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An Exclusive Excerpt from DEVIL AND THE DEEP by Julie Ann Walker
June 1, 2016
Second in NYT & USAT bestselling author Julie Ann Walker’s
new romantic
suspense series featuring former navy SEALs The former SEALs of The Deep Six return in a sizzling series from New York
Times and USA Today bestselling author Julie Ann Walker. A COVERT MISSION Maddy Powers’s life revolves around cocktail parties, political fundraisers, and
charity events — but she can’t forget the daring former SEAL who appropriated
her father’s yacht a few months ago … or the scorching kiss they shared before
he disappeared into the deep blue sea. SPARKS A FLAMING DESIRE Bran Pallidino carries a dark secret behind his lady-killer eyes — one that
keeps him from pursuing a serious relationship with Maddy. But when she’s taken
hostage during a trip to the Dry Tortugas, the men of Deep Six Salvage drop
their treasure hunt for a sunken galleon and embark on a dangerous mission to
save Maddy. WITH EARTH-SHATTERING REPERCUSSIONS As they fight her merciless kidnappers, they discover this isn’t a simple
hostage situation, but something far more sinister. Passion boils between Bran
and Maddy, but what good is putting their hearts on the line if they don’t
survive the dawn? Here's an exclusive excerpt to enjoy
Her lungs burned. Her heart rate spiked, trying to push oxygen that wasn’t there
through her bloodstream. Did I take a wrong turn? Could the tunnel have forked? She kicked and pulled, kicked and pulled, her motions becoming more desperate as
oxygen deprivation set in. All her instincts yelled at her. Turn back! Turn back
now! But she fought them off, pushing, pulling, propelling herself forward. Ever
forward. Where’s Bran? I took a wrong turn! Somehow I— Space… Big, beautiful, wide-open space. She was free-floating in the cistern. Finally! She kicked toward the surface with all her might. Her fingers became claws,
tearing at the water. The beat of her heart was a ferocious roar in her ears.
Her lungs spasmed, desperate to suck in air. Had she gotten mixed up in all that cool, wet blackness when she exited the
fissure? Was she swimming down instead of up? Oh Lord! Oh shit! Oh— Her mouth opened in a silent scream. Briny water rushed in, triggering her gag
reflex. Spots of light flashed in front of her unblinking eyes, but they weren’t
bioluminescent sea creatures. They were hallucinations conjured up by her
under-oxygenated brain as her synapses misfired. She stopped to turn around. Surely she was swimming down. She had to be. She
would have reached the surface by now! But before she could switch directions, a
hard arm came around her middle. Bran! If she’d had a voice, she’d have screamed his name. In an instant she was propelled through the water. Bran’s muscled legs kicked.
His free arm stroked. He was a human torpedo dragging her along for the ride.
Good thing, because she was done. Out of juice. Out of air. Out of time. And then… “Uhhhhh!” They breached the surface just as her convulsing lungs overrode her
willpower and forced her to suck in bright, brilliant oxygen…along with a fair
amount of liquid. She immediately folded in half, hacking and coughing and trying to clear the
spray from her lungs. The sound of her struggle echoed through the cistern,
bouncing around the brick walls. Bran slammed a wide-palmed hand over her mouth. “Shhhhh,” he hissed, his lips moving against her ear, his hot breath burning
along her cheek. “Just breathe, babe.” Uh-huh. Breathe. Right. Problem was, she couldn’t. Not without hacking up a lung. And if she did that,
the resulting sound could resonate through the cistern and out into the parade
grounds, alerting their enemies to their presence. For Pete’s sake, Maddy! Could you be any more of a pain in the ass? Going on instinct, she spun in Bran’s embrace, wrapping her legs around his
waist and burying her nose in the crook of his neck. Her stomach contracted
around the need to cough. Her lungs quaked. But she managed to execute a muted
throat-clearing thing that she further muffled against Bran’s tough flesh. It
wasn’t exactly a silent exercise. But neither was it sure to bring the bad guys
down on their heads. Again and again, she repeated the process. Each odd inhale and exhale felt
gritty, like she’d pulled sand into her lungs instead of water. But after a few
seconds, she was able to suck air through her nose without her diaphragm trying
to send it hacking back out into the warm, dense atmosphere. Her senses returned. She could hear the gentle slap-slap of the water against
the sides of the brick structure. She could smell the clean, masculine scent of
Bran beneath the thin layer of seawater that coated his skin. She could feel his
heavy pulse beating steadily beneath her lips, a drumbeat she could set her
watch to. And even though she couldn’t see—the darkness inside the cistern was
complete—she knew at some point Bran had swum them to the edge. She could sense
the tall, damp walls of the water tank rising overhead. With one arm still
wrapped securely around her waist, he was holding on to something that allowed
them to float freely, effortlessly in the water. For a while, she allowed herself to revel. Revel in being alive. Revel in being
able to breathe. Revel in feeling momentarily safe and secure inside Bran’s
embrace—she’d stuck herself to him like a whole sleeve of plastic wrap; if there
was a fraction of an inch of space between their bodies, she couldn’t feel it.
