by Ana Leigh
“Why was this time different, Mike?”
“When I made love to you, Ann, I defied every principle I’d lived by since I joined the Agency—I let my personal needs affect my duty. You once accused me of putting my professional reputation ahead of anything else in my life. You were right. That and the men in the squad had been my only focus until you entered my life. Ann, I would have thrown it all up for grabs if there’d been somewhere I could have taken you and known you’d be safe forever. Instead, I had to try to hold on to the only structure I knew and could rely on—training, objectivity and discipline. And when I realized I was in love with you, all three went down the tube.”
Her quick gasp was as much of a turn-on to him as the glow in her luminous eyes. “Did you say you’re in love with me?”
“Did you actually believe I thought you were just another woman I had sex with? Another one-night stand? How could you think that night didn’t mean anything to me? Of course I’m in love with you, Ann. Why do you think I’ve been making an ass of myself?”
“Oh, Mike!” She threw her arms around his neck, and he pulled her tighter and kissed her.
His body erupted with sensation. Just like their first time. Instant. Hot. Her soft, rounded curves molded to the hardened angles of his, and their mouths and tongues worked in tandem.
Lord how he needed her. Had thought of nothing else for a month except how she felt in his arms. How she tasted. How she smelled. Her smile. Her walk. The sound of her voice.
He was so hard and ready he hoped he could make it to her bedroom. He had to break the kiss or he’d end up flying solo without her.
“Why? Why didn’t you say so sooner?” she asked breathlessly.
Thirty days was too long for any red-blooded man to be apart from the woman he loved. Answers could come later. Right now time was critical.
Mike swept her up in his arms. “So which door is yours?”
“I’d better get out of here and let you get some sleep,” Mike said later.
“No, don’t leave, Mike. Not yet.”
“What if Brandon wakes up? I don’t want him to find us in bed together. I never liked the idea of single mothers with live-in boyfriend
“You’re such a fraud, Bishop. Despite all that cocky womanizing you profess to indulge in, you’re an old-fashioned moralist at heart,” she said contentedly, and laid her head on his chest. “But I agree. We won’t make love when he’s around.”
“I have to go back to D.C. tomorrow anyway.”
“There’s no reason why you can’t stay tonight. I’ll put you up on the coach. Brandon won’t think anything of it. He’s used to having you around.
“I wish you could stay longer though.” Ann raised her head and tried to appear casual. “Has your arm healed well enough for you to get back on a mission?”
He wove his fingers through her hair. “I’ve always been a quick healer.”
“That’s good,” she said. She laid her head back down on his chest. “How long do you expect to be gone?”
“I should be able to come back next weekend and we can get married.”
She popped up her head again. “Are you proposing?”
“Or better yet. Why don’t you and Brandon come back to D.C. with me tomorrow and we can find a place for all of us?”
Things were moving too swiftly to keep up with them. She had to slow down and start sorting them out.
“Mike, slow up. Let’s not rush into anything.”
He misread her intent. “I guess I did take it for granted you’d feel the same way about us as I do. I remember you did say once that you’d never marry a man who lived on the edge like I did—”
“I wasn’t in love with you at the time. That’s all changed. Now I can’t think of being without you. What I meant is we shouldn’t rush into marriage. I know with your job you have to stay focused when you’re on a mission. Look what happened in your cabin. And it would be worse with a wife and family hanging around your neck. So you don’t have to marry me, Mike. I’ll settle for any time we can have together. Wife or mistress.”
He cupped her cheek in his hand. “You’d do that for me, Violet Eyes?”
She kissed his palm. “I love you, Mike.” She settled back down on his chest again. His arm tightened around her.
“Do you think we can make it with love, Ann?” he asked solemnly. “Lord knows I’m a hell of a prospect for a husband, sweetheart, but if love is any help, I have enough to last us a lifetime.”
“That’s all I’ll ever ask of you, my love.”
“This is a good time to tell you that I’ve changed some of my thinking, too. In the past month I came to the conclusion that a life of intrigue and danger could never stack up to spending the rest of my life with you and Brandon. So I made a career change.”
She sat up, distressed. “Mike, don’t tell me you left the CIA?”
“No, but with Waterman gone the Agency was looking for someone to fill his p. They offered it to me and I accepted. Dave’s been moved up to squad leader.”
“Mike, you did that because of me. I won’t let you do it. You’ll be miserable behind a desk.”
