Read an excerpt from Up to You by Daisy Prescott

I'm the last single woman among my friends. Don't feel sorry for me. I'm fine with flying solo, especially with ski season right around the corner. You won't hear me complaining. Until my mother decides I need a date for my cousin's wedding ... and chooses the worst man in the world for me.

Landon Roberts is the human equivalent of a parka with every ski pass he's ever purchased hanging off of his zipper. Apparently my mother is the last person in Colorado to know about Landon's reputation.

To make things worse, his super hot brother Aiden's back in town. Still gorgeous and still not remotely interested in me.

I can survive this wedding disaster as long as I pretend my date is someone else.

***

As one of the stars of Aspen's rugby club, I don't need help meeting women. Tell that to my mother. She's picked out my date for the biggest wedding of the year.

Mae London is the local girl who broke every heart in the valley before she left for California. Now she's back and hotter than ever. Too bad she hates me.

Enlisting the help of my brother, I'm going to become the ideal man, and charm Mae right out of her bad opinion of me.

This wedding date will be perfect as long as I pretend to be someone else. 

Excerpt

“Yes, Mother Dear?” I fold my hands and put on my wide-eyed innocent face.

“Save it for your revolving door of women.” She places her empty glass on the island counter. “Do you have a date for the wedding?”

“What wedding?” I ask because I’m sure there is more than one upcoming wedding on her radar.

“The London-Tierney wedding, of course. Unless you’ve had one concussion too many and can’t remember our conversation from five minutes ago.” She’s not even a little amused by me right now.

“Why would I have a date for a wedding I’m not going to?” Crossing my arms, I lean against the counter. Mom’s had too many glasses of rosé.

“You’ll be invited. Invitations will be sent out this week.”

“I think I’ll be out of town. Playing rugby.” There’s no way I’m missing one of the last tournaments of the season for some society wedding.

“I thought the season ended mid-September with Rugby Fest?” Aiden’s grin tells me he knows he just threw me under the bus.

“It does. Didn’t Mom say September was the wedding? I’m sure I’m busy every weekend.” I feel the solid ground of my excuse begin to slip out from under my feet.

“It’s Columbus Day. That’s mid October,” she adds like I’m an idiot, which apparently I am because I just blew my out. “And you have to go because I’ve already told Mrs. London you’ll be Mae’s date.”

“What?” I ask, my voice cracking.

“Why?” Aiden sets down his beer with too much force. The glass makes a loud cracking noise against the marble, but doesn’t break.

“Yeah, why?” I echo him. “If I have to attend, I can bring my own choice of dates. I’m not some sad sack who needs his mother to set him up. Not like Aiden. Make Aiden shave off the recluse disguise and take her. If either of us needs help with the opposite sex, it’s him, not me. I’m sure he doesn’t have any other options.”

I can’t believe she thinks this crazy idea is going to fly with me. Anger heats my neck as I try to process why she thinks I’ll go along with her plan.

“Fuck off, Landon,” Aiden mumbles, wiping the bottom of his bottle with his open palm, checking for leaks.

Mom’s lips curve with the start of a small frown. “Can you two be in the same place for more than five minutes without sounding like the dialogue from an R-Rated mob movie?”

“No,” I say, sarcastically.

“It was a rhetorical question, Dumbass.” Aiden stares at the ceiling before mumbling, “I really need to get my own place as soon as possible.”

“You could always move back in here. We have a guest suite on the lower level with its own bathroom.” Mom touches his forearm, hope shining bright in her eyes.

“Thanks, but I can’t move home with my parents. I’m thirty, and while I’m not even in the running for wedding date material, I do have some pride left.” Aiden rests his hand over hers.

“Oh, sweetheart. I assumed you’d be gone before October. Plus, Landon and Mae are friends.” Mom reassures him, her voice all lovey and doting.

“We are?” I ask. “Since when?”

“Aren’t you? You grew up together and I know you run in similar circles in Aspen. When I ran into her at the bridal shower she was with Sage Blum, who dates your team’s captain. You can go to the wedding as foursome.”

Yeah, she’s definitely been pounding the pink wine if she believes any of that bullshit. I don’t even know where to begin unraveling her words.

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About the Author

USA Today Bestselling Author Daisy Prescott writes romantic comedies about real love.

