Officer Shawn Everly patrols the Strip and one night, fireman Trent Marshall saves him when danger strikes. But it’s still uncertain whether Trent can save himself from getting his heart broken by Shawn.
The party never ends on the Las Vegas strip but neither does the danger. Officer Everly is new to the beat, having recently relocated to Vegas from Los Angeles. Foot patrol on the Strip is a demanding assignment because he’s up close and personal with the public. But what he’d really like to do is get up close and personal with Station 32’s hunky fireman, Trent Marshall.
Trent has been a fireman for over ten years and is dedicated to his job. He’s built tough and is a no-nonsense man of few words. At a local blood drive, Trent meets the handsome new officer on foot patrol but won’t let himself get too close. He’s lost love before when his policeman lover was killed in the line of fire.
During an emergency, Trent’s over-protective instincts kick in when he believes Shawn is in harm’s way. He ends up embarrassing and angering Shawn in front of their fellow officers, which seems as though it will end any hope of Trent having a chance with the young man he can’t push from his mind. Shawn can’t decide whether he wants to punch or kiss Trent. Kissing wins. Once they spend some time together away from the stresses of their jobs, they find that they’re not just compatible—they’re combustible.
But Trent can’t seem to accept that there are hazards that come with working in law enforcement. Right as they’re discovering how much they mean to one another, the danger escalates on the Strip. The underground vigilante group, The Citizens Against Immorality, have raised the stakes. Will Shawn and Trent be their next targets?
Reader Advisory: This book contains scenes of violence and the use of sex toys.
Publisher's Note: This book is best read in sequence as part of a series but can be read as a standalone.
General Release Date: 3rd October 2014
Thorin Oakenshield and Michael Jackson strolled together down the Strip, hips bumping and singing Beat It rather loudly—and badly. There was a valiant attempt on their part to keep their tall, pink, plastic cocktail glasses from sloshing their drinks everywhere by holding them up as they swung their arms and asses around. They were having limited success. As they continued with their boisterous dancing, the two men knocked into a young woman, almost toppling her off of her glittery platform stilettos.
Officer Shawn Everly picked up his pace, jogging to catch up to them. He couldn’t deny that being assigned to foot patrol along Las Vegas Boulevard was anything but dull. After reaching the two happy carousers, he tapped Thorin on the shoulder. Whirling around, the Dwarven leader almost dumped his cocktail on Shawn.
“Oh, hey… Sorry, Officer. I…uh…”
Shawn resisted the urge to break out laughing at the mortified expression on the partier’s face.
“We have an unusually crowded night out here, gentlemen. There are families with young kids and we don’t anyone to get hurt—yourselves included.”
Michael Jackson piped in, swaying on his feet a bit. “He’s cool. Fought a dragon and shit. He’s even got a sword for protection.”
He indicated to the fake weapon attached to his friend’s costume belt. Obviously Michael was less in control of his senses than his fellow reveler. Shawn turned back to Thorin.
“Are we gonna have any problems with you two out here tonight?”
He shook his head vigorously. “No sir, we’re just having fun like everyone else, but we’ll be more careful.”
Shawn gave him a curt nod, desperately trying to maintain his composure. “Good. I don’t want to hear any complaints about either one of you, okay?”
“You’ve got it, Officer.”
“Oh, and Thorin?”
“Yes, sir?”
“Good luck with Smaug.”
The man stared at Shawn as if he’d lost his mind. It took a moment, but he finally snorted laughter.
“Yeah, thanks, Officer.”
The two men carried on, picking up where they’d left off—but reining it in a bit. Shawn glanced around at the barely controlled chaos. Colorful neon and flashing lights were enough to keep him on sensory overload, but it was also combined with honking horns, wildly dressed people, yelling, laughter, and music, all set against the backdrop of spectacularly grand resort casinos.
His radio crackled to life. He’d moved far enough down the Boulevard that he’d gotten separated from his partner amongst the crush of humanity filling the sidewalk.
“Where is your position, Vicki?”
“I’m at the Bellagio. We’ve got a drunk swimming around in the lake in front of the shops.”
“Is he responding to your orders to get out?”
“Nope.”
Shawn pressed his lips together. The damn lake was a constant issue—it was way too tempting in the scorching desert heat. Even though it was almost seven o’clock at night, it was still over a hundred degrees. At least August was almost over. He’d been assured by the other officers that it would eventually become bearable. Since he’d only recently arrived in Vegas at the end of May, all he’d encountered so far was unbearable.
“On my way.”
As he wove in and out of the crowds, he spotted a cruiser pulled over. There was an officer talking to a group of sparkling and scantily clad women. He recognized Sergeant Darren Miller of the Homeland Security Saturation Team. Like Shawn, he was assigned to the Convention Center Area Command that comprised the majority of the world-famous Las Vegas Strip. When Shawn got closer, he picked up the tail end of the conversation.
“…over the highway. It’s a five minute walk from here to the Mirage and you can take the bridge walkway there to get to the other side. Stay out of the street ladies, it’s very dangerous. We want you to have a good time here—not get hurt.”
One of the women moved closer to him, as if she was about to give him a hug. He stepped back and placed his hands in front of him in a blocking gesture.
“Step back, please.”
“But I wanted to thank you. You’re so sexy. I love your uniform.”
Shawn smirked. Law enforcement in Las Vegas was definitely unique. It had been quite the culture shock from his previous experiences as part of the Gang Task Force in Los Angeles.
His fellow Metropolitan Police Department officer finally succeeded in getting the women to move along and turned his attention to Shawn. A casual observer would no doubt wonder if they worked for the same agency. Shawn wore a bright yellow uniform shirt that helped him to stand out amidst the overwhelming amount of people walking around. The MPD officers in cruisers wore khaki uniforms and so did the mounted patrol.
“Hey, Darren, we’ve got a drunk in the lake.”
Darren rolled his eyes. “Is he reachable or are they gonna have to use one of the boats?”
“Not sure. I’m headed over there now.”
“Radio it in. It’s so out of control tonight, Parker and I need to stay on the street.”
As if in confirmation, a white stretch limo crawled by in the gridlocked traffic. A woman stood with the top half of her body peeking out of the sunroof. She was yelling and flashing her breasts to the cheering sidewalk crowds.
Darren lowered his head and shook it, seemingly in resignation. He lifted it quickly and shouted out to his partner.
“Let’s go, Parker!”
It wouldn’t exactly be a high speed chase, considering how squashed together foot and vehicle traffic was. At least with the cruiser’s lights flashing, there was the opportunity to clear a path to get to the limo. The weekends were killers. No room to breathe. Bathroom and food breaks next to impossible. But he currently had an inebriated bather to deal with. Before he took off in the direction of the luxurious resort again, he contacted dispatch to apprise them of the situation and to request backup.
He jogged over to the hotel at a fast clip. As soon as he spied his partner, Vicki Ruiz, he wound his way through the people seemingly lost in their own revelry. No doubt they were also overwhelmed by the magical and decadent surroundings. And liquor. He had to speak up to be heard, and to get the circle of onlookers surrounding his partner to step aside. At last he reached her and saw what they were up against.