SIX FULL-LENGTH ROMANTIC SUSPENSE NOVELS
FROM NEW YORK TIMES & USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHORS
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When danger abounds, passionate protectors rush to the frontline to shield
and defend. Homicide detectives, US marshals, and secret agents chase the
guilty, thwart attacks, and endanger themselves with a zeal to protect. When
love ignites and emotions run hot, these men and women put it all on the line.
From New York to Chicago, Bangkok to a remote lake in Minnesota, nonstop
adventure and steam sizzle when romance and suspense combust.
Patricia Rosemoor – Obsession – A driven female cop teams up with an irresistible
ex-con to bring a killer to justice. Can they stop the sexual predator before
he strikes again? NY Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
Rachelle Ayala – Triggered by Love – After her firefighter fiancé is shot, all Avery
Cockburn has between her shattered heart and death is the cocky – and very
determined – detective, Jason Burnett. USA Today Bestselling Author
Susanne Matthews – Sworn to Protect – A secret is locked in Nancy’s mind. Can Neil protect
his estranged wife from someone determined to silence her forever? Award-winning
Bestselling Author
Taylor Lee – The Bangkok Affair – Going undercover in a high-end Bangkok brothel brings
a feisty redhead face to face with a villain as charming as he is evil.
Fortunately, her bad-ass lover doesn’t take a back seat to anyone. Sparks fly
both inside and outside of the bedroom! USA Today Bestselling Author
Stacy Eaton – Second Shield –Together they will uncover the evil from within and
try to deny the passions that rage between them. USA Today Bestselling
Author
Excerpt from...
Small Town Girl
The soft rap on Annika’s door surprised her. Only one person
would show up this late without calling first. It was inconvenient, but she
didn’t think it was a good idea to give him her cell number. Even so, her heart
fluttered at the thought of seeing him again.
When she opened the door, he towered over her in snug-fitting
jeans and a black T-shirt that outlined his muscular silhouette. His handsome
grin and locks of thick black hair falling across his forehead enhanced his
bad-boy look, making it difficult for her to stop staring at him.
“Hi,” Alex said and held up her red flashlight. “I needed to
return this anyway so I thought I’d stop by and ask if you wanted to walk with
me down to the lake again. We need to talk about this issue with your poems
being turned into lyrics for our songs.”
Don’t fall for that line, she thought desperately. Don’t
let yourself get sucked into a pattern of seeing him that you’ll truly regret
later.
He probably wanted to apologize for eavesdropping on her
conversation with Erik. Or maybe he planned to tell her it was too late to give
her credit for the songs. Regardless of his reasons, it was a bad idea to go
with him because it would only encourage him to keep coming by to see her.
Annika glanced down at her ankle-length nightgown, looking
for a convenient excuse to refuse him. “I’m not dressed to go out.”
He leaned against the door frame, his confident expression signaling
he was undeterred by her excuse. “No problem. I’ll wait outside while you
change.”
She folded her bare arms and frowned. “I don’t think so,
Alex. I’m tired—”
“Aw, c’mon.” he said in a soft, cajoling tone. “You can’t
stay cooped up in this oven of an apartment every night. The fresh air will do
you good.”
“Yeah…no…I don’t—”
His eyes crinkled as he tugged on her long braid draped over
her shoulder. “Don’t forget to put on mosquito spray.” He placed his hand on
the doorknob. “I’ll be downstairs, waiting for you.”
He shut the door in her face.
“Oh!” She grumbled to herself as she stomped into her
bedroom to change. “Five minutes. He’d better talk fast because that’s all he’s
getting from me. And if he’s got his sights on anything else…” In a hurry,
Annika jerked off her nightgown and slipped on a peach knit tee. “I’ve got
plans for this summer and it doesn’t include being taken for a ride by a
smooth-talkin’ rock star.” She froze. “Does that sound crazy or what?” She
grabbed a pair of stretch jeans and shimmied into them. “It’s incredible how
crazy can quickly become normal.”
