For a SEAL undercover on a top conspiracy, attraction could be dangerousâ¦
Raised on a ranch and trained as a Navy SEAL, Benjamin âMontanaâ Raines has a work ethic thatâs unshakableâeven in the midst of a beautiful and jaded CIA operative. A dangerous conspiracy threatens the United States, and Benjamin has a new case. And a new partner.
Kate McKenzie has been burned before. And now she is paired with someone sheâs supposed to trust against her deeper instincts. In the cutthroat world of millionaires and politicians in Washington, DC, Kate and Benjamin must go undercover to prevent an attack. But as the risks to their safety heighten, so does their undeniable attraction to one anotherâ¦
âWith this ring, I thee fake wed. I promise to save your butt, should the need ariseâ¦again. And should you try anything without my permission, I promise to hurt you.â Kate raised her brows. âGot it?â
He held up his hand. âGot it. I wonât try anything without your permission.â As Kate took his upraised hand and slipped the ring onto his finger, Montana muttered, âI donât tryâ¦I do.â
Kate glared at him. âThis marriage is fake. Donât forget that.â
âTrust me. I wonât.â Montana leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers in a brief brush of a kiss.
A blast of electricity ripped through Kate, followed by heat, searing a path through her chest and down low in her belly. She pressed her fingers to her lips. âWhy did you do that?â
âOnly seemed fitting, after tying the knot.â He winked, sending another rush of heat rushing through her veins. âWant me to take it back?â
ELLE JAMES, a New York Times bestselling author, started writing when her sister challenged her to write a romance novel. She has managed a full-time job and raised three wonderful children, and she and her husband even tried ranching exotic birds (ostriches, emus and rheas). Ask her, and sheâll tell you what itâs like to go toe-to-toe with an angry three-hundred-and fifty-pound bird! Elle loves to hear from fans at [email protected] or www.ellejames.com.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Benjamin âMontanaâ RainesâRaised on a ranch in Montana, but trained as an expert sniper.
Kate McKenzieâDisgraced CIA special agent desperate to redeem herself.
Becca SmithâStealth Operations Specialists (SOS) agent searching for the person responsible for her fatherâs death.
Quentin LovettâNavy SEAL, the charmer of the team.
Sawyer HoustonâNavy SEAL gunner and secretly the son of a US Senator.
Dutton âDuffâ CallowayâNavy SEAL trained demolitions expert and boat driver.
âRipâ Cord SchaferâNavy SEAL demolitions expert.
Jace HunterâNewest member of Navy SEAL Boat Team 22.
Royce FontaineâHead of the SOS.
Tim âGeekâ TrainerâSOS agent with highly evolved computer skills.
Cassandra TeirneyâIdentity thief the SEAL team ran into in Cancun, spotted in DC.
Nigel CarruthersâOld friend and golfing buddy of deceased millionaire Trevor Brantley.
Tarek AbusaidâSyrian ambassador to the United States.
Mica BrantleyâTrevor Brantleyâs widow, desperately searching for her stepdaughter.
This book is dedicated to my editor, whom I adore,
Patience Bloom, for all the love, care and feeding she gives me as an author. Sheâs a pleasure to work with and a wonderful person. I wish her all the happiness in the world, because she brings me joy and happiness just by being who she is.
Chapter One
Navy SEAL Benjamin âMontanaâ Raines leaned against the side of the nondescript building in downtown Washington, DC. Anyone looking at it would guess it was nothing more than another office building filled with businessmen or lobbyists there to buy a congressman or senator into their way of thinking.
Montana liked being outside, even if it was on a busy street in DC. He preferred the open air and big skies of his home state, Montana, but this city was a nice change from the heat, humidity and mosquitoes prevalent at his duty station in Stennis, Mississippi. Not that he minded Mississippi all that much. That little backwater town was home to the Pearl River and some of the best riverine training in the country.
For the past four years, Montana had been with SEAL Boat Team 22, or as he and his team called it, SBT-22. The men on the team were more family than his own family back home. Heâd been to hell and back with his fellow SEAL teammates and heâd give his life for each and every one of them.
Trained to conduct covert operations in river and jungle environments, Montana was feeling a bit out of his element and naked in DC. Instead of trees, brush and bugs, his surroundings consisted of concrete, cars and pavement. What bothered him most was that he couldnât openly carry a weapon, and he wasnât wearing any kind of protectionâno Kevlar helmet or body armor. Civilian attire was the uniform of the day, with orders to try to look like he belonged in Washington, DC. Most of all, be on the lookout for his new partner.