TheFBIAgent’sReluctantLover
By Leslie North
Contents
Chapter1
Chance pulled up in front of the small house, wondering why every light seemed to be on. Knocking
on the front door, he waited for Rachel to answer, hoping that she was in a better frame of mind than
earlier today.
Chance had first met Rachel Andrews that morning when he arrived to inquire about her sister,
Chelsea. Trent Coldwell’s infant daughter had been abducted from the hospital by Marco Bresi and it
was thought that Chelsea had been hired to care for the newborn.
Chance had been given very little information about the Andrews sisters. What he did know was that
Rachel Andrews was a widow with two small sons, twins in fact. Her husband had been killed while
fighting in Afghanistan shortly after she had given birth, and her sister had moved in to help her out.
He had been greeted by a very harried looking woman, her hair falling out of a lopsided ponytail, one
crying infant held against her shoulder and tear tracks on her own face showing how miserable they
both were. “Whatever you’re selling, if it doesn’t make colicky babies go to sleep, I’m not
interested,” she’d snarled at him.
Chance was so taken aback by the sight before him, he had forgotten to speak for a moment. When
she’d moved as if to shut the door, he’d stepped forward, placing his foot against the door to prevent
it from being closed any further. Even with her hair in disarray, she had taken his breath away. Big
beautiful eyes, hair the color of honey, and curves in all the right places. She’d also been exhausted,
as was evidenced by the dark circles under her eyes.
“I don’t mean to disturb you ma’am, but I’m here about your sister - Chelsea?” Chance had
immediately regretted his choice of words as he watched all the color drain from the young woman’s
face and she started to wilt in front of him. Stepping forward quickly, he’d grabbed her just in time to
prevent her from falling to the floor. He had quickly used one arm to secure the infant against his own
chest, while he lifted and half dragged the woman further into the house.
Laying her down on a sofa covered with laundry waiting to be folded, he’d then turned the little boy
around in his arms and been greeted to the biggest toothless grin he had ever seen. Drool had been
flowing out of the little boy’s mouth and he gnawed on a fist in obvious distress.
Hearing the cries of another child, Chance had taken one more glance at their mother and gone in
search of her other son. He’d found him lying in his crib, gnawing on his own fist and screaming
periodically to express his displeasure at having been left alone.
Scooping this child up as well, Chance had grabbed several clean diapers and headed back into the
living room. He’d hoped their mother would awaken and tend to their soggy bottoms, but when he
saw her still out cold, he’d handled the task himself.
Chance was brought back to the present abruptly when the front door was thrown open a few seconds
later. He was once again greeted by a harried looking woman, tears rolling down her face and a
screaming child in her arms. The child’s twin could be heard screaming from the other room and the
house was in chaos.
Pushing her aside, Chance took the crying infant she held in his arms, murmuring nonsense to him as
he went in search of the other baby. When he looked towards the kitchen, he was shocked to see
water soaking the floor with soapsuds floating merrily from kitchen to living room.
Spying the other child in his high chair, he quickly released him and carried both babies back into the
living room. Their mother was still standing at the front door, and looked like she was ready to run
into the night screaming.
Chance placed the two little boys in their playpen, giving them each a cool washcloth to chew on
before he turned to deal with their mother. Walking into the kitchen carefully, he opened the
dishwasher door to stop any further suds from being created. Looking around at the soaked kitchen
floor, he decided that nothing was in danger of being ruined that couldn’t wait a few more minutes.
He walked to Rachel and gently closed the door. Pulling her to the couch, he sat her down and then
quietly asked, “I can see the water and we’ll deal with that in a minute. Why are you crying?”
Rachel was so relieved to see another adult human being she started crying again to relieve the stress.
First baby Tony had bit her while she nursed him, drawing blood and an earth-shattering scream from
his mother. Then she had grabbed the dish soap instead of the dishwasher soap and now water and
suds were spewing forth all over the kitchen floor she had just mopped.
To top it all off, David was feeding off his brother’s screams and was currently winning the contest to
see who was the loudest. Rachel was beside herself, her nipple hurt something fierce, and she felt
like a failure.
Seeing Chance standing in her doorway had been the light at the end of a very long tunnel. She
desperately needed his help, but she would have to quit crying first so she could tell him that. She
wasn’t even sure what his name was, but he had shown up at the right time, didn’t mind screaming
infants, and wasn’t running away. Whoever he was; she was keeping him.
When Rachel continued to sit there and cry, unable to stop the stress-relieving tears for even a
second, Chance sighed and sat down on the couch next to her. Moving slowly, in case she decided to
become the mother hellcat again, Chance wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her head to
his chest.
Murmuring soothing noises, he rubbed her shoulder and let her cry herself out. He lectured himself
sternly as his body responded to her nearness – not that it did any good. Beneath the messy hair,
stained t-shirt, and tear-blotched face was a beautiful woman. He inhaled slowly, the subtle fragrance
of vanilla meeting his nostrils.
Rachel took the comfort being offered from the man she had decided was her knight in shining armor.
She sniffled, noting that the front of his shirt was completely soaked in her tears, and let the gentle
rumble of his voice soothe her weariness.
When she finally felt back in control, she pushed away from his chest, scooting until her back met the
arm of the couch to put some much needed distance between them. Being held against his strong chest,
combined with his manly smell, had revived a libido that had no business showing itself.
Embarrassed to once again have fallen apart in front of the most gorgeous man she’d ever laid eyes
upon, Rachel felt the heat rise in her cheeks and neck. Raising her eyes slowly, she met his
penetrating gaze and the words she had been about to say fled her brain.
Chapter2
Chance was relieved when Rachel scooted away from him. The urge to drag her over his lap and
quiet her tears in a much more satisfying manner was almost overwhelming in its intensity. When she
raised her tear-stained gaze to his, he locked his eyes on hers, letting her see that she was safe with
him.
“You still haven’t answered my question,” he reminded her after several moments of silence.
He watched her throat work as she swallowed and was shocked at the rush of desire that coursed
through his body. This woman got to him like no other had before.
Rachel saw the banked lust in his gaze and dropped her eyes once again. She’d been married for
several years prior to her husband’s untimely death and had enjoyed the physical intimacy that came
with it immensely. Since Sam’s death, she had been so wrapped up in caring for her infant twin sons,
she hadn’t felt much like a woman, let alone felt the pleasant hum of desire running through her veins.
Swallowing once more, she asked, “What was the question?”
Chance chuckled before he could stop himself, “I asked you why you were crying again. You were
crying when I was here earlier as well.”
Rachel shrugged her shoulders, “I’m a horrible mother!” she blurted out.
Chance smiled at her and shook his head, “No, you’re a fine mother. You’re just overwhelmed right
now. Does Chelsea normally help you?”
At the mention of her sister’s name, Rachel stopped thinking about how miserable her own life was
and grew concerned. Was this man back because something had happened to Chelsea? What would
she do without her sister?
“Where is she?” she demanded.
“Whoa! Calm down, Chelsea’s fine. In fact, I just saw her not thirty minutes ago.”
“Where is she? Can I talk to her?”
“Again, she’s fine. She’s with my brother, Seth, at his place.”
“Why isn’t she here? Something’s wrong, isn’t it?”
“No. Look, you’ll be able to talk with her in the morning.” When he saw Rachel open her mouth to
argue, he interrupted her, saying, “Not gonna happen. Chelsea’s had an extremely stressful day and
Seth is taking care of her. I am here to help you in her place.”
“I don’t understand,” Rachel complained, shaking her head. She wrapped her arms around her
middle, hoping to stop the tears that were threatening to return. She’d never make it till morning
without someone to relieve her. She needed her sister. Now!
“Why can’t she just…”
“Rachel, I’m here to help you out. It’s going to be okay.” Chance looked deep into her eyes and when
the twins decided to make their presence known, he tore his gaze away, looking towards the infants.
Standing up to get them before they started fussing in earnest, he asked, “Have they been fed?”
“I was trying to feed Tony just before you got here, but…”
When her voice trailed off, he turned to look at her inquiringly, “But what?”
“He bit me!” she exclaimed, embarrassed and once again reminded of the pain she still felt.
Chance burst out laughing; he couldn’t help himself. “I told you they were teething,” he said between
chuckles.
Rachel fumed; it wasn’t funny! Well, maybe it was a little bit funny, but damnit, it had hurt! She tried
to hold onto her anger, but the more Chance laughed, the funnier it seemed and pretty soon she found
herself laughing right along with him.
“It’s really not funny. I screamed so loud, it startled David who decided to try and out scream both
Tony and I.” She glanced down, trying to understand why she already felt better.
Chance pulled back his laughter to ask, “Is that why you were so upset when I got here?”
“Not entirely. It all just seemed to be too much, and then the dishwasher…,” she trailed off.
“You’ve had quite the day, haven’t you?” Chance asked with kindness and sympathy in his voice.
“You could say that again.” When the babies started fussing again, she walked to the playpen and
retrieved both of them, startled to find Chance at her elbow offering to take one of the babies for her.
“Are you sure?”
“Let me have him.” Taking the closest baby from her grasp, he held him up so they were eye-level
and said, “We haven’t been formally introduced. I’m Chance.”
Rachel watched the big strong man in wonder as he gently held her son and talked to him. His hands
were huge, yet they held her son with such gentleness. She busied herself with collecting diapers and
wipes to avoid watching any longer. It reminded her too much of how those same hands had held her
only minutes before and how much she had missed the touch of a man.
Shutting down her imagination, she firmly told herself to keep focused on the task at hand. While her
body might yearn for a man’s touch, her heart couldn’t handle being ripped apart again. Sam’s dying
had destroyed the fragile world she had built around herself; so much that without Chelsea she would
have flown apart months earlier. Her husband had been her world and while she had been sad when
he deployed overseas, she had looked forward to the homecoming and future they would have upon
his return.
She had never dreamed that return would include a flag draped casket and a military funeral. Sam
hadn’t known she was pregnant when he had left the states, and every time she thought about the two
little boys who would grow up without the influence of a fantastic father, she fell into a depression.
“Rachel?” Chance asked once again. She had drifted off to another world in her mind and he had
called her name three times already without a response.
Hearing her name called, she jerked herself out of her morose thoughts to see Chance looking at her in
concern. “I’m sorry. I must be more tired than I thought. What did you say?”
“I asked you what this little guy’s name was.”
Rachel glanced at the little man in question to see him gnawing furiously on the large knuckle of
Chance’s right hand. “Uhm.. that’s Tony. See the little red mark at the base of his skull? That’s how I
tell them apart.”
Chance looked at the mark and grinned down into the baby’s eyes. “So Tony, my man, how about
some dry britches? You wouldn’t be the reason for your mama’s recent pain, would you?” he
whispered to the baby.
Rachel overheard the conversation, handing both diaper and wipes to Chance, “He won’t admit it, but
he most definitely was the culprit.” She said it with so much love in her voice; Chance knew these
little guys were darn lucky to have such a wonderful mother.
Chapter3
Rachel watched Chance lay the baby down and deftly take care of the wet diaper situation. She
handled the other baby, keeping one eye on Chance the entire time.
“So, this is Tony. Who’s that you’ve got there?”
“This little guy is David.” Rachel finished wrapping the wet diaper up and then tossed it into the
wastebasket nearby. “Speaking of introductions, you’ve never told me your name.”
Chance blushed as he realized that she was right. “Sorry. I’m Chance Jacobsen. I’d shake hands but
this little guy doesn’t seem inclined to let go of my knuckle anytime soon.”
Rachel smiled, “Would you mind keeping them both occupied for a minute while I heat up some
bottles?”
Chance looked up at her, “Bottles? I thought you said he bit you…”
Rachel blushed, but didn’t look away, “I’m still breastfeeding them, but it became pretty obvious
once we came home from the hospital that I couldn’t continue to feed them both. That’s all I would
ever get done during the day.” She felt the heat intensify in her face as Chance’s eyes dropped to her
chest. Forging ahead, she continued, “I trade off giving them bottles or feeding them, and then at night,
I mix a little cereal into their bottle so they sleep longer.”
Chance raised his eyes from her ample chest with difficulty. At the mention of her breastfeeding the
babies, his thoughts had gone rampant and images of what that must look like clouded his brain.
Shaking his head at his lack of control, he informed her with a wave of his free hand, “Go ahead. Me
and these guys will get better acquainted.”
Rachel headed into the kitchen, groaning when she saw the soaked floor once again. Chance heard her
groan and called to her, “Don’t worry about the water. After these guys are fed and settled, I help you
deal with the dishwasher.”
Rachel closed her eyes and sent up a silent prayer to whoever was responsible for the man sitting in
her living room. She hurriedly fixed two bottles, returning with the bouncy seats, preparing to feed the
twins as she always did at night – at the same time.
Seeing Rachel struggle with the bottles and bouncy seats, Chance jumped to his feet and took the
chairs from her, “What are these for?”
“Feeding them. They’re getting too big to hold at the same time so I put them in these, use my feet to
keep them bouncing and hold the bottles with my hands.”
Chance liked her ingenuity, but offered a better suggestion, “Do you mind if I feed one of them?”
Rachel looked at him suspiciously, “Really?”
“Yeah. I used to work for the FBI. One of my first assignments was working undercover in a
preschool.”
“So that’s where you learned to change a diaper.”
Chance nodded, “That among other things.”
Rachel handed him a bottle and watched him settle on the couch. When he looked at her and then
gestured to the empty spot beside him with his head, she carried David over and settled herself as
well.
“So, I hate to ask, but are you here in an official capacity, like this morning?”
Chance glanced at her and shook his head, “I quit the FBI a while back. I work with my brother and
his partner in a private security firm now. I was here this morning because Brianna Coldwell’s baby
was stolen from the hospital and we believed your sister had been hired to care for the newborn.”
“Are you back because they still don’t know where the baby is?”
Chance smiled at her, “The baby is fine. Your sister knew something wasn’t right and when my
brother showed up she willingly helped him return the baby to the parents.”
Rachel smiled, happy knowing that her sister had played a part in returning the infant to Brianna
Coldwell. “I still don’t understand why she isn’t home.”
Chance looked at her and then decided to lay it all out on the table for her, “She and my brother kind
of hit it off. I wouldn’t be surprised if you don’t find her spending lots of time with him from here on
out.”