“Misery was these past thirty days without you. I can’t go through that again.”
“It wasn’t exactly a holiday for me, either,” she said.
“I’m sorry, honey,” he said. “I knew you hated the work I was in, and thought I’d be doing you a favor by getting out of your life. But I couldn’t stay away any longer.”
“Thank God,” she said, burying her head against his chest.
“For a long time I’ve wanted something more in life than what I had, Ann. I found out what it was when you came into my life.” He pulled her back down and kissed her. “Baby, no job is worth giving up the chance to come home to you every night,” he said tenderly.
“Any more than me thinking I could put a desire for peace of mind ahead of who or what my heart desires,” she said. “I guess we both learned a lesson about love. But are you sure this is what you want, Mike? You’re the one making the sacrifice, so whenever you feel you want to go back to the excitement of your other life, I’ll understand.”
And she meant it, too, because nothing could mar her happiness now. She had Mike and Brandon. “So it looks like Brandon and I will be moving to Washington?”
“There or Virginia. Do you mind, Ann? That’s where my job is. Barney told me you’ve cleared up all the legal matters concerning Brandon.”
“Yes.” She looked up at him, her eyes glowing with happiness. “I’m legally his mother now. The adoption papers were signed last week.” With a delightful chuckle she added. “And are you aware I have a very wealthy son? The extent of Clayton’s wealth even astounded me. I had it all transferred into a trust until Brandon’s twenty-five. When he’s about eighteen, he’ll probably want to strangle me for not allowing him to get his hands on it sooner.”
“You did right, Ann.”
Her sigh of contentment belied her words. “Here I go. Packing up again. It’s going to be hard to tell Barney I won’t be coming back to work.”
“The first crisis already.” He chuckled. “Honey, you don’t have to give up your career if you don’t want to. Barney said he can set up shoots in D.C. for you.”
She frowned. “You spoke to Barney about this?”
Mike looked uncomfortable. “A little bit.” He got out of bed hastily and pulled on his jeans. “Where do you keep the sheets? I’ll shift to the couch.”
“When?” She climbed out of bed and put on her robe.
“Now. I’ll get out of here so you can get some sleep.”
“You know that’s not what I mean. When did you speak to Barney?”
“Earlier tonight. Before came here.”
“Why did you go to see Barney?” She was feeling more suspicious by the moment.
“Barney and I have a business arrangement.”
“What kind of business arrangement? Mike Bishop, what aren’t you telling me?”
“And what did you agree to do in return?” she asked.
“Sign off on those pictures you took of me.”
“You showed him those pictures! Oh, Mike, what will this do to your career if your face is splashed all over billboards and magazines?”
“Kind of sealed my fate. Looks like I’ll be cushioned behind that desk for a long time. Probably could never go back to field work even if I wanted to.”
Then he broke out into a wide grin, picked her up and swung her around. “Guess that means you’re stuck with me for life, Violet Eyes.”
Chapter 28
The following week in a private ceremony in Washington, D.C., attended only by Barney Hailey, Jeff Baker and the five members of the Dwarf Squad, Ann and Mike pledged their marriage vows as Brandon stood between them holding a hand of each of them.
When the preacher pronounced them man and wife, the youngster beamed with happiness as he looked up and saw the new father kiss the new mother God had sent him.
Across the room, arms folded across his barrel chest, Jeff Baker had listened and watched the whole proceedings with a disgruntled frown on his beefy countenance. He finally shook his head and grumbled, “It’s not gonna work.”
“With your permission, sir, I disagree,” Dave Cassidy said. “Mike and Ann are made for each other.”
“Just the same, the whole thing sucks. I’ve lost one of the best agents I’ve ever had in the field. No offense, Agent Cassidy. I’m sure you’ll be as effective a squad leader as Bishop will be as my deputy secretary,” Baker said.
“Well then, if you’re sincere, sir, why do you have these reservations?”
“Because this isn’t how the story ended. Snow White is supposed to marry Prince Charming. Not Grumpy.”
Baker scratched his head and, perplexed, the gruff, seasoned ex-Marine, heralded secretary general of RATCOM—the Rescue and Anti-Terrorist Division of the CIA—glanced at the Dwarf Squad’s new leader standing beside him.
“And I’m Prince Charming—ain’t I?”
ISBN: 978-1-4268-7764-3
FACE OF DECEPTION
Copyright © 2004 by Anna Lee Baier
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*Bishop’s Heroes
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28