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Blurb
Between a rock and a hard place.
To Sergeant Zeke Hayes, the expression has always been a non-factor. There's never been a situation he can't blast, punch, or smart-ass his way out of, which makes him the perfect fit for his Special Forces battalion--and a natural-born Dominant who's made a lot of submissives happy from Mt. Rainier to Vancouver.
That all changes when Rayna Chestain enters his world.
A rock.
From the moment Z snatches Rayna from the lair of a South Asian slave trafficker, his inner grizzly roars to life. This is a huge damn problem, because Z isn't wired to be a one-woman man. Growing up an orphan on the streets of Seattle has taught him that beyond a few hours in a dungeon, trust means disappointment and love leads to agony. But here he is, in the remote wilderness escape he'd promised not to share with anyone, harboring Rayna from a fiend who now wants his pound of revenge flesh from her.
A hard place.
Sheltering Rayna? Z's never done anything more right in his life. But wanting her? Dreaming of her beneath him, surrendering to his passion and domination? It's the most forbidden fruit he can crave...and the only thing he can't stop thinking about.
A new beginning?
This is a dead-end canyon that no rifle, bomb or sweet talk will let Zeke escape from. The only way out is to confront the reality of what Rayna has done to him...the mountain she's moved in his intractable heart.
Excerpt
A thousand images filled his mind, none of them good. There was no damn way Mua could know they were here unless the cockroach had gotten to Garrett or Franz, or had his minions hack into the team’s personal records. Neither scenario had a bright side of any kind. And if the din wasn’t Mua breaking in, then it had to be something like a pissed-off raccoon, mountain lion, or bear.
“Fuck.” He repeated it as he skidded around the corner to the kitchen.
There were no marauding forest creatures. No armed and clumsy Mua henchmen, either. The wound in his upper back, now throbbing due to Rayna’s debridement and butterfly bandage treatment of this morning, thanked him for that.
But suddenly, ripping open those dressings seemed a really good plan. He wondered if he could go back and pick that box as the alternative to what he did encounter.
Rayna stood next to the sink where the running water was fast filling one side with wash bubbles. She’d changed back into his Henley, though he’d gotten her a set of pajamas in town. Next to her bare feet were both their dinner plates, in pieces now, surrounded by squished macaroni and spattered cheese. Her head was dipped but not so low that he didn’t see the harsh wobble of her chin and the heaving breaths in her chest.
“They just slipped,” she stammered. “I’m so sorry.”
“They’re just dishes.” The angry blades in his retort weren’t intentional. He didn’t care about the goddamn dishes. It incensed him that she thought, even for a second, that he would. “Are you okay? Did you get hurt?”
She shook her head.
“Then what’s wrong?” He went to her, skirting the shattered china. As soon as he touched her shoulder, dread sliced his gut again. “Christ. You’re not okay. You’re shaking like a—” He stopped himself. Awareness blared through his brain, hot and intense. “Shit. You don’t have your medication, do you? You went to the club straight from Sally’s. You thought you’d be going home.”
“I don’t need my medication.” She squeaked the words before lifting her head a few inches. “Where are your clothes?”
He reached around her and slammed the faucet off. Since the suds were nearing the lip of the sink, a line of them stuck to the underside of his arm. “I just got out of the shower.”
“And look.” A manic giggle spurted off her lips. “Now you’re all soapy again.” Inside another second, the laughter turned to a sad moan. She sucked in a choppy breath as she stared at the bubbles dripping off his triceps. “Holy crap, Zeke. Your arms are really nice.”
“Thanks. Are you sure—”
“I should get something to clean that stuff up.” She turned away, sliding along the counter until she was clear from him.
“Uh-uh.” By instinct or by necessity, his Dom baritone broke free. He took one step to recover the three she’d taken away from him. “You’re going to scoot your ass to the other room and realign your chakras again, or whatever the hell you need to do, while I figure out a way to contact Sally and have her call in a prescription for you.”
She shoved against his chest, making his eyebrows jump. “I don’t need the damn medicine.”
He followed her stomping journey into the living room. “Really? Because you’re weaving like a goose on acid, honey.”
“I don’t need the medicine.”
He unfurled a threatening snarl. “Rayna—”
“I don’t need the medicine.”
She whirled back toward him, now raising her face fully. He stumbled back a step from the force of the sight. Huge tears welled in her gaze. Her eyebrows bunched in torment. Her lips battled each other as if disagreeing on how to hold back emotions that seemed a living beast inside her. She tore him apart with that stare. Reduced him to the same raw need with which she stared at him.
“I—don’t need—the medicine.” The whispers came out between her quaking steps back toward him. When she came close enough to touch him again, she bowed her head. “I need…”
She slid to her knees.
Then dropped her forehead against his feet.
“I need this,” she rasped. “Please, Zeke. I know you’re not signing on for forever…but as long as I can have this from you, I need this.”
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Guest Post
CONGRATS to Renee on the release of your newest!! Setting free a new book into the world is a crazy thing. I used to say it's like giving birth. In reality, it's more like you're watching your kid graduate--and you're hoping he/she takes off and does what they're supposed to! LOL!
It's been very exciting to finally let the world see Zeke and Rayna's story. Every book is so special to me...but these two began weaving their way into my soul before Garrett and Sage were even done. I hope you enjoy their journey to healing each other through the power of love.
Giveaway Information
Angel is excited to give away an e-copy of any of my books, plus a $10 Amazon gift card. Thanks for stopping by the party! Just comment below and fill out Angel's portion of the rafflecopter
Please Please Please Pick Me.....
ReplyDeleteHappy Happy Birthday You awesome Girl!!!!! I hope you have had an Awesome day!!!!!