Free Fall (Uniformly Hot!, 39, Band 757) - Softcover

Foley, Karen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0373797613 ISBN 13: 9780373797615

Verlag: Harlequin Blaze, 2013

Inhaltsangabe

Subject:
Lt. Commander Jack Callahan

Mission:
A high-flying maneuver…with tantalizing perks!

Being stationed at a naval base on Whidbey Island is a dream come true for Navy pilot Jack Callahan. But when a late-night encounter on a beach with a stunning woman turns scorchin' hot, Jack's dream starts resembling an X-rated fantasy….

Three weeks in her hometown is nothing short of torture for photographer Maggie Copeland. The town hasn't forgotten she was dumped at the altar by an aviator, and neither has she—until her naughty rendezvous with the oh-so-scrumptious stranger! But then Maggie learns that Jack is a pilot. Can she resist the force of their sexual chemistry…or will she find herself falling for another flyboy?

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

 Karen Foley is the award-winning author of more than twenty novels, and is a 2014 RITA finalist. She believes that life is better with love, chocolate, and a view of the sea. Karen lives in New England with her high school sweetheart and their slightly neurotic cat. When she's not writing sexy romances, she can be found reading or crafting, or planning her next escape to Ireland. You can learn more about Karen and her books by visiting www.karenfoleyauthor.com.

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

Magnificent.

There was simply no other word to describe him.

"Oh, man, you are so freaking gorgeous," Maggie Copeland breathed in appreciation. "So strong and sleek. C'mon, show me what you've got…give it to me, baby."

It had been years since she'd seen a male specimen as thrilling as this one, and she'd almost forgotten how the sight could make her heart race and her blood sing. As if sensing he had an eager audience, the orca breached, lifting his entire body out of the water and twisting upward in a glorious show of strength and grace, before falling back into the waves. Maggie gasped in admiration. Shamu had nothing on this beauty.

Her fingers worked quickly on the shutter release, snapping pictures in rapid succession. High overhead, she could barely hear the traffic on the twin bridges that spanned the narrow strait known as Deception Pass and connected Whidbey Island to the mainland. But she knew if she looked up, she would see the tiny shapes of hundreds of tourists who had pulled off the road to glimpse the killer whale as he frolicked in the frigid waters below the bridge.

Maggie almost hadn't bothered to stop, but her curiosity had gotten the best of her. Well, that and the fact that she'd been looking for any excuse to delay reaching her destination. After pulling over, she'd attached a telephoto lens to her camera and had made her way along the pedestrian walkway of the soaring bridge. Her first peek over the edge had made her head swim, and she'd pulled quickly back, her heart racing. The drop was dizzying, and it had taken several moments before she'd had the courage to take a second look, telling herself she wasn't afraid of heights. But when she'd glimpsed the orca some two hundred feet below, she'd forgotten everything except her desire to capture the magnificent animal on film.

She'd been a teenager the last time she'd navigated the steep, rocky trail that twisted its way beneath the bridge to the water's edge. Even then, with her brother beside her, she'd been terrified of falling, but tonight she'd managed the descent effortlessly, despite the fading light and the weight of the heavy lens bumping against her hip. The fragrant scent of crushed pine needles underfoot, combined with the salty ocean air, had been so familiar that for a brief moment she'd felt a wave of nostalgia. She hadn't been back to the Pacific Northwest in almost ten years, and she'd forgotten how good the Puget Sound air smelled. Now she crouched on a high rock overlooking the turbulent waters of Deception Pass, with an unobstructed view of the orca. If only she had more daylight!

Lowering the camera, she glanced toward the horizon, where the sun was rapidly slipping away beneath a breathtaking display of purple-andorange-streaked sky. In another minute, it would disappear completely. The few people who had joined her on the rocky shoreline were already making their way back up to the road, leaving her alone. If she didn't start back to her car now, she'd have a difficult time negotiating the trail in the dark. She might not be anxious to return to her childhood home in the tiny community of Rocks Village, but neither did she relish the thought of spending the night on a deserted beach.