Her Modern Love Stories feature characters in their thirties and forties finding and rediscovering love in unexpected and humorous ways. Her Wingmen books star regular guys who often have beards, drive trucks, and love deeply once they fall. Daisy's Love with Altitude latest small town, rom com series is set in Aspen, Colorado. Bewitched is a magical serial set in Salem, Massachusetts. Don't miss her standalone, Tinfoil Heart, a rom com about love, letting go, and little green men.

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Spotlight: The Gunslinger’s Vow by Amy Sandas

Three runaway brides

Determined to escape their fates

Flee West to find freedom that can only be had

in a cowboy’s arms…

Alexandra Brighton spent the last five years in Boston, erasing all evidence of the wild frontier girl she used to be. Before she settles down, she’s determined to visit her childhood home one final time. But when she finds herself stranded far from civilization, she has no choice but to trust her safety to the tall, dark and decidedly dangerous bounty hunter Malcolm Kincaid.

Now that Malcolm finally has the location his brother’s killer, he has no intention of wasting time protecting a pampered Eastern lady. But something about Alexandra speaks to the heart he long thought frozen—and her slow transformation from proper miss to wild-eyed beauty leaves him shaken. By the time they reach Montana, Malcolm must decide if seeking justice for past wrongs is worth losing a future with the woman he never expected to need…

Excerpt

Alexandra Brighton came to a swift halt four steps into the Painted Horse Saloon. Blinking a few times to adjust to the dim interior, she took a measured look around.

As saloons went, it was nothing special. Not that Alexandra had seen many—or any, to be honest.

Despite the early hour, the place was busier than expected. Three men stood in hushed conversation as they leaned against the bar running the length of the wall to her left. Several tables filled the open area to the right, where two separate card games were in progress, and narrow stairs toward the back led up to a closed second floor. An upright piano that looked like it hadn’t been touched in years stood lonely in the shadows by the stairs.

Upon her entrance, everyone turned to stare at her, yet only a handful of the men bothered to scrape to their feet. Their expressions, ranging from mildly curious to outright covetous, reminded her of what she already knew: a saloon was no place for a lady.

Alexandra steadied her chin as she stared coolly back. She did not have the luxury of fear. That would have been handy before she had left Boston. But now, she was too far from the place she’d called home the last five years to go back.

Her only option was to go forward.

Preferably as quickly as possible.

All she needed was one good man. One noble, honorable man who could escort her to Montana while keeping her free from harm. Was that too much to ask?

She feared it was, but Alexandra was low on options. And funds.

The stagecoach out of Rock Springs, Wyoming, was inoperable due to required repairs, leaving Alexandra in desperate need of another way to get to Helena. When the blacksmith mentioned a bounty hunter in town who was heading in that direction, she didn’t stop to think about it—just headed off to the saloon where the man was said to be catching some respite.

It had been a long time since her reckless will had landed her in trouble, yet here she was, standing in the middle of a filthy saloon while men of all varieties stared at her in a way that made her feel like a sheep who’d wandered into the midst of a wolf pack.

Stiffening her spine and reminding herself of her purpose, she scanned the room again.

One of these men had to be the bounty hunter.

The longer she stood there, the cruder the gazes became. The nerves running along her spine prickled, and her palms started to sweat in her fine gloves. Time to see her business done so she could get herself out of there.

“Which of you is the man called Kincaid?” she asked in a tone that cut uncomfortably through the humming quiet that had taken over the place.

She hadn’t intended to sound so imperious, but her courage was slowly ebbing away, and her voice tended to sharpen in compensation for a lack of confidence.

More than a few men glanced away, refocusing their attention on their drink or their card game or whatever conversation they had been in before her interruption. Others eyed her with a new level of curiosity or an odd dose of wariness.

No one answered.

She opened her mouth to repeat her question when the bartender, an aging man with a bald head and rotund belly, caught her eye and gave a sharp jerk of his chin toward a man standing in the shadows at the far end of the bar.

Bolstering her nerves, Alexandra started forward with long strides that caused her many-layered skirts to snap against her heeled boots. The stranger appeared as rough as the other men in the place, but there was something about him—something in the way he held himself—that struck her acutely even as common sense urged her to be extra wary.

Though he hunched forward to rest his elbows on the bar, there was no mistaking his height, or that his shoulders were broad and strong beneath his dark duster coat. A good layer of dirt covered everything from his scuffed boots to the bandana around his neck and the wide-brimmed hat tipped low over his face, supporting the fact that he’d just ridden into town.

