Combustion
by Kate Hill
Series: Combustion
Format(s): Ebook
Heat Level: Erotic
Pairing(s): (M/F and Multi)
Genre/Themes: Science Fiction, Action/Adventure, Aliens
Length: Collection
Cover Art: Bryan Keller
Purchase Links: Changeling Press
Includes:
In Heat (Combustion 1)
When Zoey temporarily moves in with her friend Justin, the last thing she expects is to find a hunk across the hall. Wyatt not only desires Zoey, he needs her to survive, but he wants a willing partner. When passion finally overtakes them, he knows he must tell her the truth, but will she accept an alien lover?
Dead Heat (Combustion 2)
With her memory erased, Erica is caught between two men — a handsome doctor who claims to be her boyfriend and a sexy government agent. Erica soon learns that neither she nor the doctor belong on Earth. Passion flares between the visitors and the agent who has discovered them, but will he endanger their lives or save them?
Heat of the Moment (Combustion 3)
When Jace is hired as engineer on a research ship headed to Earth, Tiana makes it plain she doesn’t approve of him. She’s not willing to believe he’s turned his life around. But as much as she wants him off the ship, she wants him in her bed even more. She can’t trust him. Can she resist him?
Review:
“I liked Wyatt… strong, sexy, and knows how to treat a lady. He is literally out of this world, but he knows that he and Zoey can have something very special if she can accept him for who and what he really is. The love scenes between them are sizzling hot. ”
— Janie Esparza, The Romance Studio
Excerpts:
From In Heat
“Hey, what’s up?” Justin asked as they settled down to look at their menus.
“Why didn’t you tell me about that fine-looking man living across the hall?” Zoey asked, a faint smile on her lips. She lifted her gaze to study Justin over her menu.
He blinked. “Pardon?”
“I saw him just before I got here. Lean, mean and mysterious. Looked like he was in a fight or something though. Probably got drunk and started trouble. Most guys who look like him are only trouble anyway.”
Still, he hadn’t seemed like that kind of guy, but what did she know about him after meeting him for thirty seconds?
“As far as I know the place across the hall is empty. He must have just moved in. I’ll have to check him out.”
“Get in line,” she teased.
“Is he that hot?”
“Sizzling.”
Justin’s smile broadened.
“Down, boy,” she said. “I don’t think he’s your type.”
“Oh really? He’s gorgeous and sizzling, but he’s not my type? Convenient.”
From Dead Heat:
She opened her eyes and glanced around the unfamiliar room. It was scarcely large enough for the bed and dresser. The green curtains on the window matched the quilt covering the bed on which she lay. Rain pelted the roof and wind howled outside.
Her heart raced and she trembled. She felt so strange, almost desperate, like she needed something but didn’t know what.
Glancing at the door across the room, she hoped it led to a relief chamber. She sat up on the bed and winced, then touched a hand to a sore place on the back of her head. Why couldn’t she remember where she was and what she was doing here? Panic clogged her chest when she realized she didn’t remember anything about how she’d arrived at this place.
She walked to the door, but no sooner had she opened it than her worries regarding her failed memory vanished, replaced by a much bigger problem — the dead body slouched on the floor in the shower.
Her heartbeat quickened even more and waves of intense heat broke over her as she backed out of the relief chamber. She walked to the primitive communication device on the bedside table and picked it up, then paused.
Who should she call?
The entrance door opened and three men stepped inside. One was short and old with a bushy gray beard and a paunch that even his oversized yellow raincoat couldn’t hide. The other two were younger and quite handsome, though vastly different in appearance. Both had blue eyes and dark hair, but one was of average height with a sturdy build while the other was tall and rangy. The taller one wore a long black coat, but the other had only a drenched white shirt that clung to his muscular torso. Rain-soaked jeans molded to his strong thighs.
“Erica, how are you?” Mr. Tight Jeans approached, concern gleaming in his big blue eyes. He rested his large hands gently on her shoulders.
Damn, his hands were hot. They only increased the fever that burned in her. An ache started deep in her belly. That delicate place between her legs tingled. She might not remember details, but she instinctively knew sexual desire. Still, this was a strange time to be horny. Was this a bad dream? None of this felt quite real.
