greek, and his designer suit reeked of money and power.

  Ted Belkin took the podium again, staring directly into the camera, directly at her, and added. “Thank you for respecting our privacy during this…very personal tragedy.

  In that instant, she recognized his voice. He was the one in the mask trying to revive Ted Belkin Sr. that night. He was the one who promised retribution, her actions making the battle with the Order personal.

  Callie closed the app on her phone. She sat on a paint bucket and called Clio back.

  “Hey Clio.” Callie’s stomach tied in a knot. “It’s him. Ted Belkin was one of the masked guys on the boat that night. I killed his father.”

  “What?” Clio’s tone rose a couple notches. “How do you know?”

  “It was the way he said ‘personal’. Exactly like that night. I’d recognize it anywhere.” Callie got up, unable to sit still. “And I bet Ted Belkin is even more pissed his father left the Chairman’s spot to an outsider.”

  Clio sighed. “It can’t be a coincidence that the new guy is also Greek.”

  Callie frowned. “You think he’s part of the Order, too?”

  “It would make sense, right? Why wouldn’t the Order of the Titans have factions in other countries, especially Greece where it all started?”

  “Gods, you’re right.” Callie ran a hand down her face. “This can’t be good.”

  Clio paused. “You’re not at the theater alone again, are you?”

  “I’ve got my ZAP STICK and a sledgehammer, Nate on speed dial, and it’s broad daylight. I’m fine, Clio.”

  “Okay, be careful anyway. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  Before she could pull her work gloves back on, her cell phone rang again. She ripped it from her pocket, about to vent her frustrations on Clio.

  A man’s voice surprised her. “Hi, Callie.”

  Reed. She rubbed the back of her neck, trying to release the tension. “Hey, Reed. What’s up?”

  “I’m trying to find people to help with the FOD walk this afternoon. Can you make it?”

  She glanced down at her clothes, which were covered in drywall dust. “What the hell is that?”

  “It’ll be fun,” he promised. “Just meet me at the airstrip in an hour, okay?”

  She couldn’t go. She needed to call Nate, to let him know about Ted.

  “Callie?” Reed interrupted her jumbled thoughts. “I really need the help. FOD walks don’t take long.”

  Damn. Maybe it would give her time to get her thoughts in order. She could call Nate afterward. “All right?”

  “Good. See you soon.”

  The call went dead. FOD walk?

  She shook her head and opened the contacts on her phone. Reed was a nice guy, but it felt weird meeting him for a walk all alone. He hadn’t called it a date, and he’d never crossed the boundaries of friendship with her, but still. She’d feel better with a wingman.

  She scanned the list. Mel was too pregnant, while Polly and Tera both worked weekends. Thalia was a possibility, but since Hunter had left, Callie had been keeping her distance. She wasn’t in the mood to laugh.

  Her finger hovered over Clio’s name, but at the last second she dialed Erica instead.

  “Hey, Callie, what’s up?” Erica answered.

  “I got volunteered for some kind of walk at the airstrip in an hour. Want to come?”

  She chuckled. “Sounds tempting, but I’m writing right now.”

  “Please?” Callie sighed. “Reed invited me, and I don’t want to show up alone.”

  “Reed, as in Hunter’s hot surfing friend?”

  Callie laughed. “The firefighter, yeah.”

  Erica clucked her tongue. “You should have led with that. I’ll pick you up in twenty.”

  “I’m at the theater,” Callie said.

  Erica paused. “I’ll bring you a change of clothes and a hairbrush, too, then.”

  Callie smiled. “Thanks. I owe you one.”

  Reed brought them through the building and out onto the airstrip. Callie had to elbow Erica twice to get her to stop staring at Reed’s ass. She should’ve remembered before she invited Erica. Callie was quick to call her the Muse of Lyrics and forget that Eros was also the Muse of Passion, Erotic Poetry.

