HIGH TIDE by Maureen A. Miller
U.S. Geological Survey expert, Nick McCord, cannot account for the strange phenomenon plaguing the Windward coast of Oahu. Breaking waves on a windless shore. Dead fish washing up on the sand. The only viable culprit for these anomalies is the new housing development, Manale Palms, and its attractive contractor, Briana Holt. Try as he might to find blame with Briana and her site, the truth remains a mystery.
Briana Holt portrays herself to the outside world as a woman in charge. In reality she is burdened with insecurities, and one of those insecurities is over six-feet tall. Intent on defending her property from Nick’s suspicions, she starts to dig deep into the peculiar episodes along the coast.
Nick and Briana’s mutual curiosity makes them allies, and their mutual attraction makes them lovers. Now, as they narrow in on the source of the mystery, they find themselves in a struggle to protect the coast…and their lives.
Find more from this author on:
Here is a short sample from the book:
Irritated by the absurd whim to stake out a construction site that in effect locked down at dusk, Nick made one last sweep of the waterfront lots and focused on the patterns of the tide. Engrossed by the gentle ebb of the bay, he frowned at water which was traditionally docile, but now rippled in slow agitated rolls. Perhaps the untrained eye would not have noticed. Several native fishermen already had, however, and had brought their testimonies forward to his office in Honolulu.
Reaching the seawall, Nick critiqued the construction−an organized layer of rocks patched together with thickets of cement to avert the bay. He was so absorbed with his inspection he nearly missed the shadow suspended at the far end of the barrier.
The moon slid from behind a misty veil to reveal a siren with her arms stretched back, her body arched in offering to the sea.
Motionless, he was entranced by the outline of her body. It conjured up images of goddesses relayed to him by his grandfather. Avidly, he traced the curve of her chin down the soft arch of her throat to high breasts caressed by the wind. At length his eyes slipped down long, poised legs, until without thought, he whispered her name.
Briana’s head snapped. She teetered precariously and spun to identify the voice.
Taking a step closer, Nick heard her frustrated sigh.
“What are you doing here?” she whispered out of reverence to the peace of twilight.
For a second, he averted his gaze. “I expected to find your workers dumping into the ocean after all the crowds had gone home.”
Briana simply nodded and pivoted back towards the sea.
“No berating on your part?” he questioned.
“No,” she hesitated. “There was nothing for me to hide, and now there’s nothing for me to say.”
“Briana—”
Exasperated, she shot him a challenging look over her shoulder.
“Ms. Holt,” he continued with a droll smirk. “Just because I haven’t caught you, that doesn’t mean you’re innocent.”
“You know what, Mr. McCord?”
“Nick,” he grinned.
“You know that Manale Palms is not responsible for whatever it is you’re looking for. You’re just floundering because you have no clue what’s going on under that beautiful stretch of water.”
“How insightful.” Nick reached a hand up into his hair. “And how accurate.”
Seemingly intrigued by his despondency, Briana turned around, careful to maintain her balance. He sensed that she felt at an advantage staring down at him.
“Don’t take it so hard,” she allayed. “If I can help, if I see anything—”
“Briana!”
Startled by his outburst, Briana’s mouth dropped open. Fear pinched her features as a wave surged behind her knees with such a low but relentless force that she toppled forward. Nick caught her and nearly fell back himself. He struggled against the suction of the slick as it endeavored back to sea.
Retreating on hazardous terrain beneath the pooling stream, Nick hooked an arm beneath Briana’s legs. His other was clasped protectively around her back as he eyed the now placid bay with disbelief. Several more receding steps placed him on dry ground, where he sensed Briana’s erratic heartbeat against his own.
“Y—you can put me down now.”
Securing her close to his chest, he gazed down into anxious eyes, and felt short fearful breaths rake across her lips.
“No,” he whispered against her hair. “No, I can’t.”
Related products
-
Family Of Strangers by Barbara Willis
What would you do if someone you loved disappeared? What would you do if you were told they’d never existed? This most awful of nightmares comes true for Eva when her closest friend, Annie, vanishes. Even Annie’s parents deny her existence.
