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  Cove’s Blind Date Blows Up

  A Bale Family Novel

  Jen Talty

  Copyright © 2020 by Jen Talty

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Cove’s Blind Date Blows Up

  Book Description

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Also by Jen Talty

  Praise for Jen Talty

  "Deadly Secrets is the best of romance and suspense in one hot read!" NYT Bestselling Author Jennifer Probst

  "A charming setting and a steamy couple heat up the pages in an suspenseful story I couldn't put down!" NY Times and USA today Bestselling Author Donna Grant

  "Jen Talty's books will grab your attention and pull you into a world of relatable characters, strong personalities, humor, and believable storylines. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll rush to get the next book she releases!" Natalie Ann USA Today Bestselling Author

  "I positively loved In Two Weeks, and highly recommend it. The writing is wonderful, the story is fantastic, and the characters will keep you coming back for more. I can't wait to get my hands on future installments of the NYS Troopers series." Long and Short Reviews

  "In Two Weeks hooks the reader from page one. This is a fast paced story where the development of the romance grabs you emotionally and the suspense keeps you sitting on the edge of your chair. Great characters, great writing, and a believable plot that can be a warning to all of us." Desiree Holt, USA Today Bestseller

  "Dark Water delivers an engaging portrait of wounded hearts as the memorable characters take you on a healing journey of love. A mysterious death brings danger and intrigue into the drama, while sultry passions brew into a believable plot that melts the reader's heart. Jen Talty pens an entertaining romance that grips the heart as the colorful and dangerous story unfolds into a chilling ending." Night Owl Reviews

  "This is not the typical love story, nor is it the typical mystery. The characters are well rounded and interesting." You Gotta Read Reviews

  "Murder in Paradise Bay is a fast-paced romantic thriller with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing until the end. You won't want to miss this one..." USA Today bestselling author Janice Maynard

  Cove’s Blind Date Blows Up

  A Bale Family Novel

  Part of the Hot Hunks Series

  USA Today Bestselling Author

  JEN TALTY

  Book Description

  Eight Blind Date books by the Hot Hunks Steamy Romance Collection. Cove’s Blind Date Blows Up Book 3

  Cove Reddington, a combat engineer for the Army, spends more than two hundred days deployed. He doesn’t have time for a girlfriend, much less date. So, when he’s forced to take an extended vacation after being injured on a mission, his sister sets him on a blind date. He’d rather spend a night knee-deep in diapers babysitting for his little sisters’ kids, but she won’t take no for an answer. When Cove walks into the restaurant to meet his date, he has no idea his skill set will be needed to save the woman who will ultimately walk away with his heart.

  The last thing FBI negotiator Serenity Bale needs is to be fixed up on a blind date. For two weeks, she tries to avoid going on this date until she finds out the date is with her best friends’ brother, a man she’s had a crush on since she was in high school. Curiosity got the better of her and she finally agrees. The moment she lays eyes on Cove Reddington, sparks fly. The heat between them is undeniable.

  But before things even get off the ground, they will have to work together to defuse a bomb and bring a mad man to justice.

  Whether it's an unexpected discovery, a curveball thrown your way, an explosive situation to defuse, a seduction on the horizon, a developing experiment, a dilemma to work out, a mystery to solve, or a debacle in the making. These eight blind dates by eight authors have one thing in common. Hot hunks finding their ladies!

  The next in the Hot Hunks Steamy Romance Collection brings you swoon-worthy blind dates to make your pulse race, your body tingle, and your heart sing for more!

  Natalie Ann- Grey's Blind Date Discovery - Book 1

  Angela Stevens- Logan's Blind Date Curveball - Book 2

  Jen Talty- Cove's Blind Date Blows Up - Book 3

  Stephanie Morris- Kyler's Blind Date Seduction- Book 4

  Alicia Street- Tyler's Blind Date Experiment - Book 5

  Katie O'Sullivan- Ed's Blind Date Dilemma - Book 6

  Suzanne Jenkins - Marty's Blind Date Mystery- Book 7

  Tamara Ferguson- Jack's Blind Date Debacle- Book 8

  Meet the authors:

  Natalie Ann is a USA Today bestselling author who writes steamy contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and light paranormal.

  Angela Stevens writes steamy contemporary romance, contemporary urban fantasy, paranormal, Native American themes, and children’s books.

  Suzanne Jenkins is a USA Today bestselling author who writes women’s fiction, steamy contemporary romance, mystery, and suspense.

  Alicia Street is a USA Today bestselling author and Daphne du Maurier award-winner. She writes both sweet and steamy contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and paranormal.

  Katie O’Sullivan is an award-winning author who writes steamy contemporary romance and young adult paranormal.

  Stephanie Morris is a USA Today bestselling author who writes steamy contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and paranormal.

