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

by Milly Taiden

  Ethan plopped down next to her. An affair? His mother had an affair with the man they pegged as her killer?

  “But they said he was the one who did it,” he said, his voice low. He felt sick. He never thought his mom would be unfaithful to his dad.

  “That’s always the first person to be suspected Ethan, and I thought that until he came into the store again. He begged me to keep quiet and to not trash her name. He said that he loved her. I told him to leave me alone. I felt sad knowing they were together, but at the same time, I don’t think he is the one who killed her,” she said with confidence.

  Ethan mulled this over in his mind. An affair? He could most absolutely have been the one who killed her.

  “I think they have the right man,” he said, standing up. He didn’t want to talk anymore.

  “I think he really loved your mom. I felt it. He really wanted to hold on to what they had. I think the real killer is still out there somewhere,” Angelina said.

  “Then why would you have anything bad to say about him? My neighbors told me you were talking about him,” Ethan snapped, turning to face Angelina.

  “Because I knew her and it scared me. I knew way too much and now she is dead. I panicked. I thought it was the man who came through my line all the time.” She stood up, moving to stand by him.

  “I’ve got to go,” Ethan said.

  “Will you come around more often?” she asked. He was clearly distraught. It was plainly written all over his face.

  “I have school. I don’t think I will be back that often. And I really don’t want to be. I’ll call you, Ang. We can keep in touch that way.”

  Angelina watched him leave. She felt bad that she’d ruined his impression of his mother. It was the truth, though, and he deserved to know. She was certainly no expert in these matters and she could be wrong. Maybe the police did have the right guy, but Angelina didn’t think so. She believed he wanted nothing but the best for Sandy.

  Charley

  Charley looked up from the couch as Ethan came in the door. He said nothing as he stomped up the stairs. What was his problem?

  “Is he all right?” Adrian asked her, staring toward the staircase.

  “Yeah, I’m sure he’s fine,” she said, resting her head back on his shoulder. Adrian resumed the movie, trying to act like he was watching it, when all he was really doing was thinking about her. He grabbed her hand, playing with her fingers.

  “What?” Charley asked, looking at him. He shook his head, trying to play it off.

  “I’m going to be bummed when you go back to New York,”he told her.

  She felt the same way. They’d had a great time, and she’d be heading back home soon. She sighed, knowing she wouldn’t be coming back this way anytime soon, either.

  “Hey, I didn’t mean to upset you. We can keep in contact by phone. Maybe I could fly out and see New York sometime. You can be my tour guide or something. I’m just looking out for you. I know how bored you get,” he teased, trying to lift the mood.

  “That sounds good. I’d really like to see you in New York,” she said.

  Adrian swallowed hard, the gnawing urge to kiss her finally pushing him over the edge. He leaned toward her face, their noses touching. He ran his hand down her neck, stopping at her shoulders. His heart raced as her hands found his chest. He began kissing her gently as he ran his hand through her hair. Her breathing quickened and she pulled him closer. His heart pounded like a drum as his male instinct kicked in and his kisses deepened. Charley pulled away.

  Charley tried to calm her breathing. Kissing him was powerful, sucking her in like a drug. She needed to pull it together and thought it best if they ended the night. Before she could do that, though, she needed one more kiss.

  He obliged her that kiss. She took his hand and tightly squeezed it. They both fought the urge to become overly excited but continued softly kissing one another.

  Vinnie stumbled up the sidewalk, feeling like the enemy as they all made their way up to the house of death. He glared at the back of Quinn’s head, willing her to face plant on the stairs as she bounded up them.

  “Get off my heels!” Quinn shrieked at him, moving faster up the stairs.

  Opening up the door Everly gasped at the sight of Charley and Adrian quickly pulling away from one another. She smiled to herself knowing they’d hit it off. At least one of them was happy tonight, she thought as she headed to bed.

  Everly and Vinnie

  Vinnie put the last of their luggage into the trunk. Staring smugly at his accomplishment, he hadn’t even woken up Everly. In just a few short hours, they could be on their way.

  He stared at the house, finding Quinn waiting for him. This wasn’t what he’d been expecting this morning. It had been several days since he’d push her too far. He wasn’t normally one to apologize and he really saw no point in it now that he was pretty sure he and Everly were over. She hadn’t said so, but he sensed it.

  “Back to Maryland?” Quinn asked.

  “Back to normal,” he said, nodding his head.

  “You seem ready to go,” she said, crossing her arms neatly across her chest. He had a feeling she wanted to say more.

  “I am very ready to go. I miss my studio, my life, the things that matter,” he said. It was true--his dance buddies understood him. His students, mostly middle-aged housewives, appreciated him. They wanted him. It made sense in all the ways that counted to Vinnie.

  “What about my sister?” Quinn inquired. “Does she matter?”

  Vinnie was absolutely baffled to hear such words coming from her lips. Since when did she care about anyone but herself?

  “Since when do you care about anyone but yourself?” he asked.

  “She is my sister,” Quinn replied.

  Vinnie rolled his eyes. Quinn was only fooling herself. Whatever helped her sleep at night, he thought.

