Bea's Book Nook: Excerpt from In My Sights by LJ Garland & Debbie Gould

Today I have an excerpt from a new erotic romantic suspense, "In My Sights". It sounds very good and since it's 1 Night Stand title from Decadent Publishing, you know there will be some hot sex scenes.

Though born and raised in the south, L.J. Garland has lived on both the east and west coasts. She adores traveling, the latest adventures added to her Bucket List: Machu Pichu and Australia’s Rainforest and Great Barrier Reef.

Married to her best friend for over twenty years, she spends her time home schooling three rambunctious boys, editing in the epub industry, and writing stories that she hopes catches her readers’ imaginations as much as the characters and plotlines captivate her. In her spare time (what there is of it LOL), she has a multitude of hobbies, including building archery equipment from scratch and creating stained glass. She has a passion for anything that goes Boom! …from fireworks to high-powered combat rifles…it’s all good. She and her husband are both rated helicopter pilots and spent their 10^thanniversary flying cross-country from east to west coast…an adventure she highly recommends.

A member of RWA, she has several published books, including Cadence Interrupted, On the Fringes, Dreamspell Revenge Anthology, and MechMan, she’s now teamed up with Debbie Gould. Having completed one manuscript, Sins of the Mind, they are hard at work, brainstorming and writing the creative new Sentinel Series.

Born in Wichita Falls, Texas, at the age of two Debbie and her mother moved to New Jersey, spending many happy years on her grandparents' horse farm. You'll sometimes find this setting as a backdrop in her work.

As a teenager, she and her mother found a new home in Vermont, where she currently resides. With a daughter in the Air Force (along with Debbie's six-year-old grandson), and two sons working for the family Well Drilling business, Debbie now shuffles her time between a full time job as a nurse and her writing career.

About seven years ago, while looking at over three hundred treasured books lining her shelves, she realized there was a multitude of stories of her own clamoring for release. Since then, she's seriously persevered in keeping the keyboard in constant motion.

With three published books complete, Mountain's Echo and Infidelity, and November Rain, Debbie is now working with a partner, L.J. Garland. Together, they have finished one manuscript, Sins Of the Mind, and are now working on their Sentinel Series.

Debbie has been a member of KOD, FTHRW, ELEMENTS and RWA Online.

They can be tracked down at http://www.garland-and-gould.blogspot.com/ where they blog, chat about stuff, and interview other authors.
- L.J. can be caught at www.lj-garland.com and emailed at mail@lj-garland.com You can also tweet her at @LJ_Garland1
- Debbie can be found at http://www.authordebbiegould.com/ and emailed at mountecho2006@yahoo.com.
- They love hearing from people who have enjoyed their stories!

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Siobhan entered the large suite and glanced around. She’d used every ounce of strength she possessed to walk through the front doors of the hotel and into the dining room. But with Bobby standing behind her, the fine hairs on the back of her neck that had irritated her all evening, eased.

She strode through the room, flipping on lights, checking the bathroom. When she slid the shower curtain back, she stopped herself. What the hell am I doing?

Turning, she caught her reflection in the mirror, the scar on her temple a permanent reminder of everything she’d lost. The sniper had taken so much from her. But did that mean she had to lose her future, too?

By talking her into contacting Madame Eve, her friends had given her a second chance at getting some semblance of control again. And what am I doing? Looking over my shoulder, watching the balcony for shooters, and checking the bathtub for the damn bogeyman while a hot-blooded, gorgeous man is waiting in the bedroom.

And damn it, she wanted to quit hiding in the shadows. If she could survive that day six months ago, then she was damn well done cowering in fear. Hadn’t the bastard taken enough from her? In the past, she’d never shied away from her sexual side. She’d embraced it.

The past six months had been damn lonely. Time to take control again. Starting with the sexy Bobby Martin.

She turned to leave the bathroom and came smack up against a hard male body. He reached out to steady her as she stumbled.

“You okay?”

She pressed her palms on his chest in an attempt to recover her equilibrium—and what a chest. All hard, sculpted muscle. “Uh, yeah, I was just––”

“Looking for the bad guy?” He chuckled.

Heat rushed up her neck and claimed her face. “That obvious, huh?”

Taking her hands in his, he led her into the bedroom. “It’s what I do. If I can’t recognize someone clearing a room, I have no business in Special Ops.”

He tugged her against him, and she had to stop herself from swooning. The men she used to date were nothing close to Bobby. Sure, they’d been fit, but not like this man. He radiated strength and unadulterated male. Something that couldn’t be bottled if you tried. Pure down-and-dirty sex—she tilted her head and eyed him—yet something more.

He gave the impression he actually cared. After listening to her story downstairs, he’d understood immediately how uncomfortable she’d been, sitting in the open dining room, and had gotten her the heck out of there.

She could get used to a man like him. Except tonight would be a one-night stand—something she intended to take full advantage of. Slipping her hands under his shirt, she let her fingers glide up the rock hard abs and sculpted chest until her fingers brushed over his nipples.

His grip tightened on her arms, and his gaze darkened with lust. “Damn.”

A thrill shot through her at the reaction she’d produced, and as she stared up at him, desire coiled low in her body.

“Look, I’m not gonna lie to you.” He loosened his hold on her while he perused her face, settling on her mouth. “I wasn’t sure about this one-night thing to start with, but after seeing you…well, I can definitely follow through. No problem.” He shifted his attention to her eyes, the naked heat swirling in his baby blues causing her breath to catch. “But after what all you told me, I want you to know I get it. We can play this thing any way you want. Fast. Slow. Or I can just hold you.” He trailed his fingers up and down her arms, sending delicious tingles along her skin. “Though I’ll admit, that’s not my first choice.”

She stared at him. God, he was such a gentleman. Without hesitating, she lifted onto her toes, wrapped her arms around his neck, crushed her mouth against his, and…holy crap, what a kiss! Her pulse jumped, her head spun. A fire sparked deep inside her, and her breath caught at the passion winding through her. She didn’t know what she’d been expecting exactly, but not anything like this.

Before she melted into a puddle at his feet, she broke the kiss and gazed up at him. “Does that answer your question?”

A sexy grin curved his lips. “Yes, ma’am.”
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