Naughty & Nice

by J. S. Scott

  Well, to all the kids in Harper’s Crossing Elementary anyway.

  Present Day

  His deep voice interrupted her thoughts now.

  “Wow, all this time and you know it’s me without even having to turn around. I guess that means I still got it,” he said with his trademark cocky tone. A tone that had always amused Katie, not that she would ever let him know that. His ego was big enough.

  Jason had had girls swooning over him for as long as she had known him. In fact, Katie maintained to this day, that their sixth grade math teacher, Mrs. Carson, had had a crush on him. Whenever Jason would turn on the charm, usually to get out of detention for not completing his homework or being tardy, Mrs. Carson would just smile as her cheeks turned a light shade of red and say, “Oh, Jason, if you were just ten years older…”

  Mrs. Carson never finished the sentence but Katie always knew what she meant, and Jason never got detention—at least in that class.

  It’s not like his charm only worked on older women either. Jason had always had girls eating out of his hand and he knew it. There wasn’t a single girl in Harper's Crossing who wouldn’t do just about anything to get Jason’s attention.

  Well, there was one girl. Katie.

  “Oh yeah, you still got it, Jas,” Katie said, forcing herself to speak, trying to buy herself even a few more seconds before she would have to face him. Katie’s words sounded strained between her shallow breaths even to her own ears. “If by 'it' you mean the maturity of a five-year-old, then, yes, you definitely still have it.”

  She realized they were falling into their patented Jason-Katie banter, which was a good thing. Right? Out of all the ways that seeing Jason again could go, him being his usual arrogant self and her calling him on it was definitely not the worst scenario. Now, if she could just stop her body from short-circuiting at his mere presence, she’d be all good.

  With each second that passed, it appeared that was going to be easier said than done. Not only was she having trouble keeping the oxygen from escaping her lungs, it also seemed as though all of the oxygen had somehow disappeared around her. Deliberately and methodically, she slowly breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth, trying desperately to remain as calm as possible.

  She reminded herself, firmly, that she had to be calm in hopes of staving off panic attack #2. She absolutely couldn't think about how humiliating it would be to fall to pieces in front of Jason or fear would take over—her heart would start to race, her breathing would quicken, and it would all be downhill from there. Reaching up with heavy arms, Katie shut the trunk of the car so that she could lean on it for strength.

  “Come on Kit Kat, you know you always loved that nickname,” Katie heard Jason say playfully, but his voice sounded as if it were coming from a long distance, across a great expanse. She felt his hand grasp her arm, and then she felt her body being turned in his direction.

  As Jason’s fingers wrapped around her arm, they caused tingling sensations in places located much lower south, and not nearly as innocent as the place where he was touching her. Hmm, that wasn't a very good sign. It also wasn't doing a whole heck of a lot to help her in the campaign to keep her heart rate under control and slow her breathing. Nope. Not one little bit.

  As she turned, her eyes alighted on a broad chest that—oh my, yes—filled out his white t-shirt quite well. Her mouth instantly filled with saliva like one of Pavlov's dogs. Hmmm, she thought, so this is what they mean when they say something looks 'mouth-watering.' She totally got it now. In an effort to avoid drooling, she swallowed, but to her own ears it sounded like a shockingly loud gulp.

  Slowly, Katie moved her eyes up the length of the solid, strong, statue-like figure standing mere inches away from her. She paused momentarily to admire—against her will—the smooth olive skin at the base of Jason’s neck. She couldn't help herself. It just so nicely contrasted with the stark white color of the t-shirt's v-neck it was peeking out of.

  Unconsciously, she licked her lips and saw the pulse on Jason’s neck jump. Her eyes darted up to meet his golden brown ones, which caused the aforementioned tingling places to start pulsing.

  Katie felt her heart beating so hard she thought it might beat right out of her chest. And the mantra began.

  You can breathe. Just breathe. Breathe in and out slowly. You can breathe.

  Other Titles by Melanie Shawn

  THE CROSSROADS SERIES

  My First

  Book 1

  Free Download Amazon

  My Last

  Book 2

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  My Only

  Book 3

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  My Everything

  Book 4

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  Tempting Love

  Book 5

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  Crazy Love

  Book 6

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  Actually Love

  Book 7

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  Fairytale Love

  Book 8

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  About the Author

  Melanie Shawn is the sister writing team of Melanie and Shawna. They have joined forces to create a world where True Love and Happily Ever After always has a Sexy Twist!

  You can keep up with all the latest Melanie Shawn news, including new releases and contests, at:

  http://melanieshawn.com

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  A Mermaid Isle Christmas

  A Steamy Mermaid Isle Novella

  By Cali MacKay

  Copyright © 2014 by Cali MacKay

  Published by Daeron Publishing

  http://calimackay.com

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher or author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. The story contained within is the work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual person’s living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Printed in the United States of America

  First Printing, 2014, edition 1.0

  ISBN: 978-1-940041-25-4

  For Joe, Maeve and Amelia.

