The relationship she’d shared with her mother prior to her father’s death had always been a little troublesome. She’d always felt as if her mother were the teeniest bit jealous of the closeness Stasia had with her father.
Maybe now she knew why. Did her mother secretly laugh at them, knowing they weren’t bound by blood? Did she think it amusing, nursing such a powerful secret all these years? Had she hoped to get away with it forever?
Stasia didn’t know. But she did know Gavin was right. She needed to find out. Everything.
Taking a deep breath, she exhaled loudly. “When do you want to leave?”
The smile grew, became even more devastating, if that was possible. The man wielded a power he seemed unaware of, which was scary, especially for the well being of her extremely fragile heart. “I can have my assistant make travel arrangements first thing tomorrow. Whenever you can get away, we’ll leave.”
“My schedule is completely clear,” she said wryly. “I have no commitments.”
“Good to know. I have a few, but I can rearrange them. Fortunately, it’s a quiet period for me.”
“My luck, then.” She smiled wanly. “Yours as well, I’m assuming. So. Have you ever been to Italy?”
He shook his head. “I’ve never been to Europe at all.”
That was surprising. He had a sophisticated air, urbane and immaculate in appearance, what with the precisely tailored suits, elegant in cut and style, the perfectly cut dark hair, the expensive watch that circled his wrist. She believed him the typical attorney who had too much money and spent it on luxurious trips across the continent. She’d known quite a few of them. Had dated some as well. Yet every last one of them had been too slick, too shallow for her to consider them long term.
Gavin, though, had that untamed air about him. As if it wouldn’t take much to reveal the real man beneath the smooth mask.
“You have a passport?” she asked.
“Of course.” Ah, there was her irritated lawyer, though he seemed to realize his mistake quickly. His expression smoothed, his voice returned to that calm, modulated tone. “I figure we can leave by Wednesday at the latest.”
“Sounds perfect.” She sipped from her glass of water, refusing to have any more wine. Too much alcohol and this man would be a heady combination, one that might leave her open and vulnerable to just about…anything.
A thought she shouldn’t be having. He was her attorney. She’d hired him to help her discover the truth about her heritage. No way could she entertain thoughts of indulging in some personal time with the deliciously handsome, secretly sexy Gavin Westmore.
What happens in Vegas shouldn’t stay in Vegas.
Vegas Vacation
© 2013 Crystal Jordan
Destination: Desire, Book 1
It’s spring break, and a group of teachers from Half Moon Bay Middle School are planning to cut loose. History teacher Meg Phillips hadn’t planned on being one of them—Vegas isn’t really a town for a bookworm—but somehow she let her friend Anne talk her into it.
Though honestly, she’d rather indulge in some poolside reading than co-star in an R-rated edition of Teachers Gone Wild.
It took some major arm twisting for Finn Walsh to convince his fellow gym teacher, Anne, to do whatever it took to get Meg to Vegas. For over a year he’s been looking for the chance to get to know her outside of work. He’s drawn to her quiet beauty and intelligence—and the hint of fire beneath her understated exterior.
When he finally gets the opportunity to peel away those layers, the result is far more explosive than he ever fantasized. Now to convince her that the week isn’t a wildly out-of-character mistake, but the start of something amazing…
Warning: Two good teachers doing very naughty things to each other while on vacation in Sin City. Hey, everyone deserves a chance to cut loose, right?
Enjoy the following excerpt for Vegas Vacation:
Frustrated tears stung in her eyes—or maybe it was the alcohol fumes rising from her shirt.
“What’s going on?” Finn appeared out of nowhere, ducking down so he could look at her face. “Meg?”
“I don’t want to be here.” Her voice actually wobbled when she spoke, and a flush scorched her cheeks. Emotional meltdown in front of the hottest guy she’d ever met. Yep, it really was possible for this trip to get worse. She blinked fast and glanced away. “They don’t have a room ready for us yet. Looks like the rest of the group got to the ones they had.”
Anne stomped up, fire blazing in her eyes. “Well, they’ve given us a free dinner at one of the hotel restaurants for the inconvenience, but there are apparently no rooms to be had right this second. At all. They’re booked. What the hell? No rooms in Vegas?”
“It’s a fight weekend. Heavyweight boxing.” Finn shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Some of the guys got tickets.”
“I’m going too,” Anne said. “I just didn’t think it would suck up all the rooms in town.”
Meg spoke through clenched teeth. “Goody for you.”
“I’m not one of the people going. I have other ideas for my time here.” Finn’s tone was so virtuous it made her snort. He looked her over and winced. “Sorry Ed got you with the whiskey, too. I was all the way in the back of the van, so I couldn’t grab him in time. Why don’t you bring your stuff up to my room, use my shower, and change clothes?”
