Just a Dream: Tungsten Protective Services, #5

By Aliyah Burke

Dreams are a glimpse into our soul…

Liam Quinn has recently returned from a tour over in the Middle East. He may need a lot of things, but a stranded, potentially hysterical woman isn't one of them. Still, he wasn't raised to ignore a damsel in distress. What he gets is nothing like he expects.

Caden Bradshaw has lost men in her life due to the ravages of war. As a widow she fights to get veterans and dependents the benefits owed to them. Determined not to become involved with another man who wears a military uniform, she is thrown by the tall Marine who rescues her alongside the road.

One determined to pursue the sparks between them and one unable to relinquish the past, their budding relationship is tested. When Liam is recalled back to the warzone, Caden realizes just how much he means to her. Will she get a chance to tell him, or will it all have been…

Just A Dream

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sensual Romance Publishing
• Release date: Mar 2, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393409762

Aliyah Burke

USA Today bestselling author Aliyah Burke is an avid reader and is never far from pen and paper (or the computer). She is happily married to a career military man. They are owned by six Borzoi. She spends her days at the day job, writing, and working with her dogs.

Book preview

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Just A Dream

Copyright © 2016 Aliyah Burke

Cover illustration copyright © Covers by K

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system-except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine, newspaper, or on the Web-without permission in writing from the publisher or author. The unauthorized replication or allocation of any copyrighted work is illegal. File sharing is an international crime, prosecuted by the United States Department of Justice and the United States Border Patrol, Division of Cyber Crimes, in partnership with Interpol. Copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is punishable by up to five years in federal prison, a fine of $250,000 per reported instance, and seizure of computers.

This book is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is coincidental. All trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks, and registered service marks are the property of their respective owners and are used herein for identification purposes only.   

Published by: Sensual Romance Publishing

Just a Dream

By

Aliyah Burke

Blurb for Just A Dream

Dreams are a glimpse into our soul...

Liam Quinn has recently returned from a tour over in the Middle East. He may need a lot of things, but a stranded, potentially hysterical woman isn’t one of them. Still, he wasn’t raised to ignore a damsel in distress. What he gets is nothing like he expects.

Caden Bradshaw has lost men in her life due to the ravages of war. As a widow she fights to get veterans and dependents the benefits owed to them. Determined not to become involved with another man who wears a military uniform, she is thrown by the tall Marine who rescues her alongside the road.

One determined to pursue the sparks between them and one unable to relinquish the past, their budding relationship is tested. When Liam is recalled back to the warzone, Caden realizes just how much he means to her. Will she get a chance to tell him, or will it all have been...

Just A Dream

For Carmen.

For all you did in Vietnam, thank you!

For DH, love you always, thank you for supporting me. To the readers, thank you for your support. And as always, to the men and women who serve in our Armed Forces, I thank you for your sacrifice and dedication to protecting our country. You are not forgotten and are appreciated.

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

About the Author

Additional Books by Aliyah Burke

Chapter One

The thumping noise was back. Or is that a thunk? With a sigh, Caden frowned. This is so not what I need right now.

Casting a glance in the rearview mirror, she gave herself a small smile meant to encourage, in the fading light of day. It was gloomy as snowflakes fell sporadically from the gray sky. Every now and then a powerful gust of snowy wind would swirl around, rocking the vehicle. Her fingers gripped the wheel tighter to make sure the tires stayed between the lines.

She had to get up to DC tonight. There was a warm hotel room and bed waiting for her. Tomorrow...tomorrow was another day in the battle to get a deserving veteran his benefits. Rolling her shoulders, she tried to release some tension, adjusted the heater, and then turned down the volume of the music.

Damn, it’s been a long day, she muttered as she noticed how few headlights there were. In fact, she couldn’t see any in her rearview, nor brake lights ahead of her. The lane of oncoming traffic was empty as well. It was as if someone had yelled fire and she was the only one left. Worrying her lower lip with her teeth, she squinted her tired eyes through the increasing wall of white.

At least the noise stopped, whatever it was.

Upping the speed of her windshield wipers made her wish again that she was already in DC. For a while she drove along, her mind focused on the reason she got into her line of work: her father’s face. Air Force Major James Whaller. He had been so proud to serve his country. A Vietnam as well as a Gulf War veteran. When he’d died, her mother had encountered an unusually high number of obstacles to obtain his benefits. Despite their claims of willingness to take care of military families, the Department of Veteran Affairs made it very difficult. Caden had done what she could to help—she dug deep and asked many questions, refusing to be put off by bureaucratic red tape and people who wanted to dodge her.

Tears filled her eyes as she remembered the men in her life taken away from her by the ravages of war. Father, brother, and husband. Her brother had died in the first Gulf War and her husband in the second. Still, Caden Renae Whaller Bradshaw had nothing but the utmost respect for the men and women who volunteered to defend this amazing country. She didn’t hate the military, not at all. What she hated was the way the vets and dependents of fallen heroes were ignored by the country they had given their lives to protect. So now, she worked at the Department of Veteran Affairs and had developed a reputation of being like a mama wild animal protecting her young when she fought for those she represented.

The next day was a disability case hearing and she really had wished to get a good night’s sleep before it, but at the rate she was traveling that was a wish she didn’t think would come to pass.

The lights on her dash faded and came back. Caden frowned. While cars may not be her specialty, even she knew that wasn’t a good sign. The noise from earlier returned louder than before with increasing frequency.

Clunk! Clunk! Clunkclunkclu─

Everything on her car died. Lights faded, the engine stopped and, with a loud string of curses, Caden directed her rolling car to the shoulder and allowed it to come to a final halt.

Shit! she swore as she smacked the steering wheel, embracing the shaft of pain that shot through.

Reaching across to the passenger seat, she grabbed her cell phone and swiped it. No bars.

Can you hear me now? Caden sneered as she tossed the phone back on the seat. Damn it all. With a sigh, she looked out the window; it was almost dark and there was no sign of life. "Figures I couldn’t break down near civilization. This is probably the one spot along the interstate where reception isn’t any good either." She tried to start the car again. Nothing.

Not believing it would do any good, she pushed the button for her hazard lights, then grabbed her jacket and slipped it on. One final check to see for any oncoming traffic and Caden opened the door to