Excerpt: Spring's Reign/Hunted/Rider/The Hunt

Heat and humidity prickled over her skin as she stepped out of the international airport in Brasilia.

She had a dun-coloured pack over her shoulder and car keys clenched tight in her fist. Noise and a panoply of colour assaulted her senses and she tried to ease her breathing. This was neither the time nor the place to panic. She slid sunglasses on to cut the glare and looked around.

There. The car rental garage with mulato claro men assisting the newly-arrived tourists.

She strode across the road and waited.

A handsome twenty-something with black hair and bright blue eyes, smiled at her with gleaming white teeth and approached, held out his hand.

“Senorita, allow me to retrieve your car.”

Oh, yeah, she thought with ill-temper, you do that. She handed him the keys and smiled back at him. He gave her a wink and walked down the lines of cars to a brute of an SUV.

Stacey eased the pack from her shoulders, rolled them. She was singularly incapable of doing this by herself, and yet, those were her orders. At least her handler provided her with ‘assets’ although none turned up except the vehicle.

The young man backed the black, top of the line beast out of the slot and drove slowly towards her. She saw his pleasure at driving the SUV and figured he’d love to take off road.

He hopped out, kept the door open for her. “You are travelling alone?”

A masculine arm draped across her shoulders. She turned slightly and he took the opportunity to brush his lips over her cheek. Pure adrenalin shot through her veins.

“Sorry I’m late, hon, that airline food always makes me...”

She cleared her throat and looked at the young man. If he was disappointed, he didn’t show it. In fact, he now addressed her male companion.

“There is a GPS unit, Bluetooth, DVD, air-conditioning, a cooler and snorkel for rough roads, sir. In the glove box, you’ll find maps – in case the GPS fails or cannot get a signal – a first aid kit and emergency numbers should you break down. I will also point out that the shell of the vehicle is toughened to resist scratches. Tinted windows as you can see.” He beamed. “Have fun.” He flicked a finger to his forehead and walked around her to the next customer.

“Will you drive or shall I?” He dropped his arm and picked up her pack, kept his head turned away from her. All she saw was black hair, broad shoulders, a narrow waist and long legs. She tilted her head and watched him go to the back of the SUV and stow her pack.

A nice package, she thought with a smile, and then frowned. How had he snuck up on her? Who was he? Her contact? She’d spent her entire career in the office. Theory was easy, until you had to practice it. She decided and lifted the sunglasses to the top of her head then pressed the heels of her hands against her aching eyes.

This was so wrong. Cosgrove should have sent someone else, and her handler...! They knew better than to put her in such jeopardy!

She was a neophyte, without a mentor, dropped in the deep end, up the creek without a...

“You look tired, so I’ll drive.”

Stacey kept her eyes closed and lowered her sunglasses before opening them again.

Holy... moley... She blinked, stared at his tanned skin, even pearly whites, the dimples in his cheeks and perfectly formed black eyebrows over forest dark green eyes. His nose was straight and long, his mouth... Nice package? Hell he was gorgeous with a capital ‘G’. She watched as his smile dimmed and he frowned. Wanted that smile back.

“You’re staring, Callender.” He said.

“You’re worth staring at.” She sighed and shut her eyes again. “I said that out loud, didn’t I.”

His masculine laughter rippled across her skin. “Sure did, but if it’s any consolation, I’ve been staring at you, too, from across the road.” His fingers reached out and plucked the sunglasses off her face.

She looked at him. “Okay, fine. Game, set, match to you. Now, give me back my glasses, get in the god-damned car and then tell who the fuck you are and what you want!”

His grin returned and set the glasses on her nose. “You’re in charge.”

“I am?” She asked, surprised, then recanted. “Yeah, I am. But you’re still driving.”