Saturday Snippet

Today’s topic is an author’s choice. I thought I’d go ahead and give you a peek of SWITCHED, my November Intrigue. This one takes place around Christmas and actually takes place at an office holiday party. It might just make you appreciate yours because I bet no one tries to kill you at your office party right? See.

Aaron stared at the woman he’d last seen across the table at an Italian restaurant. Same honey-brown hair. Pretty face, intelligent dark eyes. Only this time the smile had been replaced with flat-lined lips. Wariness and more than a touch of female indignation now played across her face.

Risa clearly thought their biggest problem was his late post-date call. Little did she know that was flowers and chocolates territory compared to what they were facing now.

He thought about reaching for her but decided to hold up his hands instead since she looked about two seconds away from hitting something, namely him. “Listen to me.”

She crossed her arms over her stomach until every muscle in her body practically dared him to make another mistake. “Go ahead.”



He waded in even though he knew the smartest thing was to knock her out with the gentlest tap possible, drag her out the door and rush her to safety. But if his dating etiquette ticked her off, he could only guess how she’d react to a physical solution to their current problem.

He’d already dumped a few sins at her feet. Lying to her had seemed like the safest bet at the time. Now, not so much.

Then there was the problem of Royal listening in through their private communication circuit. He’d ride Aaron about the date-gone-wrong for years unless Aaron took the focus off the personal conversation and put it back on the mess swirling around them.

“Not a word.” He whispered the command and knew Royal understood when he chuckled over the comm, then mumbled something about Angie wanting him. Right, as if that woman was even on his radar at the moment. “I mean it. Silence.”

Risa’s eyebrow shot up in a perfect angry teacher glare. “Did you just tell me to shut up?”

“Definitely not.” Hard to explain he was talking to the guy at the other end of a listening device. Better to look like a total jerk than expose every aspect of the operation at this tenuous stage. “I specifically did not use those words. I’m not a total idiot.”

“Are you sure?”

It was time to calm the situation down before she went into ballistic mode. Aaron went with the simple truth. “It’s dangerous here.”

“In the hallway?”

“You need to see the bigger picture here.”

She exhaled in that you-are-annoying way women telegraphed so well. “I have no idea what that means.”

“The danger is in every inch of this building.”

“This is the strangest excuse for a non-call ever. If you didn’t want to go out again, you could have just said—” Her words cut off at the sound of the sharp whack against the outside wall.

One of his hands went to her mouth, and the other cradled her head from behind. “Quiet.”

This time she followed his direction. Her big eyes popped open even wider as she nodded.

“Someone is out there.” He stalled by stating the obvious. It gave his mind a second to run through the memory of the building’s floor plans.

She held up two fingers.

“What?” He eased his hand away from her mouth.

Her bottom lip trembled. Other than that, her mouth barely moved as she whispered. “They’re huge.”

“What are we talking about?”

“On the elevator. Two men and they’re big. Like the size of a small shed. And pretty scary. Did I mention that?”

Tension rolled across his shoulders and cramped the nerve at the back of his neck. “Did they threaten you?”

“Didn’t say a word. Didn’t really have to. These guys are imposing. I’m thinking any woman alone and without a gun or a massive boyfriend would run.”

___________

Remember to check out the other authors’ snippets:

Rhian Cahill

Shelli Stevens

Anne Rainey

Jody Wallace

Mari Carr

McKenna Jeffries

Myla Jackson

Taige Crenshaw

Delilah Devlin

Lauren Dane

Shiloh Walker

TJ Michaels

Leah Braemel