by Loraine Mer
Enjoy the following excerpt:
Erica studied the file in front of her and sighed. She'd been staring at that same page for the past 30 minutes and she still had no idea what it was about. Her concentration was shot to hell and she had a very good idea what the reason was. Perhaps she should get up, walk a bit...
She sighed again. She went to stand at the window overlooking the metropolis area. The view from the twenty-fifth level was grand and beautiful, but she didn't see them. She saw him, his beautifully sculptured lips, hot and full of passion; his long and nimble fingers, sure and skillful against her breasts, teasing her nipples into prominence. She closed her eyes and moaned, reliving that one magical night. His mouth scorched and burned her, and his erection flared against her stomach. A liquid pooling started in her pussy.
Her hunger was exacerbated by the raw lust in his clear, gray eyes, naked with need. His eyes changed, became dark and full of contempt, and his lips, stern and unyielding, despising her.
She gave a sob of frustration as her eyes opened. Oh what was she doing even thinking about it? After yesterday, he wouldn't want anything to do with her anymore. All that passion had morphed into hatred, she was sure. Both families were noted for being religious in keeping the feud alive.
Her internal line rang. She heaved a big sigh, crossed the room and picked up the phone. “Yes?"
"Ms. Langdon, the representative from Canaan Associates Consulting is here."
"Send him in."
A few seconds later, there was a perfunctory knock. The door opened.
Erica started to look up. “Good mor—” The rest of the words stuck in her throat at her profound shock. The smile died on her lips. The door closed, but she barely noticed it. Her knees went weak as a wave of intense longing washed over her. She gripped the mahogany desk for support. “What—what—"
"Erica, we meet again."
The way he said her name caused heat to slice through her, bathing her with lust. Her belly tightened with need.
Yesterday's awful incident flashed through her mind. Her spine stiffened. “Why have you come? All threats can be coursed through our public relations office. You needn't deliver them yourself. Or perhaps, you can send your grandmother to make trouble again at the store—” A gasp escaped her lips as he advanced on her, his expression stern and forbidding. He didn't seem to see the big desk as a hindrance, for he went around it.
Erica staggered away from the desk, putting one foot after the other behind her automatically until her back hit the wall. Still, he came toward her until his face was but an inch away from her. She pressed against the wall, breathless. His hands shot out on either side of her head, trapping her.
She looked up into his clear gray eyes, liquid pools of something unidentifiable that sent her heart racing. Fear? Desire? Anticipation?
She didn't know anymore. She only knew that he was here, in front of her, and yet so far, separated by a chasm called family. The worst of it was that she wanted him, wanted him as she wanted no other man before him, wanted him so much that she ached with it. But the thought of her father in the hospital—
"I have to come. I need to come.” His low, gravelly voice sent shivers through her body. He pressed against her, and his cock brushed against her belly.
She closed her eyes and moaned, savoring the long-awaited contact.
"We do have some unfinished business to take care of."
The words made her eyes snap open. Anger stirred within her. She tried to push him away, but to no avail. She glared up at him. “What?! You came for more lies? Weren't those enough for you?"
"Your body doesn't lie, Erica. You want me, that much is clear.” He cupped her breast and one traitorous nipple peaked against his palm.
His heat was threatening to swamp her, almost causing her to forget her objections, his reasons for being here. With effort, she forced the words out, “So what! Stop taunting me, Heath Sullivan! Is this how you mean to get your revenge, humiliating me, turning my body against me—” Her words ended in what could pass for a sob, as a dizzying array of emotions coursed through her.
"There is no shame in your body's needs for me,” he whispered fiercely. His eyes burned down into hers, his breath hot upon her face.
"I saw how you despise me yesterday, how you thought I deliberately sought to entrap you"—the words hurt her, more than it seemed to hurt him, but she forced herself to go on—"knowing that you're a Sullivan—"
"I was wrong.” His masculine scent surrounded her. His hand moved down her body to cup her buttocks. He pulled her against him, such that she felt the hard throbbing length at the juncture of her thighs.
Her breath hitched. Heat spiraled. A sensual lethargy stole over her.
"There is no deceitful bone in your body, Erica. You're all sweetness and honest passion.” Her head fell back against the wall. His head followed, his lips tasting the strong column of her throat. “You were kind to my grandma, even after all that she'd done against you and your family."
"No!” Her fists flailed against his back, a weak effort. “We can't—our families—feud—hate—"
Under her skirt, his hand skimmed the length of her thigh, light feathery touches that had her wriggling against him. Her nipples chafed against her bra as she rubbed her breasts against his chest. He dipped a finger inside her panties and encountered the satisfying wetness of her arousal. He murmured against the pulse point at the base of her neck, “Do you hate me, Erica?"
Jack is assigned to train Maggie to be a SENTI pilot, a woman who looks so much like his Emma, a woman he'd killed.
SENTI
© March 2007 by G.W. Pickle
By coincidence or design, Jack Waco is forced to train Maggie Wilson as a SENTI pilot, a woman who looked very much like his Emma, who died in combat and whose death weighed on his conscience. Eleven years later, he still mourns her.
