Spotlight & Giveaway: Dangerous Desires by Dawn Altieri

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Dawn Altieri to HJ!

Hi Dawn and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Dangerous Desires!

Hello, readers!

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

Dangerous Desires is the story of NYPD Detective Jake Quinn, the lead investigator in the case of the Back Alley Strangler, and Emma Sloane, the woman who escaped an attack by the serial killer but is still his ultimate target. Emma is the only surviving witness in the biggest case of Jake’s career, and he must fight his attraction to her long enough to keep her safe and stop the killer.
 

Please share your favorite line(s) or quote from this book:

He slid his fingers to the handgun at his waist. If he hadn’t been searching her apartment for a killer, it would’ve been an incredibly sexy move.

This wasn’t just some fling he was going to be able to shake off once she was out of danger and free to live on her own again.

He’d warned her over and over they shouldn’t get involved, but like a fool, she’d promised him she could handle something casual. This was about as far from casual as it could get.

He’d put solving the case above Emma’s safety, and he’d sworn he’d never make that mistake again. He deserved every ounce of her anger.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• Jake and Emma’s story has gone through many iterations over several years.These characters just would not let me rest until I got their story out!
• The book was originally titled Waiting for You, inspired by the Seal song of the same name. That’s the song to which was Jake dancing around his apartment the first time Emma spent the night.
• Actor Henry Cavill was the inspiration for Detective Jake Quinn, even before the release of his movie Nighthunter, in which he plays a detective chasing a serial killer.

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

Jake has been attracted to Emma since he first met her, three years ago when her fiance was killed. He was amazed at how strong she was in such a horrible situation, and he’d wanted nothing more than to take her pain away.

Emma had noticed Jake back then – he was so handsome, how could she not? – but she truly becomes drawn to him once he declares himself her bodyguard and she has a chance to get to know him. She’s determined to maintain her independence even while after he proclaims himself her bodyguard, but Jake is the kind of man who will take care of her and still encourage her to think for herself. How sexy is that?

Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?

The scene where Jake finds Emma crying in the shower was the most emotional scene to write. Emma has lost all hope, knowing the killer is targeting her and killing other women who look just like her. She is overwhelmed with the fear of knowing the killer is after her personally and the guilt that other women are dying in her place. Jake tries to reassure her he will catch the killer, but he is not sure he believes it himself anymore. He opens up and shares some of his biggest failures with Emma, and despite everything going on, she supports him and puts her faith in him to protect her.
There is a huge range of emotions in this scene, from heartbreaking sadness to lighter, tender moments as Jake and Emma both realize they are falling in love. And then there’s the impending sense of doom hanging over them that only a serial killer on the loose can invoke…

The magnitude of it all hit her again—the photos she’d seen over and over on the news, pictures so vivid in her mind she could envision what those women had been like alive. They’d all died because they’d reminded some madman of her. A madman who could be hunting down another woman at this very moment…
How was she supposed to live with that? The guilt was overwhelming, crushing her chest as she held her face in her hands. Hot water pounded her back. She reached for the shampoo bottle but grasped the shelf instead. She slid to the floor, curled into a fetal position, and wept, her body
wracked by sobs.
Jake’s knock on the bathroom door startled her back to the present. “Emma? You okay? You’ve been in there for a while.”
She couldn’t answer him; she could barely breathe. What little air she had was coming in short, quick bursts as she gasped between sobs.
“Emma?” he called again, then cracked open the bathroom door. “Oh God, Emma!” He threw open the shower door and fell to his knees, fully dressed, under the steady stream of water. He pulled her into his lap. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
She still couldn’t get enough air to manage an answer.
“Please, Emma.” He rocked her back and forth, stroking the back of her head. “Say something.”
She collapsed against his shoulder, his strong arms protecting and comforting her. “I’m so sorry,” she choked out.
“What? No.” He shook his head as he pushed her wet hair away from her face. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”
She looked up at him, still nearly panting. “You’re wrong. This is all my fault. All the deaths…everything.”
“No, it isn’t.” He squeezed her against him and resumed rocking her. “You can’t blame yourself. It’s going to be okay.”
“No, it won’t,” she said, shaking her head. “Not until you catch him and put him away.”
Jake rested his cheek against her temple. “We will, baby. I promise you, we will.”

