Title: Brody
(The Bang Shift Series)
By Mandy Harbin
Genre: Military, Romantic Suspense
Synopsis:
Brody “Brutus” Jackson isn’t your average small-town
mechanic. The shop where he spends his days doubles as the headquarters for the
mercenary group he works with. They jokingly call themselves the Bang
Shift because the government contracts they take are the less savory ones, and
they’re all just shady enough to do what’s necessary to get the jobs done. As
far as Brody’s concerned, it’s the perfect arrangement for a man with no memory
of his past, and no hope for the future.
Under FBI protection, Alexandria
Collins and her son have been in hiding for ten years. When it’s time to
move again, her piece of crap car breaks down and the man giving her a tow
is the biggest, hottest guy she’s ever seen. She is determined to ignore
the need her long-neglected body hungers for. After all, the last man she
showed interest in put a gun to her head.
Brody thinks the skittish Xan is sexy as
hell, but it’s not her hot body that has him rocked to his core. He knows her
from somewhere, and in his line of work, that’s a dangerous thing. Following
orders have never been this hard, but he will protect her at all costs … even
if what she needs protection from is him.
Excerpt:
They
walked up to an opened fence and Xan silently thanked the heavens for small
favors. The garage looked as if it was open. They walked through the gate and
into the old building with several antique and late-model cars out front.
Walking through the front door, she braced herself for the blast of cold air to
hit her face, relishing the thrill of the artificial air she was about to
gloriously encounter.
She
was sorely disappointed. It was hotter in here than it was outside. How was
that even possible? Her wet clothes clung to her sweaty body, leaving nothing
to the imagination. Didn’t matter. She was past humility at this point. She’d
have a teenage moment and flash her boobs, sweat and all if necessary, to get
someone to help them out.
“May
I help you?” a man with a gravelly voice asked as he walked into the makeshift
lobby next to the bays, wiping his hands on a grease rag. He looked to be
middle-aged, though she wasn’t sure since he was bald. No gray hair to help her
out with that assessment.
She
looked at his nametag sewn into his shirt. “Yes, Colonel, is it?” At his smile
and nod, she said, “Our car broke down a couple miles down the road.”
A
metal crash and very masculine curses mixed with raucous taunting and laughter
startled her. Scott snickered at the colorful words coming from the bays. He’d
heard them plenty of times, though Xan tried not to talk like that. Really, she
did try to deny her sailor-mouth tendencies. She just wasn’t very good at
restraining herself all the time.
“Sorry,”
Colonel mumbled. “Those are my mechanics, trying to catch up on some work. I
took over this garage after I realized being retired was boring, and we stay
pretty busy. Seems like I’m constantly hiring more help, but we stay behind.”
The
ruckus from the bays was finding its way into the lobby. Several guys walked
into the room, and Xan felt a slight panic attack coming on. She not only
lacked a love life, but she tended to avoid large groups of men. She didn’t
have anything against the male population, but after marrying into the mafia at
a young age, dodging copious amounts of testosterone seemed like a good
self-preservation tactic to live by. So she did, and when she wasn’t prepared
to interact with schools of men, her stomach took a nosedive when thrust into
that very situation.
Taking
a covert calming breath so she wouldn’t look like some skittish girl, she tried
to pay closer attention to each of the men as they came near. If she identified
them individually, she could pretend she wasn’t dealing with a mob of men.
A
mob of seemingly beautiful, large, masculine men, looking to be around her age.
Oh
shit. She so did not need this. Her nerves and sense of self-preservation took
on a whole new meaning. She’d rather deal with certain fear than possible
attraction.
As
she surveyed the crowd, she noticed their looks were as various as the candy
selection at the last gas station she’d stopped at. Male sweetness was not better than chocolate. She just had
to remind herself of that as she stared at the variety before her. One guy had
black hair, another blond, spiked all crazy. The two next to the hot version of
Billy Idol had long dark-brown hair and curly light-brown hair. There was
another bald guy bringing up the rear, but that one had a goatee with green
eyes. Colonel had brown eyes and was definitely older than this group that’d
just come in.
“Where’s
Brutus?” Colonel asked the guys.
