Seaside Embrace (Love in Bloom

by Melissa Foster

  “I’ll meet you out front,” Gabriella said as she grabbed a large basket from the counter, then disappeared through a door in the back of the room.

  As he stepped onto the porch, Duke had a feeling Pierce was wrong about the sand and sun being the best part of the island. Those things had nothing on the intriguing woman who’d just slipped out the back door.

  —

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  **

  Please enjoy this preview of

  TOUCHED BY LOVE (The Remingtons)

  Touched by Love Excerpt - Chapter One

  BLAIN’S MOUTH BLAZED a path up her inner thigh. His hot breath teased over her wet flesh. Kenya fisted her hands in the sheets, dug her heels into the mattress, and rocked her hips, aching for his talented tongue in the place she needed him most. Blaine lifted smoldering dark eyes, a hint of wickedness shining through, as his tongue slicked over his lips. He was a master at seduction, but Kenya didn’t give a shit about seduction. She wanted to be fucked hard. Now. She needed his—

  A large hand landed on Janie Jansen’s desk beside her braille device. She nearly jumped out of her skin and nervously yanked out her earbuds. Holy shit. She was supposed to be finishing a technical editing assignment, not listening to the latest hot romance audiobook.

  “Nice article in the newsletter this week, Jansen. The Oxford Comma Revolution. Catchy.” Her boss, Clay Bishop, was slightly less arid than a desert, but Janie didn’t mind. He’d hired her to work at Tech Ed Co, or TEC, on a trial basis, and four years later, her respect for him had only grown. He was a fair and equitable boss, and was currently considering her for a promotion.

  It was difficult to spice up a weekly column geared toward grammar and editing, but Janie tried. It was just one more step toward the promotion of technical writer she’d been vying for, a nice step up from editor.

  “You’re here late. Trouble with the ARKENS handbook?”

  “I’m just catching up on a few things. The handbook is almost done.” Well, technically not almost done, but she’d meet the deadline. She had yet to miss one. She loved editing, but she hadn’t set out to be an editor after college. She’d wanted to be a journalist, but that door had closed and she’d tabled her dream and settled for editing. Usually the intensity of her job didn’t get to her, but after weeks of grueling revisions on this particular medical equipment handbook, she’d needed a short mental break. But Clay would never think to take a break. He was all business all the time, even hours after their workday officially ended.

  “Perfect. Don’t forget, Monday afternoon we have the peer review of your writing sample. If that goes well, your promotion will be in the hands of the management team. I’m not worried—you’re always on top of your game.”

  “Yeah, she is.” Boyd Hudson’s amused voice brought a smile to Janie’s lips.

  Boyd consulted at TEC only a few days a month, and though Janie didn’t know him well, he was quippy and flirtatious, bringing a spark of amusement into her otherwise quiet days.

  “Hudson,” Clay said dryly. “Okay, well, it’s late, so…”

  “See you Monday, Clay.” Janie listened to his retreating footsteps and let out a relieved sigh.

  “He almost caught you again, didn’t he?”

  She heard the smirk in Boyd’s voice. “He didn’t catch me last time. I was on my lunch break last week. And besides, I was just studying the nuances of the romance genre.”

  “If by study you mean getting swept away in the sexy fantasy life of some fictional, ridiculously unattainable hero, then yeah, I’d buy that.”

  “Why do you trash the genre when you know it’s my favorite escape?” She began gathering her things to leave for the day.

  “Because it’s fun. You’re too smart to be a cliché, Janie. You know that, right? Girl who’s blind whiles away hours of her youth reading romances because her parents are too controlling. Grows up wanting a fictional life that can never exist. Break free from it.” His voice rose with excitement. “Let it go. Romance isn’t real. It’s crap writing about fake people.”

