His business is protection
Shannon Cooper came to Nightshade Island to carry out a mission. But she cant do it without the mysterious Gideon Stone. The enigmatic, battle-hardened former soldier is much more than just the islands caretaker. And the powerful feelings hes awakening go deeper than fleeting desire.
Former special ops, Gideon has seen danger up close and personal. Now, protecting Shannon from deadly mercenaries is his first priority. But who will shield him from the onslaught of emotion the beautiful computer tech is arousing? As a storm hurtles up the Alabama Gulf Coast, mirroring the passion raging through his defenses, Gideon will do whatever it takes to survive...and explore a relationship as impossible as it is irresistible....
Guess we made it through the night more or less unscathed, huh?
Shannon followed Gideons gaze and released a soft sigh. The cool morning breeze off the gulf lifted her dark hair, sending a few strands dancing against his cheeks. She smelled like a fresh morning rain, despite having traipsed through the sea grass, climbed up and down a thirty-foot lighthouse and taken down a special forces marine twice her size with her bare hands.
She was formidable, he thought, rolling the word around in his head, savoring it.
Fearing it.
Hed known, the second he saw her waiting on the pier at Terrebonne Marina, that she was going to be trouble for him.
He just hadnt realized how much.
Secret Assignment
Paula Graves
www.millsandboon.co.uk
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alabama native Paula Graves wrote her first book, a mystery starring herself and her neighborhood friends, at the age of six. A voracious reader, Paula loves books that pair tantalizing mystery with compelling romance. When shes not reading or writing, she works as a creative director for a Birmingham advertising agency and spends time with her family and friends. She is a member of Southern Magic Romance Writers, Heart of Dixie Romance Writers and Romance Writers of America.
Paula invites readers to visit her website, www.paulagraves.com.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Shannon CooperThough Cooper Securitys computer tech has long wanted to run a field operation, helping a widow archive her late husbands belongings isnt what she had in minduntil black-masked intruders show up, pursuing a deadly agenda.
Gideon StoneOwing a blood debt to the family of the fellow marine who died saving his life, Gideon will do anything to keep Lydia Ross safe, even put up with a pretty young computer geek who wastes no time getting under his tough skin.
Lydia RossThe army widow is still grieving the loss of her husband and her son. But when intruders strike the private Gulf of Mexico island where shes lived for most of her life, she shows the steel in her spine that made her the ideal army wife.
General Edward RossThe late army general kept a coded journal during his last few years of service. Now a whole lot of dangerous people want to get their hands on the journal. What secrets does it contain?
Security Services Unit (SSU)MacLear Securitys secret unit disbanded when the company fell to scandal. But some of the operatives are still selling their services to whomevers willing to pay.
Damon NorthThe undercover agent has finally made his way back into the SSU, dedicated to bringing the dangerous mercenary unit down. But how far is he willing to go to convince the unit that hes trustworthy?
Raymond StephensThe dishonorably discharged ex-marine who found his home in the corrupt SSU still nurses a grudge against Gideon Stone. Will the new SSU mission to steal the generals journal give him a chance to even the score?
For my mom,
whos always believed in me, even when I didnt.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Excerpt
Chapter One
Murky green water lapped against the pilings of the Terrebonne Marina docks, rocking the boats hitched to the moorings. The breeze blowing in from the Gulf of Mexico was steamy-hot, fueled by temperatures in the mid-nineties and eighty-percent humidity.
August in Alabama, Shannon Cooper thought bleakly as she wilted in the sweltering heat on a bench by an empty boat slip. The dog days were bad enough back home, where mountains and woods offered some small protection against the Southern summers excesses. But down here in Terrebonne, a mosquito-infested dot on the Alabama Gulf Coast map, August was a ruthless son of a
She heard the boat before she saw it, the engine rattle drawing her gaze toward the middle of Terrebonne Bay. Cutting through the wakes left by other boats, a drab white fishing yacht that had seen better days headed straight toward the boat slip where she sat waiting for her ride to Nightshade Island.
The boat eased into the slip, avoiding all but the lightest of bounces against the protective bumpers lining the dock. The engine growled to a stop, and Shannon pushed to her feet.
A colossus of a man stepped onto the deck, all broad shoulders, long legs and unwelcoming scowl. Shannon was used to large menbetween her brothers and cousins, shed been surrounded by strapping, athletic men all her life. But the man who walked to the boats deck railing exuded a commanding presence made all the more intimidating by the impatient hostility hardened like stone in his masculine features.
He didnt speak until hed finished lashing the boat to the moorings with sturdy ropes. That task done, he rose to his impressive height and addressed her in a deep, growling Southern drawl. Shannon Cooper?
She quelled the dismay squirming in the pit of her stomach and raised her chin. Yes. And you?
His lips pressed to a line. Gideon Stone.
The name matched the one her brother had given her. She wished Jesse had thought to include a photo of the man. Do you have any identification?
His eyes narrowing, he pulled a slim wallet from the back pocket of his jeans and showed her his drivers license. Gideon Stone. Age thirty-four. Six-five, 220 pounds. In the photo, he looked pissed-off.
She glanced at him and saw the photo was a good likeness.
Thank you, she said politely.
His expression didnt soften at all as his gaze shifted downward. Is that all you have?
She looked at the duffel bag sitting on the dock beside her. Shed packed light, figuring she could wash clothes at least once while she was on the island. Doesnt Mrs. Ross have a washer and dryer?
His eyebrows quirked slightly. Yes.
Then yes. Thats all I have. She eyed the large fishing vessel, a Hatteras Convertible Sportfisherman. Even though it had seen better days, it seemed in no danger of sinking, she noted with relief.
Are you sure you want to do this?
She blinked, taken aback. Do this?
Come out to Nightshade Island. He nodded toward the clouds rolling in from the southeast. Theres a storm headed our way.
A tropical storm roiling in the Caribbean was lining up to move into the Gulf of Mexico before the end of the week, but surely they would have plenty of time to evacuate if the situation became dangerous. All the more reason to archive the generals papers and collections quickly, she said reasonably. Mrs. Ross will want to take them with her if shes forced to evacuate, and well have them secured and ready to go. Were you able to procure the items we requested for storage?
Yes. He walked toward the dockside fuel pump a few yards away.
She watched through narrowed eyes as he pumped fuel into the yachts tanks, wondering if his surly attitude was situational or inherent. Is there a problem with my coming here?
He looked up at her, his eyes hooded. Should there be?
Well, that was a strange response. I dont think so. You do know Mrs. Ross hired us to help her itemize her husbands things and pack them up securely for the move, right?
Right. But he sounded suspicious anyway.
She sighed and picked up the duffel bag, shoving it over the rail onto the boat deck. If she had been dressed in shorts and a T-shirther preferred attire on scorching daysshed have hauled herself over the deck railing as well. But shed dressed to give a good first impression, although perspiration had already begun soaking through the cotton of her sleeveless shell and no doubt had left dark stains on the back of her light gray summer suit jacket.
Besides, she doubted she could have worn anything that would impress Gideon Stone.
She walked around to the back of the boat where a set of low steps gave her a more dignified entry to the boat. The boats name was painted there, in straight blue letters. Lorelei.
She darted a glance at Gideon Stone, wondering for the first time if the boat belonged to Mrs. Ross or to him. She tried to picture the grim boat pilot as the sort of romantic whod name a boat after a lover but gave up quickly.
Her brother had given her a job to do. It might be boring grunt work, but she was going to do it as well as shed ever done anything in her life. Then maybe hed take her contributions to Cooper Security more seriously and let her take part in more challenging assignments.
Gideon finished fueling up and nodded toward the steps. Were ready to shove off.
Want me to get the other rope? she asked as he bent to unlash the back rope from the mooring.
Ill get it. His tone set her teeth on edge.
Once the boat was untied, he showed her into the cabin on the main deck, waving toward a worn but comfortable-looking L-shaped sofa inside. There are life jackets in the cabinets under the sofa if you need one. You do know how to use one?
She forced herself to smile as if his gruff manner didnt make her want to swat him. Practically grew up in a marina. Shed spent half her childhood at Cooper Cove Marina with her aunt and uncle while her father was on duty with the sheriffs department.
The cabin was larger than it looked from outside, though perhaps the illusion of space was a result of its well-placed accommodations. The sofa ran the length of the port side, while a long set of storage cabinets lined the starboard, ending where a small but well-appointed galley took up the rest of the wall space. Gideon waved his large hand toward the small refrigerator. Theres bottled water and soft drinks in the cooler. Mrs. Ross thought you might need something to drink on a day like today.
His tone suggested he couldnt care less about her comfort, and he didnt stick around to make sure she found something to her liking, heading out to the deck without another word. He went straight up the ladder to the pilothouse overhead.
Lovely meeting you, too, Mr. Stone. She shrugged off the jacket of her lightweight suit and crossed to the nearest air vent, sighing with pleasure as the cold air blew across her sticky skin. The boat surged under her feet, knocking her temporarily off balance. She caught herself, flattening her hand on the wall until she felt steadier. Keeping contact with the wall in case the boat hit any choppy water as it crossed the bay, she circled to the refrigerator and opened the door, smiling at the sight of several bottles and cans chilling inside.
Her sweet tooth argued for a soft drink, but her good sense went straight for the bottled water. She waited until she reached the bench before she opened it, saving herself a small mess when the boat lurched again just as she was taking her seat.
Good thing she didnt get seasick, she thought. Not that Gideon Stone had even asked if she might.
She pulled up the shade over the windows and saw land growing more and more distant as they moved out of the sheltered bay and into the choppier waters of the Gulf of Mexico. She wished the surly boat captain hadnt more or less ordered her to sit down and stay put. Now that shed had a chance to cool down and rehydrate, shed love to be outside, taking in the panoramic view of the Gulf.
Who says you have to listen to ol Growly Gus? a rebellious voice whispered in her ear. The water wasnt much choppier than a windy day on Gossamer Lake, and shed ridden out those kinds of swells in less sturdy boats than the Lorelei.
Why not?
The breeze blowing off the Gulf was cooler out here than it had felt back on the dock, countering the blistering afternoon heat. The cloud cover starting to gather overhead showed no sign of dropping moisture yet, and now that she had her sea legs under her, the walk across the deck to the railing posed no problem at all.
She glanced upward and saw Gideon Stone sitting in the pilothouse, his back to her as he steered the boat into the open water of the Gulf. She craned her neck to see around the bulk of the boat cabin, wondering if Nightshade Island was in sight yet.
She knew from studying a map of the coast that Nightshade Island was a tiny speck of land barely visible on the map of the Alabama Gulf Coast. From preparatory research in the library and online, Shannon had learned the island had belonged to the Stafford family for over a hundred years, passed down generation to generation until it finally fell in the hands of the only remaining member of the original family, Lydia Stafford Ross.
According to Jesse, whod spoken to Mrs. Ross when he took the assignment for Cooper Security, Mrs. Ross and her husband, U.S. Army General Edward Ross, had lived there most of their married life, although the general had obviously spent a good deal of time away during his military career. It was his home base, Jesse had told her. He kept all his papers, correspondence and collections there.