Ultimate Sins
Page 36
That sounded more like Ivan.
“She was good.” Pride filled Crowe. He couldn’t help it. He hated that she’d done it, that the need had been there.
“She is a woman to be extremely proud of,” Ivan said nodding. “No training. She is no agent, no officer, she is a woman of ultimate strengths and feminine weaknesses. She is a woman to always have the greatest pride in, my friend. You are very lucky.”
There was a hint of sadness in his friend’s eyes, Crowe thought. A shadow of a hunger, or perhaps a fear that flickered there for a second.
“Lucky is an understatement,” he replied.
“I will begin the preparations of removing security now.” Ivan turned away.
He paused again, but this time he didn’t turn to meet Crowe’s gaze.
“We have a problem,” he said, shoulders tense.
“Of what sort?”
The line of Ivan’s jaw tensed. “I am considering removing one of the men from the home office and sending him to the field instead.”
Crowe’s brow arched.
Hell, he knew what was coming.
“Rory?” he asked.
Ivan turned back slowly. “Were you aware of the situation?” Anger flashed in his eyes now.
“Wrong move, my friend,” Crowe sighed. “But I won’t fight you over it. I wouldn’t appreciate your interference. Though, I need to point out”—Crowe shrugged—“you would interfere.”
“Perhaps now, I will not,” Ivan’s voice was a rasp of anger now. “He will be leaving for Europe in two days’ time. A request for security has come from a contact I have there. His team will be heading out as soon as possible.”
Crowe frowned at that information. “His family helped us here, Ivan,” he felt the need to point out. “His brother and uncle supplied immeasurable intel, not to mention the backup their friends gave us. Don’t send Rory out to die.”
Fire flashed in Ivan’s eyes. “No matter the rumors of my blackened soul, Crowe, I would not send him to die.”
With that, the other man stalked across the foyer and up the stairs, his steps heavier than normal.
“Problems?” Amelia stepped from the kitchen, moving to his side as Crowe pulled her into his embrace.
God, she felt good against him. She felt like he’d finally come home.
“He’s the father of a twenty-one-year-old daughter who’s interested in a man he feels is wrong for her,” he sighed.
“Ouch,” she whispered.
“Yep. Ouch.” He chuckled.
Wrapping both arms around her, he pulled her closer, his lips lowering to her ear in a heated caress.
“Shall we let your parents watch Kimmy for a bit?” he suggested. “You and I could slip away, maybe sin a little.”
“Sin a little, huh?” She softened against him, her breath becoming heavier, her heart racing against him. Crowe was a second from the kiss he’d been aching for all morning.
“Oh please!” Childish disgust had them jerking back quickly.
Turning to his daughter, Crowe let his eyes narrow in mock warning until he saw the complete vulnerability that filled her face. Something Amelia saw as well if the tension in her body was any indication.
“Kimmy?” Soft, gentle, Amelia’s voice held all the soul-deep love she had for her daughter. “Did you need something, baby?”
“Yes, I do.” She nodded hesitantly. “Mommy, I want to go home.”
For a second, Crowe felt his world collapse.
“France?” Confusion filled Amelia. “You said you didn’t like France, baby.”
Kimmy was shaking her head quickly, her eyes moving to Crowe then. “You said we would go to Daddy’s home, in the mountains,” she said softly. “Where the wolf and her puppies are. Where his big house is buried in the mountain. I want to go home, Mommy. I’ve just always wanted to go home.”
Amelia lifted her hand to her lips to hide their trembling before she could speak. “Baby, we need to discuss all this first.”
“Why?” Crowe and Kimmy asked the question at once, each of them turning to her.
Her eyes widened. A second later, a grin began tugging at her lips.
“Well, then I guess that’s what we’re doing…”
“I’m packed.” Pure excitement filled Kimmy’s face and her rich amber-flecked brown eyes. “Grandma and Grandpa are all packed, too. Can we go now? Please, can we go?”
“Kimmy…” Amelia laughed, and Crowe could hear the gentle request for patience in her voice.
“I can’t wait to take you and our daughter home,” he said softly, bending his head to her ear. “Let’s take our sprite home, fairy-girl. Now.”
“Now?” Surprise, pleasure filled her expression as she turned to him. “Right now?”
“Pack a bag, fairy.” He grinned. “We’re going home.”
Kimmy’s whoops filled the air, drawing Thea, Ethan, Jack, and the rest of the team from the kitchen.
“We’re going home, Grandma.” Kimmy flew to her grandparents, staring up at them in joy. “I’m going home.”
Turning, she ran back to her father, jumped into his arms, and gave him a hug that he swore weakened his knees.
His daughter.
Sweet God, his precious daughter.
