Simple Treasures
by Alexa Bourne
Take-charge bodyguard Colin Munro believes working for the
International Protective Network will be the perfect occupation for him.
Unfortunately, his trial assignment is protecting a woman who has no intention of
blindly following orders. Aye, he’ll bring the bonnie lass in line because
there’s no way he’ll allow her to ruin his chance of securing his dream job.
Physically and
emotionally scarred during her stint as a U.S. soldier,
Joanna Grainger wants nothing more than to enjoy life. New Year's Eve in
Edinburgh marks the beginning of her transformation. But when she witnesses a
crime no one believes occurred, her plans come to a screeching halt. To make
matters worse, her sexy but headstrong bodyguard has no compassion for her or
the victim.
As danger hunts them
during one of the busiest times of the year, Joanna must convince Colin she's a
worthy partner. But first, can she convince herself?
Excerpt
Joanna bolted
upright. Darkness wrapped her in its hideous embrace. And silence reigned. Her
heart raced. She pressed her hands against the mattress beneath her.
Mattress. Bed.
Colin’s hotel room.
Rustling sounds came
from the floor. The bedside lamp flickered on. Colin propped himself up, one
knee bent and an arm dangling over it. He squinted against the brightness. “Are
you all right?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t
mean to wake you.” She brushed her fingers under her eyes. Her skin flamed
beneath her touch.
“Don’t be daft,
lass.”
“I had a bad dream.” She smoothed her hair
back off her face. Moisture beaded at her temples.
“Here we call it a
nightmare.” He smiled, and at once she relaxed her shoulders.
“Americans do, too.”
After another deep breath, she said, “I’ll be all right.” Once her heart rate
slowed to normal. With her forearm, she wiped perspiration from her forehead.
He stood, padded into
the bathroom, and ran the faucet. When he returned, he sat beside her, tucked
his finger under her chin, and pressed the cloth to her cheek. The cool
moisture soothed her burning skin.
She reached up and
overtook his hand. “I can do that.”
“I know.” He brushed her fingers away. “But
you’ll not.”
After a few seconds, he moved the wet towel
across her forehead and to her other cheek.
When he reached her
neck, she sighed and closed her eyes for a few valuable seconds.
“Thank you.”
His gentle touch
reminded her how much she’d missed simple comfort…from anyone.
“You’re welcome.” The
cloth soon disappeared. “Now, will you tell me what you dreamed about?”
“Mark Rawlings. I
dreamed I was back in the train car and he was bleeding out on the floor. The
guy with him faded into the background, but I could see the man’s hands and
lips moving. I couldn’t hear anything, though. Then somebody jabbed me with
something, and my blood drained out of my body, but there was nothing I could
do. The guy standing stayed in front of me. There was another voice, but the
words were garbled.”
“Did you see anyone
else?”
“No, but at the end I
wasn’t paying attention. I was losing consciousness.” She tilted her head to
one side and into her palm. “Colin, what am I going to do if we don’t find the
professor’s attacker soon?”
“We’ll take it one
day at a time.” Strong, confident, able to leap tall buildings and all…even in
the middle of the night.
About the Author
Alexa Bourne is a
teacher by day and a romantic suspense writer by nights, weekends, and all
school holidays. She also teaches online classes for writers throughout the
year. She is thrilled to be writing for Decadent Publishing and to have the
chance to share her love of Great Britain with readers everywhere. When she's
not concocting sinister plots and steamy love scenes or traveling and exploring
new cultures, Alexa spends her time reading, watching brainless TV and thinking
about exercising. She loves to interact with readers, so visit her web page,
hang out at her blog, follow her on Twitter or drop her a note at
Alexa@alexabourne.com!
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