Hunter/Bloom Series by Jude Liebermann

Excerpt:

Mexican Sunsets

The lights came on, causing him to freeze in place. He looked ahead and saw the bull’s eye targets. When he turned, he saw Miguel standing beside the shed. He held his machine gun in a relaxed grip and walked toward Mike, stopping at the white line that marked where the archers stood to take aim.
“I get to practice a bit it seems.”
“Miguel, I…“
“Save it, Cop. No one betrays me and lives. Your partner found that out the hard way. This operation’s too important. It’s a pity really. I liked you.” He raised the gun.
At the mention of his partner, Mike looked at the sky. So that’s what happened to Ben, he realized. He saw the moon break free of the clouds, and his mind was filled with one thought. He would leave behind someone who needed him, someone he had let down.
As the spray of bullets entered his body, he reached out to his sister.

Chapter One

A scream ripped from her throat as Kendall Sinclair jolted upright in bed. Terrified, she frantically looked at the shadows in her room. Her breathing was labored, and she gripped the sheet in tight fists. She thought it was a nightmare, but only for an instant. Even awake, she could still see it.
When she was little, she and her twin brother, Kyle, played hide-and-seek. She always won, since she could see through his eyes and knew where he hid. She could do other things she thought were completely normal, until she grew older and realized other people couldn’t do them.
She sat soaked in perspiration, terrified at what she had just seen through her brother’s eyes. Kendall jumped out of bed and nearly tore off her nightshirt. She ran to her closet and threw on the first clothes she found. When objects suddenly blurred, she realized she was crying.

Closing Note

Available as ebook on Amazon. If you would like the paperback, let Jude know, and she can add it to her store.

Excerpt:

Monique had just emerged into the food court and was headed to the exit, when she froze. Why had he thanked her? She spun around and wasn’t surprised to see he had continued to follow her. He had sunglasses on, but there was no mistaking who he was, or at least who he looked like. She tilted her head to the side and stepped back. Looking around the food court, she lowered her voice.
“Are you who I think you are?”
He gave her his famous smile, and she almost choked on the lump in her throat. “Who do you think I am?” He asked.
As she heard his deep timbre, chills went down her back, and she sucked in her breath. Monique was almost afraid to voice the name. She looked around the court again and then gestured for him to follow. Once they were outside just beyond the entrance, she inched a little closer to him and nearly whispered the name.
“Are you Jack Bloom?”
He reached up and took off his sunglasses. Monique didn’t need him to answer. She looked from his dark brown hair to his eyes, which told her who he was. She stared into those dark blue orbs and momentarily forgot who she was. As he slowly nodded, she put her hand to her mouth.
“Oh, my God!” She breathed and another chill ran down her back. She was puzzled by her reaction to him and wondered why it kept happening. She hadn’t even come close to touching him. She briefly wondered if she had fallen asleep in class again and was only dreaming. She closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath. That made the most sense, but her dreams weren’t usually so vivid. When she opened her eyes, he was still standing in front of her but had stepped back about a foot.
“Now, you’re not going to freak out are you? The way you smiled when you looked at my poster, I just figured…” His voice trailed off as if he didn’t know how to word it.
Monique shook her head and slowly dropped the hand from her mouth. She could imagine him being attacked by screaming fans, each of them caring more about getting a souvenir than how the object of their affection felt about the onslaught. She was pleased he hadn’t thought she’d be like that, since she couldn’t imagine doing anything to him that would hurt or even irritate him. Her smile started small but grew quickly.
“You could tell that from a smile?” She finally responded.
He shrugged, more than a bit dazzled by that smile. “Well, I was hoping…” Again his voice trailed off as he stared at her.
Monique bit her lower lip. She couldn’t believe she was standing there having a conversation with one of her favorite movie stars. She looked him up and down. He seemed taller than in his movies, but everything else looked the same. His brown hair was cut close in the back and sides, but he kept his bangs long and swept back. A bit of it had fallen across his forehead, and the natural wave of his hair caused it to curl. The end of the curl fell below his left eye, and she had the impulse to reach up and move it aside. She bit her lip harder as she fought the urge. She again looked into his large eyes and sucked in her breath. They were even more breathtaking in person.

Excerpt:

