Hi, Kat! Welcome to the Romance Dish! I just finished reading Against the
Sky…in one day. It refused to let me go!
Thanks so much for having me! So
glad you enjoyed the Book!
Please tell our readers what they can expect
from Against the Sky.
Against the Sky is the eleventh book in my
Against Series. Nick Brodie is a former
Anchorage homicide detective with a serious case of burnout. Nick wants a new life, something that doesn't
include violence and death.
Unfortunately when his neighbor, twelve-year-old Jimmy Evans, comes to
him beaten and battered, claiming his father was murdered, Nick has no choice but
to help him.
To make matters worse, Nick has a lady friend visiting from San
Francisco. Samantha Hollis, owner of the
Perfect Pup pet grooming parlor, isn't cut out for the harsh life in
Alaska. Unwillingly swept into Jimmy's problems, she finds herself on a wild ride with Nick that
leads them into passion and love and terrible danger.
A visit to Alaska is on my bucket list. Have
you been there? What is it about this state that inspires you as a writer?
I’ve been to Alaska twice, each time for a
month, staying in the back of a small pickup camper. They were both grueling trips and I would do
it again in a heartbeat. There is no
place like Alaska. It’s still a rugged
frontier, still a place that reaches out and grabs you. There is something primal and wonderful about
Alaska.
I want to know more about Nick’s best friend,
Cord. Do you have anything planned for him? Will he finally get his happy ever
after?
I’d like to write
three more Alaska books down the road someday.
One for Cord, one for Noah, and one for Derek. Depends on whether readers would like to
return to Alaska as much as I would.
Are you firmly entrenched in the here and now
or do you ever get the urge to revisit historical romance?
I read an occasional Historical Romance. As for writing one...at the moment I am
loving writing the hunky guys in my Against novels.
Readers, have you visited Alaska? What place is on your bucket list? One randomly chosen person who leaves a comment on today's post will receive a copy of Against the Sky. (winner's choice of kindle, nook or paperback)
AGAINST
THE SKY
By Kat Martin
Chapter One
Samantha
had almost reached her door when she saw a man walking toward her, tall and
heavyset, weaving a little. His suit was
wrinkled, his brown hair mussed and falling over a wide forehead. Obviously he was drunk.
She
didn’t like the leering grin that appeared on his flushed face as he spotted
her and staggered in her direction.
Samantha opened her purse and began digging frantically for her key
card. She was still searching when the
man stopped in front of her.
“Hello there, sweetheart. Aren’t you a pretty little thing?”
She
ignored him, kept on digging, couldn’t find the damned card, prayed she hadn’t
left it in her room.
“Not
talking, huh? I’m Howard.” He stuck out a meaty hand she ignored,
finally let it drop. “Want me to help
you find your key?”
“No,
thank you.” For once, she wished her
purse wasn’t so big.
“Say,
why don’t we go downstairs and have a drink?
There’s a lot of great restaurants in the hotel. What do you say I buy you dinner?”
His
words were thick and a faintly slurred, though Samantha didn’t think he was
quite as drunk as he had first seemed.
“I
have plans.” Like a soak in the tub and
an early evening. “Please leave me
alone.”
Pain-in-the-ass
Howard’s bushy eyebrows went up. “No
reason to take that attitude.” He started
crowding her, forcing her back against the door. She wasn’t very big and he towered above
her.
He
moved closer, knocking the shoes she had taken off to soothe her aching feet
out of her hand. “Come on, what do you
say?”
“I
told you to leave me alone.” Samantha
set her palms on his thick chest and tried to push him away. “If you don’t leave, I’m going to call
security.” She pushed, didn’t budge
him. “Please--I’m just not interested.”
“Come
on, sweetheart, it’s only a drink.”
He had
her completely boxed in against the door, and though her heart was thrumming
away, she was more angry than scared.
There were hotel cameras everywhere.
In another second, she was going to scream.
She
might have done it if good ol’ Howard hadn’t suddenly been jerked away like a
puppet on a string and slammed hard against the wall. In an instant, he was facing the opposite
direction, spread-eagled, legs splayed, one of his beefy arms forced up behind
his back.
“Time
to go home, buddy. The lady has other
plans.”
“What
business is that of yours?”
Her
rescuer, tall and broad-shouldered with wavy black hair, cranked the arm up
higher, drawing a hiss of pain. “I told
you the lady has plans.”
“Don’t
hurt him,” Samantha said. “He’s just
drunk.”
The
most amazing blue eyes she had ever seen swung in her direction. “He a friend of yours?”
“Heavens,
no. I was just trying to open the door
to my room when he walked up and started accosting me.”