It was more than his intimidating size and trail-worn appearance that set this man apart, however. Despite his relaxed posture, he seemed ready for action. And if that were not enough, he was the only person in the whole place who had not given her a second glance. He appeared intent on ignoring her and everyone else.

And everyone else seemed equally determined to ignore him.

If she were a sheep, and the saloon’s occupants were a pack of wolves, then this man was the alpha.

Her steps faltered. What kind of stupid sheep walked right up to the alpha wolf?

Apparently, this one did.

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Spotlight: Taking a Chance on Love by Iris Morland

You met them in DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF ME. Now prepare to fall in love with THE YOUNGERS, a brand-new series from Iris Morland, full of sexy men, passionate women, and the love stories you can't get enough of.

A free-spirited artist and animal activist, Thea Younger only wants to make the world a better place. She’s a lover, not a fighter—except when it comes to people like the ruthless billionaire Anthony Bertram.

Anthony represents everything that she detests, no matter how handsome or rich he is. When Thea has the opportunity to take part in a social media campaign to hurt his company, she jumps at the chance.

Merciless and driven, Anthony Bertram built his company from the ground-up, dedicating every waking moment to creating one of the most powerful corporations in the world.

Yet he almost lost it all when his marriage fell apart. Embittered from his divorce, Anthony knows from experience that love only makes you weak.

When his company is threatened a second time by a slanderous social media campaign, Anthony vows to discover who is behind the lies and to take that person down.

But then fate intervenes. Thea’s much-needed vacation takes a turn when she finds herself trapped in a cabin with none other than Anthony himself.

Thea wants to hate Anthony, but as she gets to know the man behind the mask, she realizes he isn’t a monster at all. He’s all man—and one whose kisses she can’t resist. Desire flames between them until both surrender to exquisite temptation.

But as secrets loom over them, Thea and Anthony must look inside their hearts and find the courage to take a chance on love.

**

This book is a part of the LOVE EVERLASTING series, which is one large series following multiple families and friends. Each book can be read as a standalone (unless otherwise noted), or they can be read in order of publication as one long series. Each book is interconnected, with many of the same characters showing up in multiple books.

Excerpt

It wasn't until Saturday, an entire week after Thea and Anthony had arrived, that the rain finally stopped. By that point, the entire cabin was surrounded by mud and puddles that resembled small lakes. Despite the mud, when the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, Thea put on her hiking boots and jacket and headed outside.

She and Anthony had avoided each other since their confrontation in her bedroom. They'd barely spoken more than ten words to each other altogether. That was fine with Thea.

She just hoped that now that the rain had stopped, she could get out of here. Her resolve to stay had disintegrated in the face of actually having to be around Anthony Bertram. And despite wanting to find some kind of dirt that she could relay to Mittens, she wasn't exactly going to get results by not speaking to him. Or even getting near him or his things.

Thea sighed happily as she felt the sun on her face. Even though mud sucked at her boots with every step, she didn't care one bit. She could clear her head, take in some fresh air, and maybe figure out how she was going to stay in this cabin with the worst man in existence for who knew how much longer.

Thea's progress was slow as she went downhill, even slower than the first time she and Anthony had come down here. At one point, she got her foot stuck in a particularly sticky patch of mud, and she had to yank herself free, almost falling on her butt.

Thea wandered to where the bridge had collapsed. It looked worse than a few days ago. Old lumber was splintered in half from the trees that had fallen onto the bridge. The creek had turned practically into a river with all of the rain. Thea's stomach twisted at the sight. 

She and Anthony weren't going anywhere anytime soon, that was for sure.

Walking parallel to the creek, she let her thoughts wander. Her heart lifted the further she walked from the cabin. She wished she could just walk all the way home and never see Anthony Bertram again.

The night before, she'd caught him coming out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel. She'd frozen, staring at him, deeply annoyed at how damn handsome he was. As if he knew her what she was thinking, with his towel hugging him low on his hips and camouflaging nothing, he'd grinned. Thea had stood her ground, refusing to scamper back to her room like a scared little rabbit.

His scent had curled toward her, spicy and masculine. His hair had curled against his forehead slightly, something so surprisingly playful when the rest of him was so hard and unmovable that Thea wished she could touch that single curl. His cheeks were freshly shaven, but she could still make out the dark grain of his beard. She had a feeling he always had a five o'clock shadow by the end of the day.

Anthony had brushed past her to get to his room right then, but not before he’d leaned down and whispered, "You're drooling."

