Semper
Paratus. Always ready.
HIS LAST DEFENSE
Uniformly HOT!
Karen Rock
Released March 21, 2017
Harlequin Blaze
Semper Paratus. Always ready.
Years ago,
Coast Guard rescue swimmer Dylan Holt left Kodiak, Alaska, with his heart in
pieces. He thought Nolee Arnauyq and her mouthwatering curves were behind
him—until he's sent to rescue the crew of a capsizing boat…including Nolee. And
Dylan is definitely not ready for the too-familiar way his body aches at seeing
her again.
Nolee's
always gone after what she wanted, and to hell with the risks. Now she's a
rookie ship captain taking on the deadly waters of the Bering Sea. But out on
these treacherous waters, there's no way to avoid the sizzling sexual tension
between them—or the dangerous pull of emotions that could leave both their
hearts lost at sea…
“It’s
getting nautical out here,” Nolee muttered as she strove to harness her
crippled boat. Beneath them, the ship bucked and rolled her way through the
waves, groaning with the effort. “With one engine, she’s going to do what she
wants.”
Twenty-two
feet.
Several
minutes ticked by. A half hour. Forty-five minutes. Time was marked only by the
pounding of the seas, the periodic sounding of the depth reader, the incessant
clanging of the metal chains outside.
The
boat pitched violently. “This is getting worse the shallower we go,” he said,
widening his stance to keep his footing.
“A
real washing machine,” Nolee affirmed without looking up from the fathometer.
Twenty
feet. The number blinked lower and lower. Eighteen feet. Seventeen.
“It’s
just going down,” she gasped.
A
channel marker loomed yards off the bow, catching his eye. His pulse slammed.
The ship barreled right at it. “Are we making the turn on the track here?” He
pointed at it then whipped his head around to study her sharp profile.
“I’m
trying.” Her strained voice emerged through clenched teeth. She jimmied the
thruster and peered up from her monitors and out the window. The Pacific Dawn
churned forward.
“She’s
just driving straight. She’s not fucking turning.” Shit.
“Hang
in there, Nolee,” he urged. Helplessness crashed over him. He wasn’t in
control. Couldn’t rescue everyone, including the ship and the catch. Couldn’t
get them all to safety. A damned unfamiliar feeling. But not entirely
uncomfortable.
Why?
Because
you trust her, came the sudden, unexpected thought. In fact, when push came to
shove, he couldn’t think of anyone else he’d rather have by his side in a
situation like this than Nolee.
Could
that extend to other parts of his life?
Dylan
shifted his balance expertly as the floor rose beneath him and spray
obliterated the view from the window. His gaze swung to the fathometer as it
began beeping loudly.
Fifteen
and a half feet.
Beeping.
Thirteen.
Nolee
shoved to her feet and snatched her walkie-talkie.
Ten
feet.
Ten
feet!
Award-winning
author Karen Rock is both sweet and spicy—at least when it
comes to her writing! The author of both YA and adult contemporary books writes
red-hot novels for Harlequin Blaze and small-town romances for Harlequin
Heartwarming. A strong believer in Happily-Ever-After, Karen loves creating
unforgettable stories that leave her readers with a smile. When she’s not
writing, Karen is an avid reader who’s typically immersed in three different
books at a time, all in different genres. She also loves cooking her
grandmother’s Italian recipes, baking, Christmas (no need to specify—she loves
every bit of it), and having the Adirondack Park wilderness as her backyard,
where she lives with her husband, daughter, dog and cat who keep her life
interesting and complete. Learn more about her at her website.
1 comment:
Thanks so much for hosting me today!
Post a Comment