Heart Melter

by Sophia Knightly

  “Matter of fact, I do mind.”

  She paused, gathering courage before he booted her out of there. “I have a proposition for you.”

  Nick didn’t respond. His gaze was so direct, she had to break eye contact and gather her wits. As the seconds ticked by, she realized he wasn’t interested.

  “Don’t you want to know what it is?” She held her breath and waited. He continued to stare at her with a mixture of distrust and skepticism.

  “No,” he finally said. “But I have a feeling you won’t leave until I listen to you. I already told you I’m not giving you an interview. What harebrained scheme are you cooking up now?” he demanded.

  She thrust her chin high and narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m no longer a kid and prone to what you rudely refer to as ‘harebrained’ schemes. I’m all grown up now, if you hadn’t noticed,” she stated, throwing her shoulders back and puffing out her chest.

  Nick’s gaze lowered to her breasts and then back to her face. “I noticed.” He shook his head as if to clear it. “Once a hellion, always a hellion.”

  “I don’t remember you being so gruff. You were always nice to me.” The Nick she remembered as camp counselor had been on the serious side, but kind and fair.

  His upper lip curled. Damn, how long was he going to make her stand there before him like a delinquent? With his brawny hands braced on his lean hips and his wide-legged stance he looked like a tough detective interrogating a suspect.

  Nick was being so patronizing, she felt like filling him in on the past years of her adult life, the ones filled with awards for investigative journalism and documentaries. But more than likely, he knew all about her recent public shame and how she’d been demoted from foreign correspondent to reporting fluff. She had once been renowned for her daredevil journalism, but given Nick’s aversion to the media, it wouldn’t be wise to bring it up now. Especially since he too had been publicly shamed in the media, but for vastly different reasons.

  Given the way he was glowering at her, she wasn’t about to tell him the reason she’d landed on his doorstep was to present Ace News with a prized story. An exclusive interview with Nick Cameron, the notorious, sought-after recluse whose fall from grace had landed on every tabloid would do wonders to revive her flagging career after the fiasco of her last assignment.

  But that was only part of it; the real reason was to alert him to what she’d found while investigating his recent divorce from tobacco heiress, Elizabeth Remington.

  “You still living in London?” he asked abruptly.

  His question surprised her. “Nope, I live in New York now.”

  “Reporting for Ace News?”

  She paused. “Yes. I’ve been reassigned to human interest stories.” Her stomach contracted as she said it. The reminder of her recent demotion and near firing still smarted and she’d rather not get into details with him.

  Nick cocked his head and quirked a dark brow, the gesture so arrogantly male, it reminded her of Sean Connery when he’d make a sardonic remark in old James Bond movies.

  He was making her feel as welcome as a bloodthirsty mosquito. Veronique locked her determined gaze with his as they faced off standing rigidly apart, throwing sparks off each other. Neither spoke until she finally strolled over and plopped down on a duck white canvas sofa.

  “Okay, I give. What will it take for you to stop frowning at me?”

  “How about you march your little butt out of here?” he asked in a gravelly tone.

  He was definitely out to rile her. “How about we make nice instead?” she said with a saucy grin.

  Nick lowered his strapping frame into the big armchair across from her, elbows braced on widespread knees. He leaned in nose-to-nose, close enough for her to notice the thick jet lashes framing narrowed blue eyes. Wariness sharpened the hard edges of his jaw line as he watched her intently.

  “Tell me. What is so important that you would disrupt my privacy?” he asked, not taking his eyes off her.

  He was trying to intimidate her, but his closeness was making Veronique weak in the knees and she couldn’t help but take a satisfying whiff of him. He smelled wonderful up close—clean and manly and so delicious. She exhaled heavily and looked away, willing her body not to react to him, but it wasn’t working.

  She couldn’t tell him his hideaway was the perfect refuge for her while she tried to figure out who had shot at her in the Miami hotel parking lot, because he’d go ballistic. If no one had located Nick’s whereabouts during the six months after he’d disappeared from public scrutiny, they wouldn’t find her there either.

  The shooting in Miami had happened so fast she hadn’t been able to get the license tag number of the drive-by shooter’s car. Adding to her frustration, there was no security video of the parking lot. The only evidence of a random shot was her word. She hadn’t stuck around long enough to find out where the bullet had landed. The minute she heard the shot, she dove into her car, called 911 and drove to the nearest police station.

  She was used to danger, but that random shot had rattled her. It could have been anyone out to get her after the type of investigative reporting she’d done in the past.

  Or it could be the case she was currently investigating…

  “Answer me,” Nick prompted in a gruff voice.

  Hunched over like a cagey jungle cat, he didn’t look amenable to providing temporary refuge and definitely not an exclusive interview. He grabbed her chin and turned her face to meet his sharp gaze.

  An electrifying spark passed from his callused fingertips to her chin. He must have felt it too because he dropped his hand to his knee. Her heart raced and she could feel her pulse throbbing in her neck. “

  “I, um well…” She was interrupted by a bolt of lightning followed by a loud crack of thunder. The air between them crackled with more electricity than the storm outside. She ran to the large window to get away from him and get ahold of her bearings. “Must be the outer rain bands. Storm’s almost here!” she announced breathlessly as the gusting wind swirled outside and the heavy rain pelted the house. “We’re in for a downpour.”

