Asher watched Jenny finish the last of the cake they’d ordered from room service. He made a mental note to thank them for scrounging it up even after the kitchen had closed.
“Talk about a night we’re going to remember.” She tossed the fork onto the crumb-covered plate. “That was good. Chocolate makes everything better.”
“Did you think we’d ever be here?” he asked.
“Snacking on room service while naked in bed after your stalkers tried to kill us? Nope.” She giggled. “But I could at least have imagined the naked and cake thing.”
“Think you want to do this next election night?”
“Heck yeah.”
“What about the one after that?”
She laughed and stretched next to him. “I’m pretty sure you can coax me anywhere with a good piece of cake.”
“What if I wanted to be governor?”
She smiled. “What if you want to be president?”
“You’d make a great first lady.”
“Glad you think so. Let me know if anyone else is in the running. I’ve apparently got some great fighting moves I might try out again.”
He laughed and pulled her against his chest. “What if I wanted to walk away from it all after this term? I’d be some normal guy with a famous actress on his arm.”
“No one’s famous but you.”
“You keep telling yourself that, and one of these days you’ll realize the truth.”
She shrugged. “What if we were both unknown?”
“I’d still love you like crazy.” He kissed her. “And I’d still want you by my side.”
“Good.”
He rolled off the bed and rummaged through his pants pocket. With a diamond ring in his hand, he watched Jenny’s jaw drop. “I don’t want you to remember tonight because of what happened earlier.”
She closed her mouth and looked at him.
“Didn’t think it would go the way it did. And I was going to wait until after tonight. Fancy dinner. Lots of roses. But I can’t wait another minute. I need you to know that I’m in this forever. That I can’t wait to marry you, whether we walk away from the spotlight or dive head first into something bigger. Whatever happens, I want you there as my wife. Jenny Chase, will you marry me?”
He took her hand and slid on the ring.
“Chocolate cake and a diamond ring? In bed with the man of my dreams?” She leaned over and kissed him. “Nothing else to say but yes.”
THE END
I hope you enjoyed Chased. Please take a moment and leave a review on Amazon. Thank you.
COMING SOON: SAVAGE SECRETS
SAVAGE SECRETS coming early 2014
Caterina Cruz has no home. No loyalties. As an independent operative skilled in intelligence gathering, her sole mission in life is to destroy The Puma, the terrorist who murdered her family. When a chance to infiltrate The Puma’s closely guarded network fizzles, Caterina steps into an elaborate game of charades, forcing a man she barely knows to go undercover as an arms dealer—and her newlywed husband.
Weeks after being attacked with a psychedelic drug, hallucinations continue to plague Rocco Savage, threatening his new rank as second-in-command of Titan Group. Further disturbing his equilibrium—and making it tough to hide the hallucinations—is posing as the husband of the sexy Spanish woman who knows far too much about guns and torture but won’t explain why.
As The Puma draws them into his extremist world, their elaborate deception spins out of control. Heated glances and passionate kisses have nothing to do with their job and everything to do with the connection burning between them. When The Puma realizes his network has been infiltrated, Rocco’s secret and Caterina’s vengeful obsession become impossible to hide. With her fixation threatening to blind her to deadly risks, it’s up to Rocco to pull her back from the edge without losing his heart…or his life.
Excerpt:
Rocco dropped his delivery, and the sack of flesh and bones thudded on the concrete floor.
“Signed. Sealed. Delivered.” Rocco dusted his hands together. “He’s your problem now. Adios.”
“Adios?” The word danced in the air. Soft to the hardness of the calloused room. Sexy and exotic. Accented. And gorgeous. “Fine. Adios if that’s what you want.”
He turned on the heel of his boot, lasering in on a shadowy corner sheathed by a partition. A woman? A silhouetted figure stood with a hand on a cocked hip, behind a screen. Long legs and a pony tail outlined in a magnificent shadow. Holy hell. Nothing about that belonged in this room.
