Exposed (Ethan Frost 3)

“I’m coming with you.” He says it like he’s prepared for an argument. But if the man I love wants to take an interest in our child, who am I to tell him differently?

“Of course you are.”

He kisses me again, and this time it’s slower and sexier than the ones that came before. “You don’t need to worry about anything, Chloe. I’m going to take care of you and this baby and—”

“And I’m going to take care of you,” I tell him firmly. “Because that’s how this whole marriage/partner thing works.”

“Oh, yeah?” he asks, sliding me slowly down his body until I’m once again back on my feet. “Is that how it works?”

“Well, that’s what my really sexy husband once told me.”

“Your really sexy husband sounds really smart.”

I pretend to consider. “Eh, not so much. But he’s pretty to look at, so I keep him around.”

He pinches my ass then, hard enough to get my attention and have me laughing, but not hard enough to hurt. Then he lowers his lips to mine and his kiss is filled with so much love, so much laughter, so much joy that my tears start all over again.

“It’s going to be okay,” he tells me when he pulls back, his thumbs rubbing away the tears on my cheeks. “I promise, Chloe. We’re going to be okay.”

“No, Ethan. We’re not going to be okay,” I tell him, wrapping my arms around his neck and holding him to me as tightly as I can. “We’re going to be fabulous, wonderful, amazing—”

“Perfect,” he tells me as he presses his mouth to mine. “The three of us are going to be just perfect.”

And since I like the happiness in his voice at least as much as I like the feel of his lips against mine, I decide not to tell him that there’s no such thing as perfect. Which is fine. Because, somehow, despite everything we’ve gone through, Ethan and I are almost perfect. And that’s more than good enough for me.

For Sue and Gina

Acknowledgments

I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am that this book is finally making its way into the world. Every once in a while, a story comes along that is so big, and so important to a writer, that it scares her. For me, Exposed is that story. It was a difficult book to write, but in the end, it was also a very rewarding one. Ethan and Chloe have been a part of my life for more than two years and saying goodbye to them is definitely bittersweet. But I’ve come to love this book and hope that my fans will as well.

I have to begin this section by saying thank you to my fans, who have been so enthusiastic about Ethan and Chloe. I appreciate your excitement and support for them—and for me—more than I can ever say. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Sue Grimshaw, I am so grateful to work with you. You are an amazing editor and an even more amazing person and I am so, so thrilled to count you as a friend. I know what a pain I am and I am so, so, so appreciative of your support and the way you’ve stuck by me from the very beginning. Thanks so much for your unflagging enthusiasm for this book and this series. It means the world to me.

Gina Wachtel, thank you so, so much for everything you do for me! You are the best champion a girl—or a writer—could ever ask for and I adore you more than I can ever say. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Kimberly, Matt, Allison, Penelope, and everyone at Random House who has been so wonderful too, and so supportive of me—I appreciate each and every one of you. Your enthusiasm, ingenuity, and support mean the world to me and I am so grateful that I get to work with you.

Emily McKay, Shellee Roberts, Tera Lynn Childs, and Sherry Thomas—I can’t write a book that doesn’t credit you four in the acknowledgments. You are the best friends, writing partners, brainstormers, and ass-kickers a girl could ever ask for and I love you all so, so much! Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Martin Torres—I’m so, so grateful that you came back into my life when you did. Your support, humor, and joie de vivre make life so much fun! I love you bunches!

Emily Sylvan Kim—I don’t even know what to say here. I didn’t realize just how lucky I was the day you agreed to be my agent and I thank the universe for you every single day. You’re the best agent, cheerleader, and friend a girl could ever ask for. Thank you so much for everything!

And finally, my boys, whom I love more than I can ever say. We’ve had a rough couple of years and I just want to say thank you for hanging in there and being the coolest, most wonderful sons in the whole world. You amaze me every day and I am so, so grateful that I get to be your mother.

BY TRACY WOLFF

Ethan Frost Novels

Ruined

Addicted

Exposed

Flawed (coming soon)