Obsessed (7 page)

Chapter Twelve

“Home sweet home.” Mike tossed his keys on the table beside his front door.

“You must be exhausted.” Nikki wrapped her arms around him. She’d promised to meet him at his place.

“Not when you are around.” He winked and leaned in for a kiss.

“Are you okay? I’m so sorry for what you went through.” Mike held her tightly. “And I’m sorry I doubted your trust.”

Nikki whispered to him that she was fine. “I would have questioned me too. Lisa was smart to make it look like I was the one to hack into the plane’s computer. She just didn’t expect you to survive the crash. I’m happy you did.”

Mike took her hands in his, “I should have walked you to your car that morning. But then when I received your message that morning that your team had an urgent case, I figured you were safe with them.” Nikki squeezed in hands.

“But then you received the message the next day that forced you to doubt me. I don’t blame you Mike. I love you. Lisa was crazy. She was obsessed to keep Trevor alive with his baby. When she lost his baby, she blamed Jess. Her only focus then was to take Jess’s baby. The rest of us didn’t matter.”

“I promise to take care of you Nikki. I’ll protect you with my life.” Mike lifted her hands to his mouth and kissed them.

“Well, SSA Turner, you have me for most of the night but I have to leave early to get back to work,” Nikki teased him while her fingers began to unbutton his shirt.

“Then I think you should stay forever.” Mike took her hand and led her to his bedroom. He asked her to take a seat on the bed.

“Hmmm…do I get a strip tease act tonight?”

Mike chuckled. “Of course, don’t you always? But first I have a question.”

Nikki asked if his one question led to an interrogation.

Mike opened the top drawer of the corner chest. He briefly turned and smiled. “No, I just have one question.” He pulled out the little box he’d kept for years and walked over to the bed. He dropped to one knee in front of Nikki.

“Oh Mike.”

“Marry me Nikki.” He opened the tiny box to reveal an exquisite diamond and told her it had been his grandmother’s.

“Yes, Mike.”

He placed the ring on her finger. “A perfect fit.”

“Yes, we are.” She sealed her answer with a kiss.

Six Weeks Later

“Mike, where’s Nikki?” Jess asked when she opened the door.

Mike smiled. Despite what she’d been through with Lisa and then the sadness of the funerals for two agents, motherhood appeared to make her happy.

“She realized she forgot another gift for Thomas on our way to the church for the christening. She went back to pick it up. She’ll be along shortly,” Mike assured her.

“She has another gift? I think Thomas’s godmother will spoil him rotten.”

Mike agreed.

Jess stopped in the kitchen. “Mike, before we join everyone in the backyard, I want to run something by you.”

“Everything okay Jess?”

She nodded. “I’d like to start my own business to carry on the cyber safety seminars to help educate teens and parents. Now that you two are getting married and the commute must be killing you both, I was thinking of asking Nikki to be my partner-in-crime.” Jess knew from past experience that married couples couldn’t work on the same team and she hoped Mike wanted to remain in San Francisco as the SSA.

“I think it’s a great idea. I’d love for the women in my life to work together.” Mike told Jess he couldn’t answer for Nikki but he felt sure she’d be thrilled with the offer.

“Speak of the devil.” Mike laughed when he heard the doorbell. He told Jess to join everyone in the back yard and he’d get Nikki. But when he opened the door, no one was there. Mike looked down at the postcard on the step. He reached down to pick it up and noticed it was addressed to Jess. He picked it up by one corner and flipped it over. “Not again.” Mike walked to his car in the driveway. He opened his briefcase in the back seat and pulled out an evidence bag. Gently, he placed the card in the bag and put it in his briefcase. He didn’t want to tell Jess, especially on the day of the christening. Mike closed his car door when he heard a car pull into the driveway.

Nikki smiled as she turned off the ignition. She greeted him with a kiss. “Wait till you see what I got for baby Thomas.”

Mike wondered if he should mention the postcard to Nikki, but decided to keep it to himself.

Nikki looped her arm through Mike’s. “I’m dying to give Jess this gift.”

