Series: Salvation's Bane MC #9
Publication date: August 27th, 2021
Published by: Changeling Press
Synopsis:
I should send her far away from me. But one kiss and I know she's mine. I'll kill to protect her.
Rosanna: Salvation's Bane's been good to me -- more of a family than I've ever had before. And I want that. But I'm not a kid any more, and I know what I want. Red. I need him to see me as more than just another mechanic. No matter how good I am, working beside the man is never going to be enough. I'm going to break him down. Get under his skin, until he realizes I'm a grown ass woman, and I know my mind. And if that bitch of an ex wife of his doesn't leave us alone, she's the next thing I'm gonna break.
Red: I'm headed for a special hell. Rosanna knows her way around cars, I'll give her that, and she looks sexy as hell with a wrench in her hands and a spot of grease on her nose, but she's just a kid. I know she's got a past she can't or won't talk about, and she may think she's all grown up, but she's younger than my son, Anthony. Pretty sure that makes me some kind of a pervert. And now that Anthony's the assistant DA, he's got a bee up his ass to take me down. Be damned if I'll let him take Rosanna with me. I should send her far away from me and this life, but one kiss is all it takes to pull me under. I could no more give her up than I could give up the air that I breathe. I'd kill to protect her. And from the looks of things, I may have to.
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Excerpt
Anthony sneered at Red, looking to his mother. "What did you ever see in this Neanderthal, Mom? He's so far beneath us. Why didn't you just drop him a long time ago?"
"I did, sweetheart. But he wouldn't leave me alone. Stalked me." Red growled, but said nothing. "Probably because he couldn't get another woman after he left me to fend for myself. It was hard enough on him before I took him on. If I hadn't, I have no doubt he'd have been all alone these years."
Rosanna had heard enough. "That's so much fucking bullshit," she muttered and took a step forward.
Grease slid in front of her, careful not to touch her because, yeah. His name said it all. He was not as careful getting muck all over him as she was. "Whatever you're thinking, Rosie. Don't. This is between the three of them."
"I'm not letting them berate Red like this."
"You have no idea what went on before you got here. You sure he doesn't deserve it?"
"You saying he does? If so, tell me and I'll gladly let the fucker take whatever they dish out."
Grease sighed. "You're gonna be in so much trouble, Rosie..."
She nodded. "That's what I thought."
Rosanna moved away from Grease and near the break-room entrance once again. She tossed her cap to the floor. Her hair was parted in the middle and woven into two tight French braids, leaving the ends to swing freely nearly to her waist. She didn't have time to fix that, but she figured it was sexy in an innocent kind of way. Hell, her whole outfit was sexy in that context. Time for some fun.
She let out an ear-splitting squeal and bounded in the trio's direction. "Red! Red!" she shouted excitedly. "I've missed you so much!"
Red turned to her, his eyes wide. He shook his head slightly, either to warn her off or to convince himself he was really seeing what he thought he was seeing. Rosanna grinned from ear to ear as she jumped into his arms, wrapped her arms and legs around him and hugged him tight. Red's arms came around her instinctively, but he didn't try to push her away. In fact, did she imagine he squeezed her to him just as tightly as she squeezed him? This whole thing might have been a huge mistake on her part. Not because Red might be pissed at her. Because now she knew what it was like to be held tightly in his arms. And it felt fucking good.
When she pulled back it was to grab his face with both hands and pepper it with kisses all over. "I tried to call but knew you wouldn't have that stupid phone with you," she said between kisses. "I'm sorry it took me so long to get back!" Then she made her second mistake. One of her kisses landed full on his mouth. Electricity seemed to zing through her body, and she stiffened. She might have pulled back then, but Red's deep growl warned her to stay right where she was. Then he deepened the kiss.
Romance author by night, emergency room tech/clerk by day, Marteeka Karland works really hard to drive everyone in her life completely and totally nuts. She has been creating stories from her warped imagination since she was in the third grade. Her love of writing blossomed throughout her teenage years until it developed into the totally unorthodox and irreverent style her English teachers tried so hard to rid her of. Now, she breathes life into faeries, space hunters, werewolves, vampires, shapeshifters, and a few just plain ole ordinary people. She loves to see the awkward, self-conscious band geek get the captain of the football team and make him beg for it.
