Breaking Free—A Bargain

Breaking Free, the first book of my SEAL Team Heartbreakers Series is on sale for $2.00 for this week at Amazon and at Smashwords. It will be available at Apple and others for that price soon.

Breaking Free

So if you haven't read the book, this is your chance to get it at a reduced rate.

Here's the Blurb:

When LIEUTENANT ADAM “HAWK” YAZZIE rescues ENSIGN BRETT “CUTTER” WEAVER during a mission in Iraq, his faith in his team’s loyalty is shaken. Someone in the team attacked Cutter and left him for dead. But who?

ZOE WEAVER races to her brother Brett’s bedside. He stood by her while she fought her way back from a devastating injury, and she’s determined to do the same for him. Though drawn to Hawk’s good looks and steady strength, she’s reluctant to get involved with a man in uniform. But with Brett lying in a coma, Hawk may prove the key to what happened to her brother.

Hawk is torn between loyalty to his men and his need to see justice done. When he tries to save a troubled teammate’s career, he unwittingly puts Zoe’s life in danger. Can he lead the rest of the team in a rescue operation to save her? Or will one of Hawk's brothers in arms destroy the woman he loves?

And An excerpt:

“I was born here in San Diego. My father worked construction and my mom was a legal secretary. My dad died in a fall on a building site when I was young. My mom raised me on her own. She died five years ago. Breast cancer.” He controlled his expression with an effort though the ache of loss and the guilt was still there. Why had she not told him how ill she was? Why had she waited for him to come home? She’d waited too long and she’d died alone.

“I’m sorry.”

The soft, husky sincerity he heard in her tone tugged his thoughts back. He turned his head to look at her. “I am, too.”

“What was she like?”

Despite the anger a smile tugged at his lips. “A hard ass, but loving with it. I got mixed up with the wrong crowd as a teenager. Nearly got into a gang. She threatened to quit her job and hound my every step until I straightened up my act.”

“It must have worked.”

“Yeah, it did. She talked me into taking ROTC. Said if I was going to join a gang it might as well be one that would teach me the right kind of discipline. I stayed with it and earned an academic scholarship for college.”

“Do you have any other family?”

“Some distant cousins on my father’s side who live in New Mexico. My mother’s father is still alive. He lives in LA.”

“Brett said your father was Navaho.”

“Yeah, half, which makes me a quarter.”

“Because of your skin and hair color, I imagine it’s easier to get around undetected in foreign ports.”

“Sometimes.” The defensive feelings caught him by surprise. “That isn’t why you feel so uneasy with me, is it?”

Her face went blank with shock, then she sat up. “No! Why would you even think that? I mean, that I feel uneasy with you.”

“You’re on edge with me.”

For a moment she stared at him then looked away. “It isn’t you. I mean--” She rocked forward to rise to her feet. It took a moment for her to establish her balance, and for the first time, he realized what a struggle her injury proved for her.

He waded from the hot tub by way of the steps and grasped a towel from the end table. Turning aside to cover the lingering effects of his arousal, he wrapped it around his waist.

He hadn’t meant to bring things to a head between them--those puns were killing him but he just couldn’t leave it alone. He had to know.

Her features tense, she faced him. “I’m not prejudiced against you because of your Indian heritage, Hawk.”

“Is it because I’m responsible for what happened to Brett?”

“Are you?”

“I didn’t hit him in the head. No. But it was my mission, this is my team. Every man in it is my responsibility.”

Some of the tension left her features. “As much as I’d like a target to vent my frustration and anger at, I can’t really hold you responsible for Brett’s condition.”

“Then what is it?”

“I don’t want to be drawn back into the life again.”

“Military life?”

“Yes.” Zoe folded her arms against her midriff as though cold. “You don’t have to enlist to be a part of it. I used to love it, the travel, new places, new people, the troops in uniform, their shoes spit shined, their brass polished until it gleamed. The singsong sound of a drill instructor calling out orders on the parade ground. Seeing them march in formation across the base. I loved it all. Then Desert Storm happened-“

“And your father was killed.” He sucked in his breath as though he’d been hit in the solar plexus. Just when he thought he had things figured out something else cropped up.

She nodded, her body taut, her features carefully blank. “Brett being hurt was like--“Her throat worked as she swallowed and she shook her head. “I met you and your men. I’ve broken bread with you, laughed with you, been embraced by your families. I’m just having some trouble dealing with all these emotions, all these memories--”

He rested a hand upon her shoulder as she edged toward the door. The tension of her muscles as she struggled to retain her composure thrummed beneath his touch.

“You have to believe that we’re better trained, better prepared, than they are, Zoe. We’re going to be all right.”

“I hope so, I really do.”

She turned to face him and raised a hand to cup his cheek, her thumb moving along his cheekbone in a caress that caught him by surprise. His heart rate shot up as he met the clarity of her gaze.

“I didn’t mean anything derogatory about your heritage. I’m sorry if it came out wrong.”

He caught her hand when she started to withdraw. “It’s all right, Zoe.” He braced an arm against the door facing above her and shifted closer. The desire to feel her body against his made his breathing unsteady. He caught a whiff of her vanilla shampoo and a hint of some other floral scent on her skin.

She leaned back against the door facing, aligning her body to his stance. With a foot of space between them, they seemed to generate enough heat to singe the hair off his chest. Her fingers curled around his thumb as it pressed into her palm bringing to mind her fingers closing around other parts of his anatomy.

“I just meant that you should use whatever you had to stay safe.” Her voice softened, her Kentucky accent, growing thick as honey.

“Yeah, I got that,” He managed, though he felt starved for breath, as though he’d just finished a ten K run on a sandy beach.

She bit her bottom lip, leaving a glossy sheen of moisture behind. He bit back a groan. Blood shot to his groin. Jesus--Beads of moisture tracked an itchy path down his spine. It hurt to drag his gaze from her mouth.

Her mother was only a few yards down the hall. She trusted him. Zoe trusted him. It would be a breach of both their trusts for him to take advantage. He couldn’t have an affair with his best friend’s sister. He couldn’t offer her any emotional security. He wasn’t the permanent kind.

All those rationalizations didn’t ease the tight heavy feeling of his arousal, or the ache of need that clenched inside him. He forced himself to relinquish Zoe’s hand and take a step back. “It’s getting late and you should be in bed.” His voice sounded husky, almost a growl.

For a moment she remained still. Slowly, she straightened away from the door facing, and he curved a steadying hand around her upper arm. Her head down, she brushed passed him, her voice almost a whisper as she said, “Good night, Hawk.”

He listened to her progress through the house until a door closed. Hawk drew a deep breath to ease his pounding heart and realized he was trembling.

Hope you'll grab up Breaking Free and while you're at it check out Breaking Through too.