Society bachelor and former army sniper Ben Benedict moves between two worlds—from high-society Washington to the mean city streets, from tuxedos to Glocks. His powerful Virginia family wants him out of harm's way, but Ben stays on the job, determined to make amends for a past that haunts him. Dr. Anna Schuster is fighting demons of her own when she crosses paths with Agent Benedict. The two become adversaries—and lovers—as they search for an Al Qaeda operative bent on revenge. Ben must fight against time—and his own darkness—to rescue millions of innocents and the woman he loves from a virulent bioweapon in the hands of a dangerous enemy.

Bella Benedict's five grown children are scattered around the world like a handful of precious jewels. Now she's dying and she has one last, secret wish. To bring her children home. And to give them what she once a marriage of passion. Wealthy playboy Max Benedict has no interest in long-term commitment. He had his heart broken once and that was enough. Instead, he travels the world, working as a sometime spy for the CIA. When he's asked to investigate a foreign threat against the president, he doesn't think twice about accepting—until he hears who he'll be working with in London. FBI Special Agent Kristin Lassiter is under investigation and on the verge of losing everything—her savings, her job, her beloved father. So when Bella Benedict approaches her with the offer to pay her mounting debts, she's tempted to accept. But there's a catch—a big one. Bella wants Kristin to win the heart of her son Max, the very man who destroyed Kristin years ago. A man unaware he fathered her nine-year-old daughter. If Kristin succeeds, she'll get the money she needs—and the priceless Blackthorne rubies Bella has offered to sweeten the deal. The only problem is, can she win Max's heart without falling back in love with him?

This is a VERY short story (14 pages) which was originally part of a hardcover collection with other suspense and romantic suspense authors. It's available here so you don't have to buy the hardcover to read it. Nash Benedict finds himself turning Benedict Arnold after promising to look after his brother's girl while he serves in Afghanistan. An accidental crush becomes an inappropriate affair of the heart, and that leads the characters headlong into a meeting with murder.

Haunted by war wounds and the woman who left him, Ex-Delta Army Sergeant Joe Warren is a man scarred body and soul. His life as he knew it is over, and he has no idea where to go from here. When his sister begs him to rescue a young woman in trouble, Joe reluctantly agrees to help—and comes face-to-face with the most beautiful—willful, stubborn, and sexy—woman he’s ever met. Lady Lydia Benedict yearns for a life of passion and adventure, one where she’s appreciated for her brains as well as her beauty. But she panics when she awakens—still dressed in her ball gown—and discovers that the priceless pearl necklace she’d worn to a charity ball the night before is missing. To make matters worse, Lydia never got permission from her mother to borrow the necklace, and it’s her brother, who trusted her with the irreplaceable pearl, who’ll be punished if it isn’t found. Joe is Lydia’s only hope, but the hard-hearted soldier and the British aristocrat find themselves at odds as time runs out. Can Joe allow himself to trust another woman? Can Lydia fall in love with a man who’s nothing like the sophisticated gentlemen she’s known all her life? Can people from two such different worlds find a way into each other’s arms—and fulfill each other’s deepest desires?