The
dude with the spiky blond hair chuckled. “He’s cleaning up his mess.”
“It
wasn’t his mess, asshole. You’re the one who knocked the tray over,” Mr. Black
Hair said with a snarl. Xan instinctively took a step back.
“Easy,
Roc,” Colonel said and looked at her. “This is Roc.” He pointed to the cranky
man with black hair. “Blade,” he gestured toward the spiky blond guy. His name
made sense. His hair looked sharp enough to hurt if he were to head-butt
someone.
“I’m
Hunter,” the man with long brown hair said, and then he pointed to the guy with
curly brown hair. “That’s Gage. He’s not as mean as Roc, but don’t get too close
to him.” He chuckled.
“Fuck
off, Hunter,” Gage growled.
“See?”
Hunter snickered. “And that guy over there—”
“I’m
Bear, and Hunter’s a dick.” He ducked his head and glanced at Scott. “Oh sorry.
He’s, er, I mean he’s a punk.”
Scott
laughed. “Don’t worry. I’ve heard it all. You should hear my mom talk. She has
the biggest potty mouth.”
Xan
gasped. “I do not.”
“Wow,
he’s your kid?” Blade asked. “Did you have him at twelve?” He laughed but with
sincerity twinkling in his eyes.
“Just
about,” she murmured.
After
a few of the guys laughed, she immediately relaxed. Sure, they were all very
handsome. None looked to be shorter than six feet, and each had a body to die
for, though each had a unique look all his own. But she didn’t feel any sparks,
so she felt relieved. Maybe her libido was broken. If so, she was fine by that.
She didn’t need any man drama in her life.
Why
did that make her feel a little depressed? She shook off that thought. She
couldn’t get caught up with any man, so there really was no need dwelling on
the things she couldn’t have, like love, companionship, trust and sex. God,
she’d love to have sex again.
Maybe
in another life.
Focusing
her attention back on the problem at hand, she looked at the assembled group of
men. “Look. We need our car towed and a ride to a car rental company. Can you
help us?” Xan asked the guys in general so as not to single anyone out.
Blade’s
eyebrows shot up. “I’d love to give you a ride, doll.” Even though his tone was
clearly teasing, she stiffened. Flirting was definitely not her forte.
Hunter
whistled while shaking his head in exasperation. “Back off, Blade.” He looked
at Xan. “Sorry about Rico Suave over here. One of us would be glad to help you
out. But you’d have to drive up to Conway or back to the Little Rock area for a rental. Best to call around first before
making the drive.”
“I’ll
call Bill and see if he can drive one out here,” Colonel said to Hunter, then
looked at her. “He owns the rental company in Conway. If they have something he’ll bring it out here and
save you a trip. You’ll be limited on your options, though.”
“Oh,
whatever it is will be a step up from my old hatchback. I’m not choosy.”
Colonel
nodded and looked at the guys expectantly. “Which one of you is available to
help her out?”
“Bear
and I aren’t finished with the tranny that’s supposed to be ready tomorrow,”
Roc barked and turned to leave. He obviously wasn’t volunteering. Xan was okay
with that. She didn’t like the vibe coming off him, anyway.
“Sorry.”
Bear smiled to her as he followed Roc.
“Gage
and I have to finish puttin’ tires on Ms. Carson’s minivan, then do Joe’s,”
Blade told Colonel before turning to Xan. “I’d be happy to help you if you stick around, doll. It shouldn’t take us
more than an hour.”
“Get
to work,” Colonel snapped, and Blade winked at her as he and Gage headed back
to the bays.
“I
have one more oil change to do, so I can do it in fifteen,” Hunter said with a
crooked smile, “but Brutus just finished up on Mr. Jackson’s ’56 Chevy. He’s
been pickin’ up the tools that Blade knocked over after Blade called him a
pussy.”
Oh,
right. She’d forgotten there was another one around here. Brutus it seemed. What was with these names? Must be a man thing,
not that she’d know. Or could even begin to understand the inner workings of
the male brain, ego, or whatever it was that fueled their behavior. Oh, once
upon a time, she knew one part of the male anatomy that tended to lead in the
decision-making process, but she’d long ago fell out of practice with that too.
