The Cinderella Mission (Family Secrets #1)(63)
Author: Catherine Mann

Ethan jumped down from the chair amid office chuckles and nudged Kelly into the aisle. His eyes perused her body with the same slow glide she’d given him two weeks ago that had prompted more than a little water-cooler gossip. “And she has absolutely the best…assets I’ve ever been lucky enough to behold.”

Kelly flushed all the way to the roots of her shining hair, a damned pretty blush that brought more than a whisper of regret to the eyes of other men in the room. The fools had missed what had been a cubicle away all along. But not Ethan, smart agent. After all the boy had lost, he deserved the best and now he certainly had it.

On top of everything, Ethan had a solid start in achieving justice for his parents. Hatch knew he wouldn’t be able to stop Eugenie from going to the press about what happened thirty years ago, but that might well be a good thing. Certainly his nose was clean, and the agency could always use the occasional cleansing of scum.

Ethan hooked a hand over Kelly’s shoulder and drew her close. “Which brings me to the important part of this little speech.” All traces of humor disappeared from his face. “I’m retiring.”

Gasps echoed from the twenty ops-support personnel. Hatch barely held his own back. He’d never seen this coming, but couldn’t begrudge Ethan his exit, if that’s what he wanted. ARIES would lose much when he and Kelly stepped out the door for the last time.

That devilish grin slid right back across Ethan’s face as he lifted Kelly’s hand to kiss. “Retiring from bachelorhood, that is.”

He landed a kiss beside a five-carat princess-cut diamond Hatch had once seen gracing Ethan’s mother’s hand.

Juarez eased forward and tugged Kelly’s fingers for a closer look. “Wow, what a rock! Give us the skinny on how he proposed.”

Kelly toyed with a chain around her neck, thumb rubbing over the aquamarine like a talisman. “Let’s just say he was perfectly romantic.”

Juarez released Kelly’s hand. “When is the wedding of the century going to be?”

“Next week.” Ethan tucked Kelly to his side. “I don’t plan to give this woman a chance to change her mind.”

Kelly Taylor, soon-to-be-Williams, linked her fingers with her fiancé’s. “We’re flying out in the morning for a small ceremony. Ethan’s aunt and my parents will be joining us.”

“Sorry the rest of us will miss it,” Juarez said. “Can we at least know where? Come on, Williams. Details!”

“I guess there’s no need to keep it a secret since you could find out if you decided to make use of your gadgets.” Ethan scratched his shoulder over his tracking device.

Kelly cupped a glass paperweight from her desk and tipped it until the tourist attraction shone in the fluorescent glare. “We’re going to be married in Paris at the base of the Eiffel Tower.”

Ethan scooped the paperweight from her hand and flashed his vintage bad-boy grin. “I wanted to hear Kelly say her vows in French.”

Juarez snorted. “But your accent sucks, Williams.”

“No problem. I have the best tutor around.” Ethan turned to Kelly, his bad-boy grin fading to one of tender affection. “Oui, mon amour?”

Her smile mirrored his. “Oui, mon jules.”

Hatch shoved away from the wall and backed toward his office, continuing to watch until the last minute. A damned fine day for ARIES all the way around—a successful conclusion of one mission and hope for the next. No question about it, his instincts told him Williams and Taylor were one hell of a team to have in the ranks.