Exclusive Excerpt: Hell or High Water – Julie Ann Walker

HELL OR HIGH WATER by Julie Ann Walker – Exclusive Excerpt

“This right here, what we’re doin’ right now, saving the world one chemical weapon at a time”—he sent her a look—“is grabbin’ life by the balls and suckin’ the marrow out of its bones. This is life in all of its messy, dangerous, astonishin’ glory.”

Olivia’s expression telegraphed her disbelief. And were those…tears standing in her eyes? She blinked and whatever wet sheen he thought he’d seen was gone. Clearly he’d been imagining things, because Agent Olivia Mortier didn’t cry

“I’m serious,” he cajoled, feeling some of his strength return as the terrible memory faded back into his subconscious, a dark specter waiting to reappear some time when he least expected it. And with the return of his strength, an idea—a wonderful, amazing, fantastic idea—suddenly occurred to him. Really, why didn’t I think of this earlier? “And then when you add in all that unfinished business between you and me, you could go so far as to say you comin’ here is exactly what the doctor ordered.”

“What unfinished business? What are you talking about?” Her adorable chin jutted up at him. Up close like this, he could see lighter, turquoise striations flecking the deep sapphire of her irises.

And, yessir. As hard as it was for him to admit it, Doc was right. He had been pining away for her, spending far too much time wondering what might have been when he should have marched his ass up to Washington to pursue the issue. I mean, for shit’s sake! He’d been eschewing willing bed partners for a whole eighteen motherfrickin’ months! And, yeah, yeah. At first he’d been mourning Rusty’s death. And then he’d been up to his eyeballs in missions while working out the last of his contract. Then there’d been retirement, fixing up the salvage boat, and making Wayfarer Island livable, but still…a whole eighteen motherfrickin’ months!

Who does that? A crazy man?

And the answer to that was an unequivocal yes. He’d been so crazy for Olivia since the day he met her that he’d been unable to think of anyone else. She had consumed him, haunted him, possessed him. And except for that one all-too-brief kiss standing beside the weapons’ locker, what had he done about it? A big honking nothing. Zilch. Zippo. 

Well, that stopped today, right now. Because the best way he knew to keep his promise to Rusty to grab life by the balls and suck the marrow from its bones was to grab Olivia by the waist and suck that delicious bottom lip of hers straight into his mouth.

He placed a hand on her hip. 

The pulse in her throat jump-started itself into a rapid flutter at his touch, which delighted him in ways he couldn’t put into words. The skin beneath his hand where the hem of her tank top pulled away from the waistband of her shorts was soft and warm. And he wondered how much warmer, how much softer she’d be in that spot between—

“What unfinished business?” she asked again, her usually low, sexy voice having gone charmingly breathy.

“You know what unfinished business,” he told her, his own heart beating a rapid tattoo against his ribs. Funny how the organ could remain rock-fucking-steady while he was in the thick of a gun battle or so deep beneath the ocean’s surface that light ceased to exist, but put him within two feet of one dark-haired, big-eyed spy and the silly thing took off like a startled jackrabbit. “That kiss, Olivia.”

Title: Hell or High Water

Author: Julie Ann Walker

Release Date: July 7, 2015

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Series: Deep Six, Book #1

Only two things could make former Navy SEAL Leo Anderson return to the world of weapons and warfare. First, a capsule of chemical weapons lost on the ocean floor, and second, a plea for assistance from the one woman he can’t seem to forget-CIA Agent Olivia Mortier.

Now, working together to race against the clock and a deadly terrorist faction, Leo and Olivia must find the missing capsule, all the while battling the intense desire burning between them. If they can survive, can their growing attraction become more than just a momentary flare?

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23510148-hell-or-high-water

Buy Links

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1IUaIAl

Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/1HFf0IK

iBooks: http://apple.co/1Hrplph

IndieBound: http://bit.ly/1BP774y

Author Biography

 Julie Ann Walker is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of award-winning romantic suspense. She has won the Book Buyers Best Award, been nominated for the National Readers Choice Award, the Australian Romance Reader Awards, and the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA award. Her latest release was named a Top Ten Romance of 2014 by Booklist. Her books have been described as “alpha, edgy, and downright hot.” Most days you can find her on her bicycle along the lake shore in Chicago or blasting away at her keyboard, trying to wrangle her capricious imagination into submission.

Social Networking Links

Website: http://julieannwalker.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/JAWalkerAuthor

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/jawalkerauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JAWalkerAuthor

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway