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  His family stayed for two days, and he enjoyed seeing everyone again, though being stuck in a hospital room wasn’t really his idea of enjoying a visit from them.

  After they left to go back home the place almost felt empty. Finally, a day later, he was released from the hospital. He was so excited to get away from all the needles and nurses, he hadn’t quite thought about what was next.

  A nurse had wheeled him out of the hospital and right into Ann’s car, so he found himself sitting in her car on the way to her condo. Since he was still very weak from all the pain medications they had him on, he rested his head back and thought about his plans.

  Maybe he’d ask her over dinner? Maybe when they were lying in bed? He thought of a million words he wanted to say to her, a million different ways to ask her to take a chance on him. Could someone like her ever be happy with someone like him? Sure, he’d had his share of adventure, but now he was looking forward to a future minus all the running and guns. Would she still find him worth it?

  He could just imagine them sitting in front of the fireplace in Washington. Snuggling up on the couch watching movies. Or her cooking in the kitchen while he sat and watched. Maybe having a family barbeque. Then, maybe in a year, they’d have children. Images flashed through his mind of kids running in the fields. Of him teaching a son or a daughter how to fish.

  They would have her blue eyes and her smile. He smiled thinking about it. Maybe their kids and Rose would be close. Cousins. He smiled again. Yeah, he could get used to the idea of kids with Ann.

  He knew he still had a few loose ends to tie up, but he’d tried to take care of most of them over the phone before he’d left the hospital.

  Running his own security business from home was going to be a lot different than what he’d been doing over the last few years. He was lucky the only jobs that he’d lined up had already been assigned out to one of his teams.

  He’d given Javan the lead so he could sit back and enjoy some of his time alone with Ann. And his business wasn’t hurting for jobs. He’d actually had to turn several down. Now his five-man crew was booked solid for the next year. Just because he was sitting on the sidelines didn’t mean he couldn’t control everything. He was actually looking forward to being a real boss and not just the lead in a job.

  He knew it was going to be a big change for him, but he was up for the challenge. He just wondered if Ann was up for having him around full time.

  Since he’d met her a few months ago, he hadn’t really let her out of his sight. And now he realized he’d enjoyed having her there. She’d changed so many things in him that he realized he was no longer the same person he’d been three months ago. Oh, he still felt the need for adventure. But the adventure he was seeking wasn’t the bullets and bad guy kind. The adventure he wanted was waking up next to Ann and seeing how many ways he could make her smile. How often he could make her laugh.

  He knew he’d always want to travel, but he also knew that he wanted to be home. And he thought of home as being wherever she was. Maybe she’d want to stay in Austin. Maybe they’d call Washington home. The place didn’t really matter to him anymore. What mattered was that he’d be able to be with her.

  When he felt the car slowing, he opened his eyes and was shocked to see where they were. The private jet sat ready for takeoff. He looked over to Ann, who was smiling back at him.

  “What are we doing here?”

  “Well, the doctor said three weeks of rest, so I booked us a flight somewhere where I know you’ll get all the rest you need.”

  She got out of the car and walked around to help him out. It wasn’t that he couldn’t get out himself, it was just that she liked to help, so he let her.

  “Where would that be?”

  “Oh, no! You’ll just have to wait and see.” She walked around and pulled out two large bags and handed them to the luggage handler, who quickly whisked them away to the waiting jet. He did a double take and realized it was his private jet sitting there, the one they’d used on the way back from Peru.

  So, some of his secrets must have gotten out of the bag. She turned and smiled at him.

  “Yes, I found out who you had to rescue to get that,” she said, pointing over her shoulder at his jet. Then she held out her hand, waiting for him to take it. He took it and pulled her close, ignoring the sharp pain in both of his sides. He hugged her, enjoying the rich smell of her dark hair and the feel of her in his arms.

  “Ann?” He leaned back and looked down into her face.

  “Oh, no. Not until we get inside.” She pulled back further, smiling at him. Did she know what he was going to ask? How did she know?

  He nodded his head and followed her onto the plane.

