I'm so proud to announce that my novella, HIS ONE WISH, is now live on Amazon only. This is my first release for 2019. If all works well, I will go through this crazy excitement three more times this year.
I know my new cover is all over my blog, but here it is again. One more time....because it's RELEASE DAY!!!
AMAZON
HIS ONE WISH is exclusively on Amazon. I did that for a reason. I wanted all my readers who are part of Kindle Unlimited to have a chance to get this book for free. If you are not a KU subscriber, it's only $2.99.
HIS ONE WISH Blurb:
True worth comes from within…
Aiden Cooper loved being a Marine, but an explosion ripped that world to shreds, leaving him adrift without purpose. When a contract to locate a missing high tech prototype appears out of thin air, he decides to take it despite the shady details. How much trouble could a palm size codebreaker cause?
Jazlin Morgan has been groomed from childhood to run Turhan Technologies, but she has another dream. However, when her father collapses into a coma from a poison with no known antidote, Jazlin steps into the CEO role with a vengeance. As she struggles to save her father’s company, she must confront whether she is the root of the chaos that has befallen it.
For Aiden, locating the “Genie” is easy. Separating the job from the enigma that is Jazlin Morgan could destroy him.
Jazlin can’t protect Turhan and her father by herself. Can she trust a stranger who is hiding his identity, but can’t seem to veil his heart? Or is he the real threat?
As competing desires tear their worlds apart, whose wishes will come true?
And once revealed, it will set the heart free.
A modern day fairytale retelling.
Heat level: Sensual
*** This is the re-release of HIS ONE WISH. It was previously published in anthology, Modern Magic by Crimson Romance.
Excerpt:
Chapter One
No matter how hard he planned and sacrificed, life still came
from behind and kicked him in the ass. Aiden Cooper leaned his back against the
wet brick and used the greasy dumpster as cover. “No job is worth this shit.”
Damn it to hell, he deserved a good ass-kicking. He
could’ve been sitting, warm and clean, with his feet resting on a desk and a
damn good annual salary resting in his bank account. Instead, he was wet to the
bone and miserable, because he had too much pride to accept what he considered
a pity offer.
It was
honest work, moron, unlike whatever the hell this is.
The pungent stench of rotting vegetables made him gag
as every instinct his training had drilled into him shot to the surface,
awakening his senses for the first time in several months. The musky hint of
wet dog hit him seconds before the black Labrador squeezed between his legs and
the wall.
“You really don’t understand the word ‘stay,’ do you,
Karo?” he whispered as his fingers gently scratched behind the dog’s drenched
ear. “Just how did you manage to get out this time?”
He had secured his apartment door, but Karo somehow
found a way to follow him. Then again, Aiden never stayed put, either. He had
run free like a street rat for the first seventeen years of his life in one of
the poorest neighborhoods in Baltimore. The military had given him a
much-needed ten-year lesson in order and discipline after his unruly beginnings—that
is, until fate decided to blow his left hand and forearm to pieces. The Marines
had no use for a one-handed soldier and tossed him right back to the one place
he never wished to return.
A dark limo pulled onto the side street and
double-parked in front of the alley. The pretentious vehicle didn’t belong in
the low-class Baltimore neighborhood. But what waited patiently behind the
tinted glass of the limo was Aiden’s chance at a new beginning.
The deep, throaty growl from his only true friend bounced
against the walls of the tight space. Without giving away his position, he
rested his hands on Karo’s head.
“I know. This is a new low, even for me.”
The plan was simple. One job, one payoff, and he and
Karo could get the hell out of this stinking city. Some big shot from Turhan
Technologies needed the best in the recon business. When Aiden completed the
assignment, he would have earned more money in one night than he did standing
behind a mall security desk in a year.
His army buddy had promised him the assignment was on
the up and up, nothing illegal. It wasn’t stealing, not really. Turhan
Technologies had funded this project, paid the quantum physicist good money to
design some special prototype. And the nitwit kid had walked off with it. Aiden
didn’t have a clue what the stolen device did. His job was to collect it and
return it to Turhan’s vice president.
Squaring his shoulders, he stepped out of the shadows.
A sense of unease slithered down his spine, and the feeling had nothing to do
with the dampness in the air. He was being watched, but he couldn’t detect from
where.
Aiden approached the vehicle and gripped the
passenger-side door handle, but it was locked. The tinted window rolled halfway
down and came to a stop.
“Are you Cooper?” A deep voice resonated from the
darkened interior of the limo.
“Yeah.”