This place was violence and atrocity. She was a gauzy reflection of soft edges and a smooth voice. Hell. He hadn’t even seen her, touched her. Yet. But that fact didn’t stop his gut from tightening and his eyes from popping. Nah, must have been all the adrenaline from snatching the terrorist not ten minutes before. But damn if he wasn’t wishing for coulda, woulda, shoulda met this girl someplace else.
Rocco swallowed against the boulder in this throat. “What I want has nothing to do with mission objective.”
The metallic clang of tools hitting the cement floor clattered from behind the partition. She let loose a swell of what was probably curses, in Spanish, then her sing-song called to him, still hidden behind the screen. “Ah, the American who plays by the rules. How interesting.”
Her cursing made him chuckle, and made him…interested. This whole place did. What the hell was she saying anyway? It was a rollercoaster of pissed-off words, complete with rolled Rs that nearly swayed over his senses. He wanted her to keep talking.
Another step closer and damn if he didn’t want to see her face, knowing it would do far more justice to the rockin’ silhouette painted behind the partition. “Says the Brit who speaks like a Spaniard.” And swears like a—
“I’m not British.”
What else could he learn about her in the next, oh, minute and a half he was expected to be here? Maybe she would keep talking. He’d jump through all kinds of hoops if that woman would let loose her accent again. Please, keep talking. “And I don’t play by the rules. But you—”
She laughed, and the sound slid over his body, winding down his spine. He took in a deep breath, embracing the sensation. The laugh was better than her words, and he wanted to make it happen again.
“Today.” She was back to work. “It looks like you do.”
“I came bearing a gift.” He looked to the man lying on the floor. “My mission objective is complete, and your invite comes just a little too late.” That and he’d left a team of men sitting outside. If he didn’t walk out soon, they’d make an appearance, guns pointed and on a search-and-destroy mission. Rocco not coming out was most definitely not on their itinerary.
“I see.”
No, you don’t. You can’t see anything, and I’m dying to see you.
It was just a voice. But hell. She was too… something. Rare. Offbeat. Familiar?
She worked behind the screen and walked toward the edge of the partition. Such a tease. Like she knew he was ready to knock the thing over to get a good look at what housed that voice, her laugh, and those never-ending legs.
“Fine. Go.” She shooed him away with a grand sweep of her arm. “Team Titan off to the next job.”
The sound of the Ts rolling off her tongue made his chest crash into itself. Ribs crumbling. Lungs deflating. A reaction based solely on intuition. “You know more about me than I know about you. Come on out of your hiding place.”
“Almost done with my prep work.” More of that accent that had him turned on and unable to walk out of the room. A pause dangled in the air. A zap of electricity and bright white sparks sprayed from behind the divider. Shock therapy was in store for the man still groaning on the floor, and for a brief second, Rocco almost pitied the terrorist. Almost.
“Perfect,” she whispered. More sparks. More zaps.
Without his control, his eyes slammed shut. Only for a half second. Long enough that a shiver ran down his shoulders. But he had this. No flashbacks or star sightin
gs would happen right now. Those zaps were as real as the body behind that screen. There was no way in hell this was a hallucination.
She stepped out. An image of beauty in a desolate, craptastic interrogation site. One long leg then the next teased him to the point of distraction. He followed the length of her boot, drinking in the skintight black pants over the sway of her hips. A black shirt covered her torso and stretched over what he knew were the definition of perfect breasts. Finally, Rocco let his focus caress the curve of her lips, the deepness and darkness of her intense stare.
More than model gorgeous. More than manufactured beauty. She was sweet and sultry. A vision. Standing there with electrical cables and a torture table at the ready, she couldn’t have been more out of place. Yet, this was her room. She owned it, and that kind of confidence was unshakeable.
He cleared his throat. “Do you need a hand?”
“Does it look like I do?” She looked over her shoulder, smiling a half grin. Knowing the connotation behind his question. Challenging him to say it out loud. She stopped. Turned around and stared, eyes narrowed and lips pursed. Then she smiled again, nodding. “Do you believe in coincidence?”
Coincidence? More like luck, walking into a room manned by a woman as deadly and dangerous as she was beautiful and breathtaking.
He heard noises from the outer room. Seemed he’d overstayed his prescribed amount of time before backup was ready to check in. “Well, I’ll leave you to it.”
