Keeping His Promise: A When It Happens Novella, Book 2 (12 page)

“Then let’s get out there,” he growled softly, running his hand up her back, “because the sooner we do, the sooner we can go. And then I’m taking your sweet little ass home with me and fucking you until neither one of us can stand.”

She flicked him an eager look from under her lashes. “Promise?”

His dark eyes gleamed. “Anything,” he told her, his grin so wicked it had her flushing with heat. “Whatever the fuck you want.”

Natalie laughed as she gave him a tender kiss, then grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the door. As they walked back out into the restaurant, joining their family and friends, she had the biggest freaking smile on her face, and she knew she’d never looked happier. And as she glanced up at Sean, it made her go all warm and gooey inside to see that it was the same for him, his smile so gorgeous it stole her breath.

God, had she actually thought she was unlucky? What an idiot she’d been.

It just didn’t get any luckier than this.

She had a blast chatting with his mom and meeting his friends, and then introducing him to hers. They drank and nibbled at the mouthwatering buffet, enjoying the ribbings they got from their friends—especially Sophie and Chris, who were already making plans for them all to go on vacation together. And knowing the guys, it would no doubt be someplace tropical, with lots of sunshine and killer waves.

Then she and her man hit the dance floor, and they’d just finished dancing to the first slow song that the band played—the way he’d held her close and whispered filthy things in her ear making her body thrum with arousal—when he gave her a wicked look, and said, “Thirty minutes, and then we’re out of here.”

“Uh-uh,” she murmured, hugging him close as she breathed in his delicious scent. “We have to stay for another hour, at least.”

“Fuck, I can’t wait that long,” he rumbled against her lips, tasting her with his tongue.

“You have to. Because I paid a ton of cash for this shindig, and we’re not wasting it.”

He quickly drew his head back, his blue eyes narrowed with concern. “You
what
?”

She kept her gaze locked tight with his, wanting him to see just how much she meant what she was about to say. “The manager refused to give me a discount, since it was such short notice. But I don’t care, because this was worth it. Who needs Bora Bora when they’ve got you?”

Shoving one of his big hands back through his hair, he growled, “Fuck! You didn’t.”

Reaching up, Natalie cupped his beautiful face in her hands. “I did, and I’m happy, because this was a better use of that money than any trip could ever be. You’re
that
important to me.”

That seemed to make him need to kiss the hell out of her all over again, this time in front of the entire freaking restaurant—not that she was complaining. It was a big kiss too, with her bent back over his arm, her hands in his hair, and before she knew it, he was smiling against her lips, while the cheers of the crowd echoed all around them.

And later, after they’d laughed and talked with their family and friends some more, and had once again found their way onto the dance floor, wrapped up in each other’s arms, he said, “I never told you what Jonah made me promise.”

Her breath caught at the mesmerizing look in his eyes. “What was it?”

His throat worked as he swallowed, his hands gripping her hips so tightly she knew she’d be able to see the marks there later—which she loved. “I had to promise him that I would actually give the right woman a chance, if I ever managed to find her, and do whatever it took to make her a part of my life.”

She gave a completely dreamy, girly sigh.
“Oh.”

“And I have,” he murmured, his words affecting her just as strongly as the breathtaking way he was looking at her. “I’ve found her, and I’m keeping her.”

“Good, because she feels the exact same way about you.”

He reached up and swept his thumb over her cheek, his face so close she could feel the warmth of his breath against her sensitive lips. “I’ve told you before, Natalie. When I make a promise, I keep it.”

“And what promise are you making now?” she asked with a warm smile, thinking this was the sweetest, most wonderful night of her life.

He leaned down and whispered the words in her ear, making her smile so wide that it hurt, her eyes burning with a hot, happy rush of tears.

Oh, yeah
, she thought.
I can so live with that.

Her man made the most beautiful, wicked promises that she could have ever imagined, and Nat knew that with Sean by her side, in her life, and in her heart, she wasn’t just lucky.

She was the luckiest girl in the world.

M
any
, many thanks for purchasing this eBook!

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Thank you!!! :)

P
USHING
HIS LUCK

S
he’s
a single mom with too many troubles to count.

He’s a detective who plays as hard as he works.

On paper, they would never work.

But in the flesh…

Well, things are about to get interesting.

F
ortune cookies could be
such a bitch.

Then again, so could best friends. Especially ones who were determined to make you go for your dreams, no matter how much of a loser you felt like for even having them.

As a heartfelt sigh slipped past her lips, Sophie Ward slumped back against the padded booth in her favorite Chinese restaurant in downtown San Diego, the remnants of her crumbled cookie forgotten as she looked across the table at her best friend, Natalie Richards. Nat’s red hair shone bright beneath the paper lantern light suspended above their booth, her dark eyes narrowed with determination. “I mean it, Soph. I am done with your waffling bullshit. You need to make your move before one of those leeches in your lab manages to sink their claws into him.”

“Leeches are suckers, not clawers,” she murmured with a smirk.

