Pledging to Die (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 11) by Morgan Kelley Page A

and crossed over to him. “Can I join you, or do you want to sit here and be a dick all by yourself?”
    He glanced up at her. “Sit.”
    It wasn’t easy, but she managed to ignore the tone and how he was barking at her like she was one of his minions. Ethan had better pray that she stayed calm, or there would be an ass kicking, only it wouldn’t be to the local law.
    “I guess I should start at the beginning. It was right after Livy nearly died. I was working a case and ran into Marshall Dakota Rakin. Someone introduced us, thinking we could find something in each other. We hit it off, so we got more than casual.”
    “How long?” he asked, not looking up. There was a piece of him dying that she’d had a relationship with someone else.
    Elizabeth was his.
    Callen’s.
    Theirs.
    “It lasted a whopping six months. Dak was the relationship I had right before I jacked my career up with Ray. We went out one night for dinner, and he proposed. In the middle of this place, he dropped down on one knee and whipped out this ring. I didn't know what to say.”
    “Why didn't you say yes?” he asked, feeling his belly knot at the mere thought. His fear was one day Elizabeth would look back and regret what they had. Now he wondered if she ever looked back and wished that she’d said yes.
    Let’s face it. He and Callen weren’t easy to love. They had more issues than a normal man. The Blackhawk boys made her work for it.
    “I wasn’t in love with him. When we were together, he was fun, and it was great. We talked work, we rolled around naked,” she began. When he looked up, she pointed. “How many times did I have to hear about the skinny blonde flight attendant? You and Callen still joke about it, so don’t give me that look. I had sex before you. Yes, it happened.”
    She had a point, but as God as his witness, they’d never bring it up again.
    Ever.
    “Anyway, he asked, I said no. I wasn’t ready for a husband. I always thought that IF I did get married, I’d want to do it right. You proposed four days in, and I knew the night we made love. I knew from that second that I was going to spend the rest of my life with you. In fact, I wanted kids with you, and that’s just not who I ever thought I would be. When we went to Gabe’s house for dinner, I knew that we could have that. I didn't see that with Dak.”
    He took her hand. “I’m sorry.”
    She squeezed it. “You don’t have anything to worry about. That’s my past. If I recall, neither of us were virgins when we nearly burnt Salem to the ground.”
    He laughed. “Yeah, you’re right. I just hate the idea that some other man asked you to marry him.”
    “Callen asked.”
    He gave her the look. “You know that’s not the same thing. Callen is part of us. We have something powerful.”
    “You should chill. I bet you’d like Dak too. Maybe you can be friends? Have a few beers. Talk about how kinky your girl is,” she teased.
    “I’ll carry you out of here over my shoulder. Don’t push your luck, Elizabeth.”
    She grinned. “Better, sexy?”
    “Yeah, but if I ever see him, I’m going to punch him in the face. Then I’m going to let Callen do it a few times too.”
    Elizabeth started laughing, only she noticed Ethan wasn’t, so she stopped. “You can’t be serious.”
    “I’m as serious as a heart attack. It’ll be like the one Callen is going to have when I tell him this.”
    “Ethan!”
    “Elizabeth!”
    She dropped her head to the table. Life used to be so simple, and then she fell in love.
    Twice.
     
     
     
     
     
                     * * *   B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x   * * *
     
     
     
     
     
    Campus
    President’s Office
    Late Afternoon
     
     
     
     
    When they arrived at the school, they were immediately escorted into the inner sanctum of the president’s office. There, they were met by his administrative assistant, Pricilla Sanchez. She offered them a seat and promised that he would be right with