Riser's Resolve is a hot new Men of Mercy novella by Lindsay Cross. This romantic suspense is part of the Elle James Brotherhood Protectors Kindle World. Read a thrilling excerpt & download your $1.99 copy today!
Riser forced his gaze to the rearview mirror, anything to distract his mind from Laney and her soft skin touching his. He needed to let go of her and focus on driving, but damn him if he could pull his arm from her shoulders, especially with her trembling in his grip.
Then her body lost some of her rigidity and she folded into him, her small arm going around his waist. Forget letting her go, he pulled her closer. The sirens screamed closer and Riser tightened his grip on the wheel. Right now, he felt like he could fly.
“I’ve gotta lose this tail.”
She nodded against him. “I’m all right. Go.”
No more words needed, Riser let go of her shoulder and shifted into over drive. The small town mainstreet blurred past, the streets empty at this time of night. Thank God. The last thing he needed was having to worry about avoiding innocent bystanders as well as the cops.
The buildings fell away and the cop car lagged behind, further away but not gone. They’d left the camoflauge of the buildings and now sped past fields and the occasional farm house.
Nowhere to cut corners and hide.
Laney’s fingers dug into his waist. “What are we going to do?”
He scanned the horizon ahead. Without the streetlights from town, darkness prevailed, only broken from his head lights. They took a long curve, flanked on the left by a thick patch of trees and the cop disappeared for a few seconds. The trees gave way to another corn field. Inspiration struck.
Riser killed the headlights, shifted down to first and turned off the road. Laney let out a squeal as the cab of the truck dipped into a ditch, rocked up and then they were bumping into the cornfield in the dark. “What are you doing?!”
He braked and killed the truck, letting his hand slide from the stick to her knee. “Hiding from the cops,” he said with a smirk, “Did this once when I was a teenager.”
The sound of cicadas and crickets permeated the cab. Laney licked her lips and his gaze honed in on her mouth.
“So, you made it a habit to break the law?”
He could practically feel the energy thrumming off her now, the burn off of a mad dash of adrenaline. He had the same rush, only his was shifting into over drive from being so near her. “Na, just a little cow tipping.”
She chuckled and the sound was sweet music to his ears. “Somewhow, I don’t have any trouble imagining you doing something like that.”
“I was a little bit of a prankster,” he said with a grin. His imagination wasn’t on tipping cows, however, it was on her lips and how good she would taste. She blinked, fanning her thick eyelashes over flushed cheeks, each innocent move stoking his need. His fingers dug into her knee, itching to move up her thigh.
What the hell was wrong with him? He had to get her to safety and call Bo, save her from her ex, but all he could focus on right now was her satiny skin practically glowing in the moonlight. If he didn’t get some distance between them soon, he’d be laying her down on his bench seat right here in the middle of nowhere. His throat clamped down and heat filled his groin. She’d be so beautiful with her hair fanned out beneath her…
The cop car roared past. Riser blinked. Fuck.
He threw her to the bench out of sight, their harsh breaths mingling. She went all stiff beneath him, but there wasn’t any fear on her face – just raw desire. The same edgy need gunning through his veins and heating his skin. He dropped his forehead to hers, grasping at the last threads of his control. “We need to go.”
Her whispered response caressed his face, “You’re right.”
Let her go, man. You’re getting distracted again – he couldn’t afford another bungled mission. Another Caroline Cotter.
He sat up, ignoring the quaking want shaking his frame and grabbed the keys. He cranked the truck and craned his head around, backing out of the field in the dark. He couldn’t stop his gaze from cutting to Laney as she pulled herself up into a sitting position, her lush lips locked into a shakey, but firm, line. She stared straight ahead with a shattered expression. He’d hurt her somehow.
How much more of a bastard could he be?
Then her body lost some of her rigidity and she folded into him, her small arm going around his waist. Forget letting her go, he pulled her closer. The sirens screamed closer and Riser tightened his grip on the wheel. Right now, he felt like he could fly.
“I’ve gotta lose this tail.”
She nodded against him. “I’m all right. Go.”
No more words needed, Riser let go of her shoulder and shifted into over drive. The small town mainstreet blurred past, the streets empty at this time of night. Thank God. The last thing he needed was having to worry about avoiding innocent bystanders as well as the cops.
The buildings fell away and the cop car lagged behind, further away but not gone. They’d left the camoflauge of the buildings and now sped past fields and the occasional farm house.
Nowhere to cut corners and hide.
Laney’s fingers dug into his waist. “What are we going to do?”
He scanned the horizon ahead. Without the streetlights from town, darkness prevailed, only broken from his head lights. They took a long curve, flanked on the left by a thick patch of trees and the cop disappeared for a few seconds. The trees gave way to another corn field. Inspiration struck.
Riser killed the headlights, shifted down to first and turned off the road. Laney let out a squeal as the cab of the truck dipped into a ditch, rocked up and then they were bumping into the cornfield in the dark. “What are you doing?!”
