Passion ignites after office hours in this installment of the ICE: Black Ops Defenders miniseries
Bullets whizzed past as Ryan Reitano and Avery Meadows escaped into the night. How could Ryan have suspected Avery of being the mole inside ICE? It was true she was no ordinary secretary. The way she used her wits and her lethal stiletto heels against the gunmen pursuing them astonished the jaded agent. And that killer body he’d somehow never noticed before…
Too bad there wasn’t time to explore the possibilities. With Chiara’s men hot on their trail, capturing the mercenary was more than just a mission for Ryan. He had his own reasons for wanting the criminal dead. But with his surprising—and utterly enchanting—new partner, perhaps there’d be a chance for romance later…if they survived.
“Hold on—are we in some sort of danger?”
Looking into Avery’s wide eyes, Ryan let a wry chuckle escape his throat. He removed her hands from his lapels and held her wrists. “Right now I can’t decide if you’re honestly that clueless or if you’re the world’s best liar.”
She jerked away from his grip as if he’d burned her. Another twinge of regret jolted through him. He forced himself to remember it was a good sign, that feeling. It meant he had at least a shred of humanity left in him, which was saying something after all he’d seen and done in his life.
“I don’t understand,” she said. “I thought you were conducting routine surveillance tonight, nothing dangerous. Otherwise, the whole team would’ve been here to—”
In time with the pounding bass from the ballroom, a booming shot rang out nearby. A second shot followed before he could react, lodging in the wall behind Avery. She shrieked.
Ryan pushed her ahead of him down the stairs as he retrieved his S&W .45. “Change of plans. How fast can you run?”
Dear Reader,
I love secret-agent movies and books, always have. From the larger-than-life action scenes and exotic locations to the even more spectacular heroes (hello, James Bond). Secret Agent Secretary features a Bond-worthy hero in ICE agent Ryan Reitano, who is ICE office secretary Avery Meadows’s tall, dark and drool-worthy office crush…and the only man who can keep her alive after she inadvertently plows into the middle of Ryan’s covert op to catch an international criminal mastermind.
Like me, Avery Meadows loves all things secret agent, but she takes her devotion a step further. Okay, several steps further. It’s the reason she became an ICE agency secretary and why her cats are named…well, you’ll have to read on to find out what she names her cats. By the end of Avery and Ryan’s story, you’re going to covet your own gadget watch and maybe even consider building your own secret lair. And you’re definitely going to want a smooth operator like Ryan Reitano to blaze into your life and whisk you away for a lifetime of adventure and true love.
Happy reading!
Melissa
Secret Agent Secretary
Melissa Cutler
MELISSA CUTLER
is a flip-flop-wearing Southern California native living with her husband, two rambunctious kids and two suspicious cats in beautiful San Diego. She divides her time between her dual passions for writing sexy, small-town contemporary romances and edge-of-your-seat romantic suspense. Find out more about Melissa and her books at www.melissacutler.net, or drop her a line at [email protected].
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This book is dedicated to my two favorite secretaries:
Joanie, my inspiration for the story,
and my mom, Loutrisha,
who taught me that if you want to succeed in life, always be nice to the secretaries.
Contents
Chapter 1
The ICE Agency office was decidedly free of gadgets. Avery had known that in advance of accepting the secretarial position six years ago, but in her enthusiasm over the job offer, she’d overlooked the details that didn’t sync up with her lifelong dream to work in national security. Besides, no covert ops