From Mission To Marriage

From Mission To Marriage
Lyn Stone

Determined to stop a bitter man from decimating a mountain community, Special Ops agent Clay Senate pairs with FBI agent Vanessa Walker. Clay is a loner, but Vanessa's beauty and outgoing personality soon undermine his defenses. It's not long before her appreciation for their shared Native American heritage unleashes a long-denied need in him.Vanessa senses that Clay is hunting for more than just a killer. Accustomed to taming wild animals, she thinks she can tackle both his needs. But as the hunt grows deadly and passions flare, Vanessa faces her most challenging assignment–turning this temporary mission into a lifelong marriage.

“I should check on the fire.”

Clay’s mouth was so close to hers she could feel the warmth of his breath on her lips.

“Yes…fire,” she agreed. She had felt embers glowing in her midsection even before he’d mentioned the fire. She met his lips and took them with a hunger she had never known.

He suddenly broke the kiss. “I am not making love to you here.”

“Talking to me or yourself?” Vanessa whispered, smiling her wickedest smile.

“Both. I just want to hold you.”

“Liar.”

He pulled the blanket up around them swiftly as they lay side by side. “If I ever make love to you, I want it to be perfect, soft light—”

“The fire’s pretty low,” she interrupted, snuggling closer.

“Sweet music…”

“Crickets will do.”

“Satin sheets…”

“Two out of three…I want you, Clay. More than anything I’ve ever wanted in my life. Right here. Right now.”

From Mission to Marriage

Lyn Stone

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

LYN STONE

loves creating pictures with words. She paints, too. Her love affair with writing and art began in the third grade when she won a school-wide contest for her colorful poster for Book Week. She spent the prize money on books, one of which was Little Women.

She rewrote the ending so that Jo marries her childhood sweetheart. That’s because Lyn had a childhood sweetheart herself and wanted to marry him when she grew up. She did. And now she is living her “happily ever after” in north Alabama with same guy. She and Allen have traveled the world, had two children, four grandchildren and have experienced some wild adventures along the way.

Whether writing romantic historicals or contemporary fiction, Lyn insists on including elements of humor, mystery and danger. Perhaps because that other book she purchased all those years ago was a Nancy Drew.

This book is dedicated to my grandfather,

John David Perkins,

a man of few words, wry humor and a good heart.

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Prologue

“T his one’s mighty little. Maybe we’d better throw her back.”

Clay Senate wondered if his new colleague was serious. He glanced again at the photos and dossier of Vanessa Walker. The pictures were just in, a news photo of a smiling Walker receiving her badge and a mug shot, with height lines for a background, showing she measured sixty-three inches. She looked pretty. Young. Perky. Obviously Native American. “You know what they say, Cate. Good things often come in small packages.”

“I’m not touching that comment,” Cate teased, laughing as she looked at Danielle Sweet, who was barely five-five. “But okay, I say give her a shot.”

Clay nodded at the vote offered by the first hire for the new COMPASS team, an adjunct of Sextant, the Civilian Special Operations team now being organized by Homeland Security to investigate and neutralize threats at home and abroad.

Cate Olin stood six feet tall and had the strong-shouldered, small-breasted, slim-hipped body of a long-distance swimmer. He watched as she raked a lock of straight white-blond hair back behind one ear. Cate had a degree in criminal justice, was fluent in several languages and had put in six years with the National Security Agency.

Jack Mercier, the agent who would act as director for both teams, had handpicked her. Mercier had the contacts necessary to identify and appropriate personnel. He also had an infallible knack for choosing personalities that would mesh into a cohesive unit.

“What do you think, Dani?” Jack asked Danielle Sweet, the latest hire, a former army brat who could kick some serious butt on the mats at the gym. She was a deceptively dainty brunette with a master’s in international relations from Georgetown. Though people generally underestimated Dani because of her looks, Sweet’s IQ was off the charts, her powers of reasoning were outstanding and she could charm her way into or out of anything.