Katherine Garbera - Beyond the Limits

This mission is out of control...

Astronaut Isabelle Wolsten fought like hell to be one of the final candidates for the CRONUS mission to space. She can’t afford to be distracted by teammate Antonio “Playboy” Curzon’s broad shoulders, dark, sexy eyes and hot-as-hell Spanish accent. But one searing kiss from Antonio and Izzy knows she’s definitely hit mission critical.

When the two astronauts are put in direct competition for a top spot on the mission, they’ll be tested beyond their limits. Getting involved with Antonio is dangerous—but not nearly as dangerous as the feelings Izzy’s starting to have for him. With everything she’s fought for on the line, falling for this space cowboy might just ground Izzy’s dreams for good...

“What are you doing, Antonio?”

“Taking a chance that you are as unhappy with the just friends thing as I am,” Antonio said, keeping his hand on her hip. He could feel Izzy’s body heat and wanted to be closer. Wanted to lift the skirt on that flouncy dress of hers and slip his hand up underneath it.

“I am,” she said, whispering the words so he had to strain to hear them. “I’m so torn right now. I can’t stop thinking about you, Playboy. I can’t figure out if being lovers would fix the problem.”

“It can’t hurt,” he said.

“I hope you’re right,” she said, looking up into his eyes.

He was taking a risk. Hell, so was she. But he knew that denying himself Izzy wasn’t helping his chances. He wasn’t making rookie mistakes, but only because he had been lucky.

She distracted him, and he couldn’t let her continue to do so...

Dear Reader,

I can’t believe that this is the last book in the Space Cowboys series! It feels as if we were just getting started with Ace and Molly. This book is particularly close to my heart because Izzy Wolsten—female astronaut—gets to live out my dream of going into space.

When I was growing up we had these School Years books that included a spot for your yearly school photo, a chance for you write in who your friends were and which classes you liked best, and on the back of the page there were little check boxes separated into a column for boys and girls. In the boys section there were things like doctor, astronaut and firefighter, and on the girls section there was mom, teacher or secretary. The selection was limited for both genders but I always crossed off the word boy and wrote girl over it and checked astronaut. :)

Izzy and Antonio are both competing to be a part of the CRONUS mission, and more than that they want to be named to a crew that they know will be going to space. That first mission is very important to them because despite all of their training, not all astronauts make it into a final mission to space.

Thank you for reading this series and coming along with me on my own space odyssey.

Happy reading!

Katherine

Beyond the Limits

Katherine Garbera

www.millsandboon.co.uk

USA TODAY bestselling author KATHERINE GARBERAis a two-time Maggie Award winner who has written more than seventy books. A Florida native who grew up to travel the globe, Katherine now makes her home in the Midlands of the UK with her husband, two children and a very spoiled miniature dachshund. Visit Katherine on the web at katherinegarbera.com, or catch up with her on Facebook and Twitter.

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Nothing in life is possible without a really sturdy foundation, and I am so blessed to have been given that by my parents, so this one is for Charlotte and David Smith for always encouraging me to dream big and reach for the stars.

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Dana Hopkins for guest editing the last two books in this series.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Extract

Extract

Copyright

1

AT SIX FOOT ONE, Antonio “Playboy” Curzon immediately drew the eye. Isabelle Wolsten tried to look at him objectively. His muscles rippled and bulged with each upward motion of the weight bar he was bench-pressing, while a low, gravelly grunt captured way more than just her gaze. His short, spiky hair was drenched with sweat and stood up away from a perfectly formed scalp. He had a day’s worth of stubble on his jaw and his dark brown eyes were intense as he continued his workout.

Aggravated with herself for even noticing, she pushed the button on the AlterG treadmill she was working out on to increase her bone density. She was one of eight women in the Cronus candidate class, and she was determined not lose her head over a pretty face.

But, damn, Playboy was more than a pretty face. He was a sexy, muscled, rock-hard body with a drawling Spanish accent. He was all the things her mother had warned her to watch out for and everything that her secret self wanted.

But could she really want him as much as she wanted to go to space?

Her snarky inner voice had been her guiding star all these years. Getting into NASA had been hard. At five foot two she was at the bottom end of the height requirement. She was wicked smart—no sense in denying it—and had been determined to make her mom’s sacrifices count. Her mom had been sure that Izzy was meant for great things. She’d worked hard—an administrative assistant by day and an exotic dancer by night—and she’d saved every penny. Made sure they lived in the right neighborhoods and that Izzy went to the best schools. Her mom had endured all kinds of snide remarks so Izzy could be where she was today.

One of an elite class of sixteen who were in the final running to fill out the last three spots on the first long-term Cronus mission. She was proud of that. Really, she was. Which was why she wasn’t going to let that hot body bench-pressing 250 pounds distract her.

It didn’t matter that he smelled good. That his aftershave—probably something custom-made—had her thinking of long, sultry summer nights. She hit the off button before she lost her concentration and tripped over her own feet on the treadmill. She didn’t look his way as she walked to the refrigerator that was packed with water and electrolyte-heavy beverages. Everything at the Mick Tanner Cronus Training Facility was to enhance an astronaut’s ability to stay longer in space. They worked out for twice the amount of time the astronauts heading to the International Space Station did. They ate a diet that was rich in vitamins to enhance bone density, and they were monitored for the development of kidney stones.

Music was blaring through the speakers, some kind of death metal that their second-in-command, Thor, had put on to get the blood pumping. Izzy had just missed out on that position, but, despite that, she still wasn’t a shoe-in for the first mission. Izzy finished her drink and moved over to the punching bags in the corner. She wrapped her hands and then put on the gloves, slowly finding her balance again. She wasn’t going to let Antonio rattle her, even if he’d earned his moniker honestly. They’d been in the same candidate training class more than eight years ago. He’d been this born-with-a-silver-spoon guy who had too much charm and had bought his way in, while she’d gone to the academy on a merit scholarship and a recommendation from her senator.