“Really? But they just met!” Rachel exclaimed, stunned to find out that her spinster sister might
actually be getting some. “You don’t think…?”
Chance grinned at her and nodded, “Oh, yeah. I most definitely think.”
“But, she’s…,” Rachel paused, not quite sure how to say what was on her mind.
“Inexperienced? Seth knows. Don’t worry; he’ll take good care of her.”
Rachel thought about that for a minute and then a smile appeared on her face. Chelsea had finally
found someone! She immediately sobered as the reality of her own situation came rushing back. If
Chelsea were in a relationship, would she move out? How on earth was she going to take care of
the twins day-in and day-out without some sort of relief?
Her happiness vanished like smoke on a windy day. She wanted to be happy for her sister, but she
couldn’t quit thinking about what life would be like without her help.
Chance watched the play of emotions roll over her face. She was on open book; an exhausted open
book. Deciding to take matters into his own hands, he set down the empty bottle before saying softly,
“Where should I lay this little guy down?”
Rachel took the empty bottle from David and slowly stood up with him, stifling the groan that wanted
to burst forth. Her entire body ached for sleep. “Follow me,” she softly commanded, leading the way
down the hall to the twin’s bedroom.
After seeing that the babies were sleeping comfortably, Chance placed a hand on her arm and
directed her back to the hallway. “You look like you’re ready to fall asleep on your feet. Why don’t
you get ready for bed while I see what can be done about the dishwasher?”
Rachel covered a yawn with her hand, “I would rather go soak in the tub for a few minutes. I ache
everywhere.”
Chance immediately turned his brain off from imaging her lush body, covered in bubbles and water.
“That sounds like a good idea. Go ahead. Come on out to the living room when you’re through and I’ll
finish telling you about your sister.”
Rachel nodded, yawning again and headed towards the bathroom connected to her bedroom. She ran
the water nice and hot and slipped her stained t-shirt and lounge pants off, dropping them on the
bedroom floor as she went, before sinking down in the blistering heat. A loud sigh erupted from her
mouth as her body melted into the tub. This was just what she needed.
Rachel leaned back against the tub and closed her eyes for a moment, letting the stress of the day slip
away. When her consciousness attempted to do the same, she fought it for several minutes before
finally succumbing to the sleep of sheer exhaustion.
Chance heard the water turn off just as he was finishing wiping up the water from the kitchen floor.
He had used paper towels to remove the excess dish soap from the soap tray in the dishwasher and
had just restarted the machine. Making sure that no more catastrophes were about to erupt in the form
of white soapy bubbles, he finished cleaning up the bottle making supplies and placed the two used
bottles in the sterilizer before turning it on.
When he next glanced at the clock, he found that almost an hour had gone by and still Rachel had not
returned. Slipping down the hall, he checked on the babies, smiling to see them both still sound
asleep.
Knocking on Rachel’s bedroom door, he waited for her to answer. When that didn’t occur, he gently
opened the door, “Rachel?” he asked softly.
When she didn’t reply, he pushed the door open and took in the bedroom décor. Bright, vibrant colors
were everywhere. The four-poster bed was covered with a comforter of quilted fabrics in every
brilliant hue of red, brown and orange he could imagine. The dark chocolate color on the opposing
wall gave the room a warm feel. He spied the closed bathroom door and headed in that direction,
stepping around the discarded clothing she had worn earlier.
Tapping lightly on the door, he waited for a response. When none came, he gently tried to handle,
pleased to see that it was unlocked. He opened the door and peered through the steam to see Rachel
lying in the tub, bubbles covering her to her neck, her head pillowed on a rolled up towel. She was
sound asleep.
He approached the tub, taking in the gorgeous woman before him and wishing that he had the right to
pluck her from the warmth of the tub and snuggle against her body. Dipping his fingers into the water,
he noted that the water was beginning to cool off. Time for sleeping beauty to get out of the tub.
Chapter4
He gently placed a hand on her shoulder to awaken her, “Rachel? Time to wake up.”
Rachel felt like she was being pulled from a big fluffy cloud. Someone was calling her name; a man.
It wasn’t Sam; she had quit dreaming about him several months after his death. The sleeping pills had
been partially to blame for that, but the doctor had insisted she sleep. Chelsea had watched over the
twins on the occasions when she had used them and she had been careful not to feed the twins herself
until her body had a chance to metabolize the medication.
Feeling a cool touch on her shoulder, she lifted her eyes, sitting up in the tub in alarm to see Chance
leaning over her. “What?!”
“Easy, you fell asleep in the tub. Your water’s cooling off. Can you get out by yourself?”
Rachel nodded, not meeting his eyes, and trying to cover as much of her body beneath the water and
suds as possible. She had always liked her body, before having twins. Now instead of the lithe body
of a fit young woman, she was carrying twenty extra pounds, had stretch marks all over her stomach,
sagging breasts and the beginnings of cellulite trying to show themselves on her thighs. She hadn’t
been to the gym in over seven months and her body was telling on her.
“Rachel? Are you okay to get out of the tub by yourself?”
Embarrassed and only wanting him to leave, she nodded, “I’m okay. I’ll be out in a minute.”
Chance gave her another glance, noting the blush staining her cheeks and quietly left the bathroom. He
dug through her drawers until he found a soft t-shirt and a pair of boy shorts in a soft cotton fabric.
Locating her underwear, he laid it all out on the bed for her before turning down the covers. Next, he
gathered up all of the dirty clothes on the floor, tossing them in the laundry basket sitting in the corner.
When Rachel opened the bathroom door only moments later, wrapped in a big fluffy towel, Chance
had to remind himself that he was only here to help. Taking a breath, he informed her, “Hey, it looks
like you’ve got it covered here. I’m going to camp out on the couch tonight just in case the boys wake
up. You head to bed and I’ll see you in the morning.”
Chance quickly exited the bedroom, not trusting himself if he stayed any longer. She looked good
enough to eat, standing with the bathroom light behind her, wrapped in a towel, her skin, and hair
damp from the bathwater. When a drop of water had run down her neck to disappear beneath the
towel, Chance had wanted to trace its path with his tongue in the worst way.
What was it about this woman that got to him? His self-control was in danger of disappearing
around her. He grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch and settled himself down. Maybe after a
good night’s sleep he would be more in control of himself.
Rachel watched him leave and shut the door. Part of her wished he would stay through the night and
hold her close. She yearned for his touch, but it was too soon. It would always be too soon. She was a
mother now. Her husband was dead and her entire focus had to be on the two little boys sleeping in
the next room. That’s just the way it had to be.
Chapter5
The gurgle of babies woke Chance up just as the sun was coming up over the foothills. After changing
wet diapers, he took both boys into the front room, hoping their noise wouldn’t disturb their mama.
She needed as much sleep as she could get.
He thought about fixing bottles, but since the boys were happy, and he didn’t know if Rachel intended
to feed them herself, he held off. Needing to do something, he set about making cinnamon rolls, letting
the rolls sit to rise on the counter when he was through.
Settling back on the couch, he turned the TV on, hoping to catch a repeat of the evening news from the
night before. He was curious as to how Shawn had spun the tale regarding the missing baby.
When he located the morning news, he was pleased to see that they were just getting ready to recap
the headline story….
“And now to recap from our broadcast last night – In a surprising turn of events, the baby that
was abducted from Denver General Hospital yesterday has been returned to the hospital. Earlier
last evening, the head neonatal nurse, Mrs. Stephanie Belkins, received a phone call that she was
needed at the night delivery door to sign for some supplies.
When Mrs. Belkins arrived at said location, she found the missing child wrapped in a blanket
inside a child carrier with a note attached apologizing for the misunderstanding. Apparently, a
man suffering from Alzheimer’s had wandered into the hospital and believed he was there to see
his grandchild. He then left the hospital and returned to his home.
The parents of the child have refused to press charges against the elderly man, and the hospital
and authorities have used this experience as a training tool for their staffs. The child is in perfect
health, and was happily reunited with her parents.
In other related news – Trent Coldwell, of Coldwell Enterprises, announced that his wife’s
foundation has generously donated two million dollars to see the juvenile diabetes clinic fully
functional by the end of the year. Mrs. Coldwell was unavailable for comment, but a spokesperson
for the company says that she is ecstatic and looks forward to seeing many children helped.”
“See that boys, Shawn is a magician when it comes to spinning tales.”
“Who’s Shawn?” came a voice from the hallway entrance.
Chance turned his head to see a sleepy Rachel standing there, clad only in the thin t-shirt and boy
shorts he had laid out for her the night before. The clothing did nothing to conceal the woman’s body
beneath. As he let his eyes peruse her body, he noticed how quickly her body responded to his gaze
and let his eyes return to meet her own startling green gaze.
“I thought I was just tired,” he heard her mumble beneath her breath.
“What was that?”
Shaking her head, “Nothing,” she replied.
The boys both started babbling upon hearing their mother’s voice and she walked over and picked
them up, one at a time, nuzzling their little faces and murmuring to them softly while Chance looked
on.
“I didn’t feed them yet, I wasn’t sure…,” Chance broke off, not wanting to start the morning off by
embarrassing her.
“Oh, I…uhm…well, I usually feed them when they wake up. They don’t normally wake up at the same
time.”
Rachel looked perplexed for a moment and then decision rolled across her features, “Bottles it is
boys.”
Chance gave her a questioning glance to which she replied, “I’ll just nurse them later this morning.
It’ll be fine. Won’t it boys?” she queried the babies, heading towards the kitchen to ready bottles.
Seeing the rising rolls on the counter, she raised an eyebrow at Chance, “You bake?”
Chance nodded, “Yeah. I like good food and had the advantage of having some great chefs for
instructors while I was growing up.”
“How’s that?” Rachel inquired, making the bottles and not really paying much attention.
“Seth and I had a privileged upbringing. Boarding schools, country clubs – that sort of thing. But my
parents were adamant that we learn to take care of ourselves. That included cooking. They would hire
world-renown chefs to come out and teach us during breaks and such. I can cook, but I’d much rather
bake.”
“And your brother?” she asked, curious to learn more about this mysterious man.
“He loves to cook. Italian mostly, but he can make a mean pot roast as well.” Chance chuckled at her
dubious look, “Ask your sister next time you see her. I’m almost positive that Seth cooked for her last
night.”
“I’ll do that.”
A comfortable silence ensued while he finished heating up the bottles.
“About yesterday, neither you nor your sister’s names are going to be associated with what happened.
Shawn, my boss, came up with a cover story that everyone seems to be buying into. I need you to
promise to just forget what happened yesterday. Seth is instructing your sister to do the same thing.”
“Have you heard from my sister?” Rachel asked, handing him a bottle for Tony.
“Not yet. I need to call over there, but wanted to let everyone sleep as much as possible first.”
Chance pulled out his cell phone and dialed Seth’s home number while he fed the baby the bottle.
“Hey, bro. Everything okay?” Seth asked.
“Yeah. How are things over there?”
“Well….,” Seth let his answer drag out, he had woken up with the knowledge that Chelsea slept in the
other room and he had decided that was unacceptable. He wanted her in his arms the next time he
awoke. “Things are moving pretty fast. Did you hear about Shawn’s mastery yet?”
“Yeah. Remind me to call him first if I ever need a really good cover story.”
Seth laughed, “Hey, so I’m going to run Chelsea home here in a bit to change clothes and such. She
also wants to run by the hospital and check on Faith.”
“She really got attached to that baby, didn’t she?” Chance asked, looking down at the sleeping infant
in his arms. His attention turned to see Rachel walking from the room with a sleeping David in her
arms. He watched the sway of her hips beneath the scant boy shorts that molded to her curves and
struggled to keep up with the conversation at the same time.
“…but she’s worried about Rachel and the twins…”
“Why is she worried about the twins? What’s wrong with them?” Chance asked, only having heard
part of what Seth had been saying.
“Bro, try to focus on my voice. There’s nothing wrong with the twins. Chelsea and I discussed
moving our relationship along quickly and she’s worried about how Rachel’s going to manage with
the twins if, her term not mine, she moves out.”
“Why would she be moving out?” Chance asked, once again lost in the conversation.
Seth sighed through the phone, “What are you concentrating on because it sure isn’t this conversation.
I suggested that Chelsea think about moving in with me.”
“Bro, you just met this girl yesterday. Seriously, don’t you think you might be moving too fast?”
Chance asked disbelief in his voice.
“I’ve asked myself that same question a thousand times and the answer’s always the same – I can’t
imagine not spending the rest of my life with her. We just clicked. It’s as if she were made for me.”
Chance didn’t know what to say. His brother wasn’t the impulsive type, but this sure fit that bill.
Seth continued talking, “We’re going to give it a trial run and go up to Aspen for a week. Get to know
each other away from the pressures and phones.”
“When is this taking place?”
“Well… that’s just it. Chelsea’s really worried about leaving Rachel to fend for herself. I think it’s a
good way to test the waters and see where the problems might be.”
Chance nodded his head in agreement, “I agree. You all should definitely spend a week together
before you move all of her stuff in.”
Rachel stopped in the hallway upon hearing Chance’s side of the conversation and took a step back,
her hand covering her mouth. Was Chelsea honestly thinking about moving in with his brother? A
guy she had just met, and probably given her virginity to?
Rachel wanted to grab the phone and tell Chelsea to come home. She wanted to scream at her that she
couldn’t take care of the twins by herself. But she did neither. She stood in the hallway and made a
decision – it was time for her to take back her life and that included figuring out how to handle two
five-month-old babies.
Chapter6
Her decision made, Rachel returned to her bedroom and made the bed before picking up her bathrobe
and collecting all of her dirty clothes. She was taking back her life, starting now! She intended to
prove to Chelsea that she no longer had to put her life on hold to keep Rachel from falling apart. From
now on – Rachel would hold herself together.
Chance found her several minutes later starting a load of laundry and moving with a militant focus
throughout the house. He could sense that something had changed, but her expression didn’t seem like
she would welcome any questions so he kept quiet for the moment.
Rachel turned from the laundry room and found Chance lounging in the doorway, a predatory gleam in
his eyes. Narrowing her gaze at him, she decided she didn’t like the added stress the sexual tension
was creating in her world. Solution – Chance needed to leave.
“Thanks for staying last night. I haven’t gotten that much sleep all at one time since the babies were
born.”
