Protected By Lexi Blake
A Masters and Mercenaries Novella
Coming July 31, 2018
Their first
chance at love ended in heartbreak
Wade Rycroft fell in love with Geneva
Harris when she was the smartest girl in his class. The rodeo star and the shy
academic made for an odd pair, but their chemistry was undeniable. They made
plans to get married after high school. Those plans changed when Genny broke
his heart. Joining the Army gave him a chance to leave that life behind. News
that Genny married the town’s golden boy let Wade know that he could never go
home again.
A chance
encounter rekindles an old flame
Fifteen years later, he’s found his
place in the world and tried to forget the woman who left him standing in the
rain. After leaving the Army he forged a new life as a bodyguard at
McKay-Taggart, but he still feels incomplete. When his brother’s wedding brings
him home to Broken Bend, Texas, he walks into a storm of scandal. Genny’s
marriage has dissolved, the town has turned against her, and someone is making
threats. Seeing her again reawakens feelings he thought were long gone, and he
worries that staying close enough to help her could be too much to bear.
Their reunion
just might kill them both
After an attempt is made on Genny’s
life, Wade can’t refuse to help her. Watching over her day and night, it’s
clear that having her back in his life could be the thing to finally make him
whole. When the danger follows them back to Dallas, their second chance at love
could be over before it even begins.
Excerpt
“There’s no
reason for you to be jealous of Hutch. He gave me a few kisses, that’s all.”
He dropped her
hand, turned, and started back toward the office. Hutch’s truck was still here.
He would kill the little fucker and that would teach him. He would torture him
first. Hutch liked computers. Wade would see how much he liked them when they
were shoved hard up his ass.
“Wade.” Genny
ran after him, her laughter a musical sound he didn’t want to hear right now.
“Wade, come on. I was joking. He let me raid his desk for chocolate. Those kind
of kisses. Please don’t murder him.”
He stopped,
completely embarrassed. He hadn’t been thinking. She was used to being around a
man who took out his temper on her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
She grinned up
at him, her hand on his arm. “You didn’t scare me. Why would you… Wade, I know
you’re not Brock. I’ve always known that. I’m not terrified of all men. Hell,
I’m not afraid of Big Tag. He’s kind of funny once you let him know where the
boundaries are.”
“You gave Tag
boundaries?” He’d been afraid to leave her alone with Ian. Not because he
thought Ian would hurt her, but because he could be intimidating at times. Now
that he thought about it, Big Tag was actually perfect for Genny to start
practicing her newfound sass on because he would like her more if she gave him
hell.
“Very firm
ones, but I also offered him something in exchange. We’re going to get along
fine, Tag and I. And Hutch and I are only ever going to be friends. He talks
way too much about Game of Thrones,
but he does have a lot of candy so it evens out to a nice friendship.” She
moved her hand up to his shoulder. “I’m not interested in Hutch, but there is
this guy who works in the office I am interested in.”
His whole body
went on full alert. He had things to tell her, things that were important, but
was here really the place to do that? Here was the place to talk about work
things and who she was interested in. Interested in seeing? Interested in
spending more time with? “Who might that be?”
Her eyes met
his, heating up. “He’s in the bodyguard unit and he told me once that if I ever
want a real kiss, I should ask him.”
He could feel
the erection coming on like a runaway locomotive. He’d spent the last few
months going without. The scene at Sanctum had gotten boring for him. At first
it had been filled with excitement, but watching all his friends settle down
had made him look at his life in a different way. Having Genny back in it made
him absolutely sure he didn’t want casual sex. He wanted a woman who belonged
to him, who he belonged to. He wanted disgusting, nasty, utterly committed sex.
“Then you should definitely ask.”
“Wade, will you
kiss me?”
ABOUT LEXI BLAKE
NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog in the world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn't until she started writing romance and urban fantasy that she found the stories of her heart. She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome, or foursome may seem.