“I… there’s a body in the relief chamber.”
He glanced quickly toward his companions.
“The what?” growled the old man.
“She means the bathroom. The whack on the head might have messed up her vocabulary.”
“Really?” The tall man arched a dark eyebrow and strode past them toward the relief — bathroom.
“What’s going on?” she asked. “I don’t know where I am or who you all are. I –”
“You hit your head when the thief broke in and attacked us,” explained Tight Jeans. He guided her to the bed and she sat while he took her face in his hands and examined her head and eyes. “How do you feel?”
“Weird.”
“Does your head hurt?”
“A little.”
“She should be examined at the hospital,” said the tall man, stepping out of the bathroom. “Unfortunately due to the storm the only road leading to this motel is closed on both ends and the phone lines have been knocked out.”
“I told you I’m a doctor,” said Tight Jeans. “I’ve examined her and I think she’ll be all right.”
“Who are you and will someone tell me what’s going on?” she demanded, feeling panicked again. Why couldn’t she remember?
“You think she’ll be all right?” the old man said, his voice gravelly. “The woman don’t remember nothin’.”
“Will somebody please just –”
“Erica, calm down. Do you know my name?” asked Tight Jeans.
“No. I don’t know any of you and if you tell me that my name is Erica, I’ll take your word for it because I don’t remember that either.”
He looked even more concerned and said, “I’m Carlos.”
“You’re a doctor?”
“Yes, and I’m also your boyfriend.”
Lucky her. He was damn cute.
From Heat of the Moment
Once the facts had been explained, Wyatt asked, “Does anyone have any questions?”
“Just one,” Tiana said. “Since no one else is going to mention it, I will. What is he doing here?” She jerked her thumb in Jace’s direction.
Jace should have known that he wouldn’t fit in with all these upstanding citizens aboard.
“He’s the engineer,” Wyatt replied.
Tiana’s gaze locked with the captain’s. “I believe you know what I mean, but if you want me to spell it out, here goes. He’s a criminal and you’re putting him in charge of the function of our vessel. I don’t understand.”
“Jace is arguably the most skilled engineer in the galaxy,” Wyatt replied.
“He was also an intergalactic drug smuggler who worked for the crime lord who planned to destroy our world.”
“I blew the whistle on him,” Jace said. Though he leaned back in his chair, outwardly relaxed, his gut clenched. This is what he’d been expecting. Getting hired, being accepted, it was too much to ask for.
“To save your own ass,” Tiana said.
“Three years of hard labor wasn’t exactly a cakewalk, honey.”
“It was better than you deserved, sugar,” she said with a curl of her lip.
The rest of the crew glanced from Tiana to Jace and back again, observing their trade of words like a tennis match. “That’s enough,” Wyatt said. “I hope you don’t plan to act like this aboard ship, because I won’t tolerate it.”
“I was only asking a question. I am the security officer, so the safety of the ship and crew is my main concern.”
“And you consider me a threat?” Jace demanded. “I’ve been walking the straight and narrow since I was released five years ago.”
“Well, good for you.” Tiana shot him a look cold enough to make him shudder, if he was so inclined.
“You’re the security chief, but I’m the captain. Everyone will respect everyone else while aboard my vessel. If you can’t abide by that, then resign now so I can find a replacement.”
No one spoke a word and Wyatt dismissed the crew.
On the way out of the building, Jace took a detour to the restroom. He didn’t need to piss, but he did require a moment to collect himself.
The last time he’d been this nervous was just before he had squealed to the authorities about Zero Moon’s smuggling ring and his intention to destroy their home planet, Pixie. Because of his part in saving the world, Jace was given a reduced sentence for his crimes — three years of hard labor.
Sometimes he still shuddered to think about the experience. After the life he’d led, he doubted anyone would give him a chance to prove himself, but for some reason Wyatt was willing to. Jace swore that the captain would never regret his decision.
At the sink, he splashed his face with cold water and dried it with a paper towel. He stood there for a moment, staring at his reflection.
The door opened and he was shocked when Tiana stepped inside.
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