Sophie Dean has
worked long and hard to shed the rock-n-roll bad girl reputation she earned at
college. With her rebellious days behind her, Sophie now uses the prestige of
the Dean family name and money to bankroll humanitarian aid. The only part of
her past she can’t leave behind is the major crush she has on Finn Jenkins.
When danger from an unknown quarter threatens Sophie’s latest undertaking and
she needs protection, fate steps in and delivers a second chance with Finn.
He's fought his feelings for too long…
When Finn
returns home after two tours of duty as a Navy SEAL, it doesn’t take long to
realize he still has feelings for Sophie, who is no longer the irresponsible
young woman he walked away from all those years ago. An assignment to escort
Sophie and an orphaned Pakistani boy to the Pacific Northwest should have been
an easy mission—and it’s the perfect opportunity to get re-acquainted with
Sophie and finally confess how he feels. But when someone threatens the orphan
in their care, Sophie and Finn must set aside their feelings to save the
child’s life…and their own.
Together, they’ll have to risk it all.
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Excerpt
Sophie
perused him carefully. She tracked his entire body from his overgrown military
haircut to his favorite boots. It was good that SEALs had incredible mastery
over their bodies or her baby blues lingering on his stomach and groin would be
a problem, a very specific problem that sparked to life with the hope of having
her full attention.
“Let me
translate Finn speak. You probably have twenty to thirty stitches and it is a
big deal.”
Despite his
intensive training—and practice—in lying under interrogation, he never got
anything past this meddling woman. And why did he hope she’d always be meddling
in his life? “Soph, all you need to know is that I’m fine. Unless, of course
you want to play nurse and examine me?”
Sophie’s
eyes widened, her forehead furrowed as she tugged on her pillow soft lower lip.
“Nice try, Jenkins. I know you’d never let me near you.”
Finn
couldn’t breathe. His heart rate ratcheted up five knots. The way Sophie said
it was like a question, not her usually flippant “whatever” tone. Was she
hoping for a different answer than his usual? A man could dream.
She brushed
away a curl that had fallen out the ponytail she’d pulled her hair into. And
Finn couldn’t look away from the feminine gesture. Hunger jamming his throat.
“Did
someone shoot you or stab you this time?”
He didn’t
see any purpose in discussing how close he came to bleeding out and how many
times he had been close to dying on this last mission. Or the previous ones
this past decade and more. Tender and sensitive, Sophie kept him on edge. He
didn’t want her seeing him as weak, or vulnerable. And to be honest, though he
knew he should think of Sophie as a strong, resolute woman—as she’d proved
herself during her kidnapping—he didn’t want his recollections of potential
death and pain to flood her mind. “Not your problem.”
Sophie
uncrossed her leg and leaned back in the chair, not fooling Finn for a minute
on how he hurt her feelings. Her tell was the way her eyes widened and she
chewed her lower lip, a habit she’d learned from her heartless bastard of a
father. “What did Mr. Brophy say about Tariq? Did he say how he knew Tariq’s
Uncle Parvez? And isn’t it an amazing coincidence that Jeremy Brophy lives on
Orcas Island?”
Finn didn’t
believe in coincidences but he kept his thoughts to himself. He didn’t need
another talk by Sophie on serendipity and synchronicity.
Sophie
leaned forward, her eyes narrowing on his face. “I’m not sure what exactly is
going on, but your last mission must have been a doozy.” She threw herself back
in the seat. “Oops, I forgot. I’m not supposed to mention it. It’s classified.”
This was
another reason Finn hadn’t declared his feelings for Sophie. She could never be
a military wife, never tolerate all the classified secrets he had to keep. Oh,
and Sophie was the daughter of a tech billionaire who was a press magnet. Not
exactly a low-profile wife for a Special Forces undercover operator. Finn
didn’t expect her father would ever approve of Finn’s prospects. And Finn never
wanted to be the man who married her for money. For all those reasons he’d be
hesitant about approaching Sophie. Yet since her kidnapping, he’d been battling
all those negatives with the desire to keep her safe in his arms.
“Which is
it? How badly you were injured or you don’t want to talk about your
conversation with Jeremy Brophy?”
“With your
skills, you should work for the CIA.”
It
was hard to describe the way Sophie’s forehead bunched together and her
shoulders tightened, still he always knew when he’d crossed a line.
“Finn,
why are you being more of a jerk than usual?”
Because his
wound was aching and the reunion he imagined with Sophie the entire time he was
lying in the hospital was playing out with another man touching her, whispering
sexy stuff into her ear.
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Author Bio
Jacki Delecki is a bestselling romantic suspense author
whose stories are filled with heart-pounding adventure, danger, intrigue, and
romance. Her books have consistently received rave reviews, and AN INNER FIRE
was chosen as an Editor's Selection by USA Today. Currently, she has three
series: the contemporary romantic suspense Impossible Mission, featuring Delta
Force operatives; Grayce Walters, contemporary romantic suspense following a
Seattle animal acupuncturist with a nose for crime; and the Code Breakers,
Regency suspenses set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars. Delecki's
stories reflect her lifelong love affair with the arts and history. When not
writing, she volunteers for Seattle's Ballet and Opera Companies, and leads
children's tours of Pike Street Market.
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