by Laura Kaye
Five dishonored soldiers.
Former Special Forces.
One last mission.
These are the men of Hard Ink.
Ever since hard-bodied, drop-dead-charming Shane McCallan strolled into the dance club where Crystal Dean works, he's shown a knack for getting beneath her defenses. For her little sister's sake, Crystal can't get too close. Until her job and Shane's mission intersect, and he reveals talents that go deeper than she could have guessed.
Shane would never turn his back on a friend in need, especially a former Special Forces teammate running a dangerous, off-the-books operation. Nor can he walk away from Crystal. The gorgeous waitress is hiding secrets she doesn't want him to uncover. Too bad. He's exactly the man she needs to protect her sister, her life, and her heart. All he has to do is convince her that when something feels this good, you hold on as hard as you can--and never let go.
Read an Extended Excerpt of Book 1, Hard
As It Gets
It’s
release day! And I’m so excited to share Hard
As You Can, the second book in the Hard Ink series, with all of you here
today! Hard As You Can follows the
surviving members of a disgraced Army Special Forces team as they fight to
regain their stolen honor, and finds their investigation crossing paths with a
waitress willing to do whatever it takes to stay alive and protect her younger
sister. For Shane McCallan, saving Crystal Dean is a mission he refuses to turn
down.
Today,
I’ve got a scene filled with lots of sexual tension and emotion to share with
you, one that I absolutely adored writing! I hope you enjoy this look into the
growing attraction between Shane and Crystal from Hard As You Can:
“I
didn’t mean to criticize you, Crystal. I just cannot abide violence against
women. Period. Especially not someone I know.” A long pause. “And definitely
not someone I like.” After everything that had happened to her, the words were
a balm for her psyche.
Footsteps
came up behind her, slowly, cautiously, like she was a wild animal who would
bolt in an instant. And she supposed there was some truth to that analogy.
Torn
between returning to the danger she knew or staying with the one she didn’t,
Crystal debated. Her heart told her Shane might well be the most dangerous man
she’d ever met because he made her want, wish, maybe even dream.
Not
at all sure it was a good idea, Crystal slowly turned.
Shane
was right in front of her. A rock in the middle of a raging sea, a refuge she
might claim if she had the strength and the will and the nerve to fight for it.
To believe she deserved it. She hugged herself.
“Hey,”
he said, cupping her face in his big hands. His fingers slid behind her neck
and gently massaged.
She
shook her head and glanced toward the treetops in an effort to pinch off the sting
building behind her eyes. Why did she have to meet him now? She’d had a plan, and
all she’d needed to do was follow it for a few more months. “You don’t even
know me.”
“No.
Not everything. But I know more than a little. And that much I like enough to want
to know more.” His fingers rubbed her neck, gently, soothingly.
And
his words, well, his words were perfect. Maybe even too much so. Too good to
be true, she thought. “I already told you I’d share what I’d learned. You
don’t have to play me.”
His
eyes narrowed, and he frowned. “You listen hard and you listen good, sweetness,”
he said, the words firm but the tone urgent, almost desperate, and laced with
his southern accent. “I’m not perfect, and God knows I’ve made a lot of
mistakes in my life. But I would never play with a woman’s emotions to get
information out of her. That kind of manipulation doesn’t hold with me. Ever.”
Sweetness.
She’d
heard everything he’d said. The passion with which he’d said it. The sincerity
that burned from his gaze as the words had poured from his lips. But it was the
term of endearment that reached into her chest and gripped her heart. For a
long moment, they stood there, bodies touching, faces inches apart, his hands
holding her in that firm-but-gentle way he had.
Thunder
rumbled again, closer this time, and her heart was a drum beat double-timing
inside
her chest. If his hands didn’t feel it racing, he’d have to hear it, because the
sound was a loud rush rush in her ears. Beneath the sports bra and tank,
her nipples went hard. If his gaze dropped, she knew he’d see, but she couldn’t
bring herself to feel self-conscious about it. Not when he was looking at her
like he wanted to devour her.
His
gaze dropped to her lips.
She
shuddered, everything inside her but the smallest voice of reason crying out
for him to do it. Just once.
“Tell
me not to,” he said, his voice a raw scrape.
So that’s Shane
and Crystal for you! Did you have a favorite line? Thanks for reading!
~Laura
“Edgy, sexy, and
full of suspense! A great read from a great new author!”
~J.R. Ward on Hard As It Gets
Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over a dozen books in contemporary and paranormal romance. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.
No comments:
Post a Comment