Melodie Alexander, a children's librarian, prefers to live life between the pages of a book. But when the death of her best friend prompts her to step out of her comfort zone, she finds herself directly in the path of self-proclaimed bad boy, Daniel Bresland.
Daniel knew how to be a solider. Life after war? Not as easy. He served his country in Afghanistan, both in the military and as a private contractor, but fighting the war came at high personal cost. Now he's determined to keep his relationships "casual" in order to protect his heart and prevent anyone from getting too close.
A chance encounter between Melodie and Daniel on a flight to Dallas proves that opposites really do attract. But when scars from the past threaten their new relationship almost before it starts, Daniel must decide if he can risk opening his heart again to convince Melodie he wants more than one night.
* * *
If you love men in uniform and believe the night belongs to lovers, then The Heroes of the Night series is perfect for you! Stories of military heroes, sexy and flawed, and the women they love. 
Her eyes.
They had to be the explanation for his unusual behavior. Her eyes had told him so much in the short time he'd known her —more than she realized. His military training finally provided him with a positive use. He'd been taught to study a person's eyes and expressions, or a hundred other emotional tells the face gave away, to learn if they were telling the truth or not. In her expressions, he saw a naïveté he was unaccustomed to seeing in the women he dated—if you wanted to call one-night stands dating. This woman both intrigued and perplexed him. Time to dig a little deeper. "So, how do you earn your paycheck, Melodie?"
Her surprised look at his question amused him and, dammit, melted another icicle around his heart. "Excuse me?"
"Let me rephrase the question. Where do you go to work each day? Your occupation?"
"Are you always this direct?"
He heard laughter. Had that been him? Not much laughter in his life lately. He shrugged. "The best way to get an answer. Besides," he softened his features, "if we get all of the preliminaries out of the way now, we can focus on the music and dancing later." Smooth must be his middle name.
"A children's librarian in a southwest suburb of Chicago." The words rushed out quickly as if she wasn't sure how he'd take the news.
"A what?"
"Big building, lots of books. Surely you've heard of such things?" Her eyes sparkled with amusement.
Dear God, he was definitely in trouble. Innocent wouldn't even scratch the surface of this woman.
Despite Daniel’s best efforts to remain a gentleman, old habits die hard. "You're the sexiest librarian I've ever met."
"How many?"
The eyes he admired from the beginning turned accusing, another familiar expression. "How many what?" It didn't take a trained behavioral analyst to realize this conversation had taken a dramatic turn toward trouble.
"Librarians have you met?"
He searched his memory for an answer. "Umm, one or two when I was in school." So deep in trouble…The air raid sirens are sounding loud and clear…run, seek cover!
Ouch. Score one for the librarian. A woman who had no trouble putting him in his place, something very few people had been successful with over the years. She'd done it in less than fifteen words. He liked this woman. "I'm sorry. I'll try harder next time, promise."
This time her shoulders lowered, and the shrug signaled defeat. "No apology necessary. Very few men bring their 'A' game once they learn they have a librarian on the hook."
"You don't have a very high opinion of yourself, do you?" Strong one moment and fragile the next. She was an emotional roller coaster taking him on one helluva ride.
"How do you earn your paycheck?" She retorted, apparently ignoring his assessment of her self-esteem.
"Former military." No details. None of her business. Sharing the details would send what was an already deteriorating conversation straight into the toilet.
"Well, solider, my opinions of myself and anything else personal in nature is on a need-to-know basis." She pierced him with those haunted pools of emerald one final time before turning her attention to the book she'd been holding in her lap since take off.
And I apparently don't need to know…
Nicole is a debut author with her contemporary romance series, Heroes of the Night. She has been an avid reader and lover of books from a very young age. Starting with Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew, and The V.I. Warshawski novels, her love for mysteries grew and expanded to include romance and suspense. A Midwest girl, born and raised, her stories capture the love and laughter in her real world heroes and heroines.
Email: nicoleleiren@yahoo.com
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