Annika slipped on her tennis shoes, doused herself with
mosquito spray and grabbed her flashlight. She opened the front door, stepping
into the hot, sultry night air. She found him in his usual place, relaxing
against her car. “Let’s go.”
Alex slapped his cap on his head and made a grand sweep of
his hand. “Ladies first.”
She passed by him and led the way, anxious to get going. He
caught up to her quickly. “Whoa, slow down,” he said gripping his wide palm on
her narrow shoulder blade. “We’re taking a walk, not training for a marathon.”
Annika slowed down but was silent, fiddling with her
flashlight as they walked down the alley, avoiding the narrow greenspace between
the buildings where bar patrons were smoking.
Alex stilled her hand. “Is something wrong?”
She gave him a sideways glance. “Why do you say that?”
He slid his hand around her arm and stopped as he slowly turned
her toward him. “You seem distant. Are you upset with me because I overheard
you and Erik arguing?”
She pulled her arm away. “No, and we weren’t arguing. We were
just…discussing the situation.”
“I didn’t set out to intrude on your conversation,” he said
sincerely. “I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Actually, I think it was more like being in the wrong place at the right
time. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have found out that you should have been given
credit for writing our songs. You should have also received fair compensation.”
She shook her head. “I’m not in it for the money.”
Alex sighed, sounding frustrated. “That’s noble, Annika, but
you should have been paid. Each of your songs made millions. If the press got wind
of this issue, it would be disastrous.”
“Oh, no! That can’t happen!” She stared up at him, panicking.
“Look, I—I don’t want to cause any trouble for Erik. He means too much to me. I’d
rather let him get all of the credit than cause a scandal. Besides, the songs
were rarely recorded word for word from my poems. He changed a lot of things to
adapt them and make them better. It was more like a collaboration.”
Alex moved close, resting one hand on the back of her head,
the other gripping her chin as their gazes held. “You’re amazing. Erik is lucky
to have you as a sister,” he said gently. “It’s a mess, to be sure. I’m not
happy with your brother at the moment, but don’t worry about it, honey. If you’re
willing to work with us on this, we’ll figure something out.”
The deep, throaty timbre of his voice when he called her honey
caused her heart to jump. She swallowed hard as she looked away.
When they resumed walking, she knew she should pull away and
head back to her apartment, but she couldn’t. Despite her best intentions, she
found herself drawn to him.
They reached the shore and walked along the aluminum dock.
At the end, Alex sat down, causing the dock to rock gently in the water. He
looked back and patted the spot next to him. “Let’s sit here for a while.” He
gazed up at the cloudy sky. “It would be fun to jump in and take a refreshing
swim to cool off in this heat, but the moon isn’t shining tonight and I’m
afraid it wouldn’t be wise when we can’t see each other very well in the water,”
he said as he pulled his tennis shoes off and rolled up his pant legs. “This
will have to do.”
Annika toed off her tennis shoes and sat down then pulled
off her socks and rolled up her pant legs. She plunged her feet into the cool,
refreshing water of Lake Tremolo. “Oh, that feels so good.”
He smiled but didn’t share what he was thinking.
She braced her palms on the edge of the dock and leaned
forward, slowly moving her feet back and forth in the water. “Do you mind if I
ask you a personal question?”
“That depends,” he replied warily as he turned his head
toward her.
His answer puzzled her. “On what?”
“On how deep you want to go.”
She laughed nervously, realizing he was referring to his
life on the road. “Okay—it’s not that kind of personal. It’s just something I
find curious.”
“All right,” he said, sounding cautious. “What do you want
to know?”
Annika touched his forearm with her finger. “You don’t have
any tattoos. Any. The rest of the guys have distinctive ones.”
Alex grinned broadly. “Oh, you mean like—the names of former
girlfriends?” He followed up with a droll laugh. “Boy, Jonas really regrets
that particular moment of weakness. She’s been gone for a long time.”
Annika groaned impatiently. “Are you stalling?”
“It’s a long story.”
She poked him in the forearm. “Then give me the short
answer.”
He went silent.