“You needed it. I’m happy I was able to help. That was Seth on the phone. He’ll be bringing Chelsea
home here in a few.”
“Great! Did I overhear you talking about him taking her away for the week?”
At Chance’s slow nod, she plastered a smile on her face, “She really needs it. Did you know she
basically put her life on hold when the babies were born? It’s been five months and I love my sister,
but she really needs to get on with her life.” Rachel said only the truth, but found that small comfort as
the doubts began to creep back in.
Chance watched the beautiful woman in front of him try to convince herself and the world around her
that she had it all together. “So, do you have someone you can call to come in and help you for a few
hours a day with the twins?”
Rachel shook her head, turning her back to him as she made a production of folding the laundry, “I’ll
be fine. What you saw yesterday was just one of those things. The boys and I will be fine. I may have
to adjust their schedules a bit, but we’ll get it all worked out.”
Glancing over her shoulder at him, she queried, “You know you don’t have to wait around until
Chelsea gets home. The boys are both down for their morning naps and I’m just going to try to get
some housework done while their sleeping.”
Chance took the hint, “Are you sure there’s not something else I can do for you?”
The double meaning wasn’t lost on Rachel and her hands trembled as she finished folding the towel in
front of her. She swallowed before she said, “No. I’m fine.”
Chance heard the huskiness in her voice and felt the punch down low, he wondered how much huskier
her voice got when she was in the throes of passion. Or was she a screamer? He was dying to answer
those questions, but not today. She was trying to gain back her independence, and while he applauded
the thought, he was doubtful of the outcome.
“Look, I gave you my card yesterday, but I’m going to leave another one on the fridge. Promise me
that if you need anything, help with the twins, the toilet overflows, or just need some milk and can’t
get to the store – promise me you’ll call.”
Turning around, she faced him, “Why?”
“Why do I want you to call me?”
Rachel nodded.
Chance looked at her for the longest time, letting his eyes convey everything his body was feeling.
When he saw her pulse quicken and her breathing speed up, he stepped further into the room, stalking
her as if she was his prey.
When he was mere inches from her, he leaned down and placed his lips upon hers. Letting his lips sip
from hers, he brushed his tongue across the seam of her lips, silently asking for entrance.
Rachel felt his kiss like it was hot coals. Her insides began to shake and her heart was beating so
loudly in her ears it was all she could hear. She grabbed onto the edge of the washing machine,
needing to feel something solid to ground herself.
Chance gently placed a hand behind her neck, rubbing his thumb against the side of her neck and
feeling the shivers his touch set off in her body. He wanted to feel her tremble beneath him, but for
now contented himself with only the shivers that could be brought about by a kiss.
Tilting his head, he deepened the kiss for a few seconds and then pulled away. He took a step away
and then wiped his lips with a finger, savoring the memory of her lips against his own. “Did that
answer your question?” he asked softly.
Rachel could do nothing but stare up at him. She had been married, but never kissed like that. She had
spent hours kissing her husband, but none of their kisses had ever affected her like Chance’s.
Confusion turned to guilt. How could she enjoy kissing another man? Her husband hadn’t even been
in the ground for a year!
Chance watched the change come over her face and tried to figure out what he’d done to put that look
of despair and guilt on her face. “Rachel?”
She held up a hand, not even wanting to look at him at this point. “Just go.”
“Promise me you’ll call if you need anything.”
Rachel shook her head, “I can’t do that. I won’t do that.”
Chance was frustrated and wanted to demand she accept his help, but somehow he knew that pushing
her any further would only cause her to back completely away from him. “Fine. I’ll check on you in a
couple of days.”
Rachel shook her head, “No. Don’t bother. We’ll be fine. Thanks for everything.” She turned around
and concentrated on folding the remainder of the clothes.
Chance watched for several minutes, frustration eating at him. Finally, he decided to back off and try
again later. “I’ll put the cinnamon rolls in the over before I leave and set the timer. Pour the icing
over them right after you take them out of the over.”
Rachel nodded without turning around or verbally answering him. When she heard his footsteps echo
down the hallway, it took everything within her not to chase him down and beg him never to leave.
What was wrong with her? She barely knew him and yet she knew him. In some ways, she felt a
stronger connection to him that she had her husband. Thinking about Sam caused a fresh wave of
guilt to wash over her. She was a horrible person for even thinking about another man!
Rachel finished her chores just in time to feed both boys. Chelsea would be home soon and she was
going to see a sister in charge.
Chapter7
Seth drove Chelsea over to the hospital where she insisted on stopping in the gift shop to buy flowers
for Brianna and a stuffed lamb for baby Faith. Seth followed her and insisted on paying for the
purchases before directing her to the nearest elevator.
As they entered the room, they were greeted by a smiling Brianna. “Good morning,” she chimed as
they pushed through the doorway
“Chelsea! Seth! Oh, come in.” Brianna was smiling and the light was back in her eyes. Trent was
nowhere to be seen, but she held her daughter in her arms, snuggled tight in a blanket and sleeping
peacefully.
Chelsea approached the bed, her eyes never leaving the small bundle she had cared for the day
before. A sense of longing caught her by surprise as she envisioned one day holding her own child
close to her chest. Would Seth be standing by her side when that time came?
Seth gave Brianna a gentle squeeze on the shoulder, “How you doing, mama?”
“Seth, isn’t she just perfect?” Brianna asked, tears in her eyes once again.
“Just like her mama. Where do you want these?” he asked, indicating the flowers he still held.
“Oh, they’re lovely. Over there on the table is fine.” Brianna glanced back to Chelsea to see her
attention still fixated on the tiny infant. Holding her daughter up, she inquired, “Would you like to
hold her again?”
Chelsea had been afraid to ask, but eagerly nodded her head, “Hey there, babygirl. You are so
precious. I bet your mommy hasn’t put you down since last night.”
Brianna chuckled, “You are so right. Trent stayed here last night and held her so I could sleep. I just
couldn’t handle the thought of her going back to the nursery.”
Chelsea glanced up and nodded, “That’s understandable. I don’t think I’d let her out of my sight for a
good long while.”
Brianna and Chelsea shared a look that only women could while Seth watched. “So, Trent went home
to catch some sleep?”
Brianna shook her head, “No. He went home to make sure everything’s ready for our homecoming.
They’re going to let us out of here this afternoon.”
Chelsea looked concerned, “Are you sure you’re ready to go home? You have to be really careful of
your stitches…” Realizing that she was probably interfering in business that didn’t concern her, she
trailed off.
Brianna was so touched by her concern, “Chelsea, I feel fine. Really. The doctor was here just a few
minutes ago and said everything looks great. I’ll have to be careful about lifting anything for a few
weeks, but I really want to go home.”
Chelsea nodded, “Sorry. I guess I tend to get carried away sometimes.”
“No worries.” Brianna turned to Seth, “We’re having a homecoming party next week and I would
love it if you would both join us. Your brother, too.”
Seth nodded, “We wouldn’t miss it!”
Chelsea handed the baby back, “She’s absolutely perfect!” She realized she was jealous of this
woman she had just recently met. That was unacceptable and she lectured herself mentally for
allowing negative thoughts like that to surface. Seeing Seth watching her with a calculating look in his
eyes, she blushed and thanked Brianna for allowing them to visit.
Heading out the doorway, she waited for Seth to join her, anxious now to get home and snuggle the
two babies awaiting her at home.
*****
Chance had too much energy after leaving Rachel’s home so he headed to the office. Shawn was
already there when he arrived and they spent several minutes discussing the finer details of
yesterday’s retrieval.
“So, what’s being done about Marco?” Chance asked.
“Not much right now. He’s out of the country for another three weeks according to our information.”
“What happens when he returns?”
“That’s up to Trent and Brianna. Brianna wants me to set up a meeting between Trent and Marco so
that they can get everything out in the open. She thinks Marco needs to hear the truth and be forced to
accept it.”
“About his daughter?”
Shawn nodded, “Yeah. For some reason he blames Trent for her suicide. All of the evidence suggests
otherwise, but he’s pretty stubborn.”
“Maybe he won’t come back when he gets word that the baby has been returned?”
“That’s a possibility, but not likely. He’s got too many business interests in the states right now. He’ll
be back. I’ve got my sources out there and the minute he crosses customs, I’ll know.”
“Good. So, did Seth tell you he plans on disappearing with Chelsea for a week?”
Shawn grinned, “I always warned him that when he fell, it would be fast and furious. I love it when
I’m right.”
Chance scoffed, “He just met her, though. I really don’t want to see either one of them set the other up
for a fall.”
Shawn didn’t say anything for a minute and then asked, “So, tell me about the sister.”
Chance shrugged his shoulders, not wanting to give Shawn any ammunition to work with since he
seemed to be relishing matchmaking today. “She’s got her hands full with those two little ones.”
“You stay the night and help out?”
Chance nodded, “She was completely exhausted. Someone had to step in and help her out.”
“And the babies?”
“Those two little men are going to be a handful…” Chance launched into a detailed explanation of
both boy’s attributes, stopping when he saw the huge grin on Shawn’s face. He knew he had just given
himself away. Now Shawn would be taking every opportunity to push him!
“So when are you seeing her again?” Shawn asked, not willing to let the other Jacobsen brother off
the hook when it came to the romance department. He knew from experience that the love of a good
woman had saved him and now that both Seth and Chance seemed to be on the precipice of finding
someone to share their lives with, he was going to sit back and enjoy the show.
“Don’t know that I will. She’s got two babies to care for and her husband’s only been dead for a few
months.”
“But you like her?” Shawn asked, changing the question to a statement when he saw the truth written
across Chance’s face, “You like her a lot. How’s the chemistry?”
“Geez, what are we, in high school? I’m not having a locker room discussion with you,” Chance said
with laughter in his voice.
“Oh, well. It was worth a try,” Shawn said before slapping him on the back and heading for his own
office, “I’ll let you know when Marco shows back up on the radar. We might need to have a little
conversation with our Italian friend. Make sure he knows our position in case he gets any more bright
ideas.”
“Let me know. I’m there.” Chance grabbed his gym bag and headed out the door. He felt a need to
expend some energy and pounding on a 100-lb. bag was definitely in his future.
Chapter8
Chelsea was silent on the drive back to her sister’s house until Seth pushed her to talk to him.
“So, what’s bothering you?”
Chelsea glanced at him before she turned her attention back to the side window, “Nothing, really. I
just realized in the hospital that I want more from my life.”
“Like what?” Seth had seen the longing on her face as she held baby Faith and was hoping to use that
to his advantage.
“I don’t know. A house. A family. What every girl wants, I guess.”
“And you didn’t know you wanted those things until today?”
Chelsea sighed before answering, “Maybe I did, but it was really easy to just go with what was
currently happening around me and not wish for anything different.” Glancing at him, “Does that make
sense?”
Seth nodded, “Yeah. It’s hard to get your heartbroken if you never allow it to dream.”
Chelsea nodded and looked back out the window. “I want to have kids someday. I love babies, but
when I was holding baby Faith, I had this overwhelming urge to hold my own.”
The wistfulness in her voice got to him, reaching over, he grabbed her hand, threading her fingers
with his own. “I want kids one day, too.”
“Really? But you seem so dedicated to your career…”
“Things can change. I do a lot of the fieldwork right now because I choose to. We have several other
men working for us that could do those jobs just as well.”
Chelsea’s thoughts were halted as he drew his thumb across the inside of her palm. Shivers raced
across her spine and heat pooled between her legs. He had been almost brotherly this morning when
she’d awakened, and she had feared that last night had been a onetime thing. Now, she wasn’t so sure.
Seth watched her from the corner of his eye, noticing when her pulse kicked up and her breathing
hitched. He dragged his thumb across her palm one again, before lifting her fist to his lips and placing
a kiss on the back of her knuckles. “You okay after last night?”
Chelsea blushed bright red before answering, “I’m fine.”
“Huh…you sure?”
Chelsea nodded, “I’m sure.”
“Good.”
There was so much promise in his voice, Chelsea turned to stare at him, mesmerized as he kissed the
back of her hand again, letting his tongue sneak out to taste her skin. The act was so sensual; she
melted into the seat, wishing they weren’t in his car so she could press her body up against his. She
had never felt this way about a man before, but wasn’t willing to waste time trying to understand it.
Meeting her eyes for a smoldering glance, he told her, “Think you can pack and get things squared
away with your sister in an hour?”
Chelsea nodded her head. “Good. I think we’ll fly to Aspen, instead of drive. I’ll call ahead and have
the jet readied.” Giving her hand one more kiss, he placed it back in her lap as he pulled the car into
the driveway of the house.
Chelsea blinked out the window, amazed that she hadn’t even known they were here. Shaking her
head, she exited the car and headed up the sidewalk.
Rachel saw the car pull into the driveway and put on her best game face. It was only 11 o’clock in the
morning and she was already exhausted, but she was determined that Chelsea not find that out. Her
sister deserved to be happy and if this man did it for her, more power to her!
“Hey, Chels. Welcome back.” Rachel gave her a hug and then stood back to admire the gorgeous man
entering behind her.
“Rachel, this is Seth Jacobsen. Seth, this is my sister, Rachel.”
Seth shook her hand, “It’s nice to meet you. Chelsea’s told me all about you. I understand you have a
pair of youngster around here?”
Rachel nodded, “Yeah. They’re in the playpen. I was just getting ready to feed them some lunch.”
“Oh, let me help…” Chelsea began.
“No. I’ve got it. Chance said you two were going to take a little vacation.” Turning to meet her
sister’s eyes, she smiled warmly, “I’m really happy for you, sis. Can I do anything to help you pack?”
“Trying to get rid of me?” Chelsea asked, marveling at how together her sister seemed.
“No way. But, you deserve a vacation and I hear Aspen is really nice this time of year.”
Seth had wandered over to the playpen and immediately saw why Chance had been drawn back to
this house. The little guys were amazing and already showed signs of mischief.
Seth hoped that something between his brother and Rachel might work out. Chance had been the
victim of a childhood illness, which had rendered him sterile. More than one of his past girlfriends
had been turned off by the knowledge that he could never father his own children. Chance had come
to terms with it years ago, and had learned to be happy with what he did have in his life, not what he
was missing.