“See you around. Handsome.”
SAVAGE SECRETS COMING 2014
EXTRAS
CHARACTER INTERVIEW CONDUCTED BY USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR J.B. SALSBURY
(Time setting: Takes place after Winters Heat)
JB SALSBURY: I’m shaking. I’m a grown woman who hangs out with UFL fighters all day, yet sitting in a room filled with TV screens, bleeping lights, and equipment that I’m convinced could find Hoffa’s body in no time, I’m freaking shaking! I look down to readjust my cleavage. Maybe the push-up bra was too much? A little shimmy and hoist to get the girls up—is that a camera? I’m being watched? Annnnd, I just plumped up my BOOBS! Groaning, I drop my forehead to the table. Why did I let Spice talk me into this? Sure, I’d love to go hang out in the freakin’ WAR ROOM with a bunch of TRAINED KILLERS! And the mini-skirt and push-up bra will make me look sooooo professional. I’m an idiot.
The sound of super industrial locks click and slide. I fling back to sitting and try to wipe the holy-shit-I’m-gonna-die look from my face. The door swings open and—whoa…
A guy the size of a professional fighter walks in whose expression is less than welcoming. That has to be Jared. I jump to my feet. Not sure why, but something about his presence commands it. Once he’s in the room, two other guys follow in behind him. One has short dark hair with a kick ass pair of aviator sunglasses hooked on his dark blue tee. Must be Colby. The other is sporting a hot-as-hell brown cowboy hat with shaggy blond hair spitting out around his ears. That’s definitely Cash.
Once they’re all in, Jared whistles and a stalky brown and white bulldog comes waddling into the room.
JARED: Sit.
I drop in my chair.
JARED: (his lip twitches) Not you.
JB: Oh, um… (I start to stand, but drop back when I see Cash and Colby take a seat) I’ll just sit, if that’s okay with you. Or…
They’re staring at me like I just suggested they wear pink and accessorize with feather boas. These guys are all business. But I got this.
JB: (clear my throat) Right, well hello, guys. Thanks for inviting me to Titan Headquarters. The place was a little hard to find, but I suppose that’s intentional.
JARED: Cristin didn’t give us too much of a choice. Neither did Mia (glares at Colby). So, you’re here. Welcome to Titan.
JB: Oh… (Awkward.)
CASH: (rolls his eyes): Don’t mind Boss Man. He’s trying to be on his best behavior. This is about as good as it gets.
COLBY: (Throws a handful of Dots into his mouth)
Never thought watching a guy eat DOTS could be so entertaining, but—
JARED: Nothing to say, Winters?
I jump. Man, does anything this guy says not come across as a direct order? His voice sounds like a grizzly bear gargling rocks.
COLBY: Nope.
JARED: If Mia wasn’t so damn good for you, I’d spend the next bit talking about how a pint-sized woman has you whipped.
COLBY (another handful of Dots)
The room is thick with tension. I’m throwing out these questions and running the hell out of here.
JB: Alrighty. Well, I have a list of questions. Some you’ll hate, but please, please (leaning in for emphasis) please remember I DID NOT WRITE THEM. I’m only the messenger. So no hits need to be marked or whatever you call it. Cool?
(Silence)
JB: Right. (Cristin if they kill me, I will be so pissed at you) Colby, what up with the DOTS, dude?
COLBY: I have a sweet tooth. And they’re fun to eat by the handful.
JB: But you eat them when you’re stressed?
COLBY: I eat them on the job because they’re easy.
JB: Hmmm… (tapping my pen) They’re really not. M&M’s are easy. DOTS? Those take work. Besides, I’m pretty sure there was a scene or two when you and Mia were at odds and you went scrounging through Dots boxes like a crack head searching for a fix.
COLBY (eyes narrowed): I don’t get stressed.
CASH: Dude. Chill out, buddy. The ladies out there are curious, wondering if you’re going to let yourself go now that your married with a bun in the oven and all.
JB: Well, you know, I was promised this was a shirtless interview. Just saying.
