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2023-01-09 14:22:47Related chapters
Dangerous Attraction 18
The sound of the gunfire was terrifying, but it was the sudden silence that filled Khalia’s veins with ice. A deathly stillness now engulfed the underground shelter as everyone held their breath. Only a single dim emergency light shone in the far corner, casting shadows on the rear walls. The front half of the enclosure was swallowed in blackness, increasing the sense of claustrophobia.Khalia clutched the little girl, Aisha, to her chest, struggling to stay calm in the suffocating tension. Everyone was totally still, afraid to move. She cut a glance ahead at Ray, who stared up at the trap door that led to the emergency shelter that had been built at her father’s insistence. The end of the firefight meant one of two things. Either Hunter and the others had eradicated the threat, or the Taliban had overwhelmed them and were coming to kill them next.Khalia swallowed hard. There was no place for them to go. Nowhere to hide but here.Hold it together. The girls are looking to you for a s
Last Updated : 2023-01-09Dangerous Attraction 19
“We’ve gotta go,” Hunter said impatiently, dragging her forward.Khalia resisted, reluctant to leave them until she was sure they would be okay. “How will they get home? How do we know they’ll be safe?”“The military and police will handle it. We have to go,” he repeated. This time he jerked her forward hard enough that she had no choice but to follow. The sound of Aisha and her mother crying followed them down the hill to where a familiar black SUV was roaring toward them.Breaking into a fast jog, Hunter towed her toward it and yanked open the back door for her when it stopped. She barely had time to register that Gage was at the wheel before Hunter slid in beside her, pushed her across the leather and slammed the door shut. Zaid jumped in the front passenger seat. The tires spun as Gage hit the accelerator.“She okay?” Gage asked.“Yeah, but let’s get outta here,” Hunter muttered.“What’s going to happen to them all?” Khalia demanded, twisting around to look out the rear window at
Last Updated : 2023-01-09Dangerous Attraction 20
They ate together without talking until the silence began to feel brittle. Watching him in between bites, she again marveled at his composure. Didn’t anything bother him? Unable to stay quiet any longer, she laid her fork aside and blurted, “How do you do it?”He looked up at her, white plastic fork poised halfway to his mouth. “Do what?”“Cope with all…this.” She waved a hand around to convey she meanteverything. “Compartmentalize terrible things so they don’t affect you.”Something flickered in his eyes at the last part and he looked back down at his container of rice and veggies. “Training and experience, mostly. I learned real quick that dwelling on things doesn’t do any good because it won’t changeany of it.”The decidedly cryptic edge to his tone made her certain there was a story behind the words. A thousand thoughts flooded her mind, none of them good. By comparison he’d gone through much worse than her today and yet he acted as though nothing out of the ordinary had happene
Last Updated : 2023-01-09Dangerous Attraction 21
Hunter saw the kiss coming in plenty of time to avoid it if he’d wanted to.He didn’t and it was impossible for him to keep his professional distance any longer.Still jacked up from the battle, seeing that hungry, hopeful look in Khalia’s eyes sealed the deal. He settled his hands on her waist, his attention narrowing to the way her lashes fluttered closed as she leaned up on tiptoe, the tempting curve of her lips rising to meet his and the arc of raw sexual energy leaping between them. The tentative weight of her hands on his shoulders sent a ripple of heat across his skin and made his cock harden. That she was leaving in the morning made it easier to ignore just how bad an idea this was. But he wanted her too badly to stop it.Threading his fingers into the curly mass of her hair, he squeezed, bringing her head back before their lips touched and eliciting a tiny gasp that made the sexual fire inside him burn hotter. His way, the grip told her, and he loved the way she stilled and w
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Releasing a breath, Hunter dropped into a chair by the table that matched the one in Khalia’s room, wishing he was still with her instead of here. If Tom hadn’t called, he’d be buried inside her as deep as he could go right now,absorbing more of those sweet little cries as he took her to heaven and back. He swallowed a groan at the thought and focused on the matter at hand. How the hell long was this gonna take, anyway?No yelling from the bathroom. That had to be a good sign. Unless Gage was still working up the guts to dial.While he waited he texted Tom. He’s calling now.Sighing, Hunter leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Would be real interesting to see what came of this.Gage had faced the attacking line of Taliban fighters that afternoon with barely a rise in his heart rate, yet at the prospect of this phone call, his hands and feet were cold and his heart knocked against his ribs. He scowled at his phone. Talking to Claire always made him feel like he’d swallowed a mout
