MISSING (The Brannock Siblings #3)
by: Jessica Wilde
September 21, 2014
SYNOPSIS:
There are two things in this life that Gus Brannock truly loves; his family and his job. His family is growing and he wants what his brother and sister have before the job he's worked so hard for takes its toll. The woman he's got his eye on, however, isn't interested in being with a man who risks his life every day. When the unexpected friendship with the sassy red head he used to hate turns into something Gus just doesn't want to live without, he will do whatever it takes to have her. The hazards of his job as a detective for missing children may end up proving to be too much, but there's a reason Aiden was brought into his life and nothing will stand in his way to keep her there.
Aiden Murphy used to hate the handsome jerk next door until a surprising discovery spun her world in another direction. Her life of devotion to her sister and niece has been her biggest strength with the exception of her art. That is, until Gus turns out to be the one thing that has been missing from that life all along. Aiden must decide if the unknown is worth the risk of loving the dedicated detective or if being pulled into his world is more than she can handle. When Gus becomes the only way for her to keep the people she loves most safe, will she understand why he treasures her untried strength or will she let her fear of the unknown decide for her?
For readers 18+ due to strong language and sexual situations.
Excerpt:
I checked my phone once more and saw that there was a text that had come in while I was lost in my thoughts.
MysteryGirl: Almost there.
I have never been nervous for a date before, but this one was important. It was the first time I had been completely honest with a woman about my past and the first time the woman knew that this wasn't just about getting into bed together.
She may not know specific details, but she knew enough about me. She knew details about my past that no one else did and it had taken a huge weight off of my shoulders. She liked me for me, no matter what - or who - I had done before her. It was refreshing and very necessary for me now that I had watched Ash and Con's lives change so much because they had found the one. I wanted that for me and I was going to get it no matter the cost.
I waited for another few minutes when I saw a flash of red outside the window next to me.
Aiden was scurrying down the sidewalk in the dark green dress I saw her carrying the day before. And just like I had thought it would the day before, it looked really good on her. It stopped just above her knees, showing off the creamy skin of her toned legs, and the shoes she was wearing… those heels made her legs look miles long. Her curled hair draped down her back, the perfect shade of red to go with the dress. I still hadn't seen her face, but there was no mistaking that hair.
I was right. She didn't need much time to look good.
My perusal of her was cut off when she turned into the door to the restaurant and strode up to the hostess.
"Lucky day," I said to myself, curious to see who her date was and if he was the smart sophisticated doctor-like gentleman I could picture her with.
The hostess started to lead her through the same maze of tables I had walked through and as they got closer, I wondered at the coincidence that her date was in the same restaurant and, from the looks of it, possibly at the table next to mine. I tore my eyes away from Aiden who was concentrating on not running into anything and my heart stuttered to a halt, my hands starting to sweat when the hostess met my gaze then smiled as she came to a stop next to me.
At my table.
"Here we are, Miss."
The look on Aiden's face when she finally saw me had to be the exact visual replica of the way I was feeling sitting there like an idiot, staring at what I had come to realize was my MysteryGirl.
"What the fuck?" The hostess flinched at my outburst, but I didn't give a shit. This had to be some kind of joke.
"You're Dreamy?" Aiden gasped.
"You're MysteryGirl?"
The now frowning hostess hurried away as Aiden's face began to turn bright red, almost as red as her hair and I felt like a complete dick. I should have seen the signs. Artist, hot date, funny as hell. Of course Mystery Girl is Aiden.
She's fucking perfect for me. In. Every. Way.
Realizing that made me wish I would have seen it sooner before I was a complete asshole to her all those times. Whatever she was about to do, I deserved one hundred and fifty percent.
Before I could say anything, even process anything beyond the fact that she was the woman I had been communicating with this whole time, she turned on her sexy as hell heels and took off through the obstacle course of linen covered tables, knocking over a centerpiece or two, and all but running out the front door.
My jaw was still flat on the table, but now I was drooling. Curves I had never noticed before were moving quickly away from me.
Yes, I deserved it.
