Schooled in Love

by Emma Nichols

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  Their passion was forged in the fires of combat. Will the home fires be enough to keep the burn alive?

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  Half-Broke Heart: https://amzn.to/2Hd1Lo7

  Denise Reynolds is used to putting up a good front to show the world a strong, capable woman, but keeps a lot of things buried deep.

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  Chris Nolton is everything she learned the hard way to avoid — a sexy alpha-male who could charm her out of her pants and work his way into her heart. If history has taught her anything, it’s a deadly combination, but he manages to dig up emotions and longing she’s tried to bury for years.

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  Being content with her life may no longer be an option, but risking her heart may bring her to her knees.

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  Locked-Down Heart: https://amzn.to/2Hdzv4u

  Denise Reynolds’s tightly controlled life is thrown off kilter when she’s given custody of her young cousins. There are days she has a hard enough time getting herself out of bed, never mind two precocious kids.

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  The past has a way of repeating itself and once again, Denise finds herself defending the innocent against the evil of world. One wrong decision, one second guess, could have devastating consequences. To protect the most important people in her life, she’ll need to trust the one man with the power to break her.

  About the Author

  Tarina has spent her entire life in and around the military – first as a dependent and then as an enlisted Air Force member. In 2015, a friend challenged her to complete NaNoWriMo. She dusted off one of the many stories she’d started over the years, threw it in the trash, and started all over. Her debut novel, Stitched Up Heart released in 2016.

  The military giver her plenty of material to work with and she strives to create characters who authentically represent all facets of the military life – the good and the not so great. Tarina is still active duty, a single mom of drive-her-to-drink twins, and a closet romantic. Her favorite hobby is napping. She has delusions of retiring from the military and being a full-time writer and stay-at-home mom.

  Sign up for Tarina’s newsletter at http://bit.ly/1sUVDJA or follow her on Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/tarina-deaton and join her Facebook reader group: http://www.facebook.com/tarinasdeats.

  Double Booked

  Melissa Stevens

  Double Booked Copyright © 2018 by Melissa Stevens

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  1

  Cassie King stepped into the Leaning Pine for the first time since graduating high school — ten years ago. Scanning the room, she looked for anyone she recognized as she made her way to the registration table. She hadn't wanted to come, but her mother talked her into it. ‘It'll be fun,’ she'd said. Cassie wasn't so sure.

  For Cassie, high school had been something to survive; not the best time of her life, but not the worst either. There was no one she could think of who she wanted to see here. She'd agreed to come to shut her mother up. What Cassie had in mind was to spend a few minutes, maybe an hour, then cut out and go do something she enjoyed, maybe take a dip in the hotel pool.

  She spotted Mitzie Hughes first. Mitzie had been the captain of the spirit squad and so perky it was annoying. Her gaze swept the room, she spotted a few other faces she recognized, but no one she wanted to see. With a sigh, she stood out of the way while she kept looking for anyone who didn't make her want to cringe.

  Being back in Linwood reminded of her school days. She’d been a scholarship student at St. Martin's and never felt like she fit in. While most kids weren't mean to her, there had been a few who had looked down on her because she didn't have the money they did. Or because she wasn't interested in disappearing into the woods, which surrounded the campus, to drink, get naked, or whatever else they were up to.

  Vixen Delaur stepped through the door, her height catching Cassie's, and several other people’s, attention. She was model tall and thin, but that was only fitting since she'd done some modeling after school. Though Cassie hadn’t heard anything about her since she’d disappeared from public view when rumors about a drug addiction filled every tabloid. She'd been one of the girls who had been vicious to Cassie. Not everyone could be the daughter of an actress. The nastiness had only gotten worse when Cassie's mother had come to visit while Vixen's mother was too busy with her filming schedule.

  A voice behind her caught Cassie's attention. It was a voice she had thought about now and then but never thought she'd hear again. She turned slowly, so it looked like she was only continuing to scan the room and not eager to see him. There he was, Shane Durant. The unknowing object of all her high school lust. She'd been so far below his status as part of the championship lacrosse team, as well as the football team, there was no way he'd even noticed her. She'd been too shy to introduce herself too, then there had been some trouble just before school ended. And he hadn’t shown up for graduation. Rumor was, he'd been sent to juvie. Whatever it was, it had been good to him. Cassie hadn't thought it possible, but he was even better looking than he had been back then.

  Trying not to be obvious, she inched closer so she could catch a little more of his conversation.

  "I've got a security firm now," Shane said.

  "Really? What kind of security? Home alarms?" the other man said. Cassie glanced over and recognized the other man as Ashton Fletcher. He'd been on the football and lacrosse teams with Shane. He wore a self-satisfied smirk, as if he were impressed by his own attempt to minimize Shane's business.

  "We do that and more. Home, business, personal security, we tailor our services to fit the client's need." Cassie was intrigued, not just because of what Shane did, but by his not letting Ashton's attitude get to him. Whatever he'd spent the last ten years doing, it had taught him to calm his hot head.