The uncertainty of the early months of 1939 has been eclipsed. Eva’s comfortable, normal small town life becomes despairing and desperate, until a friendly hand reaches out to her. The elderly and eccentric Lola shows no surprise at Eva’s tale. Neither does Gabe; young, handsome and distant. They have answers that lead to more questions, and information that leads to confusion. The pair guide Eva through a new and frightening world towards her beloved Annie. Eva is sure that her search has absorbed every part of her, until she realises how close she’s becoming to the mysterious but tender Gabe.
As Eva learns more about the hidden world now exposed to her, the depth of which seems infinite, she finds that people can be lost and all memory of them forsaken. Gabe and Lola are lost, just like Annie; but unlike Annie, no-one is looking for them to guide them home. Eva, now attached to Lola and deeply tied to Gabe, struggles to believe that nothing can be done to help them.
Eva’s search is littered with many things – doubt, discovery, love, belonging and a myriad of scary jigsaw pieces; lost friends, the giving of gifts, a library of books, a troubled conscience and a brilliant pianist. Can Eva piece it all together to see the picture or has she missed something? Does Eva find Annie? Will Gabe reveal his story and are his and Lola’s other lost friends a help or a hindrance?
And is there something crucially important that not one of them is telling Eva?
-
Just a Fling (Billionaires on the Beach Book 1) by Olivia Noble
Sweet and hardworking Eva has just graduated from college. Her sexually adventurous best friend, Nicole, has convinced her to take an island vacation to let off some steam and relax. Eva does not expect to meet a handsome man with a rock-hard body that reminds her of a Greek god, on her first night on the beach.
What results is a night of passion that will change her life… This is the first part of a serialized contemporary romance, with a length of about 14,000 words. It contains strong sexual content and is not intended for readers under 18.
-
DESTROY ME. (The Obsession Series Books 1-3 Complete.) by Laura Bailey
How can someone save you when they threaten to break you in two? My captor, My enemy, My everything. He promises to save me. He tells me to leave while I can. A man as menacing as he is seductive, a man whose touch scorches me, a man whose moments of devotion are more heartbreaking than his callousness. From the moment his eyes held mine I had no choice but to surrender to everything he was; his dark desires, his passion, his strength. A powerful obsession and forbidden needs consume us both. Bound to his dark sexuality, we embark on a battle of wills. He pushes me to the edge. He seeks release in me, momentary escape from the pain and loneliness that fills him. He carries the scars of the haunting legacy of dark secrets. His desires are undeniable, our obsession inevitable, but he doesn’t trust me. Whatever it takes, he says he will protect me… but he will never let me in. He promises to save me. He tells me to let go. We can’t be together. Enemies are like ghosts and what he does for me will either bind us closer…or destroy us completely. (With strong scenes of an explicit sexual nature, this is suitable only for those eighteen and over) An erotic haunting powerful love story, with strong scenes of sexual acts. The Complete ‘Obsession Series,’ featuring ‘Surrender to Me’, ‘Break Me,’ and Part Three, ‘Destroy Me.’
-
Secret Seduction by Jill Sanders
To Katie life was simple, she wanted; a little house in upper Boston, and four kids, fathered by her best friend, who she’s been infatuated with since she was eight. After a devastating family secret is exposed, all she wants now is to escape the media hype that follows her everywhere she turns. Leaving her family, friends, and Jason behind, she travels to places she’s only read about, to find a father she’s never known.
Jason is on a mission and he’s come half-way around the world to complete it. Despite his feelings for Katie, he won’t let her resistance detour him, even if it means she’ll never trust him again. As their world spirals out of control, their relationship will be tested and changed forever. If he can only keep them alive and out of harms way, he may have a chance to make everything right.
-
Sophia by Nigel Cooper
A story of love, loss, and mania
Sometimes your state of mind has a dark side…
SOPHIA: 22-YEAR OLD CONCERT CELLIST, SOON TO BE ENGAGED, A PERFECT BOYFRIEND, A PERFECT FAMILY, A PERFECT LIFE
But Sophia’s picture-perfect life is about to take a drastic turn for the worse. After the tragic untimely death of her beloved boyfriend, Spencer, something happens to her – something dark.