A moment later, Thea had slammed the bathroom door shut so hard that it had shaken the cabin.

Thea blew out a breath as she walked. So what if Anthony was handsome? She wasn't dead. She also wasn't going to get her panties damp over a total asshole, either. His kind of arrogance didn't turn her on. In fact, it was a huge turn-off. His handsomeness definitely did not get her panties wet in any way, shape, or form. The thought of kissing him? Disgusting. Totally, completely, absolutely…disgusting.

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About Iris Morland

A coffee addict and cat lover, Iris Morland writes sexy and funny contemporary romances. If she's not reading or writing, she enjoys binging on Netflix shows and cooking something delicious.

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Spotlight: Splash by M.E. Rhines

Splash
M.E. Rhines
(Mermaid Royalty #3)
Published by: Clean Teen Publishing
Publication date: June 12th 2018
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Fawna is happy with the new life she has made for herself on land. She has her child and her youngest sister Pauline by her side—plus an amazing new human boyfriend named Randy. So when an old friend from Atargatis shows up, she immediately feels the weight of everything she stands to lose. But the news can’t be ignored – there’s been an attack on their kingdom; her aunt Myrtle is dead and her mother is missing. Angelique, their middle sister, is now ruling a kingdom to the north, leaving Fawna as the only royal left to help save Atargatis. Torn between responsibilities in two different worlds, the decision is made for her when the powerful sea witch who attacked the kingdom also takes Fawna’s son. Now she has no choice—to save her life on dry land, she’ll have to dive back into the ocean…

The final installment in the beloved Mermaid Royalty series, Splash is a heart-pounding fantasy romance that will have you feeling like you need to come up for air!

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—

EXCERPT:

”And if you’d acted before you did, defied your mother and refused her order to kill him, do you believe you could’ve won?”

“Honestly? I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. For all we know we could’ve stopped it long before Gene. Aunt Margaret just kept telling us to be patient, that the catalyst would show itself. We rallied against my mother more because Pauline was in danger, not so much because of Eddie. To me, that was the ultimate incentive to proceed. Seeing her in danger was the reason we stood so strong together.”

“Maybe your aunt knew a human wasn’t a strong enough reason to fight such an epic war. I mean, you might’ve rallied behind Gene, but could you say the others in your resistance would? With everything Gilcrest has told you, you’ve got magic in you, Fawna. You stood a chance against your mother. Your aunt probably knew that.”

“You may be right, but it doesn’t matter. I’ve committed some terrible atrocities.”

“Because you were scared! You didn’t have a choice. I wasn’t even here and I can see that.” He clanged his knuckles against the cast iron frame of the cauldron. “You said you wanted to give this old heirloom a second chance, an opportunity to be used for good. Why can’t you give yourself that chance? Cut yourself a break.”

A smile cracked on my lips, and I shook my head in exasperation. “Why is it you always insist on seeing the good in me, even now when there’s none to be found?”

“There’s plenty of good in you, Fawna. If there wasn’t, you wouldn’t be so ready to risk your soul to rescue the ones you love the most.”

“There’s no talking any sense into you, is there?” I wrapped my arms around his torso, using his weight to anchor myself in place.

“Not a chance,” he grinned, planting a sweet kiss on my cheek. “I’m not going anywhere. It’s like I said before, Queen, my heart is yours and only yours. The sea is in my blood, always has been. Now I know why. I was meant for this life, down here with you and Sebastian. Don’t take it away from me because of a past you can’t outrun.”

Author Bio:

ME Rhines a southwest Florida native currently living in North Port with her two beautiful children and a third, much larger child whom she affectionately calls husband.
She writes young adult paranormal romance to feed her belief that fairy tales are real and
nonsense is necessary.

You can visit her on most major social media sites:

www.facebook.com/merhines
www.twitter.com/merhines

She also writes adult romances under her edgier alter-ego, Mary Bernsen.

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Spotlight: In A Faraway Land: Billionaires in Disguise: Flicka by Blair Babylon

In A Faraway Land: Billionaires in Disguise: Flicka
Blair Babylon
(Runaway Princess Bride, #3)
Publication date: June 12th 2018
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense

It’s an impossible situation, but if anyone can save Flicka, it’s her loyal, hot, ripped, bossy, protective, truly maddening, totally off-limits bodyguard.

Flicka von Hannover was a princess, but not anymore, sort of. To hide from her conniving soon-to-be ex-husband and divorce him as soon as possible, she runs to the place specified by her prenuptial agreement, Las Vegas.