Meg sighed. The promise of a clean outfit made it the most appealing offer she’d ever had. Naked in Finn’s shower was weird, but she’d take what she could get. Beggars couldn’t be choosers. “Sounds like a plan.”
What might have been triumph flashed in his gaze, and his smile was dazzling. “Great.”
Anne stepped in front of her, her expression concerned. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”
“Do you have a better option?” Meg held her arms out and gestured down at her ruined garments. “Tracking anyone else down takes time, where I’m still gross.”
“True.” Anne ran her hands through her short hair. “Want me to come with you or let you do your own thing?”
“I love you, honey, but as few people as possible would be awesome right now.” Meg waved her off, wishing for nothing more than to be somewhere quiet. “Go have fun with Carla. Keep her from drinking and gambling her next paycheck away.”
Anne grimaced. “Will do.”
It didn’t take long to get to Finn’s room, which worked for Meg. The sooner she could shower, the better she’d feel. And she’d really love to get some lunch. “I’m starving.”
“Me, too.” He opened the door and motioned her into the room. After setting her suitcase on the luggage rack for her, he shrugged out of his backpack and dumped it on the end of the bed. “Once you’re showered, we can find the gang and get some food.”
She wrinkled her nose, unzipping her bag to root around for some clean clothes. “They’re probably eating right now. After they hosed me down, the jerks. Remind me to never, ever go anywhere outside of work with this bunch again. You all seemed so normal when we were at school, but now?”
“Hey.” He caught her shoulders in his strong hands, frowning at her. “Don’t go lumping me into this bunch. I’m trying to help, not off partying.”
Tingles broke down her arms at his touch, and she swayed toward him just a little. She tried to inject some teasing into her tone. “My hero. Thank you.”
His lips curved in a small grin, but he didn’t let her go. “You’re welcome. I just don’t want you to think I turn into a jackass who ditches my friends the second the chance to drink and gamble comes up.”
“I don’t imbibe much, which is probably why this makes me even crankier.” She made a face. “I didn’t even get sloshed and I still got sloshed all over.”
Somehow, he was even closer, and she didn’t know if he had moved or if she had. His heat wrapped around her, and it felt far too nice. A masculine scent filled her nose, the smell that was uniquely Finn. He dropped his forehead to hers. “I’m so
rry this has sucked for you so far. Maybe I can make it up to you.”
“I don’t think anything could make this trip better. It was a mistake to let Anne talk me into this. They ganged up on me, Anne and our two other best friends.” She shut her eyes, sudden exhaustion hitting her, and she let herself lean into his solid strength. Just for a minute. He felt good, comforting, even though it was foolish to acknowledge it.
She sighed when his lips brushed over hers. It was soft and sweet, a light caress. He sipped at her mouth, and slow heat unfurled within her. She set her hands against his chest to push him away, as she knew she should. But she couldn’t make herself do it. Not yet. Her fingers itched with the need to stroke, to explore. The fabric of his T-shirt was soft, clinging to the hard planes of his muscles underneath.
Tempted by Her Boss
Karen Erickson
Business? Meet pleasure…
The Renaldis, Book 1
Paige Stewart has committed the ultimate nanny sin—she’s fallen in love with her boss. She adores Matteo Renaldi’s sweet, precocious son. Who wouldn’t? But it’s torture going about her day-to-day tasks, catching fleeting glimpses of the boy’s enigmatic father. Chastising herself for fantasizing she’s in the Renaldi master bed…
It’s ridiculous, pointless. After all, soon little Matty won’t need her anymore and she’ll move on.
Matteo has no interest in dating. He’s consumed by work, his son…and his son’s nanny. She’s everything he’s not: young, carefree, trusting, maybe a little naïve. She deserves better than an embittered widower. Yet when she accidentally falls into his arms, he can’t resist drawing her in for a kiss that quickly spirals out of control.
As they travel to his family’s home in Italy and slowly fall in love, the whispers start. And when one particularly ugly story blows up in their faces, their reputations might escape unscathed, but their hearts may not…
Warning: The sexy, grumpy Italian hero is finally won over by his son’s sweetly beautiful nanny—though it was quite the challenge for her to catch him. Watch for lots of high drama, passionate love and malicious rumors before these two can find their HEA.
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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
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Cincinnati OH 45249
Tempted by Her Boss
Copyright © 2013 by Tempted by Her Boss
ISBN: 978-1-61921-341-8
Edited by Amy Sherwood
Cover by Angela Waters
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: July 2013
www.samhainpublishing.com
Table of Contents
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Epilogue
About the Author
Look for these titles by Karen Erickson
Also Available from Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Copyright Page
Tempted by Her Boss: The Renaldis, Book 1 Page 17