Aftershock. Jill Sorenson
THERE’S A FINE LINE
As an emergency paramedic, Lauren Boyer is dedicated and highly capable. Until an earthquake strikes, trapping her beneath the freeway with a group of strangers—including Iraq war veteran Garrett Wright…
BETWEEN PERIL AND PASSION
Handsome and take-charge Garrett aids Lauren in her rescue efforts, even as the steely look in his eyes seems to hide dark secrets. When a gang of escaped convicts goes on the attack, Garrett’s bravery makes him more than a courageous bystander to Lauren. If they can save the others before time runs out, maybe, just maybe, they can explore the fire igniting between them—if the truth about who he really is doesn’t pull them apart forever….
Selected Praise for
“Carnal scenes that wouldn’t be out of place in Penthouse Forum litter the pages. Sorenson makes her characters realistic, flawed, and appealing. Deftly handled violent action and red herrings rush this thriller to a believable ending.”
—Publishers Weekly on The Edge of Night
“Taut with emotion, suspense and danger. Sorenson expertly weaves the two stories into a heart-wrenching conclusion.”
—RT Book Reviews on The Edge of Night
“One of the best books of the year…nonstop, heart-pounding excitement.”
—RT Book Reviews on Stranded with Her Ex, Top Pick! 4.5 stars
“(A) high-tension romantic thriller...culminating in a page-turning climax. Despite the mystery, the real tension comes from the emotional relationships, full of explosive sex and terrible secrets.”
—Publishers Weekly on Crash into Me
“It was definitely hot. Sooo hot. Jill Sorenson is my new favorite romantic-suspense author!”
—USA TODAY bestselling author Victoria Dahl on Crash into Me
Aftershock
Jill Sorenson
Many wonderful people helped to make this book possible.
I’d like to thank Stacy Boyd, my editor. Your insights are amazing and you give great advice. Working with you has been a dream come true.
Special thanks to Shana Smith, assistant editor, for tweeting that you wanted to read an earthquake story. I thought, “I could do that!”
Thanks to Laurie McLean, my agent, for always believing in me.
Heartfelt thanks to Andria Dreyer, paramedic, for patiently answering my research questions. It was great to speak with a smart, experienced professional.
Thanks to Jessica Scott, fellow romance author and Iraq war veteran, for your extraordinary service and military expertise. Any mistakes I made are my own.
Thanks to my readers. I couldn’t do this (and wouldn’t want to) without you. Thanks to reviewers and bloggers for talking about my books. I really appreciate it.
Last but not least, thanks to my mom—my favorite nurse.
Contents
CHAPTER ONE
LAUREN BOYER CLIMBED into the passenger seat of the ambulance, nodding hello to the EMT behind the wheel.
Joe arched a brow. “I thought Alanis was working.”
“We switched a couple of shifts,” she said, stashing her purse and extra uniform. “I didn’t feel like staying home.”
“You should’ve gone to Vegas.”
“Why would I do that?”
He fiddled with the switches on the console, avoiding her gaze. “With your girlfriends. You know. For fun.”
“The bachelorette party got canceled, Joe. Just like the wedding.”
That shut him up.
She didn’t want to talk—or think—about her broken engagement, which was why she’d offered to cover for Alanis. Michael had called it off six months ago, before the invitations were sent but after the announcement had been made. Although she hadn’t discussed most of the details with Joe, he knew they’d set the date for this weekend.
“We’ve got chest pain in North