Temptation. Seduction. Pleasure. It's all part of the game...
TRUE DECEPTIONS by Veronica Forand is
a dark romantic suspense thriller about a man with a deadly past, a woman with
a bright future, and the danger closing in on them, eager to destroy them both.
With the spicy heat of a romance and the chilling allure of a suspense, True
Deceptions offers readers a heart-stopping ride through the world of espionage.
If you loved Killing Game by Toni Anderson or Minutes to Kill by Melinda Leigh,
you’ll find yourself absorbed and utterly thrilled by True Deceptions.
Join the
True Deceptions Cover Reveal Blast September 3rd! One grand prize winner will
receive an digital copy of Untrue Colors by Veronica Forand! Enter HERE or through
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Title: True Deceptions
Author: Veronica Forand
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release
Date: October 19th, 2015
Publisher:
Entangled Select Suspense
Print
Length: 85K
Format: Paperback and Digital
Trade
ISBN: 978-1-63375-426-3
Synopsis:
After his
partner was murdered, Simon Dunn was finished with MI6. But the cold, violent
world of British intelligence never lets anyone go free. Now Simon has been
blackmailed into a new job...with a beautiful new partner who's going to get
them both killed.
Robotics
expert Cassie Watson is a newbie field agent with as much sophistication
as...well, a pacifist, vegan computer nerd. Now she's abruptly thrust into the
cutthroat world of espionage with a partner who is as cold as he is
brutally—and brutishly—handsome.
But when
their mission is betrayed from the inside, Cassie will be forced to place her
life in the hands of the one man who's anything but trustworthy...
Excerpt:
Simon
didn’t want to know what the future held, and he didn’t want to acknowledge the
past. At this exact moment, however, he wanted Anna Marie from Wisconsin, an
all-American blue-eyed, blonde pharmaceutical sales representative looking to
experience everything life offered. During dinner, he’d given her his usual
warning that people weren’t always what they seemed, but she’d ignored his
words and stroked the length of his leg with her foot, requesting some private
time with him.
“Listen
love, I think we should call it a night. I’m leaving Bermuda soon and so are
you, and, at this point, I don’t have room in my life for a relationship.”
She
laughed and reached across the table for his hand. “I’m looking for company for
one night only. I have to return home tomorrow, and so far, I have nothing to
take home with me but memories of business meetings and a tour of the local
hospital.”
She
caressed the top of his hand and weaved her fingers between his. How could he
turn down such an offer?
He lifted
her fingers to his lips and kissed them. His gaze rested on full lips painted
blood red to entice and seduce. “I’m sure I can provide you with some far more
interesting memories to take home.”
“Good.”
She stood up and encouraged him to the door of the restaurant. “I bet I can
leave you with a few as well.”
Once they
were alone in his hotel suite, Anna Marie poured them each some champagne,
bending over enough to reveal an amazing pair of breasts about to cascade out
of her floral sundress. Biting her bottom lip, she lifted her gaze to peek at
him through golden hair. Seductive energy swirled around her. Simon read her
intentions like the cover of a tabloid.
He stood
on his balcony. The view overlooked Castle Harbor at night, but he faced his
dinner companion who continued to pour them each a drink. Dinner had dragged
for two hours, and he was ready for his dessert. Her eyes lifted from her task.
Her smile reminded him of the carefree and happy life he’d enjoyed before
Nicola had died in a blaze of heroism.
“This is
the most luxurious hotel I’ve ever seen. It’s four stars up from the hotel I’m
staying in.” Looking like a child in a candy store, she’d probably sacrifice
everything to live in Simon’s world. She had no idea how costly it could be.
And he’d never allow her to find out.
“I’m glad
you like it.” He sat on the couch and stretched his legs under the bleached
wood and glass coffee table.
“Wisconsin
is beautiful in April, but there’s no ocean breezes like here. Even the smell
of the water is nice. Bermuda must be totally different from England, too.”
“True.”
“Have you
ever met anyone with a title?”
Besides
his father and half brother? “No. The British aristocracy doesn’t lower itself
into my social circles.”
She
laughed and whipped her hair over her shoulder. “I love the royal family. The
dresses. The hats. It’s all so glamorous.”
“Come
here.” He had the perfect cure for her tiresome prattle.
She
carried the crystal flutes to the couch and handed him one. He placed it on the
table and focused his attention on her. Her blue eyes could swallow a man whole
and keep him hypnotized. He had difficulty looking away.
She
sipped the champagne too fast, without seeming to enjoy the taste, only the
exclusivity of the beverage. "I haven't had champagne since my sister's
wedding. I usually drink cosmos. What do you usually drink?"
"Vodka."
"Most
of the guys I know drink beer." She took a few more sips. Her eyelashes
fluttered, and her tongue peeked out of those perfect lips to lick a leftover
drop of her beverage.
Simon
reached his conversational limit. He took her glass and placed it next to his.
