
His To Defend
by Sharon C. Cooper
on-sale Dec.28
Harlequin Romantic Suspense
Blurb:
A romantic reunionโฆthreatened by their past.
Amina Kelly broke Sergeant Maxwell Layton’s heart when she married his best friend. But the detective never forgot herโฆor 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.
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Excerpt:
โDo you think the break-in is connected to the mugging?โ Amina asked.
Maxwellโs eyebrows shot up. If he didnโt know better, he wouldโve thought she was a mind reader. Earlier, when he considered the two incidences mightโve been connected, he hadnโt planned to say anything to her just yet. But in case they were, he needed to do some digging. What he didnโt want to do was scare her, but he also wanted her to be on alert.
โYes,โ he said honestly. โItโs too much of a coincidence. Iโm even wondering if that botched mugging wasnโt an attempted kidnapping.โ
Her hand went to her chest. โIf youโre trying to scare me, itโs working.โ
โSweetheart, 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
โNo, nothing like that. I have a pair of diamond earrings that my parents gave me when I graduated from high school.โ
โI might be way off with this next question, but I have to ask. Do you have anything of Jeremyโs?โ
She frowned. โNot that I can think ofโwhy?โ
โI donโt 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. โDo you recognize this guy?โ
Amina stared at the photo for a few minutes. The quality wasnโt great, and much of the manโs face was hard to make out, but she might know him.
She eventually shook her head. โHe doesnโt look familiar. Should I know him? Who is he?โ
โThe suspected killer.โ
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