From the Back Cover
Enjoy this excerpt from Dangerous Liars: ***************** "Couldn't sleep either?" Violet asked. Jaxon whipped around to face her. A third quarter moon shone and in the dim light, she caught an odd look on his face. Part sadness shadowing his eyes, part irritation tightening his mouth. Then he assumed the impassive expression he mostly wore. "Too wired from this evening, I guess. You too?" "Yeah, that was intense." She leaned on the porch railing and let the wind pick up her hair. "But kind of fun." "You probably have close calls like that all the time, picking pockets." "No. I'm good at it. I don't get noticed often." "How much do you score on a decent night?" "Depends." She shrugged. Not a subject she discussed with anyone. But a thief like Jaxon would be interested. "Two, three hundred sometimes." "Are you kidding me? That's all? You should be raking it in." "I play it safe. I take a little from each person, not a lot. People won't miss a twenty. I don't want to ruin somebody's week, you know? And anyway, if I don't become a big-ass problem, I can keep working events in the same area. No one will go screaming for the police." "Yeah, I guess." He reached out and tugged the chain around her neck. "You wear your locket to sleep in?" "Stop." She smacked his hand. "I take it off before I go to bed." Time to turn the subject around. "I've never broken into a house before. Pretty scary. Big rush, sneaking in and out, knowing the cameras outside couldn't see me, but maybe something inside could." "Not see you, actually." "But pick up that I was there. Police have all kinds of equipment these days. Probably not the cops in Cape Canaveral, if they put a dummy in a patrol car. Low budget, I'm thinking." "I don't know, looks like a damn good idea. It's a good way not to waste manpower. Fooled us." Jaxon poked her arm. "Kind of fun, huh?" "It was. Different doing a job with other people. I usually fly solo. You and Riley seem close. How come you stopped hanging together?" He frowned and turned away from her. Ah-ha. A touchy subject. That's what he got for asking her so many personal questions. "We went our separate ways. And no, not really close. We worked well together years ago, had a lot of fun, but Riley wasn't what you'd call 'close' to anybody. I think he had a strange childhood. I'm surprised as hell to see him here, playing house with a woman." "People change. And Danika seems okay." "She is. Makes him happy. That's all that counts. Tell me about your disappearing thing. When did you start doing that?" Back to her. Jaxon appeared bound and determined to squeeze out information. "Two years ago." "What happened? How did you know you had that power?" "It's a weird story." Violet turned to face the ocean. "I like weird stories." "Look, I'm trying to chill out, get sleepy. I don't want to talk about my past." "Two years ago isn't ancient history." She rounded to look at him again. "I don't want to tell you anything about me. You already think I'm some kind of circus freak." "I do not, I think you're... " "What? Bizarre? Peculiar? A curiosity?" "No. Unusual. The word I'm looking for is unusual. Or, intriguing. Yeah, intriguing. Like you've got a whole secret world behind those purple eyes. Is that your real eye color?" "Yes. One of the reasons my parents named me Violet." "Let's take a walk down by the water while we talk." Jaxon pulled out a cigarette. Violet stepped back. "Don't light that." "I'll stand downwind." "Doesn't matter. Smoke will blow right back at me and invade my lungs." She took another step back. "Oh, come on. Tobacco now isn't toxic." "Seriously? That's a load of crap. If you believe those ads the government blasts us with, you'd think smoking was good for you." "That's what they say. Why not?" "Because inhaling a foreign substance into your body is bad, no matter what modifications have been made to tobacco to make it pure." "What are you, some health expert?" She almost answered him but stopped. Most people didn't read the medical journals she did. And Jaxon didn't need to know any details of her past. "Why do you smoke? It's expensive and gunks up your house with a nasty film all over everything." He shrugged. "I started a long time ago. After I left the... after I left this group I was hanging with. I had a lot of family shit happen, got me stressed out. That was back when cigarettes were bad. I quit, started again, quit for good. Then they came out with the healthy tobacco, so I decided, why not? Anyway, most of the members of the club I belong to smoke." "So, you're like a sheep? Everyone else does, so you slowly kill yourself too?" "It's not that. Shit, haven't you ever belonged to a professional group? You do stuff to fit in. No big deal, and I like to smoke. Smell this blend, Forest. Reminds you of pine trees, right?" He waved the unlit cigarette under her nose. She smacked his hand. "Get that thing away from me." "Fine." He stuck the cigarette behind his ear and quick as a flash of lightning, grabbed her hand. "Come on, it's a beautiful night. Let's go walk." "Not interested in a romantic stroll on the beach." Oh, shit on a shingle. She did not just say that. Jaxon cocked his head, a half-grin curving his mouth. "Who said anything about romance? I want to hear what you have planned when we get to Mount Desert Island. Want to make sure you're not going to hurt Riley." Hoping to hell the darkness hid her flaming cheeks, she turned away. "Don't worry about what's going to happen. I've got it under control. Nobody will get hurt. I'm going back to bed." He shrugged, a sly smile still taunting her. "Suit yourself. This is a great coastline. Not like our beaches in Maine. Enjoy it while you're here." "Pass. See you in the morning." She went back into the living room, but watched Jaxon walk along the beach from the window, under the shine of the moon and a neighbor's outside light. Why the hell did she blurt out that stupid remark? Jaxon was not the least bit interested in romance. After hearing him and Riley talk, she knew exactly how he felt about women. They existed for his pleasure, and he'd use one until he tired of her, then move on. And she was not the slightest bit interested in romance either, or in Jaxon. She'd use him for what she wanted and never see him again. A perfect arrangement. Damn, he had a nice ass. She pinched herself on the tender underside of her forearm, a self-discipline method she used to get her mind off one subject and on to another. Had to be ready for tomorrow, to make sure everything ran smooth. Did not need to think about nice asses. The glow of his cigarette let her follow his progress, and she finally stepped away from the window when Jaxon disappeared from view. ###
About the Author
Naomi Bellina lives in sunny Florida with the love of her life and the world's chattiest cat. She became a romance author because her characters insist on falling madly in love. So she lets them. She writes romantic suspense, light science fiction, and paranormal romance. Her interests include dancing, motorcycle riding, drumming and creating healthy meals. Her motto: Never pass up the opportunity to have an adventure! Visit her at http: //www.naomibellina.com/ --This text refers to the paperback edition. 
![Dangerous Liars: Messed-Up Heroes Series Book Two (A Futuristic Romantic Suspense) by [Naomi Bellina]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Dp9wUn1LL._SY346_.jpg)
