Mission_Improper

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Mission_Improper Page 43

by Bec McMaster


  quipped back. "Can't I compliment my wife?"

  Firm fingers took her champagne glass and set

  it aside too. Then his hands cupped her face and

  drew her closer. Her entire body pressed against

  his, and Ingrid breathed in the subtle scent of his

  aftershave.

  "Of course you can," she whispered. "But

  don't think I'll forget that you're hiding something."

  Byrnes smiled, his pale eyes growing lazy.

  "Always a challenge, Ingrid. Obviously I'm not

  trying hard enough."

  The kiss took her breath away as he caught

  her hands and wrapped them around his waist.

  Then his own hands captured her face and he drank

  in the taste of her breath, every soft gasp... turning

  her into a molten puddle of quivering need.

  Yes, romance definitely seemed like a

  suitable distraction.

  Ingrid slid her hands inside his coat and

  pressed him back against the desk. Byrnes caught

  her wrists. "Ah, ah, ah." He murmured,

  withdrawing from her. "You are not going to ravish

  me on Lynch's desk."

  She bit her lip, her gaze lifting to his. "Do you

  think he'd notice?"

  "Undoubtedly." Byrnes put a finger to her lips.

  "Later. You're not going to distract me from my

  purpose."

  Ingrid bit his finger. "I could."

  There was that smile, there and then gone

  again. "This is important."

  Ingrid rested her hip on the desk and folded

  her palms in her lap. "You have ten seconds to

  convince me it's interesting. Then I want my

  present." A darting glance toward his erection told

  him precisely what she meant by that.

  "Maybe this is your present," he replied,

  leaning his hands on either side of her hips and

  pressing closer.

  "Continue."

  "You know I've been distracted lately."

  Ingrid hesitated. Of course she'd noticed,

  though she'd thought it the residual effects of his

  mother's passing last year. "Ye-es...."

  "I've been working on a gift for you," he said,

  and the laughter vanished from his face, leaving

  him darkly serious.

  Once upon a time, she would have thought that

  she'd done something wrong when he looked like

  that. She understood him now, however. That

  closed-off expression and the tight way he

  pronounced his words meant that he was emotional

  and trying to rein it in.

  "A gift?" she teased, to lighten the mood.

  "It's been perplexing me since the day we

  married. I wanted to do something for you, but it

  hasn't been as easy as I'd hoped it would be. In my

  arrogance I assumed I would be able to present

  you with this gift for our anniversary. Let's just say,

  it took a little longer than expected. Come." He

  took her fingers and drew her to the polished

  walnut secretary, where he gestured her into the

  seat. There was a creamy envelope on the

  secretary, as well as a box somewhat larger than a

  book. It smelled like paper and ink and the faint

  chemical tang of photographs.

  "What is it?"

  "Not a puppy," he replied promptly. "Or a

  diamond ring. Or all of the other foolish ideas

  Rosa presented me with. I wanted to do something

  special for you."

  Ingrid looked up and he brushed his mouth

  against her cheek. "It's the reason I disappeared for

  two weeks last month, darling. I didn't go to

  Edinburgh with Garrett for that Ripper case. I lied

  about that, but I hope you'll forgive me."

  "Byrnes." Her voice lowered, her heart

  starting a rapid pitter-pat. She didn't know why, but

  she was suddenly nervous. As was he. She could

  see it in the tense line of his body. "I thought we

  promised not to lie to each other."

  "I didn't want to get your hopes up." Then he

  let out an exasperated breath. "I didn't want to get

  my hopes up. Do you know how frustrating this

  case has been? I honestly didn't expect this lead to

  go anywhere, as all the others haven't. And if I'm

  being honest, this was a promise I made a long

  time ago to you."

  "Case?" Her spine straightened. "You were

  working a case without me? And what promise?"

  "Bloody hell, Ingrid. Just open the envelope."

  Shooting him a sidelong glance under her

  lashes that promised future retribution, she

  obliged. A pair of first class tickets aboard a

  steamer fell into her hand. "Oslo? But why...?" And

  then she stopped speaking. She was fairly certain

  she also stopped breathing. Her heartbeat echoed

  in her ears.

  Byrnes pushed the package toward her with a

  faint, nervous smile. He rested his hip on the desk.

  "I found them for you."

  "Who?" she whispered, but she knew.

  "Your family, Ingrid. I found them."

  The world fell apart. Tears blurred her

  vision, and she froze, unable to so much as speak.

  Byrnes's

  hand

  clenched

  around

  hers

  comfortingly. "Your legal name isn't Ingrid, which

  has been the bother all along. It's actually Britta

  Ingrid Apslund. Your Aunt Kristina, however,

  decided you were most certainly not a Britta when

  you were a one-year-old. They called you Ingrid

  from that moment until your fourth year, when you

  were taken by the English raiders. It's all there in

  the package. I have photographs of your family. I

  have your birth documents, your... your bill of sale.