But Seth knew the truth. His brother loved children, and hoped one day to find a woman who would
be content with adopting children into their home. Their parents had left them both small fortunes, and
Seth looked forward to the day when he could spoil some well-deserving kids.
Finding a woman who already had kids, and babies at that, would be icing on the cake. It would be
the closest thing to having his own kids his brother might ever have. If Rachel was anything like
Chelsea, she had probably already rocked his brother’s world.
“Chels, get a move on. The plane leaves in an hour and we still have quite a drive ahead of us.”
Chelsea and Rachel had been quietly talking, but she answered, “Okay. Give me fifteen minutes and I
should be ready.” She disappeared down the hallway, leaving Rachel alone with Seth and the babies.
“So, you and my sister seem to have hit it off.”
Seth looked at her, applauding the mama bear syndrome that had her checking out his intentions,
“That’s right. She’s the one I’ve been searching for my entire adult life.” Seeing her expression, he
continued, “I know it sounds corny. Believe me, I am the last person who would have ever admitted
that love at first sight might actually exist. But, there’s something about her. She’s really special.”
Rachel tried to hide her tears. She could hear the sincerity in his voice and she truly believed that he
felt her sister was the one for him. “Just, don’t hurt her. She doesn’t deserve to be hurt.”
“I’d die for her. You don’t have to worry about that. My sole purpose in life right now is to see to her
happiness.”
Rachel nodded, too choked up to speak. She was happy for Chelsea and mentally girded herself to
stand on her own two feet. If Chelsea thought for one minute that Rachel was floundering, she would
drop everything and come running to the rescue. Rachel wasn’t about to let that happen.
Chelsea returned moments later with a duffle bag in one hand and a suitcase in the other. “Okay. I’m
ready.” Walking over, she picked each of her nephews up, bussing their cheeks and giving them
loving hugs before she turned and hugged her sister. “Are you sure you can manage without me
around?”
Rachel grinned at her, “I’m sure. Have fun and I’ll see you when you get back.”
Chelsea looked like she wanted to argue but Seth took over and pulled her along after him back to the
car. Rachel stood in the doorway and waved until they were out of sight. Chelsea was getting her life
back. Rachel was going to start living hers as well.
Chapter9
Rachel sat down on the couch in defeat. It was only day three of her solo motherhood journey and she
was exhausted beyond belief. She had put coffee in the bottles earlier and luckily caught the mistake
before giving it to her sons.
She hadn’t showered in two days, she was barely keeping up with the laundry – who knew babies
could go through so many clothes, and she hadn’t eaten a decent meal since she couldn’t even
remember.
The babies had finally fallen asleep after two hours of rocking, and walking, and singing, and
cajoling. They were teething, their little gums all swollen and sore, and only seemed to be content if
she were holding them. She could only hold one at a time comfortably or safely, and that meant having
to hear the other baby cry and fuss.
Dropping her head into her hands, she heard the phone ring again. It had been ringing at least once
every hour all afternoon but she couldn’t even remember where she had set the cordless handset. She
could hear it ringing somewhere in the living room, but didn’t have the energy to go searching for it.
Besides, with Chelsea out of town, there was no one else around who would call her.
Leaning her head back against the couch, she closed her eyes for a moment – she just needed a
moment and then she would change the laundry out and pick up the kitchen.
*****
Chance had been dialing Rachel’s number all afternoon with no answer. He had left a message each
time, and she hadn’t returned his calls. Seth had called earlier in the day asking if he would check on
her. Chelsea was concerned about her sister’s ability to handle both babies and Chance had promised
to ensure everything was going okay, and if not, to fix the situation however was required.
Pulling his car into the driveway, he noticed that the papers were piling up in front of the mailbox.
Retrieving them, he also noticed that several days’ worth of mail hadn’t been retrieved. Gathering it
all together, he walked up the sidewalk, glancing in the front window before knocking on the door.
When he spied Rachel leaning on the couch, eyes closed in sleep, he decided to forego knocking on
the door, not wanting to disturb her. He tried to doorknob, alarmed to see that she hadn’t even locked
the front door before falling asleep. They would definitely have to discuss personal safety before he
left.
Opening the door, he quietly entered the house, setting down the papers and mail on the hallway table.
He checked on Rachel and found her gently snoring, the dark circles under her eyes even more
pronounced than the last time he had seen her.
He checked the playpen, and finding it empty, headed down the hallway. Both boys were asleep in
their cribs, lying on their stomachs, little bottoms in the air as they pulled their knees under them.
Satisfied that no one was injured or sick, he returned to the living room, gently calling Rachel’s name
to wake her up.
Rachel heard the man’s voice in her sleep. She’d been hearing that same voice for the last several
days and a frown formed on her brow as she tried to deal with the disappointment that would come
with opening her eyes and finding herself alone, once again.
When a hand touched her shoulder, she jerked awake, opening her eyes to stare into the concerned
gaze of the face she had been dreaming about. Reaching out her hand, she murmured, “You’re here.”
Chance wasn’t sure if she was still half-asleep, but when she reached for him, he sat down on the
edge of the couch, wanting her touch more than his next breath. “Yeah, I’m here. Are you okay?”
Chance let his hand cup her cheek while he tried to see the answer to his question in the depths of her
emerald green eyes.
Rachel leaned into his touch for the briefest of moments before pushing him away and sitting up
straighter. Cocking her head to the side, she listened for sounds that would indicate the babies were
awake. Hearing nothing, she let herself relax back against the couch again. Closing her eyes, she
asked him softly, “How did you get in here?”
“You left the front door unlocked.”
“Why are you here?” Rachel kept her eyes closed, listening to the low timbre of his voice, and trying
to memorize it for later use in her dreams.
“Rachel, open your eyes.”
“Why?” she said sleepily. Maybe if he left she could actually get a few minutes of sleep before the
babies woke up.
Chance watched her for several seconds, angry that she had let herself get so run down and not asked
for help. When her stomach rumbled loudly, he grimaced and asked, “When was the last time you ate
anything?”
Rachel shrugged her shoulders, “I don’t know. I had a spoonful of peanut butter sometime this
morning. The babies sleep patterns are all off. This is the first time in days they’ve both decided to
sleep at the same time.” She kept her eyes closed, not wanting to see the censure in his eyes she was
sure was there. She already knew she was failing in her role of single mother, she didn’t need to see
the affirmation in his eyes.
Chance’s eyes held only concern for her. She was running herself ragged and being stubborn was only
causing her further stress. “You need some help.”
Rachel was almost asleep and murmured softly, “Chelsea was all I had. I can do this. I just have to try
harder.” The last sentence was mumbled and with a sigh, she drifted back to sleep while Chance
watched.
Picking her up in his arms, he carried her down the hallway to her bedroom. He removed her clothing
down to her underwear, trying to be a gentleman and remain detached. That was a pipe dream and he
found himself staring down at the body that had haunted his dreams for the last several nights.
After pulling a blanket over her, he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. Rachel murmured in her
sleep and it took everything within him to walk out of the bedroom and leave her lying there alone.
Chance used the time between moving Rachel and when Tony woke up to pick up the house and start
a pot of soup on the stove. He made a loaf of bread and left it rising in the warm oven while he
changed the baby’s diaper and placed a call to Seth.
“Hey, bro. Did you get ahold of Rachel? Chelsea’s about to go crazy with worry.”
“I’m over here now. Rachel’s exhausted, but don’t tell Chelsea that. I put her to bed and I’ll stick
around as long as I need to.”
“Thanks man. I’ll pass the good news along. We’ll be back in a few days. Did Trent get ahold of
you?”
“Not yet. What’s up?”
“They’re having a homecoming party for Brianna and baby Faith. I was told that you are expected and
are welcome to bring someone with you. Several someone’s would be acceptable too.”
Chance was quiet. He had been careful to hide his attraction to Rachel from his brother. Had Shawn
said something to Seth?
“Chance, did you hear me?”
“Yeah. When is this taking place?”
“Four days from now. Chelsea’s agreed to try staying at my place a few nights a week, but she
doesn’t want to move all of her stuff until we see if things are going to work out between us.”
“So, what, you’re going to take turns sleeping in each other’s beds?” Chance asked.
“No. We’re going to stay at my place, but she’s also welcome to sleep at Rachel’s whenever she
needs to. I don’t like it, but I’ll take whatever she’s willing to give me right now. Anyway, Trent said
the party’s going to be casual.”
“Okay, I’ll make time to be there.” Chance wondered if Rachel would enjoy getting out of the house
and being around other adults. They could take the boys with them, as there would be plenty of people
around to hold and spoil them. He stopped himself as he realized what he was doing – he was already
thinking of he and Rachel as a couple. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he closed his eyes and took a
deep breath. His brain needed to slow down!
“So, you thinking of seeing if the chemistry between you and Chelsea’s sister has anywhere to go?”
“Have you been talking to Shawn?” Chance demanded.
Seth chuckled, “Just for a few minutes. Anyway, don’t sweat it. From all that Chelsea’s told me,
Rachel’s a great girl, she just got dealt a bum hand. She hardly ever speaks about her deceased
husband, and Chelsea would love to see her move on.”
“I’ll see what I can do about that. She’s pretty amazing, but stubborn.”
“From what Chelsea tells me, Rachel has always been very independent and a take charge type of
person. With the babies and then her husband’s death, she feels like she’s lost control of her life.
Chelsea told me she had a serious case of postpartum depression about a month after the babies were
born and has been having trouble getting her life reorganized since then.”
“She’s trying, I can tell. I think keeping up with two babies would wear anyone out. She’s definitely
in need of some pampering and relaxation. I’m going to make arrangements to stick around for a
while, at least until you all get home.”
“Great! We’ll see you in a couple of days then.” Chance could hear Chelsea saying something in the
background and then Seth came back on the line, “Chelsea wants me to tell you that you shouldn’t
listen to her sister if she tries to run you off. She seems to think that since her husband died, it’s her
duty to remain faithful to his memory and live a lonely life from here on out. I guess what that means
is that even if she’s attracted to you, she’s going to fight it if she’s thinking straight.”
“Tell Chelsea thanks for the tip, but I already figured that one out. Rachel wants to move on with her
life, but isn’t sure she’d be doing the right thing. She piles the guilt upon herself for any moment of joy
she feels.”
“Now you sound like a profiler. Don’t screw this up, bro. Think about how awkward family get
together’s are going to be in the future if you and Rachel crash and burn and have to play nice in the
sandbox for major holidays.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. See you in a few days.” Chance disconnected the call before Seth could issue
any more warnings to him. He planned to take things as slowly as needed with Rachel. Yes – she had
been through a lot, but he wanted to help ease her burdens, not add to them.
Chapter10
After speaking with Seth, Chance placed a call to Shawn and let him know he was going to be off the
clock for the next few days. Shawn asked for details and Chance gave him what he could. When
Shawn offered to come over later that evening with Janet and watch the twins for a couple of hours,
Chance readily agreed. He wasn’t sure how he was going to convince mama to leave her little ones
with strangers, but he was going to give it a try.
Chance took the soup off the stove and let it cool. Dinner out of the house sounded better and the soup
and bread would keep until lunch the next day. He kept a watchful eye on Rachel the rest of the
afternoon, taking care of the boys, feeding them, changing them, and playing with them. They were
curious little tikes and both on the verge of crawling. Chance laughed, as they would balance on their
tiny hands and knees, only to collapse minutes later onto their stomachs.
Tony and David were smart and after failing to reach for the toys Chance kept placing in front of
them, quickly learned that they could roll to the toys just as easy. Chance was still laughing at their
antics when Rachel awoke.
“What’s going on in here?” came her voice from the hallway entrance.
Chance turned his head and gave her a dazzling smile, “Sleeping beauty awakens.” Seeing the blush
rise in her cheeks at his compliment, he made a mental note to compliment her more often.
Rachel looked down as her cheeks flamed. What was it about this guy that turned her inside out
with just a look or a simple comment? Shaking her head, she entered the room in time to see David
roll over to reach the toy in his sights. Gasping, she asked, “How did he learn to do that?”
Chance watched as he answered, “He’s brilliant. I was trying to entice them to crawl for the toys, but
after several unsuccessful attempts to stay on their knees, this was their solution. Tony figured it out
first and David followed.”
“Wow!” Rachel kneeled down on the floor by the boys and bussed first one, and then the other, on
their tiny stomachs, eliciting smiles and babbling.
“Rachel?”
When she looked up, she found herself caught in his stare, and close enough to smell his unique scent.
It went straight to her core, igniting the smoldering flame left by his kiss from days before. Sitting
back on her heels, she watched him silently.
“I think I know why you didn’t call for help. You’re not used to being this out of control. That
stubborn streak of yours is demanding that you rise to the occasion and handle this situation like
everything else.”
Rachel was shocked that he had read her so easily. “I don’t…”
“Hey!” Chance stopped her defensive statement, “I’m not here to pass judgment. I’m here as a friend
to help out. It’s not a sign of weakness to take help when it’s offered. It’s not a sign of failure to ask
for help when things get to be too much.”
Rachel looked down at her hands, she knew he was right, but she couldn’t find the words to tell him.
She had thought of calling him several times over the past few days, just to hear another human voice,
but instead had dialed the time and temperature recording, holding onto the adult recorded voice like
a lifeline.
She needed contact with another human being, one that didn’t demand to be changed or fed every
couple of hours. One that could hold up their end of a conversation. She let her eyes track up his body
as he reclined on the floor near the babies. One that could hold her when she needed a shoulder to
cry on.
That thought startled her and she rose to her feet, needing to move and put more distance between
them. Watching her eyes, Chance had seen the desire and longing in them, just before she closed down
and quickly gained her feet. Whatever that last thought was, she had turned her emotions off pretty
damn quick. “Where are you going?”
“Uhm… I thought… I mean… have you already fed the boys?”
Chance nodded at her and lithely rose to his feet, taking a step closer to her so that only a few feet
separated them. “I fed them about half an hour ago. Carrots and applesauce.”
“Oh.” She felt defeated and nervous. “Okay. Was there a reason you stopped by?”
“Rachel, don’t.” He took another step closer and lifted a hand to her chin, forcing her to meet his
eyes. “Don’t try and shut me out. You needed some help and I gave it to you. Chelsea was worried
about you and asked me to check in with you. When you didn’t return my phone calls, I decided to
come over and make sure everything was okay. No big deal, okay?”
