Sweet Saturday Sample – Her Dark Knight

She shook her head, but the words wouldn’t come to deny the charges. The nightclub would be an excellent cover for a drug operation.

“I’m not dealing drugs, Madelaine. I’m not involved in anything illegal,” he said sadly.

She winced at his tone. She didn’t mean to hurt him. “Then what?”

He ran a hand through his hair. “Something far bigger and far more evil than drugs. But not illegal. At least in the eyes of the law.”

“Unethical?”

“Possibly. But I’m on the side of right here. You have to trust me in this.” He stood and paced to the windows. The bright sun shone behind him, creating an aura of light that surrounded him. Like an angel. Her angel.

What was she thinking? Of course he wasn’t doing anything illegal. This was Christien. The idea of him dealing drugs or negotiating arms with terrorists was ludicrous and she’d been an idiot to think it in the first place.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I know you would never do anything illegal.”

Sharon Cullen 267

He laughed, but the sound was cynical. “Don’t be so sure. At times I’ve done what I had to.”

“You had your reasons.” Just like he had his reasons to believe she was in danger. Proven twice now.

“I’m humbled by your faith in me,” he said sarcastically.

His words bit, but she absorbed the pain. It was no more than she deserved for doubting him when he’d done nothing but take care of her and try to protect her.

“Forgive me.”

“Ah, Madelaine. There’s nothing to forgive, mon coeur. You have every right to your doubts after what you’ve been through. I never meant for you to get hurt.”

She stood again to join him at the window. Her legs wobbled a bit. “It’s not your fault. You couldn’t have known.”

He touched her cheek, his thumb grazing her jaw. “But I did know. From the moment I saw you in my club, I knew you were special and I knew nothing good would come of this.”

She swallowed, suddenly nervous. “This?”

His hand dropped and he turned away from her to stare out the window. “Us.”

What was he saying? They had no future? Surely he hadn’t brought her all the way to France to break up with her.

She stepped away and raised her chin. “What do you mean?”

268 Her Dark Knight

His harsh expression softened. “Only that I should have walked away when I had the chance. But I never had the chance. One look at you and I’d found the other half of my heart.”

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Sweet Saturday Sample

From The Notorious Lady Anne, out in February, 2013 with Loveswept (cover pending)

Gone was Lady Anne, in her place just Emmaline. Two components of one person, making a whole that baffled him but he wouldn’t think about it now.

Tonight was for them, Nicholas and Emmaline. No one else. He curled onto his side and tucked her into him. He fell asleep with the scent of her hair—ocean breeze and warm sunlight.

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Sweet Saturday Sample

Its been awhile since I’ve taken part in this. Hope you didn’t miss me too much 🙂

“So tell me about Jay Lang.”

Okay, maybe one more night would make a difference. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “You went through my wallet.”

“Well, yeah.” She rolled her eyes. “Who are you?” This last was whispered and the tremor in Kate’s voice made his heart do a funny ka-boom.

He settled back in the bed, rearranging the sheets across his legs and lap, trying to figure out what to say, where to start unraveling all the lies. He still couldn’t believe they’d been together for nearly a year while he lived a double life. The guilt, at first, had been incredible, but as time had gone by, it got easier and easier. It’d been for her own good. For her protection. He’d had to keep reminding himself of that.

So, who was he? To be honest, he wished he knew. It depended on what day you asked. He could be anything the organization wanted him to be. In fact, it had been his ability to blend in, to become anonymous, that had gained the notice of Suzanne Carmichael. Who was he? No one good, that was for sure. “I’m Lucas Barone.”

“So who’s Jay Lang?”

“My cover.”

A long pause followed in which Luke debated telling Kate everything, regardless of the consequences or the oaths he’d taken to Uncle Sam. The only thing that stopped him was, once again, his concern for her safety. The less she knew the better.

“What have you gotten yourself into?” she asked and he vaguely recalled she’d asked him that before but he’d been in too much pain to answer.

