Fast

by Gillian Archer

  “Well first I asked for Wyatt’s permission. And then he blabbed to Rachel that I’d asked him, so it was kind of anticlimactic. At least you don’t have to worry about that with this one. She won’t tell anyone what you’re planning.”

  “But your brother has a big mouth.” Hope laughed from the doorway. “Because I heard that all the way down the hallway.”

  “Fuck,” Austin muttered.

  “Fbbbt.” Felicity blew a raspberry.

  “Seriously, Austin?” I shoved the ring box into my jeans pocket then held my hands out for my baby. “First you ruin my proposal and now you’re teaching my daughter curse words?”

  “That’s my cue to leave.” Austin all but tossed the baby to me, grabbed his leather jacket off his chair and refused to look at me as he pivoted around me and Felicity. “Congrats, Hope.”

  Her laughter trailed after him as he ducked and all but ran down the hallway. Her eyes were dancing as she faced us. “So can I see it!”

  “Uh uh. Fliss and I have a plan and it’s not gonna be ruined by my pain in the a-s-s brother.” Still holding our daughter, I bent down and gave Hope a quick kiss. Then I had to pull away when Felicity’s hands got tangled in Hope’s hair. We took a second and untangled everyone before Hope grabbed the diaper bag. “You sure you want to tie yourself down with this insane group?”

  Hope stepped into me and slid her free hand into my hair. Her lips brushed mine again in a tease of a kiss. “There’s nothing in this world that I want more.”

  Overwhelming love swamped me. I had everything I’d ever wanted in my arms at that moment. And I don’t think there would ever be a better time to pop the question. Shifting Felicity in my arms, I pulled the ring box out of my pocket.

  Hope gasped.

  Popping the box open, I dropped to a knee. “You have made me the happiest man on this whole earth. We have a gorgeous daughter who—even though she’s only six months old—I already know is brilliant. I have you, the love of my life, in my bed every night. And I hope and pray you won’t ever wake up and realize you can do so much better than me. I will do everything I can every day of my life to be worthy of you. Of both of you. I love you with everything I got. Will you marry us?”

  Felicity squealed and lunged for the proffered ring in my other hand.

  “Yes.” Hope dropped to her knees in front of us and cupped my face in her hands as she kissed me again. Pulling away with a grasping cry, she laughed. Tears welled in her eyes, but I wasn’t worried. I knew these were the best kind of tears. “I’ll marry you.”

  “Us,” I corrected, tipping my head toward Fliss. “We’re kind of a package deal.”

  Hope shook her head. “I remember where she came from. Kinda hard to forget that.”

  “Right.” I scanned the room for danger before letting Fliss loose in Austin’s office. But then this wasn’t the first time we’d commandeered his room. Felicity scooted toward the plush chair in the corner as I wrapped Hope in my arms. I kissed her again, harder and deeper than before until we both had to take a breather. “I love you.”

  “I love you more.” Hope looked down at the ring box still clutched in my hand and sighed. “Wow.”

  I slid the gleaming ring onto her finger. “An amazing ring for an amazing woman. I still can’t believe that you’re mine. I love you.”

  Tears streamed unabashedly down her cheeks. “You are amazing. And I remember what you said earlier—you are worthy. You are the only man for me. I love you so much, Ryan.” She shook her head and swiped at her eyes. “Thank you for giving me my family. I’ve finally found the place I belong and it’s with you. And Fliss. Thank you.”

  I closed my eyes and rested my head against hers. “You’re the one who’s given me everything. You’re the best mother for my daughter I could ever ask for. You’ve given me a family and a home that’s all ours, so thank you.”

  Hope pulled back and after a quick glance over her shoulder at our happy daughter who was currently trying to stuff the bottom of her shirt into her mouth, she gave me a quick peck. “Can we agree that we’re perfect for the other one and amazing in our own right?”

  I sighed. “I guess. Want to get home and celebrate our engagement with a little more privacy? Maybe knock another item off your sex bucket list?”

