His Captivating Confidante (Secret Sentinels)
Page 17
Knowing Lauren will do anything to protect her brother, Rafe threatens to destroy her only sibling’s career if she doesn’t agree to play the role of his wife. Lauren accepts his proposal, but her motivation is far more compelling than family loyalty. She’s been assigned to covertly protect Rafe in the wake of threats made against the Dimitriou family. As his wife, Lauren knows she’ll have the perfect opportunity to watch over him without arousing his suspicion. She’ll guard him with her life—but who will protect her heart?
When bodyguard Luke Reynolds is enlisted to covertly protect beautiful billionaire heiress Brianna Atwood, he’s determined not to allow the line between duty and desire to blur. The last time he did, pleasure came at too high a price.
Scarred from loss and catapulted into heiress hood, Brianna has exiled “commitment” from her vocabulary. But in working closely with Luke under the impression that he’s employed by the same magazine as she is, she finds his potent allure hard to resist.
While both want nothing to do with love, Luke’s assignment to protect Brianna places their hearts in the line of fire. Will defending the one woman capable of annihilating his emotional armor cost Luke his heart?
If Brianna discovers his secret, will she still surrender to her billionaire bodyguard?
Acknowledgements
The Secret Sentinels saga features an imaginary cast of heroic men and women, but His Captivating Confidante and the other books in this series would never have come to be if not for the dedication of a group of awesome real life heroes. I am so very grateful for all the wonderful people who poured their talent and creativity into this project and who helped bring this story to life.
Topping my superhero A-list is the fabulous Megan Mulder and her incredibly gifted team at Kindle Press. I’m thankful for your faith in this series, and I’m honored to play a small part in the magic you are creating at Kindle Press.
The life of a newbie-novelist equates to a steep learning curve. A huge thank you goes out to copyeditor Stacee Gravelle Lawrence for taking a blemished manuscript and bringing order to chaos. Any errors that remain are entirely my own. When it comes to my muse’s stubborn artistic idiosyncrasies, I’ve learned that sometimes it’s best to let him have his own way.
As every book does, His Captivating Confidante began as just a seed of an idea. When that seed blossomed into Stephanie and Frank’s romance, I began searching for the perfect cover photo to capture their love for one another. Jimmy Thomas of RomanceNovelCovers.com delivered the perfect image—a breathtakingly romantic shot layered with all the respect, love, and passion Frank and Stephanie feel for each other.
Uber-talented cover artist, Ramona Lockwood, used that quintessential romantic image to craft a cover that trumped my every hope for the design. I think the resulting cover is exquisite, and my heartfelt thanks go out to the dynamic creative duo of Jimmy and Ramona.
As always, I’m immensely grateful for the support and encouragement of my fellow authors and the Kindle Scout community. You continually inspire me to grow in my craft. Thank you for sharing your time and your knowledge with a newbie novelist!
Finally, an enormous thank you goes out to my husband, Duane, for indulging my passion for writing and for inspiring all of my heroes.