  Tamara Ferguson is a USA Today bestselling author and multi-award-winning author including Reader’s Favorite Bronze, Silver, and Gold medals in Military Fiction who writes both sweet and steamy contemporary romance and romantic suspense.

  Jen Talty is a USA Today bestselling author who writes steamy contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and paranormal.

  For Natalie Ann and Suzie. Thanks for the believing in me.

  1

  Cove rocked back and forth, patting little Jacob’s back. Jacob had just turned one, and he was a tank with his chubby legs and fat little fingers which were currently wrapped around Cove’s neck. He glanced down. Jacob’s eyes fluttered closed.

  And here, his sister thought he’d lost his touch.

  Ha. Never. He’d always be able to get his nephews to calm down and pass out like the true master uncle that he was.

  “Unbelievable,” his brother-in-law Kirk whispered as he lifted his son into his arms. “How do you do that?”

  “I’ll never tell.”

  “Please. I’m begging, man. This little dude doesn’t generally have an off switch.” Kirk bounced up and down as he scurried out of the room in hopes the energizer bunny didn’t wake up before he placed him in his crib for his short late-afternoon nap.

  Cove reached for his glass of water and stretched out his leg, twisting his neck. He had done most of his recovery from the incident in an Army hospital in Germany, and his body felt pretty good. However, the Army required him to take off three more weeks. He might as well do it in New York with his family.

  The sound of his sister scuffing across the wood floor echoed in his ears. “Will you ever learn to pick up your feet when you walk?”

  Leah stepped into the family room of her modest twenty-thousand-squ
are-foot home in Rye, New York, only two neighborhoods away from where they’d grown up as kids. She’d pulled her long blond hair into a bun, and she wore jeans and a T-shirt. Not the kind of attire when you went to dinner in the city.

  “Why aren’t you dressed and ready to go?”

  “Because I don’t have a babysitter.” Leah plopped herself down on the sofa.

  Josh came barreling around the corner with a sippy cup and a bag of chips. “Uncle Cove!” He jumped on Cove’s lap.

  “Hey, little man.” He adjusted the boy on his knee and flipped on the television to the kid’s favorite show. This was his half hour of screen time, and he’d be glued to the TV, and nothing else would matter. “Why don’t you and Kirk go? I’ll stay here with the kids,” Cove said.

  Leah shook her head with a shit-eating grin plastered on her face. It was the same kind of smile she used to get when she’d set him up to take the fall for something she and her friends had done. “I’m not in the mood, so we’re sending you.”

  “Me? Why the hell would I go to dinner alone?”

  “Because someone else will be there with you,” she said, twirling her hair.

  He let out a groan. “What the hell have you done?”

  “Well, it was always going to be the four of us.”

  He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I thought I was going to be a third wheel.” He loved his sister. They were barely two years apart, and growing up, they’d been best friends. Sure, there were moments they hated each other and did horrible things to one another, but at the end of the day, she was the one person he could count on no matter what.

  But she always pulled shit like this. No matter how many times he told her that he was never going to settle down, get married, and have a bunch of babies, she still tried to find him a nice girl.

  Problem was, he was a bad boy and not the kind that could be tamed.

  In his mind, he laughed. It all depended on your definition of bad.

  “Nope. I thought it would be fun to invite Serenity Bale to join us.”

  He snapped his gaze toward his sister and arched a brow.

  “I thought that might get your attention.”

  He chuckled. “She catches the eye of every man, but Jesus, if you think I’m emotionally unavailable and not interested in relationships, she takes it to new levels. I know a guy who works with her at the FBI, and they have a nickname for her.”

  “I can only imagine,” Leah said. “And watch your tongue.”

  “They call her the Ice Agent.”

  “That’s mean.” Leah scrunched her nose. “She’s so sweet and kind. How could anyone call her a b-i-t-c-h.”

  “No one said that. They all respect her and think she’s the best at her job, but when it comes to socializing, or dating, she’s cold.”

  “Doesn’t the FBI frown upon agents dating one another?”

  “I have no idea,” Cove admitted as he glanced at his watch. They were supposed to be heading into the city in less than a half hour. It was a good hour ride on the train into Grand Central. He should have known his sister would pull this when she recommended the restaurant in Times Square. “Where’s Serenity living these days?” Was he really contemplating going out on a date? Was he that bored?

  Yup.

  “Don’t you see her brothers?”

  “The Army is a pretty big organization, and none of them are in the same field as I am.”

  “You graduated with Tavor. And they all went to West Point.”

  “Doesn’t mean I see them now. The last time I crossed paths with any of the Bale boys was at a West Point event two years ago.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “Her four brothers are interesting, to say the least. But you still haven’t answered my question.” Not that it mattered where the woman lived. He shouldn’t care.

