Feel the Heat

by Cheris Hodges

  HarlequinBlog.com

  Illusion of Love

  by Nana Malone

  BOOK ONE OF THIS IS LOVE

  Chapter 1

  Something was very wrong.

  Valentine Anderson shifted in her oh-so-pretty Louboutins as she stared at her boyfriend. He was gesturing nervously and talking. Almost babbling. But try as she might to concentrate, all she heard was a monotone drone. Focus, Val. She forced her ears to pay attention.

  “Here’s the thing. I think you’re great... I wasn’t really looking for a relationship...you’re fantastic...it’s not you, it’s me... I really care about you, but I need to find myself.”

  The find myself excuse was her personal favorite. Because it invited her to all those ragey places deep inside, where she never allowed herself to go. But then this was the third time she was being dumped on or just before Valentine’s Day. She was allowed to get a little furious...right? Especially because this time she needed a boyfriend on Valentine’s Day.

  If she had time to analyze, she’d examine all the possible reasons why her last two boyfriends had dumped her when everything was seemingly fine.

  First, there’d been Alejandro. Brazilian. Beautiful, with all that tanned skin and a brilliant smile. He’d claimed that they were getting too serious. He was the first finder of self.

  Then there was Tyrell, though, really, she should have known better than to date a professional athlete. Tyrell was a beautiful man. All dark chocolate skin, combined with a wicked smile that was a pure invitation to sin. And sin he had...with her neighbor, and her hairstylist...and her masseuse.

  And now James. It was three weeks to go before her sister’s wedding on V Day and here she was hearing all the usual excuses.

  “Like I said, I think you’re great. You’re just a bit...rigid for me.”

  Her brows snapped down. Say what now? “Rigid?”

  He nodded enthusiastically, as if thrilled that she seemed to understand. “Yeah, I mean, you’re a food blogger, so I thought you’d be more adventurous. In and out of bed. I thought we’d do more things and travel more, but you’re really set in your routine.”

  Relax your jaw, Val. You keep clenching like this and you’re going to crack a molar...again. “So you’re breaking up with me because I didn’t drop my life at a moment’s notice to go to Montreal with you.”

  His eyes widened, as if he suddenly realized this would not be the calm breakup he’d anticipated. “No. Of course not. It’s everything, really.” He held up his hands. “I mean, obviously, we have chemistry. We do, but I need someone who’s more fluid with life and open to ideas. You don’t need me. Hell, you certainly don’t want my opinion...”

  As he talked, her mind raced. Yes, it sucked to be dumped. And even more it sucked to be dumped by someone like James. At the end of the day, she’d liked him, but she knew they weren’t going to be a super long-term thing. But he was nice—at least she’d thought he was. But boy, oh, boy, the man whined. A lot.

  But he’d been good enough to hang out with and at the very least show up at her sister’s wedding with.

  Her sister, Solstice, was getting married in a matter of weeks, and Val knew better than to show up to that wedding alone. No way was she going to yet another family function on her own. To have to endure her mother and aunties and sister bemoaning how she could possibly still be single was a special kind of torture. On her own...unloved. Never mind that she’d tried a million times to tell them that she wasn’t lonely. That she had a perfectly full life with her job and her friends.

  But the women in her family were old-school. Not even old-school as much as they defined how happy they could be in life only by what man loved them at the moment. Oh, and God forbid it was the wrong kind of man. Then everyone in the family would descend on him like a pack of vultures, leaving nothing left but a carcass.

  James was supposed to be her avoid-criticism card. But now it was go directly to singledom hell. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.

  The elevator dinged as James stumbled through his breakup speech, and all she wanted to do was climb into her bed and forget the whole night. That was until she caught sight of her neighbor Bennett Cooper strolling down the hall with a gorgeous brunette in tow.

  Cue the grinding teeth again. The guy was the definition of bad neighbor. Loud music. A revolving door of women. Parties that went on all night. He had zero respect.

  He also made her edgy. The constant awareness, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, was almost uncomfortable to bear whenever he was around. Every time he was near, she sat on razor’s edge. Val was not a fan.

  Maybe it was the way his intense green eyes tracked her, or the tattoos over his tanned flesh and whipcord-lean body with ridiculously defined muscles...if you liked that sort of thing. Her libido sat up and strutted. As if to say, Hello, I like that sort of thing.

  There was no way she was going to be humiliated in front of him. She turned to rush James along. “James, if you’re dropping me, say the words and get it over with. I have things to do.”

  * * *

  Bennett Cooper needed a way out. How the hell had he ended up in this position?

  When he’d agreed to a contract with publishing magnate Milton Voss, he’d been thinking of all the ways it would boost his career. Bennett might have the perfect dream job of photographing models, but he wanted more, and Voss could give it to him. For the last week, Bennett had been thinking about all the places he would travel. He’d been thinking this job meant the opportunity to make his father proud. He hadn’t been thinking about Voss’s wife. The same wife who had made a pass at him at his gallery opening last year. He’d managed to extricate himself from that situation, but tonight—tonight was a whole other ball game.

