Herding
Cat By Sabrina York
A Hot SEALs/Stone Hard SEALs Crossover Novella
The scorching sequel to Guard Dog
It’s insane to want him, this beautiful,
strong, sexy man. Not just because her hot bodyguard is tasked with herding her
safely through the exotic night markets of Hong Kong. And not just because
she’s his boss. But because they are worlds apart. What they have can only be a
fling. It can’t last forever.
But Garrett has other ideas.
Read An Excerpt
It
was a relief to get Catherine into another cab and head back to their hotel,
but Garrett knew better than to relax. At least until they reached sanctuary. And
even then, he would stay on alert.
This
event had changed things, shifted them away from a standard protection op onto
the offensive. “I’ll stay with you tonight.” God, it was hard keeping his tone
casual.
Her
head whipped around and she gaped at him. “What?”
“You
cannot be alone.” Her horrified expression gutted him. He forced a laugh.
“Don’t worry. I’ll sleep on the couch.” And thank God her suite had a sitting
room. But he would have made a pallet on the floor if it hadn’t.
“I
don’t need company.”
“You
need protection.”
“No
one is coming into my room.”
“Do
you know that for certain? Are you willing to bet your life?” Because it could
be that, exactly.
Her
determination faltered. She nibbled her lip. He had to look away.
He
wanted to nibble that lip. And more.
“In
the event someone does try to get to you, I will be there.”
She
huffed a sigh. “Oh, all right.” She was as petulant as a little girl, but he
sensed some hint of relief in her tone. No doubt, despite her stalwart mask,
she was scared.
She
should be.
They
pulled up to the hotel and Garrett exited the cab first, scanning the curved
drive. There were far too many people standing around. “Come on,” he said,
taking her hand and guiding her from the cab, across the drive and into the
spinning doors of the hotel.
The
lobby was busy too. Garrett quartered the space as he urged her toward the
elevators. He was used to her turning heads—of course she would, she was
drop-dead gorgeous—but at this moment it set his nerves on end.
A
man sitting on a couch reading a newspaper captured his attention. The look in
his eye was too sharp. Garrett quickly memorized his features. And there,
another man, leaning against the counter of the registration desk…too
calculating.
The
wait for the elevator took forever. When it finally arrived, Garrett ushered
her in. Perhaps with a little too much force. She glared at him.
He
ignored her ire. An older couple stepped on the elevator with them, chattering
about their evening and then, to Garrett’s annoyance, the newspaper man did as
well. He glanced at the panel and pushed the button for the floor below
Catherine’s.
Garrett
knew, just knew, this man was not staying at this hotel. He reached forward and
pushed a random button. When the elevator stopped on that floor, he ushered
Catherine out.
Miraculously,
she did not protest. But she did ask, when the elevator shushed closed, “Why
did you do that?”
He
shrugged. “Just a precaution.” And he needed time to prepare. In the event they
arrived at the penthouse floor to find that man awaiting them. He called
another elevator and pulled out his SIG Sauer, just to be safe.
Catherine’s
eyes widened and she eeped, but she said nothing else.
The
ride to their floor took moments. Garrett gestured for Catherine to stay back
as he checked out the hall. To his relief, there was no one there. He quickly
ushered her to the double doors of her suite and, again, motioned for her to
wait. It took less than a minute for him to clear the room, but the entire
time, his pulse slammed in his veins. He hated leaving her outside while he
checked the closets and the bathroom, but it was safer.
When
he was finally certain there was no one there, he pulled her inside and locked
the door.
Finally.
Finally
she was safe.
He
nearly collapsed with relief.
Until
she turned to him and said, “I’m hungry.”
He
frowned at her. “We’re not going back out.”
“But
I’m hungry.”
He
stormed over to the desk, grabbed the room service menu and thrust it at her.
She wrinkled her nose. “They charge an extra seventeen percent for room
service.”
“It’s
safer.”
She
gusted a sigh, but dropped on the sofa—the one he’d be sleeping on, not that
that thought winged through his mind—and studied the offerings. “Do you want
anything?”
Well
hell. He was a little hungry too. They’d had lunch at Hong Kong City Hall, but
the dim sum had long ago been burned off. The adrenaline, probably. “Do they
have burgers?”
She
nodded. “That’s what I’m getting too.”
He
liked that about her. Liked a woman who ate real food.
As
she called in the order, he did a quick assessment of her suite, checking for
any potential security issues. Her rooms were on the top floor of the hotel
with no balcony, so that was a nonissue, but the locks on the door were not the
best. Also, double doors could be easily breached if they were not bolted into
the floor. It annoyed him that these were not. He had zip ties though. He could
lash the handles together and provide some added security—and time, should
anyone decide to attempt an incursion.
After
she called in their order, Catherine went to the bathroom. She was in there a
long time. Long enough for Garrett to suspect that what she really needed was
some time alone. This had been a rough day—for all of them.
Still,
after a while, he knocked on the door. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“Fine,”
she called, but he noticed it was a watery response.
Yeah.
She just needed time to deal with all this. He could hardly blame her.
She
emerged just before the knock came on the door, announcing their dinner had
arrived.
It
was tough, sitting there at the table, watching her eat. Watching her swirl her
fries in the ketchup and suck it off. Watching her lick her fingers. Fucking
lick her fingers.
Did
she have any idea how sexy that was?
He
wanted nothing more right now than to yank her into his arms and kiss her.
But
he couldn’t. Shouldn’t.
She
looked up. Caught him staring at her. Instead of a glower—as he expected, being
caught out like this—her eyes widened like a gazelle on an African plain
sighting a predator.
And
fuck. He felt like one.
Especially
when that wanting look flickered through her eyes.
Oh,
she tried to hide it, but he saw it. Couldn’t miss it. It sent a flame licking
through his body. He was damn tired of pretending. Tired of looking away. Tired
of acting like the simmering arousal he felt for her didn’t exist. Tired of
keeping himself constrained.
As
he continued to watch her, she became restless. And then she frowned. “Stop
that,” she said.
“Stop
what?”
“Stop
looking at me like that.”
“Like
what?”
“Like
you want to…eat me up.”
He
did. He wanted to eat her all up. And he wanted her to know it.
He
couldn’t stop his roguish grin. “Scott was right.”
She
blinked. “What?”
“It
is hard to be with you, day in and day out, and not make a move.”
Her
throat worked. “I…ah… Do you want to make a move?”
“Hell,
yeah.”
A
pink tide crept up her cheeks. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“It’s
not ridiculous in the least.”
“Why
are you telling me this?”
“Because
you should know.”
“Know?
Know what?” Her innocence was feigned. It had to be. She was a grown woman. A
knockout. Surely she knew what effect she had on the males of the species.
“You
should know how much I want to kiss you right now.”
Her
eyes shone. Her lips parted. Her tongue peeped out.
And
yeah.
That
was an engraved invitation if he’d ever seen one. Without a word, he pushed
back his chair and rose. And then he rounded the table, took hold of her wrist
and yanked her into his arms.
Herding Cat releases January 26th with the second wave of Cat Johnson's Hot SEALs! Check out more titles below!
OR
Little known fact: Portions of this book were based on my adventures in Kowloon. What a fascinating city!
Her Royal Hotness, Sabrina York, is the New
York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of hot, humorous stories for smart
and sexy readers. Her titles range from sweet & sexy to scorching romance.
Visit her webpage at www.sabrinayork.com to check out her books, excerpts and
contests.
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contests and be the first to know about coming books!
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My SEAL Bodyguard by
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