It still amazed him that she’d been ready to sacrifice her dream job so that they could be together. He didn’t deserve this woman, but he sure as shit wasn’t strong enough to let her go.
“I had no problem leading a team in Costa Rica.”
“The Virunga expedition is different and you know it. Hathaway, Young, and Landry were all pulling the strings down there. With this one, you’ll be calling the shots. All of them.”
The mask she’d been holding in place fell, and real fear flooded her eyes. “What were those idiots thinking?” Her voice grew louder, faster as she ticked off her limitations on her fingers. “I don’t have enough experience. I don’t have a PhD. I don’t speak the language. I don’t know the plants. I don’t have the leadership skills. Oh, and there are armed, unrestrained bandits roaming the area!”
“Regarding the bandits, you and your team will have round-the-clock security. The best that Jonah’s money can buy.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What did you do?”
“Called a few old friends. Operators retire at a young age, yet they still yearn to protect, to serve.” He squeezed her fingers. “They won’t allow any harm to come to you and your team. If they do, they’ll answer to me.”
Appreciation glistened in her eyes. “A lot of good that will do me. I’ll be dead.” She snort-grinned at her own quip.
He dipped his head down and nipped her bottom lip. “Don’t even joke about dying. As for the rest of your list, you can overcome every one of them.”
“But at what cost to the research? And Jonah’s generosity?”
“Build a team that will complement your skills. They’ll help fill in the gaps. The rest of it, well, no one would go into it knowing everything.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “You’re far too hard on yourself.”
She blew out a long breath. “I need to finish my PhD.”
“You can do it.”
No acknowledgment.
“You can do it. All of it, right?”
She shrugged.
“You will do it, Wynette Riley Kingston, Ethnobotanist, Slayer of Bad Dudes, Guardian of Weird Plants, Stalker Extraordinaire.”
“Stop!” she ordered, laughing.
“You can do it. And we can do this.”
“Do you really think so?” she asked. “I mean about the ‘we’ part. Do you really think we can build a long-lasting relationship while living on two different continents?”
“In case you haven’t figured it out, I love you. That’s not a phrase I throw around carelessly. In fact, I’ve never said those words to another woman.” He traced the outline of her jaw. “So, yeah, I’m determined to make this work. Are you?”
“Yes.” She placed a tender kiss against his palm, making his throat close tight.
Tilting her chin up, he captured her lips. He took his time, savoring every second of her. When he finally pulled back, they were both panting hard.
He slung his duffel over his shoulder and picked up her bag. Lacing his fingers with hers, he said, “Let’s go. We both have a lot to do.”
Hand in hand, they strode into the forest, into their future, into a new life filled with a love that would see them through any obstacle, no matter the distance, danger, or demons.
“Lists,” Riley said excitedly. “I have so many lists to make.” She started ticking them off on her free hand. “When to see Coen, research itinerary, equipment to order, researchers to contact, greenhouse directions, what to pack…”
Together they would succeed. Miss Indy wouldn’t allow it to be any other way.
* * *
THE END
STEELE RIDGE: THE KINGSTONS
Craving HEAT, Book 1
Tasting FIRE, Book 2
Searing NEED, Book 3
Striking EDGE, Book 4 (Spring 2019)
STEELE RIDGE: THE STEELES
The BEGINNING, A Novella, Book 1
Going HARD, Book 2
Living FAST, Book 3
Loving DEEP, Book 4
Breaking FREE, Book 5
Roaming WILD, Book 6
Stripping BARE, Book 7
Enduring LOVE, A Novella, Book 8
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Also by Tracey Devlyn
NEXUS SERIES
Historical romantic suspense
A Lady’s Revenge
Checkmate, My Lord
A Lady’s Secret Weapon
Latymer
Shev
* * *
BONES & GEMSTONES SERIES
Historical romantic mystery
* * *
TEA TIME SHORTS & NOVELLAS
Sweet historical romance
His Secret Desire
* * *
STEELE RIDGE SERIES
Romantic suspense collaboration with Kelsey Browning & Adrienne Giordano
The BEGINNING
Going HARD
Living FAST
Loving DEEP
Breaking FREE
Roaming WILD
Stripping BARE
Enduring LOVE
* * *
STEELE RIDGE: THE KINGSTONS
Craving HEAT
Tasting FIRE
Searing NEED
Striking EDGE (Coming 2019)
Burning ACHE (Coming 2019)
Acknowledgments
A big hug and thank-you to my family, especially Tim and Helene, for their constant love, support, and patience. I love you to pieces.
My editors, Gina Bernal, Martha Trachtenberg, deserve Editor-of-the-Year awards for wading through the early drafts of this book and pointing out its nuggets of potential and moments of beauty. Searing Need would not be the book it is today without you.
Special thanks to Ben Haberthur for his insight into the nuances of military life—any errors of fact or detail rest squarely on my shoulders.
Huge gratitude to our awesome, behind-the-scenes team—Heather Machel, Donna Duffee, and Sandy Modesitt—for keeping Steele Ridge (and its authors) organized, looking sharp, and out of trouble. You’re all gems, and we couldn’t do this without you!
Extraordinary thanks to my readers. Your support enables me to return to the keyboard again and again—and helps us keep this beautiful Steele Ridge world alive.
TEAM STEELE RIDGE
Edited by Gina Bernal
Copyedited by Martha Trachtenberg
Proofread by Annie Sarac
Beta Reads by Amy Remus and Isabel Hofmann
Cover Design by Killion Group, Inc.
Author Photo by Lisa Kaman Kenning, Mezzaluna Photography
* * *
Copyright © TDC Creations, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented—except in the case of brief quotations—without permission in writing from Steele Ridge, LLC.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Print Edition, November 2018, ISBN: 978-1-948075-13-8
Digital Edition, November 2018, ISBN: 978-1-948075-12-1
For more information contact: tracey@traceydevlyn.com
About the Author
Tracey Devlyn is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary and
historical romantic suspense, historical mysteries, and mainstream thrillers.
An Illinois native, Tracey spends her evenings harassing her once-in-a-lifetime husband and her weekends torturing her characters.
* * *
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For more information on Tracey, including her Internet haunts, contest updates, and details on her upcoming novels, please visit her at:
www.TraceyDevlyn.com
tracey@traceydevlyn.com