“I don’t know. But I plan to find out. That’s why I need to get out of here.” Already he could feel his energy waning, the exhaustion pulling him under. It took considerable effort to keep his eyes open and it felt like his body weighed a thousand pounds as it pressed into the softness of the bed. Sleep called to him and he was powerless to stop it.
He cursed his weakness even as he succumbed to it.

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Sweet Saturday Sample

This is from my romantic suspense, Deception:

“Promise me you’ll do this my way,” he said, feathering his thumb on the sensitive skin under her jaw. She fought the tremor overtaking her insides. Fought the desire to lean in and kiss him. “Promise that we’ll work together to get this solved.” His eyes darkened even more and she bit her lip. “Stop arguing for once, Katherine, and promise. I know I lost your trust long ago, but trust me to get us out of this.”

“I trust you.”

His gaze searched her face, sliding over her chin and lips and cheeks until finally settling on her eyes. “Do you?”

“Yes.”

He opened his mouth to say more, then closed it on a sigh. The look in his eyes told her he was going to kiss her, but she was still unprepared for the light touch of his lips, for the zing of need racing through her and for her desperate desire to keep him just where he was.

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Sweet Saturday Samples

Since the weather is so beautiful here in Ohio I thought I’d give you a snippet of Her Dark Knight, which also takes place in the spring. Enjoy and if you get a chance, follow the other authors’ Saturday Samples

He wasn’t going to be the one to tell her she didn’t get the job based on her resume but based on her eerie likeness to a dead countess. He steered her onto the entrance to the River Walk.
Normally Christien barely noted the changing of the seasons. When time held no meaning, seasons were inconsequential. He’d lived through hundreds of them but today he could feel spring in the air. The breeze was warm upon his face. The sun seemed brighter. He was aware that this new appreciation had nothing to do with Mother Nature but rather Madelaine at his side.

She brought new awareness to his life, an edge to a dull existence.
“I need this job more than anything. I have to succeed.”

“Why do you have to succeed?”

“Well. For the same reasons everyone wants to succeed.”

“Generally people want success for money or

power or to rise above bad situations. Which reason is yours?”

“Money,” she said softly.

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Sweet Saturday Sample

From my romantic suspense, Redemption. Enjoy!

“What bad things have you done?” she asked.

“This isn’t about me, Hope. This is about your father.”

“My father’s dead.” Grief flashed across her face, but she contained it.

“Yes, and we need to find out who did it.” He was desperate to get the conversation back on track. Hope had a way of derailing him, making him think of things other than their purpose. He knew she did it as a defense mechanism against the emotions battering her.

“We will. You will. I trust you.”

“Don’t.” He took another step back, his hand going out in a motion to stop her words.

“Why does that scare you?” She tilted her head, the waterfall of hair sliding over her shoulder and shimmering in the late-afternoon sun spilling in from the window.

“It doesn’t scare me. It’s just not wise to trust me.”

“My father seemed to think it wise.”

“Hope, please—”

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Sweet Saturday Sample

Happy Saturday after Valentine’s Day! Did we all survive the big day? My sample is from my romantic suspense, Obsession. Enjoy!

Upton stepped closer, going nose-to-nose, toe-to-toe with him. “I’m saying better him than you. I’d rather scrape his sorry ass off the ground than the best damn cop in the department. “Don’t go getting teary-eyed on me, Officer Juran. That kid made a lot of bad choices long before he ended up a chalk outline, and not one of them had to do with you.”

Alex ground his teeth. “What if I had been the chalk outline? Would the case be closed then?”

Upton stepped back. “You weren’t and you should be damn happy about it.”

Alex ran a hand through his hair. “So that’s it. Case closed. No more bad guy.”

“What should we do, Juran? We’ve followed every lead. Until your memory returns—if your memory returns—our hands are tied.”

“And what about the intruder? The guy who attacked Tess?”

“What about them?”

“LT never mentioned them.”

“And why would he? They’re nothing but harmless pranks.”

