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I landed my biggest client ever with a wealthy, muscle-ripped, bad boy. He’s my brother’s best friend. When Luke Briggs comes to town, the tabloids want a piece of him. My brother warns me. Luke is a jerk. He hired me to decorate his newly acquired property. It is the chance of a lifetime. But it turns out, he needs me to play the part of his fiancée. Complete with a ring on my finger. I knew it was all for publicity. I convince myself that I can handle his flirtatious advances. After all, I am a professional. The plan works. But I let my guard down and gave in to his devilish good looks. We celebrate in the most passionate way. Now, I’m looking at a pregnancy test with a big plus on it.
Who knew my BFF was the king of dirty talking? I didn’t. But I do now! When a bullet meant for his client sends my best friend to the hospital, I race to his side. Only family is allowed, so Ian claims I’m his fiancée. Of course, I play along. When he kisses me, to further the ruse, I play along with that too. And get a little carried away. Whoops. With him injured and off his game and a psycho neighbor poking around, I insist he stay with me in my one-bedroom apartment. No biggie. Except it is a biggie. Before I know it, our close proximity heats things to a slow boil. And it’s not just the Thanksgiving pie that starts to burn.
I said I’d never set foot on Oakley Island again. Not so long as HE lived there. But after my life implodes, I’m reconsidering EVERYTHING. Including my reasons for avoiding the first—and only—man I’ve ever loved. I’m a high achiever. Driven. Maybe a little TOO driven. So when my boyfriend confesses to cheating AND steals the promotion I’ve been working toward for years, I do the unthinkable for someone like me. I break. But the timing couldn’t be better for me to fall apart—I can escape to the idyllic Oakley Island and oversee the renovations on my late grandmother’s estate. There’s just one tiny, massive, little problem: no one told me the contractor is the grown up version of the boy I fell in love with years ago. He was my first love. My first kiss. My first heartbreak. Now, I’m faced with seeing Hunter daily. Being his boss. Forging a new dynamic that fits our adult selves. Hunter is bigger. Bearded. Talks in grunts rather than words. And has just as much hold on me as he ever did. Trouble is, Hunter’s life is on Oakley. His daughter is on Oakley. And it was never my plan to stay here permanently. Do I really want to risk having my heart broken a second time? More importantly, do I want to risk breaking his?
Sometimes I feel every inch of my thirty-eight years. Maybe that’s why I allow myself a single moment of indulgence—a one night stand with a hot, young singer who is definitely not for me. Who can blame me for going for it? I’m usually content living my life as a grumpy single dad with a teenage daughter—a handful of a kid who wants me and her mom back together, which is never going to happen. My life isn’t so bad. After all, I’m the Coach for the Arizona Rattlesnakes NHL team, and when I speak, a whole team of people listen. I don’t expect to meet Ms. Sexy Singer again, not at my daughter’s parent-teacher conference (Talk about awkward)! And I definitely don’t expect our one-night stands to happen again…and again. And again. This is just sex, right? Until it starts to feel like more. There’s something about Willa Bennett that I just can’t resist, and I know her unexpected pregnancy should freak me the frick out…but it doesn’t. Unfortunately for me, my wild young lover still has her sights set on Nashville and the record deal she deserves. She might even have those sights set on her ex. Turns out I have real feelings for my baby mama and while I might be in charge at the Rattlesnakes, I can’t make Willa do a damn thing I want, when I want. (At least, not out of the bedroom). She’s a beautiful song bird and I know I can’t cage her in, even if I want to. So what the hell are we gonna do now?
