Bloody fucking hell, she did hear everything! Jenna is one of the last people I want to upset. Not only because she’s my best friend’s fiancée, but also because I love her like a sister. She has been brutally honest with me about her feelings for Cora since Cora has made her dislike for Jenna clear from the moment Jenna entered Cal’s life. What endears Jenna the most to me is that she isn’t worried about herself, but more concerned about me and my feelings for Cora.
Feelings that I have had for her since the moment I laid eyes on her in boarding school.
Feelings that have never been reciprocated.
Feelings that I have tried to turn off, but manage to come back alive as if I’m hit with a bolt of lightning every time I see her or hear her voice.
Feelings that I know will never be reciprocated back to me.
“I didn’t invite her, Jenna. She already knew about it. The only person who could have told her would have been Phillip,” I suggest, hoping that her anger will shift from me toward him.
“Yet you did nothing to discourage her from coming,” she counters back, slamming the water bottle against the kitchen counter.
I narrow my eyes at her, not liking her tone of voice with me. “I don’t appreciate having my private phone conversations being listened to, Jenna.”
“Then don’t have your private conversations in my kitchen, Sean!” She emphasizes and we just stare at each other in silence. I’m the first one to break our gaze as I rake my hands through my hair and sigh in defeat. She’s right, I could have told Cora no and I didn’t. Instead I let her get her way— as usual.
“I’m sorry, Jenna. I didn’t think of how her being at his party would upset you since she has been a longtime friend of his. I promise I will control her and make sure she doesn’t cause trouble,” I offer, not wanting to fight with Jenna, acknowledging that I’m in the wrong.
She looks at me in disbelief, a bitter laugh escaping her. “You can’t control Cora Gregory, Sean. If anything, she controls you.” She walks toward me, stops directly in front of me and pokes her finger into my chest. Jenna’s petite, standing at only five feet three inches tall, so she has to lean her head back in order to look me in the eyes since I stand a foot above her. “Keep her away from me and my children, Sean, and we’ll have a great night.”
“I will try my best, Jenna,” I say with fake reassurance, not feeling confident at all about the task. Keeping Cora from trying to talk with Cal is going to be tricky since Cal’s usually glued to Jenna’s side at all times. Keeping Cora away from both of them will be challenging.
Who am I kidding? It won’t happen.
As if Jenna can read my mind, she looks at me with disappointment and shakes her head. She tries to walk around me to leave, but I grab her arm instead and turn her back to me.
“What, Jenna? Why the look?” Sometimes disappointing Jenna feels worse than disappointing my own parents.
“I just don’t get it, Sean. You are one of the biggest movie stars in the world, who can have any woman they want, and yet you are in love with a snake.”
“Being a bit dramatic now, aren’t we?” I ask in amusement at her calling Cora a snake.
“I don’t think so, Sean. She has been in love with your best friend since the day you two entered her life. You know it and yet you continue to let her manipulate and use your feelings for her so she can try to get closer to him.”
I look at her in stone-cold silence, her words like little knives slicing at my heart.
Because deep down, I know she’s right.
“She’s evil, Sean. She was born that way and will never change.”
“No one is born evil, Jenna,” I interrupt, tired of hearing her opinions on Cora. Regardless of my feelings for Cora, she’s still one of my closest friends. “Cora just wants to be loved. She never got that from her parents and unfortunately, is looking for it in the wrong places.”
“When are you going to stop making excuses for her, Sean?” Jenna pleads as she grabs my hands and squeezes them. “Why can’t you move on to someone who will love you as much as you love them? You deserve that, Sean!”
“You’re right, I do, but how does one go about dating when they are a celebrity? Online dating? Going to the pubs? Maybe I should just take random trips every week to see if I get the chance to meet a beautiful lady in first class.” I give her a knowing smile, referencing at how she met Cal.
She can’t help the blush that creeps up her face as she reminisces of that airplane ride. “I don’t know, but Cora Gregory is not the love of your life. You just haven’t realized that yet. Until then, we need to figure out how to get you back in the dating world.” She turns to leave, but then pauses and turns back to me. “Dating, Sean, not just fucking.”
“What a dirty little mouth for such a prestigious lady,” I tease, thoroughly enjoying when Jenna curses since it’s such a rarity. But Jenna barely acknowledges me as she’s deep in thought of how I should meet the future Mrs. Sean Lindsey.
“You need someone who is smart, with a quick wit and a strong tongue to handle your charm.”
“I like the strong tongue part… oral skills are very important.” I throw my head back in laughter at the look of disgust that Jenna gives me. “Get your mind out of the gutter, Jenna! Of course I meant oral as in how she verbally communicates.” She rolls her eyes at my lie and is about to say something back when our attention is diverted to the window at the sound of children’s laughter.
We both walk over to see Isla, Jenna’s nanny, playing with Avery and Brooks in the pool. Isla is standing on the steps of the pool, holding Brooks on her hip, as she laughs at Avery splashing them from doing a cannon ball into the pool. I take in the tiny, blue string bikini Isla is wearing and immediately feel my dick stirring.
