Author Name: Deanna Wadsworth
Book Name: Too Good To Be True
Series: 1Night Stand
Book: This is Deanna’s 5th
offering in this series. Characters from her previous stories have cameos, but
book can be read as a standalone.
Release
Date: June 17, 2016
Blurb:
Disgraced
former FBI agent Tim Burkhart desperately wants to reclaim his life and find
happiness. Relocating his fledgling private security company to Miami—where his
ex-wife moved their two daughters—hopefully is a start. When he’s hired to provide
protection for an antiques dealer on his way to Scotland to sell a priceless
ancient dirk, Tim believes the break he’s been waiting for has finally arrived.
Maybe now he can make enough money to hire a lawyer and get shared parenting of
his little girls.
Elliot
James runs the antique shop he inherited after his grandfather’s death. Lonely
and swimming in debt, he longs for a way to turn his life around but keeps
making one mistake after another. Then he finds the ancient dirk tucked away
among junk as he’s cleaning out his grandfather’s home. Placing it up for sale,
he is thrilled when an out of country buyer purchases the priceless antique.
The buyer wants the dirk immediately and sends Tim to ensure Elliot safely
delivers it on time.
The
moment Tim and Elliot meet, however, everything falls apart. Between break-ins,
shoot-outs, stalkers, totaled cars, and the cops, it seems Tim and Elliot will
never get to Scotland by the deadline. Despite all the obstacles, an unexpected
attraction pulls them together, offering each man a glimmer of hope. But if
they don’t deliver the dirk on time, they won’t get paid and neither of them
will be able to pick up the pieces of their lives.
Will
they complete this job and find a happily ever after, or is all of this really
too good to be true?
Pages or Words: 36,000 words
Categories: Light suspense, M/M Romance,
Romance
Excerpt:
Staring
down the sights of his Colt 1911 and into the panicked eyes of the young man,
Tim said, “Keep your hands where I can see ’em. I want to know where Mr. James
is and why you’re in his store.”
Out of
the corner of his eye, Tim saw a flash of metal. Instinctively he dropped to
the floor. The sharp crack of a bullet shot through the store, shattering
something on his left.
The guy
behind the counter made a run for the door.
Tim
rolled behind the armoire, gritting his teeth when the door slammed shut and
the first guy got away. Careful to stay out of sight, Tim assessed the shooter
who’d come from the back room. He looked as young and inexperienced as the one
who’d run. Tim recognized the weapon in his hand—a 9mm semi-automatic Beretta.
Though Tim’s .45 could out-shoot the little pea-shooter at the range, he had no
interest in finding out who was the better shot in real life.
“¿Adónde vas? ¡Esperame!” the shooter yelled to his retreating friend.
Wait for me. Tim knew enough Spanish.
The guy planned to make a run for it, too. He clambered to his feet. Before he
could tackle and subdue him, the kid aimed his Beretta in the general direction
of the armoire and fired off a volley of shots.
“Shit!”
Tim dove behind a stack of rugs to dodge the bullets.
The gun
went silent.
Tim
rolled fast onto his back, his 1911 aimed, only to watch the kid flying out the
door behind his friend. The door bounced a few times until it closed, the bells
clanging.
“Shit!
Shit!”
The
scraping sounds in the back room, louder than before, drew his attention once
more.
As fast
as he could, he crept around the counter, his heart pounding. Both hands on his
gun, trigger finger resting on the frame and trigger guard, he took a quick
peek into the room, ducking back before a possible third perp could make him.
In less
than a heartbeat, his brain registered what he’d seen. He exhaled. Keeping his
gun lowered but at-the-ready, he entered.
In the
center of what looked like a storage room sat the man Tim had been hired to
escort to Scotland. He’d been gagged and duct-taped to a chair.
Elliot
James.
“Is
anyone else here?” Tim murmured.
Mr.
James shook his head wildly.
With a
relieved sigh, he rushed over to the man and yanked the gag out. “You okay?”
“Yeah.”
He gasped for air. “I’m fine.”
“Were
there only two?” he clarified, eyes still peeled for danger.
“Yeah,”
he managed, his face flushed and startling green eyes wide. Sandy-brown curls
fell across the brow of a very frightened but very beautiful man. He took a few
slow, ragged breaths, obviously trying to calm himself. “Just the two of them.”
Tim took
a steadying breath of his own and slowly released the hammer on his Colt and
flipped the safety up, never taking his gaze off Mr. James. “What happened?” He
holstered the weapon then tore the duct tape from the man’s wrist.
“Aarrghh!”
Mr. James jumped, the chair bouncing.
Tim
winced when he noticed the arm hairs stuck to the tape in his hand. “Sorry
’bout that.” He paused over the other strip. “This one’s gonna hurt, too.”
Mr.
James pursed his lips and nodded bravely. He let out a tiny hiss when Tim freed
his second arm. That one didn’t take as much hair because a silver bracelet had
protected most of the skin. Obviously, those punks had been amateurs in
restraining.
“Sorry,”
Tim said again.
Rubbing
his wrists, he let out a breathy laugh. “It’s okay. Thank you for saving my
life.”
“I
believe that’s what I was paid for. I’m Tim Burkhart, your private security
detail.”
Mr.
James’s smile made his heart flutter. No,
probably just the adrenaline. Tim didn’t get butterflies.
“Nice to
finally meet you, Mr. Burkhart.”
“Call me
Tim.” He stood and withdrew his phone. He gestured toward his bound legs. “You
okay to get those? I gotta call the cops.”
“No!”
Tim
almost dropped his phone when Mr. James shouted. He gaped at the man. “What do
you mean no?”
Prying
tape off of his khaki pants, the man paused. Those big green eyes grew even
wider. “You can’t call the cops. My whole life depends on it!”
Meet the author:
Deanna
Wadsworth might be a bestselling erotica author, but she leads a pretty vanilla
life in Ohio with her wonderful husband and a couple adorable cocker spaniels.
She has been spinning tales and penning stories since childhood, and her first
erotic novella was published in 2010. She has served multiple board positions
at her local RWA chapter and with Rainbow Romance Writers of America. When she
isn’t writing books or brainstorming with friends, you can find her making
people gorgeous in a beauty salon. She loves music and dancing, and can often
be seen hanging out on the sandbar in the muddy Maumee River or chilling with
her hubby and a cocktail in their basement bar. In between all that fun, Deanna
cherishes the quiet times when she can let her wildly active imagination have
the full run of her mind. Her fascination with people and the interworkings of
their relationships have always inspired her to write romance with spice and
love without boundaries.
Where to find the author:
Buy
Deanna’s books at Dreamspinner
Press, Decadent
Publishing or at any reputable
eBook seller like Amazon
Publisher: Decadent Publishing
Cover
Artist: Fiona Jade
Tour Dates & Stops:
Rafflecopter
Prize: One winner gets a copy of TGTBT and three winners can win one of my previous
Decadent Publishing titles
Congratulations on your new release Deanna! I'm looking forward to reading this soon.
ReplyDeleteGreat excerpt, sexy cover. Can't wait to read your new book.
ReplyDelete