Red Hot Lovers: 18 Contemporary Romance Books of Love, Passion, and Sexy Heroes by Your Favorite Top-Selling Authors

by Milly Taiden

  “Charley has called twice since you went on stage,” he reminded her. She snatched up her duffel bag, making her way down the hallway to her small dressing room. This wasn’t the best gig, but it was a gig nonetheless. She’d been able to showcase her talent, and she was proud of what she had accomplished so far.

  Vince helped her slip on her winter jacket. The red pea coat with a matching beret was the last gift her mother had given her. She was never without it and would, more than likely, wear it all the way to spring. Maryland had a tendency to stay cool well past winter, so she was sure she could pull it off.

  Knowing he was trying to comfort her, Everly allowed Vince to wrap his arm around her. It had been a dreadful couple of days, and she felt dead inside. Her heart ached for her whole family but especially for herself. Just a week ago she’d been planning a wedding when she wasn’t singing in the studio with her band. The only relief she got now was to climb into bed and cover her head with blankets.

  Everly was the second oldest—born in July. Sandy told her the instant she’d heard her sweet baby scream, she knew Everly would be a singer. She adored her mother and all that she was, and Sandy had been her biggest fan. She made a point to call her mom every week to talk about Vince and their wedding plans or to cry on her mom’s shoulder whenever she needed to. They talked about everything and she wanted those times back. She felt so cheated knowing she’d never again enjoy those moments with her mom.

  Vince started up the car, pulling her hand into his lap as they began the drive to Ohio. Even if Everly had her doubts, Vince was determined to be there for her through it all. He gave a quick glance in her direction and smiled at her as she talked to Charley on the phone. For a brief moment, he saw a glimmer of life return to her eyes. He was hopeful all would be well and they’d be able to move on with their lives once they said goodbye to her mother.

  “We’re picking up Ethan on the way into town,” Everly said to Vince.

  Vince nodded, not speaking a word. He wasn’t a big fan of her younger brother. Ethan was rather quiet and odd, and he could never quite figure out what Ethan thought of him. Everly said it’s just how Ethan is, a boy of few words. But Vince didn’t believe that. He’d seen Ethan interact with his sisters and he was close to their parents. Vince highly doubted Ethan liked him and assumed Everly’s avoidance of the subject was her way of preventing a disagreement.

  Ethan

  Ethan sat on his suitcase outside his college dorm, stealing a smoke while he waited for his sister and her overly-masculine fiancé. He couldn’t stand that guy. Ethan sensed Vince wasn’t all he claimed to be and he wanted nothing to do with him. He also didn’t understand how a man could be so into dancing. It just seemed odd to him.

  He was young and he knew he had a lot to learn about the world, but he needed to find out what was going on with his family. Since he was about seven or so, he’d sensed something wasn’t quite right. He’d never spoken of it to anyone, but now with his mom gone, he was more interested than ever to dig into theories.

  He enjoyed school, but the studies were mind numbing. They kept him busy and helped tweak his keen sense of the world. He learned so much he sometimes felt like his head was going to explode. But with knowledge came power, or so his professor said.

  Having all the girls around him wasn’t so bad either. Growing up as the only boy in a family of girls made it difficult to maintain any sense of masculinity. The only girl who’d ever given him a shot was Angelina; the girl who lived down the road their whole life. He had felt her up in the basement several times before school started. His body ached to do all sorts of nasty things to her, but fear took over and he chickened out every time. Going to college had changed everything. It gave him a boost of confidence. His newfound confidence, coupled with alcohol, had made him a real ladies man, and he never ran out of girls to bed. Even that, though, was sometimes too easy.

  So far, that was his life in a nutshell. Now he was just waiting for Everly, so they could all go back home to bid adieu to Mom.

  Ethan stood up as the car with Vince and his sister approached and came to a slow stop in front of him. Everly stepped out into the fresh air to hug him. Ethan knew she was happy to see him by how tightly she hugged him, but he sensed something else as well. Out of all of his sisters, she was the one with the most depth, and she was far away.

  “Glad to see you kid,” she said. She gave a forced smile, opening up the door and gesturing him in. He avoided making eye contact with Vince, and he jumped in the back seat. Vince was instantly gratified to brush him off like he usually did. One day he thought, the kid would get the hint, if he hadn’t already.

  “Talk to Dad?” Ethan asked, cracking the window to light up a cigarette. His new habit was more entertaining than needed. It gave him something to do with his hands. Everly let out a groan of disgust at his new pastime, but didn’t utter a word to him. Studying his reflection in the window, it occurred to him that he looked nothing like his siblings. He was tall and thin with an olive complexion and dark eyes. He had his mom’s dimples, but that was the only similarity he saw. He sometimes felt as if he’d been the product of an illicit love affair, but proving such a thing would be difficult. His charming smile—the one all the girls gushed about—came from his mom as well.

  Mom wasn’t very tolerant of Ethan’s ways. He never discussed his feelings with her and had been the typical angry teenager. In short, he was everything she wasn’t. He knew she loved him, but he wasn’t so sure she understood him. Her time and effort had been focused mainly on her three daughters. Sometimes he would call her when he was drunk and lonely. He would miss those times the most—the simple times he didn’t care, but when it meant so much to her.