Readers should read this book….

if they enjoy steamy romance, a healthy dose of suspense, and characters who find their own strength in the face of adversity.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?

The Killer Instinct series will continue with more about Officer Adam Markowitz and perhaps a story featuring Detective Jake Quinn’s brother, Kevin. I also have plans to continue the Romance in Ridgeport series which began with my debut novel, Burn, including stories starring Ridgeport Police Sergeant Zack Wallace and fan favorite, Ridgeport Fire Lieutenant Jeremy Hurst. Visit my website, www.dawnaltieri.com and sign up for my newsletter to be the first to know what’s next!
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: A signed paperback copy of Dangerous Desires

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: As a suspense writer, I watch a lot of true crimes stories on television and do some truly questionable internet searches in my research. I’ve fallen down the internet rabbit hole too many times to count. What are some of your favorite true crime TV shows, and what have you searched for online that might have the FBI knocking on your door one day?

 
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Excerpt from Dangerous Desires:

Emma pulled herself up onto the barstool, and Jake moved into the space next to her, touching his glass to her bottle with a clink. “I did not expect to see you here,” he said with a hint of admonishment before he took a sip.
She started to stifle the burst of indignation that flashed through her, but she quickly changed her mind. Who was Jake to tell her where she could and couldn’t go?
“Should I just never leave my apartment again?” she demanded.
He shook his head, unfazed by her defiance. “No. As long as you’re smart about it and stick close to your friends. There’s not much the department can do unless there’s a specific, direct threat against you, so you just have to be careful. Everything okay since this morning?”
“Yes.” Although her nerves had yet to recover from both the bouquet of lilacs and the police questioning her coworkers.
“Good,” he said with a nod. His eyes took on a playful glimmer. “So…come here often?”
It took her a minute to realize he was joking, another minute for her resentment to melt away. And when it did, she chuckled and let down her guard. “Actually, this is my first time. Sort of a forget-your-troubles kind of night.”
“Ah, this place is perfect for that.” He glanced down and twirled the ice in his glass. His lighthearted air faded. “We didn’t have much luck at your office.”
Her heart sank. “I was afraid of that.”
“Your boss is quite a character.”
She chuckled. “That’s one way to describe him. Probably wouldn’t hurt to keep an eye on him.”
“I’m keeping an eye on everyone, Emma.” Any hint of humor in his voice was gone as he stared into his drink.
She cleared her throat. “Everyone?”
“Yes. Everyone.” He turned to face her fully. “This is someone you know. Or at least, someone who knows you. Possibly someone who wants you but feels he can’t have you.”
“Oh God,” she muttered, fighting the nausea his assessment brought up. How could there be someone in her life who fit that description without her knowing it?
Emma shook her head and took a generous sip from her beer. “Can we not talk about the investigation anymore tonight? I’m forgetting my troubles, remember?”
“Oh, that’s right. Forgive me.” His shoulders relaxed the slightest bit, and a thin smile graced his tempting lips.
Up on the stage, the band broke into a grinding guitar riff, and Emma took Jake’s interest as an opportunity to study his profile. The muscle in his jaw clenched as he nodded his head in time to the drumbeat. Like everything else about him, it was sexy as hell, and just as aggravating. As if he felt her eyes on him, he turned to her and lifted his brow.
She took another long pull from her beer, savoring the surge of warmth as the alcohol seeped into her system. She’d never been much of a drinker. “Sorry,” she said, barely loud enough for him to hear her over the music. “Just…enjoying the view.”
She wasn’t sure why she’d said it, but now that it was out there, it was too late to reel it back in.
He threw an arm around her shoulder and tugged her into his side as he leaned toward her ear. “Stare all you want. Then I won’t feel bad when you catch me doing the same.” He released her, lifted his drink to his lips, and returned his attention to the stage, as though the remark were a simple statement of fact and not an attempt at flirtation.
What was he doing? And why did she like it so much?
This could be her chance to have some fun. Lauren and Matt had encouraged her for years to lighten up, let go, and live a little, and damn it, she was ready to do it. This man had consumed her thoughts over the last few days for reasons she still fought to deny. Now that she had the opportunity to experience off-duty-Jake—though not far removed from interrogator-Jake who’d stared her down in the interview room at the police station—she was even more drawn to him. Intimidating and broody were one thing, but the bold confidence he was going with now was sexy on a whole different level.