Turning to his fairy-girl, Crowe found himself overwhelmed with the knowledge of what he would have been without her. The icy, unemotional killer who had taken out Stoner, who had killed for his nation, who had seen only what had to be done.
Until his Amelia, until she brought him what his soul had lacked, Crowe knew he would have died on the inside.
“Thank you,” he whispered.
“For Kimmy?” Laughter gleamed in her eyes.
“For Kimmy, but even more.” Drawing her to him, his daughter in one arm, soul in the other. “Thank you for bringing me magic.”
Love filled her expression then. It flowed from her, wrapped around him and Kimmy, and warmed them. From the inside out, she warmed everyone she touched.
Slowly, she shook her head. “It took both of us to make the magic, Crowe.”
His lips touched hers, gently, lovingly. The warmth wrapped around them, magic sparked in a child’s laughter, and in that moment Crowe realized the ice he’d carried inside him was gone. Not even a chill remained in the deepest corner of his spirit.
His fairy had burned it away, and with the child they created she filled it with warmth, with love and hope.
They hadn’t committed the ultimate sin when they loved. They’d given birth to the ultimate joy instead.
Also By
Lora Leigh
THE CALLAHANS
MIDNIGHT SINS
DEADLY SINS
SECRET SINS
THE ELITE OPS series
LIVE WIRE
RENEGADE
BLACK JACK
HEAT SEEKER
MAVERICK
WILD CARD
THE SEALs trilogy
KILLER SECRETS
HIDDEN AGENDAS
DANGEROUS GAMES
BOUND HEARTS
WICKED PLEASURE
FORBIDDEN PLEASURE
ONLY PLEASURE
Anthologies
LEGALLY HOT
MEN OF DANGER
Praise for bestselling author Lora Leigh’s
Elite Ops Series
“Has everything a good book should have: suspense, murder, betrayal, mystery, and lots of sensuality. So rarely do you come across a book that you can lose yourself in and Midnight Sins is definitely one of them. Lora Leigh is a talented author with the ability to create magnificent characters and captivating plots.”
—Romance Junkies
RENEGADE
“Leigh delivers … erotic passion. This is a hot one for the bookshelf!”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews
“Smoldering romance, suspense, and mystery. Add to that the cast of interesting characters—and their pasts—and you have the perfect recipe for one amazing novel.”
/> —Night Owl Romance (4½ stars)
“Will have you breathless … gets your blood running hot with the physical attraction.”
—Romance Reviews Today
BLACK JACK
“Overflowing with escalating danger, while pent-up sexual cravings practically burst into flames.”
—Sensual Reads
HEAT SEEKER
“Leigh’s pages explode with a hot mixture of erotic pleasures.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews
MAVERICK
“A phenomenal read.”
—Romance Junkies
“Scorching-hot sex, deadly secrets, and a determined assassin add up to another addicting Leigh thriller. Leigh’s ability to credibly build damaged characters who are both intriguing and intense gives her stories that extra punch.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews
“Sex and violence power the satisfying second installment of Leigh’s Elite Ops series.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Full of wrenching emotion and self-flagellation by the hero, the new series of Elite Ops promises to be even better than the sexy SEALs at this rate.”
—Night Owl Romance
“With her customary panache for emotionally intense, sensual characters, the author attracts readers into every world she creates. This fabulous follow-up to Wild Card is no exception to the rule.”
—A Romance Review
WILD CARD
“Highly emotional and addicting … an intoxicating first installment of a brand-new series.”
—Romance Junkies
“Ferocious passion!”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews
And Leigh’s sexy SEALs series …
KILLER SECRETS
“A smoldering-hot, new espionage tale. This chapter of Leigh’s SEALs saga reverberates with deadly danger.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews
HIDDEN AGENDAS
“Treachery and intrigue combine with blistering-hot sensuality in this chapter of Leigh’s SEALs saga. The title of this book is particularly apt, since many of the characters are not what they seem, and betrayal can have deadly consequences. Leigh’s books can scorch the ink off the page.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews
“An evocative and captivating read.”
—Romance Junkies
DANGEROUS GAMES
“Lora Leigh ignites the fire … with steamy heat added to a story that makes you cheer and even tear up.”
—Fallen Angel Reviews
“Leigh writes … tempting, enchanting romance[s] that readers are certain to devour.”
—Romance Reviews Today
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
#1 New York Times bestseller, LORA LEIGH, is the author of the Navy SEALS, the Breeds, the Elite Ops, the Callahans, the Bound Hearts, and the Nauti series. You can visit her website at www.loraleigh.com.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
ULTIMATE SINS
Copyright © 2014 by Lora Leigh.
All rights reserved.
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eISBN: 9781466837072
St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / September 2014
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