THE GUARDIAN (Taskforce Series) (45 page)

“Baby, you don’t ever need to compare yourself to her.”

“I know. I’m just curious.”

Jackson
sighed. Even in the gathering dusk, there was no mistaking the grief that cloaked him, still. “Colleen was a warm and carefree spirit, like Naomi is. She used to accuse me of being cold. And it was hard for her to tolerate negativity. Everything about my life seemed negative to her—the war, me being gone all the time. It sucked her down. To stay afloat, she drank. And, in the end, it killed her.”

“Oh,
Jackson
, I would never call you cold,”
Lena
assured him.

He smiled down at her. “You have a distinctly thawing effect on me,” he drawled.

“And you should know by now that I can handle negativity.”

He twisted his upper body so that they were sitting face to face. In the purplish light his eyes resembled amethysts as he lifted a hand to cup her face. “You’re the strongest woman I know. It’s just one of the hundreds of traits about you that enthralls me. In fact...” He thought for a minute then slipped a hand inside his pants pocket. “I’ve been waiting for the perfect moment to do this, and if I wait any longer, I just know you’re going to beat me to it.”

Lena
eyed the diamond solitaire glinting between his thumb and forefinger in disbelief. “
Jackson
!” she exclaimed.

“Will you marry me,
Lena
?” he asked her intently.

Stunned, she said the first thing to pop into her head. “We’ve only known each other for a couple of months. And two weeks of that time, I thought your name was Abdul.”

“So that’s a
no
?”  Sounding not the least bit put out, he gave a shrug and started to put the ring away.

“Wait! Can’t I at least look at it?” Her heart was pounding with elation.
Jackson
had managed to catch her utterly by surprise
.

“It’s too dark for you to really see it,” he insisted, but there was laughter in his voice.

“Please!” Now that she found herself considering marriage, she couldn’t see what was holding them back. Certainly, she was in the midst of making a career change, but having decided to write the book about prison conversion, after all, her new job allowed for flexibility.
Jackson
was moving to a new gated community into a house big enough to accommodate all of them. The Five Percent Nation faced aggressive dismantling across the nation, making the specter of reprisal far less fearful than it might have been, even if Ike Calhoun had not taken measures to ensure his team members’ safety. Lena gave
Jackson
’s arm a shake. “I just wasn’t ready. Ask me again, now that I'm prepared.”

“How about I put it on you and then I ask?” He reached for her left hand. “I’d get down on one knee, but then I might never get back up again.”

“Don’t you dare even try,” she warned him, as the glimmering ring slid coolly up her fourth finger. “Oh, I love it,” she breathed.

The sweet air, the unexpected surprise, the integrity of the gorgeous man asking to link his life and hers forever—she’d never felt more joyfully intoxicated. “Yes, I'll marry you,” she cried, throwing her arms around him.

He chuckled in her ear. “I know one young lady who’ll be pleased with the news.”

Lena
gasped and pulled back. “Let’s get married here!” she suggested, harking back to a playful suggestion made by Naomi earlier that week.

Jackson
frowned. “I don’t know. My parents got married here. Wouldn’t it be bad luck to follow in their footsteps?”

“Don’t be absurd. If we marry at home, it’ll be a nightmare. You’ve seen the movie
My Big, Fat Greek Wedding
, right? Trust me, my parents will settle for nothing less.” She clutched his arm, paralyzed by the pictures in her head. “Oh,
Jackson
, we have to elope.”

“Naomi can’t miss another week of school,” he pointed out. “Besides, I kind of like the idea of a big, fat Greek wedding.”

Lena
groaned. Her mother would demand a three-hour Greek Orthodox church service followed by a lavish reception with at least five courses that would cost her parents so much money, they’d end up taking out a second mortgage on their home to pay for it. It would be so much easier just to show up at their doorstep already married.

On the other hand, how could she deprive her parents the joy of marrying off their only living daughter? If Alexa were alive, she’d have gladly indulged their parents, but she wasn’t. At least
Davis
was rotting in jail now to atone for that sad fact. “I suppose you’re right,” she conceded with a sigh.

Jackson
grinned at her doleful expression. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. You’ll survive the nuptials. And then I’ll sweep you away on another enchanting vacation like this one.”

The thought immediately consoled her. “Where to this time?”

“How does the French Riviera sound?”

He’d won this round hands down. “You’re such a good man, Jackson.”

Novels by Marliss Melton

The Taskforce Series

The Protector
(June 2011)

The Guardian
(July 2012

The Enforcer
—coming 2013:

When the Taskforce s
uspects a militia in
West Virginia
is behind the bombing of
federal buildings, Special Agent Tobias Burke goes undercover wi
th his bomb-sniffing dog to
incriminat
e the militia’s leader
. Toby is prepared to play the role of a disgruntled veteran and to seduce
former l
ieutenant Dylan Connelly, if that’s what it takes to
prove her
guilt.
But fiery-haired Dylan is unlike any woman Toby has ever encountered. Determined, intelligent, and achingly vulnerable, she
sparks a white-hot desire in Toby to
posses her, body and soul. As the evidence against the militia stacks higher, Toby must choose between loyalty to his country and
attempting to
prove Dylan’s innocence.

Team Twelve Navy SEALs Series

Forget Me Not
(Dec, 2004)

In the Dark
(June, 2005)

Time to Run
(Feb, 2006)

Next to Die
(August 2007)

Don’t Let Go
(April, 2008)

Too Far Gone
(Nov, 2008)

Show No Fear
(Sept, 2009)

Coming Soon

Long Gone
(Novella)

Hot Spots

Author Bio

Marliss Melton
is the author of nine gripping, counterterrorist/romantic suspense novels, including a 7-book Navy SEALs series and continuing with “The Taskforce Series.” She
relies on her experience as a military spouse and on her many contacts in the Spec Ops and Intelligence communities to pen realistic and heartfelt stories about
America
's most elite warrior
s and fearless agency heroes.
Daughter of a
U.S.
foreign officer, Melton grew up in various countries overseas. She has taught English, Spanish, ESL, and Linguistics at the
College
of
William
and Mary, her alma mater. She lives near
Virginia Beach
with her husband, young daughter, and four college-aged children.
Be sure to
“friend” Marliss on Facebook!
Visit
www.marlissmelton.com
for more information.