Jeannie Holmes - The Mammoth Book of Futuristic Romance

He chuckled. “You don’t forget anything, do you?”

“Not if I can use it to get what I want.”

Hope lit in his eyes until it hurt to meet his gaze. “You’d do that? Live here and work on Earth?”

“You do.”

He picked up my parents’ wedding picture to run his fingers over the glass. “I do. Before she died, Ikkari urged me to be happy.”

“You haven’t been?”

“I hadn’t given it much thought,” he confessed. “It didn’t seem possible. Much less relevant.”

His observation touched off a sense of recognition within me. I’d felt something similar after my family had been killed.

“You’ve driven me mad with wanting from the moment I met you,” he said. “I think that was my grandfather’s plan all along when he sent me your file and ordered me to take up surveillance. He hasn’t given up hope that he’ll hold another Grisham descendant before he dies.”

Longing arced hot and sharp through my body. He’d planted the image of a dark-haired, blue-eyed infant in my brain and in my heart.

“I want what your parents had, and I want you, Finlay Selkirk. If I have to call in all my favors at the Pentagon to keep questions from being asked, I will,” he swore.

“Then help me get my things,” I ordered, grinning. “You can come with me to Jill’s party three days from now. Then we can take turns playing Santa.”

Interest sparked in his eyes as he looked me up and down. “I can hardly wait to unwrap my present.

Are you going to make me wait for Christmas morning?”

“Of course,” I replied, thoroughly enjoying the buzz of arousal bolstering the easy teasing.

“Not if I have my way,” he promised, taking my hand and pressing a kiss to my palm. He chuckled when I gasped and squirmed.

I so hoped he did get his way. Soon.

“Ms Finlay Selkirk,” he said, mischief in his tone. “You’ve aced the interview. I’d like to offer you the job. Effective immediately.”

“Reporting to you?”

“Only to me.”

“When do we talk compensation?” I teased.

His dead sexy smile turned my insides to water. “When we’ve completed transport to your apartment.

We’ll discuss it. In detail.”

Regan Black

Regan crafts action-packed stories so paranormal fans can enjoy a fantastic escape from the daily grind. A recipient of a 2011 Paranormal Romance Guild Reviewer’s Choice Award, she is the author of the futuristic Shadows of Justice series, the lighthearted, contemporary Matchmaker series, and the Hobbitville young-adult series. www.reganblack.com

Marcella Burnard

An award-winning author writing science fiction romance for Berkley Sensation, her first book, Enemy Within , was a national bestseller on its debut in November 2010. It won the RT Reviewer’s Choice Award that year and was a double RITA finalist. The second book in the series, Enemy Games , was published in May 2011. Enemy Storm , book three, is in the works. A short, erotic novella set in the Enemy universe was released by Berkley as an E-Special in April 2012. www.marcellaburnard.com

Cathy Clamp

USA Today bestselling author of the Tales of the Sazi paranormal romance series, she also writes as Cat Adams for the Blood Singer urban fantasy series. Cathy is a recipient of the RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Award for Paranormal Romance. www.catadams.net Bianca D’Arc

Critically acclaimed author of paranormal, science fiction and fantasy romance, Bianca has twice won the coveted EPPIE Award. Her background includes degrees in biochemistry, library science and law. www.biancadarc.com

Delilah DevlinDelilah is a national bestselling author of erotic romance, with a reputation for edgy stories and complex characters. She has published over one hundred stories in a variety of sub-genres and formats with publishers like Avon, Berkley, Kensington, Cleis Press, Black Lace, Kindle, Running Press, Atria/Strebor, Ellora’s Cave, and Samhain Publishing. www.delilahdevlin.com

Kiersten Fay

Kiersten combines paranormal and sci-fi elements in her romance – along with a healthy dose of humor – and is author of the steamy, paranormal/sci-fi series Shadow Quest. Often, she can be found guzzling coffee and lurking around Twitter @ Kierstenfay. www.kierstenfay.com

Jess Granger

National bestselling author of dark and intense futuristic romance novels. www.jessgranger.com

Jamie Leigh Hansen

Jamie builds engaging worlds filled with sexy vampires, werewolves and more. www.jamieleighhansen.com

Leanna Renee Hieber

Trained as an actress and playwright, Leanna adores writing historical and futuristic fantasy with a focus in the Victorian era. Her debut novel, The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker, appeared on Barnes & Noble’s bestseller lists and won two 2010 Prism Awards (Best Fantasy, Best First Book).

“Song of Saire” is part of her Dark Nest futuristic fantasy series published by Crescent Moon Press, which won the 2009 Prism Award in the novella category. www.leannareneehieber.com

Jeannie Holmes

Jeannie fears spiders, large bodies of water, and bad weather. Therefore, she moved from rural Mississippi to the Alabama Gulf Coast where all three are in abundance. She’s a member of Romance Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, and Horror Writers Association. When she isn’t spending time with her husband and four neurotic cats, she writes the Alexandra Sabian series. www.jeannieholmes.com

Donna Kauffman

USA Today bestselling, award-winning author Donna Kauffman has seen her books reviewed everywhere from Kirkus to Library Journal, Entertainment Weekly to Cosmopolitan . With over fifty titles in print, her work has been translated into twenty-three languages worldwide. Her current Cupcake Club series has received starred reviews, and was named both Pick of the Week ( Sugar Rush ) and Top 12 Spring Romance 2012 ( Sweet Stuff ) from Publisher’s Weekly. Donna lives just outside Washington DC in the Virginia countryside with her family and a growing menagerie of animals. www.donnakauffman.com

Michele Lang

Writer of paranormal and futuristic romance, and the historical-fantasy series Lady Lazarus, published by Tor. www.michelelang.com

Mandy M. Roth

Mandy is fascinated by creatures that go bump in the night. Her books have won numerous awards, including a Romantic Times nomination for Best Paranormal Erotic. www.mandyroth.com

Patrice Sarath

Patrice is the author of the highly acclaimed sequel to Pride and Prejudice , The Unexpected Miss Bennet . She also writes fantasy and science fiction, and her latest novel is The Crow God’s Girl , a young-adult novel set in her Gordath Wood series of fantasies. www.patricesarath.com

Linnea Sinclair

Winner of the prestigious national book award, the RITA, Linnea is a name synonymous with high-action, emotionally intense, character-driven novels. Starlog magazine calls her “one of the reigning queens of science fiction romance”. The Down Home Zombie Blues , published in 2007 by Bantam, has been adapted for the screen (re-titled The Down Home Alien Blues ) and will appear in theatres in 2013. A former news reporter and retired private detective, she divides her time between Naples, Florida and Columbus, Ohio. www.linneasinclair.com