Summer Fling (24 page)

She bit her lip again. He wished she’d stop
doing that. It made him want to take her in his arms and ravage her.

She looked out at the garden, and he
followed her gaze to see the rain had stopped and the sun had come out. The
tarmac was already steaming. “Let’s go for a walk,” she said, getting to her
feet and dusting off her butt.

She waited for Garth to rise and clip
Orion’s lead on, and he followed her out of the garden and along the road
toward the beach.

“Dogs aren’t allowed on the sand at this
time of year,” he said as they reached the main road.

“We’ll stay up here then.” She reached down
to stroke Orion’s ear. “Poor baby. Bet you’d love to get in that water,
wouldn’t you?”

“He’s a great swimmer.” He cleared his
throat. “Can you not fondle his ear like that? You’re giving me a hard-on.”

She straightened, automatically glancing to
check whether he was telling the truth. He was. Her eyes met his, her lips twisting
wryly, and she glowed inside. He still wanted her. That, at least, was a good
sign.

She said nothing, however, and they walked
in silence for a few minutes, the sun on her face and arms. To their left the surf
crashed on the beach, turning the golden sand a caramel color. The sea
glittered a brilliant blue. Happiness surged through her…and then she pricked
her finger on one of the thorns on the rose in her hand. It was a sharp
reminder to keep her wits about her.

Business first, she thought. “I can’t
accept the shop from you, Garth.”

“But—”

She held her hand up. “I won’t be beholden
to you like that, not after what Ethan did to me. But I am prepared to buy you
out. I have the loan papers ready and my mother’s offered her house as
collateral, and providing we agree on a price, I can get the money tomorrow.
I’d still like to run the shop, but I need to do it myself, you know?”

He studied her for a moment. Then he
nodded. “Look, I’ve been thinking a lot over the weekend, about my past, about
us. Mat told me I wouldn’t be able to move on until I accepted that Richard and
Garth are one and the same person, and I know what he meant, but even so…” He
frowned. “I’ve changed so much. I’m a different person now than when I was
captured. I think of things in a different way. My whole life has changed.
Richard went into that prison, and Garth came out. That’s how I think of it.
He’ll always be part of me—I understand that. But Garth is who I am now.” He
gave her an apologetic look. “Does that make any sense?”

Actually, it did. Chloe thought she could
understand the longing to put his past behind him and to start again, like Nick
was about to do. It wasn’t denying his past, or even wishing it had been
different. It was about acknowledging the fact that he had to move on, and
sometimes things can’t stay the same.

She couldn’t wait any longer—she had to
ask. “And what about us?”

He tugged on the leash and Orion sat
obediently at his feet. He took Chloe’s hands in his, ignoring the rose’s
thorns. “I very much want there to be an ‘us’. More than anything in the world.
You mean everything to me, Chloe. You have from the first moment I held you on
the plane. You’re so brave and your heart is full of life and adventure, and
even though Fate dealt you a difficult hand, you still manage to embody freedom
for me. You’re so alive. I love you with all my heart.” He kissed her fingers.
“But I’m prepared to take it slow. We can start dating properly, take our time.
There’s no need to rush. As long as I know we’re a possibility, I’ll be able to
cope.”

Orion sneezed and Garth sent him an
impatient look. She bit her lip, trying not to smile, and at that Garth took
her in his arms. “Okay, you can’t keep doing that to me. It’s worse than any
torture I’ve suffered in the past.” He ran a thumb over her lip, and then he
kissed her.

Her heart hammered. He pressed his lips
against hers several times and stroked his warm tongue along her bottom lip.
Then he grazed his teeth on it and sucked it gently.

“That’s not fair,” she said when he pulled
back. “You’re trying to swing my vote.”

“Yep.” He tightened his arms around her.

Chloe hugged him and took a deep breath.
Tell
him!
yelled the devil on her right shoulder.

The angel, surprisingly, agreed.
Tell
him how you feel.

She sighed. What was the point in hiding
how she felt? It was time to make the jump.

“I love you, Garth.”

He went still, and then pulled back to look
into her eyes. His widened with surprise at her words.

She smiled tremulously. “I know you said to
take it slow, but I’m not going to ignore what I feel anymore. We might not
have known each other very long, but what I feel for you is clear. And I can’t
deny it any longer.”

The joy in his hazel eyes was too
wonderful, and tears spilled down her face. He shook his head and smiled. “No
tears. This is a happy, happy day!”

“I love you,” she said again. “That sounds
good.”

“I love you too, sweetheart. More than I
ever thought possible.”

I thought you were going to take it
slow,
the angel scolded.

“Shut up,” she said.

He raised an eyebrow. “Pardon?”

“Um, sorry, I wasn’t talking to you.”

It was about time she put the fear of being
like her mother behind her. There were no guarantees in life, no assurances
that things would turn out good or bad for that matter. She had to learn to
take a chance on life, on Garth.

And if he continued to smile at her like he
was, with love and desire, she was prepared to jump in with both feet.

It’s a huge risk
, the devil said, grinning.

Yes. It was. And she was happy to take it.

And as Orion licked the place where their
fingers joined, Garth kissed her, the crash of the waves and the call of the
seagulls providing a symphony to his Valentine’s Day declaration.

About the Author

I live in the sub-tropical
Northland of New Zealand with my wonderful husband and gorgeous teenage son. I
write fun, emotional, and sexy romances in a variety of romantic sub-genres.
I’ve won several writing competitions and I’m a member of the Romance Writers
of New Zealand.

