by Angel Payne
“Married?” Franz shot back. “Now? Tonight?”
As she rolled her eyes, she was joined by her two best friends. Gemini Vann, looking more like Tracy’s sister due to her silky white jumper, folded her arms and imitated the chin toss. “Is he always this quick on the uptake?”
“If so, I’m worried.” The chime, along with a giggle and wink, came from a similarly dressed Veronica Gallo. The small plumeria bouquet in her hands didn’t miss his attention. Gem swept an identical bunch from behind her back before handing Tracy a larger arrangement.
Well…shit.
Pretty as all the blooms were, they didn’t touch Tracy’s laughing beauty as she murmured, “That’s usually the plan when two people are crazy for each other, Captain.”
Still…this crap didn’t compute. It sucked but he wasn’t such a douche he couldn’t cop to hitting the weeds. “You—you can’t get married, Tracy. You need the people’s confidence. The markets need to be—”
“The markets will do just fine.” She tilted her head, kicking up one side of her mouth. “Maybe even a little better, if I’ve got a ring on my finger and a hot military hunk on my arm.”
He went still. Really fucking still. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of stealth missions under his belt, and he didn’t remember concentrating this hard on not moving a damn muscle or taking a single breath. Simply put, he didn’t want to let the moment go. This diamond of an instant, surrounded by his men and basking in an island sunset, in which he hoped—believed—this goddess of a woman was actually standing before him, speaking the words of his craziest fantasies…
Until the instant was gone.
And she didn’t stand next to him anymore.
She knelt in front of him.
As she dropped, slipped her hand into his once more. From that connection, spread her warmth through every inch of him…a sizzling, permeating awareness eclipsed only by the radiance of her upturned face. Her eyes were like sunlight through mist. Her smile held the mystery of a knowing but naughty angel.
His angel.
By the gods. Could it really become truth? Was this really happening? If it all still really was a dream, maybe he didn’t want to know anymore. Because damn, it was the best dream he’d ever had. Most detailed, too. Maki, Nani, Lino, and Luke had even populated the scene, along with an older man looking so much like Tracy, he had no doubt about the guy’s role here.
Which had him freaking about his role here—
Especially as Tracy took a deep breath, and started speaking again.
“Keoni John Franzen,” she whispered. “You know that I love you, more than—”
“No.”
Her brow furrowed. Her chin quivered. “No?”
He pulled his hand free. “This isn’t right.”
The guys weren’t laughing anymore.
Tracy blinked rapidly. Swallowed hard.
Her dad looked ready to rip Franz’s balls out.
He didn’t care. This had to be right.
With his hands bracing both sides of her waist, he reversed their positions with one commanding sweep. Though taking a knee before her was easy, gazing up into her face simply wasn’t.
“Damn.” He was unable to summon any other word for a long moment. Finally, after getting air back in, he rasped, “Will it ever be possible to look at you and not consider myself the luckiest man on the planet?”
Tracy took her own turn to go motionless. She stole his breath with the stillness as much as she did in tigress or kitten mode. “Wh-what?” she stammered at last.
John slid his hands around hers—without wavering his gaze from her incredible face. “I’m saying that whatever I did to deserve you, whether it was another life or some shift of karma in this one, I’m ordering the universe to pay the hell up, here and now.” He lifted her fingers, crushing their curled knuckles against his fervent lips. “I’m saying that I love you too, Tracy Livia Rhodes. Desperately. Illogically. Completely.”
Tears continued out of her eyes—accompanied by a much different glow from their quicksilver depths. “John. John.”
Her sweet whisper crushed his chest—in all the best ways. He still squared his shoulders, and maintained his grip on her. “If you really want to give this shit a go with a guy who knows a bit about service, a lot about honor, and craves to learn every incredible detail about you, then I’m the guy dropping to my knees for the chance.” He hauled in a huge breath, fighting the heat in his head, and losing miserably. “I’ll drop to my knees every damn day for it,” he uttered between his own tears—though crazily, they didn’t rob him of any control. They gave it back to him. In Franzen’s surrender to love, he finally found the dominion he’d been seeking over his life. A new purpose, a new meaning, under new rules—
For which he was ready.
“I promise, I promise, that if you’ll love this dragon with the one eye, the snarly temper, and the dumb jokes, he’ll spread his wings every day to keep your body pleased, your heart happy…and your soul completely filled.”
Tracy jerked their joined hands up to her lips. Drenched his fingers in the salt of her tears and the passion of her kisses. “The tigress says yes to the dragon.”
“Then I guess we’d better make this thing official.” The declaration was made by yet another new arrival to the throng: the only one in their group besides him who hadn’t gotten the memo about the white wedding motif. Or maybe Max had gotten it, and just decided he liked his powder blue cutaway tux better.