  I even met your mother. She's still alive, after all

  this time, and looks remarkably like you. You have

  aunts, uncles, sisters, nephews and nieces—"

  Ingrid couldn't bear to hear anymore. All this

  time.... With trembling hands, she opened the box

  and lifted a pile of photographs out. The top one

  showed a smiling woman resting a baby on her hip

  whilst another child clung to her skirts. The man

  beside the woman was tall, with dark hair and

  light-colored eyes that—even through the sepia

  portrait—she knew were bronze. The image

  seemed to suddenly open up a previously locked

  box in her memory. She could almost hear his

  voice in her mind, reading to her before bed. A

  deep, patient voice, and her favorite book, The

  Snow Queen.

  With a gasp, she clapped a hand to her lips,

  but her tears were more difficult to contain. "My

  father."

  "Yes." Byrnes kissed her forehead. His voice

  lowered. "He was killed by the hunting party that

  took you. Your mother searched for you for years,

  but there was nothing to find. The English raiders

  were good at their job, and some of them were

  even rogue blue bloods. They didn't leave any

  scent, or any trail. She never knew what had

  happened to you, but she never gave up hoping."

  She couldn't stop herself from crying harder.

  "Ingrid?" Byrnes gathered h
er into his arms,

  where she sobbed against his chest. "You're

  starting to make me nervous. You're happy about

  this, yes?"

  In response, she simply nodded wetly against

  his shoulder.

  "There's nothing I wouldn't do to make you

  happy, darling." His strong arms drew her tight into

  a hug that shielded her from the world. "I would

  even resort to flowers and poetry if I thought that

  would put a smile on your face."

  She couldn't help laughing at the thought.

  Dashing the tears from her eyes, she pushed away

  from him just enough to try and gather herself. "I

  should make you write me a poem, just to see if

  you would."

  He grimaced. "I'd pay Garrett to do it. He's

  better at that sort of thing than I am."

  "I don't want empty words, Caleb." Ingrid

  tugged at his lapels, trying to compose herself.

  "Just you. Always you. You always know exactly

  what I need."

  Gruff, and slightly embarrassed, he couldn't

  quite hide his pleasure as he cleared his throat. "I

  love you, Ingrid. They're the only words that I

  know, and they're not empty." Pressing her hand to

  his chest, he gave a faint smile. "They fill me up, in

  here. I never knew there was so much emptiness

  inside until I met you, but you fill me up. You make

  every day a revelation."

  Ingrid gave a hiccupping laugh that was filled

  with more tears. Her family.... She still couldn't

  believe it. "Thank you."

  "I thought we could take an extended

  honeymoon," he suggested, offering her his

  handkerchief. "Since we missed out on our first

  one, thanks to that debacle at Malloryn's wedding."

  "A honeymoon?"

  Fingers tiptoed down her bodice, pausing at

  the lace along her décolletage. "We leave in two

  days time. So you'll have to pack. But that's

  unimportant. I believe you were saying something

  about another type of present?"

  Ingrid curled her fist in his collar. "Come

  here," she growled, and hauled him against her for

  a kiss.

  Lynch's desk be damned.

  BEFORE YOU LEAVE LONDON...

  IF YOU ENJOYED MISSION: Improper, then get

  ready for The Mech Who Loved Me! Book two in

  the Blue Blood Conspiracy series, it features

  Kincaid and Ava, and continues the mystery of

  figuring out just who is the figurehead behind the

  dhampir and SOG. If you want to know more about

  its release date, cover reveals, and pre-order links

  click here.

  IF YOU'D LIKE to receive notification of future

  Bec McMaster titles, giveaways, and exclusive

  first looks at new covers, sign up for my

  newsletter.

  CAN'T WAIT for more blue blood action and

  romance? Or did you miss the first arc of the

  series, London Steampunk? Check out the whole

  series. I recommend starting with Kiss Of Steel.

  Not only is it the first book, but it also features a

  cocky, bad boy anti-hero who captured my heart

  from the very first moment he came onscreen.

  There's humor, heroes-to-die-for, dangerous plots,

  sexy corsets, kick-bustle heroines, duels, steamy

  kisses (not-just-kisses), and vampires.

  DON'T FORGET to keep an eye out for new

  releases. Hexbound, the second book in the Dark

  Arts series is out in October 2016, and features the

  reclusive and scarred assassin, Adrian Bishop, and

  a thief who just might be able to help him recover

  the Chalice she stole from him. Then in December,

  The Last True Hero, continues the Burned Lands

  series, with the story of what happened to Adam

  McClain.

  THANK YOU FOR READING MISSION:

  Improper! I hope you enjoyed it. Please consider

  leaving a review online, to help others find my

  books. Read on for more information on the Blue

  Blood Conspiracy series.