Maggie Wilson is disconcerted at the attraction that flared between her and her trainer Jack, but she vowed that she would have no one in her life until those responsible for her husband's death are brought to justice.
As they journey through space and intrigue, will they be able to bring those responsible for her husband's death to justice? As they find a new habitable solar system, will they discover love in each other as well? Will Jack learn from his past mistakes and be able to save both the new system and Maggie or will history repeat itself?
Enjoy the following excerpt:
Once we settle, he says, “I've gone over your record, and I'm impressed. You have the background needed to make this new program work. You are one of the original SENTI test pilots. You've rescued over half a dozen starships, earned several medals including the Medal of Honor, Medal of Valor in the Caster Conflict, the Silver Nova, the Purple Heart four times over, not to mention the Deneb medical run. You flew fifteen-hundred light years in just fifteen minutes. You were the first pilot to actually achieve SF level fourteen. You saved a lot of lives that day, the whole system, in fact. You're a hero there, Jack. They have erected statues in your honor."
He had to mention the Deneb system. “I know, the birds wanted another perch,” I interrupt. “Deneb needed the vaccine badly. I just did what I had to do. I had no choice."
"Yes, you did have a choice. You could have used level ten or even twelve and played it safe. They didn't have much time, so you went all out. They only lost sixty people in the whole system because you gambled and succeeded."
I slam my drink on the coffee table as I rise. “I failed. That was sixty too many."
Hilton rises and looks me directly in the eyes. “Calm down, Jack, no one blames you for those deaths on Deneb. Beat yourself up over something you really did. Not something you imagined. Now sit back down."
Like when I was back in the Caster system, like how I killed my wingman, the one I loved, and yes, I blame myself for those sixty who died in Deneb. I slowly sit back down and retrieve my drink. “There were too many ifs. If only the first shipment of vaccine had
n't been destroyed. If I could have gotten the vaccine quicker, or if I had been able to go to level fifteen, but I couldn't. I guess communication transmissions will never go that fast. So what do you want, sir? What new program? We have enough SENTI's sitting idle. Let's get this over so I can do my job."
"That's the point. You have just stated our biggest problem. There are too many SENTI units sitting idle and not enough pilots to go around. Over the past few years, SENTI Command has developed new procedures that shorten the training time. The medical part now takes less than one day, a few hours in fact, instead of months. There is very little procedure recovery time. Most cadets are ready to begin their SENTI flight training the next day."
"Great. What has that got to do with me?"
"Plenty. Along with new medical procedures, we have new training techniques. That in-body neural bio computer network and augmentation you have needs to be upgraded with advanced programming. That advanced programming provides the necessary knowledge needed by the cadet. After two days of simulator training, the cadets are ready for on-the-job training. That is where you come in. A cadet is paired with an experienced pilot."
I can see where this is going, and I don't like it.
"The cadet pilot rides in a special training tank. First, the cadet observes and learns how the experienced pilot does things, further programming the bio system, and then the cadet starts doing the piloting. They fly together for at least three months. At that time, the cadet is assigned a SENTI. His trainer goes with him for two trips as an observer. If the cadet does well, he graduates and the ship is his. If not, the cadet goes to another trainer for a month. If he doesn't pass the second time, he goes to the fleet.
"We want you to be a trainer, Jack."
I knew it.
"A new rule in recruiting, if you recruit them, you train them. In your case, you got three cadets, but you only have to train one."
I hope it isn't Wilson.
"We want you to train Major Maggie Wilson. S-5 is being altered as we speak."
"No bonus is worth this,” I say sharply. I start to think about Thor's Hammers and Emma Lee. My failures. I instantly put an end to that line of thought.
"Yes, it is, Jack. I can see this new program bothers you, but we have graduated two new pilots, and both are doing very well. I need you to accept and promote this program. Your help is needed to get more pilots to willingly go along with it."
I don't think so.
"Besides, you can't refuse. It's an order. It's in your new ten-year contract that you just signed six weeks ago."
"I must have overlooked it,” I tell him while trying to put those disturbing thoughts back into their cage. “I guess you got me. I'll do it, but I don't like it, not one bit.” I start to think, What if something happens and I can't help Wilson? I couldn't save her...
Murder for hire is what they do best ... finding love on the run never crossed their minds.
Sweet Assassins
© April 2007 by Lynette Springs
Dhani is the top assassin for the most elite company in the galaxy, until someone begins making the hits on her targets. When she was fired from her job, she stumbles upon a disc hidden in her desk. Password protected, she has no idea what was in the disc, but she soon discovers that someone wants the disc back very very badly, no matter the cost. Overnight, Dhani has suddenly become the prime target of every known assassin in the galaxy. Summoning all her wits and experience, she manages to elude them all, but her options are slowly running out. Dhani knows she cannot hide from them forever.
Hired to eliminate Dhani Quintel, Trace Galloway searches high and low before finding her in a remote hotel. Attracted to her beauty, he spends the night in her arms, not realizing he was risking, not just his mission, but also his heart.
Warning! This e-book contains substantial sexually explicit scenes and graphic language, which may be considered offensive to some readers.