Rachel looked at him and nodded, “Okay. Thanks.”
Stepping away from her, he dropped his hand from her chin and announced, “You have,” consulting
his watch, “approximately thirty minutes to shower and change before my boss and his wife arrive.”
Puzzled, she asked, “Why are they coming to my house?”
“They are going to watch the boys for a few hours while you and I go have some adult time.”
Rachel had already begun to shake her head, “No way. I’m not leaving my babies with complete
strangers. Not happening.” Even as she said the words, she wanted to pull them back and agree. She
hadn’t been away from the babies since their birth and the idea of having dinner with another adult,
without having to worry about the boys, sounded delicious and sooooo good. But her responsibilities
as a mother had to come first. She couldn’t leave her children with strangers!
“Look, Shawn Marshall is my boss and his wife Janet absolutely loves children. Seth would vouch
for them if he were here. Trent and Brianna Coldwell would also vouch for them. Would you like me
to call either of them for you?”
Rachel struggled to keep her mind focused on what he was asking her, but the temptation to be alone
with this gorgeous man had befuddled her brain. Having married her best friend and then boyfriend
from high school, she felt very out of her depth with Chance. She had enjoyed the intimacy she had
with Sam, but he had never made her heart beat erratically, or her breath catch in her throat. She had
loved their intimate interludes, but had never wanted to rip his clothes off and drag him into the
bedroom. She seriously needed to get a grip on herself!
“Rachel? Honey, you need to make a decision here. Do you want to talk to someone else who can
vouch for the Marshall’s? They’re going to be here in about twenty-five minutes now.”
Rachel watched his mouth as he spoke and memories of his kiss stopped whatever thoughts had been
rolling through her brain. Had she only imagined the emotion behind his kiss? Had it really been
that good, or had she just embellished reality?
Chance looked at her eyes as they darkened with desire and stayed focused on his mouth. She wasn’t
listening to him speak - she was remembering their kiss. As she leaned towards him, he met her
halfway, placing a gentle kiss upon her lips. When she closed her eyes and swayed towards him, he
gently wrapped his arms around her, bringing her body flush against his own.
“Rachel, I would love to stay here and kiss you for the next several hours, but Shawn and his wife
really are on their way over here. Let me take you to dinner? Just the two of us. I would trust Shawn
with my life.”
Rachel gave in to her impulse and laid her cheek against his strong chest. Hearing the steady beat of
his heart beneath her ear was so soothing. The heat from his body and the comfort she found in his
arms was so confusing, yet felt right somehow. Closing her eyes, she inhaled his scent, snuggling her
head against his chest without being aware she had done so.
Chance gave her one last hug and then pushed her away from himself, “Go shower or change.
Whatever you feel up to. We’ll grab a quick bite to eat and then come right back.”
Rachel looked at him one last time and then headed towards her bedroom. Chance watched her go,
quickly adjusting himself and telling his body to cool off. They were only going to dinner!
Chapter11
When Shawn and Janet arrived, Rachel had already prepared bottles for the boys and placed them in
the fridge. She kept herself busy while waiting for their arrival, her nervous energy infecting the boys
and making them fussy.
Chance had attempted to calm her down, but knew that completing this adventure would be the only
way to do that. She just needed to take that first step towards claiming her life back and realizing that
becoming a mother hadn’t erased her adult needs. She was still a vibrant woman; she just needed to
be reminded of that fact.
Rachel had opted for jeans and a button down shirt. She had lost most of her baby weight, but most of
her pre-pregnancy clothing was still a little too tight to wear comfortably. She promised herself that
she would begin to deal with the extra weight first thing tomorrow.
Chance didn’t seem to mind and kept giving her heated stares across the room. After introducing her
to the Marshall’s, she took them on a tour of the house, showing them where the babies things were
kept, going over the bottle warming directions for a third time, and then giving them a list of
emergency numbers for herself, the ambulance and fire department.
Shawn had patiently taken it all in while Janet cooed and played with the tiring babies. It was almost
time for their bedtime and Rachel debated about cancelling dinner to put them to sleep. This would be
the first time she had ever left the house without them and she was already suffering separation
anxiety.
“Rachel, let’s go.”
She nodded and took a huge breath before walking determinedly towards the front door. Chance gave
Shawn of nod of thanks and followed her closely, not wanting to give her an opportunity to change her
mind.
He helped her into his SUV, fastening her seatbelt, before walking around the vehicle and joining her.
“So, take a deep breath.”
Rachel followed his direction and let the air whoosh from her lungs in a giant rush. “I don’t know if I
can do this.”
“Sure you can. They’re only a phone call away. Now, what sounds good for dinner?”
After some discussion, they opted for a buffet restaurant that served a little bit of everything. They
both ate their fill, and when Rachel glanced at her watch for the tenth time in as many minutes, Chance
sighed and reached across the table for her wrist. When she moved to pull away, he tightened his
grip, removing her watch quickly and placing it in his shirt pocket.
“Why did you do that?” she asked, rubbing her wrist once he released it.
“Because you can’t seem to relax and that watch is only a reminder of how long you’ve been away
from the house.”
Rachel stared at him for a moment before dropping her gaze and continuing to eat. He was right! She
could do better than this and she would.
“So, you worked for the FBI?” she offered, wanting anything to take her mind off her babies.
Chance smiled at her and went with it, “Yeah. But only for a few years. The bureaucracy got to me
and I decided to join my brother and Shawn.”
“What do they do exactly?”
“Shawn and Seth run a company called MJI. They offer private security services, both here and
abroad. Tell me about your husband.”
Startled, she glanced at him, “Why do you want to know about Sam?”
“Because I want to understand what type of relationship you had with him. Rachel, I like you and I
know you feel the chemistry between us. I want to keep exploring that, but I don’t want to
unintentionally do something that would cause you emotional pain. I need to know what kind of
relationship you had with Sam so I can avoid any minefields.”
Rachel set down her fork and pushed away from the table, taking a huge breath before looking up at
him. “He was my world. He’s gone. I’m alone. End of story.”
Chance’s heart broke for the sadness he heard in her voice, “Not true. You’re not alone and this is not
the end of the story. Tell me where you and he met.”
“We went to high school together.”
“Were you always boyfriend and girlfriend?”
Rachel shook her head, “No. We were buddies first. We got paired up in science class our freshman
year and then things just slowly changed into more than friends.”
Chance was quiet for several seconds before he asked, “So, you just woke up one day and realized
you loved your best friend?”
Rachel shrugged, “I don’t know that it happened that fast. We always hung out together, and when the
junior prom came around, we decided to go together as friends and ended up sharing our first kiss
when he dropped me off. We were both so nervous, it’s a wonder we managed to accomplish the
task.”
Chance watched the smile on her face as she remembered better days. “So, when did you decided to
get married?”
Rachel was lost in the memories and answered him without even thinking about it, “Right after high
school. Sam was a foster kid and my parent’s passed away the year before – I guess we didn’t want
to be alone in the adult world.”
Chance nodded, he could see how two teenagers entering adulthood would gravitate towards each
other. “So, you got married and he enlisted in the service?”
Rachel shook her head, “Nor right away. He tried his hand at working a civilian job for a few years
after graduation, but he hated it. He’d always wanted to enlist, but after we got married, he figured I
would object. I just wanted him to be happy. One day, we walked by a recruiting table in the mall,
and he stopped. He took the tests and enlisted the next week with my full support.”
“You didn’t mind the fact that he might be gone for weeks or months at a time?”
Rachel shook her head, “No. I just wanted him to be happy. I hated seeing him slowly lose himself in
the mundane jobs he was working.”
“So did he get stationed in Denver…”
Rachel shook her head, “Not Denver. Colorado Springs. He was assigned to Fort Carson. That’s
where I lived until the babies came along.”
“Did he know you were pregnant when he went overseas?”
“No. I didn’t find out until he’d been over there for a few weeks. He was so happy when I told him.
We tried to Skype each other at least once a week. When I found out I was having twins, he made so
much noise his entire tent helped him celebrate.”
Chance loved the smile on her face as she remembered the good times. She was beautiful, but the
smile upon her face lit her up from the inside out. He hated having to bring her down, but he needed
to know the rest of the story. “When did he die?”
“He was killed while on patrol. An IED blew up their convoy and he was in the closest vehicle. Six
other men died in that attack.” Rachel felt her happiness fade away and the sense of loss and
loneliness came back with a vengeance.
“How far along were you with the pregnancy?” Chance didn’t like pushing her to remember such
hurtful events, but he wanted to understand everything about her. Besides, he knew from experience
that talking about such trying times helped put them into perspective and took some of the sting away
over time.
“Almost eight months. I had already been having Braxton-Hicks contractions before I received word
of the attack. I made it through the funeral and went into early labor a week later.”
“The boys were okay?”
Rachel shook her head, “No. They flew them to Denver Children’s Hospital. Their lungs were under-
developed and they needed special treatment. I came up here to be with them and Chelsea moved to
Denver to help me. They were in the NICU for nine weeks before they let them come home.”
Chapter12
“You’ve had it rough, haven’t you?”
Rachel shrugged her shoulders, wanting to change the subject and find something easier to discuss.
“Do you miss him?”
“Who? Sam?” Rachel asked.
Chance nodded, watching her closely.
“Sometimes. Maybe not as much as I feel I should,” she confessed, then placed a hand over her mouth
in anguish. “I can’t believe I just said that.”
Ignoring her confession, he continued his questions, “So, you and Sam had this once in a lifetime
passion…”
Rachel shook her head, “No. It wasn’t like that.”
“What was it like?” Chance asked.
“It was comfortable. We’d been friends for a few years before we started dating. We could complete
each other’s sentences, but he never made me feel like yo...” Rachel stopped, once again horrified at
what she been about to confess.
“He never made you feel like I do?” Chance inquired; concerned that her guilt was going to keep her
from seeing where their chemistry might lead them.
Rachel nodded her head, tears forming in her eyes. When she looked up, arrows shot straight through
Chance’s heart, “I shouldn’t feel like that, should I?”
“I don’t think you should feel guilty, no matter how you feel now or in the future. Would Sam have
wanted you to keep yourself locked away for the rest of your life?”
Rachel shrugged, wiping tears from her cheeks, “I don’t know.”
“Well, then answer this question. If the roles had been reversed and you had died, would you have
wanted him to remain single for the rest of his life as a tribute to his love for you?”
Rachel shook her head, “Of course not. I would want him to find someone else to…” She stopped
when she realized what she had just said. After a moment, she said, “He’d want me to move on and
find someone else.”
“Yeah. I think he probably would. Just like you want Chelsea to get on with her life. You need to get
on with yours.”
“But the babies…” she began.
“…will be there, but you need to remember that you were a woman before you were a mother. Sure,
it changes your priorities, but you’re still you.”
Rachel nodded, silently pondering his statement. Get on with her life. How easy was that going to be
with two babies in tow? Not many men she knew would willingly take on instant fatherhood. Would
Chance? She stared at him, lost in the questions running around in her mind.
“So, you ready for dessert,” Chance asked, standing up from the table, and trying to lighten the mood.
He had a pretty good feel for her mindset and realized that he had his work cut out for him if he was
going to pursue a relationship with her. She didn’t feel like a woman, and was carrying around guilt
about feeling anything for someone else. He would have to slowly breakdown those preconceptions
and reawaken the woman hiding behind the veil of motherhood.
*****
“Do you think Rachel is really doing okay?” Chelsea asked, lying in Seth’s arms after him having
rocked her world.
Seth hugged her close, “Chance was over there when I spoke with him. She’s doing fine and I’m sure
he’ll call if any problems arise. You miss your nephews, don’t you?”
Chelsea rubbed her head on his chest, “Yeah. I’ve been with them since they were born. It feels kind
of funny to not be getting up in the night to check on them, or feeding one of them a bottle while I eat
breakfast.”
Seth rubbed his hand up and down her back, loving the feel of her silky skin beneath his palm. “Have
you given any more thought to my question?”
Chelsea sighed, knowing he deserved an answer, but still unsure of what that should be. During
dinner, Seth had pronounced his love for her and asked her to consider moving in with him,
permanently. He had asked her to marry him, and informed her that he was willing to wait if that is
what she wanted but would love it if she would wear his ring.
Chelsea had been floored. Things between her and Seth had been moving so quickly, she just didn’t
want to make a mistake and end up hurting him, or being hurt.
Pushing up on her elbow, she rested one hand on his chest, letting her fingers tangle in the crisp hair
they encountered, “Seth, don’t you think things are moving too fast?”
Seth shook his head, “No. I know what I want and I want you. In my bed. In my home. In my life. I
can’t imagine not spending part of every day with you.”
“I can’t imagine that either right now. It’s just that, I don’t want us to end up hurting each other.”
“We won’t. Don’t you feel it?”
Chelsea nodded, “Yes. It feels like I’ve known you my entire life. I’ve never been this attracted to
someone before – and not just your body, but who you are as a person.”
“Ditto.”
“I want to try, but I’m afraid.”
“What are you afraid of,” Seth asked, reaching up with his free hand to push her hair back from her
face.
“Failure.” Chelsea let her forehead rest on his chest after making that admission.
“We can’t fail. We were meant to be together. We just have to take it one day at a time. Wear my ring,
and move in with me. We can call the ring a promise between us that we’re going to do everything we
can to make this work. If it doesn’t, then we’ll part as friends. If it does, we’ll spend the rest of our
lives in each other’s arms.”
Chelsea snuggled against him again, she felt so safe in his arms and loved. Since her parents had died
her sophomore year, she’d been living life day-by-day, not really looking much towards the future.
When Rachel had married her high school best friend, Chelsea had thought that maybe their lives
were going to level out and normalize.
That dream had disappeared with her brother-in-law’s death and the early arrival of her nephews.
She had managed to get her nursing degree in between high school and those life changing events, but
she hadn’t really found a place where she fit in.
Lying next to Seth, she found she felt like she was home. He completed her in ways she hadn’t known
still needed put together. Was this love? Could it really happen this fast? According to popular
fiction it did. Those stories had to come from somewhere, they couldn’t all be based in wild
imagination. Maybe love could happen that fast. Maybe she was destined to be the poster child for
love at first sight.
