Spotlight & Giveaway: Defending Chloe by Susan Stoker

Today, HJ is pleased to share with you Susan Stoker’s new release: Defending Chloe

Love is the best defense in New York Times bestselling author Susan Stoker’s explosive Mountain Mercenaries novel.

Gorgeous women don’t just stumble onto Ronan Cross’s remote property. But this one—vulnerable, victimized, and needing the kind of help only Ronan can offer—tells a story that makes his blood boil almost as hot as his need to protect her.
 
Since her father’s death, Chloe Harris has become a prisoner. Her own brother, a flesh peddler and low-level player in the Denver Mafia, is forcing her to sell her body for an endgame Chloe never saw coming: control over a vast fortune. Her only way out is to run—straight into the arms of the one hard-bodied man she can trust.
 
Defending Chloe could rain punishment down on the Mountain Mercenaries. Her brother has Mob connections and the local police in his pocket. But Ronan still has an edge—the unshakable loyalty of his deadly teammates. As well as an unquenchable thirst for retribution…and Chloe.

Enjoy an exclusive excerpt from Defending Chloe 

They’d been playing for another thirty minutes when Ro carefully brought up the subject of the next day. He needed to figure out what to do, and now that Chloe was relaxed once more, it was time.

“I’d like you to come with me tomorrow,” he said as he placed a card on the table. “The Pit is a local pool hall that me and my friends use as our home base, so to speak. You’ll be safe there.”

Chloe put one of her cards down and smiled as she won, jack over ten. “Okay,” she said as she placed another card faceup, reached for a tortilla chip, and dipped it into the queso.

“Okay?” he asked as he laid down another card. He won with his three over her two.

“Yeah. Okay.”

“Chloe,” he said patiently, “you don’t have to.”

She looked up then. “Yes, I do. You don’t want me here alone in case Leon comes, trying to find me. I don’t want him to find me. So I need to go where you go. And if you’re going to meet with your team, I am too. I need to tell them what I know about my brother.”

Ro swallowed hard. He was surprised at how much her trust meant to him. “As Allye said, the two of us could stay here and call in to the other guys. Or we could have all of them meet here.”

She stared at him, her eyes full of understanding about the situation. She was smart, very smart, and even that turned Ro on. “The best thing would be for you and your friends to continue doing what you always do. And if that means going to the bar or whatever you want to call it where you usually meet, then that’s what you should do. The last thing you need is my brother getting suspicious.”

“You’re amazing,” Ro said softly.

She shrugged. “I’m desperate,” she countered just as quietly. “And I’m out of guesses, Ro. I don’t know where the brother I used to know went. I’ve thought about it over and over and over again, until it makes my head hurt. I don’t know why he changed into the awful person he is today. Why he hates me so much. Ever since my dad died, he’s gotten worse and worse. I want to know why, and I want to be free of him once and for all. I’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen. I want to meet with your friends. I want to tell you everything I know because, like you said, maybe it’ll help you guys connect the dots with what you know. If I don’t pull up my big-girl panties and do this, it’ll just make things worse in the long run.”

Without thought, Ro got up on his knees and leaned across the table. Chloe had a chip in one hand and a card in the other. He put his hand behind her neck and pulled her closer. She rose to her knees, mimicking him, and gasped in surprise, but he didn’t see any fear in her eyes.

“We’re going to figure this out. Together,” he said softly.

She nodded.

“So you’ll come with me to The Pit tomorrow?”

She nodded again.

“And you won’t be afraid of Black, Ball, and Meat?”

“You’ll be there?” she asked.

“Of course.”

“Then I won’t be afraid of your friends,” she said matter-of-factly.

“Bloody hell,” Ro whispered. “I’m sorry,” he told her.

“For what?”

“For this.”

Then he kissed her. It wasn’t a short peck on the lips either. He took her mouth as if he were a man starving and she were a feast. Ro ran his tongue over her lips and growled in contentment when she immediately opened for him. When her tongue came out to shyly meet his, he pushed it back into her mouth and took control of the kiss. The hand behind her neck tightened, and he held her still as he took what he’d dreamed about since he’d first seen her in his driveway.

Throughout it all, Chloe didn’t protest. She didn’t try to pull away and, in fact, opened her mouth wider and tilted her head, giving him access to take what he wanted.

Reluctantly, Ro eventually pulled back, scared of what she would say, what she would do.

Watching her carefully, Ro was relieved when she licked her lips sensually, but didn’t berate him or jerk out of his hold.

He held on to her nape for a beat longer, then forced himself to let go and sit back. She stayed hovered over the coffee table for a second before sinking back to the floor herself. Then she smiled. “Well, then,” she said slowly. She brought the chip in her hand to her mouth and placed the card faceup on the table. “Your turn.”

Ro returned her smile and flipped over a card from his pile. He wasn’t sure where they’d go from here, but for now, he was content to sit with her, and play cards. It was a start.

Excerpt. ©Susan Stoker. Posted by arrangement with the publisher. All rights reserved.
 
 

Giveaway: eBook copy Defending Chloe (Mountain Mercenaries Book 2)by Susan Stoker

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Meet the Author:

Susan Stoker is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author whose series include Ace Security, Badge of Honor: Texas Heroes, SEAL of Protection, Unsung Heroes: Delta Force, and Mountain Mercenaries. Married to a retired army noncommissioned officer, Stoker has lived all over the country—from Missouri to California to Colorado to Texas—and currently lives under the big skies of Tennessee. A true believer in happily ever after, Stoker enjoys writing novels in which romance turns to love. To learn more about the author and her work, visit her website, www.stokeraces.com, or find her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authorsusanstoker.