Calm down, boy! Isla is off limits!
Isla Jones has been in my life as long as I can remember, with our parents being friends before we were born. We have shared numerous holidays together, most of my memories of Isla being that annoying little sister who wouldn’t stop following my brothers and I around. With her being six years younger than us, we were never interested in playing with her and I barely paid attention to her when she came to visit. Once I went away to England for boarding school, I hadn’t seen Isla in over ten years since she then went away to school and was living in Paris for work. When Cal and Jenna were looking for a nanny, I casually asked my mother if she knew anyone, not even thinking about Isla. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that she was available since the last time I had heard news about her, it was of her employment as a nanny for some children of a French dignitary. So when I saw her for the first time as Cal and Jenna’s nanny at an event in Vancouver, I barely recognized her. Shock is not even the proper word I would use for my reaction at seeing her for the first time after all these years.
Because annoying little Izzy had turned into a beautiful woman who goes by her name of Isla.
A woman who captivates most men’s attention anywhere she goes, without even trying.
And I was astonished at how my body instantly reacted to her.
Desire and want flooded through my veins the second her eyes connected with mine.
No, this can’t be Izzy, I had thought. For a brief second, I thought it was Cora since they look very similar, but then realized it wasn’t by the color and cut of her dress. Cora was at the same event with me, so I knew it couldn’t be her. I looked more closely at her, realizing that this gorgeous human was my Izzy.
Izzy’s blond hair had turned darker, into more of a mocha color, her face slender with high cheekbones and captivating green eyes. Her body morphed from being an overweight child to an adult with a strong, lean body that looks like a work of art from Michelangelo himself. My hands itch to cup her perky, full breasts, while her long legs make me day dream about them being wrapped around my waist.
How could I be thinking this way of my family friend, Izzy?
I wouldn’t be a hot blooded man if I didn’t think thi
s way about Isla.
As I come out of my thoughts of Isla, I turn to notice that Jenna has been watching me with a disapproving look that screams I know who you’ve been thinking about!
“I think we need to cool off from your work out. Fancy a swim?” I nod toward the pool and wiggle my eyebrows.
“We?” she asks, suspiciously. “Touch my nanny, Sean, and I will chop off your balls!” She huffs at my mischievous smile, turns on her heels, and walks out of the kitchen. I chuckle to myself at how astute Jenna is as I make my way to their guest bedroom to change into my swim trunks.
Because I have no plans on staying away from Isla Jones.
* * *
Are you ready to read more? Click HERE to get your copy of Edge of Desire and see what happens to Sean, Cora, Isla, Cal, Jenna and the rest of the crew from the Let Me In Series.
Also by Jessica Marin
The Let Me In Series
Heartbreak Warfare (Let Me In, Book 1)
Perfectly Lonely (Let Me In, Book 2)
Edge of Desire (Let Me In, Book 3)
Standalone Novels
Until Valerie: Happily Ever Alpha World
Love At The Bluebird co-written with Aurora Rose Reynolds
Bear Creek Rodeo
The Irish Cowboy
The Celtic Cowboy
The Kelowna Lynxes Hockey Club Series
Yearn For You (Coming Soon)
Acknowledgments
Hi Friends! I truly hope you enjoyed Layla and Chase’s story. It was not an easy story to tell, but aren’t we so happy that they both got their happily ever after?
The first thank you needs to go to you, the readers, and the bloggers. Thank you so much for your positive feedback, love and support. Thank you to the bloggers who work long hours to help advertise and support us authors.
Thank you to my family, especially my husband and children. Without their support, I wouldn’t be able to continue living my dream.
Thank you to Erica, Rachel, Crystal and Neil for your continued support, especially when I torture you with my whining when I don’t feel the story in my head is ever good enough.
Thank you to Najla, Emma, Cissie and Shelly who helped design and edit this book.
Thank you to my Misfits for your continued support and promotion of my books.
Sean Lindsey’s story is up next in Edge of Desire, book 3 of the Let Me In series. Please make sure you follow me on all of my social media pages and sign up for my newsletter at authorjessicamarin.com to be up to date with upcoming releases and book signings.
Peace and love,
Jessica
About the Author
Jessica Marin began her love affair with books at a young age from the encouragement of her Grandma Shirley. She has always dreamed of being an author and finally made her dreams of writing happily ever after stories a reality. She currently resides in Tennessee with her husband, children and fur babies.
Jessica would love for you to join her on all of her available social media outlets. Do you love being a part of exclusive reading groups? Then join Jessica Marin’s Misfits on Facebook!
Jessica Marin’s Misfits
Don’t do social media? Join Jessica’s newsletter to stay up to date with everything in Jessica Marin’s world, including new releases, exclusive teasers and FREE BOOKS!
Newsletter
Perfectly Lonely: (Let Me In, Book 2) Page 20