“So you’re telling me Tess’s attack was a harmless prank?” He took a step closer to Upton and stopped, afraid of what he’d do if he got too close. Upton glanced at his clenched hands and raised his brows, the warning clear in the depths of his eyes. Alex relaxed his fingers, but the anger was still seething inside him. “You were there that day, Matthew. You saw her. You saw what that bastard did to her.”

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Sweet Saturday Sample

Happy Saturday! Since today is my daughter’s birthday I thought I’d post a snippet of one of my heroine’s birthdays. This is from Wherever You Are, a historical time-travel. Enjoy! And if you want to visit other authors’ samples click here.

“I brought you a present.” He indicated a wrapped package on a side table.

“A present? What for?”

“Have you forgotten, Juliana? Today is your birthday.”

She’d completely forgotten. In fact, she hadn’t been keeping track of the days at all. There seemed to be no reason when there wasn’t anywhere she needed to be.

Morgan placed the package in her hand and stepped back, putting his hands behind him again. “Open it.”

There hadn’t been many presents in her life. More often than not her parents forgot her birthday and Christmas was always hit or miss in her house depending on her mother’s mood. Daniel told her to buy whatever she wanted for her birthday and the one Christmas they spent together, they decided to fore go gifts and work in a soup kitchen.

Morgan’s gift wasn’t wrapped prettily. The paper was coarse and brown, the whole thing held together by twine. She blinked her tears away because it was perfect.

Slowly she pulled the twine and pushed the paper away. Inside lay a book bound in red leather, her initials in gold leaf very discreet in the bottom right corner. When she opened it the pages were blank. She looked up at Morgan in question.

He shrugged as if he were uncomfortable. “You kept pestering my crew for paper and pen. I thought you might like your own journal. To write.”

The tears she’d been holding back leaked out of her eyes and down her cheeks. She hugged the book to her chest and cried.

Morgan’s eyes widened. “I didn’t mean to make you cry, Juliana. Please don’t cry.”

“It’s p-perfect.” She sniffed. “Thank you.” She cried harder, not for the journal, but for everything that happened. Everything she lost.

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Sweet Sample Saturday

Happy Saturday, everyone! Hope you all had a great week and an even better weekend. I thought I’d throw you all a romantic suspense to chew on this Saturday. Enjoy!

Luke stood at the stove, flipping pancakes onto a plate, dressed in swim trunks that reached his knees and a short sleeve shirt unbuttoned over a tanned chest. A baseball cap sat on his head, the brim turned backwards, sunglasses perched on top. A day’s growth of beard darkened his cheeks and jaws. Her mouth watered, but not from the aroma of buttermilk pancakes. What did her in were his bare feet. He looked so at home, so comfortable, so unlike the Luke she’d known for the past several days.

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Sweet Saturday Samples

Happy Saturday to everyone! Here’s hoping your weekend is off to a great start. Today’s sample is from Her Dark Knight, a paranormal romance. Enjoy!

“You are needed here.” Michael’s expression softened, as if he felt his patient’s pain and longing. “You are charged with protecting the treasure for all
eternity.”
“Nay.” Nay. He did not want this.

“If the treasure is discovered by the wrong people, there will be war as we have never seen, pestilence and death. Everything as you know it will be gone.”

“You are speaking of the Apocalypse?”

Michael did not answer. His silence was answer enough.

He would not accept that he was the only man standing between life and the end of the world. The only man for the rest of eternity? Nay.

“You will encounter those who want to take the treasure from you, who will do anything to have it. You alone know where it is buried, but only the key
can break the seals.”

“What is this key you speak of?”

“You will know when you find it.”

He shook his pounding head. “You speak in riddles again.”

Michael lowered himself to one knee and folded battle-scarred hands over his bent leg. “The key will reveal itself in time. For now you need to protect the treasure. You have been given eternal life to do so. Death cannot claim you.”

He stared at his rescuer turned jailor, anger and desperation and defeat churning inside him. “You lied.”

Michael cocked a brow in question.

“This is hell.”

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