  THE MECH WHO LOVED ME

  COMING 2017

  The Sons of Gilead are rising, threatening the very heart of the

  Empire: the Queen herself. Only a secret handful of people dare

  to stop them, though they may be risking life and limb–and even

  their hearts–in the process.

  Freed from the grips of a madman, Miss Ava McLaren has had a

  difficult time fitting back into the life of a gently bred young lady.

  Stricken by the craving virus, she found solace in the laboratories of

  the Nighthawks trying to create a synthetic solution for blood, until

  one day a strange missive arrives, asking for her help in thwarting a

  plot against the Queen.

  Thrown into the Company of Rogues, Ava finds herself intimidated

  by the dangerous men and women who form the core of the group,

  particularly the brutish mech, Kincaid. The man's a devilishly

  handsome rake who barely notices that she's even female. Indeed,

  he considers her blue blood status a personal insult and makes it

  clear he'll never trust her.

  Until an assassination attempt proves that Ava's experiments just

  might have caught the attention of the Sons of Gilead. Kincaid's the

  only one who can protect her from the dangerous anarchists–and

  together they are forced to discover just why Ava is suddenly the

  most sought-after bluestocking in London...

  ALSO AVAILABLE:

  LONDON STEAMPUNK SERIES

  Kiss Of Steel

  Heart Of Iron

  My Lady Quicksilver

  Forged By Desire

  Of Silk And Steam

  Novellas in same series:

  Tarnished Knight

  The Curious Case Of The Clockwork Menace

  LONDON STEAMPUNK: THE BLUE BLOOD

  CONSPIRACY

  Mission: Improper

  The Mech Who Loved Me (Coming 2017)

  DARK ARTS SERIES

  Shadowbound

  Hexbound (Oct 2016)

  BURNED LANDS SERIES

  Nobody's Hero

  The Last True Hero (Dec 2016)

  SHORT STORIES

  The Many Lives Of Hadley Monroe

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Bec McMaster is the award-winning author of the London

  Steampunk series. When not poring over travel brochures, playing

  netball, or cooking things that are very likely bad for her, Bec spends

  most of her time in front of the computer. A member of RWA, she

  writes sexy, dark paranormals, and adventurous steampunk

  romances, and grew up with her nose in a book. Following a life-long

  love affair with fantasy, she discovered romance novels as a 16

  year-old, and hasn't looked back.

  In 2012, Sourcebooks released her debut award-winning novel, Kiss

  of Steel, the first in the London Steampunk series, followed by: Heart of Iron, My Lady Quicksilver, Forged By Desire, and Of Silk And Steam. Two novellas - Tarnished Knight and The Curious Case Of The Clockwork Menace - fleshed out the series.

  She has been nominated for RT Reviews Best Steampunk

  Romances for Heart of Iron (2013), won RT Reviews Best

  Steampunk Romance with Of Silk And Steam (2015), and Forged

  By Desire was nominated for a RITA award in 2015.

  In 20
16, she debuted the Dark Arts series with Shadowbound, and

  the second London Steampunk: The Blueblood Conspiracy series

  begins in July 2016 with Mission: Improper.

  For news on new releases, cover reveals, giveaways, and special

  promotions, join her mailing list.

  @BecMcMaster

  BecMcMaster

  www.becmcmaster.com

  [email protected]

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  The storyline in Mission: Improper first began to

  rear its head in My Lady Quicksilver (book three

  in London Steampunk). We were rapidly heading

  toward the revolution, but what happened next?

  After all, there were a lot of threads to tie up, a

  few characters who needed to find their HEA, and

  just how well was the Queen going to rule now that

  she was out from under the grip of her tyrannical

  husband? One of the things I liked exploring in this

  book is the fact that not everything is perfect. We

  like to pretend that when we overthrow the

  villains, the world is suddenly sunshine and roses.

  But mistakes get made, and sometimes those

  changes don't just happen in the blink of an eye.

  London is now changing, but slowly, my friends.

  Slowly. And we've got a bit of a ways to go yet.

  I enjoyed every second of writing this novel, but as

  with every project I take on, I couldn't have done it

  without a lot of help from these amazing people:

  I owe huge thanks to Jennie Kew and Kylie Griffin

  for the beta read–who else highlights every cat

  reference in somebody's manuscript *grin*–to

  Olivia from Hot Tree Edits for all the editorial

  efforts on this project, and my wonderful cover

  artists at Damonza.com for that glorious cover.

  Special thanks go to my very own beta hero,

  Byron–who encourages and supports me every step

  of the way–and to the Central Victorian Writers

  Group, for all of the tea and chocolates consumed

  at our meetings/brainstorming sessions.

  And to everyone who read/loved/reviewed/ or

  talked about this book, you guys are awesome! And

  yes, Charlie is coming! He just has a little bit of

  growing up to do. I hope you enjoyed Ingrid and

  Byrnes's HEA!

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  MISSION: IMPROPER

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

 

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