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When Hunter opened the door Khalia came up onto one elbow on the bed and pushed the hair out of her face. He slipped inside, flashed a smile.“Everything okay?” she asked, not fooled by the smile.“Yeah. Gage was looking into something for us. It’s all good.” He nodded at her phone on the nightstand. “You talk to your family?”“My mom. She was really upset.” Khalia was thankful her mother wasn’t involved in this side of the foundation so she hadn’t been subjected to any of this.“Understandable.”She nodded, wishing she’d taken the time to have a shower instead of just changing into her sleep shirt and yoga pants. “I texted my brother too. I told them I’d let them know when my flight is leaving.”“Eleven hundred tomorrow.”Oh. She frowned, confused by her conflicting reactions. She wanted to go home more than anything, but she couldn’t help feeling responsible for those girls and the thought of never seeing Hunter again set off a stab of pain beneath her ribs. On top of that there was
Last Updated : 2023-01-12Dangerous Attraction 24
“I’ve got a better idea.”Her head snapped up when he rose suddenly and approached the bed. In the thin slice of light revealed by the open bathroom door she could see the broad silhouette of his shoulders, the shadowed planes of his face as he advanced on her. The breath backed up in her lungs as all the oxygen seemed to get sucked out of the room. She shifted around while he rounded the bed to climb on the other side and laid down facing her, head propped in one hand so their faces were less than a foot apart.Before she could ask what he was doing he reached out a hand and brushed a curl away from her cheek. “You look scared to death,” he said softly, amusement coloring his deep voice.She flushed, though he probably couldn’t tell in the dimness. “I just don’t know how to read you. I thought you’d changed your mind about…earlier.”“No, but I like catching you off guard,” he admitted. “And I bet I can help you fall asleep.”The way he said it, the words laced with such sensual heat
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Oh, fuck him, this was the last thing they needed.Hunter gauged Khalia’s reaction to the news. With everything that had happened he kept waiting for her to crack under the strain, and so far she’d hung in there better than he ever could have expected. Even so, he couldn’t help but feel like this was the tipping point and he couldn’t stand the thought of watching her break. And with this new strain he was very afraid she might.Her mouth was pinched, her forehead creased with an anxious frown as she stared at her phone. She squeezed his hand so tight her fingers were white. The room was deathly silent in the wake of Tom’s announcement.“Is it Aisha?” she demanded, a quaver in her voice. “We don’t know yet,” Tom answered.A muscle jumped in her jaw, her gaze still on the phone’s screen, then she gave a sharp shake of her head. “I can’t tell anything from that picture, it’s too small. Give me my laptop.” She reached an arm toward where it lay beside the sofa Hunter had tried to sleep on
Last Updated : 2023-01-18
Latest chapter
Dangerous Attraction 74
Ethan watched Ann fluff his pillows for what seemed like the hundredth time. He smiled, enjoying her pampering him. He knew she was just concerned about him and he enjoyed every minute of it. It had been a close one. So close he’d made a decision, one he had yet to talk to her about. There had hardly been a time when they were alone.When he’d woken in the ICU, she was there and so were a half dozen nurses. Then when he’d come to again, he’d been in a private room with his parents hovering over him. It had been nice having them there, but he wished for some time alone with Ann.Then she had left for the evening, promising she’d be back first thing in the morning. She had walked in five minutes after his parents and Roberta had. Now her family was there, chatting and acting like he was a hero.Blake was there as well. The kid had grown tall, but still looked the same. Ethan could tell he was glad he was okay, even if he played it cool. Javan had even stopped by at one point before headi
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Ethan was fighting for his life. There were two of them, he’d spotted them instantly when he’d entered the large stadium. His eyes had scanned not the stage, where Ann was focused, but instead the roof and upper bleachers of the large stadium. It had taken him only a few seconds to see the dark spot hovering in a private booth area. The nose of the rifle stuck out from the box. With his mind totally focused on getting there quickly, he lost track of Ann. He knew she’d make it to her father and hoped to God she had enough sense to stay down. When he reached the opening to the booth, he threw himself in and charged the man, covered in darkness. He didn’t see the second man come out of theshadows until the knife was already on a downward arch.Trying to block it, he felt the blade hit his rib cage, tearing his shirt and the skin below. Turning, he connected a solid blow to the skinny man’s nose, shattering it and sending blood splattering all over both of them. Paul, the senator’s assis
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Ann and Ethan spent the next few days locked in the editing room. They had gone over every inch of footage that had been uploaded from Rio before the incident. There really wasn’t anything other than crowd shots they could use.She’d been enjoying their time together. There was hardly a moment when they weren’t together. Javan had even been moved over to watching Blake instead.Ethan had been spending all his time with her. He slept in her bed, they ate dinner together, they ate breakfast together. He sat across from her when she worked in her office. They had been spending a lot of their evenings in the editing room together. She couldn’t explain it, she just enjoyed spending her time with him. He was easy to get along with, and she didn’t want to be apart from him.She’d woken the other night to an empty bed and had instantly felt empty herself. Then she’d heard him talking on the phone in the other room. She’d quietly rushed in and smiled when she’d seen him pacing her living room.
