Katie McClure, a detective for the Stonegate Investigative
Agency (SIA), loves her job and she takes it very seriously.
SIA sends their investigators all over the world so
traveling to London to protect an old professor from death
threats is not all that strange. The most unexpected
situation is meeting a beautiful man at a local pub (where
Katie is supposed to meet the professor) and being so
attracted to him she considers taking him back to her hotel
to have her way with him. Katie's investigation can't go on
until she talks
to the evasive professor anyway so taking a reprieve from
jet lag to experience that instant spark between herself and
the stranger is a perfect distraction, though she is sure she
doesn't need the distraction. On her first official day
on the job, Katie is completely taken aback as she walks in
to the professor's lab to find the professor is great at
keeping secrets.
Dr. Macon Douglas is not convinced his accidents are
threatening enough to justify the dean's insistence that he
needs an agency to protect him from danger.
Macon's research is important enough to warrant secrecy and
protection especially since Macon is on the verge of a major
breakthrough but protection for himself is a little extreme.
Macon has always been an accident waiting to happen so the
incidents invading his life are not death threats, they are
just typical. The moment Macon feels the
sparks fly between himself and the beautiful Katie
McClure he is unable to resist keeping his identity a
secret for just a little while and taking complete advantage
of a connection that has been absent in his scholarly life
for a very long time. Regardless of the chemistry, Macon is
hard pressed to understand how such a petite woman can pose
as his bodyguard but if it will keep Katie near him, Mason
isn't complaining.
This is the second book in the SIA series which is filled to
the brim with spell-binding drama, hot chemistry, and
characters to adore. I couldn't put it down. Again PERFECT!
Well, it certainly wasn't the assignment detective Katie
McClure was expecting. Traveling to London to protect an old
scientist who'd been receiving death threats? Too easy.
As it turns out, Dr. Macon Douglas is hot. The kind that
makes Katie ponder her own kinds of experiments—namely ones
that involve Mac being naked. But the death threats are
real…along with the wicked chemistry that seems to sizzle
and zap whenever they're together. Can Katie keep her
professional thoughts in mind and keep Mac safe—or will she
risk everything and dare to be bare?
Excerpt
Katie's stomach fluttered with nervous energy as her fist
tightened around her cell phone. This happened when she
opened a new case. The excitement was heightened by her
first transatlantic job for the agency, and the fact that
she had no idea what lay ahead. The London taxi zipped away
from the curb at Heathrow and into traffic. If she hadn't
been holding the handle she would have been tossed to the
other side of the seat.
Eventually they reached the city center and the driver
called out, "Piccadilly Square" in an accent so
heavy she could barely understand him. She nodded and stared
down at her phone. Her boss and best friend at Stonegate
Investigative Agency, Mariska, had emailed several files
about their new client.
Unfortunately just as she'd been about to download case
notes, Katie's phone had died midflight and she hadn't been
able to recharge it thanks to checking the charger in with
her bags. She had no idea what the man looked like, or any
other information except where she was supposed to meet him.
And I'm already a half hour late.
The professor had been involved in an incident, which was
why Katie was in London. Dr. Douglas, an environmental
scientist, claimed he'd been run off the road and into a
tree. Paint scrapes on his car were the only proof. While
there had been alcohol in his system, it had been minimal.
The police were tracking the paint, but they didn't have the
whole story. The dean at the university where the professor
worked wanted to keep the matter quiet, so the accident was
being treated as a one-time event.
That wasn't the truth. It was the second time something
life-threatening had happened to the professor in the past
two weeks.
There had also been some odd phone calls to the dean
intimating Douglas should stop his research, and the
professor had been mugged the night before the last
accident. The dean worried that they were dealing with a
radical or worse, a terrorist group, but he didn't want to
involve the police unless absolutely necessary.
"That's the high court." The driver interrupted her
thoughts. "Fancy place for fancy folk. There is the
museum." The cabbie continued his tour-guide duties and
Katie wondered if it would be rude to pay him to stop talking.
Stop it. It's not his fault you're having a crappy day.
She glanced out the window so it at least looked as if she
were interested, and tried to gather her thoughts.
It seemed from what information Katie had that the dean was
concerned about protecting the university's reputation,
rather than the safety of Dr. Douglas. Katie felt a little
sorry for the old man.
The professor's research was classified by the British
government, which meant Stonegate couldn't come up with much
in that regard. Even the dean had refused to discuss it on
the phone, telling them Katie would need special clearance
once she arrived in London.
Whatever the project might be didn't really matter. Katie's
job was to determine if there was a real threat, eliminate
it and look after the dotty professor. This whole thing was
a personal favor to the dean, who had been a dear friend of
the mother of Katie's boss and best friend, Mariska.
