Wild: Whispering Cove, Book 1 (13 page)

Sydney was exquisite in her fury. Pink spotted her cheeks, while tendons tightened along her neck. Her hands clenched by her sides. And that perky little nose was high in the air. Her waspish effect made his blood pump hot and wild. He reached for her but she jerked away.

“That’s all, Sean.” Spinning around, she marched right into the arms of the cowboy who had interrupted them.

Sean fought the urge to go after her, but she was right. He had no claims on her. The realization soured his mood as he stomped back to the table and threw himself into his chair.

Louisa and Ted were on the dance floor. Cameron was nowhere in sight.

Harry leaned toward him. “Something wrong, bro?”

“That woman is infuriating.” Sean released an ominous growl as the cowboy swung Sydney into his body, her hips grinding his. Sean’s mouth went dry. Heat traveled so fast up his neck it felt as if his head would burst into flames.

“And beautiful.”

“Hell yes, she’s beau—” Sean stuttered. “I mean…she’s young and vulnerable.”

Both men turned to watch her just as she spun away from the cowboy, her body dissolving into the music as her eyes closed. Her ass swayed seductively to the beat. Her shoulders undulated, her breasts pressed tight against that sexy damn sweater. Arms above her head, she bent her knees, taking her body down in a wave that made Sean’s heart crash against his chest.

“Vulnerable? Sydney?” Harry chuckled. “So you’ve got it bad for her?”

Gaze locked on the woman of his infatuation, Sean huffed. “Are you kidding?” Watching her rub against another man made his palms itch to tear the little minx out of the cowboy’s embrace. “She’s my sister. Well, sort of.” They had no blood ties.

“The man doth protest too much, methinks.”

Sean slowly turned his head, leveling his glare on Harry. “Ha. Ha. Think what you want, Shakespeare.”

He picked up his beer and took a deep swig before slamming the bottle on the table. Without saying another word he got to his feet. The last chords of the music strummed and he planned to be next to Sydney before a new song began.

As he stepped onto the dance floor, sweet laughter caressed his ears. Sydney wore a broad smile for the cowboy who stroked his palms down her arms until he held her hands in his. Another growl rumbled in Sean’s throat. He wanted her to smile at him like that.

Anchoring his fingers around her biceps, he pulled her out of the man’s grasp. “My turn.”

The cowboy took a step toward them, stopping when Sydney shook her head. Disappointment greeted Sean. He’d like nothing better than to wipe the smirk from the cowboy’s face.

With several quick brushes of her hand, she fanned the blush on her cheeks. “I think I’ll sit this one out. But thank you.” Not waiting for a response, she sauntered off at a clip.

Hard-pressed to follow, he worked his way through the crowd, increasing his pace when he realized she wasn’t heading for their table. Instead, she ducked out the exit.

Sydney wasn’t getting away from him that easily.

A look, a kiss, a taste of melted chocolate...

Wet

© 2012 Cathryn Fox

Whispering Cove, Book 2

Celebrity chef Kathleen Wilson has returned to Whispering Cove for her high-school reunion. Tired of big city life, she’s looking forward to relaxing in the quaint fishing village. The one thing she’s not looking forward to is facing the boy from her past. The boy she turned her back on ten years ago. The same boy she has never gotten over.

Firefighter Trent Parker has never given up on reuniting with his Katy. When he hears she’s back in town, he figures the quickest way to show her where she really belongs is to launch an all-out, blatant campaign of seduction. An accident with a fire hose leaves her soaked—and ignites a firestorm of need in them both, with only one way to extinguish the flames.

Soon they’re burning up the sheets, but when morning comes and the smoke clears, Katy faces a choice she never thought she’d have to make again. To leave for another ten years…or admit that the heat between her and Trent isn’t about to burn out.

Warning: A dash of chocolate, a celebrity chef and a sexy firefighter who knows as much about starting a fire as how to put one out.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Wet:

Katy shot a glance around the kitchen and noted she was all alone. Where had everyone gone? The dinner staff would be coming in soon, but where had her folks disappeared to? She’d been so busy playing with new menu ideas, hoping the addition of a few gourmet dishes would help draw in new patrons, that she hadn’t paid any attention to her surroundings. Not that the restaurant had room for more patrons, she mused. They were at peak tourist season and the place was packed tighter than a tin of sardines. She alone must have rung in at least two thousand dollars in sales that afternoon. Had her grandfather been completely honest about her parents’ financial troubles? But since he’d sworn her to secrecy, she couldn’t ask. She could only observe. Maybe she’d try to get a look at the books later.

She heard a noise in the other room, and heavy boots scraping over the old plank floor heralded someone’s approach.

“I’ll be with you in a moment,” she called out over her shoulder, and wiped the sticky flour from her hands. She caught her reflection in the glass refrigerator door as she hurried to the dining area. Good God, she had flour on her face, and strands of hair, once neatly piled on the top of her head, had fallen out and were jutting out in all directions. Cripes, she looked like she’d styled her hair with an egg beater.

Concentrating on trying to stick the wayward locks back into place, she rushed through the swinging door and, not looking where she was going, collided with a solid brick wall. Air rushed from her lungs with a whoosh, and she stumbled backwards. Strong hands slipped around her waist to right her, and she glanced up only to discover that the brick wall was none other than Trent Parker.

Oh God…

“Hey,” he said, as capable arms packaged her tight against his body. Dark, intense eyes met hers and they exchanged a long, heated look, one that spoke of want and desire. One that nearly shut down her brain. A tremble moved through her as delicious warmth spread over her skin.

“Hey yourself,” was all she managed to get out as his hands slipped from her back to rest on the sides of her hips. His touch was shockingly intimate and did the most naughty things to her libido. He splayed his hands wider, and the feeling was so sensual, so damn erotic, her skin flushed hotly and she had to remind herself to breathe.

