Brian Read online

  “I’m glad you called. And I know it hasn’t been all that long, but the trip is already paid for. Yours, whenever you have the time to get away. You’ll have complete privacy, a house on the beach.”

  “I can’t,” she said, her voice scratchy as she fought tears. She angled her head upward and stared at the ceiling. “I have work,” she lied.

  “Like I said, any time you can travel. Everyone needs to get away some time, Ash.”

  He paused.

  She was surprised she wished he’d say something else. Something about his voice was soothing, making her feel like she wasn’t the only person in the world hurting. “Where is this island?”

  “Western Caribbean. Just a hop from New Orleans. Let me know when you can come. I’ll make all the arrangements.”

  She thought about what Melanie had said about her getting away. Ash would prefer to take her vacation inside a bottle. But she couldn’t be rude to Marc’s friend. “How did you know him?”

  “We were on the same team in the SEALs.”

  She nodded although she knew he couldn’t see. Her gaze went to the couch with its natty afghans, and then swept the room where they’d spent evenings cuddling on the sofa while they watched Saints’ games or the latest Avengers movie.

  A chance to breathe air that wasn’t stale. To see a room that didn’t hold his imprint. To visit a place that they hadn’t been as a couple. “How many days’ reservation did he make?”

  “A week.”

  Maybe seven days would be long enough to figure something out. Or simply to sleep without Marc’s scent surrounding her. “I can come now.”

  Another pause.

  Had she surprised him? Did he need more time? She hoped not. Here was a chance to bolt from their home. And she’d had just enough to drink to sustain her courage to leave.

  “I’ll make arrangements for a car to pick you up in half an hour.”

  Her body stiffened, and she blinked. That soon? “O-okay.”

  “Bye, Aislin.”

  The call ended, and she lowered her phone to stare at the screen. Was she really doing this? Panic fluttered in her belly, and she hovered her thumb over the screen, tempted to redial the number. But again, she stared at the sofa.

  “I have to pack,” she whispered. She’d cram clothes into a duffel and water the dying plants. Maybe if she kept moving, she wouldn’t think, wouldn’t change her mind.

  And she needed to get away, to a place where the mirrors didn’t reflect the places Marc had been. Relief washed like a cool wave through her. The card, the call...both seemed like a divine hand had reached down to offer a second chance.

  As she climbed the stairs, she realized she’d never asked his name. She snorted. She wasn’t worried about walking into a trap laid to kidnap lonely women. At twenty-nine, she was too old to be interesting to sex traffickers. Too tired to give a shit.

  Take that back. Right about now, she’d love the hell out of a good fight.

  Also by Delilah Devlin

  Montana Bounty Hunters

  Reaper (#1)

  Dagger (#2)

  Reaper’s Ride (#3)

  Cochise (#4)

  Hook (#5)

  Wolf (#6)

  Animal (#7)

  S*x on the Beach (related)

  Big Sky Wedding

  Quincy (#8)

  Brian (#9)

  * * *

  Uncharted SEALs

  Watch Over Me (#1)

  Her Next Breath (#2)

  Through Her Eyes (#3)

  Dream of Me (#4)

  Baby, It's You (#5)

  Before We Kiss (#6)

  Between a SEAL and a Hard Place (#7)

  Heart of a SEAL (#8)

  Hard SEAL to Love (#9)

  Big Sky SEAL (#10)

  Head Over SEAL (#11)

  SEAL Escort (#12)

  * * *

  Texas Cowboys

  Wearing His Brand (#1)

  The Cowboys and the Widow (#2)

  Soldier Boy (#3)

  Bound & Determined (#4)

  Slow Rider (#5)

  Night Watch (#6)

  * * *

  Cowboys on the Edge

  Wet Down

  Controlled Burn

  Cain’s Law

  Flashpoint

  * * *

  Triplehorn Brand

  Laying Down the Law (#1)

  In Too Deep (#2)

  A Long, Hot Summer (#3)

  * * *

  Night Fall

  Sm{B}itten (#1)

  Truly, Madly…Deadly (#2)

  Knight in Transition (#3)

  Wolf in Plain Sight (#4)

  Knight Edition (#5)

  Night Fall on Dark Mountain (#6)

  Frannie and the Private Dick (#7)

  Sweet Succubus (#8)

  Truly, Madly…Werely (#9)

  Bad to the Bone (#10)

  Long Howl Good Night (#11)

  First Knight (#12)

  Big Bad Wolf (#13)

  * * *

  Texas Billionaires Club

  Tarzan & Janine (#1)

  Something To Talk About (#2)

  Who’s Your Daddy (#3)

  Love & War (#4)

  Some Standalone Stories

  New Orleans Nights

  Begging For It

  Hot Blooded

  Raw Silk

  Warrior’s Conquest

  Rogues

  Enslaved by the Viking Short Story

  Conquests

  Smokin’ Hot Firemen

  About Delilah Devlin

  Delilah Devlin is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author with a reputation for writing deliciously edgy stories with complex characters. She has published nearly two hundred stories in multiple genres and lengths, and she is published by Atria/Strebor, Avon, Berkley, Black Lace, Cleis Press, Ellora’s Cave, Entangled, Grand Central, Harlequin Spice, HarperCollins: Mischief, Kensington, Montlake Romance, Running Press, and Samhain Publishing.

  * * *

  You can find Delilah all over the web:

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