Right now, the guy could’ve been in a gorilla suit for all Franz cared. His skin felt three sizes too small as quick introductions were made, Mom and Pop quickly making plans to show Tracy’s dad around the island tomorrow, and everyone moved into place. The sole break he got from the nervousness came courtesy of Luke, who pulled him into a fierce, wordless bearhug—
Before Max dove right in.
“Dearly beloved…we are gathered here today…”
Simple rote phrases—that were somehow, stunningly, perfect.
“To have and to hold, from this day forward…
Forward. The word he never thought he’d say with joy again.
“To love and to cherish…”
Cherish. The commitment he never thought he’d know with such completion.
“As long as we both shall live…”
Living.
The concept he never thought he could fully embrace.
The happiness this woman had given him with her insights, her honesty, her fire, her passion, her submission…
Her love.
Even after seeing all the darkness and wildness in him…
Her love.
Wasn’t that what any wild beast really craved?
Because, as all those wild things knew, sunsets were pretty, but midnights took commitment.
“Ever after” was poetic, but “happy” depended on understanding.
And while dragons were beautiful, their fires demanded the most exceptional princesses.
Warrioresses with untamed hearts of their own.
Women destined to run with the wild boys.
Not to tame them.
Simply to love them.
Simply to know…
Wildness defined the fiercest heroes.
And heroines.
And always, always, turned love into an adventure.
‡
Thank you so much for coming along on John and Tracy’s adventure! If you really enjoyed the story, please consider leaving a review on your favorite websites and e-book stores. It really helps a lot!
DISCOVER MORE OF ANGEL PAYNE’S BOOKS
THE CIMARRON SAGA
The Cimarrons:
The mysterious, magnetic ruling family of the most secretive kingdom on earth:
The Island of Arcadia.
No westerners have ever been allowed inside Arcadia’s borders…until now.
Book 1: INTO HIS DARK
(Evrest and Camellia)
Purchase Here Amazon
Book 2: INTO HIS COMMAND
(Samsyn and Brooke)
Purchase Here Amazon
Book 3: INTO HER FANTASIES
(Shiraz and Lucina)
Purchase Here Amazon
Book 4: INTO HIS SIN
(Jagger and Jayd)
Fall 2017
AND INTRODUCING THE SENSUAL CIMARRON SERIES SPIN-OFF:
TEMPTATION COURT
Book 1—NAUGHTY LITTLE GIFT
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Book 2—PRETTY PERFECT TOY
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Book 3—BOLD BEAUTIFUL LOVE
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HAVE YOU MET THE OTHER WILD BOYS?
Book 1: SAVED BY HIS SUBMISSIVE (Garrett & Sage)
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Book 2: HANDCUFFED BY HER HERO (Zeke & Rayna)
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Book 3: SURRENDERING TO HER SERGEANT (Ethan & Ava)
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Book 4: A WILDER WONDERLAND—SEXY STORIES OF THE SEASON
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Book 5: WET FOR HER WARRIORS (Tait, Kellan, & Lani)
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Book 6: HOT FOR HIS HOSTAGE (Shay & Zoe)
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Book 7: A WILDER KIND OF LOVE (Dan & Tess)
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Book 8: MASTERED BY THE MAVERICKS (Rhett, Rebel, & Brynn)
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Book 9: WILD CARD (Sam & Jenny)
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
USA Today bestselling romance author Angel Payne has been reading and writing her entire life, though her love for romances turned serious at Chapman University in Southern California, where she took departmental honors for English. She began getting a paycheck for her writing when composing record reviews for a Beverly Hills-based dance music magazine, and working in promotions at LA-based KROQ-FM. She was also a music industry PA, fashion ramp model, night club DJ, special events coordinator, tour guide, and hotel group sales manager before returning to the thing she loves the most: creating character-based romantic fiction.
Angel has written for four publishing houses, and is also independently published. She most enjoys focusing on high heat and high concepts starring memorable alpha men and the women who love them. She has numerous book series to her credit, including the Suited for Sin series, the Cimarron Saga, the Temptation Court series, the Secrets of Stone series (with Victoria Blue), the Lords of Sin historicals, and the popular WILD Boys of Special Forces series, as well as several stand-alone titles. She has been selected as one of the launch authors for Waterhouse Press’s Misadventures Series, launching in Fall 2017.
Angel still lives in Southern California, where she is married to her soul mate and lives on a street that looks like Brigadoon, with their awesome daughter and Lady Claire, the dog with impeccable manners. When not writing, she enjoys reading, pop culture, alt rock, cute shoes, and being active in the outdoors.
Please reach out to Angel on social media! She loves to connect with readers!
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www.angelpayne.com
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