“Wow.” He stared at the house. “You built this?”
“Yep.” Sean practically burst with pride. “You like?”
“It’s fantastic.” He hadn’t realised the building business paid so well. “How much land do you have?”
“A couple of hectares. Not much.”
Not much? Dion tried not to exclaim out loud. He considered himself fairly well off, but he’d only been able to afford a small apartment in London. Although situated in Islington, one of the newly transformed parts of the city, it had only a few rooms and no view to speak of. It didn’t come close to what Sean had.
The front door opened and out came the dark-haired woman he’d seen with Sean on Facebook. She looked less glamorous than in her wedding photos, her hair pulled back in a ponytail and her face free of makeup, but she was a pretty girl, with eyes creased into laughter lines.
“You must be Gaby,” he said. Used to years of meeting and greeting through the business, he smiled, walked up and extended his hand. “I’m Dion.”
“Hey, Dion! I’m so glad you came.” She ignored his hand and gave him a hug. Taken by surprise—how English had he become?— he stood there awkwardly for a moment before putting his arms around her and giving her a quick hug back. “It’s lovely to have you here,” she continued. “Sean’s been so looking forward to it, and he’s told me so much about you.”
“All good things I hope,” he said.
“Of course.” She grinned, then flicked Sean a quick look. “Everything okay?”
“Yep. Lead on.” He gave a mysterious nod.
Was it his imagination, or did they both look nervous?
She went into the house and Dion followed, puzzling over their secret communication. But he forgot it instantly as he found himself in a huge, open plan kitchen and living area with high ceilings and shiny, kauri wood floors, the far wall completely made of large windows that looked out over the small bay. “Wow!”
“I know.” Gaby laughed. “It took my breath away when I first walked in. Sean wouldn’t let me see it until he’d finished it.”
“It’s fantastic.” He opened his mouth to ask her to show him around, but the words failed to come as his attention focused on the person standing on the deck outside, overlooking the bay.
She hadn’t noticed him come in. He could hear her singing, and it made him smile. She’d always been the same, her brain like an iPod on shuffle. Now she was singing an old Dylan song, I’ll be your baby tonight. Her husky voice sent a shiver down his spine. He remembered that voice in his ear whispering erotic things he’d never have dreamed she’d be brave enough to say to him.
He walked across the floor to the open sliding doors. As he approached, she turned around, obviously hearing his shoes on the wood.
Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped in an almost comical expression of shock and surprise. Obviously, she hadn’t expected him. Sean hadn’t told her he was coming.
Fuck. Why?
He stopped walking and stared at her, his heart hammering. She hadn’t changed much over the past year. Her hair shone the light chestnut colour it had always been, and she’d pinned it up in an elegant clip, leaving curly strands to frame her face.
She’d lost a little weight. She wore denim cut-offs and a pink vest that clung to her breasts, and sparkly flip-flops, or jandals as the Kiwis called them. She looked pretty and sexy, and an image shot through his head of her that moment he’d spotted her Prague, stunning in the scarlet coat, with the saddest look on her face he’d ever seen on anyone.
No, she didn’t look any different.
What was different was the baby she held in her arms.
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White-Hot Christmas from Samhain Publishing is also available from Amazon.
When lust turns to love, it’s one fire he can’t extinguish…
Merle Cameron’s not looking for love. Between her job as a university lecturer and caring for a mother recovering from breast cancer, she has no room in her schedule for a demanding relationship.
While visiting her sister in New Zealand, however, she’s happy to indulge in some hot holiday sex with kind, hunky firefighter Neon Carter. After all, they live on opposite sides of the world. There’s no chance things will turn serious.
Neon Carter is a catch. At least, that’s what the ladies apparently think. All they seem to want is a quick trip down the aisle, but Neon’s in no rush to settle down. Light-hearted summer loving with a sexy blonde is something different, though, and Neon’s happy to offer his services until Merle has to return to England.
The weather’s hot, the sex even hotter. But when it’s time for Merle to go home, they both realize they’re in deeper than they thought. And there’s no solution that won’t break someone’s heart.
Warning: Please do not read if you are allergic to any of the following: love at first sight, one-night stands in a one-man tent, rugby hakas, firemen rescuing children, and rough caveman sex guaranteed to put hairs on your chest. May contain nuts.
Holly’s First Noel from Entangled Publishing is available on Amazon, under the name Faye Robertson.
Music teacher Holly Jones is in a festive predicament. Her boyfriend just dumped her the week before Christmas, so why is she only depressed he made off with the mince pies? When the charming science teacher next door overhears the dreaded call and suggests she accompany him on his Scottish holiday retreat to Loch Ness, she accepts, eager to spend a quiet week rediscovering herself.
Noel Coward’s wife died on Christmas Eve three years ago. To bury the memories of that day, he spends the holidays getting drunk and watching action movies, which makes him perfect company for a fellow teacher in need of solitude. Except, instead of wallowing in his grief, Noel finds himself comforted by Holly’s presence, fascinated by her mind, and after one innocent kiss, on fire for her touch. As the snow piles up outside, the temperature inside soars, while together, they discover the human heart’s amazing capacity to heal...and love.
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