SANCTUARY by Lindsay McKenna
Romantic suspense....cliff hanger! Hold on!
Delos Series, Book 9

Kentucky girl Teren Lambert’s protective parents tried to shield her from the dangers of the world. Living such a sheltered childhood made her long for freedom. But when she finally found it, she paid a terrible price and lost everything. Working with the Delos Charity in Sudan has brought Teren out of the shadows and back into the light. But when a threat to her safety brings her into contact with her new bodyguard, can she afford to risk her heart?

Ex-Delta Force operator Nolan Steele has a job to do. Protecting the women and children at the Kitra Safe House is his number one priority. He has no time for the shy brunette with the soulful eyes. Nolan has lived through heartbreak, but he senses a kindred spirit in Teren. Can two people who have lost everything take another chance on love?

EXCERPT #1

Sanctuary by Lindsay McKenna
Delos Series, Book 8
Paperback, ebook and audio

Teren waited patiently outside the customs area at the Khartoum airport. She had her cell phone in hand, scrolling through messages from her two office assistants. Her mouth tugged at the corners as she looked up at the double doors, expecting Nolan Steele to come through them at any moment.

His color photo flashed on her screen. He had an oval face and large, hawkish marine-blue eyes that reminded her of the ocean's depths. His mouth was something else-sensual, yet firm. He was almost painfully good-looking-far too handsome for his own good! He probably had an ego the size of Jupiter. She hoped not, because the moment the email from Wyatt Lockwood had appeared on her laptop, her whole body reacted to the stranger's photograph. Those eyes…so full of secrets and, Teren sensed, pain. It didn't appear on his unlined thirty-year-old face, but it was there.

She was just a year younger than him. She thought back to when she'd been an idealistic eighteen-year-old, filled with hope and the belief that the world was essentially a good place. She found out differently later that year and after her own traumatic experience, Teren had quickly revised her views about men. From that time on, they had been creatures she couldn't understand or relate to. She'd become gun-shy around them, and now, over a decade later, she still felt that way.

But as she studied Nolan's face, Teren felt her heart slowly begin to open, like petals on a lotus. Not wanting to feel like this, fighting it, she clicked her phone's screen off but left the phone on, because he had her phone number in case they missed each other here at the busy, crowded airport.

A potpourri of spicy scents filled the air. Men wore either light-colored silk business suits or the traditional jalabiya, a loose-fitting garment, collarless, ankle-length, and long-sleeved. Some wore caps, others turbans. Because it was August, a season of dry, blistering heat, the jalabiyas were either white, cream, or tan, made of cotton-linen or silk, to deflect the burning rays of the sun outside this air-conditioned facility.

She nervously smoothed her tob, a head-to-toe gown of white cotton topped by a white silk hijab, the traditional scarf Muslim women wore over their heads when in public. She wasn't Muslim, but Teren tried to fit in, not stand out. Knowing how dangerous it was to be a white, American woman in this third-world country, she didn't want to draw attention to herself any more than necessary.

Normally, she wouldn't have been here waiting for someone at the airport. She liked the red clay walls that surrounded Kitra, the sense of safety that was always there because Captain Ayman Taban ran his security force like the military man he'd been for twenty years.

So, where was this Steele guy, and was that even his real name or a cover one? After talking with Wyatt by sat phone, she knew he was going to be her personal bodyguard, and that he was ex-military, but Wyatt hadn't said anything more than that. Tapping her slippered foot, Teren began to feel restless. She didn't like being out in such a huge, bustling area with so many men and so few women. She knew she'd stand out because of her lighter skin.

In Khartoum, she dressed conservatively, the niqab, over her brow and nose, only a slit for her eyes, trying to hide her skin color. Here at the airport, her face was fully visible, the scarf draped around her head, neck, and shoulders. Steele had to be able to identify her once he came through the doors of customs. Sudan wasn't a safe place in many areas and it was especially dangerous to a woman who stood alone without a male escort in tow. Too many terrorists were lurking around, and it always made her tense. Her nervousness this afternoon was heightened because she felt inexplicably drawn to Nolan Steele. long bridal gowns

Teren wasn't prepared when she spotted him at the exit doors of customs, along with several other Sudanese businessmen dressed in their robes. He was moderately built, wearing a tan T-shirt beneath a loose-fitting khaki jacket and trousers. Their eyes briefly locked upon one another, and Teren's heart began to accelerate. He was here! Why did it feel like a homecoming instead of a first meeting? Her lips moved and then tightened, and instead, she lifted her hand.

He gave her a bare nod, his eyes narrowing, and every nerve in her body reacted to that swift, intense perusal he gave her.

Preorder now. Available on all platforms except google.
ebook/paperback but paperback will become available about 1-2 after release on February 1, 2018!