Exclusive: Excerpt from Day Shift by Missy Jane (& Giveaway)

The vampires in Missy Jane’s new novel Day Shift are out in the open. Humans tend to only come out during the day light, but the president assures them it’s safe to work the night shift. Her heroine finds herself having to be protected from a crazy ex-husband by one very handsome, very out-of-her-league vampire… with sexy results.

Missy was kind enough to offer up this extended excerpt just for Vampire Book Club readers. As an added bonus, we have one copy of Day Shift for a VBC reader. Just leave a comment on this post by 11:59 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 24.

EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT FROM DAY SHIFT BY MISSY JANE

I looked through my peephole and was surprised to see Detective Parsons on the other side of my door. He was dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt, no fedora or sunglasses in sight. I couldn’t decide if I was happy about that or not. I unlocked and opened the door, letting him see the wary surprise on my face.

“Detective, I wasn’t expecting you.”

He looked properly chastised and even apologetic.

“I know, I’m sorry. I would’ve called but was nearby when something came up and thought I should get to you as soon as possible.”

Surprise and curiosity peaked in equal measure but I still wasn’t keen on letting him into my home.

“Oh?”

He shifted from one foot to the other. His discomfort only made me more wary of what had brought him to my door.

“I don’t suppose I could come in for a minute? I promise not to sit down or get comfortable or anything.”

His reasonable tone suddenly made me feel foolish and rude. I shrugged and stepped back to let him in, doing my best to keep fear at bay. Even though we had just met, I kind of trusted this vamp. He wasn’t likely to decide he wanted a chunk out of my neck, and he was a cop. That had to count for something…right?

“Sorry. I don’t normally have people over.”

He walked in and stopped by my sofa, the only furniture in my itty-bitty living room. I didn’t even have a television or coffee table in this room, just a TV tray I sometimes used to eat dinner. My efficiency apartment used to be a single twin-bed hotel room. They hadn’t done a whole lot during the remodel, just added a kitchen and enclosed the bedroom. My living room and kitchen were basically one open space that could be crossed in a few steps. Parsons turned to look around and I tried not to care what he thought.

“Nice place,” he said.

I snorted and closed the door, walking past him to the kitchen. “Want some hot chocolate?”

“Uh, sure. That would be nice.”

I didn’t know if he’d even tried to hide his surprise at my offer, but he hadn’t done a very good job. I couldn’t blame him. After the way I’d run from the diner I was shocked he’d even come to talk to me again.

“So, what’s so urgent you had to come see me as soon as the sun set?”

This time he snorted. “The sun has nothing to do with it. I just haven’t been to bed yet.”

I filled his cup from my pot on the stove and turned to hand it to him, raising a brow in surprise.

“Really? And here I’d thought you’d been up all night when I saw you this morning.”

He took the cup and nodded his thanks before taking a sip.

“Mmm, that’s really good. No, I’d pretty much just rolled out of bed. I’ve been on day shift for almost a week and I’m still not used to it. How in the hell do you do it anyway?”

I motioned to the sofa before walking over and taking a seat. It was long enough that if I turned with my back to the arm I wouldn’t touch him when he sat down. He sat and turned to face me. I picked my cup up off the TV tray and held it between my palms.

“I’ve always worked day shift. Right after high school it was hard because I wasn’t used to being up all day, but after a few weeks I adjusted.”

He drank more hot chocolate and I couldn’t help but notice how his biceps flexed with the movement. His dark blue T-shirt stretched across a muscular chest that hadn’t been nearly as noticeable this morning, and revealed more of his mysterious tattoo. I frowned at my wayward thoughts and kept my eyes averted, though I’d already noticed how his jeans hugged his strong thighs in the most enticing way. Damn it! I did not want to be attracted to a vampire.

“Well, I’m hoping it won’t last long enough for me to get adjusted. It’s supposed to be a temporary thing.” I made a noise of understanding and took another drink. “The reason I’m here Miss, uh… By the way, why didn’t you tell me you were married?”

I spat out a mouthful of hot chocolate and turned to glare at him, wiping a hand across my mouth. He looked at the mess on my floor and then back at me.

“Okay, I take it that’s a sore spot with you.”

“And not up for discussion. My ex has nothing to do with your investigation, Detective Parsons.”

He stood and walked into my kitchen then surprised the hell out of me by rinsing his cup out before setting it in the sink. I stood and frowned at the mess I’d made. Luckily I had a tile floor. It had been carpet when I moved in, but I’d made Joe take it out since I’m the clumsiest person I know.

Parsons turned to face me and leaned back against the sink, crossing his arms against his chest. His biceps bulged and I had to look away before I blushed.

“You may not wish to discuss him…Ms. Stonewell. However, he has recently become a part of my ongoing investigation and any information you can give me may be crucial.”

I set my cup on the tray while questions raced through my mind. What investigation? Why would Ivan be involved in anything illegal? And how in the hell had hot chocolate gotten that high on my wall? I stormed into my bedroom and grabbed a towel from the laundry basket then returned to the living room to clean my mess. Parsons remained where he was and watched in silence.

“What does Ivan have to do with anything?” I finally asked.

I was on my hands and knees scrubbing the floor and trying to sound as offended as possible to hide my embarrassment. When Parsons didn’t answer right away, I glanced over my shoulder and caught him staring at my ass. He looked up into my gaze, but not as if he was startled at my catching him. A slight grin played on his lips before he shrugged it off.

“I really can’t discuss my investigation with you. I just have a few questions about him.”

His dark brown eyes gleamed in the light from my kitchen and it took a second for me to remember what we were talking about.

“Uh, yeah. Whatever.”

I’m so articulate when flustered. I got up and looked around for more little brown spots. Parsons hadn’t moved but I could sense him watching me. I suddenly felt exposed in my tank top and gym shorts. I actually slept without the shorts but hadn’t shed them yet when he’d knocked. Walking around without a bra wasn’t normally an issue for my size, but I suddenly wished I’d put on more clothes.

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3. This contest is open internationally.
4. Contest closes at 11:59 p.m. CST on Thursday, Nov. 24.
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