The Navy SEAL’s Holiday Fling: Ballybeg Bad Boys, Book 3 Read Online Free Page B

his sex appeal. Far from it. The grumpy slouch she’d associated with Jean-Baptiste was gone. This man moved with the lithe stealth of a skilled predator.
    She carried the glasses into the living room and handed him one. When his fingers brushed against hers, she drew in a sharp breath and prayed for self-control.
    “ Sláinte ,” he said, taking her off guard. She clinked glasses on reflex.
    While Jill took a seat on the sofa, Liam stayed upright, pacing in front of the window like an impatient panther. “Okay,” he said in a husky tone that sent an electric awareness shooting through her veins. “Let me preface this by saying that I never meant to hurt you. I fucked up big time, but not for the reasons you think.”
    She raised an eyebrow. “And what do I think?”
    “That I used you for sex and disappeared, rather than break up with you properly.”
    “A-plus for astuteness,” she drawled, swirling the wine in her glass. “I understand the undercover part…sort of. But why turn on the charm only to bolt a couple of months later? If you weren’t interested in seeing me anymore, all you had to do was tell me. How would that have compromised your undercover operation?”
    Liam ran a hand over his short hair. “Here’s what happened. I work for a private security firm. We fix…situations…that government agencies can’t be seen to involve themselves in.”
    “Black ops,” Jill supplied in an icy tone.
    He grimaced but didn’t deny her assertion. “I was sent to Inish Glas to track down and trap the leader of an international human trafficking gang. We knew they’d been active on Inish Glas before Darko Dunne moved out there, and we figured the gang was using another small island in that section of the Celtic Sea to trade sex slaves kidnapped on the Ivory Coast. I spent my weekends sailing around the islands, checking for signs of illegal activity.”
    “Did you catch the gang leader?”
    He nodded. “Eventually, but not under the circumstances I expected. The operation is classified, and that’s really all I can tell you.”
    Jill crossed her arms over her breasts. “Was it on one of those weekend jaunts that you decided to cut ties with me?”
    Liam shook his head. “Totally different scenario. Back in July, I got word that my little sister, Katy, was in Ballybeg as part of a diving expedition. I couldn’t risk running into her and having her blow my cover. At the time, she thought I was still in the Navy.”
    Jill frowned. “Wait…was that the dive down to the wreck of the Lusitania ?”
    “That’s the one. My sister’s an underwater archaeologist. Before going into academia, she was in the Navy.”
    “You both went into the military?” Jill frowned. “How did your parents feel about that?”
    “I neither know nor care what my dad thinks. I haven’t seen him since I was a kid. As for Mom, she was okay with it. The Navy paid for our college education and gave us opportunities we’d never have had if we’d stayed civilians. The US military isn’t perfect, but I have no regrets about my years serving Uncle Sam.”
    “Where did you learn to speak French? You did that quite convincingly.” Jill failed to hide the note of asperity in her voice. “So much so that you ‘helped’ me improve my skills.”
    “That wasn’t fake. I speak French like a native. My mother is from France, and I grew up bilingual. She also taught me to cook. Anyway, I stayed on the island until I was sure Katy had left Ballybeg. We had no telephone or Internet access on Inish Glas at that time, and I couldn’t call you on the satellite phone my boss had given me.”
    Jill exhaled sharply. “You have a neat explanation for everything.”
    “What more can I say? I needed to avoid Ballybeg while Katy was here. I knew she’d see past the beard and fake eyebrows. I couldn’t risk her blowing my cover. I came to see you the moment I heard she’d left.”
    “And I slapped you across the face in front of everyone