No Reservations
A Fusion Novella
By Kristen Proby
1001 Dark Nights
No Reservations
A Fusion Novella
By Kristen Proby
1001 Dark Nights
Copyright 2017 Kristen Proby
ISBN: 978-1-9459-2050-9
Foreword: Copyright 2014 M. J. Rose
Published by Evil Eye Concepts, Incorporated
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or establishments is solely coincidental.
Book Description
No Reservations
A Fusion Novella
By Kristen Proby
New York Times Bestselling author Kristen Proby takes us back to her highly acclaimed Fusion series.
Chase MacKenzie is not the man for Maura Jenkins. A self-proclaimed life-long bachelor, and unapologetic about his distaste for monogamy, a woman would have to be a masochist to want to fall into Chase’s bed.
And Maura is no masochist.
Chase has one strict rule: no strings attached. Which is fine with Maura because she doesn’t even really like Chase. He’s arrogant, cocky, and let’s not forget bossy. But when he aims that crooked grin at her, she goes weak in the knees. Not that she has any intentions of falling for his charms.
Definitely not.
Well, maybe just once…
About Kristen Proby
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Kristen Proby is the author of the popular Boudreaux, Fusion, and With Me in Seattle series. She has a passion for a good love story and strong characters who love humor and have a strong sense of loyalty and family. Her men are the alpha type—fiercely protective and a bit bossy—and her ladies are fun, strong, and not afraid to stand up for themselves. Kristen spends her days with her muse in Montana. She enjoys coffee, chocolate, and sunshine. And naps. Visit her at KristenProby.com.
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The Boudreaux Series:
Easy Love
Easy Charm
Easy Melody
Easy For Keeps
Easy Magic
Easy Fortune
Easy Nights
The With Me In Seattle Series:
Come Away With Me
Under the Mistletoe With Me
Fight With Me
Play With Me
Rock With Me
Safe With Me
Tied With Me
Breathe With Me
Forever With Me
Easy With You
Fusion Series:
Listen to Me
Close To You
Blush For Me
The Beauty of Us
Savor You
The Love Under the Big Sky Series (published by Pocket Books):
Loving Cara
Seducing Lauren
Falling for Jillian
Baby, It’s Cold Outside: An Anthology with Jennifer Probst, Emma Chase, Kristen Proby, Melody Anne and Kate Meader
Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection One
Click here to explore
FOREVER WICKED by Shayla Black
CRIMSON TWILIGHT by Heather Graham
CAPTURED IN SURRENDER by Liliana Hart
SILENT BITE: A SCANGUARDS WEDDING by Tina Folsom
DUNGEON GAMES by Lexi Blake
AZAGOTH by Larissa Ione
NEED YOU NOW by Lisa Renee Jones
SHOW ME, BABY by Cherise Sinclair
ROPED IN by Lorelei James
TEMPTED BY MIDNIGHT by Lara Adrian
THE FLAME by Christopher Rice
CARESS OF DARKNESS by Julie Kenner
Also from 1001 Dark Nights
TAME ME by J. Kenner
Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Two
Click here to explore
WICKED WOLF by Carrie Ann Ryan
WHEN IRISH EYES ARE HAUNTING by Heather Graham
EASY WITH YOU by Kristen Proby
MASTER OF FREEDOM by Cherise Sinclair
CARESS OF PLEASURE by Julie Kenner
ADORED by Lexi Blake
HADES by Larissa Ione
RAVAGED by Elisabeth Naughton
DREAM OF YOU by Jennifer L. Armentrout
STRIPPED DOWN by Lorelei James
RAGE/KILLIAN by Alexandra Ivy/Laura Wright
DRAGON KING by Donna Grant
PURE WICKED by Shayla Black
HARD AS STEEL by Laura Kaye
STROKE OF MIDNIGHT by Lara Adrian
ALL HALLOWS EVE by Heather Graham
KISS THE FLAME by Christopher Rice
DARING HER LOVE by Melissa Foster
TEASED by Rebecca Zanetti
THE PROMISE OF SURRENDER by Liliana Hart
Also from 1001 Dark Nights
THE SURRENDER GATE By Christopher Rice
SERVICING THE TARGET By Cherise Sinclair
Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Three
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HIDDEN INK by Carrie Ann Ryan
BLOOD ON THE BAYOU by Heather Graham
SEARCHING FOR MINE by Jennifer Probst
DANCE OF DESIRE by Christopher Rice
ROUGH RHYTHM by Tessa Bailey
DEVOTED by Lexi Blake
Z by Larissa Ione
FALLING UNDER YOU by Laurelin Paige
EASY FOR KEEPS by Kristen Proby
UNCHAINED by Elisabeth Naughton
HARD TO SERVE by Laura Kaye
DRAGON FEVER by Donna Grant
KAYDEN/SIMON by Alexandra Ivy/Laura Wright
STRUNG UP by Lorelei James
MIDNIGHT UNTAMED by Lara Adrian
TRICKED by Rebecca Zanetti
DIRTY WICKED by Shayla Black
THE ONLY ONE by Lauren Blakely
SWEET SURRENDER by Liliana Hart
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1001 Dark Nights story
The First Night
by Lexi Blake & M.J. Rose
Table of Contents
Book Description
About Kristen Proby
Also From Kristen Proby
Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection One
Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Two
Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Three
Foreword
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Epilogue
Discover 1001 Dark Nights Collection Four
Discover the World of 1001 Dark Nights
Discover More Kristen Proby
Blush For Me by Kristen Proby
Savor You by Kristen Proby
Special Thanks
One Thousand and One Dark Nights
Once upon a time, in the future…
I was a student fascinated with stories and learning.