CASH (tosses his cowboy hat off, tugging his shirt up): Anything you want, girl. But fair is fair. This comes off, so does your—
JB: Yes, please. (Oh, dammit. I said that out loud.)
JARED: Cash, shut the hell up.
JB: Nice abs, and a great segue into my next question. (jotting down that Cash’s abs are INSANE, then flipping a yellow page of my legal pad) You’re a bit of a womanizer, aren’t you, Cash?
CASH: I enjoy my time with the ladies.
JB: Anyone in particular? (No way a guy like this doesn’t have a girlfriend)
CASH: Nope. Never. Not my style.
JB: (Huh, he answered that a little too quickly.) Never?
CASH (a flicker of something sad crosses his face, but he grabs his cowboy hat): What’s the point? Love a woman today, she might be gone tomorrow. I’m in it for the fun. And I haven’t heard any complaints.
COLBY (Laughs, shaking head):
I’m not buying it. There’s a story there, but to avoid pissing the expert sniper off, I’ll leave that story for Cristin to tell.
CASH: Like you were Mister Innocent before Mia came around. Did you ever say no to some sexed up, no commitment fun? Nope. Didn’t think so.
JB: Jared, you’re awfully quiet about all this relationship stuff. Anything you want to share?’
JARED: I have no time or interest in a regular piece of—in a relationship.
CASH: No one could stand him anyway.
JB: (cough) Oh, I doubt that. I’m sure a TON of women would enjoy putting up with Jared Westin. (me, me, me!)
COLBY: The woman would have to have balls of steel.
CASH: And more sass and ‘tude then he’d know what to do with.
JB: Know anyone like that? (me, me, me!)
COLBY: No one that wouldn’t castrate him for the hell of it.
CASH: Or that would be interested in (using air quotes) a relationship.
JARED: No one’s asking you boys to set me up. Jackasses. I prefer a little more discretion.
COLBY: Yeah, what you prefer is two at a time.
Oh. My. Gosh. He didn’t just say that. Two at a time?
CASH: Look at Boss Man, trying to sound like he won’t get rough and rowdy.
JARED: Cash, you’re a moron. You seriously don’t think Cristin is goi
ng to read the transcripts of this little sit down and not plot your slow death by the hands of woman interested in making forever stick with you? Be careful. If you’re too stupid to realize what could happen, shit, that’s not my problem.
JB: Oh… (I gesture to Jared) He’s got a point, Cash. You’re totally screwed.
CASH: Yeah, trust me. Cristin can try all she wants. I have no interest in a relationship…
JB: Hmm, why does that sentence feel unfinished? …ever again?
CASH (readjusts cowboy hat): Subject change. Now.
JB (throwing hands up): The messenger, remember? (What is that slobbering grunting noise?) Um, I think your dog is chewing on the table.
JARED: Probably is.
JB: Oh-kay… Back to basics- boxers or briefs?
No one says a word.
JB: Oh come on. The readers want to know.
(Silence)
JB: Well, okay. I guess if you’re not man enough to answer a simple question about your preference in undergarments I’ll just have to make it up. Hmmm, men wear g-strings, don’t they?
CASH: Any lady that wants to find out if I’m sporting boxers or briefs can give me a call.
(Gripping my hand under the table to keep it from flying up to volunteer)
COLBY: Seriously, man. (Shaking head) Do you ever stop?
JARED: Next question.
JB: (jotting down g-strings…got it) Um, okay. Jared, why did you decide to start Titan?
JARED: Bad shit happened to good people. I was sick of it.
JB: Huh. That it?
JARED: That’s all you get. I had personal reasons.
JB: (jeez, he’s so crabby) All three of you are former military?
CASH: The military focused my mind—
COLBY: And gave you an obsession. Ever seen that man without his rifle?
JARED: Don’t care how attached he is to the thing, he’s one of the best snipers in the world.
JB: You guys have been great…in a kinda scary, but super hot kinda way. So, to wrap this up, let’s do a little word play.
CASH: Baby, I will role play with you any time.
JB: (giggle, blush) Um…word play.
The Titan Series: Military Romance Boxed Set Page 96