Spotlight & Giveaway: Incognito Ex by Geri Krotow

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Geri Krotow to HJ!

Hi Geri and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Incognito Ex!

 
Hello Harlequin Junkies! So happy to be back with you.
 

To start off, can you please tell us a little bit about this book?:

Coral Staufer’s aunt died and left her with a beautiful farm house in Silver Valley, PA. Recently divorced, Coral’s desire is to make a go of her events catering business. But the venue, an historical barn, was destroyed in an explosion (in Silver Valley PD Book
 

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

This is right before they make love for the first time since their marriage ended three years ago. I love how Trevor isn’t afraid to tell Coral that he’s never stopped thinking of her.

“Coral.” He reached behind her head, held her. “Do you feel it, too? I’ve never stopped wanting you.” He nuzzled her throat, kissed her jaw, her cheekbone, avoiding her huge bruise. “I don’t ever want to hurt you again.”

What inspired this book?

The setting for Incognito Ex and all of my Silver Valley PD books is inspired by where I live in Central PA, near the Appalachian Trail. The Russian mob influence came in when I read about a local criminal who had ties to the Russian crime syndicate. My author bells and whistles went off loud and clear on that one! The Russian Crime thread in the Silver Valley PD series began with The Fugitive’s Secret Child, Book 5 in the series. Coral and Trevor’s story (Book 8) came to me as I thought about trying to highlight how difficult military life can often be on a relationship. And I seem to gravitate toward writing reunion romances, so it was a natural fit.

How did you ‘get to know’ your main characters? Did they ever surprise you?

Coral’s strength surprised me, and that’s saying something because I write strong heroines. I don’t think I’d be willing to live in a camping trailer by myself while being stalked by some very bad guys (and a female villain). Trevor’s ability to be gentle with Coral even though he’s a former Marine and superbly trained undercover agent came as a bit of a surprise. But then, I tend to write heroes who are strong yet caring.

What was your favorite scene to write?

Without giving a spoiler, it was one of the next-to-last scenes, where Coral and Trevor have finally figured out that they not only make a great team, but that their partnership is something they can depend upon, even in a life-or-death situation. They must trust each other fully to survive one last deadly threat.

What was the most difficult scene to write?

Several come to mind, but it’s always most challenging to write the after-lovemaking scenes, when Trevor and Coral go over why they are still physically attracted to each other. They both need to dig really deep to sort through the emotions they didn’t deal with that led to their breakup in the first place. I feel my character’s pain as I write about it. It’s one of the parts of my job that is both a blessing and at a times difficult.

Would you say this book showcases your writing style or is it a departure for you?

This book definitely captures my voice, which is romance, adventure, and suspense with lots of emotional details.

What do you want people to take away from reading this book?

That the bad guys will always get their day, no matter how bleak it may seem in the moment. And most importantly, when the love is real, a couple can work through whatever they need to in order to keep it alive. Or resuscitate it if need be!

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?

I am writing a Colton’s book for Harlequin Romantic Suspense that will be out in 2021. I have another release for 2020 after Incognito Ex, it’s a Colton 911 Book In Hot Pursuit and available for pre-order now.

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: Five signed copies of Incognito Ex, US only please
Two ebook copies of Incognito Ex, open internationally

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Excerpt from Incognito Ex:

Trevor leaned over a keypad next to the door and positioned his eye over some kind of scope. The door itself was covered by a screen door typical of the modest river homes they’d driven by. But once open, it revealed a flat surface that was barely recognizable as an entryway. The security devices were to the right of the door, underneath what looked like a hanging planter.
“You need a retina scanner to get in here?” She’d only seen them in television shows and film. “Who exactly do you work for, Trevor?”
He didn’t answer but lifted his head from the scope and keyed several digits into the pad. As if by magic, the panel slid open with a powerful thud when it settled in place, revealing it was a kind of pocket door. She estimated it was at least twice the width of her palm, so about eight inches thick and made of stainless steel, from its apparent weight. Trevor stepped to the side and motioned for her to cross the threshold.
“After you.”
She stepped into an interior that definitely did not match the plain old river house exterior. The immediate entry opened onto a contemporary office space, complete with shining desks all topped with expensive-looking computers. A large screen dominated one wall, larger than any television or monitor she was familiar with.
The sound of the door sliding back into place was her only warning that Trevor stood right behind her. She whirled and immediately took a couple of steps backward when she realized how close they were. Her foot caught on one of the slick rolling office chairs, and she began to fall.
“Whoa!” The cry ripped out of her throat, but not before Trevor’s hands had her by her upper arms. He righted her, kept her from cracking her head for the second time in one evening.
Pulled up against his chest, she realized that once again she was too close to him, too near the undeniable scent of his masculinity mingling with field dirt and leather. She looked up into his eyes and saw the wariness that held his deeper emotions in check. Trevor never had been one to share his heart with her, not unless he had to.
“Good catch. You always were good with your reflexes. Thanks.” She shrugged out of his light hold before either of them had to come up with a reason for him to let her go.
“Not so fast.” He had his hand on her elbow as he guided her toward the back of the work area, where he led her through a door to a simple but comfortable living space. A modern kitchen was to the right, the stainless steel appliances and sink gleaming under track lighting. An ample dining table sat between the kitchen and a small den that had a leather sofa, two easy chairs and flat gas insert fireplace.
“Here, let’s take a look at your injuries.” Trevor stopped in front of one of the cabinets over the counter and pulled out a large first aid kit. He opened it and extracted supplies as if he’d done it countless times before.
“This isn’t your first rodeo with all of that, is it?” She nodded at the kit, but the small motion made her head throb and reminded her why Trevor wanted to check her out. Or maybe the pain hadn’t ever stopped, but she’d been too distracted by Trevor and the fact that he was not only with her but had taken her to someplace in the middle of nowhere for who knew how long.
He doused a large sterile gauze bandage with peroxide and turned to her. “You know I had advanced first aid and injury training in the Corps.” He smoothed her hair back and gently tilted her head so that he could access the lump near her temple. “This might sting.”
“Might?” She gritted her teeth against a howl of protest as he deftly dabbed at the injury. “How bad is it? Will I need stitches?”
“No, I think I can patch it up here. But you’re right—it’s one hell of an ugly lump. You’re very lucky. Temple injuries are often far more serious.”
“I told you it was swollen on the outside. Isn’t that the determining factor for concussion risk?” She heard herself babbling, but it was her only defense against his nearness, and the kindness he was showing her. If he were being a jerk, she’d have more reason to keep her guard up, to hide her heart under the zillion locks and keys she’d put in place during and after their divorce.
Since the divorce. It was true; she’d continued to keep an invisible shield around herself—anything to protect her from the hell that leaving Trevor had wrought. Her lack of dating since they’d parted was probably why she felt her internal sex sparklers going off.
Trevor appeared unaware of her dark thoughts as he worked on her wound. “Let’s keep our fingers crossed that it doesn’t start bleeding again tonight. If we can get it to scab over and use ice to get the swelling down, you’ll be good.” He put antibiotic ointment on a cotton swab and applied it liberally to the entire area. “I’ll bandage this and then get you a bag of ice. It’s amazing what a simple cold compress can do for the ugliest injury.” He opened a couple of bandages and set them on her temple. She thought she deserved an award for remaining calm and not revealing how affected she was by his nearness.
It had to be the aftershocks of the attack, combined with seeing her ex so unexpectedly, that was making her so aware of him. Sure, she and Trevor had always had a great sex life, but steamy time between the sheets only went so far. Once the marriage was over, the emotions spent, it didn’t matter how attracted you were to one another. Sex couldn’t cure all.
Maybe your emotions aren’t spent.
“When you said we were going to a safe house, I pictured something more, more…”
“Rustic?” He snapped the plastic lid of the first aid kit closed and put it back into the cabinet. Without stopping, he moved to a lazy Susan–type cupboard and pulled out a plastic quart-size bag and then walked the short distance to the monstrous refrigerator, where he allowed the ice dispenser to fill it. “That’s the whole point. We don’t want anyone thinking this is anything but an old, worn-down river house.” He wrapped the bag in a crisp linen towel and then held it to her eye. Grasping her hand, he moved it to where his was. Their skin contact was brief but not short enough. Little sparks of heat zipped up her forearm, and she quickly motioned him away from her.
“I’ve got it. Thank you.”
“Keep that on there as long as you can stand it. I know it stings, but it’ll make all the difference by morning.”
“You said we don’t want anyone to think this is a safe house. Who’s we?” She grimaced as she pressed the ice to her face, the cold soothing and painful.
“The people I work for.” He went back to the refrigerator and opened it, peering inside as if the most interesting meal were on one of the pristine shelves. From her vantage she saw the top two shelves over his shoulder. Stacks of healthy items—milk, eggs, juice and yogurt—caught her attention. Her stomach growled.
“I thought you might be hungry.” He flashed a grin.
“I can’t believe I’m hungry this late, after almost being…” She was too spent to be worried about the impolite noises coming from her stomach.
“Believe it. You’ve been through a grinder tonight.” He straightened up, holding a carton of eggs and a hunk of cheese. His brow lifted. “You still like cheese omelets?”
“Sure.” Nodding would hurt too much, and saying more was dangerous. She didn’t want to fan any more chaotic emotions by allowing her thoughts to escape her mouth.
Letting Trevor make her a meal was a safer option.
Cooking for her was a regular part of their routine, once. When he’d get back from his months-long deployments, and they’d stay in bed all night and into the next afternoon, Trevor was their chef. He created whatever she wanted, but her favorite remained a simple cheese omelet.
Coral couldn’t stay here and watch him cook for her, though. It was too much to observe his masculine form moving with grace and ease over a stove as easily as it had to kill the enemy. As smoothly as he’d made love to her.
Stop. Right. Now.
“I need to use the bathroom. Which way do I go?”
“Down the hall. Your room is the second on the right, and the bathroom is en suite.” He never turned away from the counter. Was he feeling the weight of their shared history, too? And if he was, were his thoughts as sexy as hers?
“Thanks.” She kept the ice on her eye as she made her way to her room. Whoever Trevor worked for had a lot of funding, that was certain. She’d assume it was CIA but thought he’d have at least told her that while they were married. Before they’d signed the final documents that ended the commitment she’d made so freely. So foolishly. Tonight wasn’t the time to beat herself up over her misspent youth, though, so she made herself stay in the present, away from the memories that still stung.
Snapping on the bathroom lights, she looked at the simple but, again, thoroughly modern and functional fixtures. Her reflection was pathetic. Her shirt was torn, revealing a lacy bra strap that was streaked with Pennsylvania yellow clay. The ponytail she’d worn was gone, and her hair hung in greasy lengths around her face, down to her shoulders. She looked like she’d been dragged over dirt, thrown against the ground and had taken several hard hits.
You have been.
“Now or never.” Lowering the bag of ice, she wasn’t prepared for the impact of her eye’s ugliness. It was amazing she could still see at all through the tiny sliver of her swollen lids. She turned to the side and tried to see the temple injury that Trevor had treated, but peripheral vision was beyond her.
What was within reach was the shower, which she had to have. It’d be pure heaven to get all this grime off her.
Three sharp raps jarred her right before Trevor’s voice sounded through the door. “Don’t even think about taking a shower—you can’t get your eye wet. The cut could get infected.”
This was too close to how it’d once been between them. As if he’d read her mind, knew her thoughts.
“I’m going to take a bath.”
“Don’t wash your hair, Coral.”
She opened the door and glared at him with the swollen eye. Maybe its monstrous appearance would scare him off. It hurt to focus, but Trevor was a hard sell once he decided what was best.
“I’m not a little girl, Trevor. I can wash my hair without getting the cut wet, trust me.”
“Come eat your meal first. A few agents are on the way who are going to need to ask you some questions.”
She opened the door fully. He stood in the center of the hallway, his expression unreadable. It didn’t make him any less attractive, and she allowed the wave of desire to hit, wash over her and spiral deep in her gut. What choice did she have—she’d never not find this man desirable. Her singular choice was to ignore it and keep going.
Shoving past him, she walked as calmly as she could to the kitchen, where she slid into the seat in front of the omelet. “Thank you for doing this.”