Her smile became demure, but seductive. She placed her hand on his leg, both an
offer and an acceptance. That was all he needed. Tonight, nothing mattered but
the beautiful woman in his arms. He pulled her toward him, his hand caressing
her back. Straight blonde hair fell across her shoulders. He brushed it aside
in order to taste the salty air flavoring her neck. A sigh escaped her lips. He
wanted all of her, all night.
When he
pulled the straps of her dress down and claimed an exposed breast, she sighed
again and spurred him on by brushing her fingers though his hair. His thumb
played with her nipple until her sighs turned into moans. Soon he had her
sprawled across the couch, topless and begging for attention. He complied with
her wishes and provided her with pleasures small town farm boys had probably
never shown her.
His
kisses moved up her neck, stopping to nibble her earlobe. She turned toward
him, demanding his attention on her soft, full lips. His mouth feathered over
hers until she parted her lips, and their tongues met. She tasted like
champagne mixed with nuts. Almonds. Bitter almonds. Shit.
Her eyes
widened, and she gasped for breath. He pulled away just before her body began
to convulse. Five to ten minutes since the last sip—someone must have spiked
the hell out of the champagne for the poison to hit her so quickly. It didn't
help that she'd spent dinner flirting instead of eating. She had nothing in her
system to stop the cyanide from killing her.
Simon
turned away from Anna Marie and spit out her saliva. He wiped his tongue on his
shirt and then spit again. He'd be fine, but she wouldn't be. He knelt next to
the couch and brushed her hair back. Her body rocked, and he held her steady by
her shoulders, whispering stupid nothings, but the horror reflected in her eyes
didn't subside. Her convulsions had slowed, and tears fell fast down her
cheeks. She would die in the arms of a stranger who didn't know her, love her,
or have the capacity to mourn for her.
Anger
rushed through him. Another woman dies because of me. "I'm
so sorry. I didn't know."
Struggling
to breathe, she stared at him as though he was a monster, until her eyes shut,
and she faded away from Bermuda and the glamorous life she'd never have.
No one
was supposed to know his location. He'd stayed hidden for the past eight
months. It was time to relocate and hide somewhere new.
The next
few hours involved moving her body to a vacant room in his hotel. The task was
easily handled with the help of a laundry cart and knowledge of the security
cameras. He cleaned off the champagne bottle and left it by her side for the
local authorities to play with.
When he
returned to his suite, he had a visitor. An unexpected and unwanted visitor.
"Simon
Dunn. On a stakeout, are you?" Dressed in white trousers and a pink polo
shirt, Tucker Magee looked like a pretty boy on a modeling assignment instead
of a spineless intelligence officer.
"I'm
on vacation."
"For
eight months?"
"How
the hell did you find me, Tucker?"
"The
problem with shagging every sexy woman on the island is their love of social
media. The boys at headquarters have had the facial recognition program
scanning for you for months."
"Glad
to know the vast resources of the Secret Intelligence Service are used for
employee retention instead of actually protecting the commonwealth. You could
simply offer more vacation time and a better benefits package."
Tucker
glanced at the back of his hand. No doubt he'd just had a manicure and was
admiring the handiwork. His image had always taken priority over his actual job
requirements. "Her name was Sarah, here on break from university."
"I
don't remember her."
"A
picture of her in a bar with her friends showed your ugly face in the background.
They tagged you 'hot guy.'" He smiled, the snotty prat.
"What
the hell do you want?"
"My
assignment is to bring you back to London."
Tucker's
eyebrows rose. "Word on the street is you killed Luc Perrault after he
stole away your latest piece of ass. They even say you snuffed Nicola in a rage
of passion."
His
accusation fueled Simon's anger. "I didn't kill her."
"Doesn't
matter. The rumor will increase your influence brokering arms deals.
Everyone's
going to mind you now that you're a known murderer, and that makes it even more
important that you return to your post."
"I'm
done."
"I
don't think you understand your options. Come back immediately or stay here and
face a murder conviction." Tucker tapped his fingers together beneath his
chin and grinned. "Choose wisely."
Simon's
heart accelerated to full speed, drugged by adrenaline and fury. The bastard
had framed him, killing a beautiful someone in order to punish him for leaving
a job that slowly burned away his soul. He stormed over to Tucker's chair,
intent on ripping his heart out. Before he reached him, Tucker pulled out his
revolver and pointed it directly at Simon's crotch. His eyes narrowed, and he
waved Simon back with the barrel of the gun.
"What
makes you so sure I won't disappear again?" Simon asked.
"You've
always hated collateral damage. It's your biggest weakness. We don't have time
to insert anyone else into the game right now. Return to work or we'll create a
bloody trail behind you so deep you'll drown in it." Tucker rose from his
seat and strode to the door. "I expect to see you back in your flat by
tomorrow." He left the room without looking back.
Other romantic suspense
by Veronica Forand!
Untrue Colors
Snowed
Code RED
About Veronica Forand:
Veronica
Forand is an attorney and an award-winning writer of romantic suspense. She's
lived in Boston, London, Paris, Geneva, and Washington, DC and currently resides
near Philadelphia. An avid traveler, she loves to roam across continents with
her husband and kids in pursuit of skiing, scuba diving, and finding the
perfect piece of chocolate.