She closed her eyes against the darkness and simply…was. No thoughts. No fears.
Just her. Just him. Just being. Just touching. And then it happened… Bran’s pulse kicked up. His chest expanded on a deep breath. And he stilled
against her, all his muscles contracting at once. She knew what caused the
change. It was the same thing that happened any time they touched. Sudden,
intimate…awareness. The smooth firmness of his skin beneath her lips tempted her to taste. She
fought the need for a whole two seconds. It was two seconds she was extremely
proud of, just to be clear. But then she couldn’t stand it. She opened her lips
over his hammering pulse-point and flicked her tongue against his hot flesh. Male. That was the word that flittered through her brain as Bran’s sweet, salty
taste exploded on her tongue. He was all man. From top to bottom. Inside and
out. And when she was touching him, kissing him, she was every bit a woman.
Completely aware that she had breasts and a womb. Both ached, throbbed, yearned. Bran sucked in a ragged breath at the second pass of her tongue. “Maddy,” he
rumbled, lowering his chin until his lips moved against her ear. The arm around
her waist became a wide, warm hand that crept lower, lower, lower until he was
palming her ass, kneading and caressing and moving her against him in that
age-old rhythm that rubbed her swelling sex against the seam of her shorts.
Giveaway
We're giving away five (5) copies of HELL OR HIGH WATER, the
first in the series.
In a world on the brink Six men. One sunken Spanish galleon. Millions in gold
and silver coins lying on the ocean floor. And a past that refuses to let the
guys of Deep Six Salvage forget the Navy SEAL motto: the only easy day was
yesterday...
There's more than one kind of treasure The nation's security has always been
CIA agent Olivia Mortier's top priority. But a mission-gone-wrong has begun
to make her wonder if there's more to life than risking hers.
And more than one secret at the bottom of the sea Only two things could make
Leo Anderson abandon his hunt for the legendary lost ship, La Santa Christina,
and return to the world of weapons and warfare he swore to leave behind: a
capsule of enriched uranium, lost on the ocean floor, and a plea for assistance
from the one woman he can't seem to forget...
And grab the FREE prequel novella, Hot as Hell, at Amazon, B&N, iBooks or kobo.
Comments
17 comments posted.
Re: An Exclusive Excerpt from DEVIL AND THE DEEP by Julie Ann Walker
A captivating and compelling novel which would be enthralling.
(Sharon Berger 12:33pm June 1, 2016)
Looks like a great read.
Marilyn
(Marilyn Collins 6:47pm June 1, 2016)
Oh I really love this cover and look forward to reading this book!
(Bonnie Capuano 9:39am June 2, 2016)
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Review - Let's Kill Bad Link Cloaking
(Jack Nolland 11:50am June 2, 2016)
I'm looking forward to your book! They're so much fun!
(Sharon Shearouse 1:14pm June 2, 2016)
Wow! Now that's an excerpt! Yes, please.
(Kathleen Bylsma 7:08pm June 2, 2016)
Well , I would love to continue reading about Bran and Maddy , so sure hope I win one of the books . They sound like a very interesting couple . Thanks for this chance .
(Joan Thrasher 8:01pm June 2, 2016)
I love her books, can't wait to read this one.
(Mary Smith 7:22am June 3, 2016)
Haven't read any of you books yet. Glad to be introduced to you!
(Barb Devine 11:38am June 4, 2016)
I can't wait to read sounds great and hot!!!!
(Jennifer Beck 12:02pm June 4, 2016)
Sounds like an interesting story,
(Melinda Marks 11:17pm June 4, 2016)
I love all the Knight, Inc series. I'm looking forward to reading A Deep Six series.
(Kai Wong 12:44pm June 5, 2016)
Sounds HOT HOT HOT
(LaRonda Atchison 5:40am June 5, 2016)
Thanks for the excerpt! Makes me want to read it more!
:-)
(Ela Raymundo 2:11am June 6, 2016)
"Sparks a flaming desire" oh yeah I can't wait to read this book! Love the cover too!!!
(Bonnie Capuano 9:13am June 6, 2016)
This sounds like a book I would enjoy reading, one so interesting, I would hate to put it down until I finished it.
(Anna Speed 1:20pm June 6, 2016)
Oh Boy! A new series featuring SEALs!
(Diane Sallans 9:46pm June 6, 2016)
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