Page 1 of Last First Kiss
PROLOGUE
Six years ago
Corporal Annabelle Clad, of the 552nd Military Police Company of the US Army, stood in front of the mirror and fixed her ponytail. Her lips looked bee-stung and her face was flushed. Warm strong hands wrapped around her, followed by lips on her shoulder. “You need to shave. Look at my face, it’s all red.”
“Beard burn. Nice.” He kissed her neck this time.
Giggling like a lovestruck teenager, she turned around into his arms. “It’s late. I have to go.”
“I know. I know.” He kissed her shoulder. “I don’t want you to go, though.”
“I have to. I shouldn’t have even come here.” She tightened her ponytail making sure all the hairs were slicked back perfectly.
God, how stupid could she be, making out with Commander Derek McGillis? If anyone found out, it was grounds for . . .
“Stop thinking about it, darlin’. I’m the one whose hide’s on the line, not yours.”
“Derek, you’re my superior, you’re from my same company, you can be relieved from command, fined, lose rank.” She shook her head.
“I don’t care about any of that.” He held her tighter this time. They were in the middle of the desert, stationed in Kandahar, but the heat from outside was nothing compared to the heat he ignited inside her.
Her whole life she’d been focused on getting into the Army. Following her family’s footsteps. When the girls at school were busy with boys, she was running, training, and practicing her shooting with her four older brothers. When her friends had been getting ready for prom, she was at the airport saying good-bye to Joey, who was leaving for another tour. A Marine through and through, her brother was her hero. All of them were, but Joey especially. Maybe because he was the closest in age, or maybe because they were both computer geeks? Whatever the reason, she’d stood proudly by his side until he walked through the gate together with her three other brothers, Eric, Will, and Leo, who were in the Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard respectively. The running joke had always been: if you needed a member of the armed forces, the Clads had one of your choosing.
Being on the front lines was her dream, and as a woman she had to work doubly hard to get where she was. Landing the job of MP was no easy feat, and there she was, about to fuck it all up, because Derek had swept her off her feet with his fiery red hair and Southern drawl. Their affair had started off slowly, a look here, a small touch there, but now they were sneaking around base making out whenever and wherever they had a chance.
They had to be careful.
“Derek, I have to go.” She gave him a kiss and pulled away, but he grabbed her arm and flipped her onto her back, the springs on the hard bed digging into her.
“Is that why you haven’t slept with me? You’re worried about my career?”
“Well, yes. And mine too. And you know I haven’t . . . I’m not experienced . . . and—”
He covered her lips with a finger. “Listen to me, sugar, I’ll wait. I’ll wait as long as I have to wait. And stop worrying about my career. Where you’re concerned, I don’t give a shit about my career.”
“Derek—”
“No, hear me out.” He rolled them over, bracing his forearms to keep his weight off of her, sweetly touching her cheek and softly kissing her lips. “I love you, Annie. I’m so head over ass in love with you, I don’t know what to do. I’ll request a transfer. I don’t care. Just tell me that I’m not the only one who’s in deep here.”
Her eyes watered. Except for her mother, no one had ever said those words to her before, and the way he looked at her with those blue eyes and sincere face, she believed him. Her heart thundered in her chest. “Derek, this is so bad. So so bad.”
“Not the reaction I was looking for, darlin’.”
She reached up and kissed his lips and then flipped them around. “It’s bad because I love you too. So much, Derek. What are we going to do?”
“I don’t know. But the fact that you love me too is all that matters. We’ll figure it out.” He kissed her. “It’ll be okay. These past six months having to sneak around has been hell, but now that I know you feel the same way, I promise I’ll figure it out.”
She tiptoed out of his private room quietly, feeling the happiest she’d ever felt in her life. The thought of being parted from Derek, even for one day, caused her to physically ache. The love she felt right now, this second, was so consuming she’d risk it all to be able to be with him forever.
CHAPTER ONE
Critically acclaimed director Steven Spelling has another controversial film in the works. El Traficante is the true story of Gabriel Mendoza, Colombia’s infamous drug lord—hated by many but idolized by more. Adding to Spelling’s unorthodox style, it is rumored that none other than American heartthrob and rom com king Rocco Monroe is set to play the cartel kingpin himself. This can make or break Monroe’s career after a series of box office flops. Monroe, known more for his abs and his latest sexcapades than his acting skills, will be . . .
Anger that had been at a constant simmer for the last two weeks was now boiling over. The less than complimentary writeup in Actor’s Weekly was just one of the many articles and news stories appearing on every entertainment channel and news rag since NHN Studio leaked the casting of El Traficante.
Unable to control his temper, Rocco tossed his iPad against the nearest wall. The sound of glass shattering did nothing to mask the roar that came from his lips.
“Did that make you feel better?” Paul Allen, his agent and best friend, asked.
