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Photographer Lexie Frost has a plan for success. All she needs is her camera, and one perfect shot. What she doesn't need is another man in her life. Certainly not the brown-eyed and handsome possible pervert who's been shadowing her for the past three days. What Lexie doesn't know is that her 'pervert' is, in reality, FBI Agent Reilly Ward, a man with a few plans of his own. Plans that definitely do not include falling in love with the woman he's assigned to protect. As the two are about to discover, even the best laid plans go astray. Smuggled gems, a kidnapped aunt, a botched rescue, and a terrifying confrontation in the streets of New York, change the focus of their lives forever. And for better. Fast Focus© by Cheryl Cooke Harrington & Anne Norman |
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Fast Focus Excerpt
from Chapter One They flew past him in twos and threes. Wing-footed lunatics with nothing better to do, on a glorious spring day, than work up a sweat running circuits in the park. It didn't seem to matter where he went in this city, the rat race never stopped. Slow down, he wanted to shout. Look around you! But the natives kept right on running. He gazed in wonder, and with considerable longing, at the cool, shimmering waters of The Pond, pink with the reflection of cherry trees in bloom. The warm air was sweet with the scent of countless blossoms, the path underfoot littered with new-fallen petals. It was hard to remember, in this idyllic setting, that he was right at the centre of a city teeming with seven million people; that the traffic, noise and endless bustle of Fifth Avenue waited, just a few hundred yards to his left. Brushing the tangle of sweaty hair from his eyes, he stared into the distance and groaned in dismay. Alexandra Frost, in her bright red T-shirt, bobbed effortlessly to the crest of the hill ahead, moving as if that bulky backpack slung over her shoulder were utterly weightless. He forced his leaden feet to follow, despite the pain inflicted by ill-fitting running shoes, hastily purchased just hours before. Why hadn't he rented himself a bike, instead? What with all her other fit-freak habits, he should have known the woman would be into marathon running. |
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"Stop," he muttered, breathlessly directing his plea to the back of her pony-tailed head. "Oh, please, take a break." But the perky red T-shirt sailed blithely around the corner. He followed, eyes locked to the spot where she'd disappeared from view, heart pounding, lungs straining from the unaccustomed effort. Don't lose her. The tramp of his feet on the hard-packed earth faded to a distant echo, drowned out by the deafening rush of blood in his ears. Don't lose her! *** A quick glance over her shoulder confirmed it. Still there—well, just barely. The man who'd been shadowing her for the last twenty minutes was obviously not a seasoned runner. Shortening her stride, Lexie jogged to a halt and knelt to tighten her shoelaces. The tall, dark-haired man lurched around the curve seconds later, stumbling to a standstill only a few yards away. Neatly avoiding eye contact, he turned abruptly, bending to rest with his hands on his knees. He was good, she thought grudgingly. If she hadn't seen him lurking around before, she'd really have to wonder if she wasn't just imagining it. He didn't look like a pervert but...she shivered unexpectedly. Good looks didn't necessarily rule out evil intent. He'd been following her, all right. But why?
Excerpt
from FAST FOCUS Autographed hardcover copies available from the authors. |
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