He braked and killed the truck, letting his hand slide from the stick to her knee. “Hiding from the cops,” he said with a smirk, “Did this once when I was a teenager.”
The sound of cicadas and crickets permeated the cab. Laney licked her lips and his gaze honed in on her mouth.
“So, you made it a habit to break the law?”
He could practically feel the energy thrumming off her now, the burn off of a mad dash of adrenaline. He had the same rush, only his was shifting into over drive from being so near her. “Na, just a little cow tipping.”
She chuckled and the sound was sweet music to his ears. “Somewhow, I don’t have any trouble imagining you doing something like that.”
“I was a little bit of a prankster,” he said with a grin. His imagination wasn’t on tipping cows, however, it was on her lips and how good she would taste. She blinked, fanning her thick eyelashes over flushed cheeks, each innocent move stoking his need. His fingers dug into her knee, itching to move up her thigh.
What the hell was wrong with him? He had to get her to safety and call Bo, save her from her ex, but all he could focus on right now was her satiny skin practically glowing in the moonlight. If he didn’t get some distance between them soon, he’d be laying her down on his bench seat right here in the middle of nowhere. His throat clamped down and heat filled his groin. She’d be so beautiful with her hair fanned out beneath her…
The cop car roared past. Riser blinked. Fuck.
He threw her to the bench out of sight, their harsh breaths mingling. She went all stiff beneath him, but there wasn’t any fear on her face – just raw desire. The same edgy need gunning through his veins and heating his skin. He dropped his forehead to hers, grasping at the last threads of his control. “We need to go.”
Her whispered response caressed his face, “You’re right.”
Let her go, man. You’re getting distracted again – he couldn’t afford another bungled mission. Another Caroline Cotter.
He sat up, ignoring the quaking want shaking his frame and grabbed the keys. He cranked the truck and craned his head around, backing out of the field in the dark. He couldn’t stop his gaze from cutting to Laney as she pulled herself up into a sitting position, her lush lips locked into a shakey, but firm, line. She stared straight ahead with a shattered expression. He’d hurt her somehow.
How much more of a bastard could he be?
☆☆☆☆☆☆
Laney was a woman on the run. Her ex-husband, who just happened to be a cop, had a penchant for violence. After Laney took their daughter and ran, he had a promise for revenge. She'd made a new life with a new name and had planned to stay hidden forever, but even the best laid plans go wrong. Forced to rush her daughter to the hospital, Laney's location is revealed.
Laney had vowed to never seek help from a man again, until Riser’s 200 pounds of packed muscle made her his own personal mission. He vowed to protect her and her daughter from her ex, but could she trust him with their lives when she'd been burned so badly in the past?
Riser Malone was an admitted adrenaline junkie whose distraction on a crucial mission last year had resulted in complete failure of his objective: protect the girl. Unable to face his failure, Riser accepted every mission put before him, but a lull in the terrorist tempo left him with too much time on his hands back home. He needed a distraction, and he needed it badly.
And that distraction showed up in the form of Laney and her daughter.
With an abusive ex bearing down on her, Riser saw his second chance at redemption. And after one night with her, Riser knew his bachelorhood was over. But if he ever had any hope for a relationship with Laney in the future, he'd have to make sure her abusive ex-husband would never harm her again.
Laney had vowed to never seek help from a man again, until Riser’s 200 pounds of packed muscle made her his own personal mission. He vowed to protect her and her daughter from her ex, but could she trust him with their lives when she'd been burned so badly in the past?
Riser Malone was an admitted adrenaline junkie whose distraction on a crucial mission last year had resulted in complete failure of his objective: protect the girl. Unable to face his failure, Riser accepted every mission put before him, but a lull in the terrorist tempo left him with too much time on his hands back home. He needed a distraction, and he needed it badly.
And that distraction showed up in the form of Laney and her daughter.
With an abusive ex bearing down on her, Riser saw his second chance at redemption. And after one night with her, Riser knew his bachelorhood was over. But if he ever had any hope for a relationship with Laney in the future, he'd have to make sure her abusive ex-husband would never harm her again.
☆☆☆☆☆☆
☆☆☆☆☆☆
Lindsay Cross is the award-winning author of the Men of Mercy series. She is the fun loving mom of two beautiful daughters and one precocious Great Dane. Lindsay is happily married to the man of her dreams - a soldier and veteran. During one of her husband's deployments from home, writing became her escape and motivation.
An avid reader since childhood, reading and writing is in her blood. After years of reading, she discovered her true passion - writing. Her alpha military men are damaged, drop-dead gorgeous and determined to win the heart of the woman of their dreams.
An avid reader since childhood, reading and writing is in her blood. After years of reading, she discovered her true passion - writing. Her alpha military men are damaged, drop-dead gorgeous and determined to win the heart of the woman of their dreams.
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