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Special Forces: The Recruit
Cindy Dees
Their mission? Save the world—and each other! A Military Precision Heroes romance Dr Caitlin Willows must create a cure for a terrifying new biological weapon. Zak Ramsey’s assignment? Keep her alive long enough to do it. As part of an elite squad, he knows how to respond to deadly threats, but nothing prepares him for falling for Caitlin. They hold the fate of humanity in their hands. Controlling their desires is the more difficult task…
Meet the do-or-die warriors who’ll do anything for justice
Introducing the Mission Medusa series
Years of intense training have prepared Tessa Wilkes to become a Medusa—part of an elite, women-only Special Forces team. But all the mental prep and physical training in the world can’t prepare her fully to take on one of the world’s most dangerous men. The ultimate operative, Tessa teams with trainer Beau Lambert to track her target, but even if she survives, will her heart?
New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author CINDY DEES is the author of more than fifty novels. She draws upon her experience as a US Air Force pilot to write romantic suspense. She’s a two-time winner of the prestigious RITA® Award for romance fiction, a two-time winner of the RT Reviewers’ Choice Best Book Award for Romantic Suspense and an RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Best Author Award nominee. She loves to hear from readers at www.cindydees.com (http://www.cindydees.com).
Also By Cindy Dees (#uf45f6dd5-9c4c-5168-8a80-4d52617fdaee)
Mission Medusa
Special Forces: The Recruit
The Coltons of Roaring Springs
Colton Under Fire
Code: Warrior SEALs
Undercover with a SEAL
Her Secret Spy
Her Mission with a SEAL
Navy SEAL Cop
Soldier’s Last Stand
The Spy’s Secret Family
Captain’s Call of Duty
Soldier’s Rescue Mission
Her Hero After Dark
Breathless Encounter
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk).
Special Forces: The Recruit
Cindy Dees
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-09395-8
SPECIAL FORCES: THE RECRUIT
© 2019 Cynthia Dees
Published in Great Britain 2019
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.
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www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Beau closed the motel room’s door and turned to face Tessa, who stood in the middle of the room, frowning. “Problem?” he asked.
“Well, yes. There’s only one bed.”
“You afraid to share it with me?” He arched an eyebrow in an open dare. “What are you going to do when you’re bivouacking with a male team and all of you are crammed into a hide like sardines, spooning with each other?”
Her mint-green eyes narrowed. “I’ve got no problem sleeping with you. The question is, are you okay sleeping with me?”
He snorted. “Honey, I’m not sixteen. I’ve got my hormones firmly under control, thank you very much.” Which might not be entirely true where she was concerned. All of the previous Medusas had lived and worked in very close quarters with her male counterparts. She had to learn to do the same. Starting with him. Oh, joy.
“Great,” she said cheerfully. “Then you won’t mind if I take my pants off. They’re still a little wet.”
Well, hell. Give the woman points for calling his bluff.
* * *
Mission Medusa: a fierce team of warriors who
run into the danger zone...
Dear Reader (#uf45f6dd5-9c4c-5168-8a80-4d52617fdaee),
I’m beyond excited to welcome you to this, the first book in the return of the Medusas! It has been a few years and times have changed a bit since I wrote the very first Medusa story, The Medusa Project, in 2005. Back then, the idea of women in the Special Forces, let alone the idea of an all-female team of special operators, was pure fiction.
Now, some fourteen years later, women in the US military are allowed to serve in any job whose qualifications they can meet, including all of the Special Forces. The US Army uses women in Cultural Support Teams (CSTs) that work side by side with elite male Special Forces units. The first women have completed Army Ranger training, and news outlets are reporting on a few brave women Special Forces operatives serving alongside their male counterparts in irregular roles.
Furthermore, both the Norwegian Army and the Afghan Special Forces have fielded all-female Special Forces teams. Which is to say, the Medusas have become real.