  You have options, Ben. He could quit. But that wasn’t in his nature. And he didn’t run from a fight. Except from the unpleasant memories from your past. Damn, he really didn’t need a subconscious battle right now. He needed an escape route.

  Grabbing a drink downstairs with the creative director of Voss Magazines had been a good idea. The two of them saw eye to eye on a few things. While Voss owned the usual smatterings of sports magazines and women’s magazines, the real passion in the company was nature conservation. Those were the kind of photos that would challenge Bennett and save the world. The kind of photos his father had taken. Game changers.

  Not that he was opposed to fashion photography. Fashion came with models. And, well, models...enough said. But he’d always wanted to do more. Be more.

  For years, his career had been growing steadily. Luckily he’d been able to avoid too many years as an assistant. At the point that his own street photographs with models he’d taken for free started to outshine those of his paid mentors, his phone had begun to ring off the hook. He’d never thought the scared, orphaned kid from Cali would ever have to say no to too much love. Except he had. But now everything was in jeopardy because Adriana Voss thought she had the hots for him.

  His meeting with Stephen had wrapped up and he’d stayed to finish his drink. Next thing he knew, Adriana turned up, looking to see his latest pieces. He wasn’t an idiot. He knew a setup when he saw one. She’d fooled Stephen into inviting her along or she’d checked his schedule. Either way it spelled bad news for Bennett.

  The moment she wound her arm around his waist and lifted his drink before pressing it to her lips, he’d known he was in trouble. All kinds of trouble. Not that Adriana wasn’t beautiful. She was. Even though she was pushing forty at least, she was stunning. With curves to give a man fantasies and a face that could easily have launched a thousand ships, she was the kind of woman that Bennett would happily have slept with. If she wasn’t married.

  That was a deal breaker for him. Yes, he was a womanizer. He loved women. A variety of women. And they were plentiful and available. Bu
t he didn’t do married women. Not just for the headache, but also because, well, wrong. Second, he liked his boss. Genuinely liked the man, so he wasn’t going there. But he had to be careful, because Adriana was well-known for her...vindictive streak.

  “Benny, I can’t wait to see your latest work. I mean, I made poor Milton buy every single photograph that wasn’t already nailed down at your gallery the last time.”

  He swallowed hard. “It’s Bennett, actually. Either Bennett or Ben.” Benny had been his mother’s nickname for him. It hurt to hear it.

  “Okay, Bennett it is, then. Do you still have some of those self nudes you took?”

  This was not his lucky day. The self nudes weren’t really nudes. Just an illusion as he’d paid respect to one of his favorite artists. They stepped onto the elevator and he tried to think fast. He could pretend to get a call. He could call his best friend, Trevor, over. He could feign a tapeworm. Something...anything. Because no matter what he did, he would lose his job. But that wasn’t going to happen. He wouldn’t let it.

  Adriana clung to his arm and he sighed. Think. Think. You can do this, Bennett. And then he saw it, his salvation. His prickly-as-hell neighbor. The two of them were not friends. Like, at all. Hell, they weren’t even friendly. She was uptight and bossy, and a pain in his ass. She was always asking the co-op board to stop him from having parties.

  His place was a work and live loft, just like hers. He couldn’t help it if his lifestyle was more fun. He wasn’t sure what it was she did for a living, but he knew she was tense. Like she had a stick jammed so far up her... Well, he’d just leave it at that. And she was with that needle-necked douche waffle she called a boyfriend.

  Bennett was not a fan. Especially as the guy had hit on one of the models who left his place after a New Year’s Eve shoot. He doubted Miss Prim and Proper knew about that. God, what he wouldn’t give to rumple her up just a little. She’d probably never even dated a guy like him before, someone with edge, who didn’t buy his clothes from the Nerds ‘r’ Us line. She had a type, and Bennett knew he wasn’t it. But for tonight, maybe he could be.

  Because right about now, it looked like Needle Neck was dumping her. What? Was that the second guy on or around Valentine’s Day? The guy was dragging it out. Rookie mistake. When Bennett heard her say, “Can we get this show on the road?” it solidified his plan. He just prayed she didn’t knee him in the balls.

  Though given the alternative, he didn’t really have much choice. “Ah, Adriana, look, you get to meet my girlfriend.”

  Voss’s wife blinked up at him as if she was trying to compute the words. “G-girlfriend? I was told you were single.”

  He shook his head. “Not sure who told you that. But that’s my girl, Valentine.”

  Adriana’s brows drew up. “What kind of name is Valentine?”