  “I talked to him yesterday. He sounded very tired,” she said.

  “Charley called me about a million times,” Ethan said, letting out a laugh. Vince turned his head slightly in reaction but didn’t look back at him.

  “Charley wants everything to go well. You know how she is. How is school?” Everly’s tone was flat and without emotion. As the car moved, she would move—no resistance from her at all—like a ball rolling around with every bump or movement as they sped down the highway.

  “School is good. Grades are good, too. How is singing?” he asked, cracking his window enough to chuck his cigarette. She was probably taking it the worst, he thought to himself, as he waited for her to respond.

  “Amazing,” she spit out, pulling herself away from Vince and closer to her side of the car. This trip home was going to be something else, Ethan thought to himself.

  Charley

  Charley couldn’t believe she was back in Ohio. She turned her phone back on as she waited for her luggage. She knew she had been annoying her siblings, but she just needed assurance everything would go off without a hitch. It was the least they could do for Mom.

  “Here you are ma’am,” an older gentleman said to Charley, handing over her expensive luggage. She nodded her head as a sign of gratitude, too busy with her pink blackberry to utter a sound.

  Walking with her eyes glued to her phone, she made her way to the doors. She already had a rental car waiting for her.

  A man in his thirties, tall and a bit muscular, made his way through the doors. His interest instantly focused on Charley. He could barely see her face, but judging by the rest of her, she was stunning. He slowed, realizing the girl was not at all paying attention to what was in front of her, and he wondered how she hadn’t tripped yet. What was so important on that phone of hers?

  Suddenly he smirked, a scheme coming to the surface, stopping right in her path, crossing his arms and simply waiting. He counted in his head… five, four three, two, and bam!

  “I’m so sorry!” she shrieked. She dropped her phone and watched as it hit the floor and the battery scooted through the scuffle of the passersby.

  Charley was shaken by her clumsiness, her face hot with embarrassment. How often did she go around running into people? And her phone had
to have broken. She cursed herself silently.

  “Don’t be. Blackberries, I hear they are all the rage,” he said with a grin.

  Charley smiled back, then kneeled down to pick up the bits and pieces of her phone, keeping her eyes glued to the floor. She could be such an idiot sometimes.

  She imagined if she stayed in this position long enough, he’d get bored and just leave her alone. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to talk to him. She just felt foolish.

  “I think you have it all,” he insisted, bending down to look her in the eyes. He didn’t know if she was embarrassed or just rude. He couldn’t figure out why such a hot chick would be scared to talk to him. She’d dropped her phone; it wasn’t as if she killed a puppy, he thought.

  “Thanks, look, once again, I am very sorry. This will teach me to text while walking. I heard it’s very dangerous. It was on the news the other night or something,” she fumbled, looking every direction but his face. He was glued to her and it made her extremely nervous.

  “Once again, no need to apologize. I’m a lot stronger than I look. Although, you wouldn’t notice, because you won’t even look at me,” he teased, a smile creeping across his face.

  This brought her eyes to his. She appeared to have calmed, holding a steady gaze long enough to appreciate that he had brown eyes, stubble, and short brown hair.

  “Crazy flight, crazy day, all in all just a crazy life,” she babbled as she struggled to pop her battery back in her phone.

  He only kept staring. Everything about her fascinated him. She had incredible blonde hair that fell just right against her face. Her lips made him just want to lean forward and kiss them. And her long legs, they seemed to have no end. He wasn’t sure about her rack since she was clutching her jacket in place, holding onto it for dear life.

  He really wanted to speak more to her, but he was in a rush himself and needed to keep moving forward.

  “I’m sorry to hear that. I’ve got to get going.” he said. And was gone as quickly as he had appeared. She turned and watched him walk away, wondering what his name was and why he hadn’t shared it with her. Any other guy would be ready to spill it all first thing. She shrugged it off, making her way through the doors.

  ***

  He headed into the airport bathroom, a little tense. Knowing he didn’t have a lot of time left before his flight, he checked his watch one more time, then looked up to see the bathroom virtually overcrowded.

  The guy standing at the urinal did a quick head nod before going back to his piss. He concentrated on the job at hand, drifting back to the stunning blonde that he’d deliberately bumped into.

  Heading back out of the bathroom, he stared at the business card in his grasp. In all the commotion, she hadn’t noticed it had fallen out of her purse.

  “Charley Harper,” he read out loud. She was an editor from New York, according to her business card. This meant one of two things: she was formerly from Ohio or she was on a trip for work.

  Tucking the card away, he showed his ticket, then headed through the metal detectors. Trying to connect with Ms. Harper would have to wait until tomorrow. He was sure, judging by her luggage that she wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

  Quinn

  Quinn groaned, adjusting her pillow on the airplane. She was still hours away from Ohio. And she hated flying. It made her antsy, and she didn’t like feeling restrained.

  She wanted to see her dad more than anything. He was secretly her favorite parent. And she was definitely a Daddy’s girl. Anything she wanted was hers when it came to that man.

