Series: Deadly Force #4
Publication date: May 17th, 2022
Synopsis:
Is love worth risking everything for?
Rose Guthrie, a reluctant erotic dancer, hasn't trusted anyone since her parents' death. Yet, to make money for her brother's heart transplant, she agrees to deliver a sealed box to a mysterious buyer. Until the box--and the seller--disappear. Not surprised by the betrayal, her situation becomes more dangerous when she learns that a brutal arms dealer, known as the Prince, also wants the box and will kill everyone she loves for it. With one clue left, she breaks into Doom--Savannah's violent, illegal fight club. Unfortunately, Doom's referee--the sexy, ex-Army Ranger, Kade Dolan--stands in her way. Although she harbors a secret attraction to Kade, she can't let him stop her. If she doesn't deliver the box on time, she'll lose everything. Including her own life.
Rose doesn't trust disgraced Army Ranger, ex-con Kade Dolan, but that's okay--he doesn't trust himself either. Why? Because he lies to everyone about everything, including his time in Leavenworth and his job as an illegal fight club referee. Then there are his two side gigs. The first as an informant for the Prince, the leader of a secret, two-thousand-year-old private army. The second, loving from afar the beautiful, secretive Rose Guthrie. After the Prince discovers Rose is the courier of a lost 18th century artifact, he orders Kade to help her find the box before their greatest enemy does. If they succeed, Kade must return it to the Prince. If they fail, Kade must kill her.
Betrayal or death. When faced with an impossible choice, Kade can't lie anymore, at least not when it comes to what he's about to do the woman he loves. But when Rose uncovers Kade's lies, they learn a terrible truth--the 18th century box holds a secret far deadlier than they imagined. A secret that could destroy them all.
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Excerpt
Rose closed her eyes, and heat rushed through her with a speed that took away her breath.
Kade just admitted he was falling in love with her, yet she couldn't form any words. While she was seriously attracted to him, and had to admit to the deep, underlying connection between them, she couldn't help holding back emotionally. Yes, she wanted him. Yes, she craved his touch. Yes, she was worried about him getting hurt while he protected her. But she was scared. He kept secrets and fought in a dark world she didn't understand. And she wasn't sure what to do--or feel--about that.
Love required trust. And trusting others had always been her biggest fear.
Luckily, she didn't have to think about it at that moment. He held her face so gently she barely felt his fingers against her skin. His masculine scent turned her legs into cookie dough.
She remembered all the things he'd done for her since she'd met him. Not to mention what he'd endured since her run-in with Antoine.
Kade moved slowly. Although she thought she was ready for his kiss, when his mouth tested her lips, she moaned and encircled his waist with her arms. His hands found her hips, and he dropped butterfly kisses all over her face. The heat from his larger body, his murmurs of pleasure when she wrapped her arms around his neck, and his sudden inhale when she surrendered to the kiss, changed everything.
His lips became hot, and he tilted to deepen the kiss. No one had--ever--kissed her like this. Never with so much passion. Never with so much force. Never with so much demand. Yet he tempered his insistence with a gentleness that melted the icy façade she worked so hard to maintain.
Kade's kiss was the most erotic moment she'd ever experienced.
When he raised his head, she opened her eyes to see his glittering blue gaze. "I swear to you that I'll protect you and Timmy."
"We have to find that box, Kade. It is the only way to set us free."
His eyes darkened, almost as if he wanted to contradict her. Instead, he said, "I know." His lips brushed hers again just as the church bells rang, and he added, "But not right now."
"No," she whispered as his lips moved down her neck. "Not right now."
Sharon is a librarian who once studied dress design in the couture houses of Paris and now writes of novels of suspense, adventure, and love. A caretaker of Donut the one-eyed rescue dog, she's addicted to snapping photos and eating Oreos.
She writes the bestselling Deadly Force romantic suspense series where smart, sexy women teach their alpha males that Grace always defeats Reckoning.