She has left everyone and everything behind except Dieter Schwarz, her bodyguard who saved her that terrible night and smuggled her to Paris and now to Nevada. Living with the six-four, ripped, bossy Swiss mercenary is driving her crazy in more ways than one. Every time he comes near her, she wants to rip his clothes off with her teeth.

Her ex knows that she must be in Las Vegas to establish residency to divorce him, and his men are looking for her. When his Secret Service try to kidnap her and Dieter saves her again, the adrenaline and heat of the moment are too much for them to resist.

But her ex knows that she has to file the paperwork to divorce him, and he’ll do anything to stop her, even mounting an assault with his army on the courthouse when she tries to go to court.

When an actual prince—who has a Secret Service, an army, and real spies—is hunting you down, you run, and you hide IN A FARAWAY LAND.

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—

EXCERPT:

Princess Flicka von Hannover spun through the casino, taking orders and delivering drinks.

Bastien the Swiss guy, again. He ordered a Weizenbier, as he alternated those with his top-shelf martinis, and Flicka typed it into her screen.

Just as she was getting ready to wink at him and flounce off to her next ten-second interaction, Bastien glanced over her shoulder. His face stilled, and he didn’t move.

She looked behind herself.

Six men threaded through the crowd toward them. All wore dark suits. All were looking intently in her direction. The closest was on the other side of a blackjack table and rounding it fast.

Flicka ran.

Her tray crashed to the floor behind her.

People hollered at the spill and noise.

Dieter was at the table ahead of her, and she sprinted toward him.

He looked up and was already sliding off the barstool seat as she got to him. He grabbed her arm as she passed, pushing her ahead of him, and they ran for the kitchen doors at the back as they had planned.

Flicka risked a quick glance back.

All of the black-suited men were chasing them, but they weren’t dodging through the crowd as quickly as she and Dieter were.

They crashed through the swinging door and pounded down a hallway toward a door that led to another back hallway.

When they reached it, Flicka slammed her palms against the crash bar, but it didn’t budge.

She hit it again. Nothing. “It’s locked.”

—

COMING July 31!
At Midnight
Runaway Princess: Flicka, #4

Author Bio:

USA Today Bestselling Author Blair Babylon is an award-winning author who regularly publishes contemporary romance and romantic suspense fiction. After writing literary fiction where reviews usually included the caveat that there was too much deviant sex, she decided to abandon all literary pretensions, let her freak flag fly, and write hot, sexy, erotic romance with crazy, breakneck plot turns.

Copy/paste this link into your browser to sign up for email alerts about new releases, special sales, and free ebooks: http://smarturl.it/Babylon-Email . Blair sends out chatty, fun emails with great deals. Hey, she's a reader, too, and she understands that it's hard to find great new writers to read and harder to find great freebies and deals.

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Cover Reveal: Rewrite the Stars by Julieann Dove

REWRITE THE STARS

by Julieann Dove Publication Date: August 23, 2018 Genres: Adult, New Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Standalone Cover Design Credit: Kristin Clifton @ Sweet Bird Designs, LLC

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SYNOPSIS

For ten summers Claire and her mother had been guests at the Prescott’s beach house at Kelly’s Cove. And for ten years she played with Mallory and her twin brother, Colin. But it wasn’t until she returned after college graduation for her last summer there, that she realized Colin had grown into a guy who made her knees knock just by smiling at her. Being from different worlds, she knew nothing would come from her attraction to him.

Having returned to the states from studying abroad for four years, the last person Colin thought he’d find staying in his bedroom was Claire Ashton. Lanky and awkward during her adolescent years, he had to look twice to make sure this was the same girl. After a week together it was obvious he’d overlooked something before, because he felt things for her he’d never experienced before. There was only one problem—his last name and all that came with it would never permit him to be with her.

In the end, it’s either love or prestige that will win in the game of love.

