by MB Austin
Rose felt the shape through the wrapping. “A book?” She ripped the shiny paper off with childlike anticipation on her face. She studied the cover of Vandana Shiva’s Monocultures of the Mind with a wrinkled brow, but when she opened the cover, she gasped. “Maji! It’s a first edition. And signed! Do you know how hard these are to come by?”
Maji laughed. “It’s easier if you know somebody who knows her. I know you lost several books in the fire, but that one was your favorite, right?”
In answer, Rose leaned across the table and kissed Maji on the cheek. Her eyes said she wanted to do more, but she sat back into her own chair again instead. “I have a conference to attend later this spring. Traditional foods and cultural preservation by American tribes. You think you might have time?”
“You need a translator?” Maji teased. “Or a bodyguard?”
“Neither. Just company.”
Real people time. With Rose. Oh, man. “Well, I never really know if I’ll be free when I want to be.”
Rose’s face betrayed her frustration. “If you don’t want to, just say so.”
“No—I do. But this is just what I tried to explain, before. I could make plans, and look forward to it, and at the last minute get called away. I don’t get to negotiate. If you retracted the offer, I’d understand.”
“You’ll make it, or you won’t. Je ne regrette rien.” Rose stood. “When I have my itinerary, I’ll send it, care of Paragon, US.”
Her teammate’s voice broke into the thoughts Maji struggled to put together. She keyed the lapel mike. “On my way.” She stood and told Rose, with genuine regret, “They’re moving out. I’ve got to go.”
Rose moved around the table and gave her a soft kiss on the lips—a mere whisper. “Stay safe.”
“You, too.” Maji turned and headed back to her team. She really should have said no to Rose’s offer, pushed her away and set her free to find someone who could make her happy. Too late, Rios.
About the Author
MB Austin, a mild-mannered civil servant by day, spends her discretionary time writing, training in a mix of martial arts, and working to end violence. She also enjoys cooking, eating, reading, dancing, and laughing as much as possible.
MB’s first series, featuring Maji Rios, is inspired by real people, in and out of uniform, who work to make their communities and the world safer for all. And by the people who feed them.
MB lives with her fabulous wife in Seattle, an excellent town for coffee-fueled writers who don’t need too much sun. Peek into daily life and upcoming stories at: www.mbaustin.me.
Books Available From Bold Strokes Books
A More Perfect Union by Carsen Taite. Major Zoey Granger and DC fixer Rook Daniels risk their reputations for a chance at true love while dealing with a scandal that threatens to rock the military. (978-1-62639-754-5)
Arrival by Gun Brooke. The spaceship Pathfinder reaches its passengers’ new homeworld where danger lurks in the shadows while Pamas Seclan disembarks and finds unexpected love in young science genius Darmiya Do Voy. (978-1-62639-859-7)
Captain’s Choice by VK Powell. Architect Kerstin Anthony’s life is going to plan until Bennett Carlyle, the first girl she ever kissed, is assigned to her latest and most important project, a police district substation. (978-1-62639-997-6)
Falling Into Her by Erin Zak. Pam Phillips, widow at the age of forty, meets Kathryn Hawthorne, local Chicago celebrity, and it changes her life forever—in ways she hadn’t even considered possible. (978-1-63555-092-4)
Hookin’ Up by MJ Williamz. Will Leah get what she needs from casual hookups or will she see the love she desires right in front of her? (978-1-63555-051-1)
King of Thieves by Shea Godfrey. When art thief Casey Marinos meets bounty hunter Finnegan Starkweather, the crimes of the past just might set the stage for a payoff worth more than she ever dreamed possible. (978-1-63555-007-8)
Lucy’s Chance by Jackie D. As a serial killer haunts the streets, Lucy tries to stitch up old wounds with her first love in the wake of a small town’s rapid descent into chaos. (978-1-63555-027-6)
Right Here, Right Now by Georgia Beers. When Alicia Wright moves into the office next door to Lacey Chamberlain’s accounting firm, Lacey is about to find out that sometimes the last person you want is exactly the person you need. (978-1-63555-154-9)
Strictly Need to Know by MB Austin. Covert operator Maji Rios will do whatever she must to complete her mission, but saving a gorgeous stranger from Russian mobsters was not in her plans. (978-1-63555-114-3)
Tailor-Made by Yolanda Wallace. Tailor Grace Henderson doesn’t date clients, but when she meets gender-bending model Dakota Lane, she’s tempted to throw all the rules out the window. (978-1-63555-081-8)
Time Will Tell by M. Ullrich. With the ability to time travel, Eva Caldwell will have to decide between having it all and erasing it all. (978-1-63555-088-7)