  She never should have revealed that tidbit about her parents in the break room last month. They’d been talking about their childhoods, and while others had fun stories of hanging out at the mall, or going on spur-of-the-moment outings with groups of friends, Janie had very few spur-of-the-moment anything to share. Her parents worried about every step she made, questioning her safety and whether this or that location would be difficult for her to navigate without them to hold her hand. They’d been a noose around her neck, and it had often been easier to escape into fictional worlds than to battle for the chance to go out.

  “And your sci-fi adventures are more real than romance? Ha!” She hefted her bag over her shoulder. “I bet you’ve never even read a romance.”

  “Don’t need to. It’s crap.”

  “It’s not crap. I bet I could write a romance that you’d not only read, but love.” Janie turned off her computer and braille device.

  “Not unless it’s got a heroine who likes sci-fi, is smarter than me, and is into kinky sex.”

  “God, you’re a pig. Fine, sci-fi and kinky sex. It shouldn’t be hard to make her smarter than you.” She lifted her brows with the tease. “But if I write it, you not only have to read every single page of it, but you also have to go to the Romance Writer’s Festival with me in October and stay all day. Plus,” she added, getting excited about the bet, “you have to buy me every romance book I want for a month.”

  He placed Janie’s cane in her hand. “A little greedy, aren’t you?”

  “Hey, if I’m writing a whole novel, it’s got to be worth it.”

  “Fine, but I’m not buying you romance books for a month.”

  “Whatever. Torturing you with the festival for an entire day will be worth it. It’s Friday night. What are you doing here so late?” It was after nine o’clock, and a group of people from work had gone down to NightCaps, a local bar where they often hung out.

  “Had a busy day before coming here,” Boyd answered.

  “Are you going to NightCaps, or are you going to while away the hours with your nose in outer space?” Janie loved the constant vibration of laughter, hushed whispers, and the hum of sexual tension at NightCaps, but her best friend, Kiki Vernon, was out of town, and she didn’t like to go to bars without her. She’d planned on spending a quiet weekend at home, but she assumed Boyd would want to go.

  “I’ve got a date, so I’m pretty sure my nose won’t be anywhere near space, but I’ll walk with you. I’m headed that way anyway. But first, shake on our bet.”

  “Game on, dude,” she said as she shook his hand. “And you’re so gonna owe me, but I’m not going to NightCaps. I was going to read, but now I think I’ll start plotting my romance. Hm. What should I call it? Sci-fi Sexiness?” She couldn’t wait to tell Kiki about the bet. She loved the genre as much as Janie did, and she’d get a kick out of Janie actually trying to write a sexy story.

  “That doesn’t even sound romantic,” Boyd said. “I’m going to win the bet, and when I do, you have to attend Comic Con with me. You’ll make a hot Catwoman.”

  Janie laughed. “Yeah, that’s so not going to happen. I’m writing this book and you’re going to spend an entire day meeting romance authors and male cover models.”

  Boyd hooked his arm in hers as she touched the tip of her cane to the ground.

  “You know what that cane does to me,” he said in a seductively low voice.

  “I know what it’s going to do to you if you don’t stop teasing me.”

  As they left the office, the crisp night air rolled over Janie’s skin. The sounds of people walking by, cars moving along the road, and horns honking were familiar and comforting. The smell of exhaust tangled with what Janie had come to know as the dark scents of the city. Tension was thicker at night in New York City, as if everyone was shrouded with awareness. Janie felt that awareness prickling her skin.

  “Wa
nt me to flag down a cab?” Boyd asked.

  “No thanks. I hate riding in cabs here. The drivers petrify me. I like the subway better.” She’d ridden in cabs with Kiki when they’d first moved to the city after college, and the constant stopping and starting and traveling alone when someone else was in complete control of her end destination made her feel unsafe. Navigating the city alone presented enough of a challenge. She didn’t need to end up in some back alley with a cab-driving killer.

  “The subway? To each their own, I guess.”

  Janie’s phone rang as they made their way down the sidewalk.

