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A Little Harmless Scandal
Melissa Schroeder
Harmless Publishing
Contents
About the book
Hawaiian Terms
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Meet The Wulf Siblings
A Little Harmless Faith
About the Author
Also by Melissa Schroeder
The Original Harmless Series
I. Harmless
A Little Harmless Sex
A Little Harmless Pleasure
A Little Harmless Obsession
A Little Harmless Lie
A Little Harmless Addiction
A Little Harmless Submission
A Little Harmless Fascination
A Little Harmless Fantasy
A Little Harmless Ride
A Little Harmless Secret
A Little Harmless Revenge
The Preludes and Shorts
II. A Little Harmless Military Romance
Infatuation
Possession
Surrender
III. TASK FORCE HAWAII
I. SEDUCTIVE REASONING
II. HOSTILE DESIRES
III. CONSTANT CRAVING
IV. TANGLED PASSIONS
About the book
Wanting two men isn't the smart thing to do, but falling for both of them might just ruin all their lives.
Adam Fullerton and Mick McGrath have been a couple for over five years but they always knew something was missing. They have brought more than one woman into their bed, but none of them had enticed them into a more permanent relationship. That is, until the meet photographer Serenity Jones.
Serenity lives a simple life, one far from her childhood as a star of one of most popular sitcoms on TV. She'd been the poster child for an out of control teen and had more than one deranged fan. She got herself clean, changed her name, and disappeared. She avoids anything that might attract the tabloids and that definitely includes the Mick and Adam. Even knowing that, she allows them to tempt her into a night of pleasure.
After that night, none of them are ready to walk away. But soon, Serenity's former life comes back to haunt her as tabloids catch whiff of her new relationship. As the scandal erupts around them, the threesome must learn to stand together, or lose the fragile new relationship.
>>Warning: This book includes two hot bisexual men, one very interested woman, and lots of smexy scenes including all three of them. Also has much Hawaiian scenery, a trip to Rough 'n Ready (and a scene with Micah Ross), along with a scenes so hot, it will melt your e-reader and curl your toes. As any Harmless Addict will tell you, ice water and towels are recommended while reading.
Hawaiian Terms
Aloha - Hello, goodbye, love
Bra-Bro
Bruddah- brother, term of endearment
Haole-Newcomer to the islands
Hiwahiwa - precious
Howzit - How is it going?
Kamaʻāina-Local to the islands
Mahalo-Thank you
Malasadas- A Portuguese donut without a hole which started out as a tradition for Shrove (Fat) Tuesday. They are deep fried, dipped in sugar or cinnamon and sugar. In other words, it is a decadent treat every person must try when they go to Hawaii. If you do not try it, you fail. Do yourself a favor. Go to Leonard’s and buy one. You are welcome.
Pupule - crazy
Slippahs - slippers, AKA sandals
To Deana Potter whose joyous spirit, beautiful smile, and love for the romance genre never fail to amaze me.
Acknowledgments
Once again, none of my books are ever released without the support of many people.
Big thanks to Noel Varner for kicking ass and doing great edits, once again.
No book ever sells without the help of a good cover. Scott Carpenter worked overtime and developed a whole new look for my Harmless books. I will be forever blessed that fate brought us together 13 years ago.
Thank you to Brandy Walker and Joy Harris for always lending me a sympathetic ear.
Shout out to the Addicts to always making me laugh and making our FB Aloha Friday Live events so much fun.
And, of course, there is my insane family. Thank you for putting up with the crazy author life.
Copyright © 2017 by Melissa Schroeder
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Digital ISBN: 978-1-939734-58-7
Print ISBN: 978-1977606341
Edited by Noel Varner
Cover Art by Scott Carpenter
Created with Vellum
Chapter One
Chapter One
This time, Serenity thought, she would start out on the right foot with her neighbors.
She took the last loaf of banana macadamia nut bread out of the oven and set it on the rack to cool just as her phone rang. When she saw Nicola McCann’s face on the screen, she answered it immediately.
“Good morning,” she said.
“Good morning to you too. How’s tricks?”
“Okay. Been working a lot. You?”
“Nothing much. We have some business trips coming up.”