  I’d also like to thank all my readers, critique partners and betas for their

  invaluable support and all their help.

  Chapter One

  Aidan got ready to hunker down for the nor’easter that was threatening to hit Mermaid Isle. Maine winters could certainly be brutal, but this storm had veered from its original course and now threatened to be one for the record books. The storm would guarantee the island a picture-perfect, snowy white Christmas, though that did little to ease the demons that tormented him this time of year.

  His pantry was well-stocked, he had a cord of wood for his fireplace, and a generator that should kick in if he lost power. He even had a bottle of whiskey should the need arise, though more often than not, he chose to live with the pain rather than dull it.

  It usually helped to stay busy, and he’d found that woodworking and making handcrafted furniture was the only thing that brought him some semblance of peace. Not that it would be enough with the holidays approaching.

  The wind started to howl and whistle as icy flakes of snow whipped against the large windows. He stoked the fire and added another piece of wood when there was an unexpected knock at his door, sending his shaggy hound into a barking fit. “Whist, pup.”

  Who the hell was out in this mess? He then thought of his cousin, Lucy, who’d recently moved in down the road and was nearly five months pregnant. Panic snaked through his chest as he yanked the door open, worried she was somehow in trouble.

  The person on his doorstep wasn’t his cousin, and it sure as hell wasn’t anyone else he recognized either. She looked like Snow White—porcelain skin with rosy cheeks, black as night hair, ice blue eyes, and lush, naturally red
lips. Definitely not a local, though what the hell she was doing out in this bad of a storm, he hadn’t a clue. It was really coming down now and wouldn’t be letting up anytime soon, by the looks of it. “Can I help you?”

  “Aidan Nordson?” When he nodded, she gave him a shy smile, squinting against the snow that lashed at her face. “I’m Chloe Madison—Finn’s friend.”

  “The birdseye maple desk with rosewood and mahogany inlay.” He seldom made furniture for anyone but friends and family, since he didn’t need the money. However, he did occasionally make an exception if it was a favor to a friend. Chloe had been just that. A favor for his younger brother. Though why the hell she’d turned up on his doorstep, he hadn’t a clue—and in a goddamn blizzard, no less. There had to be close to eighteen inches on the ground already, and that didn’t include the drifts.

  “That’s right. The desk for my father.” Her smile widened and her blue eyes sparkled with relief, though she still looked a little unsure. “I’m sorry…do you mind if we have this conversation inside? It’s freezing out here, and I’m sure we’re letting all your heat escape.”

  “Yeah, of course. Sorry.” He stepped aside to let her in, though, truth be told, he wasn’t happy about it. He liked his privacy, and didn’t usually let any strangers into his home. On the rare occasion that he’d taken orders for his furniture or had business to conduct, he usually dealt with them in the barn behind the house, which he’d converted into his workroom. “Didn’t you get my email? There’s a huge storm getting ready to hit. I told you not to come.”

  “I did get it, but not until I was already hours into my drive to get here from Boston. Since I was nearly here and this is a Christmas gift, I figured I might as well keep going.” She quickly glanced out the window and crinkled her nose. “Although…I didn’t think the storm was supposed to be that bad.”

  “The storm veered from the original prediction, which had it going out to sea. I’m surprised you even made it this far without driving into a ditch or the ocean. The bridge…” Fuck. He shook his head and stifled the groan that rumbled in his throat. “It gets too icy and dangerous in storms like this and they close it down. You need to go. Now. Before you get stuck on the island.”

  “But…what about the desk? I came all this way. Please.” Chloe grabbed his arm with a grip he hadn’t expected, her eyes begging and pleading with him. “I can’t disappoint my father. This was supposed to be the perfect gift…and a peace offering.”

  He sighed, knowing he’d regret this. “Go get warmed up by the fire while I make a call. I might be able to get them to hold off on closing the bridge. Not that you’ll survive the drive back to Boston.”

  A deathly cold washed over him as he thought about her getting into an accident. It had his entire body going stiff, and it took all he had to force air into his lungs and keep the shaking at bay.

  Just make the phone call. That was all that mattered right now.

  He called the police station and got Janice, their dispatcher. Quickly explaining his situation, he cursed under his breath when she told him that they’d already closed the bridge an hour ago. “It’s an emergency, Janice…I have a woman here who needs to get off the island. I can send her down there right now…No, it’s not life or death…She’ll waive any liability…Please…Yeah…ok. I know. Thanks anyway. Stay safe.”

  What he didn’t understand was that she’d only just arrived at his house, and yet the bridge had already been closed for some time. “How did you get onto the island? They put the gates down on the bridge an hour ago and the ferry doesn’t run in the winter—or in bad weather, for that matter.”

  She pressed her plump red lips together into a tiny pout. “Sorry—I hadn’t eaten since breakfast and my blood sugar was plummeting and making me woozy, so I stopped in town to grab a bite to eat since they were still open at the time.”

