BLURB ~
Hospital Chief of Staff Natasha Lockham’s life has been all about work and no play. That is until a one-night stand with a man who lives his life on the edge, turns her sexual fantasies into reality. She never expects to see him again, but their paths cross when Natasha suspects an esteemed doctor of committing an unspeakable crime against his patients and danger lands at her doorstep. The closer she gets to the truth, the more she realizes she’s not prepared for the truth – or the consequences.
Former Navy SEAL, Malik Lewis, will always remember the night he spent with Natasha. It was the single most amazing night of his life. So when Natasha narrowly escapes a brutal attempt on her life, Malik stops at nothing to protect her, including hunting a man whose skills match his. Can Malik and Natasha outsmart a vicious assassin who has nothing to lose? And will they ever get to explore the sizzling passion between them that neither can deny?
EXCERPT ~
“So why haven’t you remarried?” Malik asked her out of nowhere. “You seem like the marrying type who would have two-point-five kids and a white picket fence by now.”
Natasha grunted. “Yeah right. Well, I tried the marriage thing once, and as you know that didn’t turn out too well for me.”
“Have you ever thought about trying it again?”
Natasha was surprised by the question, especially coming from a confirmed bachelor who, from what she’d heard, had never been in a relationship for more than two months.
“I’ve thought about it,” she answered honestly. “Even more so the last couple of months. I have been so focused on my career that I rarely do stuff like this.” She waved her hand around, indicating their surroundings. “Now that I feel a little more comfortable in my career, I’d like to try marriage again and maybe have one or two children.” She turned slightly in her seat toward him. “What about you? Is marriage and kids in your future?”
Damn. He had walked right into that, not thinking that she might turn the question on him. Discussing marriage and kids with a single woman was risky considering most of them were trying to snag a man. Yet, with Natasha it was different. She didn’t come across as a woman whose sole purpose of going out with a guy was to make him fall in love or lust with her, and then expect a marriage proposal within a few weeks.
“Had you asked me six months ago I would have said no, and probably would’ve said a few more things that your delicate ears wouldn’t have been able to handle.” They both laughed.
“But now?” she prompted.
He stretched his other arm along the back of the empty seat next to him, finding it impossible to get comfortable. A few seconds passed as he debated on how to respond to her question, but decided to be honest with her.
“Now … maybe.” He glanced at her. “And if you ever tell Wiz or Quinn I said that, I will throw you over my shoulder and carry you out to the woods never to be seen again.”
She laughed hard at that. “Well, dang, you act like someone is asking you to give up a kidney or something. Marriage is not that bad.”
“No?” He looked at her pointedly. “Then why aren’t you still married?”
She fiddled with her necklace, something he saw her do often. Seeing her deep in thought made him wonder if he shouldn’t have saved the question for another day. The last thing Malik wanted to do was ruin the good time they were having. The game wouldn’t start for another twenty minutes and he was enjoying their small talk.
“He cheated on me.”
Malik sat up straight. He knew he didn’t like her ex before, but now he was tempted to hunt the bastard down and beat his ass.
“It wasn’t his fault, though.”
“How the hell wasn’t it his fault? Nobody accidently cheats,” Malik said before thinking.
“Okay, it wasn’t totally his fault. I wasn’t there. I wasn’t present in our marriage.” She shrugged. “He got tired of sleeping alone, eating alone, and point blank being alone. Unfortunately, I put my career first.”
“You were young, ambitious, and working to become a surgeon. He should’ve understood.”
“Would you have understood?” She looked at him expectantly.
Silence fell between them as he searched her face, finally zoning in on her tempting lips. “For you, yeah. I would have understood.” He pushed a lock of hair out of her face and the back of his finger glided down her cheek. “I would have understood, but I probably would have been at the hospital every damn day. Either bringing you a meal, pulling you into a broom closet for a quickie, or I might have done something real stupid like cut off a finger so that I could get you to sew it back on for me.”
