by Zara Keane
“So am I. I hate disappointing her, but staying in Ireland meant saving you.”
In the background, a man cleared his throat. Darko Dunne, Liam’s former boss, appeared in the doorway of police HQ, grinning from ear to ear. “Ballybeg gossip tells me you’re in need of a plane.”
Liam’s eyes widened at the sight of his former boss. “What are you doing here?”
“Without Jean-Baptiste’s culinary skills, Christmas dinner on Inish Glas wasn’t particularly appealing—” Darko winked at Liam, “—so Muireann, James-David, and I opted for a restaurant in Cork City and invited her family. We heard the whole story of your adventures from Muireann’s Aunt Bridie.”
“Yeah.” Liam flashed him a rueful grin. “My plan to make it home for Christmas didn’t quite work out.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that.” Darko’s expression grew serious. “I owe you a favor after your help on the island. When do you need to be in the States?”
Jill reached across and squeezed Liam’s hand. “Now. He missed the last possible connection to make it to home in time to collect his daughter for their Christmas vacation.”
A grin spread across Darko’s tanned face. “I can help with that. I keep a private jet at Cork Airport. It can be staffed and ready to fly in one hour.”
Liam’s heart leaped. “Seriously? That would be fantastic.”
“And I can drive you to the airport.” Jill glanced at her watch. “If we leave now, you’ll be home in time to collect Meggie.”
“I need to get back to the restaurant,” Darko said, “but I’ll call my pilot on the way and set everything in motion.”
Liam shook his hand. “Thank you. I really appreciate the gesture.”
“No problem. I hope you enjoy the holidays with your daughter.”
After Darko left, Liam took Jill into his arms and kissed her. “I’ll miss you. I don’t want this to be a permanent goodbye. Have you decided if you’ll accept my invitation to visit me in New York?”
“About that…” Jill bit her lip. “I kind of have a confession to make.”
Liam’s breath caught in his throat. Had she changed her mind about giving their relationship a shot? The idea of never seeing her again crushed him.
“The CEO of Blush Shoppe has offered me whatever position I want in her company,” Jill continued. “I hope you won’t think I jumped the gun, but…”
“But?” he prompted.
She bit her lip and averted her gaze. “I suggested the store in Manhattan.”
“Seriously? That is awesome news.” He touched her cheek and her eyes met his. “Are you sure you want to leave Ireland, though? Your whole life is here.”
“Yes. And I want to change that.” She took his hands and dropped a kiss onto his wrist, sending an electric awareness shooting up his arm. “After what happened over the last two days, I want to embrace life. Quitting my staid and sensible job to manage the Blush Shoppe store was the first time I’d ever taken a risk. I always wanted to travel, but it somehow never happened. I don’t want to put off the things I want to do anymore. And I don’t intend to live a risk-free existence. The CEO of Blush Shoppe Enterprises has offered me a great job at a fantastic salary. I’d be mad not to take it.”
“Then you should accept.”
She searched his face. “You don’t feel pressured by me moving to New York?”
“Quite on the contrary. I’d love to have you nearby. As it happens, I have job news, too.”
Her eyes widened and he read hope and trepidation in their inky depths. “Are you off on another undercover mission soon?”
Liam shook his head. “When I spoke to Cash this morning, I accepted a desk job at Trident Securities. They need a guy on the ground, and Cash is itching to get back in the field.”
Jill raised an eyebrow. “Will you be content with an office job?”
“I’m thirty-five. I’ve led a life of adventure since I was eighteen. My main priority now is being able to see Meggie every weekend and you every day. Beyond that, I’m easy.” He pulled her into his arms and held her close. “I’m serious, Jill. I’ve put my job first for too long. That was the mistake I made after Meggie was born, even if I didn’t realize it at the time. I took the position with Trident Securities after I left the Navy because I wasn’t sure I could hack it as a civilian.”
“And you think you can now?” Her voice was low, tentative.
