AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Ryland and Harper told the team they were going for a walk, and they stopped a little way up the beach from his father’s bungalow. Now, they were sitting side by side under a palm tree, and he couldn’t tear his eyes off her. Her blonde hair shimmered like gold in the setting sun and when she turned to look up at him, her aqua eyes sparkled, outshining the sea itself. He focused on her adorable freckles and, like always, imagined kissing each one.
More than anything, he wanted—needed—to put his father out of his mind because his personal shit was clouding his thoughts. Making him not as focused on The Agency as he should be. And he needed to take them down. For Tanner.
And for the woman beside him. Harper was a beautiful distraction he’d been longing to get to know better for the past month. The tropical paradise all around them was magical and he wished they were on vacation instead of on the run, but he wasn’t about to let another opportunity pass him by.
“I’m sorry our date didn’t happen, but I’m pretty sure we would’ve gone out on a second one.”
“And a third one?” Harper asked with a lopsided smile.
Ryland reached out, unable to stop himself, and laid a hand along the side of her face. “And a fourth and a fifth.” She leaned her cheek into his palm and his attention dropped to her lips. “I think this is a little overdue.”
Lowering his head, Ryland captured her mouth with his, intending to keep their first kiss easy and gentle. But the passion he’d been holding in check burst like a dam the moment her lips parted in invitation. He swept his tongue into her mouth and she instantly met him, stroke for stroke, as they explored and teased.
Harper Grant tasted sweeter than he imagined she would, and he slid his hand into her wavy hair, threading his fingers through its softness, tilting her head back and deepening the kiss. He hadn’t hooked up with anyone since he started working with The Agency and, damn, his neglected dick was aching for more.
Maybe it wasn’t the time or place, or maybe it was the perfect moment, but Ryland pushed Harper back into the sand and kissed her thoroughly. Her hands circled around his neck, dragging him down with her, then sank into his unruly hair. There’s no way she could miss his stiff length digging into her hip. He wanted her badly—had since day one—so she may as well know it.
Never one to play games when he liked a woman, Ryland always made his intentions clear. If he got lucky, great. If he didn’t, he moved on to greener pastures. And he always made it known that whatever happened, it would be fleeting. Long-term wasn’t in his vocabulary due to his work and the time he spent away on missions. Clingy women were instant red flags and made him run in the opposite direction.
But Harper was different. For the first time in his life, Ryland wondered what it would be like to call this gorgeous, intelligent and amazing woman his girlfriend. His woman.All mine.The thought made him grow harder.
Yeah, he liked that idea a lot.
He thought about how quickly she’d offered up her sister’s restaurant, giving them all a temporary safe harbor in a chaotic storm she never could have anticipated. How in tune she was to his emotions, always quick to offer a reassuring touch or word. About the way she’d boldly stood up for him to his father. Yeah, she was different. And he really liked that.
Ryland kissed his way along her jawline and down her soft neck, alternating between licking and nipping. Why did she taste so sweet? And that vanilla scent of hers, now tinged with coconut, was driving him crazy. When she whimpered softly and tilted her head sideways to give him better access, he knew he had to rein it in or he’d lose control. And she deserved more than a quick fuck on the beach. Besides, he hated sand and all the potential crevices it could get caught in. Screwing on the beach wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.
Forcing himself to pull back, Ryland looked down into her passion-glazed eyes and his mouth edged up. Yeah, she wanted him just as badly as he wanted her. His brain told him to get up and move away, but that was easier said than done. The heat between them was scorching and the way those sexy, aqua eyes of hers slow-blinked up at him gave him no choice. He slammed his mouth back down against hers and kissed the shit out of her. It was all tongue and teeth and desperation.
Nearby, a throat cleared and Ryland reluctantly broke the steamy kiss, looking up to see his father mere feet away. Annoyed, he sighed and rolled away from Harper who quickly sat up, cheeks flushed and turning even redder with embarrassment.
“We need to talk,” Cross said, all business. When Harper moved to get up, he raised a hand. “Stay. This involves you, too.”
As she sank back down in the sand next to him, Ryland silently cursed his father to hell for his rotten timing. He’d been MIA for the past ten years, dead to everyone who knew him, and he shows up now when Ryland was finally connecting with the girl of his dreams.
Seriously great fucking timing, Dad.
???
Cross sat down across from Ryland and Harper, and she couldn’t look his father in the eye. Hell, he’d just caught them writhing around in the sand like a couple of horny teenagers. Her heart was still pounding madly and her body was hot and needy. Shifting her legs, squeezing her thighs together, she tried not to think about how wet her panties were.
She had been ready to leave, make her escape, when Cross told her to stay. Now she was stuck there and had no idea what he wanted. But she knew she didn’t like the man. He hadn’t chosen his family. Had abandoned them. Walked away from Ryland, his only son, for a job. And despite having only spent a little over twenty-four hours together, she already knew she would choose Ryland every time.
“I want to make sure you understand the gravity of the situation.” Cross’s words carried a lot of weight, his voice deep and commanding. When Harper finally looked up, feeling steady enough to look him in the eye, she found his steely gaze focused on her. He had the same cobalt-colored eyes as Ryland but, somehow, they were different. Harder, colder. Ryland had a playfulness in his that Cross was lacking.
Harper waited for him to continue.
“If you want to bring down The Agency, that needs to be your only goal—your life—until they’re defeated. Do you understand?”
Harper frowned. No, actually, she didn’t understand. “You make it sound like I can’t go home.”
“You can’t,” Cross stated firmly.
“What?” She glanced over at Ryland who remained quiet, but she could sense him silently seething at her father. Was it because of what he’d said? Or because he knew his father was right? “What about my sister? I have to call her. And my apartment. And what about Betty? I can’t just disappear!” The moment the words left her mouth, Harper realized how pathetic they sounded. With her lack of family and friends, she was technically the perfect candidate to disappear and no one would even know. Well, except for Savvy.
The reality check of how very empty her life was nearly knocked the wind out of her.
“You’re going to need to cut ties with everyone in your life,” Cross told her.