Change in Time by Robyn Nyx. Working in the past is hell on your future. The Extractor series: Book Two. (978-1-62639-880-1)
Love After Hours by Radclyffe. When Gina Antonelli agrees to renovate Carrie Longmire’s new house, she doesn’t welcome Carrie’s overtures at friendship or her own unexpected attraction. A Rivers Community Novel. (978-1-63555-090-0)
Nantucket Rose by CF Frizzell. Maggie Jordan can’t wait to convert a historic Nantucket home into a B&B, but doesn’t expect to fall for mariner Ellis Chilton, who has more claim to the house than Maggie realizes. (978-1-63555-056-6)
Picture Perfect by Lisa Moreau. Falling in love wasn’t supposed to be part of the stakes for Olive and Gabby, rival photographers in the competition of a lifetime. (978-1-62639-975-4)
Set the Stage by Karis Walsh. Actress Emilie Danvers takes the stage again in Ashland, Oregon, little realizing that landscaper Arden Philips is about to offer her a very personal romantic lead role. (978-1-63555-087-0)
Strike a Match by Fiona Riley. When their attempts at matchmaking fizzle out, firefighter Sasha and reluctant millionairess Abby find themselves turning to each other to strike a perfect match. (978-1-62639-999-0)
The Price of Cash by Ashley Bartlett. Cash Braddock is doing her best to keep her business afloat, stay out of jail, and avoid Detective Kallen. It’s not working. (978-1-62639-708-8)
Under Her Wing by Ronica Black. At Angel’s Wings Rescue, dogs are usually the ones saved, but when quiet Kassandra Haden meets outspoken owner Jayden Beaumont, the two stubborn women just might end up saving each other. (978-1-63555-077-1)
Underwater Vibes by Mickey Brent. When Hélène, a translator in Brussels, Belgium, meets Sylvie, a young Greek photographer and swim coach, unsettling feelings hijack Hélène’s mind and body—even her poems. (978-1-63555-002-3)
A Date to Die by Anne Laughlin. Someone is killing people close to Detective Kay Adler, who must look to her own troubled past for a suspect. There she finds more than one person seeking revenge against her. (978-163555-023-8)
Captured Soul by Laydin Michaels. Can Kadence Munroe save the woman she loves from a twisted killer, or will she lose her to a collector of souls? (978-1-62639-915-0)
Dawn’s New Day by TJ Thomas. Can Dawn Oliver and Cam Cooper, two women who have loved and lost, open their hearts to love again? (978-1-63555-072-6)
Definite Possibility by Maggie Cummings. Sam Miller is just out for good times, but Lucy Weston makes her realize happily ever after is a definite possibility. (978-1-62639-909-9)
Eyes Like Those by Melissa Brayden. Isabel Chase and Taylor Andrews struggle between love and ambition from the writers’ room on one of Hollywood’s hottest TV shows. (978-1-63555-012-2)
Heart’s Orders by Jaycie Morrison. Helen Tucker and Tee Owens escape hardscrabble lives to careers in the Women’s Army Corps, but more than their hearts are at risk as friendship blossoms into love. (978-1-63555-073-3)
Hiding Out by Kay Bigelow. Treat Dandridge is unaware that her life is in danger from the murderer who is hunting the woman she’s falling in love with, Mickey Heiden. (
978-1-62639-983-9)
Omnipotence Enough by Sophia Kell Hagin. Can the tiny tool that abducted war veteran Jamie Gwynmorgan accidentally acquires help her escape an unknown enemy to reclaim her stolen life and the woman she deeply loves? (978-1-63555-037-5)
Summer’s Cove by Aurora Rey. Emerson Lange moved to Provincetown to live in the moment, but when she meets Darcy Belo and her son Liam, her quest for summer romance becomes a family affair. (978-1-62639-971-6)
The Road to Wings by Julie Tizard. Lieutenant Casey Tompkins, Air Force student pilot, has to fly with the toughest instructor, Captain Kathryn “Hard Ass” Hardesty, fly a supersonic jet, and deal with a growing forbidden attraction. (978-1-62639-988-4)
Beauty and the Boss by Ali Vali. Ellis Renois is at the top of the fashion world, but she never expects her summer assistant Charlotte Hamner to tear her heart and her business apart like sharp scissors through cheap material. (978-1-62639-919-8)
Fury’s Choice by Brey Willows. When gods walk amongst humans, can two women find a balance between love and faith? (978-1-62639-869-6)
Lessons in Desire by MJ Williamz. Can a summer love stand a four-month hiatus and still burn hot? (978-1-63555-019-1)
Lightning Chasers by Cass Sellars. For Sydney and Parker, being a couple was never what they had planned. Now they have to fight corruption, murder, and enemies hiding in plain sight just to hold on to each other. Lightning Series, Book Two. (978-1-62639-965-5)
Summer Fling by Jean Copeland. Still jaded from a breakup years earlier, Kate struggles to trust falling in love again when a summer fling with sexy young singer Jordan rocks her off her feet. (978-1-62639-981-5)