Alive at 5 (Entangled Ignite) (23 page)
Read Alive at 5 (Entangled Ignite) Online
Authors: Linda Bond
Tags: #Ignite, #mystery, #enemies to lovers, #romantic suspense, #cop, #Contemporary, #TV News Reporter, #undercover, #Romance, #suspense, #entangled, #Special Ops, #Linda Bond
She glanced up and caught him staring.
Unlike the first time she’d done that, this time Zack didn’t look away.
She cocked her head to one side and grinned.
A new emotion rocked him. He felt like a schoolboy with an overwhelming crush, warmth rushing through him.
She started walking his way. After such an intense morning, followed by an intense few minutes alone with her in the marina’s cramped bathroom, all he wanted to do now was have a little fun.
She stopped in front of him, placing her hands on her hips as if challenging him to say something, just like she had a few weeks ago when they first met. So, she wanted to play as well. He grinned. “How can you do that?” He mimicked his words from Skydive Drop Zone.
“Do what?” She raised an eyebrow, but the wicked smile on her face told him she knew what he was doing and planned to follow along.
“Turn your emotions on and off like that? One minute you’re crying over me because you think I’m dead, the next you’re this indifferent journalist reporting on a death and a couple of shootings as if we were all strangers to you.”
Her eyes widened. “It’s my job. It’s what I have to do, like it or not.”
“It’s cold.” He knew he was pushing her buttons, but this time instead of trying to hurt her, he was engaging in some foreplay. He couldn’t believe how turned on he was. Again.
“Cold? Really? Well, some of us—”
Before she could finish her sentence, he swooped her into a bear hug and planted a fierce kiss right on her lips. He heard her gasp, and that natural reaction sent desire pulsating through him. He kissed her slowly, passionately, moving her body up against his in an unmistakable way.
“Wow.” She sounded breathless. “You’re making a very public statement with that kiss.”
A few law enforcement officials had stopped to stare at them. Stan, her boss, fired off a death glare at him. Zack merely chuckled. Nothing could ruin his mood or his plans. “Good. I’m done hiding, both my feelings and the truth. From this moment forward, I’m putting it all out in the open.”
She stared up at him, wide-eyed.
“Samantha.” Her boss had made his way over to them. “You’re both old enough to practice a little more control and discretion.”
The tone of her boss’ voice pissed Zack off. But he held his tongue for Sam’s sake.
“That kiss, in front of numerous witnesses, represents a conflict of interest, don’t you think?”
“Actually, Stan, I wasn’t really thinking at all.”
Zack grinned. This was the Sam he loved. Bold and confident.
“Is that why you want to have a little sit down with me?” Sam asked.
“That’s one of the reasons.”
“Okay, but there’s nothing in any journalism book I’ve ever read that says it’s unethical to fall in love.”
Zack loved the way she defended herself. Much differently from the day they’d met.
As Stan’s eyebrows shot up and he opened his mouth to respond, her boss’ cell phone ringtone sounded. “We’ll talk later. First, let me take this call.” He stalked a few feet away.
“Quite a character,” Zack commented.
“You have no idea.”
“So, where do we go from here?”
She shrugged, and peered up at him through long lashes. “How about lunch?”
He smiled. “I have some paperwork, and I’ll need to be debriefed.”
“Okay, then I’ll wait for you at the hotel.” She sighed.
“I’m not just talking about today.”
Her cheeks brightened. He loved that he could get that kind of reaction out of her.
“I’m open to suggestions,” she said in a soft, coy voice.
“How about a vacation? An adventure vacation.”
She playfully swatted at him. “Are you for real? You haven’t had enough adventure over the last two weeks?”
He touched her lips. They were moist and a bit bruised. Her bottom lip trembled.
That simple move hardened him. Jesus, he wasn’t even able to control his own desire out here in the open. He laughed at his own predicament. “I had another kind of adventure in mind. One that includes just you and me in a hotel room overlooking the Gulf of Mexico on St. Pete Beach.”
“Sounds like a plan.” She grabbed his hand, entwining her fingers in his, and looked up at him with the genuine love and trust he’d been waiting for all his life.
About the Author
Linda Bond
is an Emmy award-winning journalist by day and an author of romantic adventures by night. She’s also the mother of five: four athletes and an adopted son from Cuba. She has a passion for world travel, classic movies, and alpha males. Linda currently lives in Florida, where the sun always shines and the day begins with endless possibilities.
You can learn where Linda Bond got part of her inspiration for Alive at Five by clicking on
this link
right now. The chapters dedicated to riding in a United States Air Force F-16 were inspired by this real life ride. Hear Linda Bond talk more about the making of Alive at Five in this
interview
. And check out the Alive at Five book trailer on the home page of
www.lindabond.com
.
Sign up for our
Steals & Deals newsletter
and be the first to hear about 99¢ releases from Linda Bond and other fantastic Entangled authors!
Reviews help other readers find books. We appreciate all reviews, whether positive or negative. Thank you for reading!
Did you love this Entangled Ignite novel? Check out more of our titles
here
!
