Breaking Out RELEASE OCTOBER 10TH & a new excerpt

The Release for BREAKING OUT (Book 6 of the SEALTeam Heartbreaker's Series) will be out October 10th I can hardly wait. Everything is uploaded and ready to go.  The ebook is available for preorder so if you want to receive it the day of release just swing by and purchase it now and you'll have it on your hot little reading devices or computers on the 10th. 

I'm working hard to get the paperback released around the same time. If you're a paperback reader be on the lookout at Amazon. I'm waiting on my proof to make sure the cover is a beautiful in print as it is online. Once I've okayed it, it should be up there in just a few days. Hopefully it will be available on the 10th. I'm doing my best to make that happen.

I thought I'd post another excerpt from the book just to give you another little appetizer.  





Excerpt: 

Zach nodded. “I feel guilty as hell that I hit her.”
“An accident is an accident. And you did everything at the scene you could do to save her life. She might have died before you got her here otherwise.”
He offered Gracie his hand to sniff before reaching in and rubbing her behind the ears. He cupped the dog’s bottom jaw in one hand and ran the other over her head and neck.
Piper observed her behavior with him. Despite the cushioned wrappings around Gracie’s leg and body, she looked pretty good considering what she’d been through. Her tail thumped the padding, slow and steady, like a drummer keeping time, and she angled her head, directing Zach’s touch where she wanted it.
Piper smiled at the behavior.
“Yeah, we’re a pair aren’t we? Both hobbling a bit, but we’ll get through it, won’t we, sweetheart?” He petted her for a few minutes, talking to her all the while. When he attempted to rise, he braced a hand on the floor and shoved up with his good leg. Piper gripped his other arm above the elbow to help him as much as she could.
“Thanks.” He covered her hand and held it against his arm.
He had large hands. Strong hands. Totally different from David’s. By focusing on the differences, she was obliterating that momentary stumble she experienced the first moment they met. She turned aside, afraid of what he might read in her face. “Have you heard anything from the police about her owner?” She closed the cage door.
“I called one of the cops I met with this morning. Master Chief Flynn isn’t out of the woods yet. He’s got a fractured skull, a broken arm, several broken ribs, and a bruised kidney. More than one person attacked him, and one had a baseball bat.”
“It was a miracle he even survived.” Piper shook her head. “Do they have any clue why?”
“No. Nothing was stolen from the house. He must have seen something suspicious and gone out to investigate. Luckily the neighbor heard the commotion and called the cops. He might not have made it otherwise.”
“That’s horrible.” What kind of person could do such a thing? It might be a long time before Gracie could go home. “Come to the office and we’ll talk about Gracie’s progress.”
She paused outside the kennel room to look down at the bag.
“That’s your dinner,” he said. “I promised my sister I’d buy dinner tonight if she gave me a haircut, so I got an extra meal for you. You’ll have to reheat it in the microwave. There’s a salad and bread in there, too. Dressing on the side. Kathleen rescued the salad and refrigerated it so it wouldn’t wilt.”
Touched by his thoughtfulness, she smiled. “Thank you. I don’t know what to say.” Was he leading up to something?
“It’s just a small thank-you for jumping into the emergency. I didn’t expect her to survive at first. Then I didn’t expect her to keep the leg.”
“We’ll have to be a little cautious about that for a few days and see how she does. She’s had a little water today, but I’m waiting until tomorrow morning to offer her food.”
He followed her down to a small office, where she placed the bag on the desk and gestured for him to come in and sit down. She studied the familiar logo on the bag. He had no idea he’d brought her food from her family’s restaurant. She wondered how long it had been since she swung by there.
She settled behind the desk and turned her attention back to Zach.
“Animals don’t process pain like we do, so I’m monitoring her carefully. She’ll be in for a longer recovery than a simple broken leg would require, and she’ll need some physical therapy once she’s on her feet.”
“Like water therapy?” He asked.
“Yes. And passive-range massage to keep the circulation going and the range of motion normal.”
“I can do the massage. I’ve done some training. For humans. Just a couple of classes, but if someone will show me the right techniques, I can do them.”
“It’s a good idea, but let’s wait and see for now.” She leaned forward on her elbows on the desk. “How are you doing? Your limp is worse.”
“I’m sore and bruised. It’ll be worse tomorrow. Then I’ll start to heal.”