Her fork cut through the flaky, tender egg to the gooey cheese, and she would have blinked back tears if both her eyes were functioning properly. Instead she allowed her good eye to stream and dabbed at it with her napkin. Trevor wasn’t in front of her—she could hear him cleaning up in the kitchen.
He set his dish on the place mat across from hers and sat down. When he looked at her, she kept her gaze even with his, refusing to give an inch. Because if she gave the tiniest bit of ground back to what she’d once felt for him, she’d be digging her own grave.
*
Trevor had forgotten how expert Coral was at shutting down her emotions. She’d have made a damned good operative if she’d been called to it and not to the world of event planning. Her career choice wasn’t something he knew a lot about, but he knew she made a big difference in people’s lives. She’d once told him her gift was helping people celebrate their best versions of themselves.
“Do you want anything besides water to drink? There’s whatever you’d like, from tea to hot chocolate.” He’d filled a large glass with iced filtered water for her and saw it was almost empty.
“No. I can’t deal with caffeine this late, and even if I could, I think it’d upset my stomach.” She picked at the remaining third of her food. At least she’d eaten most of the eggs.
“It’s natural to feel a little queasy when you eat for the first time after having to fight for your life, no matter how hungry you are. But we need to keep an eye on it—it could be a sign of concussion.”
“It’s not from my head, trust me.” Her lower lip jutted out, and her white teeth dug into it. Whether to stop it from trembling or to keep her from saying something she thought better about, he had no idea.
“You can’t know that. It’s easy to mistake one symptom for another when a cocktail of adrenaline and endorphins is wreaking havoc on your insides. Adrenaline from the attack and endorphins from the pain.”
Her eyes, always that mesmerizing shade of amber, glowered at him. Even the bad one seemed to radiate with her inner fire, swelling and all. “Save the mansplaining, Trevor. I know what endorphins and adrenaline are. You have no idea what I do or do not know anymore. I’m not the woman you left three years ago.”
“No, you’re not.” And he didn’t want—couldn’t—take the time to discover how she’d changed. What had made her all the more beautiful, while her eyes reflected a sadness he knew he’d put there.
“Why are you back in Silver Valley? You had to know that taking a mission back home might mean you’d run into me.”
He had figured the risk was worth it. When Trail Hikers had become entwined with the FBI operation to bring down the East Coast ROC group, he’d known it was a mistake to even consider coming back. At least for his heart. But he’d never have forgiven himself if he let any other agent come in and prowl around Coral’s decimated property. It was bad enough that he hadn’t been here in January. He’d never know if he might have been able to prevent Markova from bringing down the barn. And he’d never shake the chill that had jolted through him when he’d heard of the explosion, then read the detailed reports. It was a miracle that Coral was still alive.
“You’re being quiet again, Trevor.”
“Sorry. You’re right—coming back here, near you, was something I had to do for my job. Once we’re undercover, it’s not so easy to switch around postings, like in the military. I couldn’t take the chance of blowing my cover by not coming here.” He lied with such proficiency it should have concerned him. But it was a facet of his job he’d had to embrace. It didn’t feel like a professional tool when he used it on Coral, though.
“I blew your cover back there, by calling you by name.” Concern made lines appear between her brows, deeper than they’d been. They’d both changed, aged since the divorce. A punch of regret landed on his chest. This was the woman he’d wanted the privilege of growing old next to.
“Trevor?”
He shook his head, as much from his thoughts as to emphasize his denial. “Those men didn’t hear you, and if they did, they weren’t sure what to make of it. They were thinking of only one thing in that moment, trust me.”
“Raping and killing me?”
Her words cut through him as if he were still back in her farm field, hearing the thugs proclaim what they wanted to do to her.
“Over my dead body.”
“Yeah, well, you easily could have been killed by me with my rifle.” She arched her unswollen brow.
“With the birdshot you had in it? Doubtful.”
“You don’t know it was birdshot.” She sat up straight, defensive. This was better, having something concrete to talk about.
“If it was buckshot, both of my companions would be dead. As it is you’ve given one a decent leg injury and the other several surface bruises from what I can tell. Good job, by the way.”
As he spoke, he was aware of how she watched him, how easily they communicated with one another. It didn’t seem to matter where they were relationship-wise—lovers, friends, married or divorced. Their body chemistry melded perfectly and enabled them to understand one another with minimal words. He’d never had this with another woman before or since Coral.
You haven’t given any other women a chance.
“How much longer do I have to stay here again?” She looked at her wrist, where instead of the fancy watches she’d adored in California, she wore a fitness band that she tapped on. Her good eye widened. “I can’t believe it’s only midnight. It feels more like tomorrow night.”
“Time is odd that way.” He heard the security door slide open and looked at the monitor over the refrigerator. “We’ve got company.”
Coral’s head turned as she followed his line of sight, and she gasped at the agents pouring into the safe house. “I didn’t notice that before. How many people are coming in here?”
He stood up and grabbed both of their plates. “You weren’t meant to notice it. It only turns on when it needs to, when the security system detects someone on the porch or nearby the house.”
“Would it do that for a bear?” Her question reflected that she was more focused on the workings of the highest level of security money and military technology could provide and not their incoming visitors.
Before he was able to figure out what was happening, a huge laugh erupted from his center. “No, a bear doesn’t match a human profile. And that’s more than you need to know, frankly.”
He was grateful for the excuse of cleaning up so that he didn’t have to examine how long it’d been since he’d had a good belly laugh. No one tickled his funny bone like Coral.
As he scraped the plates and rinsed them, the party entered the kitchen. Coral rose from the table and gingerly stood, looking unsure of herself for the first time tonight.
Trevor loaded the dishwasher as his team filed in, including his boss, Claudia Michele, the retired US Marine Corps two-star general who’d traded in her uniform to be a civilian several years ago. She was the founding director of the Trail Hiker agency, the secret group he’d worked for since he’d left military service.
“Claudia.” He met her steel-blue gaze, noted the lines around her eyes. The ROC op was taking its toll on all law enforcement agencies, from the lowest-ranking uniformed police to the highest level.
“Trevor.” She turned away from him almost immediately and strode over to Coral. She stuck out her hand. “Coral Stauffer. Nice to see you again, although I’m sorry for the circumstances. I don’t know that you remember me. I’m—”
“Claudia Michele Todd. I know you. You’ve been at the barn for the galas the past two years. You and your husband.”
“That’d be me.” The tall middle-aged man whom Trevor respected stepped forward and shook hands with Coral. “Colt Todd.”
“Silver Valley PD chief of police.” Coral added his title, and Trevor had to admit he was impressed. Silver Valley wasn’t a tiny town, and it sprawled into the suburbs of Harrisburg, which at recent count was around a half million people. The odds of her knowing this many people in her few years back weren’t high. But she’d met them at her events and remembered. Coral’s steel memory hadn’t lessened since their divorce.
Stop thinking about the divorce, about the marriage, about Coral or anything else not related to the op.
“Yep.” Colt nodded, his usual no-nonsense self. “We’ve got a few more here with us from both SVPD and, ah—”
“The agency that we all work for,” Claudia filled in smoothly. She looked at Trevor, who shrugged. He wasn’t going to tell Coral any more than he had to about what he did or who he worked for.
Claudia turned to Coral. “I assume you know nothing of whom Trevor works for?”
“That’s correct.” Coral’s defenses were back up. She had her arms crossed in front of her, and if her eye wasn’t so messed up, he knew its brow would be a mile high. “But I have to say he’s not spending time with the most savory characters, judging from what I saw tonight.” That earned a chuckle from everyone present, except Trevor. He’d never be able to laugh about what could have happened tonight. It was validation that he’d made the right choice by taking this mission.
Another agent may have seen the op as the most important objective, and Coral would have been killed. His heart skipped a beat. Everyone sat down around the table to debrief, but his thoughts weren’t on the mission for the millionth time that night.
He’d sacrificed the op’s conclusion for Coral’s safety. In all his years of Marine intel and undercover work, he’d never put the mission anywhere but first place. And yet tonight he’d done just that—shoved months, years of painstaking undercover work aside to protect Coral.
Just as with their divorce, he had no regrets about anything that kept Coral safe and far from the world he lived in.
He’d always made an exception for her.
Some things never change.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

When she is targeted by a vicious mobster, a past love is her only hope

When a Russian gangster targets Coral Staufer, she is desperate for help. Coral stumbles across an undercover agent none other than the man she loved and lost, Trevor Stone. Trevor will risk anything to stop her from becoming a mob casualty…even risk his career to protect Coral. But when their past love reignites, their entire mission—and very lives—are at stake.

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Meet the Author:

A U.S. Naval Academy graduate and former Naval Intelligence Officer, Geri left her Navy career after nine years to follow her heart and focus on her dream of becoming an author. While Geri may have left the Navy, the Navy didn’t leave her as many of her characters and stories reflect her wide military experience, including serving as Navy Spouse at home and abroad. She has travelled the world, living in such far-flung places as Whidbey Island, WA; Belgium; and Moscow, Russia. Geri is happily settled in Pennsylvania with her retired-from-the-Navy pilot husband, a parrot, and two dogs. Follow her on social media to get exclusive peeks into her life.
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