Three novellas form this well-mixed anthology of bodyguards who violate the big rule: no personal attachment to the client. In Monroe’s sexy whodunit, “Who’s Been Sleeping in My Brother’s Bed?” brilliant Ph.D. student Danusia flees to her brother’s empty apartment after her place is burglarized, and finds black-ops agent Maxwell Baker temporarily staying there. In Denton’s humorous “Hot Mess,” Alyssa, office worker for a security firm, heads to LAX to pick up whistle-blower Charles Rolston; the man in her passenger seat is actually handsome FBI special agent Noah Temple, who lets her think he’s Rolston through some hilarious hijinks and hot sex. In Naughton’s suspenseful “Acapulco Heat,” former army ranger Finn Tierney guards supermodel Lauren on a beach photo shoot with a male model whose family is a drug cartel. Variety and plenty of spice make for entertaining summer reading. (June)

Reviewed on: 04/11/2011

Pretty cool, huh? I totally didn’t expect a PW review, so it was a pleasant surprise.

And to whet your appetite a little more, here’s a new excerpt from “Acapulco Heat” (Be sure to scroll down and leave me a comment because I’m giving away an ARC of the anthology to one lucky commenter!)

***

The pounding bass gave Finn a fucking headache. The pulsing strobe lights messed with his equilibrium. But it was the woman out on Palladium’s dance floor, bumping and grinding and flirting with every shithead in the overcrowded club that grated on Finn’s last nerve.

Spring break was in full swing in Acapulco and the college crowd was packed to the rafters in the trendy nightclub perched high on a hill over the raging Pacific. Finn stayed on the edge of the dance floor, close enough to make a grab for Lauren if he had to, but far enough in the background to blend. She was a celebrity in a meat market. Guys were circled around her like vultures. And every minute that passed—every elbow he took to the ribs and every steroid enhanced moron who stepped on his feet—only jacked his badass mood higher.

Man, he was way too damn old for this scene.

Lauren threw her head back and laughed at something Santiago said. The dickwad grabbed her hand, pulled her close and dipped her on the dance floor. From his spot, Finn watched her golden hair flare out around her shoulders, her teeth sparkle and her eyes dance with mischief. He remembered the way she’d looked in her hotel suite earlier. The proposition that had been in her sweet baby blues. As Santiago’s arm slid around her waist and she rubbed up against him, Finn clenched his jaw and told himself enough was enough. This wasn’t about what had almost happened between them. It was about doing his job and keeping her fucking safe.

He crossed the dance floor, muscling his way between sweaty bodies. He should be nursing a beer in the hotel bar, kicked back watching SportsCenter and blowing off steam from the shitty day. Better yet, he should be sound asleep in his room, locked away from temptation and the really bad move he was about to make.

The song ended. Lauren laughed again, eased back from Santiago. As her arm came down, Finn reached in and snagged her by the wrist.

“Hey! What do you—?”

“I need to talk to you.”

He gave her points for resisting his tug, but the three inch heels and the damn miniskirt that showed way too much leg for his taste made it impossible for her to resist for long. He dragged her across the room, through the grinding bodies to a hallway that led to a series of bathrooms. The music wasn’t quite as loud here, but the walls still vibrated and bodies littered the corridor in groups of twos and threes. Spotting what he thought was a cluster of four, he rolled his eyes and knew this wasn’t going to work.

He looked right and left, picked out a darkened door that looked like access to a set of stairs. Pushing it open with his shoulder, he pulled Lauren through with him. The door snapped shut behind them, muffling the music and pulsing bass. Stairs curved up and out of sight. He dragged Lauren that direction, out of the chaos and up to the first landing where he pushed her back against the wall, trapping her between himself and the cool stones.

“What gives you the right to—?”

“Are you trying to get yourself raped?”

Fire flashed in her eyes. “What the hell kind of question is that?”

“What the hell kind of dancing was that?”

“Your job is not to critique my dancing.” She pushed a hand against his chest. Shoved hard. Didn’t come close to budging him. “Your job is simply to stand on the sidelines and watch, like a good little boy.”

“I know exactly what my job is.” The woman was like a tick that he just couldn’t get rid of. He should really step back. He was way too close to the edge and there was something about her that set him off. But instead of moving back he shifted forward, pressing into her hand and closing the gap between them. “My job is to stay close to you, Ms. Kauffman. That’s what I’m doing.”

Her long fingers and slim palm pushed against his chest again, which didn’t do anything but warm the skin beneath his black rayon buttondown. “I don’t want you close to me.”

“That’s not what you said a few hours ago.”

“A few hours ago I was obviously delirious from the sun, as you oh-so eloquently pointed out.  Now back off.”

“Why? So you can go back out there and rub up against some other guy? I don’t think so.” He moved even closer, until the heat from her hot little body circled his head, joining with the floral scent of her shampoo or perfume or whatever the hell it was to make him light headed.

She lifted her chin, but the tough-girl shield wavered. Her blue eyes settled on his, dropped to his lips. Those long fingers of hers curled into his shirt to tangle tight in the fabric. “I don’t like being pushed around.”

“That makes two of us,” he said. “And I’ve had enough of you flaunting your assets for every dick in this bar.”

“That’s not what I’m doing.”

“Bullshit.” Common sense told him he was heading into no-man’s land where only bad things happened. But instead of listening to those good ol’ instincts that had kept him alive for thirty-five years, he braced a hand against the wall and leaned down toward her mouth. “You want to get felt up in the middle of a club? Fine. We’ll do it right here.”

Her eyes shot back to his. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Wouldn’t I? This is what you said you wanted, isn’t it? In yer suite? So come on with it. Let’s get busy. I’m ready right now.”

***

So what do you think? Leave me a comment and you’re entered to win an ARC of BODYGUARDS IN BED. Trust me, this is one hot anthology!!!