And for exclusive sneak peeks at our upcoming books, excerpts, contests, chats with our authors and editors, and more…
Be sure to like us on
Facebook
Follow us on
Twitter
Grab these page-turners from Ignite…
Going undercover is second nature for Private Investigator Lola Cruz, but she’s out of her league when the case of a murdered Royals Courtside Dancer leads her to a local nudist resort. Parading around the sidelines of Sacramento’s professional basketball scene in a barely-there cheerleading outfit is one thing—but parading around in nothing but smile? If she has any chance of hiding this from her traditional family and on-again/off-again boyfriend Jack, she’s going to have a lot more than her duct tape bra and killer dance moves to keep under wraps….
Deputy Laney Briggs has long been considered reckless, but when a dead body turns up and her ex, Texas Ranger Gunner Wilson, decides to stick his boots into the town’s first murder case, she’ll be damned if she lets him trample all over her turf—and her life. His ability to undermine her libido is only outdone by her constant urge to butt heads with him. But when the bodies pile up, Laney needs the lethal bad boy’s help. It might not be the best idea, but Laney has always been pretty reckless…
In high school, Allie McBride thought the sun set around her friend Sam Fratto’s smiles. Now she’s older, wiser, hotter, and teaching at the same school they grew up in. When Sam joins the faculty, she has a chance to make good on the crush that got away. But when a dead body turns up on school grounds, they realize there might be a murderer in their midst. The heat keeps getting hotter between Allie and Sam, but more might be in danger than their hearts…
Three years ago, Marcy Bradley let the man she loved go so he could follow his career dream of being an FBI agent. She sent divorce papers. He signed. She never filed them. When a disgruntled client threatens her life, her ex, JB, is all that stands between her and an early grave. With a killer after them, Marcy and JB run for their lives, escaping to a lakeside cabin. Their love is rekindled, and JB realizes they’re still married, but will there be time for their passion amidst the explosions and gunshots?
Cole Stewart’s mission to protect close friends from a criminal mastermind takes an unexpected turn when Emma Bailey runs head first into his investigation. He once spent one night falling in love with her, but now she’s not only a danger to his heart, but her brother is a key suspect. In their race to keep the people they love safe, Cole and Emma betray each other’s trust time and again, not realizing that trust—and their growing love for each other—is the only thing that can save them all.
Erotic romance writer Jenna Brooks finds herself drawn into her own stories, literally. When the seductive, mysterious Riley Stone rescues her from an attempted hit and run, she’s plunged into a reckless, wild relationship unlike anything she’s ever experienced—except on paper. A drug kingpin, a billion dollar development scheme, and a hostage situation have Jenna and Riley running for their lives. As Riley struggles to keep Jenna safe, the romance they’ve woven could force them to pay the ultimate price: admitting they’ve fallen in love—for real.
When flaky Las Vegas hairdresser Molly McLaren becomes a target for murder, she winds up in Grey Wilson’s eighteen-wheeler. Grey is an ex-cop sporting a bum leg, a bad attitude, and a body built for loving. He just wants to be left alone, but when someone tries to kill the Vegas beauty he’s helping, Molly captures his heart with her backbone of steel, and brains to boot. Now in order to grasp the future that had once seemed impossible, Molly and Grey need to keep Hoover Dam, a congressman, and their love from being blown sky-high.
by
Sherrill Bodine
and
Patricia Rosemoor
Bewitched by Lady Elizabeth York in 1601, Will Grey, the Duke of Lennox’s bastard son, defies all for their love, and his jilted half-brother places a curse on them both. Searching for a treasure ship sunk long ago, present-day marine archeologist Cordelia Ward is haunted by a murderous nightmare. In it are both salvager Innis Foley and treasure hunter Morgan Murphy. But which man is her enemy–which one her soul mate? Can a journal that belonged to her ancestress, Lady Elizabeth York show her the answers…in time to save her true love?
Check out Ignite’s newest releases…
Former undercover cop Mike Gibson has been lying low, working as a maintenance man to put his troubled younger brother through college. But when a beautiful scientist enlists Mike’s help to repair the damage done to her lab by a group of vandals, Mike finds that his, and his brother’s pasts, are about to be brought to light.
Determined to find her estranged father, Caitlyn ventures into the rough, tough world of the South Australian opal fields. Instead of finding her father, she discovers a half-sister she knew nothing about and learns that her dad is a wanted man. Dale, a former city lawyer-turned-lapidary, is hiding out in Minagoona to protect his daughter. Caitlyn convinces Dale to work with her to clear her father’s name. No matter what, he’ll do his damnedest to keep her safe—even if it means exposing himself and his daughter to the men who want to kill them…
Narcotics detective, Jordan Delany, has a gift she’s not particularly happy about. In her dreams, she can connect with dead victims of violent crimes. Her isolated life as a drug cop is a perfect for hiding the freakish ability, until an investigation has her posing as a cocktail waitress. Tyler McGee suspects a drug ring operating out of the local strip joint is flooding the quiet streets of his hometown with heroin. Determined to get answers, he plays the part of a fallen cop and lands the job of head bouncer, but his attraction to an intriguing cocktail waitress with a penchant for danger just might kill him first.
Vanessa is the fastest Lycan around. In wolf form, the only threat she can’t outrun is her allergies. After a feline dander-bomb takes her down, she wakes up naked in a cage staring at a hot park ranger who had no idea what he’d trapped. But when Lycans are being poached, and Vanessa is targeted, Dane will have to keep her close to protect her. But with Vanessa in heat and mad to mate, who will protect him?