  When they were finally in the air, he looked over at her and decided it was now or never.

  “I know what you’re going to ask, but I want to say something first,” she interrupted.

  “Fair enough.” A million excuses she might give him for saying no ran through his head.

  “Ethan, I’ve known you for over two months and in that time we’ve been shot at, blown up, chased through a jungle, and so much more. But I’d like to think that in that time we’ve become closer than two other normal people would have ever gotten. Our relationship may have started with a lie, but I hope it will never end. So, whatever it is you have to say, just know that you will always have my heart.”

  He pulled her closer and kissed her nose. “Ann, will you marry me and make me the happiest man alive?”

  She smiled. “Yes, of course I will.” She reached up and kissed him deeply.

  “Now, will you tell me where it is that we are going?”

  She laughed, “No, just because you are retiring and getting married, doesn’t mean you don’t still need a little excitement left in your life.”

  Epilogue

  Ethan sat on the beach and watched his wife run out of the surf, heading for him. Her dark hair was a little shorter in a bob around her face, but he still enjoyed the rich color. As did he enjoy her new curves that showed nicely in the bright white bikini she wore.

  Her wet, toned body could still excite him, even when she was eight months pregnant. It had been almost a year since his incident and he was still enjoying his retirement and marriage. Life with Ann was anything but boring.

  They’d jetted off to his home in southern France so he could recover. They had stayed almost two months and while they were there they visited Ric’s sister, Katie, and her husband, Jason. They’d also visited Katie’s brother Dante and his wife, Airlea, in Italy. But mostly they just relaxed and enjoyed each other.

  Then they had come back home and had the lavish wedding of her dreams where his family and hers came together in Austin to celebrate. Of course the ceremony included a bunch of his old buddies who had been very rowdy. Then they had flown to Peru to spend their honeymoon there.

  And now Ann was planning on retiring herself, after the baby was born. They had plans to move to Washington to live in the house he’d built. He knew they’d still travel since they both enjoyed it so much, but maybe after the baby came, they would settle down even more.

  He still had calls for jobs every now and then; he’d even gotten a few repeat customers begging for his personal help. So far his team was doing a great job of dealing with anything that came up. He’d even hired a few other guys to deal with all the jobs that had come up after he’d saved the senator.

  Ann had been a huge help in getting his business switched over to actually being a business. Sometimes he thought that she enjoyed helping him out more than being a journalist. She talked about running the business full time afterwards.

  “What are you thinking about?” She sat next to him in the sand. It took some doing, and some help from him, but finally she settled next to him.

  He smiled and pulled her close. “You. Us.”

  He ran his hand over his son, inside her belly. He looked forward to his next big adventure. Becoming a father.

  Secret
Passion

  Sandi has escaped her old life; she’s shed her hijab and her family obligations to start a new one, alone. It’s been five years since she first stepped foot in America to save her life. She’s earned enough money to live comfortably, thanks to her artwork. But, just when she finally feels like she can start to relax and not jump at shadows, she believes her family is hot on her heels. Now she must trust the man who saved her years ago and ask him to do it once again.

  Mitch risked it all to bring the young girl to America years ago. And when she shows up at his door in the middle of the night, grown up and no longer shrouded in her dark coverings, he’ll do everything he can to help her out. But dodging her family has gotten a lot harder this time and they might survive the revenge attempt, if he can keep his hands off her.

  About the Author

  Jill Sanders survived 80′s pop music, and life as an identical twin in a chaotic family of nine. A feat by any standard! She was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, relocating to Colorado for college and a successful IT career at IBM in Boulder.

  Narrowly escaping before all creativity was squashed, she jumped at the chance to trade the mundane world of computers for the sexy, exciting world of her own imagination. She now lives in charming rural Texas writing wonderful novels such as the Pride series.

  Her debut novel, Finding Pride, was shortlisted in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards 2013, and has since climbed to #1 on Amazon Bestsellers – Contemporary Romance & Romantic Suspense. Each Pride Series novel has spent time on bestseller lists for Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple. Watch out New York Times, here she comes!