Lovestruck in Fortune's Bay: A Fortune's Bay Novella
Page 16
Still standing in front of her, Bret reached behind Max to place his dishes in the sink. When she tried to move around him to get past, Bret blocked her way, lifted her chin, and softly brushed his lips against hers. The desire she tried so hard to blow off had flickered to life.
Between quickened breaths Bret hummed, “Madam Mayor, my idea of a romantic evening is the two of us, right here in this extremely delicate moment. You. Me. And This.”
Cupping Max’s face in his hands, he kissed her. What had started off as soft and slow, flourished into long, sensational, and delectably sexy.
They were both acting on built-up attraction, insatiably lost in the moment.
Heat tangoed between Max and Bret when their lips finally parted. Max wondered how she was even still standing; her knees were like jelly while her heart was doing an accelerated version of the salsa.
“Um. What just happened?” was all Max could mutter. She licked her lips, satisfied that the sweet taste of his yumminess still lingered. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t like it.
With a smile tugging at one side of Bret’s mouth, his eyes went from hers, down to her lips. “Maybe we need to do it again. You know, an instant replay?”
“Instant replay?”
“Yep,” he delivered as he leaned in, ready to savor another taste of her sugary lips.
As the two were about to engage in another lip-lock session, the sound of the door opening startled them apart, followed by a raspy voice.
“Hello? Madam Mayor? You still in here?”
It was hard to decide whether Marty’s rescue was welcomed or not. One thing was for certain: it was epically untimely. After the door’s malfunction was repaired, Max properly locked up the library before she and Bret set out for the stroll back to Wilde Pirate where they left their cars.
The two walked shoulder to shoulder, their hands grazing with every other step.
“So uh, that kiss,” Bret started, his voice as soft as Max remembered his lips to be, “let’s say it’s a prelude to—”
“Another kiss?” Max interjected, her eyes as bright as the Christmas lights that twinkled cheerily along Main Street.
Bret chuckled as they entered the parking lot at Wilde Pirate, heading right for her car. “I was going to say, a prelude to a proper date that usually precedes a kiss.”
Now at her car, Max leaned her back up against the driver’s side door. “A proper date? I uh—”
“What about this Winterfest event. It sets off this weekend, right?”
Max smiled, still intoxicated by the way his kiss left her head spinning. “Yep. It commences with a parade along Main Street this Saturday. Yours truly being the Grand Marshal.”
“And uh, after the parade?” Bret said, moving in closer to Max, the two separated only by a cool breeze drifting between them. “Can I ask you to be my date at Winterfest? It’s been a while since I attended a festival—or been on a date.” His eyes closed in on hers as she looked up his dark lashes framing his hungry eyes.
Warmth spread through Max as her heart skipped several beats. It had been a while since she’d been on a date too, and she couldn’t think of anyone whom she’d rather go on a date with. “Sure, that sounds perfect.”
Bret smiled and placed his hands on her shoulders. His touch sent tingles just about everywhere imaginable on her body, and when he planted a soft kiss on her forehead, Max silently hoped for more as desire began to percolate all over again.
“Wonderful. I’ll meet you at Winterfest after the parade.”
The next couple of days leading up to Winterfest, Max seemed to float around as if her amorous encounter with Bret was her one-way ticket to the world’s puffiest cloud nine. When she finally fessed-up to Skye about the incident in the library, her BFF had one word to define the event: Destiny.
Max couldn’t deny how it was indeed possible that Destiny, The Ghost, no doubt was behind the library door’s malfunction. Getting that close to Bret probably wouldn’t have happened any other way. After all, he did annoy her. She never would have dreamed of kissing him. And going out on a date? Uh, never would have happened.
Once the parade came to an end, Max walked to the area where she agreed to meet Bret: the base of the steps that led to the library. She smiled at, waved to, and at times hugged residents making their way toward the Winterfest entrance. This year’s turnout was bigger than ever.
When she spotted Bret approaching, her heart bounced. He was even sexier in jeans, a muscle-hugging t-shirt, and tennis shoes. His smile helped warm the goosebumps that had surfaced on her skin.