  She stopped to dig it out of her bag. “Sorry. We can keep walking as long as you can guide me. It’s a little distracting to use my cane and talk on the phone.”

  Boyd placed a hand on her arm. “Sneaky way to get me to touch you.”

  Janie shook her head and answered the phone, immediately greeted by Kiki’s excited voice.

  “Hey, just wanted you to know that since you blew off coming home with me this weekend, I’m not going to tell you about the date I had last night.” Kiki had been her best friend since the third grade, when Kiki had put a boy in his place for teasing Janie about using a specially lighted magnifying device to read large-print books. Not that Janie needed protecting. Even back then she’d known some people were just too self-centered to care about other people’s lives. Not Kiki, though. As soon as she’d finished with the bully, she’d wanted to know everything about Janie’s eye condition: Cone-Rod Dystrophy, a degenerative eye disease. The disease had varying degrees of severity, from mild to complete loss of vision. So far Janie was lucky. She still had some light perception. If there were very bright lights, large planes of bright colors, or if the contrast was just right, and she looked out of her peripheral vision and got up super close, she could still sometimes make out shapes.

  “Was it your headboard I heard banging the wall at three in the morning?” She loved teasing Kiki about her sexual proclivities.

  “I wish. Anyway, when I come back, we’re having a girls’ night for sure,” Kiki said. “I need to touch up your roots, so we’ll do margaritas and hair dye. A great combination.” Ever since they were little, Kiki had insisted on helping Janie with all things girly, which included not only hair and makeup, but also clothing and manicures and anything else Kiki put into the girls must do category. Kiki was the only person who had ever not been afraid to jump into those personal aspects of Janie’s life, and Janie loved her even more for it because Kiki accepted and pushed and made sure that Janie missed out on nothing.

  “Last time we did drinks and dye you blonded me out, which is why I have roots.”

  “You’re a hot blonde,” Kiki said.

  “You also said I was a hot brunette. I gotta run. Have fun.” She ended the call.

  Boyd chuckled and said, “You’d be hot no matter what color your hair was. Careful stepping off the curb.”

  Janie was used to his flirty comments and knew better than to take them seriously. He doled them out in the office like she dotted her i’s and crossed her t’s, adding a touch of humor to their otherwise stoic workplace.

  “Curb, careful,” he said as she stepped back onto the sidewalk.

  She liked that he knew enough to warn her to the change in her footing. Not everyone did, which was why she continued to use her cane, especially if guided by someone she didn’t know very well. She knew they were nearing the subway and shifted her bag to her other shoulder, dropping her phone in the process.

  “I’ve got it.” Boyd stopped to pick it up. “So, you’re really going to try to write that novel?”

  “Darn right I am.” She resituated her cane and bag, and they continued walking.

  “You sure you want to take the subway?” Boyd asked again. “I’ll even pay for a cab if you’re worried about the money.”

  “It’s not the money. It’s the freakishly fast driving and then slamming on the brakes thing that New York cabbies do. I’m fine, really. Have fun on your date. I’ll see you the next time you’re at TEC.”

  Janie made her way down the steps to the subway, mentally playing with ideas for her romance story. At twenty-seven, she had only a few sexual experiences to draw from, although they’d never fully lived up to the sexual exploits of the heroes and heroines in the novels she’d read. She also knew absolutely nothing about sci-fi, or for that matter, kinky sex, other than what she’d read about. She might not have experience, but she was a master at research.

  The subway platform was eerily quiet. She tried to focus on the bet instead of the fact that every tap of her cane echoed in what she assumed was an empty station. She’d boarded trains alone plenty of times, but as much as other people feared strangers, in the subway, she relied on auditory cues from them. Tingles of anxiety prickled through her chest as the heels of her shoes echoed chillingly.