The
black-haired man turned back to good ol’ Howard, who seemed to have realized
the game was up. “Thanks to the lady,
I’m letting you go and not calling the hotel police. If you’re smart, you’ll walk away, go back to
your room and sober up.”
Howard
stiffened. The arm behind his back got
cranked a little higher. Howard hissed
and nodded.
“Smart
move.” Easing up a little, her rescuer
released him and stepped away. With a
last angry glance, Howard moved off at a loping stagger down the hall, heading
back the way he had come.
“You
okay?”
Dear
God, the man was handsome. With his blue
eyes, high-cheekbones, and straight nose, he was one of the best-looking men
she had ever seen. The shadow of a
late-afternoon beard along his jaw gave him a slightly dangerous appearance
that only made him more attractive.
She
managed to drag her gaze away from those arresting blue eyes and found her
voice. “Thanks to you, I’m fine. Are you a policeman or something?”
“Used
to be. Nick Brodie. Glad I could help.”
She
smiled. “I’m Samantha Hollis. You came just in time. I really appreciate what you did. Most people would have just kept walking.”
“Not
where I come from.”
“Really? Where’s that?”
“Alaska. Up there, people help each other. Sometimes it’s a matter of life and
death.” He looked her up and down. “You aren’t very big. That bastard was twice your size.”
“As I
said, he was mostly just drunk.”
“I
guess.”
Trying
to ignore the nerves she was beginning to feel, she grabbed the purse slung
over her shoulder and started searching again for her key. She could feel those amazing eyes regarding
her with interest.
“I
hope I don’t sound like the guy who just left, but is there any chance you
might like to join me for a drink?”
Surprise
had her eyes flashing back to him.
“Seriously? You’re here by
yourself?” Impossible, she thought, for
a man who looked as good as he did.
He
shrugged a set of impressive shoulders.
He was wearing jeans and a crisp white shirt, his hair curling slightly
over the collar.
“I
needed a break,” he said. “Besides, my
brother bought me a plane ticket. I
didn’t have much choice. How about that
drink?”
She
should probably say no. She wasn’t going
to give him what he most likely wanted.
On the other hand, a guy who looked the way he did wouldn’t have much
trouble getting laid.
And
she did owe him for coming to her rescue.
Samantha
looked up at Nick Brodie and smiled.
“You know, after my wrestling match with King Kong a drink really does
sound good.”
Nick
smiled broadly, all white teeth and sex appeal.
The bottom dropped out of stomach.
Oh, my. Maybe she was making a
mistake.
“What
are we waiting for?” Nick said. “Let’s
go.”
Nick
wasn’t sure why he’d asked her to join him.
He wasn’t really looking for female companionship. Or maybe he was, but hadn’t found anyone
worth the effort. He’d come to Vegas to
get away, see the city that had always intrigued him, relax, maybe gamble a
little--not too much.
Samantha
winced as she shoved her feet back into her high heel shoes, and he remembered
seeing them in the hall in front of her door where she had taken them off and
dropped them.
He was
afraid he’d scare her if he suggested she open the door, go in and get a
different pair, but he wanted her to be comfortable.
“I got
a hunch those shoes are hurting like hell.
Why don’t I wait for you by the elevator? Give you time to go in and change?”
The
smile she gave him was so full of gratitude he figured he’d scored another
point--besides the one he’d gotten for pulling that big bastard off her.
She
opened her purse, found the key she’d been searching for, flashed it in front
the lock and opened the door. “Thanks,
Nick. I’ll be right there.”
He
frowned. The lady was way too
trusting. He could have pushed her
inside and done any damn thing he wanted.
He thought she would have learned her lesson with the bruiser who’d been
manhandling her.
His
frown slowly faded, replaced by another smile.
In an odd way, he found her naiveté refreshing. Still, if he got a chance, he’d talk to her,
make her understand the need to be careful with strangers. Clearly, his cop instincts hadn’t faded,
probably never would.
Time
ticked past. Standing next to the
elevator, he checked his watch. She’d
been gone fifteen minutes when he spotted her coming down the hall. She’d changed out of her pale peach linen suit
into a short black skirt, pink and black top, and another pair of heels, just
as tall but open-toed and apparently more comfortable.
“Thanks
for waiting,” she said. “I’ve been
working all day. It feels good to get
into something that isn’t wrinkled.”
His
eyes ran over her. “You look
fantastic.” Damned if she didn’t. With her heart-shaped face and warm brown
eyes, he’d thought she was attractive.
Now he could see she was way more than pretty, with a great figure,
curves in all the right places, just a hint of cleavage above the neckline of
her blouse. She had taken the clips out
of her hair, letting the springy light brown curls that hung down her back
tumble softly around her face. He wanted
to grab a fistful, to see if it felt as silky as it looked.
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