Fatal Intent (Desert Heat Book 3) (21 page)

“Hey, Alex?”

“Yes, my love.”

When she said that, Dylan almost forgot what he was going to ask her. He couldn’t wait to get her home and put the boys to bed. Five long days since he’d made love to her, an eternity.

“Um, I forgot,” he said. “Oh, no, now I remember. Why do you think Jen wouldn’t say what she was thankful for?”

“Because it wouldn’t have been appropriate. I’m pretty sure I know.” Alex had turned serious.

“What do you mean?” Dylan glanced at her face, lit by the glow of the dashboard, and automatically checked the rearview mirrors to see if the boys were still asleep.

“Think about it, honey. Have you ever had a doubt that Jen’s been in love with my dad for years?”

“I guess I haven’t given it that much thought. They always say they’re just friends.”

“That was because my dad was too stubborn to give up on Mom, even when he started caring for Jen too. That poor woman has been waiting for him to admit his feelings for literally years. I feel bad for her.”

“So what’s she thankful for?” Dylan wrinkled his eyebrows, glancing across at her.

“That my mother’s dead.” Her tone was flat.

“You can’t seriously believe that would make her thankful?”

“No, you’re right. That isn’t what I meant, it came out wrong.” Alex crossed her arms and rubbed her hand over one, as if she was cold.

“Then what did you mean?”

“I meant—I don’t know. That the way has been cleared for her.” She looked away, out her window, though it was too dark to see anything.

Dylan paused. “But I thought you liked Jen.”

“I did. I do. I don’t mean it’s a bad thing.” She gave a little grunt of frustration. “What she’s thankful for is now it can work out between Dad and her, and I’m okay with that. Really, I am. I just didn’t like her thinking it, right after we buried Mom, you know?” She shrugged. “I’m not saying it’s rational of me. But that’s what she couldn’t say, I’ll guarantee you.”

“Well, I’m glad you finally told me you can read minds. I’ll be careful what I think from now on.” Dylan didn’t want to tell her he thought she was crazy. Jen wouldn’t… would she? He shook his head.

“Hey, it’s okay. I still like Jen. I hope it does work out for her and dad. I’ll get past it.”

“Okay.”

They rode in silence for a while, until the highway exit signs for Tempe started showing up, stating diminishing miles until they could turn off for home.

“Hey.” Alex spoke softly.

“What?”

“Bet you can read minds, too,” she said, the hint of a smile in her tone. From the corner of his eye, he saw her admiring her ring.

“You think? What makes you say that?”

“What am I thinking right now?” she teased.

Dylan turned to her with a broad smile. “Oh, I think you’re right. I can tell exactly what you’re thinking.” He put his foot more firmly on the gas pedal. He couldn’t wait to get home.

The End

Author’s Note

Thank you for reading this book. If you enjoyed it, please review it on Amazon, Goodreads, or the site where you purchased it. Nothing is more helpful to an indie author than readers who take the time to post their impressions and constructive critique. I read and value every review I receive. My reader's reviews have helped me hone my writing and encouraged me to continue.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jamie Jeffries is the pen name of a successful author with several published novels under other pen names, in addition to other titles under this name.

She likes to bring a bit of the unusual, the unlikely and the humorous to her plots. Jamie brings you heroines who overcome hard challenges, sweet, sexy heroes with a hint of alpha male, and side characters you’ll love to hate or laugh with.

When she isn’t writing (which is almost never) Jamie enjoys reading, hiking in the foothills near Denver, live blues music, karaoke and now and then, a nice wine or craft beer.

Caution: whether reading or writing, Jamie bites when interrupted in the middle of a good chase scene, whether it’s bad guys chasing the hero in cars, or the hero chasing the heroine around the bedroom.

Contact Jamie on:

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@jamiejeffries7

Discover More Books By Jamie Jeffries:

Impermanent

What do you do when everything you think you know about yourself turns out to be a lie?

That’s the question that Hannah, aka Em, spends no time answering before she steals her dad’s new BMW and runs headlong toward…somewhere else…to find out who she really is.

How do you make amends for doing the worst thing you can possibly do to your family?

For Ty, the only answer is to distance himself, physically and emotionally, and make a new life without them.

When the two are thrown together, both sense that they shouldn’t act on their growing attraction, but fate has a different idea. Can he justify trying to win a younger woman who has never had a chance to know herself and her desires? Can she trust a man who has dark secrets he can’t, or won’t, share with her? Only by accepting their pasts can they move on to a future together—if they’re strong enough to overcome their obstacles and forge a lasting relationship.

Impermanent
is a standalone full-length Romantic Suspense novel, which you can obtain free at my website,
www.JamieJeffriesBooks.com
. Or, if you prefer, you can purchase it in ebook or paperback format on
Amazon
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Fatal Exposure
(Book One of the
Desert Heat
Series)

Dylan made Alex’s heart race and her blood pound when they were in high school. Then her dad caught them naked in her room and sent Dylan packing. Dylan left town a few weeks later, saying he’d never be back. They’re about to learn you should never say never.

When they meet again four years later, over a mummified corpse in the blazing Arizona desert, what secrets is he carrying, and why does he have to look so damn good? Alex, now a college student and aspiring investigative journalist, can’t decide whether she’d like to find out what she missed all those years ago, or help put him behind bars.

Will she get the chance to make up her mind, before she's marked for murder herself?

Fatal Exposure
is the first book in the
Desert Heat
Series, a romantic suspense series set in the southern Arizona desert. It is available at this time exclusively on Amazon. Always free with a Kindle Unlimited subscription, it is now also be available in paperback from Amazon.

Fatal Divide
(Book Two of the
Desert Heat
Series)

Alex Ward solved a murder last summer by getting kidnapped. Dylan Chaves, a former high school sweetheart, helped save her then, and they found their mutual attraction stronger than ever. But no one quite understood what forces were working to turn their sleepy little Arizona desert town into a hotbed of intrigue. In fact, they thought it was over. 
Now, the murder of a distant relative puts Dylan in the midst of a cartel war, and Dylan learns something about himself that threatens to put their budding romance at risk. Alex can feel alliances shifting as old secrets come to light. Can she compete with Dylan’s complex and growing responsibilities, or must she let him go to follow her own life’s dream?

Fatal Exposure
is the second book in the
Desert Heat
Series, a romantic suspense series set in the southern Arizona desert. It is available at this time exclusively on Amazon. Always free with a Kindle Unlimited subscription, it will also be available on Amazon in paperback format shortly.