Enjoy the following excerpt:
He felt her watching him, the redhead seated across from him. He tried to concentrate on the movie playing during the flight, but he wasn't paying any attention to the plot. His body grew tight with desire for this woman he didn't even know. He only cared about the way his body responded to hers every time she eyed him. At the moment, he shouldn't even have been thinking about what was in his pants. He should have been concentrating on the report he needed to fill out once he got back to headquarters.
Trace Galloway leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. It's going to be a long trip back to Kalona. He didn't care about the report, even though he knew he should. With each passing moment, he became more attuned to the woman across the aisle from him.
He lifted his eyelids a fraction when he heard her shifting in her seat before she stood. His eyes opened fully when she started to move down the aisle. Curiosity got the better of him, and he decided to follow. His eyes landed on her buttocks as they swayed gently. They were tight and firm and his hands itched to cup them. Trace nearly collided with her when she stopped at the com-links lined up against a wall.
She turned to him. Her green eyes went wide. “Excuse me,” he said, then stepped to the side and turned. Trace still felt her eyes on him as he moved away from her toward the bar. He leaned a hip against the smooth white surface and ordered a gin.
The white-haired bartender slid a glass along the bar. Trace caught it with one hand and a single sweep. As he lifted the glass to his lips, he turned to face the woman once more. From the look on her face, he could tell that the conversation she was having wasn't going the way she'd planned.
"What?” Trace heard her gasp loudly. “That can't be true.” He watched as her face paled right before she disconnected the call. She placed a hand along the row of com-links, then pushed away from them and stormed back to her seat. Her body was stiff, making Trace wonder what the conversation had been about, even though it wasn't any of his business. Being in the business he was in had taught him a lot of things over the six years he'd been with the company. He recalled the mission he'd just been on, the man in the restaurant. The man he'd killed by playing the part of a waiter. He'd slipped the man some tourist juice that would make it appear as if he'd had heart attack. Trace couldn't help it when the man wrapped his arms around his neck when he started choking on his steak at the same time the juice took its effect.
Casually, after downing the last bit of his drink, Trace made his way back to his own seat only to find that it was occupied. The man who had been sitting next to the redhead was in his seat next to another man. They seemed to be enjoying each other's company from the way they were kissing. Disgusted, Trace turned to the redhead, “May I?” He indicated the empty seat next to her. “It seems like someone else took mine while I was in the bar.” He stepped aside so she could see what he meant.
* * * *
"Go ahead,” Dhani said. She moved her legs when he brushed against them so he could sit down next to her. She moved her legs again once the blond man took his seat. Instantly she felt the heat from his body. Quietly, she inhaled and exhaled slowly and tried to keep her body from tensing up. It wasn't working, not the way her body seemed to be responding to the closeness of his. Dhani turned to face the aisle between the seats and tried to control her body. The shuttle seemed to drop. Dhani grabbed the armrests to keep from slipping out of her seat when the shuttle righted itself. “What the hell was that?” she asked no one in particular.
"I don't know. It's never done that before all the times I've ridden this shuttle,” the man sitting next to her responded. Dhani looked over her shoulder and saw that everyone else on the shuttle was puzzled as well at what had happened.
Dhani turned back to her companion. “Shuttles don't often do that.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, the shuttle took another dive. “Something is happening, but what?” She gripped the armrests and held on tightly. From the corner of her eye, she saw the man do the same.
"We should be close to the docking station."
> Dhani gulped deeply before she responded. “I hope so.” She gave him a weak smile. “I can't help but wonder why the shuttle is acting the way it is."
"I don't know.” He reached over for her hand and held it tightly. Warmth flooded her body at the physical contact. She laced their fingers together when the shuttle began moving toward the docking station. Relief washed over her as the shuttle landed safely. Dhani pulled her hand free, then stood. A female attendant came running down the aisle. “Please remain on board. I'm sorry to say that everyone on board will be questioned by law enforcement officers. Apparently, there was a bomb on board and it had exploded in the cargo bay, which resulted in the shuttle acting up the way it did a few moments ago,” the attendant said rapidly. “Everyone should remain seated until we making a landing. We don't want anyone to get hurt."
Dhani quickly whipped her head toward the man who stood behind her. “A bomb?"
A clash of worlds and personalities...
The Magic Scales
© May 2007 by P.J. Murdoch
James's father is missing. With no clue why his dad would run out on him and his mum, he hides out by the Jesus Rocks to think. There James discovers a dead stoat, crushed in an impossibly huge footprint. The mystery of what smashed the little animal leads James into finding Mendel, a wizard from another world called Denthan. Mendel has his own problems though. He's trapped in the body of a goldfish and Denthan's sun is about to die and destroy the planet. As unbelievable as this all seems, James hopes against hope that the goldfish can somehow help him find his dad.
Thrown into Mendel's dilemma, James must journey to Denthan by way of magic, battle bizarre monsters, evade a dark wizard, and find his father before Mendel's world explodes. His best friend Craig, and Bero, Craig's golden retriever, team up with Mendel for the quest. Unbeknownst to them, a separate search party is on the move; James's nagging mum and a bunch of Drumfintley villagers make their way to Denthan as well.
