Title: One More Time
Author: S. Van Horne
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Expected Release Date: July 12, 2016
Hosted by: Lady Amber's Reviews & PR
Blurb:
Len-
I have been in love with Dante since the day he knocked on our door to walk with my brother to their first day of their freshman year of high school. Right after they graduated high school I overheard them talking of joining the Navy Seals. I also heard something that crushed me. I decided it was time to get over Dante, time to move on and stop being the stupid, awkward, innocent, annoying friend’s sister. Nine years later, I am being stalked. I had to go to my brother for help. I didn’t know that included Dante in the mix. Once I saw him I knew I still loved him. Maybe now he will see me as the woman I always wanted him to see, even if I still am a virgin.
Dante-
I have had a great life. Amazing family, brothers, kick ass best friend and more women I knew what to do with… well that isn’t true. When Neil and I decided to become Navy Seals I figured I could finally meet someone to take my mind off the one person I knew I could never have, my best friends little sister. Nine years later we get word she is being stalked. I am in a rage to protect the only woman who means more to me then my family. It is time to claim her and show the world that they messed with the wrong woman, damn the consequences.
Can these two finally come together and become what they were destined to be? Or will family, feelings and a stalker be too much to face and destroy what their destiny should be?
S. Van Horne was born and raised in the small town of Belton, Missouri, which is a part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. She is from a very large family and is the oldest of six. Growing up she did not have the easiest life. She learned quickly that family means everything, even if it is the type that you get to pick for yourself. She met the love of her life at the early age of 20 and was married just after nine months of meeting him. Shortly after marriage, her husband rejoined the U.S. Navy and they moved from Kansas City and started their journey together. Currently they have two amazing children, a boy and a girl, and are still enjoying the Navy life. They are looking forward to retiring shortly to the great state of Washington to be closer to their God daughters/nieces and their parents.
She spends her days being a Navy wife, homeschool mother, reading books, writing her latest novel, watching her beloved Kansas City Chiefs or Kansas City Royals play, watching movies, hanging out with family and friends and having girls days at least once a month.
Scared doesn’t even begin to describe what I’m feeling right now. Looking at my shaking hands, at the note left in my box at work, I’m not sure what to think. I‘m trying to figure out who would send it. I have never lead a guy on. How could I when I’m still stuck on the one guy who thinks of me as his best friend’s annoying little sister. Hearing those words spoken from him broke my heart, but what shattered it was when I’d heard them talk about becoming Navy Seals. Not only was I losing the one guy I had loved since I was twelve. I was losing my brother as well.
Don’t get me wrong, I support my troops, but I was so scared that they were going to die in combat. I’m not dumb, being a Navy Seal is a big thing. I knew that meant dangerous missions without knowing if they were okay. I did all I could in supporting them. I sent care packages, wrote letters, and helped with charity events to raise funds. I visited my brother when he was stateside, a difficult task with me being in school, then in college, and then during my residency to become a doctor. Now that I’m an ER doctor at Center Point Medical Center, I’m even busier.
It helps that my family moved back to Kansas City when I went to college. Even Momma Gio and Papa followed along with the boys in tow. They said they were ready for a change and wanted to join their second family. Now, Neil is done with the Navy and has opened his own security business. Dante joined him in the business.
I haven’t seen Dante since his return. I haven’t seen him in nine years. I have no clue what I’m going to say to him. I don’t want it to be weird, but I know it will be. Ever since the day they left, I had to re-evaluate my feelings constantly.
The chaste kiss he had placed on my lips had not only scared me, but had given me hope. It would have with any sixteen year old girl who had just had her first kiss. But then letters from my brother about the crazy crap they were pulling well and the woman that Dante was screwing, well that changed everything.
“Neil will be with you shortly, Len,” Sara, my brother’s receptionist, tells me as she walks back to her desk.
“Thank you, Sara.” I go and take a seat then look back at her and add, “We really need to set up that girls’ night we keep talking about. I miss hanging with you guys.”
“You’re the one who’s always busy at work. Call Ashley and tell her your schedule. Then we’ll see about getting you in the club and finally getting you a man. We both need a man. We really need to get laid!” she says and then rolls her eyes at the outburst that comes from Neil who is in the next room.
“What the hell are you talking about? I don’t ever want to hear about my sister getting laid,” Neil growls out as he joins us.
I don’t miss the look of heat he shoots Sara. I start giggling because I know Neil wants and she wants him; however they are both so oblivious of each other’s wants. I stand up with the letter in hand and walk over to him.
“Aw, there, there, care bear, that doesn’t concern you. I’ll do what I want, when I want. I’m twenty-five years old, not twelve. If I want to sleep with a man I will,” I say, giving Sara a mischievous wink.
She knows I’m a virgin, he doesn’t and I don’t plan on telling him. I just love teasing him.
“I don’t want to hear that. I’ll tell Pops if you don’t stop. I swear to God I’m going to be in jail for murder.”
“If you don’t want to hear about things like that then I suggest you shouldn’t ease drop.” I end up laughing at the look of disgusted on his face as he leads me to the conference room.
“It isn’t ease dropping if what was spoken wasn’t practically being yelled out.” He growls out at me.
“So let’s drop this conversation and you tell me what is so important that you couldn’t wait until I was finished with work,” he says as he sits.
A feeling of terror hits me as I remember why I’m here. Handing him the note, I take a seat as well. Neil and I are very close. He isn’t going to take this threat well. I’m scared of what he’s going to do or say.