“Oh, you and the very delectable Jensen Wulf are going to be jet setting again? I thought that he had said he didn’t want you going anywhere with him anymore.”
One of their more recent trips had ended with Nicola and her boss in a massive fight. They worked well together, except when they had extra time on their hands. They tended to irritate each other in enclosed spaces.
“Jensen couldn’t figure out how to get from point A to point B without me.”
“I heard that,” a male voice in the background said.
“He knows it. I know it. His mother knows it. So, did the new neighbors show up yet?”
At that moment, the rumble of a truck sounded on the path that led to the adjacent house. Set back away from Kam Highway, the only people who would be using that path would be she and her neighbors.
“Just happening right now. They’ve been busy all day.” She peeked out the window to see the now familiar truck going past her house. Three men were sitting in the cab of the pickup, so that probably meant the woman Serenity had seen earlier was at that house.
“You haven’t met them?”
“No, but they couldn’t be any worse than my last neighbors.”
“That’s true. Who would have thought you bought a house next to a
couple destined to act out Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf every night?”
“Not me.”
“Did they ever finalize the divorce?”
“I have no idea. Remember, I did not engage with them. Right now, I’m trying to forget they ever lived there, please. They were horrible.”
A nasty divorce that had dragged out for two years. Neither husband nor wife would give up the house so they had lived there, together, making their lives and everyone who encountered them miserable.
“Okay. I must go now because Jensen lost his mind and scheduled breakfast with his mother; who, of course, wants me there. But, woman, please at least text me at some point if you won’t call.”
“You got it. I’ve been so busy with the book proposal, I’ve been losing track of time.”
“That’s good, but remember, I will call the HPD to check on you if I don’t hear from you at least once a week.”
With the power of Wulf Industries behind the threat, Serenity was pretty sure Nicola could make it happen.
“You got it.”
After she clicked her phone off, she glanced at the loaves of mac bread. She'd been baking all day. It wasn't something she did all the time, but it was one of those simple joys she had discovered just a few years earlier. Baking was comfort.
It had been an odd idea for her to bake things for a neighbor. Serenity was proud of the fact that she was a tad anti-social. Avoiding people when she had spent her childhood trying to garner their attention, had been hard at first. Now it was almost second nature. Still, she wanted to be armed with information. If they were batshit crazy like her last neighbors, it was better to know now so she could avoid them.
After quickly wrapping a loaf from the earlier batch in plastic wrap, she donned her sunglasses and stepped out onto her lanai. She loved her little farmhouse, but it was nothing compared to her neighbor's house. They were both Kelly green, built around mid-century, and that was where the similarities ended. Serenity had never been inside the neighboring house. Most of the time, she avoided it if at all possible. The one time she made the mistake and walked within ten feet, the last owner explained she was divorcing her husband because he would fuck anything that moved.
Serenity still didn't know the woman's name.
She pushed that memory aside and took note of the beauty around her. Five years and she still couldn’t believe she lived in Hawaii. A spur of the moment trip turned into so much more. The extra privacy in her house off the beaten path made her feel safe. The close proximity to a beach only locals usually went to made it even better. It was still kind of early in the day, so humidity hung in the air around her, holding the scent of plumeria that grew in front of her neighbors’ house. When she walked up the steps to the front lanai, she heard the sound of paper being wadded up. She knocked on the screen door.
“Hold on,” a woman's voice called out.
When the woman stepped into view, Serenity couldn't help but feel kind of frumpy.
The woman was average height, with light brown skin, and braids that swayed with each step she took. The bright blue sundress showed off amazing tattoos. Also, she was hugely pregnant.
“Hello,” Serenity said. “I guess we're going to be neighbors.”
The other woman blinked as if not understanding the words. The silence stretched as she continued to stare at her.
“I live just down the path,” Serenity said, pointing behind her.
Her eyes widened. “Oh, oh! No, I don't live here.” She was laughing when she opened the screen door. “Come on in. Sorry about that.”
Serenity removed her slippahs and stepped into the house. She handed the woman the loaf.
“It's macadamia nut, just in case anyone is allergic.”
“Thank you. My name is Jillian and I’m just a friend of the guys.”
“Serenity.”
“What?”
“My name is Serenity. Serenity Jones.”