She drifted to sleep with a smile on her face and Seth’s arms wrapped around her. She was willing to
give it a try. After all, she really had nothing to lose, but everything to gain. Maybe Seth was her
destiny.
Chapter13
Chance drove Rachel home, trying to keep the atmosphere light to banish her worries. She had grown
quieter the closer they got to her house.
“You doing okay over there?” he asked, reaching for and capturing her hand in his.
Rachel glanced at him, “Yes. I’m just anxious to get home.”
“It’s normal to be worried about your babies the first couple of times you leave them. If they were
mine, I’d be worried as well.”
“How old are you?” she blurted out, the question having been in the back of her mind for the last hour.
Chance looked at her and smiled, “I’ll tell if you will,” he teased her.
Rachel smiled, “I’m twenty-seven. Your turn.”
“Twenty-nine. Does it bother you to be hanging out with an older man?”
Rachel grinned, “Definitely. Why, you’re almost old enough to be my brother!”
“I can assure you that what I feel for you doesn’t fit in the brotherly affection department.”
The tension inside the vehicle thickened and grew intense. Rachel blushed and hurriedly looked out
the window. Swallowing, she attempted to lighten the mood once again, “So, I just wanted to thank
you for your help earlier.”
“If this is your attempt to run me off, forget it. I’m not going anywhere for the next several days.”
Chance didn’t try to sugar coat the truth or sweet talk her into letting him stay. He was staying and
there wasn’t anything she could do about it!
“That’s very nice of you to offer…”
“I’m not offering. It’s a fact. When Chelsea and Seth get back we’ll figure something else out.”
“But, what about your job?” Rachel asked, anxious to find a reason for him to leave. She couldn’t
have him around twenty-four seven. Her hormones couldn’t handle that. She’d end up attacking
him in his sleep!
“Shawn knows where to find me and you need my help. End of story. So, what would you like to do
tomorrow? I was thinking we could take the boys to the zoo.” Chance met her eyes, daring her to
continue arguing with him, not that it would do her any good.
Rachel tried to find another tact that would require him to leave but came up with nothing. “Aren’t
they too young for the zoo?”
“You’re never too young for the zoo. Besides, the outing will be more for you than for them. Some
fresh air will do you all some good.”
Rachel tried to think up any excuse, but admitted that getting out of the house sounded really nice. In
the last five months, the only time she and the twins had left the house was for a doctor’s appointment.
She hadn’t even been to the grocery store. Chelsea had been taking care of everything. Making up her
mind, she took a breath and looked Chance in the eye, “A trip to the zoo tomorrow sounds fun.”
“Good girl,” he murmured, glad to see her backbone kick in. She could makeup excuses all day long,
but life was there and just waiting for her to jump back in. He was going to be her self-appointed
guide on the journey and just maybe, he would end up being her partner as well.
Pulling into the driveway, Rachel exited the car and headed for the front door. She was greeted by
both Shawn and his wife Janet, their arms around each other and if she wasn’t mistaken, Janet had the
look of a thoroughly kissed woman. She gave Rachel a secret smile as she snuggled into her
husband’s arms, “Welcome back. The boys went right to sleep and have been sleeping ever since.”
“Thank you so much for watching them,” Rachel offered, trying to sound sincere and realizing that she
was. Chance had been right to force her to get out of the house and she would find some way to thank
him later.
“I’m just going to go peek in on them.” Rachel hurried down the hallway as the three other adults
softly discussed the upcoming welcome home party for Faith Coldwell.
“She seems really nice. And the babies are adorable,” Janet told Chance.
He smiled at her in agreement, “Yeah. They’re something else.”
“So, are you going to bring her to Trent and Brianna’s?” Shawn wanted to know.
Chance nodded, “I’m thinking about it. We’re going to take the boys to the zoo tomorrow, so I’ll wait
and see how that goes. She’s only taken them to doctor’s appointments. She’s been holed up here in
this house since the boys came home from the hospital.”
Janet looked for Rachel’s return, compassion in her voice when she said, “It sounds like she could
use some good friends. Please bring her. I would love to get to know her more and I’m sure she’ll be
a hit with both Brianna and Maria.”
Chance nodded, his thoughts having taken the same trip. “I agree. She needs to make some friends in
this town. I’ll see that we’re there.” Changing the subject, he directed his question to Shawn, “Any
word on Marco yet?”
Shawn shook his head, “No. Nothing. I’ll know when he comes back on US soil. The minute his plane
lands and he clears customs, I’ll know.”
“I can’t say I’m sorry any of this happened. As hard as it is to say, both Seth and I owe Marco thanks
for having brought two wonderful women into our lives.”
“Save your thanks for someone who truly deserves it. You didn’t see how crushed Brianna was. No
one deserves to be put through that kind of emotional trauma. Marco needs to pay.” Shawn’s voice
was hard and his wife wrapped her arms around his waist, attempting to calm the anger she could
sense rising to the surface.
“It’ll all work out.”
Rachel walked back into the living room, a smile of relief on her face and feeling lighter in spirit that
she had in months. “They’re sound asleep.”
“Good. Come say goodbye to Shawn and Janet. They’ve got a long drive ahead of them and are
anxious to get home.”
Shawn took the hint and turned to Rachel, “Thanks for letting us watch your boys tonight. Feel free to
call us anytime you need a sitter. We really don’t mind.”
Rachel nodded and shook his hand and then Janet’s. “Thanks again.”
Chance shook hands with Shawn and gave Janet a hug before watching them exit the house, shutting
the front door behind them. Turning to Rachel, he gave her one of his enigmatic stares that had
butterflies starting to flutter in her stomach, and her heart racing a little faster.
Chapter14
Chanced tracked her across the room, a devilish gleam entering his eyes when she started to back up
and attempted to put the couch between them. “Where are you going?” he purred softly.
“Uhm.. no where… maybe I should go check on the boys again,” Rachel said, turning towards the
hallway.
Chance stopped her by lightly grabbing her arms and pulling her inexorably towards him. “The boys
are sleeping, remember? You just checked on them two minutes ago.”
Rachel tried not to meet his eyes, but was drawn to them like a magnetic was to iron. Meeting his
gaze, she felt herself falling into the promise she found there. One of comfort, of safety, and passion. It
was the passion she saw in his eyes that gave her pause.
Chance watched the emotions cross her face, not liking the scared look that entered her eyes and
seemed to linger. “Rachel, are you afraid of me?”
Rachel watched for long moments before answering, “It’s not you really. Maybe it’s me. I don’t
know.” She sounded thoroughly confused.
Chance smiled, “Let’s try this then. If I were to kiss you would that make you fearful?”
Rachel shook her head, watching his lips as he bent down and placed them upon hers. Closing her
eyes, she gave into the feelings his touch elicited. His lips were gentle at first, but as they continued to
kiss, she found herself needing more. More contact with him. More than the gentle kisses he was
giving her.
Stepping into him, she wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed herself against his chest.
Feeling the hard points of her nipples dig into his chest sent a moan bursting from her throat at the
same time he took the kiss to an entire new level.
Chance had tried to take things slowly, but at the feel of her body pressed against his, he lost control
and devoured her mouth. Bending her head to the side for a better angle, he discovered all of the
secrets hidden within the recesses of her mouth. The sounds of her moans exciting him even further.
Breaking the kiss, he pulled her with him as he sat down on the couch, bringing her down to straddle
his thighs in the process.
Rachel opened her eyes when they started to move and was mildly alarmed to find herself sitting
astride his lap. Straightening her upper legs, she kept her center from pressing down upon his. The
intimacy of their positions almost too much for her brain to process.
Chance felt her hold herself above him and ran his hands up and down her back, soothing her nerves
and urging her to relax against him. After several minutes, he felt her muscles relax and she lowered
herself carefully upon his lap, gasping as their bodies made contact through their clothing.
“God, you feel good,” he murmured, once again fastening his lips to hers in a soul-stealing kiss.
Rachel couldn’t even remember feeling this turned on in her life. Sex with Sam had been good, but
she had a feeling that it wouldn’t even be in the same league as sex with Chance. She let her mind
drift as she gave into the touches and kisses. Sam wouldn’t want her to be miserable. He would have
wanted her to be happy.
Chance could sense the wheels of her mind working overtime and raised one hand up to mold her
breast, teasing the hardened nipple and loving the way she melted into his touch. “Rachel, do you
want me to stop?” he softly whispered in her ear.
He wanted to see their interlude to completion, but he also wanted to give her plenty of time to
process what was happening between them. No regrets! He didn’t want her to wake up in the morning
hating herself or him.
Rachel heard his question and struggled to find the answer. “I don’t know,” she mumbled, placing her
lips against his neck and inhaling his intoxicating scent. The answer was honest. She hadn’t had
enough time to figure out what she wanted. Things were moving so fast.
Chance heard the indecision in her voice and groaned as he realized he was going to have to find
some measure of self-control tonight. She wasn’t ready to take the next step with him and he wasn’t
willing to risk their future by pressing too hard too fast.
Placing his hands at her hips, he pushed her backwards; just enough so that she was still sitting on his
thighs, but her center wasn’t pressed up tight against his own. Using his hands to keep her there when
she would have scooted forward again, he gentled her rising passion with sweet, simple kisses. Once
he felt her desire bank into a simmer, he lifted his head and waited until she met his eyes.
“We can take this as slowly as you want or need. The only thing I ask is that you’re honest with me
and yourself. This has nothing to do with your late husband, and everything to do with you. I want you,
more than I want my next breath. I want to pick you up and carry you down the hallway to your
bedroom and show you just how good it could be between us.”
He used one hand to brush her hair back from her face, “But, I also know that you’re not ready yet.
I’m not going anywhere and we don’t have to rush or meet anyone’s time limit but our own.”
Rachel was so relieved and her feelings towards him blossomed as he showed her his true character.
The man was amazing. A true knight in shining armor! He actually cared about her feelings and was
thinking about the future, not just the present. “Thank you,” she told him sincerely, hoping that her
feelings were adequately conveyed in the simple words.
Chance grinned at her, kissing her on the tip of her nose before rising with her in his arms and then
letting her down to stand on her own. “You are very welcome. Now, I believe we have a big day
planned for tomorrow, so I suggest we both get some sleep.”
Rachel nodded and headed towards the hallway, turning back she met his gaze one more time,
“Thanks. For dinner. For helping with the boys. For slowing down.”
Chance nodded at her, saying nothing. No words were necessary. They had something special
together and he was going to protect that at all costs.
Chapter15
The trip to the zoo was chaotic, full of laughter and a day that Rachel knew she would remember
years from now. The boys hadn’t really cared about the many animals, but their eyes had been full of
wonder at all of the new things they had experienced.
Chance had been a perfect gentleman, holding the door for her, helping her manage the babies, and
making the day perfect for her. Added to that were the little caresses he bestowed upon her, the hand
he kept upon her lower back as they walked through the zoo, the simple way he took her hand in his
throughout the day.
Rachel had gone to sleep with thoughts of Chance on her mind, and awakened to the same. Her desire
for him had been banked, but was on a slow boil by the time they arrived back home. He had backed
off to give her time, but she wasn’t willing to wait any longer.
“Would you mind playing with the boys while I take a quick shower?” she asked after they arrived
home and fed the boys their dinner.
“Sure. Take your time. The guys and I are going sit here and catch whatever game’s on.” Chance was
pleased to see that backing off the night before had paid off. Rachel seemed more relaxed around him,
except when he touched her. Then her muscles vibrated with energy and her pulse would pick up. He
was stirring her desire in small doses to a point where she would have to make a decision soon or
drive herself crazy trying to ignore her body’s needs.
Rachel hurried through her shower and then stood in front of her closet trying to decide what to wear.
She didn’t want it to be too obvious that she was wanting to continue where they had left off last
night, but she definitely wanted to give him the green light. Should she just put on normal clothes
and then let her body language speak for itself? Should she dress up a little in something sexy?
Ugh! She had never worried about these types of things with Sam. He had seen her at her worst
and best – she never worried about enticing him.
Finally settling on a pajama set Chelsea had given her for Christmas, she pulled on the silky black
pants glad to see that her baby weight didn’t show overly much. As she buttoned up the short sleeved
top, the feel of the silky material against her palms had her anxious to feel Chance’s hands on her
once again.
She brushed her hair until it flowed down her back and was shining and then applied the tiniest bit of
lip gloss. Her cheeks had a healthy glow to them from the sunshine they had received earlier and she
gave herself an appraising look in the mirror. She looked happy! She felt happy! Chance was good
for her.
Re-entering the living room she saw that all three boys had fallen asleep on the floor. Shaking her
head, she gently picked up one baby at a time and carried them to their crib. She moved on silent feet
and managed to get both boys settled in their cribs without waking them up. As she turned to leave the
nursery, she saw Chance leaning against the doorjamb.
His eyes made a leisurely path down her body and then back up, a smile tipping the corner of his
mouth up in a sexy grin.
She returned his grin, slowly walking towards him. He backed out of the doorway, allowing her to
close the door softly. Reaching up, he ran a hand down her hair and then down her arm, fingering the
silky material as he went. “Did you have fun today?” he asked softly.
Rachel nodded, “Yes. Thanks for taking us.”
Chance nodded once, he eyes straying to the buttons of her shirt. His fingers itched to undo them one
at a time, revealing the smooth skin and curves hidden beneath. He brought one hand up and played
with the top button while looking deep into her eyes. Slowly, he slid the button free and let his
fingertips graze the flesh newly revealed.
Rachel gasped at the first contact of his hand against her bare skin. She needed more. She wanted to
feel him touching all of her body. Taking his hand, she pulled him towards her bedroom.
Chance followed her, knowing that before things went too far they needed to talk. When she pulled
him to the side of the bed and then went to pull his t-shirt from his waistband, he grabbed her hands in
his and held her firm.
“Rachel, we need to talk.”
“I don’t want to talk.”
“But we need to. I wasn’t kidding around last night when I told you I wanted a future with you. Today
only confirmed that to me. And as much as I want to lay you down on this bed right now, I won’t
unless you can tell me you feel the same way.”
Rachel looked at him and sighed, “I want to be honest with you. I’ve never felt this way before. But
today showed me that I don’t have to be alone.”
Chance nodded, “You have a wonderful life waiting for you and the boys.”
