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them?
Emily had sworn years ago that she wouldn't let that happen to her. She wouldn't be weak. She
wouldn't marry a man determined to control her. She wouldn't give in to loving a strong man until she
could learn how to stand firm against her father's demands.
If a woman couldn't stand up to her father, then how could she have any hope of standing up to a lover
or a husband?
And would a woman ever have a chance of standing up against Lieutenant Kell Kreiger? She had a
feeling he would be the ultimate mountain to climb, as well as the most dangerous. The most
challenging. And certainly the most tempting.
She was going to have to be very careful. He was becoming a weakness, and right now, Emily knew
she couldn't afford this particular weakness.
Chapter Nine
Kell disconnected the call with the senator and stared broodingly at the cell phone in his hand for long
seconds. He had to give the man credit. His timing sucked. One more minute and the call would have
been ignored for the sheer pleasure he would have found giving Emily her first passionate ride.
Or the sheer insanity of blowing his own head off. It was only after hearing the phone sing out its
distinctive song that he had realized he hadn't sheathed his raging hard-on in a condom.
Dumb. Stupid. And here he had assured her that he knew how to protect himself, if not her.
But it was also the most pleasure he swore he had ever known.
He should have been shaking in his boots at the thought of taking a virgin. Especially a virgin whose
father was actively seeking a particular brand of husband for her. A virgin who eroded his common
sense and self-preservation. The one who had been tempting his dreams for too many years. He
should have felt the noose tightening around his neck the minute those hot lips of hers touched his
flesh.
But there was something right about her touch. Something that called to him despite his misgivings.
And he had a lot of misgivings, her father being one of his chief concerns.
Shaking his head, he flipped the phone open again, hit Reno's speed dial and waited.
"I have five minutes," Reno said quietly. "The senator has a meeting on the Hill and we're escorting
him."
"Keeping you busy, is he?" Kell smirked.
"Watch it, Lieutenant, I could have Macey trade places with you and let you play the senator's aide."
Not in this lifetime. "No, thank you, Commander. I'll get right to the point. This party we're attending
day after tomorrow. The senator didn't mention Ian. I want him in place. If our mole is government
and close enough to the Stantons to be worried about the senator's investigation, then we could be
walking into trouble."
Reno was silent for long moments. "You'll be followed by the Secret Service. I've gone over the
agents' files, they're good men."
"My gut is rocking here, Reno. I need Ian in place."
He could feel that vague sense of danger moving in. It had begun to build the minute the senator began
talking about the political party Emily was required to attend.
"You'll have him." Reno made the decision quickly. 'Your dress blues will be waiting when you
arrive at the senator's town house tomorrow afternoon. I'll arrange for Ian to have clearance on the
flight in. We'll leave one of the Secret Service agents in the condo Ian's using to keep an eye on Miss
Stanton's home while you're gone."
Kell nodded at the shift in personnel. "We should arrive in D.C. by late afternoon according to the
senator's itinerary."
"Clint will be waiting at the town house with the security layout of the mansion the party's being held
at and the route he's laying in for the drive there."
"Will you and Macey be in position?"
"Only as long as the senator is at the party," Reno answered. "On another note, watch your ass. The
senator is a little too pleased by something going on out there. If you're playing tango with the
senator's daughter then he could make a very bad enemy when things go sour."
"Any idea what he suspects?"
"None, but he got a phone call last night and the man's smile was positively smug. When he finished,
he pulled up your file and spent quite a few hours going through it. So watch your six, my friend."
There could be few things worse than a former SEAL plotting another SEAL's downfall by way of a
wedding band. What concerned Kell was who would have called to assure the senator it was
happening. Only one person had seen them together, seen them touching, and his investigation into her
background had revealed nothing but a spoiled, bored little rich girl. Evidently the little rich girl was
more than she allowed others to see.
"I'll keep my eyes open "
"And your jeans zipped," Reno reminded him. "I know damned good and well what was going on
after you saw that strip she did."
"It was a lap dance." Kell grimaced at the satisfaction in his own voice.
Reno snorted. "Make sure I get an invitation to the wedding. This would almost be worth watching."
"In your dreams," Kell growled. "I'm out of here now."
"Watch your six, my friend," Reno reminded him again. "I'll be waiting when you show up in D.C."
Kell disconnected the phone, his gaze lifting as Emily stepped out of the bedroom. Her hair was still
damp, her face still free of makeup, and rather than another pair of capris, she was wearing jeans, a
T-shirt tucked into the low band, and a wide belt cinched tightly around her hips.
Her expression was mutinous, her body language assuring him he had offended her in the worst
possible way. He was good at reading that particular message, he was just never real good at figuring
out how he had managed to effect it.
"Father should cancel that party," she announced as she stalked to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of
water. "It's a waste of time. An excuse for a bunch of highbrows to get dressed up and stand around
drinking someone else's champagne."
"A thank-you for the political contributions and advice for the election that put your father in office,"
Kell finished for her. "You're his hostess. You've done the parties up until now, no one else can fill
your place at this point."
She didn't need him to tell her that. Emily could feel the frustration raging through her body, the
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