Dark Moon (26 page)
Authors: Rebecca York
“That must have been . . . awkward.”
He laughed. “It was. But Frank’s a guy who rolls with the punches. He accepted me.” His gaze turned thoughtful. “Actually, he was like a father to me. Maybe that was because he’d lost Karen, and that left a gap in his life.”
Emma nodded.
“Unfortunately, my own father’s someone you don’t want to spend much time with, but Frank treated me like a son. Before I met him, I was in a dead-end job, working for a wilderness outfitter company. He saw the potential in me. He paid for my college education—and a masters in criminal justice.”
“I didn’t know.”
“Well, that’s one reason I’m so loyal to him. The other is that he had more faith in me than I had in myself.”
“I understand. But I think he also knew that he’d be getting an outstanding operative. He knew you’d be a fantastic addition to Decorah Security.
“I know that, too. Working for him gave me a focus that I never had before.”
She squeezed his hand.
“He knew I’d be right for this assignment. Then I found out he was sending you, and my heart lurched.”
“It worked out.” She met his gaze. “Because we’re an excellent team. He understood that, too. Not just for this assignment.”
“I’m thinking he was hoping he could get us together. And he didn’t know he was damn near getting us killed.”
She settled down beside him, burrowing close.
He held on to her, knowing how lucky he was to have her. They still had problems to iron out. But they would, because they both wanted the relationship to work.
“I used to wonder why you hadn’t paired up with anyone,” he murmured.
“No one was right for me. Dominant men reminded me of my father. And the nice guys were boring.”
“I’m not a nice guy?”
“Nicer than I thought you’d be.”
“Thanks. Does that mean you’ll marry me?”
“I thought I’d never marry,” she murmured. “I thought my life would be all about my job.” She turned her head toward him. “Amazing how quickly that changed.”
“That’s a yes?” he asked, wanting to nail down the answer.
“Yes.”
He held her tightly as he asked. “But you want to keep working?”
“Are you going to object to that?”
“I won’t stop you. But I’ll be biting my claws if you get into anything like the
Windward
assignment again.”
“No more than I’ll worry about you.”
‘We don’t have to settle everything now,” he said. “Just so I know you belong to me—and I belong to you.”
“I like it that you included the last part.”
He reached for her hand. “There’s no other woman I want. There never will be again. Only you. My lifemate.”
“Yes.”
“We’ve got time off, and I don’t want to waste any of it.” He rose up, looking down at her and grinning. “That feather thing is pretty sexy, even if it is a cat toy. Want to see how it feels?”
She grinned back. “Are you going to tie me to the bed?”
“Do you want to be tied?”
“I think I do, but maybe we should have some rules for how we proceed.”
“Agreed. Now what else do you have in that bag of tricks you bought?”
“Like you said, we’ve got time to find out.”
“The rest of our lives,” he answered. He had never felt happier in his life, never more grounded, never more content. With his lifemate at his side, everything had changed. In ways he was only beginning to understand.
THE END
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Rebecca York delivers page-turning suspense.
—Nora Roberts
Rebecca York never fails to deliver. Her strong characterizations, imaginative plots and sensuous love scenes have made fans of thousands of romance, romantic suspense and thriller readers.
—Chassie West
Rebecca York will thrill you with romance, kill you with danger and chill you with the supernatural.
—Patricia Rosemoor
(Rebecca York) is a real luminary of contemporary series romance
—Michael Dirda, The Washington Post Book World
Rebecca York’s writing is fast-paced, suspenseful, and loaded with tension.
—Jayne Ann Krentz
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A USA Today Best-Selling Author, Rebecca York is a 2011 recipient of the Romance Writers of America Centennial Award. Her career has focused on romantic suspense, often with paranormal elements.
Her 16 Berkley books and novellas include her nine-book werewolf “Moon” series. KILLING MOON was a launch book for the Berkley Sensation imprint. She has written 50 books for Harlequin Intrigue, many in her popular 43 Light Street series. Her recent releases include DARK WARRIOR for Berkley and DARK MAGIC for Carina Press. Two Harlequin Intrigues, SUDDEN INSIGHT and SUDDEN ATTRACTION, will be published early in 2012.
She has written for Harlequin, Berkley, Dell, Tor, Carina Press, and Pageant Books.
Her many awards include two Rita finalist books. She has two Career Achievement awards from Romantic Times: for Series Romantic Suspense and for Series Romantic Mystery. And her Peregrine Connection series won a Lifetime Achievement Award for Romantic Suspense Series.
Many of her novels have been nominated for or won RT Reviewers Choice awards. In addition, she has won a Prism Award, several New Jersey Romance Writers Golden Leaf awards and numerous other chapter awards.
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Web site: http://www.RebeccaYork.com
Facebook: Ruth Glick
Twitter: rebeccayork43
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http://rebeccayork.com/index.php?p=1_5_The-Books