  She tapped her way to the bumpy strip along the edge of the platform, which was designed to let people who were visually impaired know they were nearing the edge. Her bag slid down her arm. She twisted sideways, trying to catch it. Her toe caught on a bump, sending her sprawling forward. In the space of a breath, her cane dropped through the air, and suddenly she was falling. Fear gripped her seconds before she landed on her right side with a painful thud. She sucked in air as pain spiraled through her. Something sharp dug into her cheek. Rocks? The pungent smell of grease and gasoline permeated the cold, dank air, and she realized she’d fallen off the platform.

  Her heart thundered in her chest, battling with the blood rushing through her ears as she frantically searched for her cane, listening for a train. Tears streamed from her eyes as fear consumed her. Get up. Get away from the tracks. Move. Move. Move. Finding her cane, she clutched it to her aching chest and pushed up to her knees. A blood-curdling pain shot through her ankle. Fighting light-headedness, she clenched her teeth together and forced herself upright, bending her right knee to keep from putting pressure on her ankle. She gripped the cold, hard edge of the platform and tried to pull herself up.

  “Help!” Her voice echoed in the empty station, magnifying her fear.

  Her ankle rolled on the rocks, sending her tumbling down to the ground again. Get up. Get up. Pushing past the pain, she rose again, determined to get to safety. Her fingers moved over the platform’s bumpy ridges that had tripped her up. Her fingertips grazed the smoother concrete just beyond. She used her left, uninjured foot for leverage as she pulled, pushed, and climbed her way onto the platform. Vibrations rumbled beneath her, and the sound of the train squealed in the distance. On the platform, she rolled onto her back, gasping for air and clutching her cane to her chest. The concrete vibrated as the train approached. Sobs wrenched from her lungs, and miraculously, she felt herself smile, because goddamn it, she wasn’t going to get run over by the stupid train.

  —

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  A Note to Readers

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  Seaside Summers are just one of the series in the Love in Bloom big family romance collection. Characters from each series make appearances in future Love in Bloom series books so you never miss an engagement, wedding, or birth!

  - Love in Bloom Subseries Order

  Snow Sisters – Get Book 1 FREE

  The Bradens – Get Book 1 FREE

  The Remingtons – Get Book 1 FREE

  Seaside Summers

  The Ryders

  Wild Boys After Dark

  - Keep track of your favorite characters with the essential Love in Bloom Series Guide: http://www.melissafoster.com/LIBSG

  - Complete Love in Bloom series: http://www.melissafoster.com/LIB

  - FREE Love in Bloom ebooks: http://www.melissafoster.com/3FREE

  - Download family trees, reading order, and more http://www.melissafoster.com/RG

  BOOK LIST
<
br />   LOVE IN BLOOM SERIES order

  Love in Bloom books may be read as stand alones. For more enjoyment, read them in series order. Characters from each series carry forward to the next.

  SNOW SISTERS

  Sisters in Love

  Sisters in Bloom

  Sisters in White

  THE BRADENS (Weston, CO)

  Lovers at Heart

  Destined for Love

  Friendship on Fire

  Sea of Love

  Bursting with Love

  Hearts at Play

  THE BRADENS (Trusty, CO)

  Taken by Love

  Fated for Love

  Romancing My Love

  Flirting with Love

  Dreaming of Love

  Crashing into Love

  THE BRADENS (Peaceful Harbor, MD)

  Healed by Love

  Surrender My Love

  River of Love

  Crushing on Love

  Whisper of Love

  Thrill of Love

  BRADEN WORLD NOVELLAS

  Daring Her Love (1001 Dark Nights)

  Promise My Love

  THE REMINGTONS

  Game of Love

  Stroke of Love

  Flames of Love

  Slope of Love

  Read, Write, Love

  Touched by Love

  SEASIDE SUMMERS

  Seaside Dreams

  Seaside Hearts

  Seaside Sunsets

  Seaside Secrets

  Seaside Nights

  Seaside Embrace

  Seaside Lovers

  Seaside Whispers

  THE RYDERS

  Seized by Love

  Chased by Love

  Claimed by Love

  Swept Into Love