Protector And Defender Romance Series by Cynthia Eden

He knew she was trouble from the moment they met.Esme Laurent is a con artist. An accomplished liar. A world-class thief. And probably the most beautiful and intriguing woman that Tyler Barrett has ever met. Sure, he has to arrest her at their first meeting, and she absolutely hates him, but…well, he has a job to do. And Tyler always gets the job done.Turns out, she is the new job.The people in charge want to use Esme to bring down a very dangerous criminal operation... moreHe knew she was trouble from the moment they met.Esme Laurent is a con artist. An accomplished liar. A world-class thief. And probably the most beautiful and intriguing woman that Tyler Barrett has ever met. Sure, he has to arrest her at their first meeting, and she absolutely hates him, but…well, he has a job to do. And Tyler always gets the job done.Turns out, she is the new job.The people in charge want to use Esme to bring down a very dangerous criminal operation. And in order to do that, Esme has to stay in the land of the living. She needs protection, she needs a new identity, and she needs to disappear, immediately. Because Esme has more than a bit of power, she makes her own deal…her protection needs to come in the ever-so-gorgeous, ever-so-dangerous, and ever-so-law-abiding form of U.S. Marshal Tyler Barrett.They’ll disappear into Small Town, USA. And they’ll pretend to be newlyweds who just can’t keep their hands off each other.No, absolutely, this cannot be happening. But no matter how much Tyler protests, the new job is, in fact, happening. He’s being sent to Asylum, Alabama, with the delectable Esme. He’s supposed to be her husband—a role that will give him twenty-four, seven access in order to protect her. He needs that access in order to make sure that Esme doesn’t run from the authorities and that she stays alive. But what Tyler doesn’t count on is the consuming desire he feels for a woman who should be off-limits.She’ll test every limit that he has…Esme doesn’t expect her attraction to the rule-following Tyler. He’s big, he’s buttoned-down, and he’s absolutely…delicious. She also suspects that he may be carefully controlling a wild side—one that she would love to see erupt. Oh, if only.When danger comes calling, Tyler is more than ready to handle any threat. Who knew that falling for the good guy could be so tempting? And so very…heart-breaking. Because there was no way a guy like Tyler would want to stay around once they stop pretending. Everyone knows the bad girl never gets to keep the good guy, especially when she’s still working a very long con.Author’s Note: Are you in the mood for a strong hero who makes “protecting and defending” his life code? Tyler is big, fierce, and more than ready to step into the line of fire in order to protect his charge. He’s also falling fast under the spell of a woman he should not trust. Everything with Esme is just pretend…everything, except the desire they feel for each other. And the very, very real danger that stalks her. A danger that may wind up costing Tyler more than he ever expected. WHEN HE PROTECTS, Tyler gives his all, and when he loves…he will fight like hell for the woman who stole his heart. less

