In a world of lies, he’s the only man she can trust

Navy SEAL Brodie McGuire’s orders were clear: Get the hostage out alive. After spiriting Jennifer Wesley to safety, their terror and need ignited into passion. Mission over, haunted by memories of their night together, Brodie didn’t expect to see the Louisiana society girl again. Then she showed up at McGuire Securities.

Six years ago, Brodie saved Jennifer’s life. Now she needs his protection again. But he has no idea who she really is. On his family’s Texas ranch, attraction flares, taking them over the edge. As Jennifer’s violent past explodes in the present, she has to find a way to earn Brodie’s trust before her deadly secrets get them both killed.

“Do you ever wonder…was it really as good as we remember?”

Her words rocked through him.

Her gaze fell to his mouth. “It was just the adrenaline, right? The danger? The whole life-or-death situation that we were in. I mean…there’s no way that we’d kiss again and—”

“Ignite?”

Her lips parted.

He wanted her mouth. He also wanted to show her that he could be more than the rough SEAL she’d known before.

“Yes,” she whispered. “Ignite.”

Hunger, desire pulsed through him. “You should walk away now.”

He’d said words like that to her, before. Another time, another place.

She’d been hugging him, her body trembling. Desire had twisted inside him. He’d tried to do the right thing. Tried to warn her away.

You should walk away.

But she hadn’t walked away then. She’d stood on her tiptoes and put her mouth against his.

And now…now she was walking toward him, stopping only when their bodies brushed.

“One kiss…just to find out?”

SECRETS

New York Times Bestselling Author

Cynthia Eden

Cynthia Eden, a New York Times bestselling author, writes tales of romantic suspense and paranormal romance. Her books have received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, and she has received a RITA® Award nomination for best romantic suspense novel. Cynthia lives in the Deep South, loves horror movies and has an addiction to chocolate. More information about Cynthia may be found at cynthiaeden.com, or you can follow her on Twitter, @cynthiaeden.

Books by Cynthia Eden

HARLEQUIN INTRIGUE

The Battling McGuire Boys

Confessions

Secrets

Shadow Agents

Alpha One

Guardian Ranger

Sharpshooter

Glitter and Gunfire

Shadow Agents: Guts and Glory

Undercover Captor

The Girl Next Door

Evidence of Passion

Way of the Shadows

Visit the Author Profile page at

www.Harlequin.com for more titles

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Jennifer Wesley—Jennifer knows that she is in danger. Someone has been stalking her, and if Jennifer can’t unmask the man terrorizing her, she fears that she may lose her life. She turns to the only person she can trust…a man who saved her life once before, on a dark and deadly night years ago…

Brodie McGuire—Tough ex-SEAL Brodie McGuire spends his days and nights working to bring down criminals. He’s always ready and eager to face danger, but when he learns that Jennifer is being threatened again, he knows that his new case will be very, very personal. He let Jennifer escape from his life once before, and he vows not to make the same mistake again.

Davis McGuire—Brodie’s twin, Davis, has followed his brother into more battles than he can count. When Davis sees how quickly Brodie appears to be falling for the mysterious Jennifer, he worries that his brother may be facing a battle that he can’t win. Jennifer is a woman with secrets, and Davis is determined to uncover them and protect his brother, at all costs.

Mark Montgomery—Mark has lived next to the McGuires for years, and he was close by the night that the family suffered a terrible tragedy. Yet it seems Mark has been keeping his own secrets, and when Jennifer’s attacker targets him, too, those secrets may be dragged out into the harsh light of day.

Shayne Townsend—Detective Shayne Townsend has worked closely with Brodie for years. He knows every detail about the vicious murders that nearly tore apart the McGuire family. As danger threatens the McGuires once more, he wonders if the family will be strong enough to survive.

I’d like to offer a huge thanks to Denise and Shannon—it is a pleasure working with you!

For my readers, thank you so much for your support. You’ve been absolutely incredible! And I hope you enjoy my latest Intrigue.

Contents

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Epilogue

Excerpt

Prologue

He’d rescued her from hell.

Jennifer Wesley turned slightly, and her gaze fell on the man in bed beside her. Sleep made him look innocent, safe, but she knew that image was a lie.

There was nothing safe about Brodie McGuire. The man was a SEAL. Dangerous. Deadly. A force to be reckoned with.

She’d thought for certain that a rescue wasn’t going to happen for her. Her captors had sure been confident that she would never escape from them. Then Brodie had appeared.

Her fingers brushed over his hard jaw, tracing the dark stubble there. His eyes opened at her touch, his green stare 100 percent awake and aware.

He was naked. So was she. After the rescue, once they’d ditched her captors and made it to relative safety, the adrenaline and fear that she’d felt for so long had morphed into something else entirely. The power of her desire had taken Jennifer by surprise.

He hadn’t seduced her. Hadn’t taken advantage—she’d been the one so intent on kissing him. On finding some pleasure to push away the nightmares and the terror.

His gaze slowly slid over her face. She had the odd feeling that he was almost...almost trying to memorize her features.

Only fair, really. She didn’t want to forget anything about him.

“Thank you,” Jennifer whispered.

His dark brows rose.

“For saving me.” Not the lovemaking part. She felt her cheeks stain. “I thought I was going to die out there.” Her wrists were still red and raw from the rope burns. She tried to smile. “I sure am glad you were the navy SEAL assigned to my case.” She was more grateful than words would ever be able to express.

I would have died without him.

“Your father wasn’t going to let you vanish,” Brodie assured her. She caught the faintest hint of a Texas drawl in his voice. There one moment, gone the next. “He used all his pull to bring in my team.”

“My...father?” She kept the emotion from her voice—she’d learned that trick long ago. For her, life was all about acting now. Hiding emotion was necessary for survival.