  "Personal security? Like bodyguards?" Ashton asked.

  "If that's what's needed."

  "Where are you based?"

  "Our headquarters is in Baltimore," Shane pulled a card from his pocket and offered it to the other man, "but we can handle your needs anywhere on the east coast."

  "Wow," Ashton took the card and looked at it a moment before putting it in the inside pocket of his blazer. "I may be in touch."

  "I look forward to it." Shane did a little more catching up with Ashton, then moved away to talk to someone else. As badly as she wanted to, Cassie couldn't follow him around the room, someone would notice… though, the only one she cared about was him.

  At least she'd gotten something out of the reunion now. A lead on someone to evaluate and set up security for her shop. She'd had a break-in a while back, and while nothing was stolen but cash, several things had been destroyed, costing her almost three thousand dollars. She’d needed a security system, but she'd been putting it off because she didn't have time to find someone she trusted to take care of it. Now she had an excuse to talk to him.

  2

  Shane had been happy to get the invitation for the St. Martin’s class of 2008 reunion. He was just getting started with Durant Security, and while he had a few clients, he needed more. Shane had several of the guys he'd been deployed with working for him, and there were more who would be looking for work soon. He wanted to be where they went. Durant Security had been growing steadily since he opened his doors about a year earlier, and where better to find potential clients than the reunion for his high dollar private school? They had the money, and often, the need for just his kind of service.

  He looked around at the people he'd once considered his best friends, not that he had wanted to be here, but he'd found people to have fun with anyway. Shane had always been able to find someone willing to sneak into the woods and drink, and maybe more, when he'd been here. With that thought, it dawned on him that maybe he should offer h
is services to the school, set them up a system that would alert them to people in the woods... or maybe not. Maybe he should let the students have what fun they could since their parents had stuck him out here.

  That's why he had been here; his mom had passed away when he was a kid and his dad was too busy running his business to deal with a teenager who kept finding new ways to get into trouble. At the time, he'd resented it, now he kind of understood it. Not that it meant he would do the same thing, it just meant he understood his father’s motivations better.

  "Shane Durant, right?" a honeyed voice said behind him. Shane turned to find a full-figured woman with long, dark hair forming soft curls around her face, which looked to be decorated only with a pair of wire rimmed glasses. It took him a minute to place her. She hadn't changed much, but she'd never been in his circle of friends.

  "Yes, you're Cassandra, right?"

  "I am." She smiled, and his breath caught in his throat. What was it about her?

  "How are you? What are you doing these days?" He wasn't sure why she'd stopped him, but that didn't mean he couldn't be polite. After all, he was here to find new clients.

  "I'm good. I couldn't help but overhear you say you have a security firm?"

  "I did. Are you perhaps in need of one?"

  "I am, actually; have been for some time." She lifted one corner of her mouth in a wry smile. "I've got a little shop outside Baltimore that I need to have security set up for."

  "Hmm. What kind of shop?"

  "Antique. I'm not sure if it will make a difference, but there's an apartment on the second floor."

  "It will affect the system, should we install one for you. Do you own the building, or lease?" He knew he should give her his card, tell her to call for an appointment for an evaluation and move on, but he couldn't make himself walk away.

  "I own it."

  "And the apartment, is it occupied? Leased?"

  "Occupied, but not leased. I live there." She shifted on her feet, making Shane look down and notice she was wearing three-inch heels.

  "Why don't we find somewhere to sit and talk about this a little?" he offered, glancing around the room. "I'll get us a drink. What would you like?"

  She looked over to where the bar sat, then back to him. "I'll have a patron sunrise."

  Shane couldn't help the way his brows shot up. He liked a woman who knew what she liked and wasn't afraid to ask for it.

  "Sure, if you want to find us a table, I'll meet you there."

  3

  Cassie scanned the room for an empty table and, finding one, made her way to it. She wondered, as she wove between the clusters of people laughing and sharing stories, if Shane’s asking her to find a table was a way to brush her off, but decided either way, she'd be glad to get off her feet. Sitting down, she sighed and considered kicking off her shoes. She was already glad she'd taken the advice she'd seen all over the internet and bought heels bigger than she normally wore. It kept them from pinching or rubbing her raw. She'd just decided to keep them on when Shane arrived.

  "Here you are." He sat in the chair next to her instead of across the table, sending sparks of heat through her. Shane’s hand brushed hers as she took the glass, and those sparks turned to bolts of heat.

  "Thanks." She took a sip and savored the tangy blend of juices and tequila. As she set the glass on the table, she noticed her hand shook slightly. Ten years ago, she would have killed to have Shane get her a drink or give her attention. Now, she wasn't much better.

  "We're here to have fun, so let's put business aside for a moment." He gave her a thousand-watt smile. "I have to admit, I was a bit self-absorbed in school. I remember you, but not well. Tell me what you did after graduation."