“Alex, I’m waiting,” Annika said in a sing-song voice.
“You’d better never breathe a word of this to another soul.
If you do, I’ll deny it.”
She leaned back on her hands and splashed water on him by
vigorously kicking her feet. “I’m still waiting…”
“Hey!” He raised one hand to shield himself from the splash.
“I have a problem with needles.”
“Like what kind of problem?” Surprised, she sat up. “Do you
faint or get sick?”
He pressed his fingers against her lips. “I think that’s
enough questions for one day.”
Laughing, Annika pulled her feet out of the water and
scooted backwards to let them air dry so she could put her shoes on again, but
she moved so quickly she lost her balance and fell backwards, smacking her head
and shoulders on the aluminum planks. Her clumsiness made her laugh.
“Careful,” Alex warned as he slid his arms around her to pull
her back to a sitting position. “Are you all right?”
Well… she thought, I was…
He was so close she could feel the rise and fall of his
chest. The woody, aromatic fragrance of his bold cologne mixed with the heat of
his body like a heady mist. His arms held her in a gentle, but protective
manner. “I’m—I’m fine,” she murmured. Sitting with him like this was way
too close for comfort. She knew she should pull away, but she couldn’t move.
His nearness was intoxicating.
She looked up, and though it was too dark to look into his
eyes, she knew by the tilt of his head his lips were a breath away. Slowly, as
if giving her time to refuse, he moved closer and placed his lips on hers. His
kiss was tender at first, but when she didn’t resist, his mouth crushed hers as
his arms tightened around her. In the heat of the moment, her resistance
dissipated. She slid her arms around his neck and kissed him back, melting into
him as her heart pounded in sync with his.
As he ended the kiss, she leaned her forehead against his,
stunned, with her hands splayed on his chest. She could barely breathe. She
closed her eyes, desperate to calm her thundering heart.
“If you don’t want to continue this,” he whispered in her
ear, “just say so and I’ll stop.”
Don’t…what? Her thoughts were a jumbled mess as her
mind raced to make sense of what was happening. She stared up at his shadowed
face. “Why did you kiss me?”
“I hadn’t planned to do that, but I couldn’t stand it any
longer,” he said huskily. “I had to find out what I was missing.”
His reply sounded so much like a cliché, it jerked her back
to her senses. How many other women had he used that line on? Realizing what an
idiot she’d been to let herself be taken in by him, her hands gripped his
shirt. “Don’t play me for a fool, Alex. I may have been born and raised in a
town the size of a postage stamp, but I’m not naive. I’m the lucky girl you’ve
chosen to be your entertainment while you’re in town, aren’t I?”
“That’s not true,” he replied, sounding hurt. “I’d never treat
you that way.”
“Then be honest with me. Why did you kiss me? I’m not
glamorous or high-maintenance like the women you usually chase. I read the
tabloids. If anything, I’m the total opposite.”
“Don’t sell yourself short, sweetheart,” he said softly. “Beauty
is more than fake body parts and Botox. The best makeup artist in the world
can’t fix a shallow, self-absorbed personality.” He brushed her cheek with his
thumb. “You have no idea how desirable you are.” He chuckled. “Especially in that
long nightgown.”
She snorted. “It was pink with black cats printed all over
it.”
“Really?” he replied. “I didn’t notice.”
“C’mon, Alex, a guy like you doesn’t fall for a woman like
me.”
“What makes you so sure of that?”
This can’t be real, she thought. It’s too good to
be true.
She closed her eyes to keep them from misting. “We don’t
have anything in common. You’re rich and talented and wildly successful. I’m
merely a small-town girl,” she said, her voice wavering, “with nothing to show
for her life but unfulfilled dreams.”
“Annika,” he whispered breathlessly, “that’s not true. You’re
so much more. I can’t explain why but ever since the day I walked into the café
and saw you I haven’t been able to get you off my mind. Everything about you is
so natural and genuine. You have no idea how rare that is in my world.”
“You have no idea how boring and tedious my world
is,” she shot back. “Carly Strand feels the same way, but we have plans. We’re
finally going to do something about it.”