If Katie had had her way, she would have avoided the trip
and sent the case straight to Scotland Yard where it
belonged, but the decision wasn't hers.
The taxi stopped on a brick-lined street in front of a pub
straight out of a Dickens tale. Katie glanced at the meter
and was shocked to see how much it was. Didn't matter where
in the world you were, cabs were expensive. She tossed some
pound notes to the driver and stepped out with her small
rolling suitcase and laptop bag.
The Seven Stars, the pub where she was to meet the
professor, looked exactly like what she thought an English
pub would from the outside—dark wood with brass. It had
an old-world feel. Rolling her case through the door, with
her laptop bag on her shoulder, she stood there for a moment
allowing her eyes to adjust. The smell of beer and food was
comforting in a way, and she let herself relax for a few
seconds while she surveyed the room.
She was a detective—she should be able to spot one
dotty old professor.
It was seven-thirty and the place was crowded with people.
She had wanted to meet the professor and the dean at the
university, but Dr. Douglas had insisted on the pub. The
place did have a familiarity about it, reminding her of her
mom and dad's bar back in the Bronx.
The only things missing were her were nosy, boisterous
brothers and her adorable Grandpa Joe behind the bar telling
his stories about walking the beat years ago. He was the
family member she missed most. GJ, as she called him, was
the only sane one in the bunch, and he insisted Katie follow
her dreams no matter where they led her.
GJ, a former cop, had been the one to help her get into the
academy back in the Bronx. He'd pushed her to be a
detective, even when everyone else in her family thought it
was a ludicrous idea. They believed she should settle down
and have babies with Jay Spiloli.
Ugh. Remembering Jay made her gut churn with
nastiness. She'd dated him for a couple of weeks, only to
learn he'd been cheating on her the whole time with Missy
Ringovitz. The night she found out, she made her brothers
lock her in her room so she couldn't kill Jay. Her only
satisfaction came the next day when she saw his face had
taken a beating, probably due to her brothers' fists. Though
they would never tell her the truth about it.
It didn't matter. Having babies with Jay was so not in the
cards for her. She'd followed her grandpa's advice, and
three years as a detective had prepared her for this job of
a lifetime working at Stonegate, where she traveled the
world solving cases.
She glanced around the room, but didn't see any
dotty-looking prof types. Most of the people there were in
their mid-thirties and wore three-piece suits. Even the
women had donned heels with suits. A bunch of Wall Street
types, only she was on the wrong continent.
Bartenders tend to know everything going on in their
establishments. I might as well start there.
Katie headed for the intricately carved bar, which wasn't
easy in the crowd with her laptop and suitcase in tow.
"Hey, would you happen to know a Dr. Douglas?" Katie
maneuvered her suitcase between the bar stools. The
bartender delivered a pint to the man next to her and looked up.
"I know a few, lass. It's a common name 'round here."
Well, hell.
"He's a scientist and works at the university. I'm
supposed to meet him here, but I don't know what he looks
like. I assume he's an older guy, probably with
glasses." She glanced around searching for the man,
hoping maybe she'd catch his eye and he'd introduce himself.
The bartender nodded. "Ah, I see." He moved in front
of the man with the pint. "Don't suppose you've seen the
doc?"
The man turned to face Katie. The only thing she saw for a
few seconds was the devastating smile and his azure eyes.
She couldn't breathe. Her heart stopped and heat spread
through her lower extremities.
He's freakin' gorgeous.
"He was around earlier this evening, but I think he may
have left." The hunk of hotness smiled at her again,
then glanced around the pub. "I don't see him. Why did
you need him?"
Holy hell on a biscuit. If he smiles like that againI might have to jump him right here in the middle of the
bar.
Katie was no prude, but it had been a long time since her
body had responded like that to a man, especially one she
didn't know.
If he can do that with a look, imagine what it would be
like if he touched me.
Her body quivered with the very thought of it.
When his right eyebrow rose, she realized she was supposed
to say something. His words finally penetrated her
sex-addled brain. "Wh-what? Oh—I…" she
stammered. "I was only—" she checked her watch
"—a half hour late. It took me forever to get
through customs. So you know the professor?"
The hottie leaned an elbow against the bar. "I know of
him."
Katie chewed on her lip. "Hmm. Well, I guess I'll have
to find him at the university."
"I wouldn't bother. I'm sure he's headed home to bed. It
is almost eight," he said as he looked at his watch.
The bartender grunted at that.
Katie deflated as she sat down on the stool next to the man.
"I'm not surprised. It's been that kind of day for
me." She'd almost missed her flight because of car
trouble, her phone wasn't working right and she'd missed the
meeting with the professor.
"Sounds to me like you could use one of these." The
bartender set a pint in front of her.
"He's right, you know." The handsome man waved a
hand toward the beer. "Nothing like a good pint to set
the world right again."