I studied philosophy, poetry, history, the occult, and
the art and science of love and magic. I had a vast
library at my father’s home and collected thousands
of volumes of fantastic tales.
I learned all about ancient races and bygone
times. About myths and legends and dreams of all
people through the millennium. And the more I read
the stronger my imagination grew until I discovered
that I was able to travel into the stories... to actually
become part of them.
I wish I could say that I listened to my teacher
and respected my gift, as I ought to have. If I had, I
would not be telling you this tale now.
But I was foolhardy and confused, showing off
with bravery.
One afternoon, curious about the myth of the
Arabian Nights, I traveled back to ancient Persia to
see for myself if it was true that every day Shahryar
(Persian: شهريار, “king”) married a new virgin, and then
sent yesterday's wife to be beheaded. It was written
and I had read, that by the time he met Scheherazade,
the vizier's daughter, he’d killed one thousand
women.
Something went wrong with my efforts. I arrived
in the midst of the story and somehow exchanged
places with Scheherazade – a phenomena that had
never occurred before and that still to this day, I
cannot explain.
Now I am trapped in that ancient past. I have
taken on Scheherazade’s life and the only way I can
protect myself and stay alive is to do what she did to
protect herself and stay alive.
Every night the King calls for me and listens as I spin tales.
And when the evening ends and dawn breaks, I stop at a
point that leaves him breathless and yearning for more.
And so the King spares my life for one more day, so that
he might hear the rest of my dark tale.
As soon as I finish a story... I begin a new
one... like the one that you, dear reader, have before
you now.
Chapter One
~Maura~
“I don’t love blind dates,” I remind my friend Kat for the fourth time since she picked me up at my place twenty minutes ago. “You really didn’t have to set me up with anyone.”
“I think you’ll like him,” she says with a shrug.
“Why are we meeting them there?”
“Because Mac just finished up with work, and having him come home to get me and then go back downtown seemed unproductive.”
I nod and take a deep breath. It’s not that men as a species make me nervous. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever met a man that gave me butterflies, which I guess is a sad commentary on the state of my love life.
“You do like men, don’t you?” she asks with a raised brow and glances over at me. Kat is one of the most colorful women I know. She has deep red hair, a full sleeve of beautiful tattoos, and the outfits she wears should land her on the cover of a pin-up girl calendar. She’s super pretty.
“Yes,” I reply with a laugh. “I’m into men.”
“Perfect.” Kat smiles and pulls into a parking space at a trendy sushi restaurant near the waterfront. “And there’s no pressure. If you don’t like him, no harm done.”
“True.” I nod and exit the car, meeting her on the sidewalk. “If nothing else, I get to spend some fun time out with you and Mac.”
“Atta girl,” she says with a wink and opens the door for me, following me into the restaurant. I immediately see Kat’s husband, Mac, sitting at a table in the back of the restaurant. His friend’s back is to me, but it looks familiar.
When Mac stands with a smile to kiss his wife like he hasn’t seen her in a month, his companion stands and turns around with a smile, and all I can think is, fuck.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
“Maura, this is—”
“Chase,” I say, interrupting Mac’s introduction. “We’ve met.”
Chase grins, showing off his perfect teeth and the perfect dimple in his right cheek. He holds my chair out for me, and I take it. Mostly because I’m not an asshole.
If I was an asshole, I’d turn around and leave.