With a last, longing look at the orca, almost invisible now except for the tall, black fin that sliced through the water, Maggie secured her camera over one shoulder and carefully began working her way to the ground. Almost immediately, her fear of heights returned and she realized that getting down from the boulder was not going to be as easy as climbing up had been. What had earlier seemed a manageable height now seemed like a frightening drop to the rocky beach.

In an instant, she was fifteen years old again, excited that her brother and his friends had allowed her to come with them to Whistle Lake on neighboring Ana-cortes Island. The twenty-foot cliffs were popular with the local kids as a place to prove their bravery and cool off during the warm summer months. But Eric and his friends had craved bigger thrills, and had instead hiked to where the cliffs towered fifty to sixty feet high over the lake. One by one, they had leapt from the rocks into the deep water, and then taunted Maggie when she'd refused to join them.

Nothing could have induced her to leave the security of that rock, but she hadn't seen Eric's friend, who had climbed out of the water, make his way stealthily back to where she stood. With a cry of triumph, he had rushed at her. Although later he claimed that he'd only meant to give her a scare, he'd barreled into her, plunging them both over the edge. Maggie knew she'd been fortunate to have only broken a leg, and the boys had been lucky that her mother hadn't killed them. Maggie had never been back to Whistle Lake and avoided heights whenever she could.

Now, working her fingers into a crack in the surface of the stone, she clung to the side and searched for her next foothold, but there was none. Peering down, she wondered if she could jump, but quickly decided against it. The rocks made the option too dangerous, and she didn't want to risk breaking an ankle or, worse, damaging her precious camera.

Wishing she was wearing jeans and not a pair of shorts, Maggie stretched her leg downward, feeling blindly for a place to set her foot, and scraped her bare knee against the rough surface of the stone. Swearing softly, she finally succeeded in finding a small sliver of ledge. With her weight now balanced, she groped for a new handhold, dismayed when her camera strap slid from her shoulder and down the length of her arm to her wrist. Nudged off balance by the weight of the heavy lens, she made a grab for it, but it slipped free of her fingers. Instinctively, she stuck her foot out and snagged the strap with her foot. Maggie winced as the camera dangled precariously from the toe of her sneaker, and the telephoto lens bounced sickeningly against the hard stone.

Crap. Now what? She clung to the rock with both hands, balanced on an outcropping no wider than her thumb, with one leg stuck out at a precarious angle and her expensive camera swinging from her foot.

"Do you need a hand?"

Startled, Maggie nearly lost her footing. The voice was deep, masculine and unless she was mistaken, amused. She hadn't heard anyone approaching, and now she carefully craned her head to get a look at the newcomer. A man stood directly below her with his arms raised as if to catch her. Even from her height, she could see he was young and good-looking, and his voice had a quality that caused something to resonate deep inside her. "Uh…okay."

He stepped forward, and this time she heard the crunch of rocks beneath his feet. "Here, let me take your camera, and then I can help you down."

Uncertainty washed over Maggie. She'd spent a small fortune on the camera, and even more on the telephoto lens. These two pieces of equipment were all she had brought with her from Chicago, yet they constituted the foundation of her photography business. If this guy decided to do a grab-and-run, she'd be completely screwed. But the decision was taken out of her hands when he reached up and removed the camera strap from her foot and casually slid it over one shoulder.

"Careful," she admonished, keeping a sharp eye on him in case he should decide to bolt.

"No worries," he said easily. "Now it's your turn."

To Maggie's horror and astonishment, he reached up and put his hands on the back of her bare calves, gripping them firmly. Part of her realized that he was only trying to help, but his touch seemed to scorch her skin, and it was all she could do...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Harlequin Blaze
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2013
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0373797613
• ISBN 13: 9780373797615
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 224
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: HarperCollins Publishers, Product Safety Manager; enquiries@harpercollins.ie; ; HarperCollins, Macken House, 39/40 Mayor Street Upper; Dublin 1; D01 C9W8; Irland