  “Sounds perfect. Let’s go.”

  The End

  Acknowledgements

  First, I have to thank you, the readers! I don’t have a job without you! I love hearing from you, how excited you are to read my books, and your eagerness for certain characters’ stories. You guys make my day with every email, FB message, and DM! You’re the reason why I do this! Thank you!

  To my awesome husband, Dave—Thank you for making my writing a priority. I love you and all the wonderful things you do for me—like wrangling the tiny human out of my office.

  To my kickass crit partner, Amy Isaman—Thank you for all the meetings over coffee and thoughtful feedback! You always keep me on track and true to my characters. And kick my ass to keep me motivated when I’m struggling. I hope I’m doing my share to keep you on track too.

  To Dawn Mangum who was so thorough with her ninja proofreading skills. Thank you! You’re awesome!

  To all my amazing author friends! Sasha Devlin, you hold my hand through all my freak outs. You talk me down when I get nutty and give me praise when I’m feeling down. I’d have a lot fewer books published without you in my life! And Stina Lindenblatt. You have been so awesome sharing all your self-published knowledge with me. You’ve given me so much with your friendship—I hope it’s been at least somewhat reciprocated! And Dayna Hart. You were so awesome with your edits! I loved and agreed with all your notes. Thanks for all your hard work!

  To all the book bloggers out there who helped spread the word about my Burns Brothers books—Jo, Kylie and the rest of the crew with Give Me Books, thanks so much for all your help! Readers can find my books because of what you guys do and that means everything. Thank you!

  Also By Gillian Archer

  Burns Brothers Series

  Build

  Fast

  Spark

  True Brothers MC Series

  Ruthless

  Rebellious

  Resilient

  Rough Ride

  HRH Series

  Reluctantly Royal

  Pleasure Code Series

  Wicked Weekend- Temporarily out of print

  Up In Knots

  Standalone Short

  King of Hearts .

  Bio

  GILLIAN ARCHER has a bachelor’s degree in mining engineering but prefers to spend her time on happily ever after. She writes the kind of stories she loves to read—the hotter the better! When she’s not pounding away on the keyboard, she can be found chasing her preschooler, or surfing the couch while indulging in her latest reality TV fixation, or reading awesome romance ebooks by her favorite authors. Gillian Archer lives in the wilds of Nevada with her amazing husband, gorgeous little girl, and goofy dog.

  gillianarcher.com

  GilliArcher@gmail.com

  Facebook.com/GillianArcherWrites

  Twitter: @gillianarcher

  Instagram @gilliarcher

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  Excerpt of SPARK

  Read on for an excerpt of

  Spark

  A Bad Boy’s Second Chance Romance

  Burns Brothers Series #3

  Coming April 2020

  Order your copy today

  Prologue

  Sabrina Wagner

  Iron Horse Tavern

  Sacramento, CA

  “You look gorgeous tonight, Sabrina.”

  Logan’s voice washed over me, mellow and smooth. Just like him. I pushed my pale blonde hair—except for the dyed pink tips—out of my eyes and refused to be charmed. Mostly. “I don’t know if that’s a compliment or not. I
t’s kinda dark out here.”

  We sat at one of the outdoor tables at the Tavern. Kinda on the sidewalk but still tucked back against the building in the corner. Logan had already paid the check since it was pretty close to closing time. With no one else at the nearby tables and the street quiet, it felt like our own private outdoor restaurant.

  Logan wrapped his arm around me and pulled me tight to his side. When he spoke, his voice was husky and spread goosebumps all over my body. “I know somewhere we can go that’s a whole hellofva lot darker than this. Christ, do you know what you do to me, angel?”

  I shivered as I leaned into him. The need in his voice had me wondering if he meant his apartment or the alley we’d walked through to get here tonight. I wouldn’t be opposed to the as soon as possible route. Being around Logan did that to me. I wasn’t usually a horny, desperate woman, but something about this man broke down all my inhibitions.

