Dangerous Surrender by Carrie Kelly Read Free Book Online Page B

made me realize things I never had about myself.
    Steven, my ex-fiancé, breaking up with me five weeks before our wedding was the hardest thing I'd ever faced. This should have been worse – chased across the Thailand countryside by human traffickers who wanted both of us dead – but with Jack it was somehow bearable.
    "You’ll look lovely no matter what color it is, Mattie," he said and kissed the top of my head tenderly.
    I looked at him in the dingy mirror, a fluorescent light flickering over our heads. His own light brown hair was now dark, almost black. With his golden skin he blended in with the locals – at least from a distance. His sharp blue eyes and powerful six feet build were the only things that gave him away. My size sixteen figure might be mistaken for chubby Thai woman from behind, but my complexion was too pale for the ruse to last long.
    After spending the day in the shack on the river, we rowed to a small town and got a hotel. At least it was cheap. I only had about a hundred American dollars worth of baht left. I didn’t know how much Jack had, and I was too scared to ask.
    What happened to my relaxing vacation?
    "It'll grow back out," Jack said as he fingered my strawberry blonde waves.
    "I don't care about my hair," I said and glanced at him in the mirror. It was more than that. How to explain it to the sexy Aussie?
    "We'll be in Chiang Mai in less than a week. Once I get you to the U.S. consulate you'll be safe, love. I promise."
    “I know.”
    We'd been over it a hundred times before. After getting chased out of Bangkok by gun wielding maniacs, I lost it all -- my passport, my suitcase and my clothes. At least I still had my life. But what hurt most was losing the Jack I thought I knew, my best friend’s gorgeous brother and ever-present crush. He wasn’t a carefree wanderer like I’d been led to believe but some top-secret government agent instead.
    A spy chasing down criminals across Asia!
    I wanted to find comfort in his strong jaw, straight nose and keen eyes, but I saw a stranger. A lie. He also saved my life – kept me safe when he could have left me behind.
    And the worse part was, I dreaded finally getting to Chiang Mai. The idea of the U.S. consulate taking care of me while they got my passport situation figured out filled me with sick dread.
    Not because I didn’t want to go home, but leaving Jack’s side – his protection – was worse than anything I imagined.
    I might not know him like I thought I did, but this new Jack was terrifyingly capable.
    Cheryl always said I needed excitement in my life. Boy would she be surprised now!
    “It’ll help you blend in. They’ve got a stronghold in the city, but it’s the only consulate in Thailand besides the embassy in Bangkok --”
    “And we can’t go back,” I finished for him.
    Jack rubbed his forehead. “No. Not yet. They’ll be on the lookout for two foreigners traveling around the country. They’ve got ties that go deeper than I anticipated, love. But your safety is my first priority. You know that, right?”
    “Yes, but why can’t we take a bus or a train and blend in with the other tourists? When I was planning the honeymoon --”
    He shook his head. “They’ll be watching the standard forms of transportation. I know how they work, Mattie. You’ve got to trust me on this.”
    His serious expression sent a shiver up my spine, but I nodded.
    “Do you need any help?” he asked and pointed at the box.
    I took a deep breath. “No. I’ll figure it out.”
    Jack cracked a smile and pulled back the cardboard packaging. “Considering it’s all in Thai, I think I better stick around.”
    An hour later, I ran my fingers through my new dark locks. The deep chocolate brown hair made my fair skin look even paler than I had before, my golden freckles pronounced. I frowned at my reflection.
    “I don’t look local,” I said and stepped out of the bathroom.
    Jack smirked and held up a loose purple skirt and a matching