“You going to say anything or just stare at me?” I asked.
The running shoe was pink and white. From there, I saw navy-blue sweats. On the thigh, there was a gold decal, but I couldn’t make it out. What I could determine, though, was this person was female. She tapped her foot to the ground.
“Have we met?” I put my hands on the side and was beginning to push myself upward when she pushed me back into the pool.
The hands that touched my shoulders sent a jolt of electricity throughout my body. So much so that it threw off my breathing. Water went down the wrong pipe, and I threw my head back, gasping for air. I coughed for a good thirty seconds.
I finally took in a clean breath.
Something soared over my head.
“Cow-a-bunga!”
The woman, who was completely naked now, did a perfect cannonball into the water next to me. She popped out of the water, pulled me to her, and kissed me breathless. “That splash was epic,” I said when we finally broke apart.
Nicole took my face in her hands, her eyes anchored into my soul. Just like she had so many years ago in college. “Not as epic as what we’re about to do.”
I followed her lead—which was to her vehicle, where she had the heater on and piles of blankets in the back seat. We let go of our insecurities and inhibitions, falling deeply into the moment. I had no idea what the future held for either of us, but for now, “epic” had just been redefined.
45
Still riding our wave of love, I snuggled her warm, sleeping self against me and began to drift off into what would assuredly be some sweet dreams of my own.
The muffled ringing of my cell phone broke through my sleepy thoughts. Damn. How the hell can I even hear that? I can’t hear a bird tweet, but I can hear my cell phone buzzing from my pants pocket? Ignore it, Oz. Ignore, ignore, ignore.
But it just wasn’t in me—if someone needed me, starting with Mackenzie, I wanted to be available.
Nicole stirred slightly, but her eyes remained closed and her breathing that of a steady slumber. I cursed what I was about to do—breaking the beauty of the moment. I eased myself away from her, ever so gently, and reached over the front seat, where our clothes were strewn everywhere.
I found the buzzing phone and flipped it around to check the screen.
It was Brook. I answered with a whispered, “What’s up?”
She said, “Ozzie, I need you.”
I listened for a few minutes, and Nicole rose up from her reclining position, holding one of the blankets up to her chest. “Brook, hang on just a minute,” I said.
I looked at Nicole, her mass of tangled hair and glowing skin. Her eyes were wide, curious…but supportive. I knew for sure that she’d heard most of the conversation when she said, “This is your friend, Oz. Get to it.”
Dear Reader,
Do you have any finger nails left? Ultimately, Ozzie came to appreciate the gift of life…of cherishing every moment.
Those moments don’t last long, though. In book five, Ozzie is quickly pulled into a political hornet’s nest. Can he actually work for a man who’d destroyed his life? Ozzie must channel his own powers of persuasion to find the killer. But what other forces are in play? This is bigger than Ozzie can fathom. With everything on the line, Ozzie follows his gut—but will it also take him to the brink of death?
I hope you enjoy Ozzie’s latest thriller, ON Fire. You’ll be turning pages well into the night with the stunning twists and heart-stopping suspense. Here’s the link.
http://smarturl.it/OzzieNovakONFire
Best,
John
P.S. If you have time to leave a review for Shame ON You, that would be much appreciated.
John W. Mefford Bibliography
Redemption Thriller Series
The Alex Troutt Thrillers
AT Bay (Book 1)
AT Large (Book 2)
AT Once (Book 3)
AT Dawn (Book 4)
AT Dusk (Book 5)
AT Last (Book 6)
The Ivy Nash Thrillers
IN Defiance (Book 7)
IN Pursuit (Book 8)
IN Doubt (Book 9)
Break IN (Book 10)
IN Control (Book 11)
IN The End (Book 12)
The Ozzie Novak Thrillers
ON Edge (Book 13)
Game ON (Book 14)
ON The Rocks (Book 15)
Shame ON You (Book 16)
ON Fire (Book 17)
ON The Run (Book 18)
Other Thriller Series
The Booker Series
BOOKER – Streets of Mayhem (Volume 1)
BOOKER – Tap That (Volume 2)
BOILERMAKER – A Lt. Jack Daniels / Booker Mystery (Volume 2.5)
BOOKER – Hate City (Volume 3)
BOOKER – Blood Ring (Volume 4)
BOOKER – No Más (Volume 5)
BOOKER – Dead Heat (Volume 6)
The Greed Series
FATAL GREED (Greed Series #1)
LETHAL GREED (Greed Series #2)
WICKED GREED (Greed Series #3)
GREED MANIFESTO (Greed Series #4)
Shame ON You
Copyright © 2017 by John W. Mefford
All rights reserved.
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book (not just the sample) and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Formatting by Bob Houston eBook Formatting
Table of Contents
ALSO BY JOHN W. MEFFORD
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Note from the author
Next in The Redemption Thriller Series
Excerpt from ON Fire
ON Fire Now Available for Pre-Order
Get International Bestseller AT Bay for FREE
John W. Mefford Bibliography
Copyright
<
center>
Shame ON You Page 21