Katie worried about the professor's safety, but she didn't
have any private contact info for him or the dean.
All she had were the numbers for the university. Hopefully
the old man had made it home safely.
She might as well have a drink and then head to the hotel so
she could start fresh in the morning. She was already
feeling the jet lag Mariska had warned her about. Her boss
had insisted Katie try to sleep on the plane, but she could
never get comfortable. A beer would help her relax and then
she could get a good night's rest.
"What the heck." She held up her glass.
"Cheers."
The smoky voice and New York accent were at odds with the
petite brunette at Macon's side. He had a difficult time
believing this woman was Katie McClure, the bodyguard sent
to protect him. He was an ass for not confessing his
identity, but he wanted to have a little fun. If she were as
good at her job as the dean said, she'd figure it out
eventually.
"I must be tired." She laughed. "I just realized
you're American. I'd say somewhere on the West Coast."
He liked the deep throaty laugh, and she had the most
beautiful chocolate eyes framed by long lashes. There was
something in those eyes, a slight hardness, that told him
she'd seen more than most people, but she looked far too
young for that.
"You're right. That's quite an ear you have," he said.
"I don't know about that. I'm having the toughest time
understanding people here, which makes me feel like an
idiot, since we speak the same language."
Macon laughed. "You get used to it eventually. I'm a
surfer boy from Laguna, and I even picked up a few of the
phrases. Caught myself saying 'bloody hell' the other day.
And like America there are different types of accents. Some
are easier to understand than others."
"The Bronx where I grew up is a melting pot of accents
and you never know what you might get when you say hello to
someone."
He liked this woman. Beyond the fact that she was gorgeous,
her no-nonsense attitude and directness were refreshing.
"Well, fellow American. Don't suppose you'd let me buy
you dinner?" Macon surprised himself with the question.
The words had burst out of his mouth before he could stop
them. He couldn't remember the last time he'd asked a woman out.
Her eyes flashed with surprise, and he expected a quick no.
She gave him the once-over. "I could eat." She
sniffed the air. "And if the food is half as good as it
smells, I'm in."
"Timothy, looks like we'll need some menus. And perhaps
a table," Macon told the bartender.
Mac had rolled up his sleeves earlier in the evening, and
when Katie put a hand on his arm, the skin-to-skin contact
sent his libido into overdrive.
"Nah, I'm good sitting here at the bar." She gave
him a quick smile. "Done it most of my life."
"Oh, really. I didn't take you for the AA type."
"You're a funny one." She smirked. "GJ, my
grandpa, and my parents own a pub in the Bronx populated by
their friends who are all cops. So I spent a lot of time
there doing my homework at the bar or at one of the tables
in the back."
That explained why she'd gone into law enforcement. She
still didn't fit the big Amazon image he had in his head of
the security agent sent to protect him. She was more
ballerina than bodyguard.
Timothy handed them each a menu. Macon didn't need to look
at it, as he'd been eating there most nights for the past
four years. It was close to his apartment and he was a big
fan of the food.
She slipped off her jacket and he glimpsed her nearly
perfect figure—a petite goddess in one amazing package.
His body tightened with need and he had to think of nice
cold showers in order to avoid her seeing just how happy he
was to meet her.
He watched as she perused the menu. "If you like a good
steak, they know how to do it right and the Caesar salad is
one of my favorites," he offered.
"That'll work for me." She handed the menu back to
the bartender as he took their order.
"This place was pretty crowded earlier. Where did
everyone go?" She twirled around on the bar stool, their
knees rubbing together for a second, and again his body
reacted. What was it about her? The scientist in him
wondered about pheromones, but he forced himself to push
those thoughts aside so he could answer her questions.
"Most of them work at the high court—barristers and
clerks, and maybe a few judges. Everybody will have gone
home to their families. In about an hour there will be an
influx of partiers out for a good time. The crowd changes
and it gets louder as the night goes on."
She shook her head. "It really does feel like
home—almost makes me miss it."
"Almost?" From the way she said it, he could tell
she had mixed feelings.
"Like most people, I have some family baggage." She
blew out a breath. "I'm Katie, by the way." She
stuck out a hand for him to shake.
"I'm M—" He'd almost said Macon. "Mac,
that's what my friends call me."
The bartender grunted again as he put their salads on the bar.
"Wow! Now, that's a salad." She laughed at the sight
of the large bowl filled to the brim with vegetables. The
sound of her laugh was like a warm blanket wrapped around
him—a warm sexy blanket.
He cleared his throat. "Roxy, the chef here, likes to
make sure her customers are well fed."
As they chatted through dinner he noticed she ate every bite
of her meal, and she downed two more pints. But she was as
clear-eyed as when she'd walked in.
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