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Prologue

I should never have let hi fla

Didn't I know the risks? The price?

Wasn't my soul already bruised and battered?

And yet he slipped through ed close to my heart

Now I' on a precipice, and all I can do is hope that, despite everything, he'll catch me if I fall

Chapter One

Riley Blade reeled back as the frog-faced ainst his jaw, snapping Riley's head back and pissing him off

This, he thought This hy he'd sworn to stay the fuck away froeles

And yet here he was again, risking bullets and bruises when he could be downing a Scotch in one of the many bars that dotted the international terminal at LAX

Clearly, he needed to have his head examined

Then again, he thought as Froggy took another swing, maybe he should take the punch and see if it knocked some sense into him

Since that option sounded more painful than practical, he shifted left to avoid the ined to both deflect and detain, then grabbed Froggy's wrist and twisted the wiry punk around By the tiy started to howl, Riley had him in a headlock

"I warned you not to hit y replied with a heartfelt, though not very inventive, "Fuck you"

"Not my type," he said a to the conversation through the hot mic and earpiece Riley wore "All done You wanna come relieve me of this piece of shit?"

"Good work, Blade On my way" Less than fifteen seconds later, Ryan Hunter stepped in, tall and lean, and looking every bit the badass The dark-haired security chief for the loh Hunter had always been private sector, their paths had crossedRiley's days in LA as an FBI SWAT teaood friends, often mistaken for brothers because of their si

They'd kept in touch even after Riley escaped fro of friendship that had landed Riley in this cheapelse that Riley really didn't want to think about

"Appreciate the assist," Hunter said "I've been knee deep in assholes for the last few days A little conversation with this one should go a long way to rounding up a few rin at Riley "Whichto his wife "She gets cranky when hts are spent without her Especially if I'm in a motel"

If what Riley re brunette was accurate, she was irl than a No-Tell Motel type But he understood where Hunter was cohts had always been his own, and if there was a woman in his bed beside him, there was no expectation on either of their parts that she'd still be there the next night

For years, that had been the way Riley rolled Lately, though, he'd been spending too art, and the man was so da if it wasn't so, well, appealing And cute Yeah, it was actually fucking cute

And now, as he listened to that tone of adoration in Hunter's voice, Riley couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have a wo for him at home Someone orried about where he was Someone who shared hopes and dreams and a life

The odds of that ever happening were sliainst thirty-six, but he'd only ever otten under his skin A wo walks and easy conversations Along with theheated passion and sweaty, naked nights, of course

Natasha Black

Her tall, sliray eyes that could cut like a knife, and that wide, gorgeous ht of her ers crave the smooth brush of her skin She, however, had very soundly shut him doithout so much as a movie and popcorn between them

Just one eles, because why intentionally rub his nose in soain

Not, however, for er This was supposed to be his vacation, after all, and after his last operation with McKay-Taggart, he damn well deserved it Especially since the operation had been in Los Angeles's backyard Fucking Taggart Riley had told Big Tag that he didn't do LA, and Big Tag had just shot hirin, then informed Riley that Malibu and LA were two completely different cities When Riley had retorted that they were both in the sa had told hiet with the fucking program

So Riley had hauled his manly brief-covered ass to Malibu and the nment hadn't been in the damn city limits But he'd been all too happy to leave Malibu-that-wasn't-LA after the mission

As for today, the layover was a necessary evil, and Riley had never intended to leave the airport