Nat didn’t even crack a smile. “You know what I mean, smart ass. You need to stop dreaming, and start
doing
.”

With a frustrated groan, she lowered her gaze back to the wrinkled fortune she’d dropped on the table.
Today is the day to take what you want
.

Sophie would have loved to have the courage to do just that, and she probably would have, if she looked like Nat. Like a freaking forties starlet. Instead, she was tiny to the point of petite, with boring brown hair and brown eyes and stupid freckles on her pale, impish nose. She looked like...like, well, like the nerdy scientist that she was. A pixie-sized tomboy with a brain. Whereas the object of her intense, frustrating, angst-ridden office crush was the most rugged, masculine, insanely sexy-assed man she’d ever seen or met or even read about.

Chris Riley did it for her in so many ways it wasn’t even funny — and yet, despite the lust that probably glazed her eyes whenever she looked at him, they were that dreaded B-word:
buddies
. The kind who sat in the twenty-fifth floor employee café together at the world-renowned Blackwood Research Institute — where she worked in one of the specialized labs and he held the prestigious position of Chief of Security — talking sports and movies while they shared their morning and afternoon coffee breaks.

Considering the number of times they’d sat at one of the café’s tables near its wall of windows and just chatted in the four months since he’d taken the position at the institute, the guy had had more than enough opportunities to take his shot with Sophie if he was interested. Which meant that he wasn’t. Not even a little. Not even on a subatomic level. Hell, he’d never even tried to meet up with her outside of work. The only reason he had her phone number was because he sometimes texted her if he was going to be late or miss his coffee break.

Reaching for her diet cola, she took a long swallow, wishing like crazy it were an oversized margarita instead. But she had to be back in her lab in the next twenty minutes, which meant there would be no “liquid courage” for her today.

Setting her glass back down, she glared at Natalie. “Why are you so determined I make a fool of myself, anyway? I mean, aren’t you the same woman who sat here for the last half-hour complaining about all the cheating guys you watch traipsing in and out of Manolo’s every week?”

Going to San Diego State during the day for her business degree, Natalie worked nights at the popular Del Mar restaurant as a bartender to pay the bills. She was kickass at her job, but her faith in healthy, committed relationships was rapidly dwindling thanks to the things she witnessed there on a regular basis. So for the moment, Nat had sworn off men and was glad to be single. But for some hare-brained reason, the instant Sophie had read her fortune out loud, Nat had decided it was a “sign” that Sophie’s own personal life needed a swift kick in the backside. And her best friend knew precisely who had been playing front and center in Sophie’s fantasies.

Crossing her arms on the table, Nat leaned forward and answered the question. “I’ll tell you why I’m so determined, Soph. Because I don’t think that’s what would happen if you asked Chris Riley out on a date. I think that sexy stud would jump at the chance to go out with you.”

Sophie snorted. “And you think this bizarre piece of nonsense why?”

Nat slammed her palms down on the table so loudly that it made Sophie and just about everyone else in the restaurant jump. “Because it’s not nonsense! Chris Riley isn’t like that asshole group of jocks you went to school with. Yeah, they acted like jerks and made shitty comments about you, but that’s because they were intimidated as hell by you, Soph. The issues were theirs, not yours. Chris is a grown man and he’s your friend. And just because you can’t see what a cute piece of ass you are doesn’t mean that he can’t!”

Oh, man. It was crazy, how badly she wanted to believe that. But it wasn’t true. Despite what Nat had said about the jerks she’d had trouble with at school, it was just one of those fundamental rules in the battle between the sexes. Guys like Chris Riley were never attracted to girls like her. The hunky ex-jock never fell for the geeky smart chick unless it was in some blockbuster rom-com that gave women unrealistic expectations and dreams.

And yet, she knew there was more to Chris than just a gorgeous face, killer body and successful career. More than anything in the world, she wished he could see that there was
more
to her, as well. That beneath her quirky exterior was a hot-blooded woman who needed him so badly it was slowly driving her insane…

H
ere’s
a little about me and my career so far...

I have a wonderful husband who's a Brit and who does all the cooking despite his busy schedule, two great kids who always make me laugh, two crazy but loveable dogs, and I am a California transplant in the most beautiful part of the UK. I love books, music, art, travel, museums, beaches, sunshine, good food, Pearl Jam concerts, movies, a clean house, and last but not least, spending time with my insanely loud but awesome family.

As for my work, I feel incredibly lucky to be able to do something that's both fun and creative—and that I completely love—for a living. I started writing fulltime a decade ago, and I'm now the bestselling author of more than thirty contemporary erotic and paranormal romance titles, including the Dangerous Tides series and the Bloodrunners series. I've published books with Berkley Heat, HQN, Harlequin Nocturne, Headline Eternal, Ellora's Cave, and I'm thrilled to finally be able to dive into the exciting world of self-publishing!  

You can find Rhyannon at:

• @RhyByrd
  
• RhyannonByrd