Summer Loving
SEASON STARTER
Jessie
The last time I saw the man—jerk—of my dreams, he fired me. Now, he’s back in town to renovate my bed and breakfast before the tourist season starts. I might have gotten over my grudge, but I sure haven’t moved on since him. Harrison is the ideal hunk, or he was back when we were young and stupid. My contractor is still sexy, possibly sweet, and easily keeps up with my sarcasm…but he’s a package deal this time. He’s back with a daughter and a chip on his shoulder, neither of which should matter to me. But the more I see him on the job, each time we clash and fall into our thrilling push-and-pull, I have to wonder if there’s something fresh to start with him before the summer kicks off.
Harrison
Of all people, it just had to be Jessie Green buying this old dump. Imagine my shock that the feisty, gorgeous, stubborn girl I fell in love with in high school is the owner of our town’s former brothel. Her plans for a B&B are a nearly impossible race against time—doable, but it’s quite the hustle. With the tables turned—her hiring me—it’d be easier if I didn’t have to see her day in and day out, worrying if she can overlook our past, wondering if she tastes as good as she looks, wishing I could have a take two. Hell, even a take one.
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OFF THE CLOCK
Nina
Live a little, they said. Relax.
From the moment I start this vacation, enjoying my time off seems impossible when everything flops. My luggage goes missing, my purse is stolen, and my reservation is not at all what I expected. Stranded and refusing to stay at a nudist resort full of interesting, retired folks, I have no choice but to leave, and run right into a sexy man who seems so wonderfully normal—and willing to drive me into town.
When he drops me off after helping me find a new hotel, I’m more than surprised when he returns, seeking nothing but my company. Breaking from my need to control every detail of my life—a joke on this bizarre trip—I accept his suggestion to share a room. His only condition: we keep it simple. One week, one bed, but no personal details. A fling. What happens in Cancun, stays in Cancun.
Simon
It’s been years since I’ve met someone who doesn’t recognize me as the celebrity I’ve become. So how can I resist the temptation to share my break from filming with this real and down-to-earth woman who has no clue about my status? She’s different, a welcome breath of fresh air dragging me out of the rut I’ve been in, and I’m not ready to let her slip away.
Her vacation is already off to a lousy start with rain, vermin, and sleazy men. It’s my pleasure to turn her trip around, but as we make the most of a holiday gone wrong, I err in thinking we could ever manage something with no strings attached. When she discovers my omission, learning of the fame I hid from her…it looks like one week in Mexico is all I’ll ever have with her.
ONE TIME
Evie
The only way I can try to escape the cocky know-it-all guest at the B&B is to give in and work at the summer camp out of town. Nothing like some outdoor fun babysitting whiny preteens and swatting mosquitoes. Yeah, right. Fleeing might have worked if he didn’t decide to follow me there. Now I’m trapped with a bad boy daredevil for two weeks, and it seems I’ve met my match.
Calling his bluff is a mistake I’ll never repeat, but it’s not easy resisting him, especially with the thrilling way we taunt each other in this game of push-and-pull. Each time I remind myself to be rational and stick to my goals for life, he ups the challenge and has me eager for more of his brand of fun. It doesn’t matter if he can turn obstacles courses and deterring bears into adventures, there’s no way I can accept anything more than one time of fun. Or is there?
Zeke
Something about Evie has pulled me in from the moment we met, but now that we’re together at camp, I’m stuck, struggling to win her over. There’s no doubt we’re attracted to each other, yet, she still holds back on giving me a real chance. She wants something long-lasting and permanent, but I don’t have any hope when she avoids me at every turn.
Between ax-throwing contests and designing friendship bracelets with illicit messages, Evie proves she’s into me but not the idea of us. How else can I make my point? What will it take for her to risk her heart and consider me as more than just a source of some naughty fun in the woods?
UNDER THE STARS
Heather
I’ve met my quota of bad luck this summer. First, I caught my fiancé cheating and broke our engagement, then I lost the bakery my aunt promised to sell me. Now it belongs to Logan Price, my rebound one-night stand I should loathe because we’re competitors. And the kicker? I’m pregnant with his baby.
I’ve hit rock bottom, officially named Kormane’s hot mess. While I’m trying to manage morning sickness and meet orders from my loyal customers at the B&B, hiding my secret is wearing, especially when Logan proves to be a great guy as well as my nemesis. Is there a way to meet in the middle?
Logan
Heather’s the town’s good girl with a delightfully naughty side—not that I’m likely to experience it again. I unintentionally bought the bakery that was to be hers, a business now meant to be my financial salvation. She snubs me, even as she wants me, this woman who has become the spark, my muse for the painting career I thought abandoned.
Despite our rivalry, we’re thrown together, facing trouble in our small town and having each other’s back. Perhaps she doesn’t hate me, though, and that gives me hope for a way to get past our rivalry. Things can’t be this cut-and-dried between us because I know she’s hiding a secret, which intrigues me much more than figuring out how to make desserts…