  Nick lumbered forward and joined her at the window. His fingers closed around her elbow. “Time to leave,” he said firmly.

  “Haven’t you been tracking Tropical Storm Abby?” she asked, disengaging from his grip. “It’s sure to be the first hurricane of the season. When was the last time you ventured into town?”

  “That’s none of your business. Why did you show up here knowing it was heading this way?” His deep voice started off low and increased with each word. While he wasn’t exactly yelling, he wasn’t whispering either.

  Veronique took a step back from Nick’s imposing form. “Do you even watch TV?” she blurted out.

  “Not if I can help it.”

  “Why own one if you don’t watch it?”

  She sucked in a nervous breath. Maybe he didn’t know the reason she’d been hauled out of her high-status job as foreign correspondent in Ace TV’s London bureau and sent back to the States to report filler stories. She could only hope. It hadn’t been her fault that Eric, the fact-checker, had fed her erroneous information on a major political scandal involving a prominent, conservative Senator and a call girl reported to be a spy. When the truth was revealed that she wasn’t a spy, but his longtime mistress, Veronique had been demoted and Eric fired.

  She missed the excitement of investigative reporting. Not that she minded doing human interest stories, but they weren’t as challenging or adrenaline-inducing as breaking a controversial case wide open. She’d had success in cases she’d worked on in the past including exposing a pyramid scheme among top senators, a child porn sting in a Bible belt community, and a heroin operation cover-up in a prestigious private university. The one case she’d tripped up on because of inaccurate fact checking from her trusted co-worker had sidelined her rising career and put her credentials in doubt.

  Damn the media and the public for their fickle ways. One day she was at
the top of her game and the next, kicked to the curb. Whether Nick realized it or not, she could relate to how he felt.

  “I watch it once in a while, but not every day,” he said, bringing her to the present. He frowned. “Quit stalling and get going. I want you outta here before the hurricane hits.”

  “Pfft. Hurricanes don’t scare me,” she scoffed. And you don’t either. “They’re pretty exciting. I covered a few and even went surfing just before Hurricane Olga hit. What a rush!”

  Nick grabbed the remote control and switched on the news. Five seconds later, when the anchorman said the storm was strengthening into a hurricane, he flicked it off.

  “Before you go—and you will soon,” he promised curtly. “Tell me how the hell you found me. Nobody knows where I live.”

  “Well…I wouldn’t say nobody…” Veronique hesitated.

  He crossed his arms over his chest. “I know for damn sure Fred wouldn’t give you my address. You must’ve done major snooping in your step daddy’s office to find my whereabouts.”

  Veronique grimaced. “Who said anything about Fred? He’s your lawyer, for God’s sake! He would never divulge that information.”

  “Damn straight he wouldn’t.” Nick’s deep voice rumbled out of his chest like thunder.

  Veronique eyed the front door when he stepped closer. It was time to retreat and formulate another plan ASAP.

  Sophia Knightly - Bio

  USA Today bestselling author, Sophia Knightly, loves to cook up hot romance and delicious humor in her feel-good stories. Whether it's romantic suspense, romantic comedy or chick lit, her books are fun and sexy contemporary romances that feature hot alpha heroes and strong, smart women.

  A two-time Maggie award finalist and a P&E Readers' Poll finalist, she is traditionally published by St. Martin's Press, Kensington and Samhain Publishing. Her popular Tropical Heat Series books, Wild for You and Sold on You, have consistently been on multiple Amazon bestselling lists and sold over 100,000 copies.

  When not writing or reading, she loves walking the beach, exploring museums, going to the theatre, enjoying good food, and watching movies. One of her favorite pastimes remains simply watching people, especially those in love!

  Sign up for her "new release" newsletter at:

  http://sophiaknightly.webs.com/newslettersignup.htm

  Write to her at: SophiaKnightly@gmail.com

  Follow her on Twitter @SophiaKnightly

  "Like" her Facebook author page at: http://on.fb.me/vGfJ5t

  Visit her website at: www.SophiaKnightly.com

  WILD FOR YOU Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/XtVlFBdaHvs

  SOLD ON YOU Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/X20NbJElrvM

  GRILL ME, BABY Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/6Y07iUPt3rg

  Look for these books by Sophia Knightly

  HEART RAIDER (Heartthrob Series, Book One)

  by Sophia Knightly

  Stranded together during a rampaging hurricane...

  Hot passion explodes between a reclusive billionaire and a headstrong reporter seeking his exclusive story...a story that could get her killed.

  Hunted by someone desperate to silence her...

  Daredevil TV reporter Veronique "Ronnie" Whitcomb is charismatic, fun-loving, and loyal to a fault. Especially to the man she fell in love with fifteen years ago. He's now a self-made billionaire, and at the center of a public scandal so hot and juicy, Ronnie must get an exclusive interview...an interview that will vindicate him and expose the real criminal behind the scintillating headlines. Her life is in jeopardy, but her love for Nick might cause the real danger.