  “You lost that right when you slept with me,” he tossed back.

  “I know I was wrong. What’s your excuse? Don’t think I don’t know if you had the chance you would do it again,” she said. Vinnie figured the guilt had finally gotten to her.

  “Honey, I spent my better years throwing girls like you out on their ass every night. I know the real thing when I see it. And that’s Everly. A girl like you is never going to measure up to what she is. I could bang you till I’m half dead and you’re half pregnant, it would never make a difference to me,” Vinnie said quietly, just in case anyone was listening.

  Quinn couldn’t believe her ears. No one had ever spoken to her in such a manner. It felt awful. She was sure he could see the tears ready to fall from her eyes. What did Everly see in this man?

  “That’s it. I’m going to do everyone a favor,” she blurted out. She was going to tell Everly everything so she wouldn’t make the biggest mistake of her life. Turning and going for the door, Vinnie grabbed her by the arm, quickly jerking her down the stairs. Fearful of falling, she held on as she made her way down the steps with him.

  “Don’t you dare say a word. You’re not doing anyone a favor, Quinn, and I swear to you…” he said, sticking one stiff finger in her face.

  “You swear what, Vinnie?” she challenged.

  “You may not give a shit, but I do. And I will not let you ruin things for me. Take your ass back to LA and forget about it. Jordan is a good guy. Hang onto him while you can because believe me when I say there is no other guy out there that will want anything to do with you—at least not for anything but a quick lay.”

  Quinn wiped away her tears. He’d hit every button. That smug bastard had rattled her to the core.

  Charley and Quinn

  Charley lay in bed in sheer bliss. She closed her eyes, thinking back on her date. She couldn’t get Adrian’s face—or his kiss, for that matter—out of her mind. She wanted to just lie here all day and dream about him—how his hands felt against her skin and how much she had liked how he kissed her. She rolled over in bed to see her blinking phone. She had over a dozen emails
and several phone calls. They were not doing well without her. She knew she had no choice; she’d have to leave soon.

  Jordan scratched his head, giving a rather animated stretch as he emerged from under the covers.

  “Damn it’s early,” he said, chucking his phone on the bed. He took a swig of an old soda, looking around the room for Quinn.

  Once again, she was missing. With her gone, he took the opportunity to snoop through her things to see what he might discover. He opened one dresser drawer after another digging through underwear, jewelry, purses, and junk. He was about to give up when he found a small book. It was a diary, one that she’d written in during her high school years. He sat on the edge of the bed and started to read.

  “This proves a lot. You are the sad girl you try so hard not to be,” he spoke out loud to himself. He knew what he was doing was wrong, but he needed help trying to figure out what Quinn was about. Sometimes a guy just needed a little help.

  Hearing footsteps approach, Jordan panicked and tossed the diary into a pile of stuffed animals gracing the corner of the room.

  “Oh hey,” Jordan said in a calm greeting.

  “Why are you up so early?” she asked, sniffling. She wiped her eyes making her way to the bed.

  “You weren’t in bed. Sometimes I can’t sleep when you’re not next to me. Babe, are you crying?” he asked, alarmed. He’d never seen her like this before.

  “I don’t want to talk about it. I just want to go back to bed,” she said, crawling under the covers, her hair spilling onto the pillow. Jordan watched her try to shrug off whatever it was that was bothering her.

  “I do want to talk about it,” he said, hoping she’d bite.

  “I’m afraid that I’m not good enough for you…or anyone else, for that matter. There I said it,” she said pulling the blanket over her head.

  “What? That’s insane, babe. You’re more than good enough. I wonder every day how I got so lucky,” he truthfully insisted. She was everything he wanted, and adorably beautiful.

  “I don’t know how you can even say that,” she said, as he slid under the covers to comfort her like he always did. She met Jordan at the Plum, a bar back in LA. She was out looking for a fun time, and he’d been partying with his buddies. She’d never seen it as anything more than a hookup. But he had actually taken an interest in her and talked to her and listened--really listened—when she spoke. Nobody else had ever given her that kind of attention.

  At the end of the night, he’d told his friends he was going home with the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. He threw his arm around her and walked out that door as they made their way to his apartment. She recalled how he’d tightly held her hand, opened and shut doors for her, and how he’d even tried to make her breakfast in the drunken state he’d been in. She’d been in awe of the dark-haired, brown-eyed hottie surfer boy who laughed at everything she said. He’d been oblivious at how nervous he’d made her. He had held her in his arms as she lay on the couch and talked—no sex—just talk. She had desperately tried to get him to sleep with her, but he’d told her he wanted to see her again and she was definitely worth the wait. Then he proceeded to undress her, his hands roaming over her body and caressing her—totally satisfied with the oral fixation—more than pleased when she’d fallen asleep next to him. He was like no other man she’d ever met.

  “Thank you for saying that,” she said, returning to the here and now. She kissed his lips and the pain of Vinnie’s insults faded away.

  “Thank you for letting me say anything to you, for being here for you. Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, pushing her hair out of her eyes.

  “It doesn’t matter,” she insisted, touching his face.

  “Can I ask you something?” he asked, hoping she would answer. She nodded and adjusted her pillow.

