Pushing The Limits
“Houston, we have a hot astronaut problem…”Survival expert and control freak Jessie Odell has faced the most hazardous environments on earth. Training astronauts should be a cakewalk. Nope. Enter candidate Hemi “Thor” Barrett and his hot, ripped bod, and suddenly Jessie is breathless with raw excitement—something she hasn't felt for a long, long time—and it scares her to death.Hemi isn't just some sexy distraction. Jessie actually likes the guy—and that makes him more treacherous than an Everest ascent. It also means Hemi's that much harder to resist. With every hungry, heat-fueled encounter, Jessie skirts closer to that dangerous edge. Falling for this space cowboy is definitely high stakes…but could the payoff be worth the risk?
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âHouston, we have a hot-astronaut problem...â
Survival expert and control freak Jessie Odell has faced the most hazardous environments on earth. Training astronauts should be a cakewalk. Nope. Enter candidate Hemi âThorâ Barrett and his hot, ripped bod, and suddenly Jessie is breathless with raw excitementâsomething she hasnât felt for a long, long timeâand it scares her to death.
Hemi isnât just some sexy distraction. Jessie actually likes the guyâand that makes him more treacherous than an Everest ascent. It also means Hemiâs that much harder to resist. With every hungry, heat-fueled encounter, Jessie skirts closer to that dangerous edge. Falling for this space cowboy is definitely high stakes...but could the payoff be worth the risk?
âThe kisses we shared here at the lake haunt me...â
Jessie lifted her head, gazing into Hemiâs eyes, and felt a clenching deep inside. âMe, too. I canât escape you, Hemiâno matter how hard I try. I run or climb a ravine and Iâm still thinking of you. I want you.â
âI want you, too. But Iâm thinking about what you saidââ
She put her fingers over his lips.
âYou asked me a question the last time I was here,â she said. âI should have just said yes to you then, but fear stopped me.â It felt good, finally saying out loud what sheâd been trying to ignore for days.
She was afraid to make it too easy for herself to be with him.
Lust.
That was all this was, she reminded herself. That was all she would allow it to be.
Theyâd be lovers, and when the candidates were done training with her, sheâd wave him off and wish him well.
She couldnât help wondering if this was another lie she told herself, but she pulled him to her and took the kiss she craved...
Iâm really excited for you to read Hemi and Jessieâs story. This story combines several passions from my childhood. When I was growing up my parents didnât allow televisions in our rooms, and my mom, fearful that my sisters and I wouldnât have any imagination, closely monitored our viewing time. So most of the shows I watched were with my parents and were educational.
One of our favorite shows was on PBS and featured Jacques Cousteau. My parents were friends with a couple who were marine biologists in Hialeah, where I grew up, and I think I romanticized that profession. I knew I wanted Jessie to be a survivalist but as I was developing her I realized she could have my childhood dreamâgrowing up on a research ship. I loved the contrast of Jessie being so grounded and Hemi always reaching for the stars.
They are both very brash and daring people. I wish I could be the same, but it takes a lot of internal bullying for me to do things that feel risky. In my soul I yearn to try things, but Iâm practical, too, and donât want to get hurt :). I once did some cliff diving. But that first leap took me forever!
Jessie and Hemi risk their lives every day just doing their jobs, but the biggest risk of all may be following their hearts.
Happy reading!
Katherine
USA TODAY bestselling author KATHERINE GARBERA is a two-time MAGGIE® Award winner who has written more than seventy books. A Florida native who grew up to travel the globe, Katherine now makes her home in the Midlands of the UK with her husband, two children and a very spoiled miniature dachshund. Visit Katherine on the web at katherinegarbera.com, or catch up with her on Facebook and Twitter.
This book is dedicated to Courtney and Lucas, who remind me every day how lucky I am to be their mom, and to David and Charlotte Smith, who taught me all I know about parenting. I am so lucky to be their daughter.
Contents
JESSIE ODELL STOOD in the corner as the party raged on. The gala for the new Mick Tanner Training Facility was in full swing at the Bar T Ranch just outside of Coleâs Hill, Texas. Astronauts, astronaut candidates, government officials and private investors ready to fund missions that would take humanity to Mars all mingled in the converted barn. But sheâd had enough of talking about her adventures and the famous people sheâd met. That part of her life ended when Alexi slipped into the crevasse on Everest. When she hadnât been able to save him.
Sheâd known that when she got back to base camp the grief would hit her...except it never had. Sheâd become icy inside and out. Her old life of making adventure films for television was overâboth the thin mountain air and the drive compelling her to move forward. She was tired of having every moment of her life played out for the cameras. She was ready for some privacy.
So this job at the new Cronus mission training center had been a godsend.
âDonât like parties much?â a man asked, coming up on her left to lean against the poorly lit wall.
