Well the day has finally arrived. Her Captured Heart, the next installment in my Mercenary Heat series, is now live. Thanks to everyone who purchased the book on pre-order and for those of you who haven't grabbed it yet it will remain on sale for 99 cents until August 7th.
As a special release day treat I've included an extended excerpt for you all to read. I hope you enjoy this little snippet. It's the first time Clay meets Ebony and she makes a huge impact. Lol.
During the last four years Clay has felt more like a
babysitter than the elite mercenary Marcus hired. His current role within the
team of misfits is to ensure ex-crime boss, Adrian Hastings, remains protected
from enemies out to kill him. The teams current mission is about to jeopardize all
that. Clay has an additional charge to care for, Adrian’s daughter, and he has
the feeling this won’t be a happy family reunion. But introducing Ebony to her
dead father isn’t his only problem. Ebony hates him. A feeling he completely
understands considering he kidnapped her. Clay needs to somehow win her over
and not just for the mission’s sake. She’s the only woman he’s ever desired enough
to want to have a future with.
Ebony Rose Hastings changed her name and her entire life to
escape the violent legacy of her family. With her past behind her, she’s
starting again and learning important lessons along the way. Her new awakening
began with the death of her father nearly five years ago and ended with a not
so amicable divorce from her loser husband. Unfortunately, her past won’t lay
down and die. Taken hostage by a deceptively good-looking man who she refuses
to trust, Ebony now faces three new challenges. Accepting the resurrection of a
man she once thought dead, remaining safe from her ex—who’s convinced she’s his ticket to a wealthy life—and fighting the attraction she
feels for the man who recently kidnapped her.
Buy links:
Excerpt:
Her
Captured Heart - Copyright © 2018 by Jan Graham
Clay watched Hex exit the
van and approach the front of the house. He expected to hear screaming,
pounding noise, anything coming from inside the white box. After all, Hex said she was awake. Instead, he heard the crunch of the pebbled
driveway under Hex’s feet. Maybe Ebony exhausted herself and passed out again.
That would certainly make transferring her to the house a lot easier.
Neither man spoke until they
were nearer to each other. Discussion of plans needed privacy, away from
listening ears of both their captive and the busybody
sitting in the library.
“I thought you said she was
awake?” Clay questioned.
“She is, I had to put on
loud music to drown out her screams and threats. Apparently, if we let her go,
she won’t go to the cops.” Hex chuckled,
“If only she knew.”
Yes, if only. The timing
wasn’t perfect. Under normal circumstances, they would have enlisted one of the
women to approach her, explain the danger and sequester her away to the safety
they provided. Instead, they’d taken her
with no explanation. She must be terrified.
“I’ve got the room ready,
Adrian’s in the library, and I grabbed a small dose of knockout. The last thing
I need is for him to hear her distress. I swear the guy’s turning boy scout on
me.”
“So, the plan is to put her
to sleep again?” Hex asked.
It wasn’t ideal, convenient
more than anything. If she remained quiet
and didn’t fight them, they could walk her
inside and release her into the guest room. If she fought, then all
bets were off and sending her nigh-nigh was the only option. If anything, it
would give Clay a chance to untie her, make her comfortable, and give her time
to wake in a more pleasant and relaxed environment—not that she’d forget being
in the van and the fear it held. Still, she might be calmer to deal with on
waking.
“I’ll play it by ear. Let’s
go get her,” Clay said.
His concerns heightened as
they approached the van. How distressed was she? It was the last thing he
wanted for her. He’d hoped for a smoother transition into captive life. Still,
it was what it was, and nothing could change that.
He stopped dead when Hex
slid open the side door. Jesus, he’d said she was petite, but the woman tied up
before him was elfin-like—thin to the point of being bony. Given Adrian’s size, he’d expected the woman to be more
substantial than the waif before him. She wiggled backward—not that there was
anywhere for her to go—clearly attempting to avoid the silent danger he and Hex
posed. Clay climbed inside, hunching over her, and assessed the restraints.
“I’m not here to hurt you,
Ebony. I’m just going to help you out of the van.” Clay attempted a calm
reassurance as he moved her legs forward slightly before releasing the thick
strap Hex used to secure her to the wall of the van. At least he’d taken care
she didn’t slide around during transport although she couldn’t have been
comfortable.
The temptation to remove the
hood gnawed at him, but if Adrian decided to spy on proceedings, Clay didn’t
want him to see her face. His heart constricted as she whimpered. How
terrifying must this be for such a tiny creature like her? Well, for anyone really. The need to take her inside and
comfort her stunned him. He wanted to reassure her she was safe, allow her
freedom from the binds that held her. She trembled as he gently stroked her
arm, contemplating his growing need to take care of her, to pamper away the
fear. The moment he’d laid eyes on her bound body,
something inside him clicked. This wasn’t just an assignment. She was something
else. Jesus, how soft was babysitting Adrian making him?
As he pulled her toward the
edge of the van, so he could step out and bundle her into his arms to carry her
inside, Ebony kicked into action. Literally. The scream she emitted caused
birds to take flight, and the quick upward thrust of her feet hit their target.
His gonads slammed upward, wedging with his aroused cock between hard boots and
his body.
Fuck. Me. Dead.
He rolled to the side, the
release of freedom from the impact causing excruciating pain to permeate his
groin. His hands automatically reached to console his package, not that it
helped. Ebony flung herself upright and found ground, hopping forward, without
realizing she headed straight into the hard chest and burly arms of Hex.
“No, let me go.” Her
struggles were to no avail. Hex wasn’t
letting go, and Ebony had just sealed her
new fate. She screamed again, only stopping to draw breath for the next terror-filled
emission of noise.
“Fucking stab her, man,” Hex
yelled over the din. “She’s giving me a headache.”
As Clay managed to stand and
reach in his pocket for the syringe, Ebony struggled harder for freedom. Hex’s
choice of words clearly making her believe she was about to die.