After a period of post-traumatic stress, Sophia develops a severe personality disorder. Gone is the gracious upper middle class girl. In her place stands a dysfunctional young woman on a frenetic path of self-destruction and mayhem.
Sophia’s world starts to fall apart. Something dark has got a grip on her mind and it refuses to let go. Her psychologist has never seen a case quite like it and is at a total loss. Sophia has recoiled into a dangerous and sinister place in her mind, but now it’s spilling out into the real world with a vengeance.
She proceeds to tear her family apart, alienate her friends and destroy her career; soon there will be nothing left.
Can her new best friend, Delphine, save her before it’s too late?
-
Hello, My Love by Evy Journey
What would Elizabeth Bennet be like if she had been born today? What things would she have to cope with? In this modern-day tale inspired by Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, bright, beautiful law student Elise Halverson looks forward to a promising career. The last thing she needs is to fall in love with well-known playboy Greg Thorpe. Besides, he’s engaged to be married.
Greg finds Elise so unlike the women he used to date and he’s deeply intrigued. But distrusting the image she has of him, Elise tries to keep away.
Elise’s parents invite Greg to their frequent dinner parties. There, Greg and Elise butt heads. She’s surprised to find that, behind his rich playboy persona, he’s intelligent and engaging. They can’t help feeling drawn to each other.
The night before his wedding, they give in to their mutual attraction. Although Elise expects nothing more from that night, Greg is in for trouble. His jilted fiancée strikes back, intent on revenge.
Two years later Greg and Elise get a second chance but they find that the way to their happy-ever-after is not so easy. For one, Greg is in for a surprise. Then, his former fiancée comes back and trouble returns to haunt Greg and Elise again.
At the core of this women’s fiction is a literary and realistic romance spiced with a twist of mystery. Hello My Love is Book 1 in the series Between Two Worlds, a family saga about three strong women. In three tales of loss, love, second chances, and finding one’s way, they cope with issues contemporary women face.
-
Sweet Perdition by Cynthia Rayne
She’s been a good girl too long–now she’s ready to be bad. And on the back of a Harley is the best way to get there.
Elizabeth Williams, single small-town librarian, knows she doesn’t belong in the notorious biker bar, Perdition. Especially not alone, in a frilly pink bridesmaid dress. But after watching her best friend marry her ex-boyfriend,she’s ready to drink her cares away. And break out of the good girl mold she’s been stuck in most of her life.
Ryker,member of the Four Horsemen MC, can’t take his eyes off the gorgeous, curvy redhead at his club’s bar. He suddenly has a taste for pink … and he’s going to get him some. Just for one night, of course, because Ryker doesn’t do relationships. Ever.
One night turns into more–until a wild party and a pair of naked blondes get in the way. Now she’s ready to run, and his pride demands he let her go. But when Elizabeth’s ex begins to stalk her, Ryker realizes he’ll do anything to keep her safe. Can a rough, tough biker hang onto both his pride and his woman?
-
Prescribed by D.D. Parker
Emma Wells thought she had it all figured out. She went to college wanting a brand new lease on life, thinking she was going to become a doctor and make her mom proud. She just wasn’t planning on passing out her first day of volunteering at the hospital because she couldn’t handle the sight of blood.
After banging her head on the floor, she’s taken care of by Dr. Ryan Matthews, an unfairly hot specimen of a man. Even after waking up in a cloudy, post-concussion daze, she can’t take her eyes off of him and their chemistry is becoming undeniable.
Strong. Handsome. Charming.
Even that couldn’t encompass everything Ryan had to offer. There was just one problem; Emma already had a boyfriend.
One that would never let her go.
Ever.
Will Dr. Matthews still be able to prescribe Emma just what she needs or will Emma’s own demons come to threaten more than just their relationship?
**Recommended for 18+ due to sexually graphic scenes and adult language.
This is Book One in The White Coat Series (New Adult Romantic Suspense). It can be read as a stand-alone story without a cliffhanger.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.