Oh, good God.
“What vitamin clinic?” His mother, ever the health enthusiast, perked up at Ariana’s statement.
“Ari will send Garrison the info,” Migs chuckled. “I think we need to get on with the program.”
A roar of laughter went around the room. John wasn’t oblivious that the joke was on him, and, again, he didn’t mind. These past weeks with Nadia worked magic on getting that stick out of his ass.
When the room quieted down, he cleared his throat. “As I was trying to say earlier, I’m glad everyone could join us. Andrade, you and Charly are honorary members of our team as are the MoMoS.” He turned to the men in question.
Clyde spoke up, “I knew Stephen was hiding something. I can’t believe I’m friends with an agency asset.” The MoMoS had proven they would die for each other and Nadia. That went a long way in John’s book. Dugal assured John his sons would keep the secret as well. They deserved to know after their father nearly died protecting Nadia.
He gave his woman a squeeze while his gaze shot across the room to Gabby and Kelso. “The CTTF had done an outstanding job addressing the terrorist threats to LA. I technically couldn’t help directly—”
“But you did anyway,” Kelso interjected, winking.
“Yes, we go rogue when we need to,” Migs said from the screen.
“Hear, hear!” Roarke raised his beer.
“And, I’m happy to assist with smoothing the red tape,” John said. “We have common goals, and that’s to keep our country and our loved ones safe from all kinds of terror threats.”
“But what are we going to do now that you’re on leave?” Gabby asked.
“That’s a terrible idea,” Andrade agreed.
“John will never be hands-off whether he’s on leave or not,” Kade spoke up for the first time. His long-time friend knew him so well, and John communicated his thanks with his eyes. If it weren’t for Kade and the team, he and Bristow would probably be spending Christmas in Siberia.
Second chances.
A new life.
He was looking forward to it.
Nadia tilted her chin up and grinned. “I don’t know, Kade. I’m sure the baby and I will give him plenty to do.”
The room’s conversations evolved into discussions about babies because apparently Ariana was also pregnant.
His agenda was forgotten.
A ghost of a smile touched his mouth. He was damned pleased to see his family grow.
“I’m close, babe.”
John’s back was against the headboard, and Nadia was on her knees between his legs taking his cock in her mouth.
This was after he’d woken her up with him tongue-fucking her pussy, so Nadia was more than happy to return the favor. She relished the mornings she had her man at her mercy. He would grab her hair, coaxing her mouth up and down his erection, but Nadia still dictated the motion.
“Jesus, Nadia, bring it home, babe.”
Not yet, she hummed as she swirled her tongue around his cock in sync with her hand twisting up and down his thick shaft, savoring the fact that every inch of this man belonged to her. Sometimes, she’d get away with teasing him mercilessly with a blow job. But other times, she could tell when he’d had enough and would take matters into his own hands.
She was right.
John hauled her up and gave her a hard kiss, before flipping them over and powering inside her.
Nadia was taking his cock again.
“Knew you had that wicked look on you this morning,” he growled. “You’re merciless you know that?” he continued pounding, hiking one of her legs over his elbow so he could thrust deeper.
And it felt glorious.
“Coming again,” she whimpered.
John grunted, and she wanted to laugh because she’d had multiple orgasms and he hadn’t had one yet. Not that she was count—
Oh shit. His cock or his grinding hips had a knack for zeroing in on that magic button on her pussy. Exquisite throbbing spread like wildfire across her tender flesh, and she could only moan, “Harder.” And then she melted into a puddle of boneless limbs, surrendering herself to John’s domination.
“Fuck, you’re so sexy when you come,” he gritted. She was lost to his pounding and she distantly heard his muffled roar. His heavy breath was warm by her ear, and his rapid heart rate galloped against her chest.
When John raised his head, his gaze was soft and warm. “Merry Christmas, babe.”
“Merry Christmas to you, too, handsome,” Nadia smiled. He levered up and got off the bed. “Be right back.”
Nadia followed his sexy ass until he disappeared into the bathroom before she did a lazy satisfied stretch and rolled away to check her messages. Several unread texts greeted her. Everyone seemed to be up early this morning. It was barely seven. Holiday greetings from Gabby, another one from Kelso, and more from her squad at the CTTF. After the big-gathering two nights ago, they were having a smaller affair with the MoMoS for Christmas day lunch. Colin was making ham and turkey while Fiona was whipping up several side dishes. Bristow and Levi were stopping by since they didn’t have families to celebrate with in town.
The bed dipped behind her. She grinned and flipped back for more cuddle time with her man before the craziness of the Christmas day began.
Her smile froze.
Right in front of her was a ring.
Not just any ring or jewelry, but the ring.
A pear-shaped diamond that almost blinded her with its fiery brilliance.
“Marry me.”
“I’m feeling vulnerably naked here,” she laughed, but excitement thrummed through her veins.
John smirked. “That was the idea. No excuses, babe. We love each other. You know I’d damn the whole world for you, and you’re probably the only woman in existence who can put up with my shit.”
