Her Fierce Warrior (X-Ops #4)(53)

"Dinner won't be done for another hour," she said. "And Milan is watching Boo."

John grinned.

Taking his hand, Cree turned and led him toward their bedroom. Once  inside, John closed and locked the door behind them. Then he scooped his  wife up in his arms and carried her over to the bed. Cree had taught  him a long time ago to grab their moments when they could because in  their line of work, they never knew when they might get the chance  again.

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To Love a Wolf

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TO LOVE A WOLF


It must be payday. Either that, or God hated him. As Landry Cooper  strode across the bank's lobby and got in line behind the twenty other  people already there, he wasn't sure which.

He'd been so exhausted after work he hadn't even bothered to shower and  change into civvies at the SWAT compound like he usually did. Instead,  he'd come straight to the bank in his combat boots, military cargo  pants, and a dark blue T-shirt with the Dallas PD emblem and the word  "SWAT" on the left side of his chest. He couldn't wait to get home and  throw everything in the wash, so he could grab something to eat and fall  into bed.                       
       
           



       

He bit back a growl as the man at the front of the line plunked down a  cardboard box full of rolled coins on the counter and started lining up  the different denominations in front of the teller.

"You've got to be kidding me," he muttered.

A tall, slender woman with long, golden-brown hair a few people ahead  gave him a quick, understanding smile over her shoulder. He smiled back,  but she'd already turned around. He waited, hoping she'd glance his way  again, but she didn't.

He hated going to the bank, but his SWAT teammate had finally paid off  the bet they'd made months ago about whether his squad leader and the  newest member of the team would end up being a couple. Instead of giving  Cooper the hundred bucks in cash like a normal person, Brooks had given  him a frigging check.

When Officer Khaki Blake had walked into the training room for the first  time, every pair of eyes in the room immediately locked on her-except  for Cooper's. Oh, he'd noticed she was attractive. But he'd been more  interested in watching how the rest of the SWAT team reacted. While most  of the guys had checked her out with open curiosity, none of their  hearts had pounded as hard as his squad leader's, Corporal Xander Riggs.  Cooper had immediately pegged Khaki as The One for Xander, and vice  versa.

But just because Cooper accepted the concept of The One didn't mean he  bought into the idea there were women in the world for him and the other  remaining thirteen single members of the Pack. Cooper wasn't jaded when  it came to love, but he wasn't naive, either.

The two people ahead of Cooper finally got fed up and walked away. He  quickly stepped forward and found himself behind the attractive woman  who'd smiled earlier. He couldn't help noticing she looked exceptionally  good in a pair of jeans. Or that her long, silky hair had the most  intriguing gold highlights when the light caught them just right. She  smelled so delicious he had to fight the urge to bury his nose in her  neck. Damn, he must be more tired than he thought. If he wasn't careful  he'd be humping her leg next.

He opened his mouth to say something charming, but all that came out was  a yawn big enough to make his jaw crack. The woman in front of him must  have heard it too, because she turned around.

"And I thought I've been waiting in line a long time," she said, giving  him a smile so breathtaking it damn near made his heart stop. "You look  like you're ready to fall asleep on your feet."

Cooper knew he should reply, but he was so mesmerized by her perfect  skin, clear green eyes, and soft lips that he couldn't do anything but  stare. He felt like a teenager back in high school again.

"Um, yeah. Long day," he finally managed.

What the hell was wrong with him? He'd never had a problem talking to a  beautiful woman before. But in his defense, he'd never been in the  presence of a woman this gorgeous.

He gave himself a mental shake. Get your head in the game before she thinks you're a loser and turns around again.

"Catching bad guys, huh?" she asked.

"Something like that." He gave her his best charming smile. "Luckily, I'm off duty for the night."

She laughed, and the sound of it was so beautiful it almost brought him  to his knees. Crap, he actually felt a little light-headed. He chalked  it up to being out in the hot Texas sun all day. That could be hard on  anyone, even a werewolf.

