Dead World
Syndi Stone lives in a dried out, barren world
where water—a commodity too expensive for the poor—is
bought or fought for. Tired of panhandling for money,
being offered a few bottles of water if she spreads her
legs, she dares to break the law and indulge in swimming
in a prohibited area.
Having never swum before, she is overjoyed by the
sensation of water covering every inch of her naked
body. Her indulgence takes her too far. Panic grips her
when she discovers a tunnel leading to an underwater
world so unlike anything she’s ever seen.
Tor Geinz leads the West Passage of Undrworld. Taught as
a child that the surface of Earth is no longer
habitable, he’s more than a little suspicious when Syndi
surfaces in his world out of the blue.
Meeting Syndi, a mysterious woman who fires his blood
like no other ever has, and fighting the undeniable need
they feel for each other is only one battle on Tor’s
hands. As the forces of Undrworld gather for an
unforeseen confrontation, the collision of both their
worlds will change life as they know it forever.
Occasionally, change can be a good thing!
Excerpt
“Let me go,” she whispered.
“I can’t.” His large hand moved down her body under the
water, pressing against her belly and then stroking just a
bit lower.
A sudden fire ignited between her legs, a reaction she
wasn’t ready for. This was kidnapping. Her assailant
shouldn’t be turning her on. He was more than just turning
her on though—he was turning her into one oversized raw
nerve ending. She pulsed from head to toe with a need so
demanding, so raw and untamed, it was damned hard to focus
on anything else other than running her hands over his body.
She wanted to explore those rock-hard muscles, feel them
twitch under her touch.
But then he was moving behind her, letting her go briefly,
and she took advantage of the moment to swim away from him.
Not having him touch her was all she could ask for at the
moment. This stranger had some ability to turn her body into
mush, ignite cravings in her that had never surfaced before,
no matter how smooth the seductor.
The man quickly pulled his sleeveless muscle-shirt from his
body, and then moved toward her as if they were on ground. A
complete klutz in the water, all she could do was splash
water at him, doing anything to keep him from her. But his
large strong hands were on her again, and suddenly she was
blinded. It took a moment to realize he’d just slid his
shirt over her.
And then climbing out of the pond, he pulled her out next to
him. For a moment she wasn’t sure she could stand.
“Let’s get her out of here.” He was walking through the
trees, pulling her along with him.
“Tor. I swear to God you’ve lost your fucking mind,” the
woman in front of her muttered, giving a quick glance to
their surroundings.
Syndi barely had a chance to look around her. The sensation
of the soft ground against her feet, the cool air around
her, distracted her too much for her to pay attention to
where they were taking her.
In spite of the magnificent foliage, the air that was so
cool it didn’t burn her skin, one thing registered. They
were taking her away from the pond, away from the only door
back home. Getting lost in this unknown place wasn’t an
option.
The virile man walked behind her. He didn’t touch her,
although she could still feel every inch of him pressing
against her in her mind. Focusing on the woman who walked in
front of her, Syndi noticed a similar belt around her waist.
A large deadly looking gun hung from the woman’s side,
barely moving as the woman’s ass swayed with her strut.
Syndi hadn’t grown up on the streets of Detroit without
learning how to fight.
Moving quickly, punching the woman low in the back, aiming
for the kidneys, Syndi grabbed the gun from the woman’s
belt. The woman managed a half-turn, crying out as she
buckled to her knees. Syndi freed the gun from the belt then
bolted to the side.
The man behind her was more of a threat. Running faster than
she’d ever run before, it was as if she bounced off the
moist ground, covered with cool blades of grass that she
never dreamed would feel so soft against her feet.
There was one problem. She wasn’t running toward the pond.
No. Two problems.
The large man barreled after her, sounding like a bulldozer
clearing a path as he closed in on her.
She turned, knowing out-running him wasn’t an option. She
didn’t know the land, and he did.
“I’ll shoot. I swear to God, I’ll kill you.” She held the
gun toward him, straightening her arms, staring past the
silver metal into dark eyes that had turned cold and hard.
A shiver rushed through her, turning hot quickly. Oversized
eyes penetrated deep inside her, focusing on the source of
the fire that burned out of control. It took a moment to
remember she pointed a gun at that magnificent body.
The man came to a quick halt, standing bare-chested before
her, wearing nothing more than tan shorts that hugged him a
bit too well. She let out a breath, demanding her gaze
remain pinned on his face, which was real fucking hard to
do.
“No, you won’t.” He raised his hands toward her, palms out.
“You’re as fascinated by me as I am by you. And you want to
know more.”
He wasn’t speaking sexually, was he?
But she did want to know more. And conceding to her
fascination with him sexually would give him the upper hand.
No matter that he looked a little different with those large
eyes. He was still a man. Dear God! Was he ever a man!
Fuck him first—then escape!
God. She was certifiably insane!
She narrowed her gaze, locking her elbows as she
straightened her arms. This man had just abducted her. There
couldn’t be any good in him.
“Fascinated? Maybe with this place.” Her voice was steady.
She wouldn’t let him see the fear and raw lust that
tormented her. “But hardly with you. An abductor? A
criminal? You don’t rate my fascination.”
His expression hardened, his dark eyes almost glowing black.
A man this fucking hot—the lady had called him Tor—would
have women begging him to do them every time he turned
around. The look he gave her pissed her off though. As if
silently he challenged her, not believing a word she said.
For the first time, she let her gaze falter, lowering it a
fraction of an inch to get a closer look at the gun. There
didn’t appear to be a trigger, not the conventional sort.
Shaped like any gun, this one had one difference—where the
trigger would be, there were two buttons. She pressed her
fingers to both buttons, willing to find out what each one
of them did if he took another step toward her.
Tor didn’t take a step. He lunged. Leaping at her, barely
giving her time to focus on him, he took her down. The two
of them landed hard on the ground. Someone ripped the gun
from her hand, but she couldn’t see. Her hair tangled over
her face, and her arms and legs were pinned under his large,
heavy body.
“You’re fascinating me more with every minute,” he whispered
in her face.
A strong hand pinned her hands together, while he brushed
her hair from her face with his other hand. His oversized
shirt twisted on her body, exposing one breast to him. He
lifted his body off hers slightly, allowing her at least the
courtesy of breathing.
“Tor,” the woman behind them said, sounding somewhat
exasperated.
Maybe she was his girlfriend. If so, Syndi pitied the woman.
Her man was a brute.
She glared up at him while he stared down at her, his gaze
lowering to her exposed breast. There was no way to slow her
breathing, adrenaline pumped through her too hard. The rise
and fall of her chest added to the fullness of her breast.
Her nipple hardened as her own hair, still quite wet,
brushed over it and fell to her side.
“Get off me,” she growled, hating being exposed like this,
hating how her body convulsed with need.
Long lashes hooded his gaze. A moment passed like an
eternity before slowly his focus moved to her face. Roped
muscle stretched underneath his moist warm flesh. Everywhere
he touched her burned with passion so raw, it was as if he’d
branded her, marked her so that her body would respond only
to him.