“Hey there,” he said as he kissed the top of her forehead. “I’ve missed you.”
The smell of his cologne alone was enough to deploy an army of butterflies to her stomach, but the way his lips felt on her skin? That stole her breath.
“Hi,” she managed along with a grin almost the size of the Atlantic coast.
Bret had both hands behind his back, and just as Max was about to ask what he was hiding, he produced a white, rectangular box wrapped in a big, red bow.
“This is for you.” His smile was as eager as her curiosity.
“What is it?”
Bret grabbed Max’s arm and motioned for them both to sit on the steps. “Open it and see.”
Placing the box on her lap, she tried hard to keep her hands from trembling. A gift was the last thing she was expecting. It wasn’t even Christmas yet.
She untied the bow, removed the box’s lid, exposing a layer of tissue paper, which she quickly removed. Underneath the paper was a 6x9 book, its light pink hardcover embossed with red hearts, purple balloons, and white flowers.
Max smiled as her heart radiated when she read the title, The Twelve Days of Romance by Bret Hartley.
“What’s this?” she asked, her voice shaky, mimicking her hands as they slowly opened the book. She was too afraid to look at Bret, sure she would lose her mind the minute their eyes locked.
“It’s a book. A romantic take on the Twelve Days of Christmas. In it you’ll find what I deem to be twelve romantic evenings. Hopefully by the end of the book, you will have found your real-life book boyfriend.”
Max’s eyes shot up to meet his. “You made this for me?”
Bret nodded. “Yep. Well, I created it online and paid for a rush delivery.” He let out a nervous chuckle. “My plan is for us to go out on twelve consecutive dates, fulfilling each and every one that covers the pages of this book.”
Max opened the book to page one and read aloud. “On the first day of romantic evenings, Mr. Hartley gave to me…a kiss as we sat on the steps of the library.”
Joy bubbled up in Max as Bret leaned in and kissed her soft and long, making her sizzle with bliss.
Finally, after years of going from one book boyfriend to the next, Maxine Parker had indeed found her own.
Acknowledgments
First, Julie, Roberta, Maria, Jenni, Sidney, and Nicole…we actually did this thing! You all have been amazing to work with - we should do this again!
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Thank you to Najla for designing all of the covers and to Lindee for helping me find the real-life couple for my cover!
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Kathy, you know how much you mean to me. You helped make Lovestruck shiny and new. :-)
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Tandy, thank you girl! You always come through, even when I spring something on you at the last minute.
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To Hubby for always being my inspiration (most of the banter in my novels are based on our real-life conversations)—I love you.
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Thank you to Book Besties and my amazing ARC Team for taking time to read something sweet.
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And of course, to you, the reader, for taking a chance and reading Chloe and Dylan’s journey to their HEA. Thank you!
More Fortune’s Bay Stories!
Don’t miss the other stories from Fortune’s Bay. Each is a standalone novella and they don’t h
ave to be read in order.
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Love Sparkles in Fortune’s Bay - by Julie Archer
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A Dash of Destiny in Fortune’s Bay - by Jenni M rose
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A Brush with Love in Fortune’s Bay - by Roberta Capizzi
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Secrets of the Heart in Fortune’s Bay - by Sidney Valentine
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Love Letters in Fortune’s Bay - by Maria Luis
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A Map to Destiny in Fortune’s Bay - by Nicole Ellis
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Lovestruck in Fortune’s Bay - by Joslyn Westbrook
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You can find buy links here: https://fortunesbay.wixsite.com/buybooks
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With love from the Friends of Fortune xoxo
Also by Joslyn Westbrook
THE FIFTY-TWO WEEK CHRONICLES
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About the Author
Joslyn Westbrook has been creating stories since grade school. Her passion for writing often led to teachers and college professors reading her stories to the class, showcasing her creativity.
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Working as a business consultant for several years, Joslyn always knew her true calling was writing. Her work in the corporate world spawned the concept of several characters featured in her books.
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Joslyn's series of Romantic Comedies and Contemporary Romance novels feature strong, sassy, and always sexy female leads.
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When she’s not writing, Joslyn can be found binge watching Netflix, cooking, and spending time with her husband and children in sunny California.