“How do you know each other?” Kat asks, watching me closely.
“I took one of his classes once,” I reply with a tight grin. “Not to mention, the wine enthusiast community isn’t that big.”
“True,” she says with a smile.
Mac and his brother, Chase, own a successful wine touring company in Portland, Oregon. They take groups of people from restaurant to restaurant, showing their clients how to pair certain wines with different foods. Chase occasionally gives classes on wine as well.
And if I’d known in advance that Chase would be here, I probably wouldn’t be. This just proves that I need to ask more questions when I’m being set up on a blind date.
“How are you?” Chase asks. He’s ridiculously good looking. He’s tall, at least six feet, with dark blond hair and blue eyes that should come with a warning label.
Warning: may cause your panties to melt.
“I’m well, thank you.” I immediately take a sip of the wine Mac just poured me. It’s red, fruity, and dry. Just the way I like it. “And you?”
“Same.”
He winks and turns his attention back to Mac, and I finally take a deep breath.
“So, blind dates are awkward,” Kat says, wrinkling her nose. “But I thought you might like each other. Maura, I know wine is a hobby for you, and Chase certainly knows plenty about wine.”
“That’s a nice way of calling me a wino,” he says with a laugh.
“It’s not out of control or anything,” Kat adds with a wink. “I didn’t know that you already knew each other.”
“Not well,” I clarify. Chase is known amongst his family and friends for being a player. He’s as commitment phobic as I am, but the difference between him and me is I don’t fuck everything that shows an interest in me.
“I’m sorry to say this, but, she’s not really my type,” Chase says with a shrug and I can’t help but snort.
“Seriously?”
He shrugs again.
“So, I’m not your type, but you’ve asked me out at least sixteen times in the past two years.” I roll my eyes as Mac spits his water out in laughter and Kat sits back to watch us with a grin on her face. “I’d hate to see how you are around women who are your type.”
I tuck my blonde hair behind my ear and turn to face him. He’s not embarrassed in the least. Rather, he’s smiling down at me like I’m the cutest puppy he’s ever seen.
He irritates the fuck out of me.
“You know, it’s okay to just admit that a girl said no and move on with your life.” I cock my head to the side and wait for him to reply, but he just shrugs again.
“I really like her,” Mac says, laughing behind his green cloth napkin. “We need to keep her around.”
“I mean, I know your ego is probably fragile, and that’s why you kept asking me out after the third time when I told you to choke on a cork, but seriously, Chase. Saying now, in front of your brother and his wife, that I’m not your type?”
“You’re not,” he says again when the sushi is delivered. The guys must have just ordered an assortment, and it all looks delicious. “Doesn’t mean I won’t ask you out.”
“You’re ridiculous,” I reply, rolling my eyes.
“Just honest, sweetheart,” he says and takes a bite.
“I hope you choke on that California roll.”
“You’re quite taken with choking,” he says, watching me for a moment. “Are you into that sort of thing?”
I want to throw my raw fish a
t his face, but instead I just smile sweetly and reply with, “You’ll never find out.”
“This is entertaining,” Kat says to Mac, who nods. “We should have them over for dinner every day. We’d never have another need for a television.”
I can’t help but giggle at my friend. “Sorry, guys. I guess you could say that Chase and I butt heads a bit.”
“No need to apologize,” Kat says. “So this isn’t a love match.”
I immediately shake my head no, and Chase just simply laughs and takes a sip of his wine.
“That’s okay. Plan B is in full force.” Kat raises her glass. “Good food and wine and excellent conversation.”
“I can get behind that.” I clink my glass to hers. “How are things over at Seduction?”
“Fantastic,” she says with a grin. Kat co-owns one of Portland’s hottest restaurants with her best friends. She runs the wine bar and knows more about wine than just about anyone else I know. “We’ve been very busy and are about to start filming a new TV show for BestBites TV.”
“I watch that channel all the time.”
“Well, Mia’s getting her own show. It’s pretty exciting.”
“That’s wonderful.” I put my fist out for her to bump. “I’m excited for y’all.”
“What do you do, Maura?” Mac asks, and Chase’s gaze whips down to mine.
“What?”
“It just occurred to me that I don’t know what you do either,” he says with a frown.
“You know nothing, Chase MacKenzie.” I sniff and turn back to Mac, secretly enjoying the way Chase is laughing beside me. “I’m a teacher.”
“What grade are you teaching this year?” Kat asks.
“Fifth grade,” I reply and wrinkle my nose. “It’s not easy, but I like it.”
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