Page 75 of A Texas Hero

“Yeah, I’m going to check in with my agency. I believe I’m headed to Asia next.”

“Whoa! You still travel a lot, do you?”

“Zoey was actually only my second assignment.”

“Seriously? You look like you were born to do this work.”

He shrugged. “She made it easy.”

“Zoey doesn’t make anything easy.” Alec coughed. “That girl has a mind of her own. And if you tell Patch I said that, I’ll deny it.”

Archer chuckled. “When I went to work for Ian, I’d just recovered from an accident in the Middle East. I’m basically trying to get my bearings being a civilian again.”

“You were over there training their troops?”

“One of the last to leave.” Archer nodded, leaving out the part where he’d left his foot behind.

“Let me share something with you. If you ever get tired of traveling and want to settle down and get married or something, people like Patch always need bodyguards. Anyone in the public eye, basically. Athletes, musicians, reality TV stars, any kind of celebrity. It’s good, steady work, and the travel is minimal. You wind up getting close to your assignments. I’m sure I’ll be invited to Zoey’s wedding one day. It’s like you become part of the family. A great place to be.” The barista passed Alec his coffee and he took a sip.

“It’s probably good for me to gain more experience first. Maybe someday that will be a good fit for me,” Archer said. “Good to know.”

“Keep in touch.” With that, Alec slipped Archer his business card and left.

A short while later, Archer let himself back into Zoey’s house, carrying her beloved pumpkin spice latte and his own plain coffee.

She rushed out of her bedroom, having changed into jeans and a shirt.

“You’re here.” She looked surprised, her eyes wide.

“You didn’t think I would leave without officially saying goodbye.” Triumphantly, he plunked both cups down on the kitchen counter. “Pumpkin spice latte, and I asked for the extra pump. Remembered this time.”

“You’re leaving just when I’ve got you trained,” Zoey said.

Archer snorted. “You have me trained?”

“You’re the perfect man and now you’re leaving me.”

“I wish I didn’t have to go, but you don’t need me anymore.”

“Says who?”

Zoey moved closer to him, and he smelled the enticing scent of her lotion or shampoo or whatever she used from the products she carried at the store. Like flowers and vanilla and sugar.

“The agency. You know the drill.”

“I know you don’t work for me anymore.” She stopped two steps in front of him, and now the flowery scent enveloped him. “Which means, you know, being with me doesn’t mean you’re violating an oath or crossing a line.”

He knew exactly what she meant and where this seemed to be headed, yet he found himself stammering, “W-what do you mean?”

“You can kiss me as many times as you want. You can do a lot more than kiss me.” Then she reached for him, taking a fistful of his shirt and pulling him the rest of the way to her.

He kissed her then, not expecting this, not prepared for any of it. But he would fall into this place with her, which felt natural and easy. She wasn’t wrong; no ethics prevented them from finally following through on this attraction that had been brewing between them for weeks.

“Zoey,” he said, cupping her beautiful face in his hands. “Are you sure?”

“One hundred percent,” she said with a smile, and took his hand, pulling him toward her bedroom. “Let me show you how much.”

“But I can’t promise you anything. I can’t start a relationship. My next job is going to take me to Asia soon, and I’ve no idea how long I’ll be gone.”