The man’s features were partially hidden, but Aiden
recognized the deep slant in his thick eyebrows, his chiseled cheekbones,
square jaw, and dark, thick head of hair. Malcolm Morgan, Turhan’s vice president
and chief technology officer, was everything Aiden wasn’t. Rich. Powerful.
Ruthless. The Baltimore Sun painted him as a gifted
philanthropist, a man willing to put his expertise behind any project that
would keep Baltimore booming. His latest project was reconstructing his
brother’s company so it could once again compete in the global market. Aiden
had just read about it in the paper that morning.
Morgan stuck his hand out the window and handed Aiden
a folded sheet of paper with a key taped on the outside. “Everything you need
is here. Call the cell phone number when you have my merchandise.”
The window slowly rose. Aiden slammed the paper
against the glass. “And my payment?”
The window came down just low enough to pass the
manila envelope through.
“Half now, the rest when you deliver.”
Morgan leaned forward and turned toward the glass.
“Try to run out on me, Cooper …”
“Save your threats, Morgan. I agreed to the job, and
I’ll get it done.”
Aiden stepped onto the sidewalk and studied the limo
until it turned the corner. He memorized the address on the paper and tucked
the key and envelope into his jean pocket. Karo flanked his back like a trained
soldier. “I can’t leave you here and don’t have time to walk you back home, so
you might as well come along.”
His comment fell flat. The only control over the
animal Aiden had was what Karo gave him. The black Lab had followed him home
from the corner bar a week after he was released from rehab and hadn’t left his
side since.
The envelope of cash was burning a hole through his
conscience. Bad money only brought trouble. Aiden had about a hundred yards to
make up his mind. The kid’s apartment was in the next block.
A hint of jasmine and spice hit his nostrils, and
goose bumps tickled the back of his neck. He was being followed. He slowed his
pace to give his stalker—female, judging by the scent—a chance to reveal
herself. It wasn’t a good idea to sneak up on him.
But if this was a real threat, Karo should have warned
him. “Some guard dog you are.”
Karo let out a slight whimper. Aiden could swear he
looked guilty. They turned at the corner, and Aiden plastered his back against
the brick. The instant the woman stepped into his path, he pushed off the wall,
blocking her way, and almost swallowed his tongue.
She stood poised, her shoulders back, chin high, and
her expression almost regal. Under the hood of her fur-lined coat, a
rhinestone-studded gold headband glistened. The jewels didn’t end there. Gold
chains that draped low between her breasts and around her wrists had to be the
real thing. Damn, she was stunning.
“Princess, you lost?”
She let out a soft gasp. “No, I don’t think so.”
“What are you doing here?”
The words tumbled out of his mouth of their own
accord. But what the hell was a woman with this much class doing in a dark street
corner on the wrong side of Baltimore. His assessment stopped on her face, and
her dark brown eyes sucked him in, keeping him prisoner. Karo bumped Aiden’s
leg with his nose, yanking him out of her spell.
She moved around him and knelt next to a man asleep
under an awning, slipping several bills into his coffee can. Aiden’s survival
instinct shot to the surface. “That’s not smart.”
“I was following you.”
“What?”
“You asked what I was doing here. I was following
you.”
“And that’s not smart either. Why?”
A look crossed her face that said, how dense can
you be?
“To find out where you were going.”
Damn, she was sassy. Something close to laughter
boiled up inside him. He’d forgotten the last time he laughed. “Is living
dangerously something you just felt like doing tonight, princess?”
“Stop calling me that.”
Aiden couldn’t help raking his eyes over her from head
to foot—beautiful, exotic, every inch of her perfect. Smooth, dark chestnut
hair flowed gently down her back almost to her waist. She nervously pulled a
tassel of hair around to the front, twisted it around her finger, and then let
it loose. It took everything in him to keep from brushing it behind her
shoulder, taking his time to caress the back of his finger over the swell of
her breast.
“You’re staring.”
“Yeah. That’s what happens when you follow someone,
princess.”
“Seriously, don’t call me that. I’m not—”
“What should I call you?”
“Jazlin.”
“That fits.” He leaned on the wall with his hands on
his hips. “Again, why in the hell are you following me?”
This time, a faint hint of rose appeared on her
cheeks. Her gaze roamed passed his left shoulder. “Do you work for Malcolm
Morgan?”
Aiden stepped into her personal space, eyes narrowing.
Anyone in their right mind would’ve had the sense to run. She lifted her
bewitching eyes and matched his glare with one of her own.
“Is that your business?”
She had the decency to swallow. “No. Well, kind of.
