We have a another excerpt to share with you today, this time from Michelle Bellon's thriller, ROGUE ALLIANCE!
Rogue Allianceby Michelle Bellon
Amazon | Goodreads
Trying to escape a horrific past, Shyla has immersed herself in life as a tough cop in the bustle of LA. When the case of a lifetime takes her back to her hometown of Redding, she is thrown into a world of organized crime, deceit, and bitter reminders of her childhood.
As Shyla’s path crosses that of Brennan, a troubled sidekick to the ringleader she’s intent on taking down, she discovers he has a past even darker than hers and she is forced to re-evaluate everything she believes about herself, her job, and what she knows about right and wrong.
Can she face the demons of her upbringing and learn to trust again? Her life will depend on it.
Excerpt:
Shyla was disoriented when she opened her eyes and didn’t recognize her surroundings. It was dark and she was in unfamiliar territory. Brennan’s arms pulled her close.
“Shh, its okay. You’re okay,” Brennan whispered.
Shyla glanced at the clock on the bedside table. Two-seventeen in the morning. Still a long time before dawn.
“You were having a bad dream,” he said.
“I’m sorry. Did I wake you?”
“No. I’ve been awake for awhile.”
She turned toward him. There was a sobering intensity to his tone, and a tension in his body that alerted her.
“Is it your mother?” she asked. “Are you worried about her?”
Brennan was on his back staring up at the dark ceiling.
“No, I mean, yes,” he sighed. “I am worried about her, but that’s not why I can’t sleep. I . . .”
Shyla held her breath as she waited for him to finish his sentence.
“I’m dying Shyla.”
Her heart stopped beating.
“What?” she said in a breathless gasp.
“I’m dying. I only have maybe four to six months left to live.”
He said it with such calm, such conviction. She wondered why he wasn’t screaming at the top of his lungs like she wanted to do. Shyla sat up and stared down at him in the dark.
“No. Don’t say that, Brennan. It’s not funny.”
He turned toward her and she could barely make out the soft look in his eyes. “It’s the truth. One of the men who were behind the scenes at the institute called me a while back and told me that they not only modified my body to rely on blood infusions, but to rely on their specific cocktail of infusions. Apparently, my body requires a special protein in order to synthesize the infusions or else I begin to—well, to die.”
She knew he spoke the truth. Hadn’t she seen it in the way he seemed so tired, so worn out? Chalking it up to stress, she’d ignored it. But now she couldn’t deny the truth.
“No, no, no.” She shook her head in denial. It was the only thing she could do. There was no way to process or accept the horror of what she’d just heard. How could this be happening to her? First Carmen, now Brennan. How could they leave her?
“We can get help. There are doctors who can fix this.”
“I can’t go looking for help, Shyla. If anyone found out who I am, what I am, they would lock me up forever. I’d be another guinea pig, in another hospital. I can’t do that.”
“But you have to,” Shyla said, desperate. “You just found your mother. It would kill her if you left again. And I—I can’t . . .”
She couldn’t go on. She bent down and pressed her cheek to his chest, giving into the tears. Brennan wrapped his arms around her and held on while she let it all go.
Her crying ebbed. There was still so much emotion, but no words to fill the void. She moved over him and brushed her lips over his. They were soft and ready for her. He opened his mouth and lightly explored hers with slow, luscious flicks of his tongue. A flush rushed over her skin. Everything came alive inside of her body all at once.
“I want you, Brennan. I want you to touch me and don’t stop touching me until I say stop.”
In one swift move, Brennan ran his strong hands into her hair, cupped her head, and rolled her to her back. He was over her, plundering her mouth with a kiss so hungry that it seemed he would devour her. She met his avarice with equal passion, wrapping her legs around his waist and bringing him as tight against her as possible.
He kissed her face, her neck, and down to her breasts. She pulled her shirt over her head and let him feast on her body, delighting in the new sensations.
“I’ve wanted you from the very beginning Shyla. It nearly drove me crazy to think of you with Victor.”
“Shh,” she said, grasping his head and forcing him to look her in the eyes. “I’m here now. That’s all that matters.”
“I can’t wait anymore,” he said. His voice was raspy with passion.
