“First, raise your knees and plant your feet wide...”

      Obeying Clay’s instructions, Gabby’s thighs touched his butt.

      “Now move your left wrist away from your head.” He demonstrated the self-defense move slowly. “See? That throws me off balance because my hand goes out from under me.”

      “Oh, cool. Let me try that again.”

      Now she was on her back and he was above her. Chest to chest. With only the thin cotton of their shirts between them. His hardness pressed to her softness. Everywhere.

      She took a deep breath and licked her lips. His eyes were a whiskey brown. His mouth... She wanted to lift her head and catch it with her own. Just to see if it was as supple as it looked.

      She wasn’t expecting till death did them part. But before she returned to reality, at the very least, she wanted a kiss. Mostly to see if kissing him was as amazing as she remembered.

      She claimed his lips then. And after a stunned second, he returned her kiss, his mouth moving over hers, nipping, tasting.

      Needing him, she clasped his jaw, tangled her fingers in his hair. She was drowning in the feel of his mouth on hers, taking and giving, plundering. She started untucking his shirt and inching it up his back, running her palms over the hot, bare skin...

      She refused to lose this moment. She would have him once and for all.

      Dear Reader,

      When Harlequin asked me for more Uniformly Hot! romances, I knew I wanted to write about Navy SEALs and immediately began researching everything about them. There are a lot of great books about Special Ops and the Navy SEALs in particular. Information concerning actual missions, weapons and tactics, as well as the grueling training. Learning about their everyday lives and challenges was fascinating and definitely inspired my fictional hero, Clay Bellamy.

      Unlike many true SEALs, however, Clay is not a family man. His childhood made him a cynic when it comes to love. He’s certainly never known a woman as innocent and kindhearted as Gabriella Diaz. She desperately needs his help and I hope you enjoy their wild, sexy journey to love.

      Researching SEALs also led me to the Navy SEAL Foundation, navysealfoundation.org. I’ve made a contribution already and will be making more with each royalty check from this book. Consider donating if you can and please visit my website, jillianburns.com, for information on my next book.

      Sincerely,

      Jillian