Subject: Griffin Wicklow, aka âThe Closerâ
Current Status: To protect stunning jeweler and a priceless piece of...lingerie?
Ranger Security has just assigned former ranger Griff Wicklow to protect a priceless diamond-encrusted bra. And while Griff has more experience removing bras than protecting them, his job is about to get even more complicated. Because Temptation just walked in disguised as Jessalyn Rossi, the drop-dead delectable jeweler who is escorting the piece....
The attraction between them is immediate...and irresistible. And Jessalynâs learning that thereâs a lot to be said aboutâand done withâa wickedly hot security agent like Griff. But once the job is finished, will their bedroom antics come to a close, too?
These hot Southern heroes have spent years taking on anything the military could throw at them and they always came out on top. So why do they get knocked off course by the first sexy woman who crosses their path?
Thereâs nothing like a man in uniform⦠or out of it!
Dear Reader,
Fall is getting ready to make its appearance in my little part of the world. The days are getting shorter, the nights cooler and football fever is in the air. (Not that I care, because I donât watch football, but there are a lot of people in my family who do J.) I always look forward to this time of year, when Mother Nature says itâs time to rest, soup is the meal of choice and the scent of a wood-burning fire surrounds me. Itâs the perfect time to curl up with a good bookâone with a very hot heroâand fall into the story. And Griffin Wicklow is certainly hot.â¦
Former Ranger Major Griffin âGriffâ Wicklow has left the military for honorable reasonsâheâs the only match to his half brother, Justin, who needs a kidney transplant and will ultimately die without it. Griff eventually trades his career for Justinâs life and the new path he finds himself on leads him directly to Ranger Security. Accustomed to dodging bullets and IEDs, Griffâs used to a certain level of tension, but when his first assignment for Ranger Security involves guarding a jewel-encrusted braâand the hot little liaison who must travel with it
from the jewelerâs companyâthe tension Griffâs experiencing is of a decidedly different variety. And man, does he like it.
I love to hear from my readers, so please be sure to check out my websiteâwww.readrhondanelson.com, like me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter @RhondaRNelson.
Happy reading!
Rhonda
A bestselling author, two-time RITA>® Award nominee, RT Book Reviews Reviewersâ Choice nominee and National Readersâ Choice Award winner, RHONDA NELSON writes hot romantic comedy for the Mills & Boon>® Blaze>® line. With more than thirty-five published books to her credit, sheâs thrilled with her career and enjoys dreaming up her characters and manipulating the worlds they live in. She and her family make their chaotic but happy home in a small town in northern Alabama. She loves to hear from her readers, so be sure to check her out at www.readrhondanelson.com, follow her on Twitter @RhondaRN elson and like her on Facebook.
For an old friend and his beautiful wife for reminding me what real romance is all about.
Prologue
Summer 1992
GRIFFIN WICKLOW SAT on the front porch of the house and idly tossed a baseball into a glove, though there was nothing idle about the rage simmering inside him.
Lazy bumblebees buzzed around the hydrangea bush while their dogsâBrooks and Dunnâtook shelter beneath its shade in a vain attempt to combat the heat. It was swelteringâhe could feel the sweat sliding down his backâbut the heat matched his mood, so rather than go inside and cool off, he remained on the porch.
And he watched. Glared. Not that it made any difference.
Every time the door swung open, he could hear his mother, her voice choked with desperation and as much dignity as she had left, plead with his father as he made trek after determined trek to his car, his arms loaded down with his belongings. Griffâs little sister, Glory, hadnât quite yet realized what was happening and was peppering both parents with questions. Innocent ones like, âCan I have chocolate milk?â and âWhere is Daddy going?â
His lips curled into a bitter smile.
On second thought, that last question wasnât so innocent after all. Gallingly, everyone but Glory knew where their father was going. Thatâs why the neighbors had manufactured reasons to be outside, so that they could watch the drama unfold before them firsthand. As if his familyâs humiliation and pain was for their entertainment.
Across the street, Mrs. Johnson pretended to water her flowers while shooting covert looks across the way. Next door, Mr. Thigpen lingered by his mailbox, appearing to read a circular as he, too, shot furtive looks toward their house.