Out now! Read on for excerpt #7 and a giveaway!
Shattered Duty Synopsis:
A new novel from the author of Bound to Danger who “has the amazing ability of pulling the reader onto the front lines of the action and drama.” (The Reading Café)
When his wife was murdered two years ago, Special Agent Levi Lazaro turned his back on everything he cared about. Ever since, he has thought of nothing but vengeance. Now he’s finally uncovered the identities of those who killed his wife—and he’s ready to destroy them at any cost. He won’t let anything stand in his way—not even a beautiful NSA agent on a mission of her own.
Special Agent Selene Wolfe prides herself on being the best. Her fearlessness and quick-thinking make her the perfect person to take down a deadly terrorist cell. But she needs Levi’s help, and the moment he shows up, Selene knows her objectivity—and her heart—are in trouble.
As the two strike an uneasy alliance, Levi finds himself tormented by his desire for Selene—a feeling he thought long dead. But when their mission takes an unexpected turn, he finds himself at a crossroads. Can he put aside his need for revenge to save the woman who’s reawakened his soul?
Excerpt:
“Were you on my computer?” he asked through the door, already knowing the answer.
As the door flew open, Levi stepped back, ready for another attack but she stood there with her hair wrapped in a towel above her head and another towel wrapped snuggly around her body, tucked perfectly between her breasts. “Of course. I was snooping, what else.”
He stared at her, forcing his gaze to remain on her face. “And you’re just . . . admitting it?”
“Why would I lie? I’d be stupid not to take a peek at your computer. You shouldn’t have left it out if you didn’t want me to go through it. Your encryption is pretty good, but I’m better. And your playlist sucks, by the way.”
“My playlist is awesome,” he said without thinking. He shouldn’t be arguing with her about his damn music, he should be yelling at her for going through his computer. Even if she was right. He shouldn’t have left the damn thing out. There was nothing of particular value on it so he wasn’t concerned about that. He used it mainly for communication but he always deleted his tracks no matter what.
Snorting, she sidestepped him and headed for the closet. Moments later she came back out wearing one of his T-shirts and jogging pants—and no bra. He swallowed hard, trying not to notice how full her breasts were or imagine how they’d feel cupped in his hands. Fuck him. He closed his eyes, trying to shove away the image of her lean, smooth body but it was impossible. He could easily envision those sexy tan lines and fantasize how her bare mound would feel against his mouth and tongue.
“Awesome is not the word that comes to mind. More like, wrist-slitting depressing. And you don’t even have any good country music on there.”
His eyes snapped open and he watched as she sauntered over to the mattress and collapsed on it as if she totally belonged there. The fact that he liked seeing her there made something shift inside his chest—and the guilt was back. She pulled the towel off her head and dropped it on the floor in a messy heap.
“You like country?” he asked before yanking up her towel. He wondered if she was messy in general, then cursed his curiosity. He should not care what kind of habits she had. She was just going to be an asset to him, nothing more. Right.
“Uh, yeah. Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line, come on, who doesn’t love those guys?”
It was too weird to be having this conversation with her, but he shook his head and hung that towel and the one she’d left haphazardly in the closet back in the bathroom. As he finished stripping off his shirt, shoes, and socks he said, “That’s not real country.”
“Really? Because I’m pretty sure they’re topping the Billboard country charts,” she said, finger-combing her damp hair.
“You know what I mean,” he muttered, sitting on the opposite side of the mattress. When he thought of country it was Hank or Autry. “You’re sleeping here?” He’d originally planned to just cuff her to him but now she’d proved the cuffs were useless and she didn’t seem to be going anywhere.
“Well, I’m not sleeping on the floor. Unless you’re worried about me killing you in your sleep?” The light note in her voice took away what could have been a deadly question.
Rolling his eyes, he turned off the only lamp in the room and laid down next to her. He noticed that she’d slid under the sheet he’d thrown on the mattress, giving them a little separation.
It was beyond surreal sleeping next to a woman who worked for his old boss—and who’d just mocked his taste in music as if they were friends—and it was made worse by the fact that he wanted her. Desperately.
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Katie Reus Bio:
Katie Reus is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Red Stone Security series, the Moon Shifter series and the Deadly Ops series. She fell in love with romance at a young age thanks to books she pilfered from her mom’s stash. Years later she loves reading romance almost as much as she loves writing it. However, she didn’t always know she wanted to be a writer. After changing majors many times, she finally graduated with a degree in psychology. Not long after that she discovered a new love. Writing. She now spends her days writing dark paranormal romance and sexy romantic suspense.
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