She nipped his jaw.
He pulled her head back and kissed her, his lips lazy and firm. Her mind fuzzed the way it always seemed to when she was near him. She cleared it when he released her.
“I don’t mind. I’m excited about it. Where you go, I go,” she murmured.
“I like that,” he replied, kissing her again. “You know you’ve been my heart from the first day we met, right?”
She’d always known that, and she’d grown up with a warm sense of safety, thanks to that very fact. “I do. I think my heart was yours from that first second as well. Something in me recognized you.” Something in her had known, deep down, that she belonged to him the same way he belonged to her. Always and forever. She hesitated for a moment.
“What?” he asked. “Tell me what’s wrong, and I’ll fix it.”
She winced. “I was talking to my mom and Aunt Emma earlier today, and by the way, they’re thrilled we mated. But...”
“But what?” He tugged on her ear.
“They want a wedding. A full-on, white-gown, huge-family-celebration wedding.”
He swallowed. He’d rather fight a cadre of angry wolves than wear a tux. But if it made Hope happy, he’d do it. “How about we plan a huge wedding in June? That was the month we first met, on the fourteenth, to be exact. I like the idea of getting married on that day.”
“Paxton,” she said, her entire heart warming. “That is the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard.” She had no idea they’d met that day. She loved that he knew the exact date.
“Good. You became my destiny with one little smile that day, and even as young as we were, I knew my job in this life and any other was to protect you. At any cost.” He kissed her nose. “Also, if we wait until June, hopefully we’ll have the Kurjan nation in line and can invite new friends. It could be an introduction of the Kurjan nation to the Realm.”
She rolled onto him and bit his neck, then leaned up to kiss him. “Now, that’s strategically brilliant. I love you, Paxton Phoenix.”
“I love you too. I always have,” he said. “There were times in my life that were very dark, and there were times I couldn’t see any good end for me, but I knew if I held tight and made sure you were safe, I would always find what I needed.”
She stretched against him, surrounded by his heat. “What was that?”
His eyes blazed a familiar silvery blue. “My Hope.”
DON’T MISS THE NEXT EXCITING ADVENTURE IN REBECCA ZANETTI’S DEEP OPS SERIES!
FROSTBITTEN
“ZANETTI IS A MASTER OF ROMANTIC SUSPENSE.”
–Kirkus Reviews
Enigmatic. With a wildly gifted mind, and an untamed head of hair to match, petite powerhouse Millicent Frost is brilliant when it comes to gadgets and electronics—less so with people. After an attempt to bust a bank scam goes awry, Millie is in hot water with Homeland Security and targeted by lethal enemies. In the midst of the trouble, she heads home to help out with the family hunting and fishing business. But when their rival competitor and Millie’s ex is murdered, she’s the number one suspect . . .
Irresistible. Former Marine turned lawyer Scott Terentson devotes himself to getting his clients out of tricky binds. A loner, the last thing he wants is to belong to any team, yet the Deep Ops group considers him one of their own—and he pays the price by getting shot at by their enemies. Now Millie is seeking his help—just as he’s dealing with a brutal fail regarding a recent trial. Both are a headache, yet he’s drawn to Millie in spite of himself. They’re opposites, but maybe the old adage is true . . .
Electric. Working together, Millie and Scott soon have more on their hands than they bargained for as the danger escalates—along with the sizzling heat between them. And when a disappearance is thrown into the mix, all bets are off . . .
Praise for Driven “Zanetti still makes time to dig into her characters’ psyches in the midst of the action, adding nuance to the exciting plot.”
—Publishers Weekly
“The story moves fast, and there’s an unexpected twist or two, as well as a scene-and-booze-stealing German Shepherd that provides a little levity to this dark and satisfying romantic thriller.”
—Bookpage