by Marie Harte
John put the truck in gear and pulled a u-turn, then looped back into the parking lot. He slid the gearshift into park again. “Can you come up here, please?”
After a second, Shannon rested a hand on his shoulder and stretched her leg over the center console, stepping to the passenger seat. She settled onto her bottom and tightened the coat around her. “What’s wrong?”
Now that he was on the spot, John floundered for what to say. He wasn’t a bare-your-heart kind of guy. “I don’t like people.”
She raised her delicate brows but didn’t say anything.
“In general I have no tolerance for them. They piss me off and drive me to cuss. Most of them don’t have the sense to find their way out of a paper sack. None of this applies, of course, to other Marines.”
One side of her mouth lifted in a smile.
“And it doesn’t apply to you. You’re the first person I’ve ever been with who doesn’t make me want to shoot somebody out of boredom. You have spunk and heart and you’re sexy as hell, and you don’t mind my shit. And lady,” he said with a sigh, “I come with a lot of shit. I have a lot of baggage, and though I don’t mean to spew it on you, I know I will. I’ll tell you I’m sorry now and every day for the rest of my life.”
He reached out and tugged her to lie across his lap.
“But I’ll also tell you I love you every day, which I do. I do not fucking deserve you. I know that. I’ve not done anything in this life to be given a gift like you. But I will cherish you, and honor you, as much as I possibly can. You make me feel like a man, and I cannot tell you how much I need that.”
Her pretty hazel eyes welled with tears then dripped down her cheeks. He felt his own throat tighten as he brushed her tears away with his rough thumbs. She cupped his jaw in her hand and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips.
“Okay.”
He pulled back in surprise. “Just ‘okay’?”
She nodded. “You didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know. I know you have baggage, I know you’re going to be a pain in my ass, but I love you more than I ever dreamed possible. You’re abrasive and harsh, but you cuddle a kitten like you were meant to do it. You cuddle me like you were meant to do it. And you’ll cuddle our kids the same way. You make my body sing and my heart race. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, too.”
There was no way he couldn’t not kiss her then. As he cupped her head in his hand, he marveled that he’d been given this piece of heaven.
*
SHANNON CHASED PICKLE and the Little Gray out of the bedroom. Her family would be there in just a few minutes and they weren’t even dressed yet. The turkey was roasting, but she needed to check it.
John rolled in from the bathroom, fresh from a shower. His hair was slicked down and water glistened on his chest. If they were caught with their pants down, so to speak, it was going to be his fault.
She looked at the diamond bracelet on her wrist and couldn’t help but smile. When he’d asked her to sit down beside him at the kitchen table, she’d been curious. But when he’d held the length of diamonds between his fingers and made a motion for her hand, she’d cried.
“This isn’t a tracking device,” he promised gruffly, which made her blubber all the more.
One kiss led to many more, and then she straddled his lean hips in the chair right there at the kitchen table. It was exciting and sexy, knowing that they could be interrupted at any minute. They eventually moved to bed, where she’d loved the crap out of him dressed only in his jewelry.
Her hard-ass was learning to love. And she was enjoying teaching him.
The End
Note from the Author
I sincerely hope you enjoyed Book 1 of the Lost ‘N’ Found Series. I would appreciate it if you would:
LEND IT – to friends and family. It is lending enabled.
REVIEW IT – at the site you purchased it from. Positive reader reviews have a huge impact on the success of a book.
RECOMMEND IT – to anybody you think would enjoy it.
A portion of the proceeds of this book will be donated to the Wounded Warrior Project. If you would like to make a personal donation, you can find information at http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/
Thank you so much for reading.
And now an excerpt from Embattled Minds…
Chapter One
EMBER NORTON LOOKED up at the sound of the front door of the Frog Dog Grill opening and closing, and tried not to be disappointed that it wasn’t the group of Marines she’d been serving for the past few weeks. At least she thought they were Marines. There was a certain way they carried themselves, as if they were badasses but didn’t need to flaunt it like the younger, less-experienced soldiers.
Every Saturday they came in, like clockwork. Seven o’clock. She’d gotten used to their mismatched mugs and quiet humor, not to mention their powerful personalities.
Who was she kidding? There was only one guy she actively looked for. The massive Viking that made everybody else look like a child.
His name was Zeke. Built like a brick shithouse, as her dad would say, he drew every gaze when he strode into the place, dominating the room. The women drooled over his massive chest, cobbled stomach and lean hips, until they saw his face, then their interest turned to pity. It was disgusting to watch, because they sometimes couldn’t hide their reactions quickly enough for him not to see.
Ember didn’t know what had happened to him, but he appeared to have been beaten or tortured to within an inch of his life. Deep, brutal scars traced over his forehead and down his neck. She assumed he’d been injured in the war.
Dark blond hair with a hint of curl hid his eyes. She’d managed to see him fully a few times, and each glimpse made her want to see more. She wasn’t one of the ones turned off by his looks. Ember knew she’d never met him, but he seemed familiar to her. It was as if they’d connected long ago, before the scars, then lost touch.
Some of his wounds were deep and still looked angry and painful. Others were just faint white tracings across his skin. It looked like his face had been shattered into about six pieces, then stitched back together by a drunken surgeon. One deep line bisected his forehead diagonally, slid down to run below his left brow then toward his ear. Another, lighter one, nipped the edge of his bottom lip, tugging it out of symmetry when he smiled. It curled down his chin and into his darker blond beard. She felt sure he wore the beard to hide more marks.
She would have been intimidated by his harsh looks if she hadn’t caught the blazing awareness shining from his stunning, thickly lashed, ice-blue eyes.
The Frog Dog was located in a busy shopping center. Soldiers came in to relax often. They loved the military memorabilia her father had lined the walls and hung the ceiling with. For the most part she’d gotten used to the testosterone she had to wade through every night. But Zeke didn’t overwhelm her with his masculinity. Though he was huge, at least six and a half feet tall—largest in his group—the way he slouched in the chair and let his hair fall forward to hide his face almost made him seem smaller. The only time he’d frightened her had been the night several weeks ago when he’d kicked those frat boys out.
A drunk had grabbed her ass and she’d cried out, surprised more than anything. Almost immediately, Zeke had appeared at her side. The scars on his face stood out white against his red skin as he confronted that group, and there’d been zero give in his expression or his shiver-inducing baritone. The set of his jaw and the angle of his massive shoulders told everybody in the bar he wasn’t going to tolerate that kind of treatment of her.
Once again, her heart thudded at the way he’d protected her. Nobody had ever done anything like that for her before. They’d been trading skin-prickling glances ever since then.
She ran the bar rag over the glass in her hand and set it on the lower ledge, easy to grab for the next drink. It was quiet today. Surprisingly so, considering it was the middle of the month and almost Christmas. But, it was early afternoon. T
he shopping crowd would be rolling in soon, thirsty and hungry.
She glanced at the black apron hanging on the peg by the swing-through kitchen door. She wondered if her dad would come in tonight. He’d been gone too long.
One of the waitresses called her name, and she turned away with a sigh. She had too much to do to be mopin’.
*
ZEKE LOOKED FOR and found Ember as soon as he cleared the doorway into the shadowed bar and grill. She stood across the room, smiling her big smile and pointing something out in the menu to a customer. Her long, almost-black hair hung over her shoulder in a long braid. The man warmed to her, and even from across the room Zeke could see his interest. Ember seemed friendly, but oblivious to the edge that had crept into the man’s smile as his gaze wandered down her form.
Ducking his head, he followed the guys across the room. The table they normally sat at was full, so they had to settle into one nearer the bar. The proximity to the other patrons was a little much. Diego looked twitchy, like he’d rather leave than have his back to people. He adjusted his eyepatch.
Chad grinned at the guy, always the peacemaker. “Just one beer, then we can bug out if it’s too much.”
Diego gave a tight nod, and with a final look behind him to map out targets, he took off his coat and settled into the chair, hands below the table. Zeke knew he probably already had a knife in his hands. Seemed like they all carried knives in their pockets anymore, just to have some sense of security. Terrell shook his head and settled across from Chad, tipping back on two legs.
Ember scrawled something on her pad and headed for the kitchen. As if she felt him watching, she glanced around and immediately locked gazes with him. She smiled and threw a little wave.
Zeke swallowed heavily and turned to look down at the table, his skin tightening uncomfortably across his scalp. The scars there didn’t move the way regular skin did, and when he got embarrassed, which seemed like all the time, it felt like ants biting at him. He took a heavy breath and started lining up his words in his head, because he knew she would be over for their order.
No sooner had the thought occurred and she was there, smiling big and planting one hand on her curvy hip. “Hi guys. What can I get you?”
Chad knew to lead off, because it gave Zeke time. Diego unclenched his jaw enough to order his cola, and Terrell ordered a house beer. Then, she turned her big, dark chocolate colored eyes to him.
He took a breath, thought about the words and spit them out.
Her fine dark brows furrowed and she cocked her head. “Uh, what?”
Fighting not to flinch from her look, he replayed the words in his head. Oh, no. He hadn’t said dark chocolate eyes, had he? He glanced at the guys and they were all grinning at him, and he knew he had. Fuck!
“House beer,” he snapped.
With a curious look, she turned away.
“Did I…a-actually say d-dark chocolate eyes?”
Chad laughed out loud and clapped him on the shoulder. “I knew you liked the girl, but I didn’t expect you to hit on her like that.”
Zeke shook his head, totally disgusted and completely mortified. As if it weren’t bad enough he couldn’t talk like a normal human being, now his brain had to pick up words he had no intention of uttering? It had tricked him before, but never so brilliantly.
For the millionth time, he wished he’d never taken cover behind that wall.
If you would like to purchase Embattled Minds click here.
If you would like to read more about the ‘combat modified’ veterans of the Lost and Found Investigative Service, check out these books:
The Embattled Road (FREE prequel)
Embattled Hearts – Book 1
Embattled Minds – Book 2
Embattled Home – Book 3
SEALed with a Kiss Anthology
Her Forever Hero – Grif
SEAL’s Lost Dream – Flynn
Hot Alpha SEALs – Max
Other books by J.M. Madden
Second Time Around
A Needful Heart
Wet Dream
Love On the Line – Book 1
Love On the Line – Book 2
The Awakening Society – FREE!
Tempt Me
Urban Moon Anthology
Connect with J.M. Madden
If you’d like to connect with me on social media and keep updated on my releases, try these links:
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About the Author
NY Times and USA Today Bestselling author J.M. Madden writes compelling romances between “combat modified” military men and the women who love them. J.M. Madden loves any and all good love stories, most particularly her own. She has two beautiful children and a husband who always keeps her on her toes.
J.M. was a Deputy Sheriff in Ohio for nine years, until hubby moved the clan to Kentucky. When not chasing the family around, she’s at the computer, reading and writing, perfecting her craft. She occasionally takes breaks to feed her animal horde and is trying to control her office-supply addiction, but both tasks are uphill battles. Happily, she is writing full-time and always has several projects in the works. She also dearly loves to hear from readers! So, drop her a line. She’ll respond.
Animal Attraction
Angel Payne
‡
Dedication
As always, for the man who makes me wild. Thomas, I love you.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to my amazing editing team: Melisande Scott, Riane Holt, and Tracy Roelle!
Equal and profound gratitude to my beta team for this one:
Shannon Poole, Lisa Simo-Kinzer, and Amy Kaneff Rudolph
A heartfelt thanks to all the readers who encourage me to pursue “the weird stuff.”
I love you for opening your imaginations and embarking on my crazy adventures!
Hope you like this one, too!
And yeah…a little grin for Channing and Jenna, for inspiring Kade and Lottie in the first place.
Animal Attraction
Life’s a jungle.
Nobody agrees with that more willingly than workaholic bioscientist Charlotte Sinclare, struggling as her mind and body are subjected to waves of inexplicable lust for a faceless dream lover. Normally thrilled with journeys into the scientific unknown, Charlotte isn’t amused by this joke—especially upon discovering that the man of her fantasies is Naval MP officer Kaden Tiernan.
Oh sure, Kade’s a hunk—a fact not ignored by Charlotte three years ago, when her focus on a research expedition was interrupted by a wild crush on the man. But Tiernan made it clear that all he saw in her was a brainy prude, burning any connection they’d share, even as friends.
Only now, their survival depends on them being more than friends. Much more.
Roar…
Pheromones set free during Charlotte’s experiment have mutated into primal need, turning Kaden Tiernan into a lover Lottie has never dared dream of before. In his kisses, she learns beauty. In his touch, she learns surrender. In his passion, she learns strength.
But none of it is real. The bond is a chemical reaction, nothing more—a truth Charlotte and Kade attempt to accept together, even as fate twines them tighter each day. Can they continue keeping their hearts closed while their bodies tangle? Or is it impossible to seal one’s soul off from falling in love, even if it’s only animal attraction?
About The Author
USA Today bestselling author Angel Payne is the creator of several popular romance series, including the Kinky Truth books, WILD Boys of Special Forces, Secrets of Stone (co-authored with Victoria Blue), and the Cimarron Saga, coming in 2015. Angel began writing passionately in high school, and moved on to pen her way to departmental honors for English at Chapman University in Southern California, as well as popular historical romances in the 1990�
��s under a different pseudonym. Her kaleidoscope of a past includes gigs as a fashion ramp model, music industry production assistant, nightclub disc jockey, and over twenty years in the meeting planning and hospitality industries. Her passions include pop culture, alt rock, super heroes, shoes, coffee, and enjoying an active life in the outdoors with family and friends. She still lives in Southern California with her gorgeous daughter and stud-man husband.
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Animal Attraction: Copyright © 2014 By Angel Payne Writes, LLP. All Rights Reserved.
NOTE: If you have purchased a copy of this eBook, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book. This purchase allows you one legal copy for your own personal reading enjoyment on your personal computer or device. You do not have the rights to resell, distribute, print, or transfer this book, in whole or in part, to anyone, in any format, via methods either currently known or yet to be invented, or upload to a file sharing peer to peer program. It may not be re-sold or given away to other people. Such action is illegal and in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law. 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 and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. If you no longer want this book, you may not give your copy to someone else. Delete it from your computer. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