  Cassie's face heated. "I went to Columbia and got my degree in business management with a minor in art history. I worked for Christie's for a while, but I hated seeing all these beautiful pieces being auctioned, so I started my own shop. I deal in antiques, but I don't auction. I hunt a lot of my pieces myself. I love it."

  "That's great. I'm happy for you." His smile reached his eyes and they gave a glint that made her think he truly was happy for her.

  "What did you do, I mean, before you got into security? When you didn't show up for graduation, there was a rumor you'd been sent to jail." She brought one hand up to cover her mouth. "Oops, sorry. I probably shouldn't have said that. I'm horrible about whatever's in my head popping out of my mouth."

  Shane chuckled. "It's okay. Actually, it's not all that far from the truth." He sipped from his glass of what Cassie guessed was bourbon, then set it down and leaned back. "I got in trouble again, of course. They caught me tagging signs along the highway, and there was no way I could get out of it. The judge was tired of seeing me, but I guess he saw something in me no one else did, something even I couldn’t’ see. He told me I was facing serious jail time. Or there was another option. I could join the military."

  Shane took a deep breath and shook his head slowly. “He released me, temporarily, and told me I had forty-eight hours. If he didn't have a signed commitment on his desk by then, he'd issue a bench warrant, and I would go to trial. He had a reputation as a hard ass, and I knew it firsthand. I went straight to the recruitment office and signed on, took the first date they could give me to ship out. After I turned my paperwork over to the judge, I came back here and waited without telling a soul." He gave her a half smile. "I would have lost all of my friends. How dare one of us join the military and go kill people?" he used a horrified tone that was so like the one they’d heard over and over while attending St. Martin’s.

  Cassie couldn't help the wry laugh that escaped. She understood all too well. Most of their schoolmates came from not just wealthy families, but extremely wealthy ones. Many with old money were expected to get through school and work for the family's businesses, and above all else, don't embarrass the family. It's part of why she'd had so few friends, because she hadn't been that way. Cassie hadn’t had money to do whatever they wanted.

  They reminisced a while longer, and Shane gave her a card for Durant Security, in case they didn't run into each other again this weekend, then Cassie excused herself and called it a night.

  Back at the Hilton, she went up to her room, glad she'd taken the time to check in and bring up her luggage before the meet and greet. She considered going down and checking out the pool, but decided she wasn’t in the mood. Instead, she found her pajamas in her suitcase and went into the bathroom, where her overnight bag was sitting on the counter, to take a shower.

  Half an hour later, she stepped out of the bathroom, her hair still wrapped in a towel as thoughts of Shane, now and during school, filled her mind. Shaking her head to clear it, she picked up the TV remote to find something to watch, something else to think about.

  Settling on an action movie, she combed out her hair then piled pillows against the headboard and sat on the bed, leaning against them while she pulled out her computer to check local listings for estate sales. She may have come for the reunion, but there was plenty of time to do something fun. She was engrossed in listings, making notes, and in the movie on TV and could only stare, slack jawed, when the door to her room opened and someone walked in.

  At first, all she saw was a backpack-covered back as they pushed their way through the door, pulling a suitcase in behind them.

  "Excuse me!" She couldn't help the shocked tone in her voice. The man turned and looked up; it was Shane, of all people.

  "What?" he looked stunned, as if he had been expecting an empty room.

  "You've obviously got the wrong room." Cassie set her computer aside and swung her legs off the side of the bed.

  "Wha- Well shit." He stood for a moment. "If I had the wrong room, then the key wouldn't have worked. I'll call the front desk." He set a huge camo backpack on the chair near the door, then went to the phone on the desk and dialed. She listened while he explained the issue and argued with the clerk a moment, then he said, "Yes, I'll wait." He cranked the handset
down so it was still to his ear, but he was talking to her. "It seems they've double booked us, there are no other rooms in the hotel and likely not in town, but she's checking now."

  "That's shitty."

  "It is, but mistakes happen."

  "If there's not another room to be had, what will you do?"

  "I'll get them to refund me and just sleep in my truck. See if I can find a gym where I can shower. I’ve dealt with worse." The clerk came back and Shane lifted the other end of the phone and went back to talking to her.

  Cassie hated the idea of putting him out to sleep in the uncomfortable seat of a truck. Maybe she should let him stay here? There was only one bed, but they could be adults and share it, couldn't they?

  "That was a bust." Shane's voice made her realize he'd hung up the phone.

  "No open rooms?”

  "Not a single, available room in town. It seems Linwood High is also having their reunion this weekend and every room in town is booked, some even double booked." Shane shook his head. "I can see the mistake of double booking, but what gets me is that they gave me a key to your room, as if it was empty. That's the kind of mistake I can't understand." He turned around and picked up the huge camouflage backpack. "I'll leave you to your sleep."

  "Wait," Cassie blurted before he could open the door. Only his head turned as he looked back at her. "I hate the idea of you sleeping in your truck, either in the uncomfortable seat or worse, in the back." A fine shudder went through her at the idea of sleeping uncovered in the elements like that.