Redemption
(The Reckless Rockwoods Series #4)
by Monica Burns
Blurb:
As a Reckless Rockwood, Percy has a tendency to find himself in situations that aren’t good for his health. Unfortunately for him the an dara sealladh (the “sight”) showed him a beautiful pair of violet eyes that he found at the same moment he was shot. Left for dead, he survived the bullet and a year later meets Rhea Bennett and her violet eyes once more. Her connection to the man responsible for his attempted murder makes him determined to find the bastard, but he’s even more resolved to save and protect the woman at the heart of the matter.
Sold into slavery at nineteen, Rhea Bennett escaped the horrors of prostitution and thievery, but there are children she knew during that dark time that need to be saved. Rhea’s rescue operation is well underway, but Percy Rockwood’s reappearance in her life is making matters difficult. Rhea never thought it possible to feel anything when a man touched her, but Percy is different. She feels things when he touches her. Emotions dangerous to her heart and soul, but even more dangerous for Percy if her enemies learn she cares for him.
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Excerpts
“I
don’t appreciate being held hostage, Mr. Rockwood. I would like to leave. Now.”
“And
I don’t appreciate being shot,” he ground out harshly.
The accusation in his
voice sent an icy blasts across the way his skin. Frozen in place, she was
grateful for the ability to remain unflinching in the face of his fury. Percy
folded his arms across his chest as he studied her coldly. His stance declared
he expected an explanation or at the very least a response from her.
“I’ve never shot
anyone,” she choked out. It was the truth. She’d never shot or killed anyone.
The thought of doing so was abhorrent to her. She’d not even been able to kill
Ruckley when she’d had the chance.
“But you did leave me
on the floor of the British Museum to die.” The brutal contempt in his voice
made her jump. She shook her head vehemently.
“No, it wasn’t like
that.”
Her sharp denial made
Rhea suck in a sharp breath as she saw the triumphant gleam in his eyes.
Horrified, she struggled with the extent of her error. She’d just confessed to
a crime. One of the first lessons Ruckley had taught her was to never admit
guilt. Rhea stared at her accuser in fear as her heart pounded wildly in her
chest. The moment his gaze narrowed on her, she experienced the sensation of
being pinned to an lepidopterist’s board of butterflies.
“Then explain your actions,” he bit out tersely. “Explain why you would leave me lying on the museum floor in a pool of blood.”
“Then explain your actions,” he bit out tersely. “Explain why you would leave me lying on the museum floor in a pool of blood.”
The bitterness in his
voice made her close her eyes. She hadn’t wanted to leave him in that night. Even
if all she could have done was to hold him until he took his last breath, she
would never have left him if it hadn’t been for Ruckley. But how could she
possibly make Percy Rockwood understand what had driven her to ignore every
universal law of compassion and kindness. She met his gaze for a long moment
then looked away.
“I thought you were
already dead. If I’d protested any more than I did, Ruckley would have shot me
as well.”
“Your desire to live
is something I understand all too well,” he said sardonically. At the
suggestion that her life was all that mattered Rhea directed a cold look at
him.
“My life wasn’t mine
to give away. There were others to consider.”
“And yet, here you
are, at my brother’s estate, dressed like a woman of means without any encumbrances.”
The sarcasm in his words and expression made her flinch as if he’d slapped her.
She didn’t know why, but she didn’t want him to think badly of her.
“Leaving you on that
gallery floor that night has haunted me ever since,” she said in a hoarse voice.
“How touching. But
the fact is you did leave me, didn’t you, Rhea?” The harsh condemnation made
her lift her head slightly. She’d wronged him terribly. She knew that, but he
didn’t know her reasons, and any explanation would reveal her shame. It would
also open up Arianna to a scandal.
“I’m sorry for what I
did. I will have to live with that sin until my dying day,” Rhea said softly.
Percy
studied Rhea’s profile for a long moment. Her features had been obscured by her
mask that night more than a year ago. But something had registered with him the
moment their eyes had met across the ballroom floor. His initial reaction when
he’d caught her watching him had been amusement. Whether it was a mother
seeking a husband for their offspring, the wide-eyed admiration of an ingénue,
or the sultry widow interested in a dalliance, he was well acquainted with the
female sex and their behaviors.
But
as he had continued to study her from across the expanse of the ballroom, it
had been his sudden awareness that Rhea feared him that had startled him. It
had been an instinctive knowing that had puzzled him for the briefest of
moments before he’d made the connection to the woman in the museum a year ago.
It had been the strongest clairvoyant sensation he’d had since the night he was
shot. It had been even stronger than the ghosts that had assaulted his senses
during his hospital stay. But he’d not trusted his intuition until he’d looked
into the deep violet of her eyes when Helen had introduced them. Percy gritted
his teeth. One thing was for certain, the woman was distracting him from his
purpose. The color of her eyes was irrelevant to the matter at hand.
“I asked you where I
can find this man, Ruckley.”
“I don’t know where
he is,” she replied without emotion as she turned her head and met his gaze
steadily. There wasn’t a trace of deception in those violet depths, but
something else flickered there before it was extinguished.
“And if you did know
his whereabouts?” His question hung in the air between them for a long moment.
With a shake of her head, Rhea looked away.
“I wouldn’t tell
you.” The flat response made Percy blow out a breath of exasperation. Again he
wondered why he’d decided not to hand her over to Scotland Yard.
He couldn’t attribute
his decision to being blinded by her beauty. Rhea was lovely, but she didn’t
resemble the women he usually favored when it came to liaisons. Still, there
was something unforgettable about her expressive features. Wisps of dark brown
hair had freed themselves from her upswept hair and framed her face in a way
that made her look vulnerable. But it was her mouth that captured his
imagination. Her full lips were an enticing dark pink. It was a mouth made for
kissing. Percy frowned at his fantasizing.
Apprehension
shimmered in her eyes as she looked at him again. Percy suddenly realized he
didn’t like the idea that she feared him. Surprised and annoyed by the thought,
he clenched his jaw. The woman had left him for dead. Yet in true Rockwood
fashion, he’d impulsively declared he wouldn’t hand her over to the police.
He didn’t know what
to make of his decision. Nor did he understand his need to protect her or
convince her that she had nothing to fear from him. Tension flooded his body.
What the devil was wrong with him? All he cared about was finding the Nephthys
pendant and returning it to the museum. The thought almost made him snort out
loud in self-disgust. Despite what his instinct was telling him, it was still
difficult not to eye her with suspicion. He grunted softly.
The Reckless Rockwoods Series
Available for purchase at
Available for purchase at
Available for purchase at
About the Author
A bestselling author of spicy historical and paranormal romance, Monica Burns penned her first short romance story at the age of nine when she selected the pseudonym she uses today. Her historical book awards include the 2011 RT BookReviews Reviewers Choice Award and the 2012 Gayle Wilson Heart of Excellence Award for Pleasure Me. She is also the recipient of the prestigious paranormal romance award, the 2011 PRISM Best of the Best award for Assassin’s Heart. From the days when she hid her stories from her sisters to her first completed full-length manuscript, she always believed in her dream despite rejections and setbacks. A workaholic wife and mother, Monica believes it’s possible for the good guy to win if they work hard enough.
You can find Monica here:
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