This book began as an entry for an
Aviator Challenge with a well known romance publishing house. The competition
asked for a story about a man and a plane. I wrote the first thousand words,
and I was thrilled to win first prize! Since then, the story’s gone through
several incarnations. I hope you enjoyed reading it.

You can check out all my books at
http://www.serenitywoodsromance.com
.

Seven Sexy Sins
by Serenity Woods is due out from Samhain Publishing on 7
^th
August 2012

The road to passion is paved with
guilty pleasures.

Faith Hillman is in a bit of a pickle. She’s been
commissioned to write a series of magazine articles on spicing up your love
life. She’s got the theme—the “Seven Sexy Sins”—but there’s one major problem.
She hasn’t experienced any of them.

Ever since Faith’s older brother gave Rusty Thorne a black
eye for kissing her on her eighteenth birthday, he’s kept his distance, waiting
for the right time to make his move. This is it. She needs a research partner?
He’s the man for the job.

When sex-on-legs Rusty offers his services, Faith is all
over it—with one caveat. The notorious heartbreaker must sign a confidentiality
contract. Just to keep him safe from her brother’s wrath, of course…and her
heart off Rusty’s long list of conquests.

As they work their wicked way through the list, the
implications of the contract hit Rusty as hard as the handcuffs binding his
wrists to the bed. It isn’t just Faith’s touch that rocks his world. It’s the
way his heart likes it that blows his defenses out of the water. And makes him
wonder, when the contract ends, if he can bear to let her go.

Warning: Includes rebellious hero who enjoys inserting Tab A
into Slots B, C, and even occasionally D. Also includes highly inappropriate
use of a Mars Bar.

I hope you
enjoy the following excerpt from the book.

Chapter One

“Hey, everyone, Faith’s got a sex problem she needs to talk
about.”

It was very late on a hot February evening, and Faith had
almost dozed off, lying on the cool tiles with her feet in the pool and her arm
across her face. However, as Eve threw the comment into the conversation like a
hand grenade, Faith winced and sat up, sensing an impending explosion. She
didn’t have long to wait. The three guys sitting around the pool with her and
her best friend were quick to voice their opinions on the subject.

Her brother was first. “Jeez, why the hell do I want to know
about that?” Dan looked dismayed, as he always did when his little sister’s sex
life was the topic of conversation.

The other two shouted him down, however. Toby, who’d also
been semi-dozing after his half-a-dozen beers, now sat up in his chair and
turned it to face her. “Come on, give us the details.”

Rusty, laconic as ever, lying stretched out on a sun
lounger, just said, “Oh yeah,” and winked at her.

Faith refused to be embarrassed. She’d known them all for
ten years, since she was twelve and the boys were sixteen. She wasn’t about to
start being shy now. Still, she looked at the glass in her hand and cursed Eve
for mentioning the issue. She’d only found out about it the day before, and she
was still mulling over the details.

“Have another glass of wine,” said Eve. “Then spill the
beans.” She’d just got out of the pool, and as she leaned over Faith, drips
fell from her wet blonde hair. She offered Faith the bottle of Sauvignon Blanc
they were halfway through.

“Thanks.” Faith gave her a glare and took the bottle,
topping up her glass. She shouldn’t really have another. She’d been drinking
all evening during the party—she found it difficult not to when the weather was
so warm. Summer in the sub-tropical Northland of New Zealand was hot and humid,
and they spent most of their evenings in and out of the pool, trying to keep
cool. Now most of the Waitangi Day party guests were gone, and only the five
good friends were left. Faith was tired and ready for bed, but they were all
unwilling to end what had been a beautiful sunny day and a fun evening. Which
was why they were still sitting by the poolside in the dark, the only light
from the solar lamps around the fence, the girls with their feet in the water,
listening to the cicadas and the occasional mournful cry of a kiwi bird in the
bush.

She sipped her wine and cleared her throat. “Okay, I’m
writing a new series of articles for the magazine, and they’ll also appear on
the magazine’s website.”

Her brother shook his head. His hair, light brown like hers,
curled around his forehead and neck, and she made a mental note to remind him
to get it cut. “I still can’t believe there are so many people interested in
listening to you witter on about nothing.”

“Thank you, Daniel, for that vote of confidence.”

Eve waggled her finger at him. “You shouldn’t mock her—you
know she’s the magazine’s most popular writer. And her column on their
website’s been voted the best editorial on women’s matters in the southern
hemisphere.”

Toby grinned. “An editorial about ironing and lace
curtains?” As Faith opened her mouth to protest, Rusty reached out a foot and
pushed Toby’s chair sharply so he nearly fell in the pool, and he squawked.
“Hey.”

Rusty raised an eyebrow at him. “Don’t be so patronising.
She deserves a bit more credit after all her hard work.”

Faith nodded. “When you’ve read it,
then
you can pass
comment on it.”

Toby snorted. “Why would I want to read a website about
periods and stuff?”

“Don’t be such a bloody Neanderthal,” Faith said. “I hope
it’s a bit more interesting than that.”

“It is,” said Rusty.

“Like you’ve read it,” Toby scoffed.

“As a matter of fact I do read it. Every week.” Rusty
shrugged as everyone looked surprised. “Hey, rule number one, know thine
enemy.”

Faith laughed, pleased he’d made the effort. “Sounds very
sensible to me.”