Chances Are - By Christy Reece Page 0,1

and healthy to care for her family.

But those years of doing the right thing were over and now meaningless. The family she had once held dear and protected ferociously was gone forever. A freak one-car accident on Rue de la Seine had taken them from her. In one fell swoop, she had lost her mother, father, sister, and brother.

Noah had told her more than once that Fate had a way of kicking you in the gut when you least expected it. How true those words were.

Over the years, her mother’s health had improved, so much so that she had been able to take a part-time job at their church. Her father had found a teaching position that hadn’t been too demanding. Max had been in his first year of university and Chloe was all set to graduate high school next year. And Angela had been breathing a little easier, seeing her loved ones thriving and happy once more. Life, at last, had been on the upswing for the entire Delvecchio family. Then that cruel bitch called Fate had swooped in and ripped Angela’s heart right from her chest.

That had been six months ago and now she could feel herself coming back to life, released from the smothering sadness that had threatened to consume her. A few days ago, she’d woken with the knowledge that though she would give anything to have her family back, that wasn’t possible. However, something else was possible. Something she had wanted for years. She could now pursue her dream of being a field operative.

Noah was more than aware of her dream. She had no secrets from him. From the moment she met the LCR leader, she’d felt a kinship to him as if they’d been related in another life. He had understood her desire to be an operative, as well as the reasons she couldn’t pursue her dream. So he’d given her the next best thing—the full training of an operative along with the promise that if the opportunity ever presented itself, she would become one.

The image of a tall, dark-haired man came to her mind—a reminder that fulfilling her dream of being an operative wasn’t the only thing that had brought her back to life. The moment she met Jake Mallory, her world had changed for the better. It seemed as though she’d been waiting for him all of her life.

When Jake arrived at LCR for his first day of training, Angela had been more than eager to meet him. Having done most of the research on his background, she already knew his strength of character, his heroism, and his pain. The moment she'd looked into his eyes she had seen an LCR operative.

Tall, even to her height of five-foot-ten, Jake was six-feet-five inches of gorgeous masculinity and hardness. His vivid blue eyes, chiseled jaw and swarthy complexion could make any woman drool. And he had the kind of world-weary toughness that said he’d been there, done that and hadn’t been impressed. Yet, despite all he had been through, he had a gentleness about him. He also had a wickedly dry sense of humor that could make her laugh unexpectedly and a sexy, too-rare smile that made her toes curl. Jake Mallory epitomized every trait she desired in a mate.

Too bad Jake didn’t feel the same way about her.

A sigh of hopeless longing exploded from her. What was the point in wishing for something that would never materialize?

Movement outside the window caught her attention. A middle-aged couple had slowed to a near stop in front of the building and was peering inside. With effortless ease, Angela went into her receptionist role. Propping her longs legs upon her desk to show off an almost indecent amount of smooth, creamy skin, Angela blew a giant bubble from her wad of gum and winked suggestively at the man. Startled expressions were followed by the couple picking up their pace and scurrying away. Mission accomplished.

She swallowed a small laugh. Some parts of this job never got old. Between her sparkly, skimpy attire, multiple tats and piercings, and ever-present mouthful of bubblegum, she had deterred more unwelcomed visitors than many border patrol stations.

Her eyes turned to the computer screen in front of her but her mind once again wandered to Jake. What would he think when he learned about her aspirations? Would that make a difference in how he looked at her?

Though she’d seen some measure of attraction in his eyes, he had never tried to take their relationship