“Hmm, that’s true. What else?”
“The sex is fucking fantastic.”
“That’s also true.” She tried to keep the giddiness from her voice, but she couldn’t help it. She also couldn’t help teasing him.
His gaze narrowed, and she was suddenly pinned under a very predatory male. “And I’m the only man for you. You’re already having my baby. You’re both mine. There’s no choice here.”
“Even with your proposal, you’re bossy.” The intense possessiveness in his eyes took her breath away.
An arrogant brow arched. “You like that about me, remember?”
She smiled impishly. “I do.”
“So, marry me, babe.”
“Yes.” Nadia’s face hurt from the happiness stretching across her face.
John grinned and slipped the ring on her finger. “I love you.”
“Love you, too.”
Those words were coming more easily to him nowadays, but, recently, he’d been giving her more reasons to smile.
He shifted on the mattress, lowered his head, and kissed her belly.
“Love you, too, little one,” he whispered. “Daddy can’t wait to meet you.’”
This man made her heart so full when he did this.
Every. Single. Time.
Nine months later
“You and I need to have a chat, missy.” John stared at his beautiful little girl cradled in his arms. Her eyes were round with curiosity, and they promised to turn into the hazel color of her mother’s. “You need to stop waking up every hour of the night. Your mom’s exhausted. I’m exhausted.”
The baby cooed and then smiled at him.
His heart lurched. “And every time you look at me like that, you make it worth the trouble,” he grumbled. She grabbed his thumb and tried to suck on it.
Ciara Elizabeth Garrison had her father wrapped around her fingers, and she knew it.
Three months ago, Nadia gave birth to the most adorable baby girl, and John lost his heart. Thank God, her features were shaping more into her mother’s delicate ones instead of John’s hard angles. His mother said it was too soon to tell, but Ciara’s head of t
hick, black hair was all John.
He got up from the rocking chair and looked around for her pacifier. The little bundle in his arms must have chucked it somewhere she knew her father wouldn’t be able to find. Very challenging, this one— so much like her mother. Between Nadia and his daughter, he didn’t need a job to keep him on his toes.
And he wouldn’t change a fucking thing.
He loved being a father. Well, except the part about waking up two or three times in the middle of the night. He loved watching Ciara sleep in Nadia’s arms, and he definitely loved the quiet times when the baby gurgled happy sounds when in his.
There was such a thing as loving frustration, too, when his little girl refused to sleep, and both he and Nadia didn’t know why, but then they’d stare at her perfect button nose, and they’d sigh and surrender to the rollercoaster of parenthood. Jesus, they were only three months into it.
But most of all? He loved being the husband Nadia deserved. They married in February barely two months after his proposal. He was determined to put that ring on her finger and have that piece of paper that stated she was his. They signed both documents with the double-identities as a Mason and Garrison and did the same for Ciara.
For now, Mason was in the past, and Garrison was their future.
Ciara gurgled and made a distressed little cry.
John sighed again. “Are you hungry now?” He walked over to the baby’s dresser where he’d been warming a bottle. He tested the temperature and then gave it to her. Ciara promptly latched onto it. Nadia couldn’t produce enough breastmilk, and they had to supplement because Ciara was a voracious feeder, growing so fast before their very eyes.
As was his habit when he fed her, he talked to her about the people around them. “Tomorrow, we’re going to see your Gramps. Remember, he can be absentminded, but he’s very thoughtful. Your Uncle Dugal? I know you love him because he tells great stories.” Although John wondered if they were too grim to be children’s fairytales. “Maybe you can keep him busy so he’ll stop making eyes at your Nana, huh?” His mother had moved into the SkyeLark apartments since Ciara’s birth. It was supposed to be temporary, but she seemed to be considering making the move permanent. And that was as far as John was willing to speculate. He loved how his mother could give him and Nadia a break every now and then, so he was far from complaining. “Your Uncle Arthur on the other hand, I think he’s afraid to pick up a baby, so don’t take it personally. As for your Uncle Clyde? He butts into everyone’s business and says sh-stuff that annoys your dad, but know his nosiness comes from a good place.”
He adjusted Ciara in the crook of his arm and sat in the rocking chair again. “Bristow is going to be there too. Good job with the projectile vomiting on him the last time he called you ‘Michelin Man’.” John chuckled. His daughter had chubby arms and thighs that his friend couldn’t help teasing her. “That’s how you handle boys. Don’t take their sh-crap. Give it back ten-fold.”
“Are you giving life lessons to our daughter again?” A sleepy voice came from the open door.
John turned his head and grinned at Nadia. “Yeah.” Her hair was messy, and there were circles under her eyes, but she’d never looked more gorgeous to him.
The mother of his baby girl.
He held out his arm. “Come sit with us.”
She trudged forward. “That girl is growing too fast. Pretty soon we won’t be able to do this.”
“Then we’ll enjoy it while it lasts.”
John handed their daughter to his wife.
“She’s almost done with this bottle.” Nadia let their daughter finish feeding and then proceeded to burp her.