  And it sounded like it was mutual.

  I couldn’t stop the naughty smile curving my lips when I replied. “Maybe we should find that dark place you were talking about and you can show me what I do to you.”

  His large body curled even more into mine, shielding me, protecting me. Logan was such a big guy; I always felt like a delicate waif when he held me like this. His lips cruised down my neck as he rasped his teeth against my skin. “Fuck finding someplace else. How does here and now sound? Think the staff would mind if we put on a little floor show?”

  I groaned as my head fell back, giving him better access to that spot on my neck that he loved. And to be honest, I loved too. I was seriously debating his teasing words when the scrape of the chair across the table had me jumping.

  My shoulder nailed Logan under his jaw and his teeth snapped audibly. His muttered curse was drowned out by his two friends.

  “Are we interrupting?” Travis asked with a laugh as he took a seat across from us.

  “Yes.” Logan bit out with a glare. “Go away.”

  “Holy shit, Lo.” Jay laughed. “Were you gonna whip it out right here?”

  I muffled my laugh in Logan’s shirt. I know I should’ve been embarrassed, but I was used to being teased by my family, and Logan’s friends reminded me of them. Besides Jay was right—Logan had mentioned putting on a floor show. I had zero willpower to say no to this man. Not that I’d ever wanted to. Thank God his friends arrived when they did. My shoulders shook with my suppressed laughter.

  “Not cool, bro. Apologize to Sabrina,” Logan replied, wrapping an arm around my huddled form. “Now.”

  Jay rolled his eyes. “Sorry, Sabrina.”

  “I’m not crying; I’m laughing.” I bit my lip and smiled up at Logan. “You had threatened to put on a floor show. It’s a good thing your friends arrived when they did.”

  “Says you.” Logan ducked his head and kissed the tip of my nose before turning back to glare at his friends. “We’re busy. Get lost.”

  “I take it you’re not up for hitting Public School like we’d planned?” Jay tilted his head as an angry spark lit his eyes. “It’s our last night, remember?”

  Last night? Before I could even question that, Logan sat back with a sigh.

  “Right. Where’s Vanessa?” Logan asked, referring to Jay’s girlfriend I’d met a few times.

  “She’s sitting this one out. Morning sickness.” Jay smirked.

  “What?” Logan shouted. “Congrats, man. Wait, we’re happy about this, right?”

  Jay shrugged. “I guess. The timing’s not great since we’re leaving tomorrow, but we’ll be back way before the baby comes. It’s only for the summer, right? She’ll barely even be showing by the time we get back.”

  “Leaving tomorrow? For the summer?” I repeated with a frown. “What’s he talking about? Are you going somewhere too, Logan?”

  “Fuck,” Travis muttered, shoving Jay in the shoulder. “I think that’s our cue to leave, Jay.”

  “You haven’t told her?” Jay frowned.

  “No, dipshit. Clearly.”

  “Right.” Jay jumped up from his chair with a grimace. “Hey, you know me. Share the love. If I’m not getting any tonight, you shouldn’t either.”

  “That’s called cockblocking, not sharing the love.” Travis stood and shoved Jay playfully. “Dipshit. Sorry, Lo. We’ll get out of your hair. Have a nice night, Sabrina.”

  “Thanks,” I mumbled in confusion and embarrassment.

  “Fuck.” Logan scrubbed a hand over his brow.

  “What were they talking about, Logan?” A ball of nerves swirled in my belly. Why did everyone but me know what was going on?

  “I was going to tell you before dinner, but then you were looking so gorgeous, and I just didn’t want to ruin the night.” He dropped his hand and gave me an apologetic look. “I’m heading off tomorrow. Travis, Jay, and I got on with a hotshot crew fighting wildland fires. We’re going to make crazy money for just a few months’ work. Should be epic.”

  “Epic,” I repeated weakly. Right. Here I thought we were building to an actual relationship and he had signed on to go wherever the wind blew—literally. “How long have you known about this?”