“You should be staying off your leg. How were you injured? Unless you’re not allowed to tell me.”
“It’s okay. We were doing a high altitude, high opening training dive. We call it a HAHO. Everything went great. Took us about sixty minutes to reach the ground, and I landed just the way I was supposed to until the wind caught my chute and carried me off target, dragging me along. I tripped over one rock, crashed into another, and got a little banged up. Nothing’s broken, but the bruising is coming out in Technicolor.”
She grimaced in sympathy. “Oooo! It smarts to even think about it.”
He grinned. “I’ve had a few colorful things to say about it at the time and since.”
She laughed.
“I’m sorry you were hurt.”
“Thanks.” He leaned forward in his seat. “It would make me feel much better if you’d go out to dinner with me, or for coffee or a drink.”
She hesitated. She studied his strong, square jaw. “I don’t know if it would be such a good idea.”
His smile folded, to be replaced by a frown. “I didn’t ask if you were married or committed.”
“Neither. I mean—other than to my work here. But to date one of our clients…”
“I’m not really one of your clients since I don’t own Gracie. Or actually, I’m only a temporary customer until she goes home to her owner.”
“You seem to have a way with her. She responded to you from the first.”
“We had several big dogs while I was growing up, and I’ve missed having one.”
“Why don’t you get one?”
“I’m a SEAL. We have to go wheels up at a moment’s notice. And we train a lot, which means long hours and sometimes weeks away from home. It wouldn’t be fair to the dog or cat to be left alone like that. This way I can enjoy Gracie for a few weeks while she and I are laid up, and return her when it’s time.”
His job sounded like it didn’t leave him very much time to date. Then again, she hadn’t had time, either, since starting vet school. Starting a business and working didn’t leave much time for anything but sleep. And even if she’d had time there’d been…the fallout from David. And Lester. No, she wasn’t going to go there. “And if you get called up?”
“I don’t think it will happen in the next four or so weeks, but, just in case, my sister Kathleen said she’d take her. She loves dogs, and she’ll be good with her.”
“If she can’t take her, I’ll keep her until Mr. Flynn gets out of the hospital. I have a golden retriever named Trouble. I’m sure they’ll get along.”
He smiled amused at the name. “Trouble, huh?”
“Yes, and he still is at times, but for the most part he’s pretty well behaved nowadays.”
Tiffany, the evening receptionist, came to the door. “We have a woman with a sick cat. I’ve put her in room four.” She stepped in to lay the file on her desk.
Piper rose and picked up the folder. “Thanks, Tiffany.”
Zach stood with some difficulty. The urge to help him had her pausing on the way to her office door. Once on his feet, he ran his fingertips down her forearm and cuffed her wrist in a light grip. His dark green eyes had interesting yellow flecks around the iris. But beyond the color, the hungry look she read there arrowed down into the pit of her stomach and lower. “I’ll be back tomorrow to see Gracie. In the meantime, why don’t you think about my dinner invitation?”
The man could barely walk and he was asking her out. But she couldn’t go out with him. She’d just bring trouble to his door. Although she hadn’t seen Detective Lester around since she moved back. She was keeping a low profile, and there was no reason for him to know she was back in San Diego.
If he ever discovered she was… Her throat tightened and her heart raced. If they started dating and Lester came around…Zach deserved better than to have to deal with her stalker cop. She came with far too much baggage for any man.
Why couldn’t she have a normal life?
An idea suddenly occurred to her. “Did you shave and get a haircut…?” she let the question drift off.
He smiled. “Yeah. I wanted to make a better impression.” He brushed the newly cut hair back from his forehead. “When I’m working a lot, those things are low on my to-do list.”
She’d been impressed with his focus and skill during Gracie’s X-rays. His patience and care. He looked younger clean-shaven, but she rather liked his long auburn hair and the scruff.
The close shave did leave the clean lines of his jaw and lips bare. “I imagine you make an impression wherever you go, Zach. But I’d better get to my patient.”
She didn’t want to. She wanted to sit with him, listen to the hint of New England in his accent, and continue to resist the temptation. It had been a long, long time since she’d been on a date. Or even been attracted to someone.
The temptation was strong.
The threat of Lester stronger.
“You rest your hip, now.”

“Roger that. See you tomorrow.”

Links and Blurb: 


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.  

Thanks for stopping by and reading the excerpt. 
Teresa Reasor 

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