Mike smiled at her and walked toward the door. As Nikki rambled on about the gift, Mike briefly looked back at his car and thought about the postcard he’d placed in his briefcase. He wondered if Jess would ever get
Closure.

Look for the other stories in

The Sunset Beach Romance Series

Sunset Kisses

Story 1

Alivia Jones yearned for success, or so she thought. A full scholarship to Columbia took her out of the small dull town she grew up in. There she left her childhood sweetheart Jacob Adams broken-hearted and never looked back; until an invitation for her tenth reunion arrived.

On her climb to success on Wall Street she sold her soul to the CEO of Financial Freedom, Brent Atwood. Rich, successful with a body no woman could deny; he wanted Alivia and she wanted his signature on her paycheck. Her emotional struggle to stay with him tore her apart until she finally realized and admitted that he did not own her. His threat to ruin her on Wall Street no longer scared her. She quit her job, ended her arrangement with Brent and left to meet her best friends in Sunset Beach for their reunion.

Her hesitation to see Jacob again disappeared with a reunion under the tall oak at sunset. One sunset, one kiss reunites a love that never left her heart. Will sunset kisses and one crazy idea keep Alivia in Sunset Beach?

Sunset Nights

Story 2

Fiona Paxton left Sunset Beach the day she graduated from high school and never looked back. Working as a fashion designer in Los Angeles California is all she ever wanted.

Ten years later, Fiona wants more than money—she wants a caring man. Not one who worries more about how white his teeth are or if his spray tan needs a touch up, than he does about her.

Trip Delacruz gave up the big city to settle down in Sunset Beach tending his bees and making honey.

One look at Fiona and Trip is hooked. Her chestnut hair and blues eyes sparkle when she talks about the Sunset Beach Resort renovation. He would give anything if Fiona looked at him the way she does at the sunset every night.

Sunset Waves

Story 3

Mateo Medina has the perfect job in New York City, the perfect condo and the perfect car, so why are his anxiety attacks getting worse by the day? All he needs is a short vacation and a few days off in the sleepy little resort town of Sunset Beach. Then everything will go back to normal. His Perfect Life.

Kyra can’t believe that things can get any worse. The first guest has arrived at the Sunset Beach Resort and they aren’t even open for business. Someone’s hacked the resort’s website. She has to make things work for their guest, it’s not his fault. She also has to make sure to stomp on the feelings she’s having for him. He’s going to be gone in a few days and she has too much work to do to prepare for the resorts opening.

Mateo and Kyra need to work together to resolve the resorts problems. Will they both find that there is more to life than work…can there possibly be love?

Sunset Surprise

Story 4

Summer Whitney’s life is spinning out of control. After the death of her fiancé, she closed her successful tattoo shop and travelled the world searching for something or someone to hold on to.

A reunion at Sunset Beach brought about a hasty decision to move back home seeking reconnection with her friends and family. But a surprise visit from ex love Kimon Galanos brings shocking news of the past – and the present.

Will Summer remain long enough in Sunset Beach to rekindle love and finally find the last happiness that has eluded her all of her life, or will she run away again, this time forever?

About the Author

Anglea Ford

Her love of the ocean and sunsets are always in her heart and give her inspiration. Her love for words keeps her turning the page. She is never without a book, whether she’s reading or writing. Now residing in Ontario, Angela works in Finance – numbers by day – words by night. Her dedication to volunteer and involvement with cyber safety seminars gave her an Award of Distinction and sparked the idea for her first book Closure – suspense with a dash of romance that hit the best- selling Action/Adventure and Women’s Fiction. Angela continued this FBI suspense with Forbidden  and will deliver the final of the series in 2015. She also writes contemporary romance, sometimes sweet…sometimes spicy and sometimes with a dash of suspense.

Every possible quiet moment she finds, she treasures and just writes about the moments to come. Angela is an avid reader of romance, a member of the RWA, KOD (Kiss of Death – Suspense Chapter) and Mississauga Writers Group. You can follow her at BTGN www.bookstogonow.com or visit her website/blog Romantic Escapes at http://www.angelafordauthor.com to connect with her on her social network sites. She loves to hear from her readers – they keep her smiling!