And yet that was the man she’d chosen.
The fact that C.B. had let Presley move into the house with them said it all. Yes, Alex thought, his father was learning the fine art of compromise. It was something to see.
“That the condo project you’ve got there?” his father asked Presley.
“I’m thinking of making a few changes,” Presley said, spreading out the plans on the table as he sat down across from C.B. “Want to take a look and see what you think?”
It was just a matter of time, Alex thought watching the two of them, before Presley Wells would be running the Graham empire.
Alex saw his chance to escape and slipped out of the den with Samantha in tow. They ran across the courtyard at the back of the house, laughing and falling into each others arms. They’d had so little time to be entirely alone over the past week.
But they were alone now and Alex planned to make the most of it. The night was warm, the garden lush. Lights flickered overhead. He could hear the soft murmur of the waterfalls, the gentle splash. The air was scented with the perfume of many flowers now in bloom. Everything couldn’t have been more perfect.
“It is so beautiful here,” she said as she turned to look out over the gardens.
He wrapped his arms around her, never wanting to let her go. And to think there’d been a time when he’d thought he’d never be able live with the fact that she was an agent.
But they both had dangerous jobs that they loved. They’d both chosen their own paths in life. And those paths had led them to each other.
Love, he realized, could conquer all.
Samantha snuggled against him, filled with a sense of joy at just being in his arms. His mouth felt warm as he nuzzled her neck, his breath tickling her skin. She felt safe. She felt loved. There was no greater feeling, she thought, as he drew her closer and they looked out on the gardens and the night.
They’d been through so much but it seemed to have made them stronger. It had definitely brought them closer.
Now if only there could be a break in the Sonya Botero kidnapping. The team was still investigating every avenue, following up on every lead, but still no word. Every day, they waited for the kidnappers to contact either Sonya’s father or her fiancé, Juan. But still nothing.
Samantha wasn’t giving up and neither was the team. She would just work harder on the case, praying there would be a break. Praying Sonya was still alive.
“Samantha?” Alex turned her slowly in his arms to face him. She looked up into his eyes and felt her heart begin to pound as his mouth dropped to hers in a soft sweet kiss. Then he drew her back to look at her.
She’d changed so much since she’d met him. She no longer wore the boxy suits. She no longer hid from her past or the girl she’d been. With Alex, she felt beautiful.
Presley Wells, for all the mistakes he’d made in investigating Brian by himself, had proven to her that there were men in the universe who were good and loyal and worth loving. And Alex Graham was one of them.
“Do you hear that?” Alex asked cocking his head and grinning as he drew her closer. Music moved on the breeze from the open terrace doors.
She smiled up at him as he pulled her into a slow dance, their bodies fitting together perfectly. She could feel the beat of his heart against her breast, hear his breath quickening as she touched her lips to his warm flesh just above his shirt collar.
The song ended and she realized that he’d danced her over to a stone bench beside a fountain. Caroline said the house should be filled with flowers and music and love.
Samantha couldn’t agree more. Otherwise a house was nothing but an empty shell. Just as her heart had been before Alex.
Alex. He brushed a kiss over her lips. She breathed in his scents mingling with the fragrance of the garden, the water of the fountain, the uniquely south Florida smells. The night felt magical.
Her heart began to beat a little faster as he gently lowered her to the bench. And just like in the movies, he dropped to one knee in front of her, his eyes locking with hers.
“Samantha Peters, wedding planner and secret agent, will you marry me?” he asked, his gaze never leaving hers.
She swallowed, tears welling in her eyes as she smiled at him. “Oh, Alex.”
From his pocket, he pulled out a small black box and held it out to her. Her fingers shook as she opened it and saw the diamond ring nestled in velvet.
“I never dreamed I could be this happy,” she said, tears burning her eyes.
“Should I take that as a yes?”
“Oh, yes!”
He laughed, took the ring and placed it on her finger. She looked down at it, then up at him. The next thing she knew they were in each other’s arms, holding each other tightly as if neither ever wanted to let go. She knew he had to be thinking about how close they’d come to losing each other.
Both knew because of their jobs, it could happen again. They’d made a silent pact to live every day as if there was no tomorrow.
“You know my father is going to want us to have a big wedding here,” he said.
She smiled and tilted her head. “Would you hate that so much?”
He laughed. “Yes, but I’d do it for you. For my father.” His eyes locked with hers, his bright in the twinkling lights that Caroline had asked to be strung in the trees of the garden the day she moved back in.
“My secret weapon soon-to-be spouse,” he whispered. He said it with a kind of awe.
“You didn’t tell your father, did you?”
“About your secret life?” Alex smiled and shook his head. “He’s only just accepted the fact that I’m a fireman. Anyway, I don’t think his heart could take it.”
She laughed softly, smiling as she cupped his jaw with her palm and looked into those wonderful eyes of his.
Alex pulled her closer. “There are some things, sweetheart, that should be our little secrets.”
Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to B.J. Daniels for her contribution to the MIAMI CONFIDENTIAL miniseries.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-6179-6
SECRET WEAPON SPOUSE
Copyright © 2006 by Harlequin Books S.A.
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
*Cascades Concealed
*Cascades Concealed
*Cascades Concealed
†McCalls’ Montana
†McCalls’ Montana
†McCalls’ Montana
†McCalls’ Montana
†McCalls’ Montana