Relentless (Option Zero 2)

Finally, frustration obvious in his voice, the man said, “Goodbye.”

Not bothering to end the call—it would end on its own—Ferante drew in a breath of fresh air. The blue of the oc

ean before him competed for beauty with the crystal-clear sky. It was picture perfect.

Maybe that was the problem. It was too perfect. He needed to think on that. What could he do to mar perfection? What would be the challenge?

The solution came like a flash, and he knew exactly what he needed to do.

Chapter Thirty

Montana

OZ Headquarters

Liam pulled into the drive of OZ and was pleased to see all the cars and SUVs. The gang was all here. He’d asked all operatives to show up for a brief meeting. Every one of them deserved to meet Aubrey again. They had been with him on every mission to find her. They needed a new introduction.

Aubrey was a little apprehensive, but he knew that would pass. Whether she was ready to accept it or not, they were now her family. No matter what happened between the two of them, OZ would always be there for her.

What would happen between them was up in the air. Not for him. He had known for years that what he felt for her was more than a need to rescue a woman. In those few days, he had fallen hard. And each time he looked at her now, he fell a little bit further.

He hadn’t sprung any of that on her. Scaring her off was the last thing he wanted. After all the things that had happened over the last few days she was still feeling a little overwhelmed. They had finally found each other. The other stuff could wait.

“They’re really all here for me?”

He grinned at her. She looked as though she were getting ready to face a firing squad.

“They’re not as scary as they look.”

“Actually, the only scary one was you.”

“Really?”

“Yes. That first day, you glared at me.”

“Yeah…sorry. That was a bad day. I was finally accepting I’d never find you.”

She shook her head. “I still can’t believe you looked for so long.”

“I swore to you that I would never give up on you. Can’t believe I almost did.”

She grabbed his hand from the steering wheel and held it to her face. “Thank you for that. I don’t think even my family would have spent so many years looking. They would have just accepted I was gone.”

Liam almost groaned at the silken smooth skin against his hand. She was soft and sweet, and he wanted her with a passion he’d only ever read about. Yeah, he’d felt desire. He was human. This went eons beyond desire.

“You know,” she said conversationally, “if you keep looking at me like that, I’m going to have to kiss you.”

“Don’t let me stop you.”

She glanced over at the OZ house. “Think anyone’s looking?”

“Does it matter?”

Instead of answering, she unbuckled her seat belt and reached for him. He met her halfway. Sharing their first real kiss in front of OZ seemed right.

She tasted like springtime, fresh and sweet. He wanted to linger, to savor, but he let her set the pace. The fact that she instigated it meant everything.

Breathless, she pulled away and smiled. “You taste the way I dreamed you would.”