When past meets present things begin to sizzle.
When an emergency call goes out, FBI agent Ryan tags along with his sister on a Wind Warrior mission. Along the way, he meets Tempest, a beautiful female pilot who stirs his desires, and Rogue, a former Army buddy. Seeing Rogue again brings out feelings Ryan doesn’t understand and isn’t prepared to accept.
Their old rivalry returns as both men want Tempest, who happens to be Rogue’s employee.
The mission that brought the three of them together comes back to haunt them all with danger hanging over the head of every Wind Warrior and their loved ones.
Can Ryan work through his newfound interest in Rogue even as he’s falling for Tempest? Will they pull together and unite in time to save each other from a hired assassin?
Reader Advisory: This book contains MM and MMF sex scenes.
Publisher's Note: This book was previously published elsewhere. It has been revised and re-edited for release with Totally Bound.
General Release Date: 27th March 2015
“I swear you jinxed me.” Ryan sipped from his soda before setting the glass back down, his eyes locked on Lark the entire time. His beloved younger sister, who rattled his cage now and again, had really done it that time. Of all his siblings, he enjoyed Lark the most and made a point to make room in his busy schedule to spend time with her whenever possible, even if she had just happened to ruin his present social life for the past three weeks.
A wicked grin appeared on her face. “Hey, don’t blame me because the only women you’ve dated recently had biological clocks ticking louder than Big Ben.” She wrapped a spaghetti noodle around her fork then delicately placed it in her mouth.
He grimaced at the reminder. The last four women he’d dated had proved to be huge disasters as they all possessed one common denominator—they’d wanted a baby daddy—and now. He hadn’t been able to run fast enough from the imposing threat of immediate commitment and impending fatherhood.
“Yeah, but you said it beforehand, making you responsible for this hex or…curse or…whatever it is.” He stabbed a chunk of chicken before taking another bite.
She snorted. Bright blue eyes matching Ryan’s danced with amusement. “I didn’t find these women for you, bro. You did that all on your very own.”
Her wide smile pricked his already irritable mood. “It’s not funny.”
Lark waved a hand dismissively. “Sure, it is. After all, you called Mom and told her about Bryce and me before I had a chance to do more than come up for air. Ever since, she’s been harassing me about weddings and baby showers to the point where I want to either pull my hair out or move to Siberia.”
His lips twitched. Served her right for all the times she’d snickered at him and egged her mother onward in a nearly obsessive quest for grandchildren. Why their doting mother chose him over the other three boys to nag incessantly, he couldn’t say. More than likely the reason had to do with his proximity to his parents, whereas the others were scattered like the four winds. Hell, more than once he’d considered returning to active duty as an Army Ranger just to avoid the tedious questioning.
“Poor baby,” he tossed back, thoroughly enjoying the fact that Lark sat on the hot seat.
She flipped him off.
He chuckled at her gesture, so like the ‘never say die’ baby sister he’d always known. For as long as he could remember, she’d never let a little thing like propriety and ladylike manners get in her way. Instead, she tackled the world, intent upon proving every male chauvinist wrong, and climbed the mountain of success each and every time. She’d certainly kicked his ass every once in a while when they were growing up. Even now, if she tried, he’d place money down on a draw between them. Her cheerleader background and petite frame gave her quickness along with deceptive strength to counter his power and size.
“How’s Bryce?” he asked, changing the subject while finishing the last of his late night supper.
She sighed longingly. “Wonderful.”
He shook his head. “Love if I ever saw it.”
“Yep.” She slurped on her water.
A twinge of jealousy smacked him in the chest and stuck tight. Always before, he thought the bachelor life held everything he wanted and then some. He began to notice the expressions of bliss and sheer happiness on the face of his sister, who’d recently found her other half. Seeing the two of them together made him feel like he could bask in their glow.
Now, he wasn’t so sure living single held as bright an appeal as it used to.
The ringing of her phone broke through his melancholic thoughts.
She dug her cell phone out of her oversized handbag, glanced at the screen, and blinked. “Oh, shit.”
He tensed, immediately on alert. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s an SOS. The guys are in trouble.”
After digging his wallet out, Ryan tossed a few bills on the table, scooped up their trash and shoved it in the bin on the way out of the front door of the restaurant, Lark hot on his heels. “Where to?” he asked, as they both hopped into his truck and fastened their seatbelts.
She read the message quickly. “The airport—and now.”
Revving the engine, he mentally pictured the shortest route and pushed the speed limit to get there. “What does it say?”
“New information just came in. Loco, Cale and Spoon are headed straight into an ambush. It’s all hands on deck.”
Although he’d never met the other Wind Warriors Lark worked with, his gut clenched at the ominous words. No brave soldier deserved to be set up as decoys, or cannon fodder, or to walk into a trap based on faulty or outright wrong information.
“Count me in.”
She glanced up at him with a worried look written clearly across her face. “Ryan, this isn’t your fight.”
“It is now.”
* * * *
Ryan tugged a black backpack from behind the driver’s seat, hastily jerking at zippers to check the contents. Always before, he’d considered the stash of spare clothing and a handgun to be more than enough back-up in case of emergency. Today, he found the items sadly lacking for the mission ahead.
Lark pulled a faded pink duffel bag from the floorboard of the passenger side, thrust the strap over her shoulder then lifted it with familiar ease. His gut told him they would need everything they’d packed and then some in order to prepare for a decent cavalry charge and have any chance at success.
“Night’s here.”
He swung around, noting the desert camouflage clothing covering a tall, large-framed man with dark-toned skin, piercing cobalt-blue eyes, and facial features that shouted his obvious Native American ancestry. Curious to meet the leader and creator of the Wind Warriors, Ryan trotted after his sprinting sister.
“What’s going on?” Lark asked, coming to a halt.
Night shook his head and gestured toward a large black helicopter. “I’ll tell you on the way.” Spinning, he pinned Ryan with a look. “Thanks for bringing her so fast.”
“No problem.” Ryan checked out Night for the first time up close, finding pride, concern and supreme confidence on Night’s face and in his stance. The man demanded respect from his carriage alone. Without a second thought, he trailed his sister to the chopper.
Growing up in the Midwest, I began reading romance novels in high school, immediately falling in love with the genre, to the point where I decided to write professionally for a career. However, that dream splattered against a brick wall, resulting in a quick death in my first writing class in college when my professor told me bluntly that I wasn't any good at it. I shifted gears quickly, and left my writing dreams behind, eventually settling on becoming a nurse.
A few years back, I stumbled across a fan-fiction writing site on a favorite author's webpage. I began to read stories others wrote, not only making some wonderful close friends from the experience, but also, really learning to write for the very first time. Here I was able to share short stories, practice my writing skills, and truly develop into a writer. More than that, the experience allowed me to revitalize my dream, as I rediscovered joy in writing. Now, I spend my days off with my alpha male characters, quick witted heroines, and see how much trouble everyone can get into.
When I'm not working or writing, I enjoy working in the garden, canning, and seeing my backyard as a living canvas for my whimsical landscaping, and, of course, reading romance novels.
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