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His To Defend

by Sharon C. Cooper

on-sale Dec.28

Harlequin Romantic Suspense

Blurb:

A romantic reunionโ€ฆthreatened by their past.

Amina Kelly broke Sergeant Maxwell Layton’s heart when she married his best friend. But the detective never forgot herโ€ฆor the sizzling attraction they never acted on. Years later, while Maxwell and Amina work together to find her ex’s killer, Maxwell finds his desire for the nurse stronger than ever. As he puts his life on the line to keep Amina safe, Maxwell realizes that the greatest risk of all might be to his heart.

*****

Excerpt:

โ€œDo you think the break-in is connected to the mugging?โ€ Amina asked.

Maxwellโ€™s eyebrows shot up. If he didnโ€™t know better, he wouldโ€™ve thought she was a mind reader. Earlier, when he considered the two incidences mightโ€™ve been connected, he hadnโ€™t planned to say anything to her just yet. But in case they were, he needed to do some digging. What he didnโ€™t want to do was scare her, but he also wanted her to be on alert.

โ€œYes,โ€ he said honestly. โ€œItโ€™s too much of a coincidence. Iโ€™m even wondering if that botched mugging wasnโ€™t an attempted kidnapping.โ€

Her hand went to her chest. โ€œIf youโ€™re trying to scare me, itโ€™s working.โ€

โ€œSweetheart, the last thing I want to do is scare you, but something is going on. Until we figure out what, I think you should stay here. In the meantime, can you think of anything you have that someone might want? A family heirloom? Gold? Bonds? A limited-edition book? Anything?โ€

โ€œNo, nothing like that. I have a pair of diamond earrings that my parents gave me when I graduated from high school.โ€

โ€œI might be way off with this next question, but I have to ask. Do you have anything of Jeremyโ€™s?โ€

She frowned. โ€œNot that I can think ofโ€”why?โ€

โ€œI donโ€™t know. I might be way off, but I wonder if any of this has to do with his murder?โ€ Maxwell wiped his hands and grabbed his cell phone off the counter. About a half an hour ago, Danny had texted him a still shot of the suspect.

Maxwell held up his phone to her. โ€œDo you recognize this guy?โ€

Amina stared at the photo for a few minutes. The quality wasnโ€™t great, and much of the manโ€™s face was hard to make out, but she might know him.

She eventually shook her head. โ€œHe doesnโ€™t look familiar. Should I know him? Who is he?โ€

โ€œThe suspected killer.โ€

*****