The Bodyguard…

Nate Carter left Australia’s elite SASR unit after a tragic accident. Shattered by the experience, he thought taking a job in the States might be a good way to start over. His father’s former employer, McKay-Taggart, has a position for him in the bodyguard unit. He never imagined himself risking his life for celebrities and the wealthy, but it will do for now. It will also give him a chance to reconnect with old friends, including the girl who’d been like a little sis to him ten years before.

These days, however, his feelings for Daisy O’Donnell are anything but brotherly.

The Bombshell…

Daisy O’Donnell is a girl on a mission, and it does not include falling for one of her brother’s best friends. She has plans, and while chaos always seems to follow her, she’s determined to see this through. Daisy finds herself in need of a bodyguard when a job goes terribly wrong. She’s sure her dad will find someone suitable, but she didn’t expect a big, gloriously masculine Aussie to show up ready to take a bullet for her. Maybe spending some time with Nate Carter won’t be so bad after all.

An explosive match…

Thrown together by danger, Nate and Daisy can’t resist the insane chemistry between them. But when his past and her present collide, they must decide if they can hold it together or go their separate ways forever.

Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.

Excerpt: The Bodyguard and the Bombshell

She’d gone over this again and again in the last twenty-four hours. “So the woman came in and she’s getting married to this guy but she thinks her fiancé is cheating on her because once a month he goes to this building downtown. She’s followed him before but she’s never gone in, and she said when he would come out hours later he looked super satisfied. Like when they had sex.”

“I’m so glad she can expertly read facial expressions.” Uncle Ian looked like he was ready to giggle.

They always underestimated the younger generation. They had good instincts, too, though not in this case. “Anyway, so I thought he probably wasn’t cheating because she seemed sweet, you know. Like if some guy’s cheating on her then we’re all in trouble.”

“Yes, we are all in trouble,” Harlow agreed.

“So I thought we would go down and maybe he was planning a surprise for their wedding,” Daisy explained.

Her da shook his head as her mom passed him another glass. “My poor, sweet, naïve girl.”

She wasn’t naïve. “Well, he wasn’t cheating. Turns out he was checking on a shipment from his employer.”

“A shipment of what, Daisy?” Ruby asked.

As a boss, she was going to be the unrelenting one. “At first I thought it was maybe, like, powder.”

She could have sworn her da had tears in his eyes. “She wouldn’t know what cocaine is, much less what it looks like. My god, girl, you could have been killed.”

“I mostly kept my distance, but then my client was angry and she rushed out of the spot where we were hiding,” Daisy continued.

“You went into the building?” her da asked, horror evident in his tone.

“Of course. How else would I have gotten the pictures of her fiancé meeting with the head of the cartel? They were good pictures, too. Who says cell phones can’t take excellent pictures? When I realized this was like my first case, I even thought to get a selfie with the drug lord in the background.” It had been an excellent picture. “But the police made me take it down. I was getting good reach and everything.”

Now her uncle simply laughed his ass off. “She put it on Instagram.”

“You looked good, sweetie,” Aunt Charlotte said. “You got a great angle.”

“Do not encourage her.” Her mother was not amused.

“Like I said, I kind of thought it was all okay until Bri texted me. She told me she thought it was probably cocaine and I should get out of there before the cartel people killed me.” Her friends always looked out for her. She’d gotten several you’re about to die texts, and Cooper McKay had shown up with her brother in tow just in time to watch her get carted off by the police.

Law and Order made interrogations look glamourous. They had kept her there for hours, and the snacks had been terrible.

“It’s me fault,” her da was saying. “I should never have let her out in the world alone.”

He didn’t understand. “Like I said, Da, I wasn’t alone. The client was with me. And she got upset and yelled, and that was how the people figured out we were hiding. I got into the building through a window they left open. I didn’t think I could wriggle through, but I totally did. I think I’m truly cut out for this line of work.”

“I do, too, kiddo,” Uncle Ian said.

It was good to know at least one person believed in her.

Mitch Bradford had been quiet the whole time, but he leaned forward now. “Ian, this is serious. I don’t want to think about what would have happened if she hadn’t posted a dumbass pic to social media. Her friends figured out where she was and called the police immediately.”

“Oh, I had a locator on. It can help with engagement,” she explained.

Which Ian thought was hysterical, but her da simply went even paler. Not even Irishmen should be able to go so white.