Hunter
glanced at Scott, remembering there was an impressionable young man in his
midst, looking contrite and shaking his head. “Sorry, man.”
“Go,”
Colonel told him. “Brutus!”
Hunter
left, but his departure barely registered. Just as he was walking toward the
bay area, a man with long blonde hair and built like a freaking bodybuilder
walked her way. With each step, his muscles rippled and his hair—what wasn’t
sticking to his sweaty brow—flowed in waves behind him.
She
should not find this man attractive. She didn’t care for bulky men, and she
definitely preferred short hair on the opposite sex. Long hair belonged on
women, like she used to have, but she wasn’t dredging that memory up now.
So
why was her body doing things she hardly recognized. Hardly recognized, not didn’t
recognize. She knew what that tingling sensation in her pussy meant. The
tightening of her nipples? Yeah, she knew what that meant too. Images filled
her mind of this behemoth of a man coming over her in bed and doing very
naughty things to her. She stifled a moan. Yeah, she shouldn’t find him
attractive because he didn’t fit any description of her ideal type. But there
was no mistaking the fact that her body didn’t get that memo.
So
much for not being attracted to any of the mechanics here.
As
Mister Hold-Me-Down-and-Fuck-Me-Good walked up, his pupils dilated, turning his
dark-blue eyes black as his nostrils flared, his gaze zeroing in on the tight
buds of her nipples before locking with her own heated eyes. Good thing she was
already wet from sweat because her panties just got wetter.
She
shut her eyes to break the connection her body was trying to make with this
man. She had to be smart and remember all the reasons men were not a part of
her life. She could use him as masturbating material. Nothing more, dammit.
She
wasn’t going to break her abstinence streak for anyone, especially not a man
who could quite possibly fight off every one of the other mechanics
singlehandedly. She didn’t know him from Adam, and the last—the
only—relationship she’d ever had was abusive. Hell, Marco tried to kill her in
the end. She had to find the strength to avoid any and all temptation this sex
god presented.
And
she would. She was just strong enough to resist a man built like he could break
her face.
Because if she didn’t, she
knew she was just weak enough to let him break her heart.
About The Author:
|
Mandy Harbin, Author |
Mandy Harbin is an award-winning, bestselling
author of several books across multiple romance genres ranging from
contemporary to paranormal erotic romance. She is also the number one bestselling
author in teen romance under the pen name M.W. Muse with her popular Goddess
Series. She is a Superstar Award recipient, Reader’s Crown and RWA Passionate
Plume finalist, and has received Night Owl Reviews Top Pick distinction many
times. She studied writing at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, earned several degrees, and even
pursued an MBA until she realized becoming an author did not have to remain an
unfulfilled dream. Mandy is a PAN member of the RWA and lives in a small Arkansas town with her non-traditional family,
and although she is a direct descendant of British royalty, they refuse to call
her princess. When she’s not penning her latest book, you can find her hanging
out online where she loves to connect with fellow readers or stalking Mickey
Mouse at Disney World.
Fun Facts About the Author:
I’ve mentioned before how
much I love to watch movies. I also love television. Because of my hectic
writing schedule, I don’t get to spend too much time indulging this medium of
storytelling (and because I am an avid reader and would almost always pick a
book over watching TV!), but there are some things that I set the DVR so that I
can play catch-up when I have time. Here are some shows and movies I totally
love.
- Outlander. OMG Jamie. That’s all I have to say about that!
- The Big Bang Theory. I will
not miss when Sheldon and Amy get down to vertical business.
- The Homicide Hunter. Okay,
yeah, I have a serious Investigative Discovery Channel problem.
- Tosh.0. I miiiight have had a
naughty dream about Daniel Tosh.
- The Princess Bride. That’s
not inconceivable. (snorts)
- My Big Fat Greek Wedding. My
ring tone is “It’s a cake!” Seriously.
- Pretty Woman. First movie I
ever watched that I rewound the tape and played immediately again.
- When Harry Met Sally. This
makes me happy sigh.
- The Nanny. Yes, if it’s on TV
and I’m in a rare moment of channel surfing, I stop. Always.
- Modern Family. It’s just a
great show about diverse families. And it’s hilarious.
Mandy Harbin's Media Links: