The Callahan's: Secret Sins Part 40

"And what lessons were those?" she asked, her voice husky with those unshed tears.

"Acceptance. Gentleness, and most of all, Anna, love. You taught me to love. And if you love me at all, then you won't leave me. You won't be able to leave me. Because G.o.d knows, I can't let you walk out that door."

Her lips were trembling.

Tears spilled from her eyes now, but it wasn't pain that filled the emerald orbs. For the first time in all the years he had known her, Archer watched her eyes fill with joy.

"You really love me?" Her voice quivered, a hint of a sob in her voice as she reached up, her fingers shaking as she touched his face.

"Anna, baby, I don't just love you," he swore. "I'd die for you. I'd kill for you. You own my heart, and you're my soul. If I lose you, then I've lost everything important in my life."

And only then, only in that second did Archer realize he'd shed his own tear or two.

All for Anna.

For the heart he was terrified he'd broken, for the gentle spirit and loving heart he hadn't known he would die for, until he had almost destroyed it.

"Archer-"

He saw it then. Slowly at first, almost hesitant. So hesitant, that at first he was terrified it would happen.

Then it bloomed.

The sweetest smile on the face of the earth. That soft, gentle smile only his Anna had, because only his Anna could infuse it with all the love she felt for him.

"I love you," she said, and with the smile came her tears.

Tears born of happiness, joy, and love rather than the dark fears and betrayals that had marked her life for so many years. A smile so bright, so filled with every part of Anna's heart that Archer swore it made his knees weak.

"Oh G.o.d, Archer. I love you so much."

She was in his arms, her arms wrapped around his neck, her lips pressed to his, but before he could hold them, her lips were touching the dampness of the tears he'd shed, his eyes, then his lips once again.

Pulling back, staring up at him, that smile still in place, filling her eyes, her beautiful face and he could see, filling her heart.

"I've loved you since the first moment I saw you." G.o.d, her voice. It was like the soft warmth of summer and the golden rays of the sun.

It just made him warm inside.

"Just always love me." He would have gone to his knees to beg if that was what he needed to do. "Just that, Anna."

"I'll always love you," she swore.

EPILOGUE.

Wayne stared at the small town from his vantage point above it.

How peaceful it looked.

How calm.

He wasn't finished here yet. The Barons owed him, and by G.o.d he would have his due one way or the other. He would have it. And every f.u.c.king Callahan living would pay for all he'd lost.

Especially Crowe Callahan.

Crowe and the traitorous s.l.u.t no doubt sleeping in his bed. Wayne breathed out heavily. His own traitorous daughter ...

St. Martin's Paperbacks t.i.tles by.

Lora Leigh.

THE CALLAHANS.

MIDNIGHT SINS.

DEADLY SINS.

ELITE OPS SERIES.

LIVE WIRE.

RENEGADE.

BLACK JACK.

HEAT SEEKER.

MAVERICK.

WILD CARD.

SEALS TRILOGY.

KILLER SECRETS.

HIDDEN AGENDAS.

DANGEROUS GAMES.

WICKED PLEASURE.

FORBIDDEN PLEASURE.

ANTHOLOGIES.

LEGALLY HOT.

MEN OF DANGER.

RESCUE ME.

Praise for bestselling author Lora Leigh.

MIDNIGHT SINS.

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THE ELITE OPS SERIES.

RENEGADE.

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-Romantic Times BOOKreviews "Smoldering romance, suspense, and mystery. Add to that the cast of interesting characters-and their pasts-and you have the perfect recipe for one amazing novel."

-Night Owl Romance (4 stars) "Will have you breathless ... gets your blood running hot with the physical attraction."

-Romance Reviews Today.

BLACK JACK.

"Overflowing with escalating danger, while pent-up s.e.xual cravings practically burst into flames."

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HEAT SEEKER.

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MAVERICK.

"A phenomenal read."

-Romance Junkies.

"Scorching-hot s.e.x, deadly secrets, and a determined a.s.sa.s.sin add up to another addicting Leigh thriller. Leigh's ability to credibly build damaged characters who are both intriguing and intense gives her stories that extra punch."

-Romantic Times BOOKreviews "s.e.x and violence power the satisfying second installment of Leigh's Elite Ops series."

-Publishers Weekly "Full of wrenching emotion and self-flagellation by the hero, the new series of Elite Ops promises to be even better than the s.e.xy SEALs at this rate."

-Night Owl Romance "With her customary panache for emotionally intense, sensual characters, the author attracts readers into every world she creates. This fabulous follow-up to Wild Card is no exception to the rule."

-A Romance Review WILD CARD.

"Highly emotional and addicting ... an intoxicating first installment of a brand-new series."

-Romance Junkies.

"Ferocious pa.s.sion!"

-Romantic Times BOOKreviews.

AND LEIGH'S s.e.xY SEALS SERIES ...

KILLER SECRETS.

"A smoldering-hot, new espionage tale. This chapter of Leigh's SEALs saga reverberates with deadly danger."

-Romantic Times BOOKreviews.

HIDDEN AGENDAS.

"Treachery and intrigue combine with blistering-hot sensuality in this chapter of Leigh's SEALs saga. The t.i.tle of this book is particularly apt, since many of the characters are not what they seem, and betrayal can have deadly consequences. Leigh's books can scorch the ink off the page."

-Romantic Times BOOKreviews.

"An evocative and captivating read."

-Romance Junkies DANGEROUS GAMES.

"A marvelous novel of suspense and raw pa.s.sion."

-Romance Junkies "Lora Leigh ignites the fire ... with steamy heat added to a story that makes you cheer and even tear up."

-Fallen Angel Reviews.

"Leigh writes ... tempting, enchanting romance[s] that readers are certain to devour."

-Romance Reviews Today.

LORA LEIGH can often be found daydreaming and plotting and planning with the varied characters that fill her imagination when she isn't planting her flower gardens, watching the horses romp outside her home, or spending time with the family and pets she fills her life with. Writing is her pa.s.sion, her peace, and her lifeline. She hopes you enjoy the stories, and that you visit her website, www.loraleigh.com, often for updates and news on characters and upcoming books.

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