Danger and Desire: Ten Full-Length Steamy Romantic Suspense Novels
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“I do not threaten. It is a waste of energy. I make promises. Here is my promise. You will never find the person you are searching for, but I will. And once I do, you will regret having disappointed me.”
The call ended.
Chatton gripped the steering wheel, admitting she might have made a mistake she’d never thought possible.
She might have underestimated Wayan.
*
Wayan ended the call with Chatton and sat quietly for a moment. He had not expected Chatton to cross him, but she must think him a fool to believe her story. She was far too capable to have missed capturing Soo Jin.
He pressed a button on the control center built into his onyx desk.
In less than ten seconds, one of his most trusted men entered, dipped a brief bow and asked, “What might I do for you?”
“Lee, who did you say had located the Orion Hunter doctor in Los Angeles just before the doctor was killed?”
“A woman by the name of Valene Eklund. She is an independent contractor who locates items or people of high value. She is paid very well for her work and considered to be exceptionally skilled.”
“I want you to arrange for someone who has no tie to us—and who is American—to contact her on my behalf.”
Lee nodded. “What will be the reason for this contact?”
“I have a job for her.”
Chapter Forty-Five
Ten intense days had passed and Tanner had only one more hurdle to cross, but this one would be his toughest.
He let his favorite gelding move at an easy gait toward the meadow that overlooked a spring-fed lake on the back fifty acres of his five-hundred-acre spread. His father had given him this piece when Tanner told him he wanted the spot to build a house on this hill for Mary Lou.
Of course, Mary Lou had been twelve and Tanner had been eleven at the time.
Things changed when she hit high school and football players were more exciting than the cowboys she’d grown up around.
He smiled at the distant memory.
But he wanted that house more than ever now. He just needed someone to want it with him.
Jin had never been given a choice. Once he’d finally convinced her that with her new identity and word leaked that she’d died when the aircraft exploded, her presence was not a danger to him, Tanner had spent the past week looking into possibilities for her while Jin stayed at his mother’s house. His mama took a liking to her, but then his mama had always had sound judgment. She’d warned him about Mary Lou and Allie.
He should have taken his mama’s advice more often.
But he’d gotten his stubborn attitude honestly from the same woman.
Jin shifted in his arms, taking in everything they passed. “This is beautiful. When can I get my own horse?”
“You can ride this one.”
“No, I mean once I learn how to ride by myself.”
He’d picked out a sweet mare for her, but changed his mind before he told her about the horse. He didn’t want to take even that choice from her. “Just say when you’re ready for a riding lesson and to go shopping.”
“I’m ready.” She twisted around and smiled at him. “Not right this minute. But when we go home. Okay?”
Home. He felt that word deep in his soul. “Okay.”
When they reached the meadow, the sun was just peeking over the eastern horizon. He’d taken her riding almost every day for the past week, but they always seemed to end up here. She whispered with reverence, “I love this spot.”
“Me, too.” He had to get this over with. “I want to talk to you, Jin.”
“Yes?”
“You’re as safe as you can be out here where a driveway is five miles long. With your new identity as Jennifer, I can help you get set up in a job once you figure out what you’d like to do,” he clarified, determined to let her know her future was hers. “And a place to live. You just have to tell me what you want.”
She sat so still he might have thought she’d gone to sleep if not for the deep sigh. “Is that what you want me to do?”
“The point is not what I want for you, but what you want. I love you and I want you very much. But you’ve never had a chance to make your own decisions. I’ll be around as long as you want to see me.” He swallowed. “Just tell me what you want.”
She pushed a leg up and started moving like she intended to stand up in the saddle. Tanner grabbed her at the waist. “Where are you going?”
“To see you.”
He laughed and lifted her, turning her around until she sat with her legs hanging over his thighs. She sported new blue and white leather boots that she’d squealed over picking out. “Thank you for all the thought you put into what would be good for me. Now, I want to know, what about you?”
“What do you mean?”
“What do you want?”
He stared off into the distance at the sun rising further up into the sky above his land. “I plan to keep working with Sabrina, but only domestic jobs. I’ve had enough of going overseas. I want to build a house on this spot and watch the sun rise and set as often as I can with—” He looked down at her. “The woman I love.”
Her eyes smiled back at him. “The course of true love never did run smooth.”
“Is that more Shakespeare?”
“Yes.”
“What does it mean?”
“That I should like to now tell what I want.” Her eyebrows lifted. “Is that all right?”
“Yep. That’s what I’ve been trying to get you to do this whole time.” He loved looking into her eyes and seeing love, but he had to give her a chance to stretch her wings. “What do you want, darlin’?”
She lifted her fingers to touch his cheek. “I want to learn what it is like to be free to get up every morning and choose how to spend my day. To go wherever I want and not answer to anyone.”
Wasn’t that what he wanted for her too? Then why did his chest hurt with the possibility of losing her? He’d done this before. Not that he’d ever compare Jin to Allie again, but this felt too familiar. What was that old saying about setting something free and if it loves you it’ll come back?
