Hot Protector: A Hostile Operations Team Novel - Book 10
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It shocked her. She suddenly wanted to know what had happened to him. She’d heard about him being held captive by terrorists. How could he not be affected by something like that? Of all the things she’d expected Matt Girard to do with his life, putting himself into danger had not even occurred to her. He had everything. Why would he want to risk his life that way?
She remembered when his mother had died. He’d been twelve. Mama had taken her to the wake out at Reynier’s Retreat. There were so many people crowding the beautiful rooms of the mansion. The house was heavy with sadness and thick with grief, and it had scared her. She’d escaped to run down the wide lawn. She’d known where to find Matt. He’d been curled inside the hollow of a tree they’d found a few years before.
He’d been dressed in a black suit, his dark hair slicked back carefully, his gray eyes wide and wounded as he looked up at her. Her heart had lifted into her throat then. She’d only been eleven, but she’d felt something in that moment that rocked her world—and would continue to rock her world until she was sixteen and shattered by his casual cruelty.
But not that day. That day, she’d slid into the hollow and sat down beside him. When she’d put her arms around him, he’d turned his face into the crook of her neck and wept.
Evie sucked in a breath. How could she walk away from him now, knowing there was something behind those eyes? He was hurting again, and she didn’t know why.
“One dance, Evangeline,” he said softly when she hesitated. “Make a soldier’s night. I just got back from the desert a few days ago. I’d like to dance with a pretty woman and forget about that hellhole for a while.”
Evie swallowed. “That’s not fair.”
He grinned. “Because you can’t say no now?”
She nodded.
“Good for me then.”
“Just one dance and we go our separate ways, got it?” Because she didn’t want to feel this tangle of emotions again. This tiny blossoming in her heart that said she was going to be in so much trouble if she didn’t shut it down quickly.
“If that’s what you want.” His voice was rough.
He took her other hand then, ran his palms up her arms to her shoulders. Little sparks of sensation swirled in her belly, lighting her up like the Fourth of July. He pulled her into his arms right there on the edge of the dance floor.
Evie braced her hands against his chest, pressed back when he tried to bring her closer. It was already overwhelming to be so close to him. To feel his heat and hardness next to her body.
To feel everything she’d once wanted so much.
“I don’t bite,” he murmured. “Unless you want me to.”
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Also by Lynn Raye Harris
The Hostile Operations Team Books
HOT PURSUIT - Matt & Evie
HOT MESS - Sam & Georgie
HOT PACKAGE - Billy & Olivia
DANGEROUSLY HOT - Kev & Lucky
HOT SHOT - Jack & Gina
HOT REBEL - Nick & Victoria
HOT ICE - Garrett & Grace
HOT & BOTHERED - Ryan & Emily
HOT SEAL - Dane & Ivy
HOT PROTECTOR - Chase & Sophie
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Acknowledgments
Many thanks to my wonderful team who help me get the books done by taking care of all the other stuff so I can write. Mike, Gretchen, Anne, Linda, Crystalle, Frauke, Kelley, Julie — without you, I’d be sunk!
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Huge thanks go to Justin Richardson, who answered my call on Twitter for information about how carrier services like UPS work. I needed to know how to get Chase on and off that truck and how he’d find the package. Justin was very thorough — and now I have a new appreciation for UPS drivers and how hard they work. Any mistakes in that scene are solely my fault.
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Finally, thanks to all my wonderful readers who keep asking for more HOT! There will be more. Colonel Mendez will get his story, don’t you worry. And there’s still Dex, Echo Squad, the SEALs, and Ian Black to think about too. So, yeah, lots of HOT.
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All the best to you, friends! Stay HOT.
About the Author
Lynn Raye Harris is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the HOSTILE OPERATIONS TEAM SERIES of military romances as well as 20 books for Harlequin Presents. A former finalist for the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart Award and the National Readers Choice Award, Lynn lives in Alabama with her handsome former-military husband, two crazy cats, and one spoiled American Saddlebred horse. Lynn’s books have been called “exceptional and emotional,” “intense,” and “sizzling.” Lynn’s books have sold over 3 million copies worldwide.
To connect with Lynn online:
@LynnRayeHarris
LynnRayeHarris
www.LynnRayeHarris.com
Lynn@LynnRayeHarris.com
All Rights Reserved. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
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HOT PROTECTOR
Copyright © 2016 by Lynn Raye Harris
Cover Design Copyright © 2016 Croco Designs
ISBN: 978-1-941002-10-0