  “Are things all right with Vinnie and your sister?” he asked, watching her eyes slightly widen.

  “I don’t know. She doesn’t talk to me a lot. But I don’t think he is the right one for her. They don’t seem happy from what I can tell,” Quinn answered. She hoped this line of questioning would end soon. “Do you think he’s a good guy?” Jordan asked. He wanted to know why his girl would sleep with such a pompous prick. The man was totally infatuated with himself. Jordan believed the only reason Vinnie stayed around was to benefit his own career. He knew she had talent—he was only holding onto the money maker.

  “I think he is full of himself,” Quinn said, closing her eyes. She regretted letting him touch her. It was unbelievable how quickly one could regret something they thought they’d wanted so much.

  Jordan nodded, saddened by her answer—saddened because it only made him look foolish for caring for her so deeply in spite of the fact she’d probably cheated with Vinnie. He leaned in, kissing her forehead, wishing he was strong enough to just let her go.

  Ethan

  Ethan sat outside his mom’s old office, hoping he’d see someone he recognized. He’d only been here a couple times in the twenty years she’d worked here.

  He stood, making his way down the hall once the coast was clear. Maybe he could take a quick peek into her old office.

  “Can I help you? Do you have an appointment?” an older man with an armload of files asked. Ethan tried to come up with something good, but fell short.

  “I’m Sandy Harper’s son,” he spit out, feeling like an idiot. The man nodded.

  “Sorry about your loss. Were you here to pick up the last of her things? I told your dad he could come, but never heard anything back.”

  Ethan nodded right away, happy to have anything of hers. The man motioned Ethan to follow down the hall. He unlocked the door and pointed to the box on the desk.

  “That would be it. Anything else I can help you with?” he asked, waiting patiently. It was obvious he had somewhere to be. Ethan snagged up the box trying to think of a good question.

  “Sam…did you know him?” he asked, knowing it was a long shot.

  “He runs a construction company—big business, everyone knows him. His company actually built this new office. He was in here quite a bit—making sure all was going well. He said he liked to take an interest in local projects.” He nodded, encouraging Ethan go out the door first.

  That must have been how they met, Ethan thought, following the man back to the exit.

  “Was it a shock?” Ethan asked, setting the box down at his feet.

  “Well, yeah to me, a man doing well for himself. What good would it do to mess it all up and murder someone?” he asked, quickly feeling bad, his eyes told it all.

  “Don’t worry. Thanks for your time. And, thanks for the stuff,” he said, acknowledging the box with a tap, then headed out the office. He made it to his dad’s truck and quickly hopped in. He just had to know what was inside that box. He dumped the contents on the seat, shaking it roughly to make sure every bit of it had been freed.

  Everly and Vinnie

  Everly sat on the front porch, sipping coffee. All she could think about was getting home. As she barked out orders to Vinnie, a black car slowly passed by the front of the house. Little did Everly know that she was being watched as the man inside the car cracked his window a bit to get a better look at her.

  Ethan

  “CIA…Feds...the mob?” Ethan asked himself, confused with all his mother’s chicken scratch. None of it made any sense to him. There were tons of papers just like it. None of what his mother had written made any sense. He dropped one paper after another, dreadfully confused. What were these notes about?

  “Insane,” he read, angrily tossing the papers to the floor. He pounded the steering wheel, disappointed at his find. His mom was dead, she’d committed adultery, and the man that sat in prison was probably not the one who killed her. He didn’t have a clue about what to do next.

  Everly

  Everly gently kissed her father, feeling guilty for having to leave him alone. She had a life of her own to get back to. She’d tried to convince him to move close
r to Maryland, but knowing full well by the polite smile he’d given her that he’d never leave his hometown.

  “Good luck with the album. I expect to be the first one with a copy,” Ned told her, and he meant it. His daughter had a beautiful singing voice. Not sure where it came from since neither he nor Sandy could sing.

  “Of course, if you give us a few weeks we can fly you out,” Everly offered, letting her dad open the car door for her. Vinnie got in the car, impatiently waiting to leave. She swore she’d slap him silly for not saying goodbye to her father.

  “Honey, don’t worry about me, I’ve got a lot to do around here,” he lied. He was going to be horribly bored, but burdening his children wasn’t an option.

  “And hey, lighten up on this guy,” Ned said, reaching past his daughter to shake Vinnie’s hand. He knew Vinnie was going through hell. Everly could be an unsympathetic spirit when she had a hard time.

  “Dad…” Everly warned.

  Vinnie gave half a smile, trying his best to be gracious. The man was only trying to help him out. He just didn’t think anything would help at this point.

  “If I don’t see you again, take care, Ned,” he said, taking hold of the steering wheel.

  “Well, if that’s not morbid,” Everly replied, giving him a glare.

  “I didn’t mean it in a bad way,” he simply stated.

  “Drive safely,” Ned said, shutting Everly’s door. He headed back to the house, leaving Vinnie and Everly to deal with themselves.

  “Here we go,” he muttered, pulling out onto the street. Everly shrieked, slapping his arm, as he nearly struck the black car in front of them.