He could do this.
Jin stroked his face and he’d miss that as much as everything else about her. Her touch had brought his heart back to life and he feared if he couldn’t keep her close the damn thing would shrivel and die completely.
She smiled and her eyes held contentment. “I want to live in a house where I’m happy and with people who love me.” She looked around her, then back at him, and tears had pooled in her eyes. Her sister’s body had been found with a parachute that failed to open. Jin grieved for her on so many levels. He’d stood with Jin as she’d said goodbye at a private funeral in a cemetery that Sabrina had arranged. It was nowhere near here for Jin’s safety. The worst part had been watching her grieve the sister she’d believed in, when the real Patty had been something completely different.
She’d mentioned having a ceremony for her mother, but not when or where. He’d be there for her then, too.
He caught her hand in his and kissed her fingers, talking past a ridiculously huge lump in his throat. Damn he’d fallen so hard for this woman. “Go on.”
“I want to have children who will always know they are loved and wanted. I don’t know what work I will choose to do, but I want it to benefit others.” She took a moment then said, “I want a man I can trust and believe in who I know will stand guard over all he loves. You are that man. I love you, cowboy. I want children with our blue eyes. Will you build me a house here?”
He couldn’t speak for a second. “Your mother was right when she named you. You’re my treasure. I’ll build a house worthy of the one thing I value above all else. Your love.”
Then he kissed her as the sun rose on a new beginning.
The End
And now the next Slye Temp romantic adventure
Kiss The Enemy
Her only hope is in the hands of her enemy.
Logan Baklanov has been known by many names in the underbelly of international terrorism and will do whatever it takes to shield those he loves from the treacherous world he lives in. When his brother’s life is in jeopardy, Logan takes on a role that places him at the top of the most-wanted lists of government security agencies in every country. He accepts the no-win situation, willing to make the ultimate sacrifice until a long legged beauty draws the attention of his deadly target and screws Logan’s carefully planned mission.
Margaux and Logan must join forces in a dangerous game to save a major city from a powerful psychopath, but their ruse escalates out of control when the heat smoldering between them threatens to explode.
*
The Slye Temp Series
Book 1: Last Chance To Run
Book 2: Nowhere Safe
Book 3: Honeymoon To Die For
Book 4: Kiss The Enemy
Book 5: Deceptive Treasures
Book 6: Stolen Vengeance (Feb 2015)
More Slye Temp coming soon!
A Word from Dianna
“Thank you for reading my books. I hope you enjoy the Slye Temp series. Visit http://www.AuthorDiannaLove.com to find all my books. If you have a moment to leave a review at the online bookstore, GoodReads, BookLikes, Shelfari or anywhere else I’d really appreciate it. To be kept in the loop, sign up here for my newsletter – http://www.authordiannalove.com/nl.php
About Dianna Love
New York Times bestseller Dianna Love once dangled over a hundred feet in the air to create unusual marketing projects for Fortune 500 companies. The first book she wrote won a RITA® Award and sold out in six weeks. She writes the high-octane, sexy Slye Temp romantic thriller series and readers keep demanding more. During rare breaks from her writing cave, Dianna tours the country on her BMW motorcycle. She lives in the Atlanta, GA area with her husband, who is a motorcycle instructor, and a tank full of unruly saltwater critters. For more on Dianna visit http://www.AuthorDiannaLove.com
Praise for Slye Temp Series
“Dianna never disappoints! … would have give it a 10 if they would let!!! Very enjoyable read, can’t wait for the next one :-).”
~~Amy, Goodreads
“I fell in love with the characters in this book. This story is chock full of action, white hot romance, shocking twists and intelligence.”
~~Trina, After Dark Rendezvous
“Dianna Love pens an exhilarating romance woven with riveting characters and a plot that has more twists and turns than a roller coaster…one of those books that you wish would go on forever.”
~~Billie Jo, Romance Junkies
“It seems with each book, this series gets better…”
~~Barb, The Reading Cafe
If you’re a paranormal fan, don’t miss book 5 of the Belador series
DEMON STORM
October 20, 2014 the epic Belador saga continues…
With Treoir Island in shambles after a Medb attack that left the survival of the missing Belador warrior queen in question and Belador powers compromised, they have one hope for her return and their future – Evalle Kincaid, whose recent transformation has turned her into an even more formidable warrior. First she has to locate Storm, the Skinwalker she’s bonded with who she believes can find the Belador queen, but Storm stalks the witch doctor that is threatening Evalle’s life. When he finally corners the witch doctor, she has a surprise that may cost Storm everything, including Evalle. The hunter becomes the hunted, and Evalle must face her greatest nightmare to save Storm and the Beladors or watch the future of mankind fall to deadly preternatural predators.
Singed
Kaylea Cross
Dedication
I dedicate this book to all those veterans and their families struggling with the battle against PTSD and suicide. A great group I’ve come across fighting this epidemic is Battling BARE. To learn more about them and their brave efforts or how you can help, please check out their Facebook page.
