Status Updates From The Defender (Harlequin Int...

Another missing period. This book's punctuation needs some work.

Also,

"Thank you." He gave her a half smile. "You're getting good at listening to me."

"Don't push me, Russell."

Maybe he and Russ were on the government's side, but Brent was one of those ultra-alphas who made taking care of women an art form. She'd sensed it from the second he'd stepped into her chaotic world.

Miss me with this alpha and now ultra-alpha bullshit. It's complete bullshit, it doesn't make any sense, and you sound ridiculous.

She didn't want to think about him in bed with the pretty, BUSTY brunette at the door. Penny didn't have boobs. Well, she had them, of course, but they weren't enough to fill a man's hand. They were barely enough to fill her padded A cup.

OK, when is this men-aren't-attracted-to-women-with-small-breasts myth going to die? Everyone knows small breasts are incredibly beautiful. It's 2014, I think we can move

"You'll have to wait, though. I'm not blowing this case because I'm fantasizing about you naked. Except for a pair of stilettos - the red ones from the other day - and that pink bra from last night."

"Oh, please. That would be so uncomfortable. You really have no idea. Not to mention they don't match."

THANK YOU for raining on this guy's fantasy. Seriously.

She barely knew Russell Voight and he'd managed to figure out what she needed. She didn't need to be coddled or patronized or babied. What she needed was to be reminded of her strength. Most men would rush in and tell her what to do. Russ? He told her she had power.

Men. Pigs. Every one of them.

She drinks diet cola.

She preferred verbally sparring with someone who didn't confuse her - the way Russ did. She didn't know what she wanted from Russ. She liked bickering with him, but sometimes she wanted something else. Something quiet and calm and... and... protective. She squeezed her eyes shut. Protection from a man. When did that stop being the plague?

Sometimes his love of flashing his badge was borderline perverse.

The barely-big enough-for-one bathroom left them a few inches apart, and the heady mix of his soap - spice and leather - brought the memory of Russ on top of her the day before, giant erection and all, to mind.

Are you fucking kidding me? There's no way she's thinking about how hot he is at a time like this.

This mob-boss type is hilariously bragging about his shooter, despite his shooter just killing a reporter when apparently gunning for Zac/Penny/Gerald. "In all that chaos he managed not to hit you or your dear father." I mean... are you saying your shooter is inept? Or... was he saying he meant to hit the reporter? Or is he just trying to say his shooter is brilliant when really he is a fuck-up? IDK.

Considering sleep had eluded her most of the night, the double-shot latte might do the trick.

Amateur.

"You keep your hundred bucks, because after the beating she put me through, I'd love nothing more than to tell her that when it comes to her safety, she'll have to do exactly what I say. That will be the most fun I've had in years."

Gross.

American citizens deserved to have their constitutional rights protected and that was her job. Invariably upon meeting someone, she'd be asked what was known by defense attorneys as the "cocktail party question." The old "How can you defend them?" and nothing provoked Penny like that blasted question. For her it was about judgment, and implying that being a defense lawyer was somehow less worthy than being a

"Yeah, but you said you don't want to be weak. You've never been weak a day in your life."

"Exactly my point."

On the list of Penny's all-time favorite candies, white gummy bears claimed the top spot. She didn't just love them; she craved them with a ferocious yearning that kept her up at night, dreaming of the quick shot of sweetness hitting her system. No matter how many times she'd sworn them off, they always lured her back, teased her into submitting. When it came to white gummy bears, she was no better than the crack

If Penny would let it happen, Russell Voight could completely unglue her. Which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, because heaven knew it took a lot for a man to work her up. Part of being an aggressive woman meant finding a man willing to do battle when necessary. And even when not necessary. Call her crazy, but Penny hungered for the pull of a heated argument. Most of the men she'd come across didn't understan

Not nearly as interesting as watching these two size each other up the way idiot males often did in their attempt to establish who'd be the lead gorilla in the room.

Bizarre.

His height clocked in over a few inches shorter than Zac's and maybe his body was more compact, but the set of his shoulders, that thrown-back I'm-in-charge stance, not to mention his predatory grace, indicated all male, all the time. Something churned low in Penny's belly. Maybe it was lower. Lower than her belly, higher than her thighs. Pure sexual attraction.

This is dumb.

No period at the end of this sentence. Sloppy.

Hero is 5'10". This is a huge surprise. It's very difficult to find a romance hero under 6'.

He gave her the hard stare. He probably didn't like being called Russell. Too bad, because calling men by their given names with just a hint of sarcasm had been a trick Penny used to maximum effect. She called it the Mommy Game and she hadn't met a man yet who could withstand it.

As defense lawyers went, Penny Hennings was a smart and slick as they came. Worse, she was beautiful and knew how to manipulate men. An all-around excellent package. Had she not earned a living trying to decimate his cases, he could probably love her. But if he gave her even the slightest edge, she'd gut him.

Wanting this woman was a death wish. Simple as that. Also a damned shame, because he couldn't have her. Not when her job required her to dismantle months - sometimes years - of work that guys like him busted their tails on. He wholeheartedly believed every American deserved a fair trial, but at the end of some seriously rotten days, he wondered how defense lawyers justified getting murderers off.

Maybe he would have enjoyed it more had he not been the guy in the witness box, but in a seriously twisted way, he got off watching her stalk around the courtroom, hurling impossible, well-developed questions at him.

"Penny. Stop."

She closed her mouth. No. Really? If he had known it was that easy to keep her quiet, he'd have done it months ago.

Gross.

Her perfume, something light and fresh, not flowery or overpowering, hung in the air and he tried to place it. No idea. He liked it, though. Reminded him how much he loved a woman's scent.