No, I wasn't going to accept it.
It only took me another two seconds to make my decision.
I had waited too long for her. Too long trying to convince her to meet me in person. Too long lying awake at night wondering what she looked like. Too long imagining her body wrapped around mine while we talked for hours on end.
MysteryGirl was mine. MysteryGirl was Aiden. Therefore, Aiden… yeah, she was going to be mine, too.
I was watching her hurry down the sidewalk while I attempted to scoot out of the booth without taking my eyes off of her.
"Excuse me, sir. Will your date be returning?"
I quickly glanced at the now more hopeful hostess and grinned, "No. We are both leaving. Thank you for the table and I apologize that we won't be using it."
I didn't wait another second. I flew by her and my eyes found Aiden once more as I reached the glass front door. She was folding that body into a cab and my heart thumped wildly against my chest.
"You can run, Red. But you can't hide."
~~~~~*~*~*~~~~~
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Other Books In this series:
Leverage (The Brannock Siblings #1)
Synopsis:
Adventure. That's all Aislinn 'Ash' Brannock wanted in her life. Her dad and two brothers - all cops - got to see it all, but their over-protectiveness made her feel like she had been locked away in a tower with three fire breathing dragons watching her every move. Yes, it was that bad. The only silver lining? Lucas Shade. Her brothers' best friend growing up, and apparently the only man she will ever love because let's face it, none of the others even come close. After an unfortunate mistake lands her back in her father's home, her world is turned upside down and Lucas is there in a tightly wrapped package of serious with a big red bow on top. Life just got interesting, but it comes with a price, one she never wanted to pay.
Detective Lucas Shade never had a real family, but the Brannocks took him in as one of their own and he never took it for granted. Ash was a big reason for why he stuck around, but in order to save himself the beating of a lifetime from her two older brothers, he kept his feelings for her hidden. When the case he has been working on for months takes a turn, Ash could become the leverage the bad guys have been waiting for, but keeping her invisible may destroy everything Lucas has worked so hard for. Good thing Ash is the only person he would give up everything to protect.
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Conned (The Brannock Siblings #2)
Synopsis:
Conall Brannock takes his job seriously. He doesn't get attached, he doesn't ask questions, and he protects his family at all costs. Nothing will change that. Not even the sweet, green eyed witness that just burst into his life and shifted his world. He has one job to do; protect Emily until she can testify. He can't let his interest in her get in the way, but the more he finds out about her, the more he can't help but wonder how the beautiful broken girl got into this mess in the first place. And the longer he takes to learn the truth, the deeper he falls for her.
Emily Dawson has a job to do. Stay off the grid, testify, and hopefully get her brother back. He's all she has left of the family she struggled so hard to hold together and she would do anything to keep him safe. Even if it means she has put herself in harm's way or that she has conned everyone into believing she saw something she didn't. She knows where her loyalties lie, but her stoic yet gentle protector and his crazy family makes her question everything she once knew.
Loyalty can be one sided.
Family isn't always blood.
And honesty can destroy everything she has come to love.
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About The Author:
I live in Morgan Utah with my husband, daughter, and dog, Kolo. I write as often as my active daughter will let me and my husband has the patience of a saint. I find inspiration from dreams, people I meet, and life experiences. When I write, I usually end up drinking one too many cans of Peace Tea, eating three too many Fruit by the Foot fruit snacks, and accidentally kicking my pup and best buddy, Kolo, too many times since he loves to sleep under my desk at my feet.
I started writing as a teen, but my fear of the unknown won out every time and I threw everything out. After becoming a mother and deciding to stay at home to raise my beautiful little girl, I tried again when I couldn't stop thinking of ideas. I loved every minute, every hour of sleep lost, and every character that came to life in my mind.
It's strange, but my favorite moments are when I have writer's block because I can turn to my husband and find inspiration through him by just doing what we do best together. Talking, laughing, and just being in love. He doesn't like to read, but he never stops encouraging me to keep going.
Writing has become an important part of my life and every book has a special place in my heart.
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