He took his arms away and shifted his body, settling next to
her. “Are you going into business together?”
“We’re taking a road trip at the end of July, heading out
west. If we like it there, we may not come back so I’ve been desperately trying
to convince my mother to turn my job over to Penny. That way my parents will still
be able to operate the café and draw an income from it.” She expelled a frustrated
sigh. “My mother is so stubborn. The boss always knows best and always gets the
last word! She won’t listen to me.”
His silence indicated he was absorbing her words. After a
few moments he said, “Take it from me, wherever you go, you won’t find the kind
of happiness you’re looking for. After years of searching, I’ve come to realize
that true joy in life derives from the things money can’t buy.”
Annika brushed droplets of lake water off her skin and began
rolling down her pant legs. “We’ll never know until we try.”
“Maybe so,” Alex said, “but I hope you don’t find out the
hard way like I did.” He placed his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her
close. “Don’t go, Annika. Please, don’t leave.”
“Our plans are set. I promised Carly. I’m not letting her
down.”
“Then I’ll just have to figure out a way to convince you to
stay…” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her so passionately her head
began to spin. She didn’t want to kiss him; didn’t want to be caught up in his
irresistible charm, but she couldn’t help herself.
Car lights suddenly invaded their privacy.
Annika and Alex turned around at the same time to see who it
was
.
“It’s a cop,” Alex blurted out as he scrambled to his feet
and helped Annika get up.
She saw the lights and grabbed her shoes. “It’s Chris
Peterson. I’ll talk to him.”
Chris’ spotlight swept across the beach and stopped at the
dock, blinding them. “The beach is closed,” he yelled out the car window. “Get
off the dock. Now.”
“He’s an okay guy. We went to the senior prom together,”
Annika said as they hurried toward the squad car. “Chris! It’s me, Annika!” His
window slid down as she approached him. “Hi.”
The officer craned his neck to see who she was with. “Annika?
What are you doing out here after dark? You know it’s not safe to be in the
water at night.”
Annika bent at the waist to meet him at eye level. “We were sitting
on the dock, trying to cool off, but we’re going now.”
Chris frowned at Alex, as though he disapproved of who
Annika chose to spend her summer nights with toe-dipping in the lake. “Okay,
but I don’t want to catch you out here again. Is that clear? I’ve got enough to
do without playing lifeguard, too.”
“I understand,” Annika replied hurriedly as she straightened
and grabbed Alex’s hand. “Goodnight!”
They sprinted across the beach and headed up Main Street. They
were breathless by the time they hooked a right at Lake Street, went a
half-block and cut through the alley to Annika’s place.
When they reached the stairway, she grabbed the mosquito
spray off the car and halted at the bottom step. No way was she inviting him up
to her apartment. Or falling into the trap of letting him kiss her again. “Alex,
I don’t think it’s a good idea for us—”
“Wait.” He held up his hand as he cut her off. “Hear me out
first.” He leaned against the railing to catch his breath. “Everything I told
you tonight was the truth, Annika. From the bottom of my heart. I didn’t plan
to purposely take you to the beach where we’d be alone so I could kiss you. It
just happened, but I don’t regret it.”
She placed her foot on the next step, ready to sprint up the
stairs. “I like you, Alex, but we’re worlds apart. Even if I wasn’t leaving
town, it won’t be long before you’ll be ready to move on yourself so let’s leave
things as they were before tonight. Let’s remain friends. Nothing more.”
He nodded; his disappointment showing. “What happens at the
beach, stays at the beach.”
“Right.” She turned to go upstairs, but looked back. “That
includes what I told you about Carly and me, too. I don’t want that getting
back to my mother before I’ve had a chance to break it to her myself. Deal?”
“Deal.”
“Goodnight then.” She ran up the stairs filled with
bittersweet emotions. She’d never forget what it was like to be kissed by
Zander Lang, frontman of the band “Wolfmoon,” but like Alex’s stage name, it
wasn’t real. It was only part of his act.
~*~
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