  Perfect. She was driving around in the middle of a blizzard while woozy. And now she was stuck on the island. “I don’t know what to tell you…That bridge is closed and there’s no other way off the island. Not to mention, this blizzard is a slow mover and it could literally be days before the snow even stops. And that doesn’t necessarily mean the roads will even be passable for days after that, depending on how long it takes to clear them.”

  Bloody hell. He’d be stuck with her crashing at his place until the storm stopped. Longer, since they’d still have to dig out.

  The Siren Song Inn.

  And then he remembered that they were closed. Since it was the slowest time of the year, they’d shut down for the holidays to give all their employees the opportunity to spend time with their families and friends.

  He swore the universe was conspiring against him.

  “I’m really sorry about this. I didn’t know the storm had changed course.” She pulled her jacket snug around her body, as if it’d keep her warm from his frosty reception. “I’ll get going. I saw signs for an inn on the other side of the island.”

  “It’s closed until after the New Year.” He let out a weary sigh, and then felt guilty when he saw how miserable she looked for getting herself stranded. “You’ll have to stay here. The house is big enough to give you privacy, and we’ve got plenty of food, wood, and a generator if the power cuts out.”

  “I really appreciate this. Finn…well, he mentioned you like your privacy…” The blush on her porcelain skin deepened as she turned away from him and distracted herself with giving his dog a scratch.

  It’s unlikely that Finn discussed Aidan’s personal life with anyone, though he had likely warned Chloe that Aidan could be a little…gruff. His jaw clenched with pent-up annoyance and anger, but he pushed it away. “Her name’s Paisley.”

  “She’s cute—and huge. And she can’t be more than a few months old, right?” Paisley laid down at Chloe’s feet and was rewarded with a belly rub.

  “She’s part wolfhound and part setter, so I’m sure she still has some growing to do.” At least he still remembered how to have a conversation. Sort of. “Why don’t I show you to your room? Do you have anything you want to grab from your car?”

  Giving Paisley a final belly rub, she stood back up, her long black hair falling in waves over her shoulder. “Actually, I was going to head straight to my dad’s in New Hampshire for the holidays once I’d picked up the desk, so I packed a bag. I don’t suppose…do you know how long I might be stuck here? My father’s expecting me for Christmas.”

  “I hate to disappoint you, but that’s not going to happen. Christmas is in just a few days, and as big and slow as this storm is, we’ll be lucky if it’s even stopped snowing by then.” The realization that he’d be stuck with Chloe around for Christmas had his muscles knotting with frustration.

  It’d been years since the accident, and yet it hadn’t gotten any easier. How could it when he’d lost his fiancée and their unborn child?

  His jaw tightened and his body tensed as he forced the pain and the memories back into the darkness. “You should get your bag while you can still get to your car without needing to shovel it out.”

  “I suppose so. And thanks…for letting me stay.” She let out a deep breath, as if she’d been holding it, and then headed out the door.

  While he waited for Chloe to return, Aidan cursed himself, the storm, and the universe for screwing with him. All he wanted was to be left alone with his misery, and instead he was trapped in his house with a complete—albeit pretty—stranger. He might be miserable, but that didn’t mean he was blind, and with that black hair, those blue eyes, and her blushing porcelain skin, she was striking to say the least.

  Of course, it didn’t help that he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d been with someone—and it was then that he realized that it had been Hannah, his heart aching once more.

  He pushed thoughts of his dead fiancée out of his head when Chloe walked through the door, stomping the snow off her boots and onto the mat in his entry, while dragging a suitcase behind her.

  Not botheri
ng to ask and ignoring her protests, he grabbed her suitcase and headed for the stairs. “This way.”

  He showed her to her room, and was pleased to see her eyes go wide. Though he may not get many visitors, he took pride in his home, having designed it himself. He’d made sure to showcase the massive post and beam timbers with cathedral ceilings, and he’d enhanced the rustic feel of the rooms with stone. He’d even helped build a fair amount of it, and nearly all the rooms had pieces of furniture he’d handcrafted.

  “Wow. It’s just gorgeous. And the views…” Chloe turned to him with a smile that lit up her eyes, touching his arm as she let out a little laugh. “Well, they’re really snowy right now. But I’m sure they’re normally stunning.”

  It was a small gesture—her hand on his arm—and yet it sent a jolt of energy through him and sent his heart racing. His body’s reaction to her caught him off guard and had him stepping back, away from her touch.

  Her smile faltered and fell as he pulled away, and he found himself inexplicably wanting to ease things between them, though why the hell he cared, he hadn’t a clue. He gave his head a small shake, as if it would help him regain his senses and then moved towards the door.

  “There’s food and drink in the kitchen, towels are already in your bath, and there’s WiFi—for now, anyway. If you need anything else, let me know.” Aidan was halfway out the door when she stopped him.

  “Actually, I’d love to take a look at the desk you made for me. If you don’t mind, of course. Or we could do it later…” Her eyes were wide and looking far too hopeful, a hint of a smile returning as if it might persuade him to give in to her request.

  “I suppose.” He let out a weary sigh, and stepped aside to let her pass, wondering how long it’d be before he regretted his decision to let her stay.