  Easy does it, mean girl. “It’s the one her parents gave her.” Carlton Banks twin was winding down, so Bennett only had a second to make this work if he was going to do it. He extricated himself from Adriana’s astonishingly tight grasp. And strode right for Valentine. Her dark eyes widened as she watched him in surprise.

  Easy on the family jewels, sweetheart. “Hi, baby. I see you’re finally having that talk with John.”

  Pencil Pusher’s brows rose. “It’s James, actually.”

  Bennett shrugged. “Whatever.”

  Valentine stared at him, full lips parted and dark eyes wide. Bennett deliberately nudged James aside and went for it. Go big or go broke, right? He wound an arm around her waist, his mind briefly registering that she smelled like honeysuckle. And that she looked surprisingly sexy in her flared pink dress. But he didn’t have time to drink in the image. He had a career to save.

  Her soft gasp of shock was all he cataloged as he dipped his head and brushed his lips against hers. On first contact, his mind went blank. Completely absent of thought as joules of electricity shot through him, and he was forced to go on instinct.

  She could have shoved at him, she could have kneed him in the nuts, and she could have slapped him. But Valentine Anderson did none of those things. What she did was make this sexy little mewling sound in the back of her throat, and Bennett lost his mind.

  With that sound, she completely erased the present for him. No longer were they in the hallway with an audience, but they were alone, wrapped in a cocoon of just the two of them. Muttering a groan, he tested and delved his tongue inside her parted lips, and she responded by welcoming him with a slide of her own tongue.

  She tasted sweet and hot, and so damn decadent that he automatically slid his hands down her back to tuck her against him.

  But then something intruded into their space. Into their little safe haven. It wasn’t her. Her nails dug into his shirt pulling him closer. And hell if he didn’t want to be closer. He’d explore that little tidbit later.

  There were words. Not his, not hers, other people’s. Then the fog started to lift from his brain. Right. Carlton’s twin and...oh, yeah, Adriana. He didn’t want to stop kissing her, though. But he wanted to do it when they had more time, because just kissing her was enough to set his whole body on fire.

  “Excuse me, Bennett.”

  Tearing his lips from Valentine’s, he dragged his eyes open. He acknowledged Adriana’s clipped words, but he couldn’t look away from the neighbor, who up until now he’d always thought of her as the Pain in the Ass. “Yeah, Adriana?”

  “Are we going to look at the artwork?”

  Artwork? Artwork? What? Oh, yeah. He turned slowly. “Do you mind if I bring them by Voss later this week? I didn’t realize Valentine was going to be home, and with our schedules—I know you understand.” More like no way in hell are you coming into my apartment.

  She narrowed her eyes at Valentine and tipped up her chin. “Fine. We’ll talk later.”

  “Sure thing,” Bennett said. He held his breath until the elevator doors closed on Adriana. Then he turned his attention back to James. “You’re still here?”

  James’s mouth hung open, and Valentine stared. Bennett just kept his arm tucked around Valentine’s waist. She didn’t move away, nor did she say anything.

  “Y-you two are together?” James asked.

  Bennett held his breath. What was she going to say? Would she go along with the charade?

  When she started to speak, her voice was deeper, huskier. “Yeah, James. This is actually why I wanted to go to dinner tonight. When you started to break up with me, I figured I’d let you take the out. This obviously isn’t working. And Bennett and I are a...” Her voice trailed off as she cleared her throat. “...a thing.”

  Bennett bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. Sure. Thing worked. “Hit the skids, James.” The guy looked like he was going to argue, but then Bennett tucked her against his side more firmly. How had he never noticed how sexy she was? She was petite, but her body was a dream. And her soft breasts pressed into his side were a hell of a distraction.

  James scowled and rolled his eyes, but with a muttered epithet or two under his breath, he headed down the hall for the elevator as well.

  The moment the guy was out of earshot, the two of them jumped apart and Valentine rounded on him. “What the hell do you think you are doing?”

  “Are you kidding me right now? I just saved you face. No humiliating breakup. Or do you mean to tell me that you wanted that sweater vest–wearing asswipe to dump you?”

  “Where do you get off?” she muttered through clenched teeth.

  It wasn’t his fault. Honestly, it wasn’t. But his lips twitched. He sometimes had the humor of a twelve-year-old boy. “Isn’t that kind of a personal question, considering we just had our first kiss? But if you must know, the sho—”

  Her eyes widened to saucers, and she covered her ears. “Oh. My. God. Do not share. You know what, from now on, you keep you and you
r thoughts to yourself.”

  Bennett grinned at her. “Come on, admit it. That was the hottest kiss you’ve had in months, if ever.” Valentine’s mouth hung open as she blinked at him. Once, then again. Then she snapped her mouth shut, stepped back into her apartment and slammed the door in his face.

  Oh, yeah, that went well.

  Copyright © 2017 by Nana Malone

  ISBN-13: 9781488013522

  Feel the Heat

  Copyright © 2017 by Cheris Hodges

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