Breaking Out another excerpt, Release Date October 10th!!

The edits for Breaking Out are done!!! The manuscript is in the formatter's hands and I'm in waiting mode for the release October 10th.

In celebration I thought I'd post another excerpt from the book.

Kathleen and Cal are back in Breaking Out to finish out their story line. I could have separated their story line as a novella, but I find it more interesting to write secondary story lines within the context of the larger picture. HINT Both the stories have something similar and run parallel to one another. So you're getting two love stories in one volume and a whole lot more.

Sherry looked up from printing out a receipt for a client. “I have a note for you, Dr. Bertinelli.” She extended the receipt and a bag of medication to the customer and waited for the man to leave. She picked up an envelope from beside her computer and extended it to Piper. Sherry lowered her voice. “It was mixed in with the mail delivered today, but doesn’t have a stamp or return address.”
Piper reluctantly reached for the envelope. “Thanks, Sherry. It’s probably just a note from a client.” She turned aside to tear open the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper. In bold, black words it read, Have you told your boyfriend about your past? The message drove the breath from her lungs and turned her stomach inside out.
She crumpled the note and envelope into a ball and darted into the bathroom off the reception area. Tears blurred her vision while sickness burned its way up her throat.
He knew she was back. He knew where she was. And he was coming after her again. She realized she was murmuring oh God, oh God, oh God and forced herself to stop. The crumpled note she still gripped made her feel sick every time she looked at it. But she couldn’t throw it away. It was proof he was planning to harass her again.
She slipped out of the bathroom and stumbled down the hall to her office, closed herself in and locked the door. Every muscle in her body jerked and she sank to the floor behind her desk and curled into the corner. She had to think. She had to plan what she could do.
As soon the trauma eased, the need to see Zach, to hear his voice, took over. Every moment she’d spent with him the last two days played through her mind. They hadn’t been out of each other’s sight from Saturday afternoon till this morning. They cooked together, walked the beach, showered together, bathed and cared for the dogs, and made love. The way he made love to her that morning played through her mind.
She gripped the corner of her desk, dragged herself to her feet, and fell into her desk chair. She checked the time. She only had thirty minutes until she could leave. She called the front desk.
“Sherry, I need you to page Dr. Dorsey and ask him to cover for me for the next half hour. I’m not feeling very well.”
“I saw you dodge into the restroom up here. Are you okay? Do you need a ride home? Tony’s here and can drive you.”
“No, I’ll be okay. I just need to go home and lie down.”
“I’ll buzz Dr. Dorsey right now.”
Two minutes later, Sherry buzzed her back on her phone. “He says he’ll check in on your surgical patients and for you to go on home.”
 “Thank you. I’ll let you know about my evening shift in plenty of time.”
“Okay, Dr. Bertinelli. Feel better.”
 Piper thanked her, opened her desk drawer, and got her purse. She crammed the note into her bag and got her keys.
She scanned the parking lot from the corner of the building. Was he here watching for her? The cars in the lot all looked empty. She hurried to her car and got in.
She had to tell Zach.
Her hands felt slick with sweat on the steering wheel as she wove through noon traffic toward his apartment, but she had calmed somewhat by the time she pulled into his driveway.
She caught the sound of Zach’s laughter, and instead of going to the front door she walked around to the back patio. The smell of grilled meat drifted to her on the ocean breeze. Using a long pair of tongs Zach flipped chicken breasts cooking on the grill. Gracie had a squeak toy in her mouth, Trouble’s favorite. She rolled on her back while squeezing the toy, making it chatter like a chipmunk.
Zach looked up from the grill and smiled. “Hey, you’re a little early.” He shut the top of the grill and limped toward her. Seeing her expression, he slowed. “What is it?”
She withdrew the crumpled envelope and paper from her bag and handed it to him. “This was left with Sherry, our receptionist, today. I saw him on Saturday at the grocery store, but…I was praying he hadn’t seen me. Praying he’d leave me alone.”
He smoothed the paper and read the words. His dark auburn brows locked in a V.
The dogs leaped to their feet, and Trouble let out a deep base bark.
Two men appeared from the driveway, both dressed in suits.
Piper caught her breath when recognition struck like a hammer blow.
No! The one-word denial caught in her throat even as fear wreaked havoc with every nerve and cell. She had hoped never to see him again in this lifetime. He sauntered across the yard to the concrete patio with the same confident swagger she remembered. Every muscle in her body locked and there was a metallic taste in her mouth. She realized she’d bitten the inside of her cheek.


BREAKING OUT (Book 6 of the SEAL Team Heartbreakers)
Available for PREORDER NOW!  Release Date October 10th


Navy SEAL Zach O’Connor was dumped while he was deployed on a high-risk mission, and the fallout from the breakup nearly cost him his career. Never again will Zach allow his feelings to make him lose sight of what really matters. Not even when his attraction to Piper Bertinelli makes him long for the very thing he’s vowed to avoid.

Violence and heartache have nearly shattered Dr. Piper Bertinelli’s life, and the last thing she needs is to be attracted to a military man scheduled to deploy. Though all Zach wants is a distraction instead of a commitment, Piper is unable to resist the charismatic Naval officer. He makes her feel safe, something more seductive to her than him being a SEAL.

When an overzealous policeman from Piper’s past comes after her, Zach has to make a decision: walk away from the woman who's cracked the shell he built around his heart, or stick by her and possibly risk his career.


And there are other hurdles to face: the family who drove Piper away, but whose secrets may hold the key to understanding why her father was killed.  And someone who’s a greater danger to Piper’s life than an angry cop. The man responsible for it all.  

I hope you enjoyed the excerpt and are looking forward to the release as much as I am.

Teresa 

















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