Jessica Scott
February 4, 2014
Forever E-Book $2.99
Can a battle-scarred warrior . . .
Stay sober. Get deployed. Lead his platoon. Those are the only things that matter to Sergeant First Class Reza Iaconelli. What he wants is for everyone to stay out of his way; what he gets is Captain Emily Lindberg telling him how to deal with his men. Fort Hood's newest shrink is smart as a whip and sexy as hell. She's also full of questions-about the army, its soldiers, and the agony etched on Reza's body and soul.
. . . open his heart to love?
Emily has devoted her life to giving soldiers the care they need-and deserve. Little does she know that means facing down the fierce wall of muscle that is Sergeant Iaconelli like it's just another day at the office. When Reza agrees to help her understand what makes a soldier tick, she's thrilled. Too bad it doesn't help her unravel the sexy warrior in front of her who stokes her desire and touches a part of her she thought long dead. He's the man who thinks combat is the only escape from the demons that haunt him. The man who needs her most of all . . .
Stay sober. Get deployed. Lead his platoon. Those are the only things that matter to Sergeant First Class Reza Iaconelli. What he wants is for everyone to stay out of his way; what he gets is Captain Emily Lindberg telling him how to deal with his men. Fort Hood's newest shrink is smart as a whip and sexy as hell. She's also full of questions-about the army, its soldiers, and the agony etched on Reza's body and soul.
. . . open his heart to love?
Emily has devoted her life to giving soldiers the care they need-and deserve. Little does she know that means facing down the fierce wall of muscle that is Sergeant Iaconelli like it's just another day at the office. When Reza agrees to help her understand what makes a soldier tick, she's thrilled. Too bad it doesn't help her unravel the sexy warrior in front of her who stokes her desire and touches a part of her she thought long dead. He's the man who thinks combat is the only escape from the demons that haunt him. The man who needs her most of all . . .
Buy Links
Emily watched her friend weave through the crowd of broad-shouldered Cavalrymen and toward the captain. Alone at the bar, Emily twirled her wine in the glass, staring into the swirling pale golden liquid.
She sipped her wine and glanced around the
wide open space, feeling the warmth. She was comfortable in this place. A drink
after work. A good friend. This was a good life. It was simple. It had purpose.
So much better than the complicated mess she’d left behind.
She lifted her glass, savoring the freedom of her rebellion. She might
not fit into her uniform just right but she fit here among these soldiers
better than she’d ever fit back home.
She saw Olivia gyrating slowly with the captain across the dance floor.
Her friend’s movements were slow and sensual, a sultry undulation that spoke of
power and of sex. She smiled at her friend’s pleasure. It was enough that Emily
could enjoy another’s happiness. She’d come here tonight to relax, to help
Olivia celebrate.
“You don’t come here often, do you?”
Emily glanced at the man who’d appeared at her shoulder. He’d been standing
with the group of captains that Olivia had just infiltrated.
“Not really,” she said, sipping her drink. She thought about easing
away, putting space between where their upper arms touched.
Personal space much? she thought.
“Are you here with friends?” he asked. She caught a heavy scent of beer
from his direction, beer mixed with cigar smoke. It was not unpleasant.
She glanced over at Olivia. “Yeah.”
“Not up for company?”
She smiled and finally glanced back at him. “Not really. Thank you
though.”
He brushed the tip of his hat with two fingers. “My pleasure, ma’am.”
He swaggered off, leaving her alone at the bar. That had been nice. Too
bad she wasn’t interested. Once upon a time, she might have danced but there
was something missing from the way he’d carried himself.
He was missing that power that Sergeant Iaconelli wore like it was
second nature.
She shook her head and took a long sip of her wine. She’d done nothing
but argue with the man but now she was thinking about him in a way that was
purely unprofessional.
The heavy iron door swung open at that moment and Emily’s breath caught
in her throat.
“Speak of the devil,” she muttered.
Reza Iaconelli stood in the doorway, his gaze scanning the room as
though he was taking a headcount. What was it about the man that he was always
walking through doors at the wrong time? And this time, his gaze swept the bar
and landed directly on her.
His eyes lit up, his mouth
flattened. Just a faint flicker, but it was enough to tell her he’d recognized
her.
And the familiar hostility was gone.
Her mouth went dry and she took another sip. He wasn’t going to come
over. It was going to be fine.
They would keep the rampant hostility and no lines would be blurred.
It would be fine, right?
Except that he was now coming over. Weaving through the crowd, his
Stetson adding to his height.
What the hell was she supposed to do about that? The closer he got, the
more her stomach flipped beneath her ribs.
She was too tired to fight. And the alcohol would probably allow her to
say something that she’d regret come Monday.
His clean white shirt accented
his shoulders and made his skin look darker, more appealing. His face was
shadowed by the brim of the Stetson.
He was there. A short space separated them. He radiated something—a
power.
A rawness.
She was doomed.
USA Today bestselling
author Jessica Scott is a career army officer; mother of two daughters,
three cats and three dogs;
wife to a career NCO and wrangler of all things stuffed and fluffy. She
is a terrible cook and even worse housekeeper, but she's a pretty good
shot with her assigned weapon and someone liked some of the stuff she
wrote. Somehow, her children are pretty well-adjusted
and her husband still loves her, despite burned water and a messy
house.
She's written for the New York Times At War Blog, PBS Point of View: Regarding War Blog, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. She deployed to Iraq in 2009 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom/New Dawn and has served as a company commander at Fort Hood, Texas.
She's pursuing a PhD in Sociology in her spare time and most recently, she's been featured as one of Esquire Magazine's Americans of the Year for 2012.
She's written for the New York Times At War Blog, PBS Point of View: Regarding War Blog, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. She deployed to Iraq in 2009 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom/New Dawn and has served as a company commander at Fort Hood, Texas.
She's pursuing a PhD in Sociology in her spare time and most recently, she's been featured as one of Esquire Magazine's Americans of the Year for 2012.
Social Media Links
Website
Goodreads
a Rafflecopter giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