“But I don’t want to share that life with just anyone. I can’t explain it, but I feel connected to you in
ways I never did with Sam.”
“And, does that still bother you?” Chance asked, watching her face to see if she was being honest
with herself.
“It did. Earlier. But you asked me if Sam would want me to stay single, and the answer is ‘No’. He
cared too much about my happiness to be that selfish. He would want me to move on with my life and
find someone to not only share myself with, but our beautiful boys.”
Rachel looked at him, wondering if she should ask the most pressing question in her mind. Seeing that
Chance was open to her, she asked, “Could you ever see yourself becoming a dad to someone else’s
kids?”
Chance had known this conversation would have to take place and he only hoped that he hadn’t
misjudged her. Pulling her to sit on the bed next to him, he took her hands in his, “Rachel, I can’t have
kids of my own. I was sick when I was younger and ran a really high fever. That and the infection
rendered me sterile.”
Rachel watched him with compassion, “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I came to terms with that a long time ago. But it’s important to me that you know I can’t
ever give you another child.”
“Chance, I know this probably sounds rash, but I really don’t see myself ever wanting to have any
other children. My pregnancy with the twins was hard, and frankly, I’m not dealing very well with
them at the moment. I don’t see that I would ever want to have more kids.”
Chance looked at her and once again was reminded how perfect she was for him. “Then, to answer
your question – I adore your boys already. I love kids, but those two little guys have already stolen a
piece of my heart. If you gave me the chance, I would love to be a part of their lives as they grow up.”
“That’s good to know.” Rachel was silent as she wondered for the umpteenth time how she had gotten
so lucky to have this man come into their lives.
“I’m not saying that we need to get married right away, or anything, but I would definitely want that
discussion on the table sometime in the future if things continued like they have been.”
Chapter16
“I would be open to that discussion down the road.” Rachel let her eyes wander down to his mouth
and remembered the feel of it against her own. Not taking her eyes from his lips, she asked, “Was that
everything we needed to discuss?”
Chance chuckled, seeing where her attention had drifted, “Yes.”
“Good. Then shut up and kiss me again,” she demanded.
“With pleasure.” Chance took advantage of their position on the bed and gingerly leaned her back
until she was laying on the mattress. Leaning over her, he placed his lips upon hers, kissing her with
gentle sips and flicks of his tongue against her closed lips.
“Open up and let me in,” he whispered to her. When she complied, the kiss exploded into a mesh of
teeth and tongues and lips. Her moans spoke of her rising pleasure and he let his hands roam across
her body, learning her curves more intimately as he unfastened the remaining buttons of her shirt.
Rachel pulled his t-shirt from his waistband, loosing herself in the feel of his smooth muscles against
her palms. Pulling at the shirt, she was pleased when he pulled away from her briefly and yanked the
shirt over his head. He took a few seconds to separate the folds of her unbuttoned top and the feel of
his chest, with the crisp hair and hard muscles, against her sensitive nipples had her arching towards
him.
Scooting her backwards on the bed, he gently removed the pajama buttons, letting his hands learn the
contours of her legs and feet. Making room for himself between her thighs, he used one hand to hold
her head still and his other hand to mold and learn her body.
Rachel was so close to falling off the edge, when Chance finally touched her center she arched off the
bed with a cry. He gentled her with slow caresses that only served to drive her passion higher.
“Chance… please…”
“What do you need baby?” he asked, running his hand through her hair, enjoying the silky texture of it.
“You. Please…I just need you.”
Hearing the need in her voice, he quickly shed his jeans before returning to the bed. Raising himself
up on his elbows, he gently guided himself into her, loving the sighs and moans of pleasure she used
to encourage him. Once he had them completely joined, he held still, absorbing the feeling of her
wrapped around him. She had raised her thighs and held his hips tightly, while her nails were lightly
scratching their way down his back. When he began to move, she moved with him and soon they were
both flying over the edge of the cliff.
He leaned his forehead against her, trying to keep his weight off her, but the sheer ecstasy of being
with her had his arms shaking so badly he was afraid of crushing her. After many minutes, he found
the energy to lift himself away from her. He wandered into the bathroom to clean himself up, returning
moments later with a warm washcloth for her.
Tossing the used cloth towards the hamper, he lifted her up and placed her beneath the covers,
climbing in behind her and pulling her against him. “Are you okay?” he asked, resting his chin on her
head.
“Never better. I didn’t know it could be like that,” she told him softly, wonder still evident in her
voice.
“It’s not always like that. Only when it’s right.”
“So you’ve never felt…”
“…like that. Never. You are the only one who’s ever made me feel like that,” he assured her.
“Good,” she said, the smile in her voice evidence of her pleasure and satisfaction.
They drifted to sleep in each other’s arms, waking once during the night to the sounds of fretful cries,
which were soon soothed with dry diapers and warm bottles. Chance embraced the opportunity to be
a part of her life, even the middle of the night duties.
His last thought as he drifted to sleep was that he had definitely been a really good boy for fate to
have placed him into Rachel’s life. He would make sure he didn’t abuse it.
*****
Two days later, Seth called early in the morning, “Hey, bro. Chelsea and I decided to fly back today
so we’ll just meet you at Trent and Brianna’s, okay?”
Chance replied, “That’s fine. I’m bringing Rachel and the twins with me. That ought to make Chelsea
happy.”
“So, things are going well between you two?”
“Yeah. I’m not kidding myself that there are going to be some roadblocks that come up, but we’ve
both agreed to talk about them and figure out a solution.”
“That’s awesome. I’m happy for you man.”
“What about you and Chelsea? Things still going well on that front?”
“Yeah. But I’ll tell you all about it when I see you.”
“Sounds good. See you there.”
Chance hung up and went in search of Rachel and the boys. The trip to the zoo had taught him that one
needed to allow lots of extra time when bringing two babies along on any outing. They were
supposed to be at the Coldwell’s in an hour and it was a thirty-minute drive across town. He couldn’t
wait to see Seth and introduce him to the woman he hoped was going to make him happy for the rest
of his life.
What had started out as a tragedy, what Marco had intended for evil, had turned into the best thing to
ever happen in his life. He knew there would be struggles ahead, but together, he and Rachel would
handle them and prevail. After all, they had two little boys that would be watching them.
Chapter17
Trent opened the door to see both Seth and Shawn pulling into his driveway. Tristan and Maria had
already arrived and if he hadn’t missed the signs, would be heading for the hospital before the
afternoon was finished. Maria was having lots of contractions that she kept passing off as Braxton-
Hicks and nothing more. Tristan had looked dubious at that assessment and Trent tended to agree.
He chuckled as he was reminded of a day not so long ago when his lovely wife had made the same
assumption. She had ended up in the hospital on the way home from the office, giving birth to their
precious little girl – Faith Coldwell. The memory was broken by a knock at the door.
“Seth. Chelsea. Welcome to our home. Everyone’s out back so please make yourself comfortable.”
“Thanks man. Come on sugar, let’s go see the baby.”
“Trent, is Maria here? I see Tristan’s truck parked out there,” Janet asked as she came through the
doorway, giving her cousin a hug.
“Yeah.”
“That girl! I told her she’s in labor, but she just blamed her aching back on Braxton-Hicks
contractions. It’s a good thing Chelsea’s here. She might have to deliver the baby this afternoon.”
Seeing her husband turn white with that comment, she patted him on the back, “Don’t worry honey. If
that happens, I’ll make sure all of the men are warned in enough time to hide in the den.”
Shawn blushed and smiled at his wife, “Thanks. There’s just something about childbirth…”
“You don’t have to say anymore. Watching Brianna go through a C-section was bad enough. I don’t
know that I could handle her having to go through labor.”
Janet walked off, both men sure they heard her mutter “Wimps” beneath her breath. Chuckling, Trent
started to close the door when the sound of another vehicle pulling up stopped him.
Opening the door, he saw Chance’s SUV pull up and a gorgeous woman exit the vehicle. Then, much
to his surprise, they both opened the passenger doors and pulled a car seat from the vehicle. Twins?
This must be Chelsea’s sister – Rachel.
He started down the sidewalk at the same time he heard Shawn’s cell phone ring. “Greetings. You
must be Rachel.”
Rachel smiled and replied, “Hi. It’s nice to meet you. You have a gorgeous house.”
“Thanks. Chance, glad you could all make it. Who are these little guys?”
“This is Tony,” said Chance, indicating the car seat he held, “And that little guy is David.”
“The women are going to love you. So far they’ve managed to refrain from fighting over who gets to
hold Faith, and these two little guys should help immensely.”
They all started up the walk only to met by a very sober Shawn. “Trent, we need to talk.”
“What’s up?” Trent asked.
“That was my contact in New York. Marco’s back in the states.”
“Damn. I was hoping he would stay in Italy.”
Chance looked at Shawn knowing that things had just gone from calm to crazy.
Looking at Chance, Shawn asked, “Who do we have in New York?”
“Travers just got out. He’s still close by.”
“Call him. I want a report on Marco’s every movement. This time we play the game by my rules,”
said Trent. Marco was going to pay for causing so much upheaval in his family!
To further support this author, please post a review after you finish reading this book.
For all books by Leslie North go to:
Sign up to Leslie North’s Newsletter for promotions and new book deals:
The Denver Men Series Release Dates
CEO’s Pregnant Lover 1: Early February 2014
The Marine’s Virgin Lover: March 2014
The FBI’s Agent’s Reluctant Mistress: April 2014
The Botros Brothers Series
The Sheikh’s Accidental Pregnancy
The Sheikh’s Unwilling Girlfriend: May 2014
Excerpt From ‘The Sheikh’s Accidental Pregnancy’ (Download Instantly – Click Here)
“She's adorable,” Fiddah said to Tariq as Sara walked away. He was watching her walk with his
usual blank face. He turned to look at Fiddah.
“Amir keeps saying that. I do not see it,” Tariq said and picked up his menu. Fiddah laughed.
“This is you we are talking about.”
He lowered his menu and narrowed his gaze at her. “I am not the problem here,” he defended himself.
The waitress reappeared to take their orders. She was watching him and blushing whilst he was
speaking to her. Fiddah watched the waitress turn red.
“When do you plan to marry?” Fiddah asked Tariq as soon as the waitress left. Tariq frowned at his
grandmother.
“What brought this on?” He was confused with her sudden change of topic even though it was not the
first time she had questioned him about marriage.
“The waitress was blushing when she was speaking with you but you did not even notice. Makes me
wonder if you notice women.”
Tariq sighed before he replied. He was so used to women blushing in his presence that it did not even
faze him anymore. The waitress came back carrying their drinks. Tariq sunk in his chair and watched
her. She noticed him looking at her and she immediately started smiling. He raised one eyebrow. He
waited for her to leave before he commented.
“Marriage is not for me and even if it was, she would not be my type,” he said and took a sip from his
glass. Fiddah shook her head. For years, she had been trying to convince him to marry but failed.
“So what, you will bury yourself in the company until your death bed?”
“I like my job.”
“Too much! You need a life outside your job. You need a family.”
“I have one.”
“Of your own! I want great grandchildren. Do not deny me that!”
Tariq was never going to win this argument. Fiddah was tenacious. This was not their first time
discussing his love life and it was certainly not going to be their last.
“How about you pick a wife for me?” Tariq said and grinned at her.
“Does that even make sense? Is it so hard to court a woman?” Tariq laughed gently.
Sara heard Tariq laugh. So it's capable of laughing, she said to herself. She turned her attention back
to her food. It surprised her to hear him laugh. She had never heard it and never thought she would.
He was so uptight and mean.
“Can you see me courting a woman?” Tariq asked Fiddah.
“There is no hope for you,” she replied. He grinned at her. “Don't you want love?” she asked.
“No.”
“What?”
“It doesn't exist.” Tariq was determined to stick to his beliefs. In his eyes, love did not exist. It was
simply heightened infatuation. As he took a sip from his glass, he noticed Sara attempt to eat an olive
but it fell back on the plate. No table manners even? She could not walk like a normal person. She
talked too much. She had poor dress sense. And now this! What other weird trait was she going to
exhibit? He watched her eat. He could tell that she was really enjoying her food. She sat up and
licked her lips, then took a sip of her drink. When she was not eating, she was talking. It's as if she
never stops. Tariq shook his head and looked away from her.
Sara was finally done with her delicious lunch. Food made her happy. As they were leaving, she
made sure not to make eye contact with Tariq. It was not the case for Keira and Kaleena. They both
stared at Tariq as they walked past. Tariq chewed slowly and watched them, watching him.
“Please stop staring at him,” Sara said feeling awkward.
“He's so handsome,” Keira said.
* * * *
There was a lot of work that needed to be done to get the new field up and running. Sara's workload
tripled faster than she anticipated. Amir told her that they had to pull some long nights. Sara walked
into his office to brief him on a report she had been working on. To her surprise, Tariq and Amir
were both sitting on the sofa discussing the appropriate barrels to use. They both looked up when she
walked in. It was the first time she had seen him since that Saturday at the mall. She bowed to them.
Only Amir responded.
“Barrels for gasoline or crude oil?” Sara asked. They both looked at her and she realised that she had
jumped into their conversation.
“Both,” Amir replied.
She pointed at one of the pictures and said, “Those carry more oil.” Amir turned his attention to the
picture and picked it up. Tariq was still wondering why she had included herself in the conversation.
“Is that so?” Amir asked her. Sara smiled and nodded.
“Oh, I actually came in to brief you on this report,” she said as she handed him a file. She made eye
contact with Tariq. He wore an expressionless look as always, which annoyed her. She could never
guess what he was thinking. She looked away first, as she was getting uncomfortable in his presence.
“An estimation of 400 gallons of crude oil can be produced in the El-Sultari region,” Sara said.
“That is not a lot of oil,” Amir said. Tariq leaned back in his chair. He was wondering where Sara
was taking this. Did she have a point or was she rambling again?
“True, but it's worth looking into. You never know.”
“Actually, we do know. We have been doing this for years,” Tariq interrupted.
“I meant that it's worth learning more about this field. It might prove to be a good investment.”
“Or it might be a fruitless endeavour and we would have wasted a lot of time and resources,” shot
back Tariq.