“Yeah, I think she’s gained a pound since yesterday.”
After Ciara was done and fell right to sleep in her mother’s arms, Nadia backed up and plopped onto his lap. John rearranged her so he was cradling his wife while she was holding their daughter securely in her arms.
He rocked them slowly.
His family.
He was a fucking happy man.
“Jesus, I love my girls,” John whispered to them.
“And we love you, Dad.”
*** THE END***
Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review. It is much appreciated!
Levi and Kelly’s book is up next in The Wife Assignment. Release date to be determined. Don’t worry, Bristow is going to get his HEA, too. Join my newsletter or Very Important Paige readers for up-to-date news.
Read my other series. If you like non-stop action, Guardians will have your pulse pounding. Craving the angst of second chance romance? Then my Always series has got you covered. How about a small town romance with a touch of sci-fi? Misty Grove is going to intrigue you.
Afterword
Every time I finish a first draft, I’m afraid to look at the headlines. I had to tweak the overarching plot of the first three books of the Rogue Protectors series to reduce the impact of the virus storyline because of the pandemic. I also delayed publishing the first book.
The plot for Her Covert Protector came to me when a cyberattack the previous year hit several private companies and government institutions. Digging into the details, I saw the vulnerabilities to the energy infrastructure. When the Texas power grid issue occurred last winter, I was in the midst of plotting, and again, I decided to focus the cyberattack to a fictional city—Sequoia Global City (SGC) in L.A—rather than take down its entire power grid. The manuscript was with my editor when another cyberattack hit the headlines, and this time, the public became more aware of its consequences. There was only so much I can tweak in my story, but I’m glad I limited it to a fictional city and changed the stakes so that it wouldn’t be too ripped-from-the-headlines.
In case you’re also curious, my fictional city is the area around Pasadena where Caltech is located. Also in this area, is NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. And yes, I toyed with ideas with it too, but given my track record lately with my books, I ditched that plot thread.
John and Nadia’s book was supposed to be an easy one to write because there was no overarching suspense storyline to work in from the past books. Two things challenged me here. The first one was unpacking John’s character slowly and making his metamorphosis riveting to read. I was not expecting the humor that was sprinkled throughout this book. Putting him in uncomfortable situations for him to work through his conflicts was enjoyable to write. As for Nadia, I loved how her character arc jived with John’s and how the theme of identity held the book together. StreamCon worked perfectly for this and blended the suspense plot into the theme.
My second challenge was my big cast of characters. It took several passes with my development editor, my editor, and beta readers to make the scenes involving many characters cohesive and readable, especially since the external and emotional stakes intertwined in several of them.
So much for an easier book to write. LoL!
This book wouldn’t be possible without my excellent team.
Big thanks to my developmental editor Geri for continuing to read my messy first draft. You’ve been a great sounding board, devil’s advocate—lol, and you continue to challenge me to write these character-driven, emotional, and suspenseful storylines. It thrilled me when you agreed that the eventual villain was a good plot twist. Our brainstorming sessions are always fun and immensely helpful.
Special thanks to my beta reader, Sue. I loved your analysis of John and Nadia’s journey throughout this book. I handled John’s character arc differently from my other heroes because a part of him falling in love with Nadia was to open himself up to people around her and his team. Showing this through his interactions with everyone was important and I’m happy my intent came across clearly to you. I also appreciate all the notes you put on my manuscript.
A big thanks to my editor Kristan Roetker. As usual, you polish my work without editing out my voice. I appreciate your patience as I experiment with my writing and your honesty when you feel it doesn
’t work. You’ve been my friend and editor through several books and together we make a great team!
Much appreciation to Lynn for jumping in at a short notice and making sure my suspense plot was clear, and it didn’t overwhelm the romance.
Thank you to Dana Dunphy of A Book Nerd Edits for proofreading and for the quick turnaround on this manuscript. It certainly helped me catch up with my release schedule when I was falling behind.
To Debra and Drue of Buoni Amici Press. You are rock stars in taking care of the ins and outs of being an indie author, leaving me to my creativity and TikTok. ;)
Special thanks to Jose Luis Barreiro for being my perfect Garrison! I couldn’t have picked a better model. I appreciate all your help promoting the book.
Thanks to Wander Aguiar and his team for providing the perfect image as usual. I’m always eager to see who you’re photographing next.
I absolutely love my Very Important Paige readers. A lot of you couldn’t wait for Garrison and Nadia’s book. I hope the wait was worth it and more!
Thank you to the book community—Bookstagrammers, BookTokkers, and Book Bloggers everywhere who continue to read, review, and share my book.
Finally, I wouldn’t be able to write this book without my darling hubby who continues to take care of mundane housework while I’m ensconced in my writing cave. Best of all, you make sure I have something to eat when I emerge. And to Loki, you are the best emotional support dog for an author whose characters give her hives. You sit still and let me hug you, and hugging you is all that I need to make me feel better.
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Her Covert Protector (Rogue Protectors Book 4) Page 33