She put on the glasses she used to alleviate eyestrain and jotted a note on his chart. Low frustration tolerance. Possibly disorganized thinker and yet...seems more calculating than that. Aggressive when fearful or uncertain or presented with unfamiliar stimuli—
“Hey! I asked you a question!” He half-dragged the C.O.s along with him so he could shuffle up to the glass.
The guards started to yank him back, to show him that he’d better not get out of control again. No doubt they were angry about before. One of their fellow officers had been shuttled off to medical nursing a broken nose because of Garza hitting him with his head. But, lowering her clipboard, Evelyn motioned for them to leave him be. She was here to study, not punish. That distinction was important to her own humanity. “I’m your new doctor.”
“No, you’re my next victim,” he said. Then he made kissing noises and smiled, revealing the jagged, broken front teeth he’d gotten from gnawing at the cinderblock wall of his last cell.
About Brenda Novak New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Brenda Novak is the author of more than fifty books in a variety of genres, including contemporary romance, romantic suspense and historical romance. A four-time Rita nominee, she has won many awards, including the National Reader’s Choice, the Bookseller’s Best, the Book Buyer’s Best, the Daphne, and the Holt Medallion. When she's not writing, she's usually raising money for diabetes research (her youngest son has this disease). To date, she's raised $2.4 million and would love nothing more than to see a cure in her lifetime. For more about Brenda, please visit www.brendanovak.com.
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Dirty Deeds
by Liliana Hart
Chapter One
I might not be the best expert on the subject, but in my opinion, marriage is pretty awesome.
Jack and I had spent the last three days soaking up the sun on a Caribbean Island the size of a table napkin. The population was small enough that we weren’t tripping over people on the beach, and our cabana was isolated from the main roads and all the other cabanas. Which was probably a good thing since we’d spent ninety percent of our time naked. It turns out married sex isn’t boring. Married sex is very, very good.
“We can put another tally mark on the wall,” I croaked out.
My heart pounded like a drum in my chest and a sheen of perspiration and salt water from the spray of the ocean coated my skin. I was sticky, hot, and probably getting a sunburn in places that were going to be really uncomfortable later on. I didn’t care one bit.
“No,” Jack said. His hand lay limp across my stomach, his tanned skin a blatant contrast to my own. “I don’t have the energy. Your tally mark idea is going to put me into an early grave. I need some rest and some food, woman. We’re on sex hiatus for at least an hour. ”
“Pussy,” I said, shaking my head. “I didn’t know marriage was going to make you so whiny.”
His fingers danced along my ribs and I laughed. “I beg your pardon? What did you call me?”
The problem with being married to my childhood friend was that he knew all my weaknesses, including the fact that I was ticklish on just about every space on my body.
“Nothing,” I snorted. “You must have misunderstood.”
We rolled from the large beach towels beneath us and sand went into a bunch of places sand had no business being. Palms swayed lazily overhead and the sky was cerulean and cloudless. Waves crashed to shore a few feet away, the sound hypnotic and soothing. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect day.
“Don’t think you’ll get another round out of me by wrestling and getting me all worked up. I’m on to you, Doctor Graves.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I bit his shoulder, laughing as I felt life return to certain parts of Jack’s body. “I’m just trying to use you as a sun shield. There are parts of my body that should never see the sun.”
“Baby, I hate to break this to you, but I’m not sure that any part of your body has ever seen the sun. I shouldn’t be able to lose you on a white sand beach.”
I laughed and hitched my leg around his hip. “Very funny. Besides, I’ve gotten a little color since we’ve been here.”
“Yes, now you’re white instead of clear.”
“Are you trying to piss me off as a way to get out of sex?”
“Never,” he said, grinning.