Series: The Lost Sisters Trilogy, Book 3
Saving her is going to be one of the toughest jobs of his life, because instead of his mind ruling his heart, his heart is ruling his mind.
Security expert and ex-Navy Seal Kent Lloyd steps onto British soil wishing he was anywhere else. But when Jasmine Owen refuses to visit her sisters in Washington, giving them one lame excuse after another, even Kent knows something is seriously wrong.
The last person Jasmine expects or wants to see at her door is the super sexy man who walked away from her bed after one wild night. But when her sisters suspect something is wrong, they send Kent to check on her. Jasmine hasn't told her family about the stalker who's making her life a living hell and has her in a constant state of fear, but it looks like she might not be able to keep the truth from them any longer.
Both Kent and Jasmine agree on one thing—they want him to leave England and return to the US as soon as possible. However, he refuses to leave until she's safe, which means he has to track down her stalker first, and Jasmine has no clue who it is or why the person is obsessed with her.
As Kent struggles to solve the mystery, he also struggles to keep Jasmine at a distance, which is proving to be difficult. The woman stirs his toughened soul, and if he has to spend too much time around her she just may squeeze her way into his heart.
Content Warning: contains adult language and explicit sex
The security at the apartment complex was laughable. Kent had found it very easy to enter the building. The front desk where the security guard was supposed to be was vacant. As he walked toward the elevator and waited for the doors to open no one stopped him or asked who he was. It took him to the top floor, and he walked to Jasmine's apartment.
When he knocked, there was no answer, so he thumped louder. A crash came from inside, but still there was no response at the door. He called out Jasmine's name, but it was silent. His gut was telling him something wasn't right, and he pounded his fist against the door again, the wood rattling in its frame. Without hesitation, he shouldered the door, and it crashed open.
There was a slight whooshing noise to his left, which sent him into combat mode. He used reactions that had been sharpened during his school days when he'd had to protect himself from a bully who used to wait on every corner. Until he'd beat the guy up, giving him a taste of his own medicine. Needless to say, he hadn't bother Kent again. During his time in the Navy SEALS Kent had perfected those skills.
Swinging toward the noise, he lifted his arm to block the blow that was heading his way. He grabbed the unplugged lamp before it connected with his head and had the person in a headlock before he realized it was Jasmine.
He tossed aside the lamp and spun her around to face him. Her long red hair was covering her face. "Jeesus, what in hell's name do you think you're doing?" he asked.
She shook the hair from her face and large peridot green eyes stared back at him, the fear all too obvious as her breath came in pants and her body trembled so hard that he felt it right through to his bones.
"Why didn't you answer the door?"
She stared back at him, her eyes filling with tears.
"Jas, honey, speak." He shook her gently and a tear slipped down her cheek, filling him with something that stabbed at his heart. "Damn it." He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him.
He'd scared the living daylights out of her. He should have realized that before he knocked her door in. Her whole body shook against him, and he felt like a jerk.
"I'm sorry, honey. I didn't mean to scare you."
Jas dug her hands beneath his jacket and wrapped both arms around him. Her fingers gripped at his back, holding onto the material of his shirt tightly. Her face lay on his chest as she burrowed in close to him.
"Kent?" It was the first word that had come from her since he'd made his entrance.
"Uh-huh."
"What are you doing here?"
"You haven't been to see your sisters. You missed Emily coming into the world, and you told Daisy you weren't going to be coming for Thanksgiving either."
Jasmine shivered. "I couldn't go. I explained that to her. I'm getting over another cold, and I've got no one to look after the shop."
Her usually perfectly spoken voice was strained, and he frowned. There was something very off with her. This was not the Jas he knew. He brushed his hand up and down her back, comforting her, until he felt her relax and release the tight hold she had on his shirt.
He kept whispering to her in a soft, comforting voice, assuring her that he would take care of her and everything was going to be okay. When her trembling had almost stopped he stepped back to look at her, and he was shocked at what he saw.
Her usually beautifully coifed hair was untidy, her skin was so pale it was almost alabaster, and the dark circles beneath her eyes told him something was going on, and he wasn't moving until he got to the bottom of it.
"What's going on, Jas?"
"Nothing. Everything is fine." She turned around to go further into the room, but he stopped her by placing his hands on her shoulders and whirling her around so that she faced him. Her chin was dropped to her chest and he raised it with his fingers.
"Honey, you're lying."
She shook her head and smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Trust me, Kent, you don't want to know."
"Why not?"
"Because it has nothing to do with you."
"Get your stuff together. The jet is on standby, and I'm taking you to Washington. On the way there you can tell me why it is you look so awful."
"No." She twisted away from him and walked toward the window.
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My home is on the beautiful island of Anglesey on the west coast of North Wales. Anglesey has been my home since the age of eleven after moving here with my mum and dad and three sisters from Scotland.
I'm the proud mother of two grown children. My daughter Emma is a primary school teacher, and my son Christopher is part of the family business.
I'm a health freak and a vegetarian. Pilates class combined with visiting the gym at least four times a week keeps me fit. I love clothes, makeup, and having my nails and hair done. I'm just a girl's girl.
If I'm not in my office pounding the keys I'm sitting in my favorite chair reading books and discovering new authors on my Kindle.
As a young child I loved to write. I always carried a notebook and pen around with me and wrote about everything. I never thought for one moment I would ever be able to pick up a book with my name on it and say "I wrote that". It was a dream come true when I signed with a publisher for my first book in November 2012. So, dare I say at the young age of fifty I think it's time for me to see if those dreams are everything that I hope they will be.
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