AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The third picture caught his eye. He wandered over to it and began to wonder if he was going to find out some useful information here after all. It was a picture of the oil wells in Kuwait on fire, the billowing black smoke rising to the heavens while the earth below became stained with the fallout and ash. Three men and two women stood in the foreground. One of them held up a Guardians of the Earth poster.
“Can I help you?” The soft voice came from behind him. A nice voice. Too bad she was hooked up with the wrong people.
Trent turned and put on an easy grin. “Yeah! I was wondering what you folks are doing to save the oceans? I mean, dude, I surf the waters off of La Jolla every day, and the crap I see makes a guy want to put on way more than a wet suit.”
He thought he did a credible job of sounding like a surfer with nothing else on his mind but where to find the next big wave—so long as it was a clean wave.
The receptionist still narrowed her eyes as if she were seeing more than a guy with a tan and a smile for her. “I don’t have anyone in today who can speak with you, but could I set up an appointment for next week?”
“What? That’s like nine days away! Come on, you’ve gotta have someone here who’s fighting the good fight.”
“Sorry. They’re all off trying to save the earth.” She sounded chipper, cheerful—way too upbeat.
“Like in those gnarly photos?” Trent jerked a thumb at the wall behind him. He’d thickened his surfer dude accent and hoped it wasn’t too over the top.
One eyebrow lifted. She sat up straighter. Trent pegged her now—the class know-it-all, the girl who had all the answers, and who loved being the teacher’s pet. She probably believed in the cause, ate apple pie, and was a straight-A type with the energy and drive to save the world.
“I believe they’re in the Middle East right now, fighting the big oil countries that are slowly destroying the ozone and polluting our air.”
Trent nodded and blinked. “Middle East, huh? Sounds hot and dry.”
She straightened the notepad on her desk into a sharp ninety-degree angle. “There’s a small country over there that seems to be another Eden. From the pictures they’ve sent back, the place is covered in plant life and looks more like a tropical paradise than a desert. I mean, don’t get me wrong, the oil wells they’re targeting are in the desert, but the capital city is lush.” She tapped on her tablet and pulled up an image. “That’s the sheikh’s home. Nice, huh?”
From what she’d described, Trent knew before he saw it that it would be Sheikh Kamal’s palace in Jawhara, but he came over anyway and leaned over her shoulder to look at the photo. His hand tightened on the back of her chair, and he released it slowly before standing straight and taking a couple of steps back. He got a whiff of perfume—no, had to be soap. She wasn’t a perfume kind of girl. Patchouli scent, he figured.
“Wow! The guy must be really rolling in the dough. Man, I didn’t realize it was getting so late. If I don’t head back, I’m going to miss the killer set that’s supposed to hit with the tide. Full moon, dude.”
The receptionist managed a smile. Something a little wistful came into her eyes. “I’ve always wanted to try surfing. I’m from Wyoming.”
Figures, Trent thought. Straight off the bus from fly-over country. “Bummer. Glad you made it out. You should check out the beach, for sure. You think everyone will be back next week if I stop in? I mean, I don’t want to wait too long to start doing something about stopping the planet killing.”
And stopping a few other things, Trent thought. After spending time in Jawhara and getting to know Sheikh Kamal Mehalel El-Jawhara, the Sheikh of Jawhara and CEO of Jewel Oil, and his family, he wanted to put an end to the threats being made against them.
Her smile widened slightly. She had a dimple on her left cheek. “They’ll all be back on Thursday.”
“Awesome! Thanks for the four-one-one.” Trent turned to leave. The receptionist caught his wrist and stuffed a business card into his hand. “Here’s my number. Call me sometime. I really would like to learn to surf.”
Surfer dude scores again,he thought. For once, he felt bad about it. She was just a good soldier—she believed in the cause. She didn’t know she was working for an organization with an agenda that was more about filling up private bank accounts than it was about saving anything.
She’d be a perfect way in for him. He let her hold linger on his skin. She had soft hands—the corn-fed Wyoming girl was for real, but he wasn’t. He gave her his best smile. “Sounds good. I’m heading out this weekend, if you want to tag along. Meet me at the cove. Say noon, Saturday?”
She let go of his hand and gave him a smile that made him think twice about leaving, “Sounds good.”
He glanced at the business card she’d just pushed at him with fingers that sported brilliantly polished nails. That was one thing he hadn’t expected—day-glow nails. What other surprises did she have?
He read the name and number and gave her his killer smile again. “I look forward to seeing you again, Chloe Baker.”
END OF HIS SECRET CHILD
SLADE SECURITY TEAM BOOK TWO
BLURB
Dangerous curves lie ahead for this smoking hot Navy SEAL…
Slade Security is hot on the heels of a dangerous terrorist group, and it’s up to Trent Larson, former Navy SEAL, to infiltrate the group’s cover organization. When he meets receptionist Chloe Baker, he knows he’s found the perfect way in. Trevor has no problem getting close to Chloe—but he wasn’t counting on the sensuous curves hidden beneath Chloe’s baggy clothes. Or his inexplicable need to protect her.
Chloe Baker has always been too trusting—first with her alcoholic father and then her ex-fiancé. Moving to San Diego gave her the chance to put Sam behind her and get her father the medical care he needs. When Trent Larson, with his ocean-blue eyes and sun-streaked hair, walks into her life, Chloe agrees to a date. But soon she begins to wonder if there’s more to this sexy stranger than meets the eye…
