Joan Kilby - Protecting Her Son

Crossing the thin blue line

Paula Drummond is finally back on a police force. And with so much at stake—she’s a single mom atoning for an almost career-ending mistake—she’s not risking anything but stellar performance. That means, regardless of whatever attraction is brewing between her and her partner Officer Riley Henning, she will not get involved.

Still, working side by side with a man as hot as Riley and not giving in to temptation isn’t easy. Especially when he goes above and beyond to help keep her son safe. With all that evidence piling up, it seems as though her partner on the job is destined to become her partner in bed…and maybe even in life.

This was crazy…insane…and everything she wanted

A sweet hot rush of desire swept over Paula. She’d wanted to kiss Riley for so long. She’d held back for a whole lot of good reasons.

The reasons hadn’t gone away.

Reason itself had disappeared.

He began to undo her buttons. She pushed his hands away.

“You’re right. This is inappropriate. I’m so—”

“Don’t you dare apologize.” And to prove she had no intention of stopping, she whipped her shirt over her head.

Inappropriate or not, she didn’t care. His touch felt like heaven. His kisses were better than chocolate. She liked him, she liked what he was doing to her. And she wanted more.

She was tired of being cautious. Tired of examining every feeling to see if she should act or clamp down on her desires. Riley was an honorable man and he was hot for her. So what if they gave each other a bit of release this once? If they were adult about this, they could have sex without it interfering with their work.

Feeling his corded muscles and broad shoulders, she’d imagined what it would be like skin to skin. Now she knew, and it was good. He claimed her mouth again and rose to his feet, pulling her up with him.

“Come with me.” She took his hand and led him to her bedroom.

Dear Reader,

When my editor suggested making my hero and heroine police officers (instead of newspaper reporters) I agreed immediately. Higher stakes, more excitement—fabulous! As I began to think about the story and flesh out the characters I realized just how high the stakes could go.

What if my detective heroine Paula Drummond had a son by a drug lord she’d put in jail? What would happen when that criminal got out of jail and wanted his son? What if, by association, Paula is inadvertently responsible for hard drugs coming to her adopted town of Summerside?

That’s a lot for any woman to cope with. Paula is probably the strongest and most assertive heroine I’ve written. She needed—and deserved—a strong partner, so I created ex-Special Forces soldier, Riley Henning. Because we writers like to make life difficult for our characters, I decided Riley had to battle his own demons—post-traumatic stress disorder from his tour of duty in Afghanistan—even as he helped Paula protect her little boy, Jamie, from his criminal father.

Protecting Her Son is the fourth book set in my fictional Australian seaside town of Summerside. In it, I introduce a new set of characters with cameo appearances from old favorites. This book stands alone but expands and enriches the picture of village life in Summerside.

I love to hear from readers. Drop me a line at joan@joankilby.com or write snail mail to, c/o Harlequin Enterprises Ltd, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, CANADA, M3B 3K9. Check out my website, www.joankilby.com.

Happy reading!

Joan Kilby

Protecting Her Son

Joan Kilby

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Joan Kilby is a great believer in law and order, but like many people, gets nervous for no reason when she sees a police car following her on the highway. So it was with some trepidation that she wrote a story about a couple of cops. She felt better once she was done. Somehow the police seemed more human now that she knew them better. (Yes, she knows she’s writing fiction and these people aren’t real. They just seem that way.) Joan lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her husband and three children. She’s the law-abiding and award-winning author of more than twenty Harlequin Superromance books.

To police officers everywhere

who put their lives on the line to serve and protect the community.

Contents

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER ONE

Seven years earlier

DETECTIVE PAULA DRUMMOND’S long-legged stride through the bull pen was more of a wiggle than a walk in her tight skirt and teetering high heels. Her clinging silk blouse with plunging neckline displayed a generous cleavage.

Catcalls and wolf whistles erupted in her wake. Paula grinned, flipped up her middle finger and exaggerated her hips’ sway as she carried on to the detective sergeant’s office.

Tim Hudson’s shiny bald head was bent over his computer keyboard as he typed furiously with two fingers. Knocking once, Paula entered and lowered herself onto a guest chair. She crossed her legs, one rhinestone-studded shoe bobbing briskly. “What’s up, boss? Why did you call me in?”

Hudson hit save, leaned back and squinted at her. “Drummond, is that you? I barely recognize you.”

“That’s the idea.” Paula pushed back the blond hair streaked with mink hanging over her heavily made-up eyes. “Nick’s ready for his daily massage. He doesn’t like it when I’m late.”

She inspected her nails, kept short and blunt. Her prep for this operation had included six weeks intensive training in therapeutic massage. Once they’d learned Moresco had a chronic shoulder injury, her cover ID was a cinch.

“I wanted to know if that slimeball is pressuring you,” Hudson said. “Sexually, I mean.”

Nick Moresco was a drug lord but he liked to think of himself as a businessman. He was rich, handsome, charming, sophisticated and intelligent. He liked women. Of course he was pressuring her.

Paula shrugged. “Nothing I can’t handle.”

The detective sergeant leaned forward, his brown eyes glittering. “I hear he’s hot stuff. An Italian stallion.”

Paula met Hudson’s leer with a steady gaze. “Nick’s a criminal. Like you say, a slimeball.”

“You’re sure you’re not losing your objectivity? Horowitz is transcribing the tapes. He reckons you’re flirting with Moresco. And liking it.”

“I’m doing my job. And Horowitz wouldn’t know whether a woman was liking it if she held up an Olympic score card.” Paula picked a fleck of lint off her mini skirt. But yeah, flirting with Nick was disturbingly easy. The man had charisma.

Hudson leaned back, flicking a pencil between his fingers. “I think we should pull you off the case.”

Paula’s hand tightened on her purse strap. “This op has been going for nearly a year now. Nick’s close to making a major deal on meth production. If I suddenly quit his therapy, it’ll look suspicious. He’s always asking me questions as it is, testing me.”

“As long as you remember you’re a cop. There are lines you don’t cross.”

“Jeez, boss. What do you think I am? Nothing is going to stop me from the satisfaction of hearing those handcuffs click into place when we arrest the bastard.”

Hudson was silent for a long ten seconds, studying her. “All right. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”