He walked away to protect her, but now he wants her back.
Protected
Atlanta’s Finest Series Book 8
by Sharon C. Cooper
Genre: Romantic Suspense
He walked away to protect her, but now he wants her back.
Personal security specialist Parker Wilcox should be dead. Instead, he’s been
hiding in plain sight for years. But when a mishap threatens his cover, he’s
terrified his past will bring danger to the lives of those he loves—especially
Chelsey Bailey. The only way to protect her is to put distance between them,
but how can he live without the only woman who owns his heart?
As a parole officer, Chelsey believes in second chances…for her parolees. Not
for Parker—a man who claimed to love her but then dropped her without warning.
While she’s trying to bury her pain in work, Parker comes back on the scene,
begging to try again. The excuse he gives for abandoning her in the first place
is ridiculous. There’s no way he’s some kind of cartel prince on the run from
his murderous father. Right?
Parker will never have the life he desires with Chelsey if he doesn’t destroy
his father, but will he survive this time around? And will he and Chelsey ever
get to have the life they’ve been dreaming of?
*All books in this series can be read as a standalone.
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God must hate me.
Why else would He open up doors for her to get her dream job, then drop Parker dead smack in the middle of her first real assignment? It wasn’t fair. Even more than that, she had to be near the man while he was looking like he had just stepped out of a GQ magazine photo shoot.
Sometime between last night, when he threatened her date, until now, he must have visited the barber shop. His low fade haircut looked fresh and showed off his natural waves, and his mustache and goatee were perfectly groomed.
Chelsey had always been drawn to dark chocolate men, and they didn’t come any finer than Parker Wilcox. The man was beautiful, and he had the body to go with it. He always wore his suits fitted, and they showed off his wide shoulders that tapered to his narrowed waist.
Tonight, though, everything about him was popping, including his muscular biceps pushing against the dark fabric. As her gaze took him in, a deep longing for him burrowed into her and landed dead smack into her chest.
Damn him!
“You can not wear that,” Parker ground out, his words and tone jolting her out of her perusal of him. “This is a security assignment, not some…some party! You shouldn’t be going anyway until you’ve had more training.”
Chelsey stepped further into the kitchen, barely hanging on to her anger. “Clearly you have forgotten that I was once a cop. But why am I even talking to you? You’re not my boss, and in case no one told you, I belong on this detail!”
His long legs carried him across the room in three steps, and he stopped in front of her. She had opted for dressy wedge-heels since she could run better in them, and they added a few inches to her 5’8” height. Still Parker had a few inches on her. Between his gorgeous eyes that were boring into her, and his enticing woodsy scent, she lost herself in his presence. But then he opened his mouth.
“No one is going to take you seriously if you’re wearing that and claiming to be a security specialist. Every asshole in that place tonight will be pawing at you like you’re their next meal, and what are you going to do? Like you, Laz and I have a job to do, and we won’t be able to keep an eye on you while protecting our client.”
Chelsey gritted her teeth, refusing to let his words turn her into a screaming lunatic. But she was seriously tempted to knock him upside his big head with her handbag. The handbag that held one of her weapons. She had another strapped to her inner thigh with a garter holster that was well hidden but easy to reach.
“Parker, you don’t have to worry about me. Ever. I can take care of myself while also doing my job. So keep your focus on our client and worry about your own damn self.”
She wanted to ask him who was going to keep the lonely women attending the event from grabbing his gorgeous ass. Because no doubt he’d be luring all the honeys his way tonight. The man was too fine for his own good.
“And another thing, why do you even care?” she snapped. She wanted to add that he’d given up any right to anything about her, but she kept that thought to herself.
“Because…” His eyes blazed with anger as his chest heaved. “Because I love you, dammit.” He moved closer. Close enough to kiss, and Chelsey stilled. “And I care because if anything ever happened to you, it would kill me!” he roared and shoved past her before storming out of the room.
**Don’t miss the rest of the Atlanta’s Finest
Series!**
*All books in this series can be read as a standalone.
Find out more at
the Author’s Site Here!
USA Today bestselling author Sharon C. Cooper loves anything involving romance with a happily-ever-after, whether in books, movies, or real life. She writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and dabbles in romantic comedy. She enjoys rainy days, carpet picnics, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Sharon’s stories have won numerous awards over the years, and when she isn’t writing, she’s hanging out with her amazing husband, doing volunteer work, or reading a good book (a romance of course). To read more about Sharon and her novels, visit www.sharoncooper.net
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