  He shrugged. “We applied back in the fall, but we just got our official orders yesterday. We’re shipping out to Washington State tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow,” I repeated numbly.

  Logan’s lips curved in that smile that always made me feel like I was the most important girl in the world. Although with this news, it certainly didn’t feel that way now. “Hey, don’t look at me like that. This isn’t goodbye. I’m just not gonna be around the next few months. And when I get back, we can pick up right where we left off.”

  I couldn’t help but feel like a hell of a lot was wrong when he hadn’t told me any of this was on the horizon. We’d only been dating two months. I knew he’d been taking classes at the community college to get a certificate in fire sciences, but I didn’t know he’d be leaving to use it. I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, but a large part of me was hurt that he’d waited until the eleventh hour to tell me any of it.

  And technically he’d only told me after his friends had backed him into a corner.

  “Right.” I whispered.

  Logan bent forward and kissed the tip of my nose. “I’ll be back before you know it, angel. You ready to get out of here and find that dark spot?”

  I nodded tightly and let him hold my hand as we wove through the tangle of tables and chairs.

  Despite his pretty words, it felt like a goodbye.

  Chapter One

  Sabrina

  Two years later

  Badass Builds

  I never had been one to believe that ghosts were real, but one was clearly walking across our parking lot. Although Ryan had told me he was coming today, I still hadn’t really believed it. There had to be countless Logan Carters in the world. What were the chances that my Logan Carter was the same one who was coming to quote a new fire system?

  I had maybe thirty seconds to steel my pounding heart and then he was pulling the front door open.

  Logan’s large body took up more of the shop’s lobby than any man I’d ever seen before. He was tall—a good 6’3 at least—and his broad, muscular frame filling the room with his presence, not to mention his fantastic scent.

  He still smelled the same.

  My heart fluttered in my chest as memories swamped over me. I didn’t know what to say to him. How did I start a conversation with someone who’d successfully avoided me for two years?

  Before I could figure it out, he whipped off his sunglasses, clipping them on his shirt collar and gave me a vacant smile. “Hi, I have an appointment with Austin Burns.”

  Was he seriously going to pretend that he didn’t know me? That I hadn’t seen his naked body and kissed almost every inch of it? “Wha—”

  “Is that not the right name?” He pulled his phone out of his back pocket and thumbed through the screen. “Yeah, Austin Burns. I’m here to quote a new fire suppression
system for the workshop, offices, and paint shed.”

  I blinked. “Logan? Are you seriously going to pretend that you don’t know me?”

  “Have we met?” His eyes flicked from mine to the wall behind me to the floor.

  A wave of heat swept over my body, and not the sexy kind of heat. Embarrassment. Betrayal. Sadness. Wow. I’d never been ghosted live and in person before. Was that even the right phrase for this situation?

  I didn’t know what to say. He’d made it so awkward to call him out. Hi, yeah. We slept together for two months before you disappeared and never called me back. He’d forgotten all about me? Was I just one in a crowd of too many women to remember? He hadn’t striked me as the man-whore type. Had I ever really known this man?

  “Is Austin in?” He tried to give me that same vacant smile, but this time it came across as more of a sneer—something about it just looked angry. And he still avoided my eyes as he asked for my cousin.

  I wanted to be pissed, but then he turned to shove his phone back in his pocket, revealing the huge scar of melted skin that his new, heavy scruff couldn’t conceal since no hair grew on his scarred skin. It ran from his left ear down his neck, disappearing under his shirt.

  I couldn’t hide my gasp.

  I’d read all about the horrific accident that summer that took the lives of seven members of a local hotshot crew. I’d called and called and called Logan, but he’d never answered. And the hospital in Washington refused to tell me anything due to HIPAA laws. Stupid privacy regulations. I’d watched the news, desperate for information on the victims and was relieved when I didn’t recognize any of the names posted. But Logan had clearly been in that accident.