  Bringing Erica to a function where there were a lot of hunky servicemen was probably not Callie’s best decision ever, but she was grateful for Erica’s calming influence. After seeing Ted Belkin on the live feed and recognizing his voice from the night on the Tartarus, she’d been wound up and jittery. Erica was quick to point out that we didn’t know if the new Chairman had any idea about the Order. Clio made that leap, but it didn’t mean she was right.

  The Order had made it nearly impossible for them to get a contractor to take their money, but otherwise there hadn’t been any breakins or physical threats.

  Gradually the anxiety faded. Callie decided she’d call Nate later and see if he was looking into Mikolas Leandros. She could also let him know she recognized Ted’s voice.

  When they got onto the airstrip, there were about twenty-five people in uniforms and a couple without. Reed handed each of them a bag, and Callie raised a brow. “What kind of walk is this?”

  He smiled, gesturing down the runway. “Foreign Object Damage takes out jets and can hurt my Federal Fire guys here on the ground, too, so before the next plane comes in, we’re going to walk the airstrip and pick up everything. Little rocks, bottle caps, screws, nails—whatever could get in a tire and flipped up into the engine needs to go into your bag.”

  Callie rolled her eyes. “I dragged Erica over here to pick up trash?”

  Reed extended his hand, and Erica grabbed it.

  “Good to meet you, Erica.” He released her hand. “I’m Reed McIntosh.”

  Erica glanced at Callie and back to Reed. “Great to meet you. Callie said you’re a firefighter?”

  He nodded. “I am.” He turned and pointed to the two fire trucks on the sides of the airstrip. “Those are our trucks.”

  “Maybe I could get a tour sometime,” Erica purred.

  Callie gave her a gentle elbow. “Let’s get this done so we can get back to the theater.”

  “Work, work, work.” She smiled at Reed. “Before she met Hunter, she had a strict no-dating policy.”

  “Erica.” Callie narrowed her eyes.

  Reed chuckled, not ruffled in the slightest. “Let me know if you find anything interesting.” He checked his watch and called down the line. “Ninety-minutes and then we need to clear the runway.”

  By the time they were finishing up, Callie’s back was screaming. Erica brushed her hair back from her face. “Even with hot guys in uniform, this job sucks.”

  “Yeah.” Callie stretched out her back. “Reed owes us.”

  Speak of the devil…

  He came toward them but stopped just shy. Frowning, he knelt down and rubbed his ankle. When he stood up again, he rotated his foot, shaking his head as he came over. “Callie, can you help me collect all the bags?”

  He took Erica’s sack of debris and smiled. “Thanks for helping us out. You can wait inside. I’ll send Callie in once the plane land
s.”

  Erica’s lopsided smile meant trouble. “For that much bending over, I should get more than just a ‘thank you.’”

  Reed grinned. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  Erica headed for the building, her curvy hips turning heads. Callie chuckled under her breath. Erica was full-figured and unapologetically sexy. She owned it. And while Reed and the other guys were watching her backside, very few, like Callie, were the real lucky ones, because Erica was even more beautiful inside.

  There was a reason Erica had come with Callie to the FOD walk, and it wasn’t because of men in uniform. But she rarely shared that private part of herself. She hid behind her looks and embraced the passion of her muse.

  Callie cleared her throat, and Reed flinched, facing her again. She did her best not to smile. “So why didn’t I get sent inside?”

  “Let’s finish collecting the bags, then I’ll fill you in.”

  They gathered up the bags of debris and carried them to a trash can. Reed lifted the lid for her, then deposited his bags inside, too. She started to ask what was going on, but he was already headed back to one of the trucks. The first truck was on the move by the time they got to Reed’s.

  He stepped onto the side and reached for her hand, but she pulled it back. “What the hell is going on here?”

  “Sorry I had you come out for this. FOD walks are hard work, but it was the only thing I could think of to get you on the airstrip.” Reed smiled, his eyes shining. “We’re doing a water salute for a retiring soldier—a Navy SEAL.”