EXCERPT

He swam closer to her, reaching out in the dark recesses of the water and brushing against her arm. Thoughts of having accidently touched her in other places began sending messages to his mind, thus sending a wave of heat through his already cooling off body. She situated herself in front of him, holding onto his arms. They were face to face with one another. Her wet hair smelled like strawberries.             “That’s better,” she said.             He watched as she looked in his eyes. Her lips were glistening in the light of the moon. Her hair was completely soaked and pulled back from her face. A smile broke out on her face. He was barely able to make out the dimple on her right cheek that he’d known was there. “You have a pretty smile.”             “Does that mean you purposely looked at me changing out of my gown and now feel guilty about it? By saying something nice?”             “Man, has anyone ever paid you a complement that you didn’t think had an ulterior motive behind it?”             “Says the guy who climbed up in a tree to watch me swim naked?”             “Jeez, that was years ago, Claire. We’re grown up now. You’ve definitely grown up.”             “What does that mean?” She stopped twirling him around in circles.             “Just that you’ve matured. You’re very pretty. Some might say alluring. Maybe not me, but some might.”             “Okay. Thank you…I think. And why not you?”             “Oh, you know. I’ve seen your skinny body—pre-college years. It’s not for me to say something like that. We have history…snakes, frogs…you know.”             “I see.”             No, she didn’t. He wanted to say he did find her alluring. Captivating even. He wanted to tell her how she made him feel at ease, or how at dinner he thought several times that she’d caught him watching her, or even how the sight of her body made him wish they were two different people in a different time.             “I dare you to swim to the beacon.”             “Now?” He held tighter to her arms. She was drifting from his grasp.             “Sure.”             “Okay.”             Without hesitation, he swam in the direction of that stupid beacon. “Hey, wait, I was kidding. Not tonight,” she yelled out to him.             It was too late, he was headed for it. Something of a challenge for his male ego. He’d taken up swimming as a sport in college and knew he could do it without a problem. That was until he heard Claire’s scream.             “Colin, come quick.”             He whipped around and did long breaststrokes to back to her.             “Something brushed up against me. God, it’s going to eat me alive! I felt it.” She was hysterical, flailing her arms and panting wildly.             He finally made it to her. She grabbed his neck and pulled him closer. He noticed she was shaking, her lips even quivering.             “It’s okay. I’ve got you.” He stroked her hair, trying his best to calm her down.             “It was something big. I thought it was going to grab my legs and take me under. Colin, I’m serious.”             He felt her breasts press against him, her breathing rising and lowering with rapidness. Her legs had become locked around his waist. He felt his own heart, palpitating like a man who’d just swam thirty laps in less than two minutes. But, it wasn’t from the swim. It was from the touch of her skin on his. He had to get some space between them.             “Let’s get you out of here. Come on.”             When they got to shallow water she un-gripped the vice she had put on him. He escorted her to the sandy beach. The moon temporarily had ducked behind a cloud, making it difficult to see their way back to the pier.             “Stand here, I’ll go and get your gown.”             Claire stood there and waited for him to return, her arms crossed in front of her. He was glad for the opportunity to get himself in check before standing close to her again. When he returned with the gown, he’d already put on his shorts. He handed her clothes to her, with his other hand over his eyes. “Here.”             It took her only a second to get dressed. “You can open your eyes now,” she said quietly.             He removed his hand and looked at her. Even in the dimmer light, she looked so much better with nothing on. He knew he better get it together before morning came and he had to face her in the daylight. His mother had always told him how transparent his feelings about things showed on his face.             “I might actually get some sleep after all that exercise in screaming and flailing for my life.”             He laughed and took her hand in his. It felt like the natural thing to do now that they’d done it in the water, but she seemed puzzled by it. Her big brown eyes squinted, almost questioning his. It was too late to let it go. He figured if she didn’t want to hold his, she would’ve let go first. But she didn’t, she squeezed harder.             They returned to the creaking back porch door. Before she grabbed for it, he took her other hand and held it in his. “I had a great time with you tonight, Claire. Even if all you did was scream like a girl and think an eel was eating at your legs.”             “That was an—“             Before she could finish her sentence, he lightly pulled her by the neck and kissed her. Her lips were moist and chilled like the water they’d just come from—salty, too. He wasn’t sure if she was going to kiss back or smack him for getting fresh. When he pulled away he saw her eyes were still closed. She seemed more relaxed than earlier. He’d wagered correctly. Claire Ashton was receptive to what this summer could turn out to be for the both of them. 

ABOUT JULIEANN DOVE

Julieann lives in Virginia, where she loves collecting houseplants, sewing cute little quilts, and writing about messy love. She fell in love with reading at a young age, after following Nancy Drew in solving the mysteries of the world. This carries on today, as crime shows are among her favorite to watch. Well those and the Hallmark channel love stories and mysteries. Keeping busy with soon-to-be six children, she needs time to unwind!

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