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“I can’t believe it. It’s taken almost a week and they are finally going to let me run my piece from Rio. They want it edited a little more and some more back story, but the executives want it by Friday.” Ann was so nervous, she was pacing her small office.Ethan sat across from her and looked bored. “Are you listening to me?” She picked up the nearest item, which happened to be a stress ball, and tossed it athis head. He caught it and proceeded to squeeze it playfully as she smiled.“I’m always listening. I knew they were going to run it. It’s a good piece. Plus, you had an excellent cameraman.” He smiled and tossed the ball back at her.She caught it and set it back on her desk, then walked around and sat in her chair. There was so much to do in the next few days, she didn’t think she’d have time. Preparing a piece this big took a team and her team… she closed her eyes on the flash of memory that popped into her head. Well, her team was dead.“I’m going to spend the next few days g
Dangerous Attraction 70
Ann was bored. Since returning home, she’d gone to work, gone to the grocery store. Her kitchen was now fully stocked with groceries. When she’d arrived home last night she had realized there wasn’t anything to eat since she’d left for a long journey. She’d visited her family and done other boring everyday tasks, but was still bored out of her mind. How could she ever get back in the swing of a normal life after what she’d gone through with Ethan?She’d been happily surprised to see Javan yesterday at the store. When they’d come back to her place, he’d come in and installed several small cameras throughout her place. She’d talked to him and had found out that he’d had to leave Rio on account of helping them escape. She felt bad, but was happy that he was going to be helping Ethan out now.She was in the middle of watching the evening news, when the doorbell rang. She hadn’t even heard a word the announcer said since she’d been too busy thinking of Ethan again.Knowing it was the pizza
Dangerous Attraction 69
The next morning Ann marched into her office with a plan. There was no way she was going to let Anthony fire her. She walked out of the elevators and past the secretary with her head held high. She avoided talking to anyone; she just wanted to make it into her office. She was so focused on getting there, she didn’t see the man sitting behind her desk until after she’d closed the door, leaned back on it, and released a sigh of relief.“Was it that bad?” Dave asked from her chair. She couldn’t help it, she squealed. She’d only met Dave Myers once before, on the day she’d been hired almost five years ago. He was an older gentlemen with silver hair. His suitsalways looked pressed and he never had a hair out of place. He had a reputation for being a hard-ass and she’d done everything she could to avoid dealing with him directly.“Oh,” she stood up straight and ran her hands over her skirt, trying to make sure she looked perfect.“Come in, Miss Rhodes. I’d like to hear all about your adven
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She smiled again. “Thanks, Daddy. I knew you’d have all the answers. What can I do now?”“Well, if he doesn’t come back on his own… If I know anything about my little girl, you’ll find a way to make him crawl back.”That night she lay in her bed for a few hours listening to the sounds of the city around her. She missed the sounds of the jungle and of Ethan sleeping beside her. She missed his warmth, his smell, his touch.She knew she was going to have a hard time falling back into a pattern. How could she ever go back to a normal life after what they’d been through? Did she want to? More importantly, did she want to do it all alone? Even though they’d only known each other a few months, she couldn’t stop thinking about him.The shadows on her ceiling did little to soothe her as the light hit the leaves that were starting to fall from the large tree outside her window. She turned and hit her pillow a few times, trying to get comfortable. She’d had no problem sleeping in the dirt or wet
Dangerous Attraction 67
The next morning they met his parents for a day trip to the beach, something they’d done since he was a kid. Usually they’d spend the whole night sleeping in a tent or sleeping bags under the stars if the weather held out.This time they had stayed late enough to have some of his dad’s homemade mussel soup. He’d laughed as he taught Ann how to dig for mussels. She’d been a little grossed out at first, but after he’d showed her how to collect the first few, she’d rolled her sleeves up and been totally focused.She’d even helped him collect wood for their fire. He’d always enjoyed having a campfire on the beach. Something about the smell of burning wood and the salt from the ocean made him feel like he was truly home.As they sat on a large piece of driftwood in front of the fire, he pulled her close as he watched his parents laughing about a story they were telling.It was almost like life was going in slow motion for a few minutes. His mind flashed from seeing the same scene as a chil
Dangerous Attraction 66
She’d toed off her own heels as she walked her way back to just below his hips.His erection sat between them, proud and erect. She knew he wanted her to touch him, but she leaned over and started kissing and rubbing her hands over his chest again.She wanted this to last. She wanted to enjoy every inch of him, slowly. “Ann, your killing me.”“Don’t rush me. I’m enjoying myself too much to go fast.” She smiled as she nibbled her way down his chest. When she reached his belly button, she dipped her tongue in and swirled it around the sexy spot. He had a light covering of hair that trailed down to his sex. She followed it until finally, she gripped him lightly in her hands. She watched as his eyes closed and he moaned while arching his head.“You like it when I touch you?”“God, yes!” He almost jumped when she swirled her tongue around the head, lapping at him as she used her hands to stroke his length. She cupped his balls as she used her mouth to please him.His hands plunged into her