I would like to think that adds even more excitement to these ongoing adventures of the Medusas. So, as always, pour your favorite beverage, sit back, relax and get ready to rock and roll with the baddest babes in combat boots and the men strong and brave enough to work with and love them...
Happy reading!
Cindy
Contents
Cover (#u81702e4b-6c68-546e-beb8-8b1b4dae0e62)
Back Cover Text (#u911fcab8-5174-5de2-998e-4eec9d747527)
About the Author (#u00575fef-d785-5c61-a44b-5babf5e6b864)
Booklist (#u45deeded-ca16-594e-8ca1-85ec72e53699)
Title Page (#u570fa5f6-1e85-5d6e-8eec-d0dbfe4d1d6b)
Copyright (#u683f80ef-357e-5de0-8a32-6c84d37b7a75)
Introduction (#ua147b1a9-1844-5e3c-b90e-7985f16573eb)
Dear Reader (#u3d4c1f25-9a8e-560f-82d3-56aa00545ace)
Chapter 1 (#u14202453-f92a-59f7-adc2-7aecba101b5a)
Chapter 2 (#u673f7f15-0a5a-5b35-bdb0-2095c4c66938)
Chapter 3 (#ufc3f5b55-94dd-58f5-b178-302e465ef16b)
Chapter 4 (#ud27810a7-7339-5e6c-b635-e5421bdc84c4)
Chapter 5 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 6 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 7 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 8 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 9 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 10 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 11 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 12 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 13 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 14 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 15 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 16 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 17 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 18 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 19 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 20 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 21 (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 1 (#uf45f6dd5-9c4c-5168-8a80-4d52617fdaee)
Staggering a little as she ran, Tessa Wilkes spied the finish line maybe a half mile ahead through waves of heat and dust. Whatever bastard had decided to call a twenty-mile run carrying a forty-pound rucksack a “sprint” should be shot. Right now. She volunteered to pull the trigger.
Her body hurt in every way it was possible to hurt. Three months of grueling, around-the-clock physical training had taken its toll on her. She’d reached the end of her rope, and her fingers were slipping off the last bit of said rope with every agonizing step.
She’d known going in that just because it had become legal for women to begin Special Forces training, it didn’t mean any were going to be allowed to finish the program and play with the big boys. The male instructors would keep doing BS like this run until they broke her. They were never going to back off.
Only she could make the pain stop. By quitting. By giving in. By accepting that she was never going to be one of them. She was sorely tempted to give up on her futile dream when she reached this one last finish line.
But no sooner had the impulse come to her than a wave of sheer, cussed stubbornness slammed through her. She was that horse who would die in the harness, still straining to pull its load.
Her face was on fire. Her lungs were self-combusting. The heavy pack hammered her feet into the ground with every step she took. But onward she staggered. Step after miserable step. At this point any reasonably fit person could walk beside her faster than she was running.
But she. Did. Not. Stop.
She’d asked for this insanity—begged for it, even—which made her misery even worse. It stripped away her right to complain. All she had left was anger.
She reached for her old friend, Fury. Born of rage at being powerless to control her life, it rose from her determination someday to become a strong, independent woman whom no man would ever push around.
Her steps stabilized. Her stride stretched back out into a full run. Less than a quarter mile to go now.
“Damn. Thought we had you there, Wilkes,” a male voice said sardonically from behind her.
She didn’t bother turning around to look. Lambert. A recently arrived instructor, he always wore mirrored shades and a baseball cap, which meant she had no idea what her latest tormenter actually looked like beyond that lean, chiseled jaw. And a physique modeled after the great masters of sculpture, of course. He never participated in harassing the trainees. He just watched. Mostly her.
He’d been hanging around pretty much continuously the past few days. Either he was studying her for who knew what inscrutable reason, or he was stalking her. Whatever. They could throw their best head games at her and run her till she dropped. When she got back up, she would just keep on going.
“Ahh, well. We’ll break you next time,” he murmured from just behind her. “Or the time after that. If you won’t quit coming after us, we won’t quit coming after you.”
