Series: Atrophy #5
Publication date: March 22nd, 2021
Synopsis:
Rian Sherron is a lot of things. Captain of the spaceship Imojenna. Ex-war hero. Ex-assassn. For years, he's traveled from one end of the galaxy to the other, both trying to escape his demons and get revenge on the shape-shifting aliens responsible for his slow demise into hell.
That all changed the day Rian rescued an Arynian priestest from slave traders. Ella Kinton is everything Rian both fears and admires. Ella is everything he never let himself admit he wanted. Together, they must face a harrowing choice--come together and defeat Reidar, or fall apart, leaving the universe in total chaos.
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Excerpt
He glanced over at her, letting his gaze travel over her lithely muscled form in the slinky black dress. She looked hot as hell and somehow still lethal. Like if someone looked at her the wrong way she could take them down in a succession of quick moves, despite the heels and formfitting attire.
"Maybe you're right," he mused, mind having moved on from the issue of finding Rian to maybe getting Cami somewhere alone. "Calling it a night doesn't seem like the worst idea."
She shook her head slightly. "I didn't mean we had to give up right this minute."
He shifted closer to her, even as he caught a hand on her hip and lightly pulled her into his body. "I think we've spent enough time searching for my wayward cousin. I say we put the rest of the night to good use."
"Oh yes?" She laced her fingers behind his neck and pressed into him. "What did you have in mind?"
"You. Me. That dress, and the king-size bed back at the hotel room." He leaned down to feather his lips up her neck and along her jawline, enjoying the way she shivered in his arms.
"Hmm, you might be on to something," she murmured just before his mouth reached hers.
It didn't seem to matter how many times he kissed Cami--that initial touch of lips always sparked through him in exactly the same way, on a cellular level, like every single atom in his body craved her touch. He deepened the kiss, pulling her closer, starting to wonder if they could find somewhere private a little closer than their hotel room. Wouldn't be the first time one of them had dragged the other into a coatroom or closet.
However, Cami broke the kiss to send him an admonishing look. "No more of that. Let's do one last lap of the room before we leave."
She started to pull out of his arms, but he decided to do an octopus impression and managed to snake an arm around her every time she got free of the other one. "Fancy place like this, I bet they have a real nice coatroom. Probably has couches and everything."
She captured both his wrists and then leaned in to press a chaste kiss into his cheek. "I'm sure they do. But we can't risk getting kicked out when the weekend hasn't even started yet, and we've seen no sign of Rian."
He huffed a thwarted sigh and gave up. Damn his cousin. The guy was managing to cockblock him without even being here.
"Fine, one quick lap." He tugged the lapels of his monkey suit straight and offered his arm, all gentlemanly-like. "But then we're out of here."
She patted his shoulder in commiseration. "We'll be back at the hotel before you know it, and then I can show you what I'm wearing under the dress."
He flushed hot and forced himself not to look at her, otherwise the line of his suit trousers was going to start having very obvious issues. "Do I get a clue?"
"Of course." She gave a serious nod as if they were discussing the solution to universal peace, not her underwear in the middle of a party filled with some of the most important political figures of their time, most of whom were probably Reidar. "The clue is nothing."
Qae gulped and swore he nearly swallowed his own damn tongue. "You mean the clue is nothing as in you're not giving me a clue? Or nothing is the answer, as in you're wearing nothing under that dress?"
She sent him a serene smile that gave him no clues whatsoever. "Guess you'll have to find out later."
He clenched his jaw over the urge to throw her over his shoulder caveman-style and hoof it out of there. That would probably be more likely to result in a nut punch, not other more pleasant options for his nuts.
"You are one diabolical woman," he muttered, steering her into a quick walk so they could get the lap of the room over with.
"And don't you forget it." She was apparently vastly amused by her torture, if the grin was anything to go by.
Jess has been making up stories ever since she can remember. Though her messy handwriting made it hard for anyone else to read them, she wasn't deterred and now she gets to make up stories for a living. With a multi-award-winning science fiction romance series to her name, her books feature larger than life heroes with relatable vulnerabilities who find themselves in situations that push their resolve in the limit. Jess is a tea-addict who loves loud music, dancing in her kitchen and a good book on a rainy day. A fangirl at heart, she probably spends too much time watching too many TV shows. Jess lives in regional Victoria, Australia.