“Wow, that's a name.”
“Thank you, I picked it out myself. So, it's just the guys moving in here?”
“Yes.” Then after a moment of silence, Jillian laughed again. “Sorry. I can barely function in the last trimester. The hormones leave holes in my brain. Come on into the kitchen. Would you like something to drink?”
Serenity fought the urge to rub her hands on her board shorts. It was a nervous tick she’d had since her first days in acting. She hesitated, then reminded herself she needed to be friendly. This was why she made the bread and brought it over.
“Yes, just some water.”
“Great, and I hope you don't mind drinking out of one of the guys' plastic stadium mugs. They have real things, but I am not doing that much unpacking for them.”
“Not a problem at all.”
“Great,” she said smiling, then just stood there.
“Uh, water?”
She shook her head. “Okay, I’m now realizing that my husband might have a point and he isn’t only being overly protective. He doesn't like leaving me alone.” She motioned to the two bar stools. “Have a seat.”
“So, the guys are the couple?”
She nodded. “Been together for a while. They insisted that they needed a bigger place though.”
“Oh?”
She handed Serenity the water. “Yeah. No reason really. Knowing them, they just like things to be big. Men.” She rolled her eyes. “So, do you work?”
Again, even after a decade as a normal person, Serenity had issues with giving people her background. She nodded. “Freelance photographer.”
“Oh, do you do couples, or triples?”
“Of what?”
“People. I’m always on the lookout for a new person to bug for images.”
“Uh.”
Jillian rolled her eyes. “There I go again. They would be for my book covers. I'm an author.”
“Oh. No. Sorry, I mostly do landscapes.”
“Pity. Well, you probably have access to a lot of that here.”
“It’s what brought me here five years ago. I wanted to get some material, then I never left.”
“I can understand that. I moved over here to hide from my family.”
“That's a plus too.”
“Just you then?” When Serenity didn’t immediately reply, Jillian shook her head. “God, I sound like I'm pumping you for information. It’s a writer’s habit, but I’m usually more tactful than I have been today. I've just been stuck in here all day with no Wi-Fi. How is a chick supposed to survive without it?”
“I have no idea, especially since I need it to make a living.”
She nodded. “Exactly. But, Conner said I had to come over here since our first demon seed is having a playdate and as you saw, my brain is mush.”
Serenity smiled. “I would have gone crazy without Wi-Fi for a day. But yes, it is just me.”
“Mick and Adam were happy to know there was someone living here and you weren't a renter.”
“That definitely is a problem these days. I’ve heard some horror stories, especially on this side of the island since Obama made it so popular. It took them forever to redo the house, but I'll be happier with someone here.”
“Oh?”
“I’m an independent woman with a huge imagination. Living off the beaten path is great, but it gets a little dark back here sometimes. And you never know when a drunk tourist will wander into the area.”
“True.” She settled in the chair next to Serenity’s. “The guys got the house at a great price. I heard it was because of the divorce.”
“They had to redo the house from top to bottom after the war that was waged over here. More than once the police were called out.”
“By you?”
She shook her head. “They would call the police on each other.”
“Oh, god. That sounds like a nightmare.”
“I avoided them as much as I could. Shame really. Two years ago, if it had been in good shape, they would have gotten top dollar for this place. But the yar
d and gardens need work and the housing market is leveling out a little bit. They had offers, but since the couple hated each other, they could never agree until they were forced to.”
Jillian nodded. “The realtor said as much. I feel like we’ve met before.”
“Excuse me?”
“Sorry. Dammit. Dying brain cells in a writer's mind is a recipe for disaster. You look familiar.”
“No. I would definitely have remembered you.”
“Oh, that's sweet. But…” she frowned, studying Serenity’s face.
“Do you go to the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet?”
“Yes.”
“I sell there sometimes. I’m usually not there to sell, but I’ve helped the vendor from time to time.”
Once, and she felt guilty for lying. It wasn’t like she hid the fact that she acted, but she didn’t like talking about it at first. She didn’t want anyone to think she was that girl anymore.
Before she would have to answer questions, she decided to head off. “I hate to drop off mac bread and run, but I have some work I have to do. Tell the guys if they need anything to just let me know.”
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