Looking at him, watching him read the note, I see the change come over his face immediately. He looks up at me and I am struck with what I see. His blue eyes that have a hint of green in them are now full on green with the fury tightening his jaw and his nostrils flare as he takes in a harsh breath. He picks up the phone off the conference room table and barks three words into the receiver, “Conference room. Now!”
I stare down at the receiver in confusion before I hang it up in the cradle. Lucky isn’t one to let his temper get the best of him. There’s only been a handful of times I’ve seen this side of him. The only thing that can get him this worked up is when his family or one of the guys is being harmed or when we have a sensitive case we are working on. A sense of dread washes over me as I start to get up.
As I turn towards the door, the overhead light gleams off the photos lining my bookcase. My eyes immediately go to the one picture I can’t seem to avoid.
Lens beautiful smile makes me catch my breath. She is the one woman that I can’t get out of my head. I’m looking forward to seeing her again at the party this weekend.
Over the years, I got letters and care packages from her. I wrote her back and sent her things I bought from places all over the world. She never sent a picture and when she came to visit Lucky, I would make myself scarce because I knew that if I were to see her, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from making her mine. I didn’t want her to be waiting back home not knowing if I was ever coming back. So when they would skype, I would go into the other room. I also couldn’t chance Lucky knowing that I had fallen for his kid sister.
It had hit me when she was sixteen. She was already such and amazing woman and she hadn’t even finished growing yet.
I knew I would run into Len since I made the choice to move to Kansas City with Lucky and start Seal Security. I wasn’t giving up the opportunity to work with my brothers and the guys from our troop even if that meant I couldn’t avoid her.
We aren’t your average private investigators’. We specialize in security systems, bodyguard work, missing persons, and stalking. We work a lot with the Kansas City Police Department.
We also have our own motorcycle club that we started. Not one of those one percent MC’s which are considered an outlaw MC because they don’t follow the laws. We’re just a bunch of guys who love to ride bikes, but also, we help with charity drives, special victims, and help around the community. Well, we haven’t officially started, but that is what we are planning. Right now, we just ride together.
I head out of my office and down the hall to the conference room. I hear Sara talking on the phone to one of her girlfriends. It has to be Ashely because out of all the girls those two are the closest.
“Yes, we need to have a girls’ night asap. We need to find some men. I need to get laid and we need to get Len laid too. She needs to give up that v-card already.”
That stops me in my tracks. Holy Shit, she’s still a virgin. That’s going to make this weekend even harder when I see her. You would think it would make me want her less, only, it just makes me want to claim her all the harder.
Shaking my head, I walk into the conference room. The first thing I notice is the back of a small woman being comforted by Lucky.
He looks up at me and then leans down to whisper into her ear. The man is seriously hung up on Sara, so I know gesture isn’t sexual since he’s hung up on Sara. Shifting slightly, he looks at me again.
“We have a problem.”
He nods to a piece of paper on the table. As I’m picking it up, I shoot him a odd, sidelong glance.
“Squirt, go to the bathroom and wash up, okay? I’m going to fill Dante in on the situation. Come back when you’re better. Don’t worry about anything. We’ll never let anything happen to you.”
My head jerks up and I’m caught in a pair of amazing blue eyes. The same eyes that have haunted me every day since I was eighteen. She’s even more beautiful than the last time I saw her and my body takes notice. I’m harder than I have been in ages.
Her hair is a brighter blonde then I remember and lies over her shoulders. She’s in a light dress that hugs her curves just right. Her dress has a V neck that shows off her full breasts. Her legs are tan and long, and I want them wrapped around my waist as I pound into her. She’s wearing these fuck me shoes that I can almost feel pressing into my back. I can just assume that the rest of her body that I can’t see because of her sitting down is going to be just as hot. My gaze travels back up her body to her eyes where I can see the fear that is running deep in her soul.
“Hey Dante, long time no see. I wish it was under better circumstances,” Len says as she smiles at me sadly, then she looks back at Neil. “I’ll be back in a second.”
She stands up and walks towards the door. Damn, she has an ass that won’t stop. Seeing the sway of her body has the air knocking out of my lungs. There is no way I’m going to be able to stay away from her now. Lucky is going to kill me.
I look over at Lucky. He seems pissed and I pull myself together.
“What’s up, Lucky?”
“Look at the note. As I said, we have a problem.”
I look down at the note and what I see has me seeing red.
LEN,
IF YOU THINK YOU CAN FLIRT WITH ANY MAN THAT WALKS IN HERE, AFTER YOU HAVE GIVEN ME YOUR HEART? YOU BETTER THINK AGAIN. STOP FLIRTING WITH DR. SMITH, OR I’LL KILL HIM AND PUNISH YOU.
YOURS ALWAYS.
Oh, problem is not a big enough word to describe what I’m reading. What’s in my hand … calls the beast in me to come to the surface. All I see is blood, and it isn’t mine. Shit’s going to hit the fan, heads are going to roll, and someone is going to die a very slow and painful death. Nobody threatens my woman and lives.
Lucky must have seen the thirst for blood in my eyes, because he goes from rage, to shock, to something I’m unable to distinguish. I know what he’s seeing. I’ve been trying to hide it from him and the world for years. Now, it’s time to let them all know that little Len belongs to me. Damn the consequences, because no one can protect her better than the man who is willing to die or kill to keep her safe.
L.L. Collins loves spending her days in the Florida sun with her husband and two boys. LL has been writing since she was old enough to write. Always a story in her head, she finally decided to let the characters out made her lifelong dream of becoming an author come true in the self-publishing world. She's the author of the Living Again Series and the Twisted Series, plus standalones, Back to the Drawing Board, SENTENCED, and Snared: A Jaded Regret Novel. Visit LL on her website, 