  “Hunter?” A sob caught in Callie’s chest. “Hunter’s coming home?”

  He nodded. “He wanted to surprise you. I was supposed to get you to your bench at the beach and he was going to be waiting there.”

  She raised a brow. “He doesn’t know anything about all this?” She pointed toward the fire engines.

  “Right.” He put his hand out again. “So get up here. I’ll fill you in on the way.”

  She wiped her eyes and climbed up. The wind tossed her hair as they drove down the airstrip. The fire engine took a spot directly across from the other truck and parked. The crew got busy unloading hoses, and Reed showed her the pump panel.

  “We have to be sure we’ve got the water pressure up on the tanks in the trucks so the stream of water from the hoses will shoot high enough to clear the plane.”

  Callie shook her head, trying to take it all in, but all her brain could focus on was that she was going to be in Hunter’s arms again. Soon.

  “What’s a water salute anyway?” she asked.

  Reed smiled. “It’s pretty amazing. Probably better to see it than for me to describe it to you.”

  “All right.” She shielded her eyes, looking up into the sky. “Where should I be?”

  “Let me get everything set here, and I’ll walk you over to a safe spot. Once the plane is stopped and he’s down the steps, he’s all yours.”

  Callie grinned, tears welling in her eyes again. “I’m so ready.”

  A few minutes later, the radio came to life in Reed’s engine, and he turned around. “Showtime. They’re in their final approach.”

  He helped her down and walked her about fifty yards away from the fire trucks. She met Reed’s eyes. “Thanks for bringing me here.”

  “My best friend loves you something fierce.” He shrugged. “I just figured you should be the first person he sees.”

  She squeezed his hand. “Thank you.”

  He nodded and pointed down the airstrip. “Here they come.”

  Sure enough, a small aircraft came out of the clouds. She had no idea what kind it was, only that it was bringing Hunter home to her. The wheels touched the pavement, flaps popping up to slow it down.

  Her heart raced, and suddenly the hoses on the trucks fired water in a huge arch over the runway from either side. The plane rolled slowly through the curtain of water, the body coming through the other side.

  Tears filled her eyes at the massive spectacle, at the respect offered to the man who sacrificed so much for others.

  Finally, the plane came to a stop. The seam in the door moved, and she started walking toward the plane, drawn to it. The wind gusted, blowing cold water from the fire trucks in her direction, but she barely noticed.

  The stairs lowered, and for a moment, her forward progress stopped. She held her breath.

  And then there he was.

  Hunter stood tall at the top of the stairs in dress whites, his medals and ribbons pinned to his chest. The moment his gaze locked on hers, the rest of the world faded away. He stormed down those steps as she ran toward him. He caught her up in his arms, her feet leaving the ground as he swung her around, holding her so tight it was hard to breathe.

  She looked into his eyes, surprised to see that she wasn’t the only one with tears on her face. He didn’t bother to wipe them away, he just whispered, “God, I love you.”

  She smiled, murmuring against his lips, “I love you, too.”

  His tongue found hers, and she moaned into the kiss. He slid his arm under her knees, cradling her as he walked her off the runway without breaking the kiss. She never wanted to stop touching him.

  Reluctantly, he set her feet on the ground and whispered, “To be continued.”

  She laughed, surprised at the sound. “Definitely.”

  He turned to Reed and pulled him into a tight hug. “Thanks for the salute, buddy. That was amazing.”

  Reed stepped back with a grin. “Just didn’t want you to be pissed at me for changing up your surprise plan.”

  Hunter stared at Callie, shaking his head. “This was a much better plan.”

  Reed clasped his shoulder. “I’ve gotta get the trucks back to the station so we can refill them. Let’s catch waves soon.”

  “Sure.” Hunter nodded, but his gaze never left Callie’s face.

  Reed hustled over to the trucks, leaving them behind. She reached up to cup Hunter’s face. “You came back to me.”

  He turned his head, pressing a kiss to her palm. “Sorry it took so long.”

  She smiled, shaking her head. “You’re back now. That’s all that matters.”

  He bent down to kiss her again, growling against her lips. “Let’s get out of here. I want you all to myself.”

  When he straightened, the playful spark was back in his eyes and heat pooled low in her belly. “You look amazing in your uniform, but if memory serves, you look even better out of it.”

  He raised a brow. “Only one way to find out.”

  Hunter woke up with Callie’s head on his chest. For a second, he held his breath, soaking it in. This wasn’t a dream. He was home with Callie in his arms.

  He stroked her hair back from her forehead, memorizing the peaceful expression on her face. He wanted every day to start like this.

  For the rest of his life.

  Her lashes fluttered, and slowly, she opened her eyes. A sleepy smile curved on her lips. “Good morning.”

  “Didn’t mean to wake you.”

  She lifted her head to prop her chin on his chest. “Waking up to you naked in my bed? Not a chore.”

  Her legs were tangled with his, her body already turning him on all over again. Damn, he could not get enough of her.

  He smiled, running his hand up her back. “I have something for you. Forgot to give it to you last night.” He forced himself out of bed and dug through his bag. He came back with an envelope and handed it to her. “Go ahead.”

  She tore it open, her eyes widening. Her smile was worth every cent he’d paid and every e-mail he’d tossed back and forth with Mel and Erica.

  “Hawaii? Seriously? I’ve never been! It’s on my bucket list.”

  “I confess that I had some help from Mel and Erica. I told Mel I wanted to celebrate my retirement with you someplace special, and she said Hawaii was your dream spot.”

  Callie nodded, opening the itinerary. Her smile faded. “This is for tomorrow.” She lifted her gaze to his face. “I have work. I can’t
just leave. Can we change them?”

  He shook his head. “Nonrefundable.” Before she could reply, he added, “This is where Erica came in. She did all the leg work, and now you have two weeks of vacation approved, starting tomorrow. Marty already rescheduled all your appointments and referred the ones that couldn’t wait.”

  Her jaw dropped. “What? No one said anything.”

  “Because it was supposed to be a surprise.”

  She grinned. “Mission accomplished.”

  He sobered at the mention of a mission. “When I was back in the desert, I ached for you, to see you smile or hear you laugh. But no matter how bad things got, I knew the end game would be in your arms.” He paused, struggling for the right words. “I thought it would make me weak, but loving you made me stronger.” Tucking her dark hair behind her ear, he swallowed hard. “Whatever comes our way in the future, I’ll be here when you need me.”

  She pressed a kiss over his heart. “I love you.” Her lips brushed his skin, her hot breath a caress, as she looked up at him from under her lashes, whispering, “And I need you…now.”

  He rolled her over, smiling as he claimed her mouth. Loving Callie O’Connor was nothing less than epic.

  And he was the luckiest damned bastard alive.

  THE END

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you so much for reading, telling your friends, and reviewing my books! I couldn’t continue to write without all of you.

  Self-publishing this series has been an amazing experience so far, and this book had extra help coming to fruition because of my amazing Patrons on Patreon! Thanks SO much for believing in me and this book! Marie Rice, Stacy Pan, Hattie Loggins, Olivia Welch, Brenda Mason, Carol Westphal, Janet Pritchett, Karen Williams, Alexandra Shanak, and Sarah Torpey thanks again for backing this project and helping me make Legend of Love a reality! I couldn’t have met the deadline without all of you! Thanks for believing in me and this series!

  Big thanks to my intrepid editor, Danielle Poiesz from Double Vision Editorial. You always make me better! And a HUGE thank you to Big thanks to Arianne Cruz from Read For Error for her eagle eye proofreading on such a tight deadline! Fiona Jayde has been amazing with her cover designs for the Muse Chronicles. And to my amazing beta readers: Denise Fluhr, Heather Cox, and Elizabeth Neal, thank you so much! I wrote a BUNCH of books this year and I really appreciate all your time and enthusiasm reading for me!