Hot military heroes, the women who
love them, and the devoted dogs that always have their backs. ULTIMATE COURAGE
is the second book in a high adrenaline contemporary suspense series from Piper
J. Drake published by Forever Romance. Fans of D.D. Ayres K-9 Rescue series and
Cindy Gerard’s One Eyed Jacks, will love this action packed romantic suspense
series.
Ultimate Courage
True Heroes #2
Piper J. Drake
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: July 26, 2016
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing- Forever
Print Length: 336 pages
Format: Digital and Mass Market Paperback
Elisa Hall is good at
starting from scratch. Leaving an abusive relationship in her rearview, she
packs everything she owns into the trunk of her car and heads for refuge with
her friend in Hope's Crossing, North Carolina.
Alex Rojas returned from
his second deployment as a Navy SEAL to find his condo empty and divorce papers
on the breakfast table. Now he's building a life for himself and his daughter
at Hope's Crossing kennels training younger dogs and handlers to search and
rescue, struggling to adjust to life back in the States and as a single father.
When Elisa shows up at the
kennels, it's obvious she's running from something. Luckily, the dogs and
trainers at Hope's Crossing are more than capable of warding off trouble. And
with every minute he spends with Elisa, Alex becomes even more and more
determined to protect the woman he's certain he won't be able to live
without...
Beautiful blue-gray eyes
met his briefly before the woman dropped her own gaze to focus on someplace
lower on his face, like his nose or mouth. Subtle. Most people would probably
not even notice the way she avoided direct eye contact.
But then again, not many
people made eye contact a challenge the way he and his colleagues did. It
wasn’t on purpose, really; more of a common quirk in their personalities.
Funny, he hadn’t expected
to see her again. Okay, maybe he’d been hoping to find her at Revolution MMA
for those self-defense classes he’d recommended. But here she was. A weird
tingle jolted through his chest.
This woman was about as
non-aggressive as possible without cowering outright. Despite her upright
posture, her hands hung at her sides in a loose, non-defensive position. Her
left wrist was covered in a brace and it was easy to see she held something in
her right hand. She was far enough back on the landing to easily drop down a
step or two without having to back up more than a few inches.
But the mannerisms didn’t
fit her energy, the straightness of her shoulders, or the set of her jaw.
Whoever this woman was, she’d developed habits. She wasn’t a mouse by nature.
He wouldn’t be as irritated to see these behaviors if these things came
naturally to her.
Who had forced her to assume those mannerisms to
survive?
“Mr. Rojas.” Her voice was
steady.
Another sign of her being
more than what she seemed, as far as he was concerned. The timbre was almost
soothing, and he realized he’d balled his hands into fists. Well, shit. He let
his hands loosen.
She presented the object
she held in her right hand. “I think your daughter left this behind at the ER
last night. I hope you don’t mind, but the logo for the kennels was on the
inside label, so I googled the address.”
Slowly—because he didn’t
want her to snatch her hand back—he took the glove from her. “Thanks.”
“The hospital lost and
found was overflowing, and I wanted to make sure Boom got her glove back,” the
woman continued, then bit her lip. “And I wanted to be sure to thank you.” Her
cheeks took on a fascinating pale pink blush.
Caught by surprise, Rojas
raised his eyebrows. “Me?”
Maybe his tone had been
the right encouragement, because she looked up again, her gaze meeting his, and
the chemistry shocked him right down to his toes, hitting every vital
organ—including his balls—along the way.
Blue-gray, cool as a calm
day out on the water, her gaze held his. “You were very kind last night, and I
didn’t thank you then. I try to thank the kind people I meet. So thank you.”
Rojas cleared his throat.
“You’re welcome.”
He didn’t know what else
to say. He’d only given her some ice, a cup of coffee, and a card about the
martial arts center. Boom had a good sense for people, and when she’d said the
woman needed the referral for the self-defense classes, he’d been inclined to
agree.
She broke their eye
contact, and he felt the loss as if someone had broken the circuit on an
electrical current. “I should be going now.”
“Wait.” He didn’t know
what made him ask her to. But she paused, balanced on the balls of her feet at
the edge of the landing. He was sure if he didn’t catch her now she’d be gone
for good. “I didn’t get your name.”
“Oh.” She turned to face
him. Another sign that she’d learned caution but she wasn’t afraid by nature.
She was open. A people person. Or at least more of one than he was. “Elisa
Hall.”
Piper J. Drake (or “PJ”)
began her writing career as “PJ Schnyder” writing sci-fi & paranormal
romance and steampunk. She has recently received the FF&P PRISM award for
her work as well as the NJRW Golden Leaf award and Parsec award.
Now, PJ is exploring the
complexity of romantic suspense, incorporating her interests in mixed martial
arts and the military into her writing.
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