"Oh please!" Childish disgust had them jerking back quickly.
Turning to his daughter, Crowe let his eyes narrow in mock warning until he saw the complete vulnerability that filled her face. Something Amelia saw as well if the tension in her body was any indication.
"Kimmy?" Soft, gentle, Amelia"s voice held all the soul-deep love she had for her daughter. "Did you need something, baby?"
"Yes, I do." She nodded hesitantly. "Mommy, I want to go home."
For a second, Crowe felt his world collapse.
"France?" Confusion filled Amelia. "You said you didn"t like France, baby."
Kimmy was shaking her head quickly, her eyes moving to Crowe then. "You said we would go to Daddy"s home, in the mountains," she said softly. "Where the wolf and her puppies are. Where his big house is buried in the mountain. I want to go home, Mommy. I"ve just always wanted to go home."
Amelia lifted her hand to her lips to hide their trembling before she could speak. "Baby, we need to discuss all this first."
"Why?" Crowe and Kimmy asked the question at once, each of them turning to her.
Her eyes widened. A second later, a grin began tugging at her lips.
"Well, then I guess that"s what we"re doing..."
"I"m packed." Pure excitement filled Kimmy"s face and her rich amber-flecked brown eyes. "Grandma and Grandpa are all packed, too. Can we go now? Please, can we go?"
"Kimmy..." Amelia laughed, and Crowe could hear the gentle request for patience in her voice.
"I can"t wait to take you and our daughter home," he said softly, bending his head to her ear. "Let"s take our sprite home, fairy-girl. Now."
"Now?" Surprise, pleasure filled her expression as she turned to him. "Right now?"
"Pack a bag, fairy." He grinned. "We"re going home."
Kimmy"s whoops filled the air, drawing Thea, Ethan, Jack, and the rest of the team from the kitchen.
"We"re going home, Grandma." Kimmy flew to her grandparents, staring up at them in joy. "I"m going home."
Turning, she ran back to her father, jumped into his arms, and gave him a hug that he swore weakened his knees.
His daughter.
Sweet G.o.d, his precious daughter.
Turning to his fairy-girl, Crowe found himself overwhelmed with the knowledge of what he would have been without her. The icy, unemotional killer who had taken out Stoner, who had killed for his nation, who had seen only what had to be done.
Until his Amelia, until she brought him what his soul had lacked, Crowe knew he would have died on the inside.
"Thank you," he whispered.
"For Kimmy?" Laughter gleamed in her eyes.
"For Kimmy, but even more." Drawing her to him, his daughter in one arm, soul in the other. "Thank you for bringing me magic."
Love filled her expression then. It flowed from her, wrapped around him and Kimmy, and warmed them. From the inside out, she warmed everyone she touched.
Slowly, she shook her head. "It took both of us to make the magic, Crowe."
His lips touched hers, gently, lovingly. The warmth wrapped around them, magic sparked in a child"s laughter, and in that moment Crowe realized the ice he"d carried inside him was gone. Not even a chill remained in the deepest corner of his spirit.
His fairy had burned it away, and with the child they created she filled it with warmth, with love and hope.
They hadn"t committed the ultimate sin when they loved. They"d given birth to the ultimate joy instead.
Also By Lora Leigh.
THE CALLAHANS.
MIDNIGHT SINS.
DEADLY SINS.
SECRET SINS.
THE ELITE OPS series.
LIVE WIRE.
RENEGADE.
BLACK JACK.
HEAT SEEKER.
MAVERICK.
WILD CARD.
THE SEALs trilogy.
KILLER SECRETS.
HIDDEN AGENDAS.
DANGEROUS GAMES.
BOUND HEARTS.
WICKED PLEASURE.
FORBIDDEN PLEASURE.
ONLY PLEASURE.
Anthologies.
LEGALLY HOT.
MEN OF DANGER.
Praise for bestselling author Lora Leigh"s.
Elite Ops Series.
"Has everything a good book should have: suspense, murder, betrayal, mystery, and lots of sensuality. So rarely do you come across a book that you can lose yourself in and Midnight Sins is definitely one of them. Lora Leigh is a talented author with the ability to create magnificent characters and captivating plots."
-Romance Junkies.
RENEGADE.
"Leigh delivers ... erotic pa.s.sion. This is a hot one for the bookshelf!"
-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."
-Sensual Reads.
HEAT SEEKER.
"Leigh"s pages explode with a hot mixture of erotic pleasures."
-Romantic Times BOOKreviews.
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.
"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.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR.
#1 New York Times bestseller, LORA LEIGH, is the author of the Navy SEALS, the Breeds, the Elite Ops, the Callahans, the Bound Hearts, and the Nauti series. You can visit her website at www.loraleigh.com.