L.A.S.T. Defense Series by Patricia D. Eddy

Jasper The explosion should have killed me. Some days, I wish it had. Chronic pain keeps me up at night—when I don’t drown it in beer. I lost my partner, my career, and the only reason I had to get up in the morning.Until my brother drags me to a charity event and a sexy-as-sin reporter practically falls in my lap. We shouldn’t start anything. I’m a broken-down has been and she’s doing her damnedest to move back to Los Angeles... moreJasper The explosion should have killed me. Some days, I wish it had. Chronic pain keeps me up at night—when I don’t drown it in beer. I lost my partner, my career, and the only reason I had to get up in the morning.Until my brother drags me to a charity event and a sexy-as-sin reporter practically falls in my lap. We shouldn’t start anything. I’m a broken-down has been and she’s doing her damnedest to move back to Los Angeles. But when her latest scoop leads to death threats, I’ll do anything to keep her safe. Emi Moving back to Austin was supposed to be temporary. My grandmother was dying, and I couldn’t let her be alone. But a year away from network news might as well be a lifetime. Especially when you’re pushing forty. If I don’t get back into the national spotlight soon, the only stories I’ll be covering are cat adoption events and cheating scandals at the local senior center.So when I hit on the biggest story of my career, I should keep my eyes on the prize. Not go on a date with a former Texas Ranger who has every right to hate me.I won’t let a little danger keep me from the truth. But what if Jasper’s the one who pays the price? less

AJ“Captain Stone, your wife is alive.”Three years ago, Grace—the woman who made my world brighter, who laughed at my corny jokes and chased every adventure with me—vanished without a trace. No clues. No answers. Just an empty, aching silence.Until a call from a doctor in Mexico changes everything. She’s alive. But she doesn’t remember me—or herself. Still, when I’m close, she leans toward me, a small, instinctive motion that feels like a promise... moreAJ“Captain Stone, your wife is alive.”Three years ago, Grace—the woman who made my world brighter, who laughed at my corny jokes and chased every adventure with me—vanished without a trace. No clues. No answers. Just an empty, aching silence.Until a call from a doctor in Mexico changes everything. She’s alive. But she doesn’t remember me—or herself. Still, when I’m close, she leans toward me, a small, instinctive motion that feels like a promise.Her memories return in shattered fragments—pieces of the life we built tangled with shadows too dark for her to face alone. All I can do is hold her. Protect her. Love her.And I’ll burn down the world before I let the men who took her touch her again.Grace“Your husband is here.”Those words should mean safety. Instead, they terrify me. I don’t remember my name, my age, or any of the terrible things the doctor says happened to me.AJ’s wild blue eyes and whiskey-smooth voice draw me in, a steady anchor against the panic. And when he holds me? I feel safe.The past comes back in fragments—charcoal sketches on paper, flashes of laughter and touch, sensations swallowed by shadow. Never enough to make me whole.AJ looks at me like I’m his everything, and I want—I need—to believe a love that deep can survive anything.But with every memory comes fear. The men who stole me once might try again. As I struggle to piece myself back together, one thing is AJ will risk everything to keep me safe. And maybe—just maybe—I’ll find my way back to him before it’s too late. less