  But Serenity always fascinated him. She’d been so different from his sister, yet all through middle and high school, the two girls had been thicker than thieves. And the older she got, the more he noticed her, but he kept his distance. He never hit on his sister’s friends, and if any of his buddies took a second glance at his, they’d be having a fist sandwich for lunch.

  Besides, he’d been friends with Tavor through school and college. It wouldn’t be cool to hit on his buddy’s Irish twin. It didn’t matter that he and Tavor weren’t all that close; he was a brother-in-arms.

  “She lives in Hell’s Kitchen in that newly renovated building not far from the Javits Center. She’s got a nice one-bedroom on the top floor with a spectacular view.”

  He laughed. “Did you need to go into such detail?”

  “Well, you seemed like you really wanted to know,” Leah said. “She’ll meet you at the restaurant.”

  “Why don’t you call her and tell her that your sitter bailed and reschedule or something?” He shifted Josh to his other leg.

  “Josh, come over here with Mama. Uncle Cove’s still recovering.”

  “I’m fine,” Cove protested.

  Josh slipped from the chair and wobbled toward his mother while he stared at the television which held him totally captive.

  “I can’t,” Leah said, lifting Josh up and wrapping a blanket over his little lap. “I have a confession to make.”

  “I don’t think I want to hear this.” For as long as he could remember, his sister always had some trick up her sleeve, and he was always the sucker that fell for it. And he had this horrible problem of not being able to say no to anyone in his family.

  “Kirk and I were never planning on going to begin with.”

  “Excuse me?” He sat up taller, biting his tongue so he didn’t drop the f-bomb and a few other superlatives in front of the little man. “You what?”

  “I set you up on a date with Serenity.”

  “And she agreed?”

  “Well, sort of.” Leah inched closer to her son as if he would protect her from Cove’s wrath.

  “Meet me in the kitchen.” He stomped his way to the other room and ducked his head into the fridge and snagged a cold one, ignoring his brother-in-law who was eating a piece of pie. Twisting off the cap, Cove took a deep calming breath and let it out while he counted to five. “Please tell me you didn’t know about this.”

  “Okay,” Kirk said. “But that would be a lie.”

  “What the fuck, man. You’re supposed to have my back.” Cove took a healthy swig. The bubbles tickled this throat.

  “Have you seen Serenity lately? If you thought she was hot back in the day, well, look out because smoking hot doesn’t do her justice.”

  Leah strolled into the room and smacked the backside of her husband’s head.

  “Come on, honey. Even you said you’d sleep with her.”

  “True, I did say that.” Leah took Cove’s beer from his hand and chugged. “You’re not standing up my friend.”

  “Don’t you remember our pact?” Cove asked, grabbing another beer before jumping on the counter.

  “We’re not kids anymore, and you’re going.” Leah held up her beer.

  “Who the hell is she expecting?” Cove asked.

  “The only reason she agreed to go on a blind date was because she was curious to see how you’d turned out,” Leah said. “I can’t believe the last time you saw her was your college graduation.”

  “It’s not like I’m home all that much, and neither one of us lived in New York for years.” He had caught glimpses of her a few times during a couple of holidays when he’d managed to visit his folks, but they hadn’t spoken since he’d been a twenty-one-year-old arrogant moron.

  Now he was just arrogant.

  “You should probably get going,” Leah said. “I don’t want her to have to wait. She’s not the most patient woman on the planet.”

  Should he stay or should he go? The question of the hour. He took a long draw of his beer before slipping from the counter and rinsing out the glass bottle. “You owe me big-time.” He waggled his finger under his sister’s nose. “And don’t expect me to take her out a
second time.”

  “Just so long as you don’t screw her on the first date,” Leah said.

  “That would be none of your business.” He winked. “I’ll see you for dinner with Mom and Dad.” His pulse kicked up a notch as he made his way toward the front door. A vision of Serenity with her long wavy dark hair and intense cocoa eyes filled his mind. The fact that she was a badass FBI negotiator was just all that more interesting. This just might be entertaining after all.

  Serenity Bale sipped her white wine as she stared at the front door. Ever since her training at Quantico, she’d had this horrible habit of being about fifteen minutes early everywhere she went. She’d paced outside for a good five minutes before saying fuck it to herself and entered the crowded restaurant and bar. Leah had made the reservation for two and managed to get them one of the best seats in the house.

  But Serenity liked it because it kept her back to the wall and allowed her to view the entire space so she could see everyone coming and going.

  Another bad habit she’d picked up on the job and she was always working, even on a date.

  Which was why she didn’t date often.

  The only reason she was here was because in high school she’d had vivid fantasies about what it might be like to be with the great Cove Reddington. But every time she’d spent any time with him back in the day, he treated her as if she had some contagious disease that might kill him or something.