But what was he doing? He was hanging back from the stage to keep an eye on her and keep her safe, which was part of his job. He may have hinted at an attraction, but that was a far cry from wanting a relationship with her.
Well, she didn’t want a relationship, anyway.
Right?
Confused by her own thoughts, she pushed them aside and shimmied a little to the rhythm of the music. The crowd grew, with several patrons squeezing toward the stage, and she drank some more.
Jake faced her during a lull between songs. “You’re just itching to dance, aren’t you?”
“It’s been a while, but yeah, I love to dance.” She hesitated, then added, “Do you?”
He tilted his head and scrutinized her once more. “I should warn you, I’m good.”
“Seriously?”
“No.”
She gasped as he gripped her hand, tugged her off the stool, and whisked her to the back edge of the crowd watching the band. He positioned her in front of him, turned her to face him, and dropped his hands to her waist. His fingers rested there for a moment before he raised her hand, spinning her beneath his arm until she was wrapped tight against him with her back to his chest. He unraveled her to her original position, circling his arm around her, pulling her close to whisper in her ear. “I still can’t believe you’re here.”
His seductive tone made the tiny hairs at the nape of her neck stand at attention. His fingers brushed the bare skin of her waist where her shirt had ridden up. The brief embrace filled her with a sense of safety she hadn’t felt since this mess began…along with a hint of possession she never would’ve expected to thrill her as much as it did.
What the hell was going on between them?
For the first time in a long while, she made a deliberate choice to enjoy herself. And Jake was the perfect man to keep her safe while she did so.
She faced him again, draping her arms over his shoulders. She sang along with the vocalist and wiggling her hips. She hadn’t had much to eat all day, which would explain the carefree buzz that had come over her after only one beer.
Jake’s eyes glittered in obvious amusement, though he refused to fully give in to the smile that pinched the corners of his mouth. The musicians ran through a handful of classic rock tunes, and after a while, she was out of breath, desperate for a break. She grabbed Jake’s hand and pulled him with her toward the bar.
“You’re too young to know these tunes,” he called from behind her.
She held his hands in place on her waist as she worked an exaggerated strut back to their seats, which were still empty since everyone had moved toward the stage. “I’m not that much younger than you,” she said. He waved the bartender over for another round of drinks as she pulled herself onto a barstool. “But,” she said, catching her breath, “I am completely out of shape.”
“Oh, I beg to differ, Ms. Sloane.” He passed her the beer bottle from the bartender. “You are in fine shape. I should know. I’ve been checking you out all night.”
She poked her finger in the middle of his chest. “You’re too kind, Detective. If we were really dancing, I bet I’d barely be able to keep up with you.”
He lifted his drink. “It bodes well for me that you’ve got such confidence in my stamina.”
She landed a playful punch to his shoulder, pretending to be offended when she was anything but. The way his gaze remained fixated on her as she took a sip of her beer, the way he raked it down her body, was totally unprofessional. She was the victim of a crime, a crime he was investigating. She should be offended. Angry. Furious, even.
But she wasn’t.
She enjoyed being the focus of his attention, whether he was babysitting her or not. The sight of him towering over her left her breathless all over again, with those strong, broad shoulders and lean muscles, that mischievous grin that warned of nothing but trouble, but in the best way she could imagine. Somehow, the sexy detective had managed to stir a fire in her she’d long forgotten. And now she had the added thought in her head of testing his stamina.
The drummer kicked into the opening beat of another tune. She slid off the stool, grabbed Jake’s hand, and pulled him back to the dance floor. He took her hand, twirled her under his arm again, and finished the spin by yanking her into him once more.
It felt so good to let go. To forget all the stress of the last few days and lose herself in this man. He kept one hand on her waist while the other held her fingers against his chest, and they moved together in perfect sync, him stepping forward as she stepped back and toward him again.
Without warning, he gripped her waist to stop her movements and stared down at her with such intensity her cheeks blazed. She gazed up at him expectantly, her eyes wide, lips slightly parted, her breath sawing in and out of her lungs. Her palms flattened against his chest, which rose and fell just as hard and heavy as hers.
Cold realization dawned on her. “We shouldn’t be doing this, should we?” she murmured.
“No. We really shouldn’t.”
His mouth crashed onto hers with an urgency she hadn’t anticipated, as if he’d been dying to kiss her all along. With one hand at the nape of her neck and the other still wrapped around her back, he pulled her closer, completely enveloping her.
Her body sparked to life, reawakening in a way she hadn’t thought possible. The bite of whiskey lingered on his tongue as it tangled with hers. His toned biceps clenched beneath her fingers as she gripped his arms to steady herself. Those two beers she’d downed had to be somewhat to blame for her lightheadedness, but this was a different sort of intoxication.
Jake’s kiss transformed her entire body into one giant nerve-ending, pleading for more—or for as much as was possible on a crowded dance floor. She slipped her hands around his waist to the lean muscles of his back, caught off guard when her fingers bumped the handgun tucked into his jeans beneath his T-shirt.
And there it was. The reminder of how dangerous and powerful this man might really be.
He withdrew from her suddenly, stepping back and moving his hand from her neck to her cheek. The look on his face was one she couldn’t read at first, and a knot formed in the pit of her stomach.
He uttered a curse. “I can’t do this.”
Her heart plummeted.
He shot a gaze through the crowd before he led her back to the bar. He ran his palm over his mouth and chin, reclaiming his firmly held composure. “Emma, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”
He was still holding the breath that filled his chest. It took every ounce of self-restraint she had not to grab him by his T-shirt and kiss him again, just to force him to release it.
She beckoned him closer with her finger, exhaling warmth on his neck as she whispered in his ear. “I kinda liked it, Detective.”
His lips curled into that crooked, wicked grin for the slightest moment before the playfulness shut down and he was all business again. “I mean it, Emma. You’re a witness.”
She swore the quivering chill that ran up her spine was in response to his comment, until the vibration of her phone in her back pocket registered in her mind. She held up a finger and dug the phone from her jeans, not bothering to read the screen before she raised it to her ear.
“Hello?” The crowd and the loud music made it hard to hear, and she placed her finger over her other ear to block some of the noise. “Hello?”
The activity around her slowed to a crawl as sounds of labored breathing came through the line.
“Black lace is my favorite,” the deep voice grunted in a whisper. Emma glanced down at her black lace top and her stomach wrenched.
Jake gripped her shoulder. “Emma?”
“Seems like the detective likes it, too,” the man on the phone said. “Is that the only black lace you’re wearing tonight? Gonna let him see the rest of it?”
Her vision blurred in a fit of panic. All around her, the other patrons continued to dance and sing along to the music…but somewhere, this madman was watching her.
“Emma.” Jake squeezed her again and gave her a slight shake, but he only drew a sliver of her attention. His voice drifted farther away as she concentrated on the man on the phone.
“This girl here isn’t wearing black lace like you are. I really wish she was. But I’m still going to pretend she’s you.”
Jake tore the phone from her fingers and spoke into it in a controlled, even tone. “Listen, you sick son of a bitch.” He pulled the phone away from his ear and glanced down at the screen that had gone black when the caller disconnected. “Goddamnit!” He shifted his position, shielding Emma as best he could as he surveyed the area around the bar.
“He knows what I’m wearing,” she murmured. “He can see us. And he said he has another girl.”
Raw fury riddled Jake’s face as he threw an arm across her shoulders and tugged her off the barstool with his free hand. “I have to get you out of here.”

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Three years after Emma Sloane’s wealthy fiance’s mysterious death, she’s finally ready to move on and pursue her own dreams. But her plans are derailed when she’s attacked outside her New York City apartment in what she thinks is a random violent incident. Then other women who look just like her start turning up dead…

Homicide Detective Jake Quinn is haunted by the one case he couldn’t solve. When he’s put in charge of a new high-profile murder case, he interviews a victim who escaped a similar attack—and to his shock it’s Emma, the former fiancée of his unsolved murder victim.

Neither expects the sparks of attraction between them. But the killer escalates, clearly targeting Emma, and Jake’s job is on the line. Can he solve this case before it’s too late for both of them?
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Meet the Author:

With an overactive imagination and a slightly twisted mind, Dawn Altieri enjoys reading dark and dangerous tales almost as much as writing them. When she’s not curled up on the sofa with her laptop, her latest story, a box of chocolates and a cup of tea (or a glass of wine, depending on the time of day), she can be found volunteering in the world of animal rescue. To keep a roof over her head, she works in the printing industry as a graphic production artist. She shares her home with her husband and daughter, and a menagerie of rescued fur-babies.
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