He’s not a nice man, and—”
“How do you know him, princess?”
Her expression turned hard, and her hands fisted at
her sides. “Don’t call me that again.”
“Answer the damn question.”
“I’m trying to figure out what he is up to.”
“So you’re out spying on your sugar daddy. Did he find
himself a little plaything on the side? Maybe it’s time you readjust your standards.”
“You think I’m his … that I would …”
Aiden spun her around and gave her shoulder a light
push. “Go home.”
“Whatever he paid you, I’ll double it.”
He’d sure as hell read that situation wrong. Still,
the woman was crazy to go against someone like Malcolm Morgan. “No.” He placed
a hand on her elbow and began walking back the way they had come.
She jerked her arm free and stopped in the middle of
the sidewalk. “Okay, I’ll triple it.”
His pulse quickened. “Where’s your vehicle?”
“Why?”
“I’m putting you in it, and you’re getting out of this
neighborhood.”
“God, you’re such a macho, pigheaded jerk.” She
maneuvered around him and strutted to the corner, Karo at her heels. The dog
paused and appeared to be waiting for Aiden to catch up, like he was slowing
down the party.
“Shit,” Aidan muttered. “I’ve fallen down a fucking
rabbit hole.”
When he finally caught up to Jazlin, she was standing
in the middle of the block with her fists at her waist. “It’s not this block,
is it?”
Without waiting for him to answer, she rushed further
down the sidewalk, pausing only long enough to check traffic before she crossed
the street. The building she stopped in front of was the address from Morgan,
but Aiden wasn’t going to share that tidbit.
Jazlin was the first woman in a long time who made him
wish he’d shaved his Unabomber beard and worn something he hadn’t slept in the
last two days. But, damn, was she high-strung and unreasonable.
“So, now what, princess?”
Her stare bore into him, nearly causing him to take a
step back. “Call me that again and you’ll be eating pavement.”
Aiden moved in close enough that her spicy scent made
his mouth water. “Sweetheart, you don’t want to threaten me.”
She sucked in a breath and whispered, “What’s your
name?”
“Aiden Cooper.”
“I’m not afraid of you, Mr. Cooper.”
“You should be.”
“Liar.” She nodded at Karo. “Your dog cares about you,
protects you. That speaks volumes to me, but I’m not here to get in your way
unless you intend to hurt my friend.”
“Who is your friend?”
“Jin Ru. We work together at Turhan, but he’s been out
for the last couple of days. I just want to make sure he’s okay.”
Shit. There couldn’t be more than one Jin Ru
hiding from Malcolm Morgan in this neighborhood. Tiny pricks of raw nerves
teetered on the boundaries of Aiden’s patience, and he could taste the danger
in the back of his throat. Karo must have sensed it, too, because he let out a
deep growl and raced up the four steps of the building.
“I don’t mean to be—”
“Inside. Now.” Aiden took hold of her elbow and rushed
her up the stairs. He removed Morgan’s key from his front pocket and unlocked
the door. Before he could do a rough breakdown of the apartment building,
Jazlin yanked her arm free.
“Is this where Jin is hiding?” She didn’t wait for an
answer but dashed up the staircase, calling out her friend’s name. Karo took
off after her.
Aiden glanced through the small windows next to the
entrance, but everything was still, quiet. Whatever spooked him had decided to
make an appearance.
Jazlin pounded back down the steps to the landing.
“Are you coming?”
“What chance do I have that you’ll wait for me down
here?”
“None.”
Aiden took the steps two at a time, ascending the four
flights quickly. Outside apartment 4B, he raised his fist and let loose three
loud knocks. When no one opened the door, he pounded on the wood again. “Jin
Ru, we need to talk.”
The shadow beneath the threshold changed. Someone was
standing in front of the door. “Look, I’ve been sent by Malcolm Morgan to
retrieve the device you took from Turhan Technologies. I’m not going to let
anyone hurt you.”
Jazlin moved in front of the door. “Jin, it’s me,
Jazlin. Open the door. I need to know you are all right.”
The lock released and the door opened. Jin Ru only
stood an inch taller than Jazlin, but he was wiry … and pissed.
“What the hell, dude? Why did you involve her?”
“I didn’t,” Aiden said. “She stuck her nose in the
middle of my business, and I can’t shake her.”
A car door slammed in the distance, and Jin’s posture
stiffened. “Great. Then all three of us are screwed.”
AMAZON
~~~
That's it for today. I hope you have a great week. Make sure you find a few stolen moments to read a wonderful book.
Hugs to all,
Nancy C. Weeks
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