  He'll risk his life - and his heart - to keep her alive...

  Financial whiz, Nick Cameron rose from an underprivileged life to become one of America's youngest corporate billionaires. Now he's laying low on a barrier island, far away from the raging media storm that nearly destroyed him. When little Ronnie Whitcomb shows up on his doorstep, all grown up and heart-stoppingly beautiful, he tries to deny his feelings for her, but a hurricane strands them on the island together. Keeping Ronnie at arm's length becomes impossible.

  Available for Kobo

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  WILD FOR YOU (Tropical Heat Series, Book One)

  To Love, Honor and Protect

  Detective Clay Blackthorne has his hands full when he promises to safeguard an old college pal's sister without letting her know what he's up to. He never imagines that lively Marisol Calderon will knock his socks off and put a ring on his finger--and all at his suggestion! Their marriage of convenience is meant to protect her and Clay doesn't plan on being hitched for long to the tempting beauty. But the honeymoon sure feels real to him...

  Sassy Marisol is used to doing whatever she wants--and right now her plan is to shake up the hot detective's hard-edged demeanor. But the fun turns to danger when a mystery stalker bent on marrying her marks her as his prey. Temporarily becoming Clay's wife seems like a practical way to thwart the stalker. But as passion ignites and Marisol falls for the tender heart buried beneath the tough detective's chest, Clay's true identity is revealed and she begins to wonder who--if anyone--she can trust...

  Available for Kobo

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  SOLD ON YOU (Tropical Heat Series, Book Two)

  Just Say Yes!

  Confirmed bachelor Dr. Marcos Calderon is in hot water. He needs to come up with a fake fiancée fast or he'll disappoint his beloved grandma who's arriving on the next flight to meet her. Proper social worker Gabriela Morales should fit the bill--but tonight, in that sexy, slit-to-there red evening gown, she looks anything but proper.

  Gabriela only volunteered for the hospital's charity bachelorette auction to benefit a cause dear to her heart. Now she's reeling from the hot doctor's bid of fifteen thousand dollars for a weekend date with her! She's not sure what Dr. Handsome has in mind, but the smoldering look in his eyes is unmistakable...

  Available for Kobo

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  GRILL ME, BABY

  The heat is on…

  Raised among women who taught him to cook at his family's Buenos Aires restaurant, master chef Paolo Santos deftly works his culinary wiles--and his gypsy charm--on posh Flamingo Island's female clientele.

  The tastiest tidbit on the island, though, is cool, elegant Michaela Willoughby. The redhead's slender curves are as enticing as her rabbit-food menus are maddening. And she's his main competition for the chance of a lifetime.

  Michaela overcame her own weight issues to become Flamingo Island's premiere spa chef. Now she has a chance to share her innovative recipes for healthy living on a new cooking show--if she can somehow outshine Paolo. His sizzling, Latin-lover looks are more heart stopping than his decadent cooking. And she'd love nothing better than to stick a fork in his outsized ego.

  When the stage lights ignite, so does the competition...and a sexual chemistry no one--least of all Paolo and Michaela--saw coming. Suddenly, separating business from pleasure is as impossible as separating a scrambled egg. And the big question isn't whose knife cuts fastest...it's whose heart can take the most heat.

  Warning: Contains two hot chefs duking it out in a lively showdown of sexy rivalry. Mix in family drama, luscious recipes and spicy mischief, and there's more than just steam rising out of the kitchen. May cause lusty cravings for midnight indulgences.

  Available for Kobo

  * * *

  PAGING DR. HOT

  A love prescription so potent only the hottest doctor can fill it.

  Miami TV reporter Francesca Lake is on a manhunt…or rather, a doctor hunt. Frankie wasn’t always a hypochondriac. Her motto used to be “Fear is not an option”, but everything changed with her mom’s near-fatal heart attack. Now a day doesn’t go by where she isn’t worried about something.

  After a harrowing incident in the hospital ER, she has a life-altering epiphany. She needs to find a marriage-minded doctor ASAP—one who will calm her fears so she can get on with her life.

  So begins a series of amorous
escapades and startling revelations as she works her way through the list of eligibles: an outrageous Aussie sex therapist, a brilliant neurosurgeon (who’s wired the wrong way), and a handsome Cuban cardiologist.

  None of them compares to hunky Dr. Harrison Taylor…but there’s a problem. Much as Harrison’s rugged physique, forest-green eyes and warm smile make her senses wobbly, she needs a people doctor, not the vet for her miniature dachshund Romeo. Besides, Harrison’s propensity for crazy stunts would only make her worry more.

  Frankie is trying to be sensible, but her heart and her outspoken dog are conspiring against her…

  Warning: Contains juicy secrets and romantic misadventures between a loveable hypochondriac and three hot doctors. Side effects may include intense yearnings for a strong doctor, an adorable miniature dachshund, and an impromptu trip to sultry Miami.

  Available for Kobo

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  TROPICAL HEAT SERIES BOX SET

  Two fun, sexy and heartwarming romances of Sophia Knightly’s Tropical Heat Series in one bundled volume.