Trent continued to hold her to him, chest to chest, stomach to stomach, and groin to groin. A low breathy moan sounded in her throat and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do to stifle it.

His glance raced over her and he placed his mouth so close to hers she could taste the sweetness of his breath. “You okay?” The tenderness and genuine concern in his voice produced a familiar fullness in her chest, right around the vicinity of her heart.

“Yes. No. I don’t know,” she answered.

Good God, with the way he was meshing their bodies together, she could barely breathe, let alone think. But the one thing she did know was that she was
not
okay. How could she be? The man she left ten years ago, the same man who was staring down at her with equal measures of disdain and desire, held her so intimately and so possessively it was all she could do not to tear her uniform off and beg him to take her right there on the restaurant floor.

A shiver of need ran through her as she carefully extricated herself from his arms. She stood back and took a moment to gather her composure, no easy task considering Trent was standing in front of her looking like sex incarnate. Her knees wobbled and she grabbed the edge of the counter for balance.

Trent took a step closer. “Well, which is it? Are you okay, or are you not okay?”

She fussed with her hair and wiped the flour from her face as her glance devoured him. Dear God, the boy from her past had grown into one hell of a handsome man, dark eyes, short brown hair, rugged features, sun-kissed skin and a beautiful mouth she instantly longed to kiss. Her pulse leapt as she breathed in his familiar earthy scent, and when she detected the clean smell of his favorite soap beneath the surface, warm and wicked sensations stirred her libido.

She cleared her throat and prayed her voice wouldn’t fail her. “I’m okay,” she lied. “But how about you?” Her question sounded rushed and breathless, even to herself. “I crashed into you pretty hard, and I’m not a lightweight anymore,” she teased, trying to lighten the mood.

Looking sexier than ever, he grinned down at her, but didn’t answer. Instead he took a measured step back and stared at her with dark, sensual eyes that made her blood burn in a way it had never burned before. After a long, lingering look, he drove his hands into his jean pockets, pushing them lower on his hips. Katy’s glance dropped to his sexy oblique muscles, which were peeking out from beneath his untucked shirt, and tried not to think about the way her fingers itched to trace each sinewy striation.

He made a noise and her gaze darted back to his face in time to see the sadness in his eyes when they clashed with hers.

He quickly blinked it away, but his voice was a little low, a little rough with emotion when he asked, “How are you, Katy? Or should I say
Kathleen
?”

Katy swallowed, and felt the sting of his words all the way to her core. She couldn’t fault him for his comment, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. She stiffened and adjusted her apron, understanding how things were going to be between them, and wondering how she could possibly make it right again.

The relationship is pretend. The chemistry…isn’t.

Sweet Deal

© 2012 Kelly Jamieson

After her last job ended with a broken heart and a humiliating exit from the company, Shelby Leighton’s project management career is back on track with a new job and a high-profile project. The problem: her new boss is a little too friendly, and the staff is talking. Can you say, “déjà vu?” The solution: casually mention a fictional new boyfriend.

New problem: she’s expected to bring her new man to the upcoming corporate picnic.

Jake Magill doesn’t do relationships. It’s casual or nothing, but the hot blonde he’s been eyeing at the coffee shop sure is something. Especially when she confesses her problem, and he finds himself offering to act as her date.

Sounds simple. Stroll around the party with Shelby’s sexy curves clinging to his arm? He’s all over it. Until he meets her boss—the man who once stole and married the one woman Jake thought he loved.

Now Jake’s the one with a reason to pretend. If only to save his own pride…and Shelby from the predatory gaze of the man who could ruin her, and any chance of finding out if their fake connection is the real thing.

Warning: Contains one desperate lady in need, and a pretend boyfriend who shows impressive dedication to nailing all—and then some—elements of his role. Oh my!

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Sweet Deal:

He straightened and glanced at his watch. One minute before three o’clock. He paced to the back of his vehicle, watching the parking lot, hands shoved into his jeans pockets.

It had been fun until suddenly out of the blue, it was as if she’d thrown up a wall of ice and had practically sprinted out of the bar. He’d racked his brain the rest of the evening trying to figure out what he’d said that had shut things down so fast, and couldn’t come up with a damn thing.

Far be it from him to pretend to understand women. His track record in that area was pretty pathetic.

A car turned into the lot, a little silver Pontiac GT convertible, exactly on time, and his body went on alert, a small adrenaline rush singing through his veins. The car slowly approached, pulled into the spot next to his and he recognized that gleaming blonde hair.

She emerged a moment later, slammed her car door shut and, as she walked toward him, held her remote over her shoulder and locked the doors with a chirp. She wore jeans, like he did, sitting low on her hips and rolled up above her ankle. Instead of pink heels, today she wore pink flip flops, and a modest tank top hugged her body, not hiding her impressive chest but certainly not displaying it in an overtly sexy way. She was sexy nonetheless. Christ, she could dress in a sack and she’d still be sexy as hell. What was it about her? Yes, she was pretty, with a sweet oval face, plump lips and big eyes, and yes, she was blonde, though her long hair was straight and silky, not teased and bimbo-big. And though she was small, she was definitely stacked and probably had a cute ass, too, in those jeans.

But there was more to it than that, and damned if he could put his finger on what it was.

She greeted him with a determinedly cheerful smile. “Hi. You came.”

He lifted a brow. “You thought I wouldn’t?”

“I wondered. I still don’t know why you’re helping me like this.” She gave him an assessing glance. “But I do appreciate it.”

“Wait till the day’s over,” he said, setting his fingertips on her lower back and directing her around to the passenger side of his vehicle. “If we convince your boss you’re taken and get him to lay off, then you can thank me.”