Amir lifted his head from the file and looked at the both of them. They were both making good points
but there was nothing friendly about their conversation. He knew that his brother and his assistant
would never get along. He simply hoped it wouldn’t get much worse.
“Sara, if you can find more information about the field, then we'll go from there,” Amir told her.
“Do not give her false hope,” Tariq said. Sara bit the inside of her lip. She wanted to hurl curse
words at him but she would not do that. Why did he find it so difficult to be nice to her?
“Sheik Amir, that is fair, thank you.” Sara bowed to him and left the room. Tariq narrowed his gaze.
She deliberately thanked Amir so she could make it obvious that she was ignoring him, just as she had
done at the mall when Fiddah was there. He watched her walk out of the office. His eyes could not
help but rest on her bottom as he contemplated what she looked like without her clothes on. He
looked away before Amir caught him. He wouldn't know how to explain it. He started talking about
his lunch with Fiddah. Amir laughed. He knew his brother's views on love. The world had failed to
convince him otherwise.
Adiva walked in with a tray of refreshments. She placed it on the table and asked if they needed
anything else. Amir told her that he did not want anything. Tariq did not offer a response. He simply
grunted instead.
Sara returned to her office and started researching El-Sultari. She wanted to prove Tariq wrong.
There was potential and it was worth checking it out. Tariq probably shut down the idea because it
came from her. She really wanted to prove him wrong. She wanted to visit the field but she knew she
could not do that herself. Amir would authorise it but would not let her go alone. She smiled at the
thought of Malik. He was the perfect person to go with her. After all, he was in charge of the oil
fields.
* * * *
It was finally Friday. The last day of the workweek and the last late work night! Sara was happy. She
was not used to working such late nights and it was exhausting. She could not wait to get the work
over and done with so that she could start her weekend, kick back and relax.
She had worked with Amir every night and he laughed at how tired she got. He kept saying that she
was too cute. Sara never understood how she was cute but it didn't bother her. That Friday, Amir had
a mysterious appointment he needed to go to. Sara manned his appointments and she was unaware of
this one.
“Sir, you're being too secretive,” Sara said to Amir. He laughed and ruffled her hair.
“I am not,” he said.
“Then why do I not know about this appointment? And why aren't I coming along?”
“You're working late,” Amir replied as he kept inching towards the door. Sara placed her hands on
her hips and stared at him.
“A date?” Sara asked him.
“I shall see you on Monday,” Amir smiled mischievously. Sara laughed and bid him farewell. She
knew that he was going on a date. He seemed to be quite the ladies man. She was going to grill him
about him it on Monday. She took the files she needed from his desk and locked his door before she
headed back to her office.
After what seemed like hours and hours of work, Sara decided to walk around the building. She
needed to stretch and relax for a bit. The place was deserted. The only people who were there were
the security guards. Even Adiva was not working late. Sara frowned. She wished that she were home
or out with the twins.
Sara dragged her feet as she walked around the building. She didn't even care what she looked like,
nobody was there to see her. She was wearing a black knee-length, pencil skirt and a white camisole
that was not tucked in. Her hair was not tied up and her long curly hair rested on her back. She had
taken her heels off. She turned a corner and saw the light on in the conference room. She growled
silently. Who had not bothered to switch the light off? She dragged her feet and headed towards the
conference room to switch the light off. She walked into the room and towards the light switch. She
was in her own world looking at the ground.
“Can I help you with something?” A deep voice sounded from behind her. It startled her as she
squealed and turned around quickly.
“Oh gosh,” she sighed with relief. It was Tariq leaning on the table reading some paperwork. He was
wearing grey pants and a white shirt. A couple of buttons were unbuttoned, revealing the top of his
chest. “You scared me,” she scolded.
“Do you need something?” Tariq asked her. Sara shrugged. She didn't really expect him to be polite
to her.
“I saw the light on and I came to switch it off because I thought no one was in here,” Sara replied.
Tariq was analysing her. She looked untidy and she was barefoot!
“Why are you barefoot?” He could not help himself. He had to ask her.
“I was wearing heels all day. My feet hurt,” Sara's tone was not friendly. She was trying her best not
to snap at him. He did not respond to her. He studied her silently. “Working late?” Sara asked. She
caught his gaze and felt uncomfortable. She slowly inched for the door. He didn't respond to her as he
felt like she was asking an obvious question. Sara placed her hands on her hips.
“Why is it you can never answer me or even act polite towards me?” Sara asked him. She couldn't
ignore it anymore. He always felt the need to be that way towards her and she had not done anything
to him. On top of that, she was tired and had enough of his attitude towards her.
Tariq raised his eyebrows as he regarded her. He was not expecting her to question him nor did she
have the right to. “I am not obligated to do either,” he said. His voice was now deeper.
“I never did anything to offend you.”
She has full lips, Tariq thought to himself. He had never noticed them before. It did not matter anyway
he thought. “Your persona is offensive,” he said to her.
“Excuse me?”
“Who walks around barefoot?”
Sara frowned. You're the one with an ugly persona, she told herself. She looked away. She was in the
middle of arguing with him and his chest was distracting her. From the little glimpse she got, she
could tell that he was very toned. The bulk of his muscles were always showing in the clothes he
wore. And how was it he had time to work out when he was always working?
“You do not act like a lady should,” Tariq added.
“I am good at my job and that's all you should be concerned about,” Sara shot back.
“For England, perhaps. But this is Saudi Arabia and you work for the Botros.”
“Because you're so freaking special,” Sara mumbled under her breath as she headed for the door. If
she stayed in there any longer, she would say things that she would regret. She liked Amir and
respected him enough not to disrespect his brother. She got the shock of her life when Tariq grabbed
her arm and pulled her back.
“What did you say?” he demanded. He had pulled her close to him and she was now standing inches
from him. She was shocked at how he pulled her so easily as if she weighed nothing.
“Being a little bit more polite and less judgemental to others will not harm you,” Sara said. She was
not going to let him intimidate her. She was going to stand her ground. His gaze had grown darker and
more intense. He stared at her and she stared back. She was not going to look away first.
“You think you can speak to me any way you wish to?”
“Unhand me.”
“If I don't?”
Exactly, what will I do if he does not let go off me?
“Try it and find out.” An empty threat. There was nothing she could do. He called her bluff. He did
not let go. Instead, he pulled her even closer to him. Sara landed between his legs and her hands
landed on his chest. His face was now inches away from his. Wow, he smells good. Why is it she
hadn’t noticed his cologne before? It was intoxicating on him.
“Time to make good on your threat,” he said to her.
“Please let go,” she whispered. She knew that she needed to get out of there. Something unexpected
was happening and she wasn’t prepared.
Tariq let go of her arm but Sara didn’t move. She felt paralysed. She so badly wanted to flee from the
room but her legs failed her. Tariq wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him.
Her whole body was now flush against his. Both her palms rested on his rock hard chest. He planted
a kiss on her lips. It took her by surprise.
He gently kissed her and she did not stop him. Her mind went blank. She could not think about
anything. As she gasped, he gently pushed his tongue into her mouth and deepened the kiss. Sara
wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. His hands stroked her back. He broke the
kiss. Sara was breathing hard and still had her eyes closed.
“What are you doing?” she whispered.
“What are you?” he asked the question back.
He pressed a feather-light kiss on her neck, which sent ripples of sensation all over her body. She let
out a soft moan as she shuddered against him. He continued to kiss her neck as Sara rubbed his back
and dug her nails into his flesh. Before she knew it, her skirt was on the floor and Tariq was
caressing and squeezing her bottom. She did not like this man but her senses had left her. She should
put a stop to it, but he was doing things to her insides that she’d only ever read about.
Excerpt From ‘The Sheikh’s Accidental Pregnancy’ (Download Today – Click here)
Owned By The Navy Seal (Book 1)
Jared was sitting with his date enjoying a nut-brown ale. This one hinted of chocolate and
citrus. Creamy and tangy. The right amber color with a hint of cloudiness. He used to love
brewing beer with his brother and cousins. Raiding his mom’s kitchen garden, they would
experiment with different ingredients. Some of them were complete disasters, but he did
develop a taste for good beer. Downing the last of his pint, he waved the empty glass at his
server signaling for another. He only wished his date were as engaging as his beer. Chatting on
and on about some reality TV show, Jared wished he hadn’t agreed to meet for drinks. But
there he was. Listening to the problems of some TV family that had nothing to do with him or
his date.
Jared didn’t own a television and he didn’t have a clue who any of these people were, but here
she was talking about them as if they lived next door. Jared couldn’t understand how anyone
could be so passionate about these people, they sounded completely superficial. He hoped the
sex would be better than the talking. The irony of that thought made Jared smile. He wasn’t
above getting what he wanted, but he didn’t see any point in watching TV, when he could
engage in and enjoy the experience.
Having spent the better part of 20 years in the service, Jared was released on medical discharge
after crushing his ankle in a zero-sight drop from 30,000 feet. He missed the military and he
missed his fellow Navy Seals. Three years out of failed marriage number two, it was times like
this that Jared missed that sense of order he had in the military. Yes, his job was dangerous
and his inability to talk about his work doomed both his marriages, but this? This was too
much.
Looking around the room, Jared spied a woman who looked equally as miserable as he felt.
Watching her, he could see the play of emotions across her face as she attempted to pay
attention to whatever her table companion was talking about. It didn’t seem to last as she
would scan the room at times in desperation. Looking for something. Rolling his latest pint
between his hands, he watched her. She didn’t appear to be his type. He liked small, fragile-
looking women who knew how to dress to please. This one, well, to quote his granddad, she
looked to be of Irish peasant stock. Good for breeding. Not much else.
Her hair was a riotous mess reminiscent of the Blackhills at sunrise and she clearly wasn’t
wearing any makeup. Smiling to himself, he guessed her to be a schoolteacher. A school marm,
as granddad would say. Jared wondered if she was on a blind date. Maybe a hook-up from one
of those dating sites one of his friends was always going on about. Jared didn’t see the point of
paying money to some company in the hopes of finding potential partners. The whole concept
sounded too much like a train wreck waiting to happen and Jared wasn’t interested.
As he watched the woman, there was something about her. He couldn’t put his finger on it, yet
he couldn’t stop staring. She seemed to be the only real person in the room. Grabbing his beer,
he inclined his head as he watched her get up from her booth and walk toward the can, which
would take her past his table. Pretending to pay attention to his date, he watched her walk.
Her ankles wobbled, but she was someone who walked with purpose. Jared liked that. Excusing
himself, he headed to the can. He pretended to check for messages while he waited for her.
He could hear her grumbling and talking to herself and he couldn’t help smiling. The amount of
profanity he was hearing would rival some mess halls. As he pocketed his phone, the door flung
open as she spilled out. Catching herself, he smiled when he heard her grouse. Oh, this one is
feisty. Maybe she was his type after all.
###
Returning to her table, Rita looked around for the owner of that voice. His rumble went straight
to her inner core as she thought about how long it had been since she had sex with a human.
The last two years of her marriage to Tuck was spent in separate bedrooms and she’d been
back in San Diego for more than a year. Too long, she thought. Spying him, she looked him
over. Blond hair, crew cut, cut muscles. Oh, he was yummy looking. She caught a glimpse of
tattoos peeking out from his shirtsleeves as she wondered how many he had.
Yes, this one was definitely her type. And that voice. It was rare that someone could affect her
that quickly and usually it involved some heavy petting and making out. But this one, those few
words raised the hairs on her arms. And those eyes, she could get lost in those eyes. Smirking,
she contemplated getting into more than one spat with him simply for the make-up sex. All
hands and mouth. Looking up, she flushed as he caught her watching him. What must he think
of her, she thought. Turning her head, she looked at Mike who was back to talking about
foreclosures. Had he even noticed that she left the table? Rita doubted it, as she smirked,
wondering if he’d stopped talking while she was gone.
As the evening finally drew to a close, Rita walked out of the pub to say her goodbyes to Mike.
She smiled politely as she listened to him ask about seeing her again and gave a noncommittal
response as she mumbled something about checking her schedule. As she headed to her car,
she spotted The Voice as he walked his date to his truck. She was tiny and perfect. He had his
hand casually at the small of her back and she seemed to fit perfectly along his side.
She was dressed to the nines in a form-fitting dress Rita would never consider wearing and her
make-up was impeccable. Disappointment punched her in her stomach as she realized that she
wasn’t The Voice’s type. As she opened her car door, she looked up. He had placed his date in
the truck and was watching her from the driver’s side. His intensity rolled across the parking lot.
Smiling slightly in a way that looked more like a grimace, Rita dove for the safety of her car
narrowly missing giving herself a concussion on the doorframe. Taking a deep breath, she
clutched the steering wheel. Slowly exhaling, she started the car, happy at least to have a new
fantasy to take to bed with her. Oh, he might be good for several nights.
Owned By The Navy Seal (Book 1)
Document Outline
- Chapter 1
- Chapter 2
- Chapter 3
- Chapter 4
- Chapter 5
- Chapter 6
- Chapter 7
- Chapter 8
- Chapter 9
- Chapter 10
- Chapter 11
- Chapter 12
- Chapter 13
- Chapter 14
- Chapter 15
- Chapter 16
- Chapter 17
Wyszukiwarka
Podobne podstrony:
The Jawhara Sheikhs 2 The Sheikh s Troublesome Bride Leslie North
The Jawhara Sheikhs 1 The Sheikh s Pregnant Bride Leslie North
Diana Palmer Men of the Hour 03 Secret Agent Man
Candice Delong Special Agent, My Life on the Front Lines as a Woman in the FBI (2001)
Charles Robert Jenkins The Reluctant Communist; My Desertion, Court Martial, and Forty Year Impriso
men www prezentacje org
50 Common Birds An Illistrated Guide to 50 of the Most Common North American Birds
Brit M Two Men and a Lady Prequel [Ravenous] (pdf)
MEN w3
Raport FBI, Satanizm
True North Scraps TOU
EK MEN ZAL 2015
Mięśnie w stanie równowagi Men's Health 1
HEMPEL S CURING AGENT 973340000 Nieznany
Agent Tomek wyleniały Bond IV RP
African Filmmaking North and South of the Sahara
Znaki akcyzy1, agent celny materiały
Agent pod XP
NORTH AMERICAN STRATIGRAPHIC CODE
więcej podobnych podstron