Author’s Note
This is the second book of my Titanium Security series, and I hope you love Gage and Claire’s story. I’m such a sucker for reunion/second chance stories, and this one really tugged at my heartstrings.
Up next…Ex FORECON Marine Sean Dunphy and a woman you’re about to meet in the pages of Singed.
Happy reading!
Kaylea Cross
Chapter One
Rushing to a last minute meeting early on a Monday morning didn’t exactly bode well for the rest of her week. Walking as fast as she could in her four inch heels, Claire was halfway from her car to the front door of the imposing black Fort Meade NSA headquarters building when her cell rang. It wasn’t even seven a.m., so whoever was calling probably didn’t have good news. With a mental curse she slowed enough to dig through her purse then continued hurrying to the entrance as she checked the screen.
She bit back a groan when she saw her father’s number on display and answered anyway. “Hi, Dad. I’m just on my way into an important meeting and I’m in a rush, so I can’t talk right now.” Her boss’s call had woken her from a dead sleep at five thirty and she had less than ten minutes to get up to his office for the impromptu seven o’clock meeting. Whatever it was about, it had to be big. The nervous flutter in her belly intensified.
Her father didn’t ask her to call him back later or bother with small talk. “Your brother had a really bad night last night. Won’t talk to me. Can you stop by on your way home from work, check up on him?”
Claire pursed her lips and bit back a sigh. Well there was no one else to do it, was there? “I don’t know what time I’ll be done today, but yeah, I’ll stop by on my way home.”
“Thanks, honey. Love you.”
“Love you too.” That was the hell of it, she thought as she disconnected. She loved both the maddening alpha male veterans in her life.
Shoving her phone away, she smoothed one hand over her hair to ensure it was still in the hasty bun she’d twisted it into upon leaving the car, and strode to the entrance of the building. Once through security and up the elevator, she left her coat at her work station and snagged a cup of coffee before hurrying to her boss’s office. She waved at Ruth, Alex’s sixty-something personal assistant, as she passed and received the same in turn. Outside her boss’s closed door she paused to take a deep breath and collect herself, then knocked.
“Come in.”
She found Alex on the phone, his attention riveted to whatever he had pulled up on his computer screen in the center of his wide desk. He sliced a glance her way, his silver eyes doing a swift assessment of her before turning back to his monitor. Claire sat in a chair opposite his desk and waited for him to finish, fighting off her nervousness. She checked the clock on the wall. One minute to seven, and she was the only one here. That didn’t seem good.
She folded her hands in her lap as she waited, her mind churning with all kinds of unsettling thoughts. Was she in trouble again? Two weeks ago she’d tripped the NSANet while doing a favor for a…friend that entailed her poking around for information that might help him and his defense contract team while they worked a high risk job in Pakistan. What she’d found by pure chance had triggered a shit storm here at the NSA.
That single favor had resulted in a multi-agency investigation and manhunt for Malik Hassani, former senior official with the Pakistani ISI, now wanted for his connections with Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan cell responsible for multiple attacks there. Including the kidnapping and murder of philanthropist John Patterson, and the subsequent attempts to kill his daughter, Khalia.
At last Alex finished his conversation and hung up the
phone, then turned his pale gaze on her. Though he’d just turned fifty he was still an imposing man, a former Special Forces NCO who’d served multiple combat tours in Iraq before leaving the Army and joining the NSA. Right now that steely stare reminded her so much of her father’s when she’d done something wrong as a kid, her palms turned clammy.
“We’ve got a situation,” he said without preamble.
Obviously, if he’d woken her with a phone call to bring her in this early. “I figured that. But am I the only one you brought in for this meeting?” Because that might mean really bad news. Maybe she was facing some sort of disciplinary measures for looking up classified info for someone outside the agency without permission.
“The others are with the director right now. They’ll be here when they’re done.”
Holy shit, the director? Whatever was going on, it was bigger than she’d realized. She tried not to let her unease show, glad that at least she didn’t seem to be in any sort of trouble with the agency. “So what’s up?”
He took a manila file from one corner of his desk, opened it and slid it toward her. “Since you discovered his surfacing in Islamabad, the agency’s been heavily involved in finding Hassani. He’s still holed up somewhere, nobody knows where for sure, but most analysts think he likely got across the border into Afghanistan. At any rate, as of early this morning the cell he’s connected with just became a threat for our national security.”
What? Frowning, she took the folder from him and looked at Hassani’s picture on the first page of the document. Middle aged, heavyset Pakistani man with deep set black eyes and a neatly trimmed mustache and goatee. She flipped the page and scanned the content about his apparent affiliation with the TTP cell, the recent attack on the girls’ school in the Swat Valley, built and operated by John Patterson’s scholarship foundation Fair Start. After he was murdered his daughter, Khalia, had gone in his stead, and almost died because of it.