She reached down and pulled off her sweats then slipped out of her panties. “I don’t want you to wait.”
Shyla was disoriented when she opened her eyes and didn’t recognize her surroundings. It was dark and she was in unfamiliar territory. Brennan’s arms pulled her close.
“Shh, its okay. You’re okay,” Brennan whispered.
Shyla glanced at the clock on the bedside table. Two-seventeen in the morning. Still a long time before dawn.
“You were having a bad dream,” he said.
“I’m sorry. Did I wake you?”
“No. I’ve been awake for awhile.”
She turned toward him. There was a sobering intensity to his tone, and a tension in his body that alerted her.
“Is it your mother?” she asked. “Are you worried about her?”
Brennan was on his back staring up at the dark ceiling.
“No, I mean, yes,” he sighed. “I am worried about her, but that’s not why I can’t sleep. I . . .”
Shyla held her breath as she waited for him to finish his sentence.
“I’m dying Shyla.”
Her heart stopped beating.
“What?” she said in a breathless gasp.
“I’m dying. I only have maybe four to six months left to live.”
He said it with such calm, such conviction. She wondered why he wasn’t screaming at the top of his lungs like she wanted to do. Shyla sat up and stared down at him in the dark.
“No. Don’t say that, Brennan. It’s not funny.”
He turned toward her and she could barely make out the soft look in his eyes. “It’s the truth. One of the men who were behind the scenes at the institute called me a while back and told me that they not only modified my body to rely on blood infusions, but to rely on their specific cocktail of infusions. Apparently, my body requires a special protein in order to synthesize the infusions or else I begin to—well, to die.”
She knew he spoke the truth. Hadn’t she seen it in the way he seemed so tired, so worn out? Chalking it up to stress, she’d ignored it. But now she couldn’t deny the truth.
“No, no, no.” She shook her head in denial. It was the only thing she could do. There was no way to process or accept the horror of what she’d just heard. How could this be happening to her? First Carmen, now Brennan. How could they leave her?
“We can get help. There are doctors who can fix this.”
“I can’t go looking for help, Shyla. If anyone found out who I am, what I am, they would lock me up forever. I’d be another guinea pig, in another hospital. I can’t do that.”
“But you have to,” Shyla said, desperate. “You just found your mother. It would kill her if you left again. And I—I can’t . . .”
She couldn’t go on. She bent down and pressed her cheek to his chest, giving into the tears. Brennan wrapped his arms around her and held on while she let it all go.
Her crying ebbed. There was still so much emotion, but no words to fill the void. She moved over him and brushed her lips over his. They were soft and ready for her. He opened his mouth and lightly explored hers with slow, luscious flicks of his tongue. A flush rushed over her skin. Everything came alive inside of her body all at once.
“I want you, Brennan. I want you to touch me and don’t stop touching me until I say stop.”
In one swift move, Brennan ran his strong hands into her hair, cupped her head, and rolled her to her back. He was over her, plundering her mouth with a kiss so hungry that it seemed he would devour her. She met his avarice with equal passion, wrapping her legs around his waist and bringing him as tight against her as possible.
He kissed her face, her neck, and down to her breasts. She pulled her shirt over her head and let him feast on her body, delighting in the new sensations.
“I’ve wanted you from the very beginning Shyla. It nearly drove me crazy to think of you with Victor.”
“Shh,” she said, grasping his head and forcing him to look her in the eyes. “I’m here now. That’s all that matters.”
“I can’t wait anymore,” he said. His voice was raspy with passion.
She reached down and pulled off her sweats then slipped out of her panties. “I don’t want you to wait.”
Michelle Bellon lives in the Pacific Northwest with her four beautiful children. She earned her Associates Degree in Nursing and fills her moments of free time with her love for writing. She writes in multiple genres, including, YA, romance suspense, women's fiction, and general fiction.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Michelle-Bellon-Author/544448685599147
Blog: http://www.michellebellon.com/blog/
Website: http://www.michellebellon.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MichelleBellon
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4742393.Michelle_Bellon
Tour Giveaway:
5 ecopies of Rogue Alliance
love the cover
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