  She knew Charley and Everly would be there to help with the important things that needed to be done, and she would be free to spend time with her dad.

  She missed her little brother, Ethan. Separated by only a couple years, they were the closest. She knew he was going through his own set of issues. Being a part of the Harper family had never been easy. All her life something felt off about her parents, but she didn’t know what that something was. She was too self-absorbed to expend unnecessary energy on those thoughts. With the death of her mother, those feelings had resurfaced and brought questions to her mind that she didn’t have the answers to. Average housewives didn’t get brutally murdered, and that’s what pained her the most. She loved her mom a lot. But growing up in the Harper home wasn’t as normal as people thought.

  Everly

  Vinnie rested against his posh car, pumping gas. Everly was inside using the restroom. And her brother was inside buying another pack of cigarettes. They were about an hour away from their dad’s house. He ached at the thought of dealing with that old man. He was needy and grouchy most days and his daughters seemed oblivious to it. Vinnie believed men were supposed to be the strong ones, the ones who held the power. Vinnie just didn’t understand how Everly had turned out to be so stubborn having come from that old man and her mother. He vowed their marriage would be well maintained, he would be the one in control—the one that Everly could count on for all her needs. He was hopeful they’d have babies right away so he’d be bonded to Everly in every sense of the word. Family was more important to him than a wife’s career—if only he could get her to see that.

  She came out from the restroom wearing the same sad expression she’d worn for days now. Quite frankly, he was tired of seeing it and she could tell. She put on the act of wanting to be near him. How hard could it possibly be? He was the most attractive man she’d ever seen.

  “Almost there,” he said, smiling at her. He traced a finger across her cheek, wanting nothing more than a kiss from her.

  “Do you want me to drive some?” she asked, lifting her head and pulling him to her, his lips touching hers. She gave a quick peck. As he tried for more, she pulled away from him. When would he get it in his head that she was grieving the loss of her mother, and kissing or any sexual activity was the last thing on her mind? She was beginning to think he didn’t care that she’d lost her mother, something to not be taken as lightly as he seemed to be. There were many layers to Vince. Everyone saw him as beautiful and talented, and he was all those things. Unfortunately, what showed on the outside was nothing like who Vince was on the inside.

  Vinnie ignored her question, getting back into the driver’s seat. How dare she snub him? He was only trying to make her feel good. He was getting angry. Why did their sex life and a little romance have to stop because of a death in the family? And where was that kid when he was ready to leave?

  Vinnie gripped the steering wheel, doing what he did best—bottling all his rage and irritation inside. He scanned the parking lot, looking for Ethan. He was probably in the restroom whacking off, he thought. He touched Everly’s leg, little by little moving his hand up and down her thigh. He missed touching her and watching her undress at night before she got into their bed. She was sexy, and her body excited him to no end.

  “Where is he?” Everly asked, ignoring his intentions. She purposely crossed her legs, immediately knocking his pawing hand away. He was like a dog in heat wanting to hump her all the time—always about the sex and not about the romance. He wasn’t interested in making love. He treated her like a bar slut—a little smack on the ass here, a little pulling of hair there. In the beginning, his wild ways and the few bruises he’d leave behind had turned her on. She was sure that as love progressed there should be more—slow, loving kisses and sweet cuddling that she desired.

  She finally saw Ethan. They had never discussed his dating life, but she hoped that when he met the right girl and settled down that he would treat his woman right.

  “Sorry about that,” Ethan said, climbing into the back seat.

  “Oh, of course, you are,” Vinnie said, starting the car. He threw his arm around the back of Everly’s seat, whipping out of his parking spot and gunned it out of the gas station.

  “Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” Everly grumbled.“I apologize, I’m just getting tired,” Vinnie insisted, slowing the car down to a legal speed. Everly tapped her leg in aggravation.
Ethan laughed on the inside realizing how easy it was to push Vince’s buttons.

  “It was nerves,” he spoke up. So now he decides to talk, Vinnie thought.

  “What do nerves have to do with it?” Vinnie asked him.

  “It was either shit in the bathroom or shit in your fancy car,” Ethan said, a satisfied smirk on his face. Was Vinnie really so dense to think Ethan was going to engage him in any kind of significant conversation?

  Everly chuckled. For the first time in days she laughed and it was at her brother’s lame joke about defecating in their vehicle. Vinnie shook his head, hoping the drive ended soon. He really needed a drink.

  Charley

  Charley sat outside her childhood home. Everything was the same at the yellow Victorian-style home where she’d spent her childhood—the same black iron fence, the same hanging flower pots. However, now the flowers were dead and hung limply over the edge. It was clear her mom was gone. She’d have never let them or the once-neatly-trimmed bushes go unattended

  She got out of her car, gazing up at the tower-like structure that had been her bedroom. She could see the butterfly sticker, that she’d adorned the window with years ago, still remained. The cold air nipped at her nose as she stood admiring her old home.

  Charley plucked at the bush, dropping loose leaves to the ground. She became concerned to see a dozen or so newspapers on the porch. That’s odd, she thought as she rang the doorbell. She kneeled down to collect them, dropping several before she finally had them all.