She’s a dead woman walking.Luna Black knows that she’s being hunted. The price on her head is astronomical. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and she saw some very dangerous people doing some very, very bad things. Now she needs to reach the Feds, stat, and get a new identity and a new life. Because her old life? Definitely over. It’s not personal. She’s just a job.Ronan Walker lives in the shadows. His job? Simple—to deliver death... moreShe’s a dead woman walking.Luna Black knows that she’s being hunted. The price on her head is astronomical. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and she saw some very dangerous people doing some very, very bad things. Now she needs to reach the Feds, stat, and get a new identity and a new life. Because her old life? Definitely over. It’s not personal. She’s just a job.Ronan Walker lives in the shadows. His job? Simple—to deliver death. And the latest hit has him tracking down the very elusive and unpredictable Luna. But he’s not the only hitman on her trail. Luna has valuable intel. The kind of intel that can never see the light of a courtroom. When the other hunters swarm in on her, Ronan has no choice but to intervene.Death wasn’t supposed to be so…dead sexy. After he defeated the group trying to abduct her, Luna expected to die by the gorgeous stranger’s hands. Even as he kissed her, Luna was sure that the tall, dark, and fierce predator would kill her. Only…she woke up, very much still alive, and handcuffed to his bed. Before she can even scream, he offers her a deal…protection, but for a price.Is he a hitman with a heart?No, he’s not. Not even close. His heart never gets involved in a job. Ronan faked Luna’s death, and now he has to keep her with him in the shadows until the Feds are ready to use her in order to bring down a massive criminal ring. The problem? He’s not exactly used to sharing close quarters with anyone. Especially not someone like Luna…a woman who pushes him to the edge and makes him want to let go of the fierce control that he’s kept in place for years.On the run. Hiding in the shadows. Pretending to be a couple in love…Sometimes, it’s easy to pretend. To act like lovers. But what happens when the pretending starts to feel all too real? The longer they are together, the more Luna realizes there is so much more to Ronan than meets the eye. He protects her, he defends her from every threat, and she…just might be falling hard for the hitman who swears he can never love…The story of her life. To fall for the man who delivers death.Author’s Note: Ronan deals with death. He’s worked undercover as a hitman for years, only seeing the darkest side of life. Then he meets Luna. A woman named for the moon but who feels like sunlight in his arms. No way should he want her as badly as he does. No way should he start to think of Luna as his. But…he does. And anyone coming after Luna will find that Ronan will take “protecting and defending” her to a whole, new level. No one else will touch Luna, no one will hurt her, and he will deliver death to anyone who tries to take her from him. less

He didn’t want a new partner, especially not her. FBI Agent Gray Stone knows killers. As a top profiler at the Bureau, monsters are truly his business. So he absolutely does not need to be paired up with the infuriating—and gorgeous—Dr. Emerson Marlowe. But her mother is a senator with far too much power, and, all of a sudden, Gray finds himself on training duty, a duty that includes way too many hours and way too much temptingly close contact with Emerson.He doesn’t play well with others... moreHe didn’t want a new partner, especially not her. FBI Agent Gray Stone knows killers. As a top profiler at the Bureau, monsters are truly his business. So he absolutely does not need to be paired up with the infuriating—and gorgeous—Dr. Emerson Marlowe. But her mother is a senator with far too much power, and, all of a sudden, Gray finds himself on training duty, a duty that includes way too many hours and way too much temptingly close contact with Emerson.He doesn’t play well with others. In fact, he doesn’t play at all.What’s he supposed to do with a sexy shadow? One who is just as good at mind games as he is? One who is smart and funny and…dammit. Emerson has practically no field experience, and the last thing Gray wants to do is put her in harm’s way. He may not want to work with Emerson, but he will not let anyone hurt her. So when a new case goes sideways and a killer gets chillingly close, Gray has to come up with a new training plan.New She follows his orders. She does exactly what he says. And she does not get in the way.Except Emerson can’t follow orders to save her life. She does whatever she wants, and the woman is one hundred percent in his way. In his way. In his mind. In his dreams. And, maybe, just maybe, the infuriating Emerson is even working her sneaky way into his heart. But danger is growing around her, danger that doesn’t seem to just be coming from their work at the FBI. A stalker has eyes on Emerson, a predator who is well-acquainted with darkness and pain. A perp who wants Emerson to suffer.To protect his new partner, Gray will have to let his own darkness come out to hunt. No one turns Gray’s partner into prey. No one terrifies Emerson. No one hurts her. Ever. Gray stops playing the good guy, and he goes all in on protecting her. Protecting and defending—that’s his way of life, but this time, the defense is personal. Emerson is his—uh, his partner, of course, and, hell, maybe a whole lot more. Gray has always kept his inner darkness on a tight leash, but when Emerson is threatened, his control shatters. He will claim her, he will protect her, and he will put the perp who threatens her in the ground. Author’s Grayson “Gray” Stone has spent far too many years playing mind games with other people. This time, he’s the one who will see his life spiral out of control as he falls hard for a partner he never expected. Forced proximity, danger, desire, opposites fiercely attracting…oh, get ready for all the fun things. Did I mention the steam? Because there is plenty of it in this romance. less