She regarded him with an amused look. "Is that your way of saying you're free for dinner?"

Could she read his mind? "Depends. Would you say yes if I asked you out?"

Her lips curved. "I might. Although most guys tell me their names before asking me out on a date."

Cooper chuckled. He'd been attracted to her from the moment he saw her,  but after talking to her, he was even more mesmerized. He'd always  appreciated a woman who was confident enough to hold up her end of a  verbal sparring match, but she seemed more than capable.

He held out his hand. "Landry Cooper, at your service. Now that you know my name, how about dinner?"

He might have imagined it, but when she slipped her smaller hand into  his much larger one, he could have sworn he felt a tingle pass between  them-and it had wasn't because of static electricity.

"I'm Everly Danu," she said. "And dinner sounds great."

Everly. Even her name was beautiful.

Cooper opened his mouth to ask Everly if she wanted to grab something  that night-the hell with going home and falling into bed-when voices  nearby caught his attention.

"Are we still robbing the place with the cop here?" a male voice whispered.                       
       
           



       

"We're in too deep to back out now," another deeper voice said softly.  "We were already going to kill the guard anyway. Just make sure to take  out the cop fast."

Cooper snapped his head around. He scanned the crowded bank, looking for  anyone who stood out, and immediately zeroed in on a man standing by  the entrance. Average height with light brown hair, the guy was wearing  mirrored sunglasses and a black windbreaker. On his own, the man wasn't  that remarkable, but the small radio receiver in his ear sure as hell  was. It wasn't hard to miss the telltale bulge under the man's left arm  or the way he kept glancing at Cooper in between keeping an eye on the  door, either.

Cooper swept the bank lobby with his gaze, looking for the man's  accomplice. He found him sitting by the manager's desk. Thanks to the  same identical sunglasses and black windbreaker the guy was wearing, he  was easy to spot.

Cooper quickly ID'd two other men-one positioned a few feet away from  the bank's security guard, the other near the row of windows that looked  out onto the main road. Both of them were wearing sunglasses and  windbreakers.

The guy by the door checked his watch, then nodded at his friend over by  the security guard. Cooper tensed. Shit, these assholes were really  going to hit the bank with an armed cop standing right in the middle of  them. Were they suicidal or just plain stupid?

Cooper's hand dropped to the Sig .40 on his belt.

"Landry?" Everly asked, her voice trembling a little. "Is something wrong?"

He didn't want to take his eyes off the four guys about to hit the bank,  but Everly's growing fear was so strong he could practically taste it  on the air. Finding it impossible to ignore, he tore his gaze from the  four men and turned back to Everly.

"I don't want to alarm you, but the bank is about to be robbed," he said softly. "I need you to stay calm, okay?"







Acknowledgments


I hope you enjoyed Her Fierce Warrior! After meeting Minka and Angelo in  Her Perfect Mate (Book 1 in the X-Ops series), so many readers have  been waiting for their story, even if they didn't know the two of them  would end up together. If you read the acknowledgments in Her Perfect  Mate, then you already know that Angelo's character was inspired by a  friend of ours named Angelo Riguero who was tragically and senselessly  murdered in 2012. He was thrilled when I told him that he inspired the  SF soldier in the X-Ops series, and giving him his own happily ever is  our way of remembering and honoring him. I like to think Angelo knows  all about Her Fierce Warrior and is smiling down from heaven right now.

This whole series would not be possible without some very incredible  people. In addition to another big thank-you to my hubby for all his  help with the action scenes and military and tactical jargon, I'd like  to thank my agent, Bob Mecoy, for believing in us and encouraging us and  being there when we need to talk; my editor and go-to-person at  Sourcebooks, Cat Clyne (who loves this series as much as I do and is  always a phone call, text, or email away whenever I need something); and  all the other amazing people at Sourcebooks, including my fantastic  publicist Amelia Narigon, and their crazy-talented art department. The  covers they make for me are seriously drool-worthy!