Tami Lund Romance Author Undercover Heat

Today, fellow author and friend, Patricia D. Eddy, did an interview with Quinn and Kyra from Undercover Heat, over on her blog. I liked the interview so much, I figured I’d bring it over here to my blog, so you all can read it too.

Enjoy!

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On today’s blog, I decided to feature the hero from Tami Lund’s latest contemporary romance, Undercover Heat. His name is Quinn Daniels, and he’s an FBI agent, based out of the Detroit regional office. He’s had some hard knocks in his life – an abusive father and a mother who never stood up for her son or herself – but according to his boss, Nico, those past experiences have helped shape him into one of the finest agents he’s ever known.

It’s a rare treat to secure an interview with even one FBI agent, so imagine my surprise when Kyra Sanders, another agent currently working out of the Detroit office, shows up by Quinn’s side. “It’s my case we’re working on,” she says with a sideways glance at the handsome man standing next to her.

Quinn had asked me to meet him at a high-end steakhouse, suggesting we could have a drink and appetizers while we talked. Who was I to complain, especially when he insisted on picking up the tab?

“There she is,” Quinn says abruptly, and I swing my head around, wondering whom he’s talking about. “Don’t look,” he chides me. I whip my head back to face him and Kyra, embarrassed by my lack of FBI etiquette.

“What do you expect her to do, when you say something like, ‘There she is’?” Kyra asks him, hands on hips, a glare in her eyes.

“Are you going to be this snippy for the entire case?” Quinn shoots back. “Because living with a bitchy woman is not my idea of a good time. I’ve never lived with any woman, except my mother, but I sure as hell wouldn’t choose to live with one who harps on me all the damn time.”

“It’s a case, Quinn. We’re going undercover. It isn’t real.” Kyra says all of this through clenched teeth, and I have the impression she has had to point it out multiple times already.

“I’m not an idiot. I understand the difference between real and make believe. I—”

“Do you?”

I watch Quinn’s face flush a dull red. “That kiss was for the benefit of our perp,” he says evenly. “And it worked, didn’t it? She came over and talked to us, which is exactly what we wanted.”

“That was not a pretend kiss,” Kyra says, still speaking through clenched teeth. I’m beginning to worry her jaw is going to lock.

“I can’t help it that I’m a great kisser, and that you enjoy my kisses.”

Kyra sputters indignantly for a few moments before saying, “You enjoyed it too.”

Quinn shrugs. “I did. We can pretend kiss anytime you want. We can even pretend sleep together, if you want.”

“How is that going to help us close this case?”

“It won’t. But it’ll help with this case of blue balls I’ve had ever since pretend kissing you.”

“That’s it. I’m out of here.” Kyra turns to leave, but Quinn stops her with a hand on her arm.

“She’s coming over,” he murmurs so low I am not sure I hear him correctly.

“Who?” I ask, finally joining the conversation. This is supposed to be an interview, but I’ve been so busy watching the sparks fly between these two, I’ve completely forgotten to do my job.

“Our perp,” Kyra says. “The reason we are doing this undercover assignment. She’s been running Ponzi schemes for, we believe, ten years, possibly more. I almost nailed her last year in Dallas, but she managed to get away at the eleventh hour.”

“I’m still not convinced she didn’t have inside information,” Quinn says.

The look on Kyra’s face is interesting. She looks as if she is in pain. I want to ask about it, but the pained look shifts into a fake smile, and her gaze is locked on something behind my back. I turn around to see what she is looking at and come face to, er, giant boobs with a woman wearing stiletto heels, a slinky red dress, and a bleached blond bouffant hairdo. I lift my gaze to see her smile, showing off blindingly white teeth between ruby red lips. Her gaze, I notice, is latched onto Quinn. A quick look in Kyra’s direction confirms that she isn’t happy about this. Interesting, given they are supposed to be pretending to be together. Her acting skills are worthy of an Oscar. If she’s acting.

I realize Quinn is introducing me to the boobs, I mean, the woman in red. I shake her hand and say, “Nice to meet you, Ms. Bianca.” She offers me a vague smile and returns her attention to Quinn.

Kyra is so mad I can practically see the steam coming out of her ears. But when Whitney Bianca lifts her hand and cups his bicep, Quinn lifts his own arm and drapes it across Kyra’s shoulders. She immediately tenses – as does Whitney, I notice. Is this some sort of bizarre love triangle? I don’t recall anything in the notes I received about Quinn having a relationship with the perp they are trying to set up so they can arrest her and shut down her Ponzi schemes permanently.

I watch Whitney while Quinn nuzzles Kyra’s hair. Kyra tries to push him away, and Whitney looks as if she wants to grab Kyra by the hair, give her cement shoes, and toss her into the nearest body of water. I wonder if it is not that she and Quinn have a relationship as much as she wants there to be one. Which is funny to me, because it sure seems like Quinn and Kyra have something going on. Undercover or not, this couple gives off some serious heat.

Whitney Bianca makes an excuse and leaves, and Kyra and Quinn wait for less than five minutes and follow her. I am left standing in the lobby of the restaurant, no notes and no interview in hand. The only thing I am certain of is that if someone asked me to place a bet on whether or not Kyra and Quinn are pretending to be attracted to each other, I would win that wager. Hands down.

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Tami Lund, the author of Undercover Heat, as well as several other books, likes to live, love, and laugh, and does her best to ensure the characters in her books do the same. After they’ve overcome a few seemingly insurmountable obstacles first, of course.