Devlin shook herself from the memory, as she realized how bad it could’ve been.
They had stripped her down to her underwear, tormented her for a while and then threw her in the campus swimming pool. It had taken some searching to find her clothing, but she had then rushed to campus police. She wasn’t able to identify anyone except the cute guy who had led her, but she never got his name. She’d been tempted to call her parents, but she loved school. Her parents hadn’t wanted her to go away to college, and she knew they’d insist that she come home. Since her parents were famous, she had grown up in the public eye and had deliberately chosen a college out of state. She had never known if people who met her really liked her, or only wanted to meet her parents. She was careful not to let anyone know who she was.
As she started her first semester, Devlin always kept a look out for the man who had betrayed her. When she thought she had, she cowered in a corner and cried. That was when she had met Courtland. She had placed one hand on Devlin’s arm to get her attention. Devlin’s head jerked up, and her gaze locked with Courtland’s. She calmed when she looked into those brown eyes.
“Hey, are you alright?” She asked Devlin in a deep but pleasant voice.
“Yeah, of course.” She got to her feet as she realized how stupid she must look.
Courtland stepped back and held onto her books. As Devlin stood, she realized how tall the other woman was. Devlin wasn’t short at 5’6”, but Courtland was a good half foot taller. She looked down and noticed that Courtland wasn’t even wearing heels.
“You don’t look alright. What’s wrong?”
Devlin had been searching the hallway for the face that haunted her, but the sincerity she heard drew her gaze back to Courtland. For the first time, she actually looked at her. Courtland wore what Devlin would soon realize was her style: a loose long sleeve sweater that fell below her hips, a full floral skirt that fell below her knees, colored hose and ankle boots. The look wouldn’t have flattered a short woman, but Courtland’s height allowed her to pull it off. Devlin immediately wondered if she had ever done any modeling. She had a pretty face but wore too much make-up.

Excerpt:

Dakota’s gaze involuntarily traveled lower than her shirt. She obviously ran quite often, if he could go by the firmness of her bottom in the tight running shorts. His gaze lowered to her thighs and then calves, which he could see were tan and toned. He drew in a shaky breath and forced himself to look away from her. He shook his head and almost laughed. It had been awhile since he had ogled a woman, and he hadn’t even gotten a really good look at her face yet. Dakota took a deep breath and smiled at an older woman that just passed him, suddenly remembering they weren’t alone on the trail. A few men passed by and he could see a couple pushing a stroller. There were even bikers and horses, though he hadn’t actually seen a horse, just what it had left behind on the trail. Dakota cringed as he ran around the animal’s waste, slightly disgusted that they were allowed to use a jogging trail to do their business.
His eyes widened slightly when the blonde woman looked over her shoulder at him. It was too brief, and if he had blinked would have missed it, but he did see the smile. Had he made some sound of disgust that she had related to? After all, she had to run around the huge mound as well. Dakota smiled and sped up slightly, until he was only a few yards behind her. He licked his lips, wanting to speak to her, wanting even more to hear her voice.
How far had they gone? He hadn’t noticed the time when he took off after her, but it had to be at least ten minutes. He was getting tired, and his calves were starting to ache. He hadn’t warmed up, and he wore walking shoes. Dakota hoped she stopped running soon, or he would lose her. It was a cool day, but he could feel the sweat forming on his face. When he saw her shirt getting damp, he was relieved it wasn’t only him.
They went over a bridge, and Dakota was about to give up, but the woman slowed and stopped. He was about to smile when she stopped by a man, who held out a water bottle to her. She took it and drank from it. Dakota tried to ignore the surge of disappointment that flowed through him, especially when the man noticed him staring at them. He looked puzzled at first but then his eyes widened slightly. He nudged the blonde, who turned to face Dakota. Her breathing was heavy as she stared at him.
“What?” She asked the man beside her, as her gaze went beyond Dakota before again focusing on him.
“Don’t you recognize him?” He whispered, but Dakota could hear him.
He only stood about five feet away from them, and he returned the woman’s stare. Her eyes were a hazel green, which were slightly narrowed as she shook her head. Dakota reached up and pulled off the sunglasses. Not so that she could recognize him, but so that he could see her better. The man leaned closer to her and whispered in her ear. Her eyes widened as she was told his name. She wiped a hand across her sweaty face and took a step closer to him. Dakota sucked in his breath, never breaking eye contact with her. He watched her hold out her other hand to him.
“Hi! I’m Jolie. Is your name Dakota?”
He nodded slowly as he put his hand into hers and grasped it gently. “Jolie…Such a pretty name.” For such a pretty woman, he finished silently. He couldn’t begin to guess her age, but he looked at her left hand. She wore no ring, so maybe the man was only a boyfriend…a lover? His stomach tightened and her hand grew hot within his, but he didn’t want to release it. He actually felt warm all over, and he was sweating more than Jolie was. His whole body tingled, and Dakota knew he would be sore in the morning. She seemed reluctant to pull her hand away, but she stepped back and looked him over.
“Thanks…You’re not even wearing running shoes.” She looked at the bottle in her hand before holding it out to him, “and it looks like you need this more than I do.” She added with a smile.
Dakota was lost at that point. Her smile hit him like a thunderbolt, which he felt all the way down to his toes. He licked his dry lips and pulled in a ragged breath. “Thanks,” he sputtered, tipping the bottle and emptying it in a few swallows. He let the bottle linger on his lips a moment longer, knowing that it had touched hers. He sighed as he looked back at her. Jolie intensely studied his face. It should have made him nervous, but he just returned the stare. She finally shifted and looked at the man beside her, placing an arm around his waist to give him a familiar squeeze.