Page 6 of Her Last Hope
All Nick could think about was how disappointed his mother would be that he’d just assaulted a lady. Sure, a badass lady, but a lady nonetheless.
And the widow of a Marine.
He pressed the bag of frozen vegetables against the already growing lump on the back of her head, scowling. Her body was sprawled on the sofa in a small house not far from Ramos’ mansion. The house was owned by a young couple who raced cars and were currently out of town for the next month at various racetracks. The Aegis Network had secured the house for Nick’s use for three weeks. Thus far, he’d spent three days there, following Ramos, studying the layout of the area, and working out an exit strategy for Leandra.
Now that he had her, he wasn’t hell-bent on returning her to daddy dearest. No. He wanted to findout what this chick was up to and why she was hanging around a scumbag like Ramos.
Nick sat on the coffee table in front of the sofa, keeping the cold compress on her head, staring at her angelic face. He’d long gotten over the feeling like he was betraying his wife every time he had sex with a woman. It was just sex. He didn’t mean that to sound crass, but relationships were out of the question.
He just wasn’t capable.
Joanne had been the love of his life. The only woman for him, and he’d lost her and their child to a boating accident that could have been avoided had the other driver only been paying attention. The hardest part of that day had been holding his wife as she took her last breath, saying the words “I love you” and smiling when she did so.
He blinked. He needed to remind himself he’d never find that kind of love again, nor did he want the pain that went with it. His mother always told him he’d been one of the lucky ones, having found the kind of connection he’d had with Joanne. When she’d been alive, he had known it to be true. He’d been the luckiest man in the world. But now that she was gone?
He clutched his chest.
Love sucked, and no way would he ever allow himself to feel so deeply for another woman again, even if she made his heart beat a little faster and made his mind wander to places he’d shut down years ago.
Leandra groaned as she shifted on the sofa, reaching for the back of her head. He continued topress the cold bag to her head, even when she tried to bat him away.
Then her eyelids fluttered. A sweet, soft moan escaped her lips as she arched her back. As soon as he saw the dark-chocolate color of her eyes, she bolted to an upright position.
“What the fuck!?” she yelled. “Who the hell are you? You’re ruining everything…” She winced, pushing his hand away and flinging the cold bag of vegetables across the room. “I need to get back before they know I’m missing,” she said, her voice fading off as she rubbed the back of her head.
“What are you doing with the likes of Ramos? Are you working for him?” Nick didn’t believe she’d crossed the line, but he needed a distraction from the feelings she stirred inside him.
Physically, she was perfect for him with her soft skin and round curves, not to mention her height. His six-foot-one-inch frame probably only had two inches on her, and that was a turn on all by itself. When he’d lifted her over his shoulder, the excitement of feeling her body against his consumed him. He told himself it had been too long without physical contact with a woman.
The rest of his thoughts he couldn’t explain and didn’t want to explore.
Besides, she was a widow of only two years. He was well past ten, and he still hadn’t been able to consider anything but sex, and even that took much contemplation on his part.
“Yes and no.” She maneuvered herself to a sitting position. “Now tell me who you are, besides military.”
“What makes you think I’m military?”
“My husband’s a Marine.”
He frowned. He couldn’t remember how long it had taken him to refer to his wife in the past tense.
“Was a Marine,” she whispered.
He nodded, staring into her eyes, trying to suck in all her pain. She deserved the ability to move on with her life and live it to the fullest.
“I’m sorry for your loss.” Standard response, but so wasthank you for your service.However, he appreciated the words every time someone said them. “The name’s Nick. I work for The Aegis Network—”
“The what network?” She rubbed the back of her head.
He winced as her face scrunched in pain. Hitting her hadn’t been the highlight of the evening.
“A group of ex-military men and women hired for special jobs. This op is all about bringing you home to your father.”
“I told you I don’t have a father,” she said as her gaze darted around the room. Her wide-eyed expression searched for a way out.
“Cut the bullshit, Leandra.” He inched closer and cracked a slight smile when she didn’t lean away. As a matter-of-fact, she puffed out her chest, holding her ground.
Feisty and strong.