“That is the sweetest…and the most disturbing thing anyone has ever said to me.”
Natasha grunted. “Yeah right. Well, I tried the marriage thing once, and as you know that didn’t turn out too well for me.”
“Have you ever thought about trying it again?”
Natasha was surprised by the question, especially coming from a confirmed bachelor who, from what she’d heard, had never been in a relationship for more than two months.
“I’ve thought about it,” she answered honestly. “Even more so the last couple of months. I have been so focused on my career that I rarely do stuff like this.” She waved her hand around, indicating their surroundings. “Now that I feel a little more comfortable in my career, I’d like to try marriage again and maybe have one or two children.” She turned slightly in her seat toward him. “What about you? Is marriage and kids in your future?”
Damn. He had walked right into that, not thinking that she might turn the question on him. Discussing marriage and kids with a single woman was risky considering most of them were trying to snag a man. Yet, with Natasha it was different. She didn’t come across as a woman whose sole purpose of going out with a guy was to make him fall in love or lust with her, and then expect a marriage proposal within a few weeks.
“Had you asked me six months ago I would have said no, and probably would’ve said a few more things that your delicate ears wouldn’t have been able to handle.” They both laughed.
“But now?” she prompted.
He stretched his other arm along the back of the empty seat next to him, finding it impossible to get comfortable. A few seconds passed as he debated on how to respond to her question, but decided to be honest with her.
“Now … maybe.” He glanced at her. “And if you ever tell Wiz or Quinn I said that, I will throw you over my shoulder and carry you out to the woods never to be seen again.”
She laughed hard at that. “Well, dang, you act like someone is asking you to give up a kidney or something. Marriage is not that bad.”
“No?” He looked at her pointedly. “Then why aren’t you still married?”
She fiddled with her necklace, something he saw her do often. Seeing her deep in thought made him wonder if he shouldn’t have saved the question for another day. The last thing Malik wanted to do was ruin the good time they were having. The game wouldn’t start for another twenty minutes and he was enjoying their small talk.
“He cheated on me.”
Malik sat up straight. He knew he didn’t like her ex before, but now he was tempted to hunt the bastard down and beat his ass.
“It wasn’t his fault, though.”
“How the hell wasn’t it his fault? Nobody accidently cheats,” Malik said before thinking.
“Okay, it wasn’t totally his fault. I wasn’t there. I wasn’t present in our marriage.” She shrugged. “He got tired of sleeping alone, eating alone, and point blank being alone. Unfortunately, I put my career first.”
“You were young, ambitious, and working to become a surgeon. He should’ve understood.”
“Would you have understood?” She looked at him expectantly.
Silence fell between them as he searched her face, finally zoning in on her tempting lips. “For you, yeah. I would have understood.” He pushed a lock of hair out of her face and the back of his finger glided down her cheek. “I would have understood, but I probably would have been at the hospital every damn day. Either bringing you a meal, pulling you into a broom closet for a quickie, or I might have done something real stupid like cut off a finger so that I could get you to sew it back on for me.”
“That is the sweetest…and the most disturbing thing anyone has ever said to me.”
BIO ~
Bestselling author, Sharon C. Cooper, spent 10 years as a sheet metal worker. And while enjoying that unique line of work, she attended college in the evening and obtained her B.A. from Concordia University in Business Management with an emphasis in Communication.
Sharon is a romance-a-holic – loving anything that involves romance with a happily-ever-after, whether in books, movies or real life. She writes contemporary romance, as well as romantic suspense and enjoys rainy days, carpet picnics, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. When Sharon is not writing or working, she’s hanging out with her amazing husband, doing volunteer work or reading a good book (a romance of course).
Sharon is a romance-a-holic – loving anything that involves romance with a happily-ever-after, whether in books, movies or real life. She writes contemporary romance, as well as romantic suspense and enjoys rainy days, carpet picnics, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. When Sharon is not writing or working, she’s hanging out with her amazing husband, doing volunteer work or reading a good book (a romance of course).
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