By
USA Today Bestselling Author
Becca Jameson

Colette, a PhD student studying abroad, is tired of the constant barrage of bodyguards her father has assigned to her for most of her life. As a politician, his notoriety has always put her at risk. When Colette finds out she’s pregnant, she’ll do anything to keep her baby a secret, even from her father.

Tavis is a former Navy SEAL. He’s not a babysitter. But when the Secretary of State hires you to guard his daughter, no is not an acceptable answer. Starting a relationship with the woman he’s supposed to protect would get him fired. It would also leave her vulnerable.

Falling for each other was never the plan. Tavis’s protective instinct has him questioning the course of his life. Colette has a lot of decisions to make, none of them easy. The challenges could either tear them apart or bring them closer together. And when Colette’s life is threatened, Tavis must not only protect her.

Becca Jameson and KaLyn Cooper are at it again. If you enjoyed Shadow in the Desert and Shadow in the Mountain, you met the men of The HOLT AGENCY.

Tavis was about to board a plane home from Uganda when his boss Ajax calls and tells him to stay put. His next assignment was arriving the next day. The Secretary of State’s daughter is working on her PhD in epidemiology, and she isn’t pleased about her father’s interference by getting her a bodyguard. As such she’s flying in with quite the hangover from the night out with friends.

Colette was used to her father’s heavy handedness and wasn’t going to be a cooperative subject. The first thing she does is sneak out early that first morning. Much to Tavis’ dismay and guilt at falling asleep.

When she shows up before he can go out after her, there’s quite the conversation.

This is a favorite scene.

He groaned inwardly at having been caught with his computer in his lap, probably open to an article about her or her research. “How were you so chipper and awake so early in the morning? When you dropped into bed, I thought you might sleep through this entire day.”

She chuckled. “I don’t need much sleep.”

“You were also hungover, weren’t you?”

She dropped the apple core in the trash can, set her hands on her hips, and cocked her head at him defiantly. “So now it’s a crime to go out drinking with friends? You do realize other grown adults in their late twenties also go out at night, they just don’t get followed by the paparazzi and end up on the front page of every fucking tabloid in town.”

She had a point. He narrowed his gaze in this odd standoff. “Look, I don’t know you. Well, that’s not true. I know everything the tabloids, your social media, and your university have to say, but I don’t know enough to judge you. I find it hard to believe you’re the sort of person who regularly parties hard and needs a keeper. It doesn’t fit with the rest of your bio. Which means I have to believe either your parents don’t trust you for some reason, or they refuse to let you grow up, or— and this is the part that worries me— there is an actual threat to your life that has landed me here as your protection.”

At least she flinched. “There is no fucking threat. My father is overprotective. He imagines threats. He makes them up. He has for my entire life. In fact, he’s gotten worse in the last few years. And you’re right about me regularly partying. I don’t. How could I even if I wanted to? Someone would follow me and report back to my father.”

Tavis took a deep breath. “I think we got off on the wrong foot. How about we start over.”

“Nope. We didn’t get off on the wrong foot. We started right where I wanted to start. Me making sure you understand that I don’t need or want you following me around. I believe I even offered to pay you to stop and give it up.”

“Well, that’s not an option, princess, so you’re going to need to get over yourself. I was hired to keep you safe, and I intend to do just that. Which means if you ever pull a stunt like you did this morning again, I’ll assume you have no respect whatsoever for me or my job and take action to ensure we’re super clear.”

“What are you going to do? Handcuff me to my bed at night?”

“Is that something you enjoy?” He lifted both brows, challenging her.

She flinched. “Of course not. Don’t be ridiculous.”

He shrugged. “It was your idea. It hadn’t even occurred to me. I’ve never been assigned to be someone’s babysitter before. This is new to me. You’ll have to let me know what your previous keepers did to ensure you didn’t step out of line. I’ll take a page from their handbooks. Hey, maybe I can get references from your father and ask them myself.”

She narrowed her gaze. “Don’t you dare. And I’m not a fucking baby, Rambo. I don’t need a sitter or a keeper.”

“It would appear you do. If that’s the attitude you intend to carry around. This isn’t Pennsylvania, princess—”

“Stop calling me that,” she shouted.

“I like how it gets a rise out of you. Anyway, as I was saying, this is a third-world country we’re in. You shouldn’t go off half-cocked by yourself under any circumstances, even if no one knew who you were. You don’t know enough about this area to take off in the early hours of the morning alone.”

“Don’t be so dramatic.”

“I’m not. I’m being realistic. And you’re proving to me that you do indeed need a keeper. So, from now on, don’t fucking go anywhere without me, understood? If you do it again, you won’t get to have your own bedroom anymore, because trust me, princess, I will not hesitate to use the handcuffs you’ve suggested. And then I’ll sleep in the same room just in case you’re also Houdini.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Try me.” Boy, did she make his blood pump. On top of that, it was hard to keep a straight face. This conversation— if one could even call it a conversation— had deteriorated to the point that it was almost comical. He was afraid she might haul off and slap him if he laughed out loud though.

Damn, she was feisty. And she was under his skin. Not just in a bad way. She was sexy when she got all flustered, especially when he threw her off balance. It was fun.

Suddenly this job didn’t seem as bad as he’d been thinking earlier while she’d been AWOL. This banter might actually be fun. She was cute when she got all hot and bothered, making him wonder what she might look like if she were hot and bothered in a different way.

The way she’d reacted to the handcuffs left him curious to know if she’d truly been horrified or if she had a kinky side. And if she had a kinky side, had she ever acted on it or was it just in her imagination and dreams?

He shook those inappropriate thoughts aside. He was here to protect her, not sleep with her.

“Are we done here, Dad?” she asked.

Her tone and choice of words made his breath hitch. “How old are you again?”

She groaned and stomped past him, heading for the stairs.

He watched her as she jogged up them. “By the way, princess, I checked the windows up there. They all have permanent bars on them, so don’t get any ideas about climbing onto a tree limb and shimmying to freedom.”

She growled as she reached the top and then slammed the door to her bedroom.

Oh, yeah. This was going to be fun.
Becca Jameson. Rescued (Kindle Locations 247-291).

What Colette didn’t expect is an unfortunate outcome to her wild night on the town or her attraction to her bodyguard.

This is quite the tale, filled with intrigue, romance and surprises!

I know for a fact I will be getting the next book in this series. As two of my favorite authors I can’t wait to read what KaLyn Cooper has in mind and Becca Jameson does next.

5 Contented Purrs for Becca!

Becca Jameson

Becca Jameson is a USA Today bestselling author of over 100 books. She is most well-known for her Wolf Masters Series, her Fight Club series, and her Club Zodiac series. She currently lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and Goldendoodle. Two grown kids pop in every once in a while too! She is loving this journey and has dabbled in a variety of genres, including paranormal, sports romance, military, and BDSM.A total night owl, Becca writes late at night, sequestering herself in her office with a glass of red wine and a bar of dark chocolate, her fingers flying across the keyboard as her characters weave their own stories.

During the day–which never starts before ten in the morning!–she can be found jogging, running errands, or reading in her favorite hammock chair!

…where Alphas dominate…