“Absolutely. Seeing the woman I’m falling for in danger put it all into perspective. I don’t care what I do to earn money as long as I can spend time with the people I care about. That’s what matters in life after all. I don’t want to be one of those guys who turns around and realizes his kids are grown and gone and he barely knows them. I don’t want another failed marriage. Next time I tie the knot, it’s forever.”
Her lips curved into a smile. “Might you have a woman in mind?”
“Ask me in a few months,” he said, pinching her luscious backside.
“Oh, no.” She dropped her voice to a husky whisper. “If anyone does any asking, it’ll be you.”
God, this woman made him horny as hell. “Deal. I’m taking Meggie to Florida for five days, but I’ll be back in New York for New Year’s Eve. Do you want to ring in the New Year with me?”
Jill brushed her lips against his, sending a jolt of lust through his veins. “Will it involve champagne and very little clothing?”
“Oh, yeah,” he whispered softly. “Keeping you naked and satisfied is my New Year’s resolution.”
Epilogue
Five Months Later
Brooklyn, New York
Meggie burst into the courthouse lobby and twirled across the marble floor. “What do you think of my dress, Daddy?”
Liam and Cash fell silent and slow blinked in unison.
“Uh, it’s pink,” Liam said.
“And glittery,” Cash added.
Liam leaned in to get a closer look at his daughter’s dress. “Are those feathers?”
“Yes.” Meggie grinned, displaying her new gap-toothed look. “Isn’t the dress perfect? Wait until you see Barnabus.”
As if on cue, the dog shuffled into view, closely followed by Liam’s mother. Barnabus wore a pink tutu with a matching ribbon tied around one drooping ear. The look he cast Liam was plaintive and radiated a get-me-out-of-this-buddy vibe.
“I—” Liam struggled to find the right words and glanced wide-eyed at his mom.
His mother smiled at him, and then turned to Meggie. “You and Barnabus look awesome, sweetie. Hey, Cash. Long time, no see.”
Cash dropped a kiss onto her cheek. “You’re looking lovely as always, Mrs. Ryan.”
His mother laughed. “You are a shameless flirt, Cash Kincaid.”
Meggie bounced from one foot to the other. “The dress I’m wearing to the wedding in Ireland is even prettier than this one. I wish you could come with us, Cash.”
“Your Aunt Katy, Uncle Dex, and their new baby will be in Ireland,” Liam reminded her. “You’ll get to see them.”
He and Jill had decided to have a courthouse ceremony in New York and defer the church wedding until their trip to Ireland in August. With Katy in Australia and due to give birth any day, Liam wanted to make sure his little sister could attend at least one of the ceremonies.
“Yeah…about the Irish wedding,” Cash cast Liam a significant look and grimaced. “Looks like I might make it to Ireland to be your best man after all.”
Liam furrowed his brow in confusion. “Won’t you be on the Mexican job in August?”
“That was the plan—” Cash patted the cell phone in his breast pocket, “—but something’s come up.”
“Ah,” Liam said, a grin spreading across his face. “Would that mysterious ‘something’ happen to involve your ex-wife? I heard you on the phone earlier.”
A flush darkened Cash’s tanned cheeks. “My ex, an Irish mobster, and a former associate of The Ghost. I think I’ll file it under the ‘Shit You Can’t Make Up’ cate
gory. Which, frankly, applies to most of the crap Mindy gets herself mixed up in.”
Mindy Mann, Cash’s ex-wife, was a soap opera actress with a penchant for drama—on screen and off. How she’d hooked up with Cash was beyond Liam’s comprehension. “An associate of The Ghost, you say? What the hell?”
Cash ran a hand over his tightly cropped blond hair. “Long story short, Mindy’s manager wants to hire Trident Securities to protect her while she’s shooting a miniseries in Ireland. She’s received threats from an online stalker with links to same cult The Ghost belonged to. The Ghost connection is probably just a coincidence, but Mindy’s manager is nervous.”
“And the only person at Trident Securities willing to deal with Mindy is you,” Liam finished, rocking back on his heels and laughing.
“That about sums up the situation,” Cash said gloomily.
“But that’s great.” Meggie beamed. “You’ll get to see my butterfly flower girl dress.”
Liam stifled a laugh. “Did Jill roll with a butterfly theme, too?”
“You’ll just have to wait and see in August,” said a sexy Irish voice from behind him.
Liam swung around and his breath caught. “Wow,” he breathed. “You look beautiful.”
His wife-to-be wore a sleeveless royal blue dress that accentuated her fabulous curves. Her curly hair was down and held in place with hair clips that her sister, Naomi, had designed for the occasion. Naomi and their mother, Doris, stood to the side, shyly. They’d arrived in New York two days previously, and Jill and Liam had taken a couple of days free from work to show them around.
Jill’s gaze roved over his suit, and a teasing smile lit up her face. “You don’t look so bad yourself.” She slipped her arm through his. “I believe we have an appointment with the judge.”
Liam’s heart skipped a beat. “I believe we do. Are you ready to become Mrs. Ryan?”
Jill threw her arms around his neck, and he inhaled her sweet scent. “Yes, Liam. Yes.”
—THE END—
•Thanks for reading The Navy SEAL’s Holiday Fling. I hope you enjoyed Jill and Liam’s story. This is the third story in my adventure romance series, the Ballybeg Bad Boys. All the stories stand alone well—Happily Ever Afters guaranteed!
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•Intrigued by Cash Kincaid? He gets his own story in Bodyguard by Day, Ex-Husband by Night. Starting in January 2016, this will be a serialized novella available exclusively to my mailing list subscribers and published separately later in the year.
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•Sign up for my mailing list and you’ll also receive a FREE copy of Love and Blarney and be given an opportunity to read new releases before they hit the stores.
•2016 is shaping up to be an exciting year. For info on Final Target, the first book in my explosive new romantic suspense series, turn the page.
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•I also have an active reader group, The Ballybeg Belles, where I chat, share snippets of upcoming stories, and host members only giveaways. I hope to join you for a virtual pint very soon!
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•You can connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, or via email at [email protected]. I love hearing from readers!
Coming March 2016
An explosive new romantic suspense series set in the Dublin underworld. Semi-reformed gangster, Lar Delaney, joins forces with his brothers and cousins to form a private company of mercenaries. They’ll sell their services to everyone from government agencies needing off-the-books jobs to criminal organizations.
His last hit turns out to be his first love…
As a final job for his mob boss uncle, Lar Delaney agrees to eliminate one last target. Through the crosshairs of his sniper rifle, he realizes that his target is a former girlfriend—a woman who supposedly died five years previously.
Moira Collins is an intelligence agent whose cover has been shot to smithereens. When she finds herself on the wrong side of an assassin’s rifle, she’s appalled to recognize the only mark she ever let herself fall in love with.
Also by Zara Keane
BALLYBEG SERIES
Love and Shenanigans
Love and Blarney
Love and Leprechauns
Love and Mistletoe
Love and Shamrocks
BALLYBEG BAD BOYS
Her Treasure Hunter Ex
The Rock Star’s Secret Baby
The Navy SEAL’s Holiday Fling
Bodyguard by Day, Ex-Husband by Night
TRISKELION TEAM (DUBLIN MAFIA)
Final Target (March 2016)
Kiss Shot (Summer 2016)
CELTIC DRAGONS
Forged in Fire
(Part of the ‘Flight of Dragons’ Boxed Set)
About Zara Keane
USA Today bestselling author Zara Keane grew up in Dublin, Ireland, but spent her summers in a small town very similar to the fictitious Ballybeg.
She currently lives in Switzerland with her family. When she’s not writing or wrestling small people, she drinks far too much coffee, and tries—with occasional success—to resist the siren call of Swiss chocolate.
@zara_keane
zarakeaneauthor
zarakeane.com
[email protected]
THE NAVY SEAL’S HOLIDAY FLING
Copyright © 2015 by Sarah Tanner
Published 2015 by Beaverstone Press GmbH (LLC)
Cover design © Croco Designs
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.
ISBN: 978-3-906245-24-9