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  She pressed her finger to his lips. “You are the least selfish man I know and the only one blaming you, is you. The people in this town care about you and what you’re seeing on their faces isn’t blame, Jon, it’s sadness. They want to reach out to you and help you but you won’t let them. You’re the one running away, and it’s time to stop.”

  Jon took deep breaths as he thought more about the way the townsfolk greeted him and he couldn’t deny that he felt their warmth, their genuine happiness to see him. He considered things longer, and as her words rattled around inside his brain he wondered if he’d been mistaken all these years. Was it possible that they didn’t blame him? That both Lila and Errol were right?

  “It’s time to create new, happy memories on Christmas Eve, Jon.”

  “I miss them.”

  “I know,” she said, and pressed her hand over his heart. “But they’re still with you. In here.”

  He looked at the picture of his folks and before he knew it, he was opening up to Lila, telling her all about his childhood, his parents, his friends and his life in Whispering Cove. When they finished going through one box, Lila opened another, pulling out his baby clothes, pictures and toys.

  As dawn approached, Jon felt his shoulders relax, because maybe, just maybe, Lila was right, and maybe he really was the only one blaming himself. He would never forget what happened to his folks, but maybe it was time to let go of the pain. Like Errol had said, it’s what his parents would have wanted.

  Jon gathered Lila into his arms. A hug turned to a kiss, which led to something far more intimate. Soon, after they each took a turn to slide down the old banister, they found themselves on the main level, kissing passionately in front of the Christmas tree. Lila tossed a heap of blankets on the floor and after another round of lovemaking they both fell asleep in front of the fire.

  The sound of kids playing on the hill outside pulled Jon awake and he glanced at the beautiful woman snuggled up beside him. He pulled the blankets around her and his heart beat quicker as he looked at the sparkling lights on the tree she’d decorated. His thoughts drifted to Errol and all his meddling, and when he looked at Lila, a wonderful, caring, independent woman who lit the darkness inside him and allowed him to come to peace with the loss of his parents, anger at Errol’s meddling dissolved. How could he be upset with his uncle when he only ever wanted what was best for Jon?

  Lila’s lids fluttered open and she smiled up at him.

  “Hey,” she said.

  “Hey, yourself.”

  Her glance moved over his face and she frowned. “What’s on your mind?”

  He brushed her hair back and laughed. “Am I that transparent?”

  She chuckled and marched her fingers over his chest. “Maybe to me.”

  “I was thinking of Errol.”

  “Ah, meddling Errol.”

  “Did you know what he was up to with us?”

  “Not at first, but I figured that out the other night.”

  “Why didn’t you say something?”

  A mischievous grin curled her lips. “Because I wanted to see how things played out.”

  The rest of the walls surrounding his heart came tumbling down, because everything in the way she looked at him, with heat and desire, trust and respect—never blame and pity—spoke of a deeper, more meaningful emotion.

  He felt a little jolt inside him, and asked, “Does this mean you want more than just sex from me?”

  Lila laughed. “Pretty much from the minute you walked into this place.”

  He went quiet for a moment as he considered everything that had happened over the last few days. “I changed my mind about selling you this place, Lila.”

  He felt her body stiffen. “You did. Why?”

  “I don’t want to sell it anymore.”

  He spotted a mixture of hope and worry in her eyes. “You don’t?”

  “No, because I want to stay here and share it with you. If you’ll have me, that is.”

  The smile that came over her face pushed away the last traces of coldness inside him. Answering his question without words, she threw her arms around him and gave him a kiss so full of love and passion he wondered what he’d ever done to deserve her.

  He inched back and looked deep into her smiling eyes. “How is it possible that someone like you has come into my life?”

  Before she could answer, the sound of a car pulling into the driveway gained their attention. Lila squealed and jumped up to peer out the window. When she looked back at him, her mouth was agape, her eyes wide, tears pooling inside them.

  Unease moved through Jon as he climbed to his feet. “Lila, what is it?” he asked, pulling her into his arms.

  “My car.”

  “What about it?”

  “It has new snow tires on it.”

  He wiped her face. “Don’t cry. I just wanted to get you something for Christmas.”

  Before she could say anything, the doorbell rang. They both hurried into their clothes and picked their bedding up from the floor. Then Lila opened the door to let her family inside.

  Jon stood back and took in the chaos. Seeing Lila so happy as her family all hugged and kissed one another had his heart swelling, and when he thought about what Lila had done for him last night, how she helped him create happy memories, he knew he was the luckiest guy in the world.

  He also knew he wanted this, all of this, and he wanted it with her, a woman who opened his eyes and made him feel so deserving. First chance, he planned to clear out his life in Miami and place his shingle beside Dani’s, where it had always belonged, where his parents would have wanted it to hang.

  Once the flurry of activity inside his childhood home slowed down, Lila captured Jon’s hand. She introduced him to her family, who all greeted him with open arms. Even her sister’s dog, Molly, who gave him a big lick across the mouth, seemed happy to meet him.

  As her parents and siblings all went off to put their suitcases in their bedrooms, Lila dragged him back into the main room. He stood in front of the tree as she reached into a box, and when she pulled out a stocking with his name on it, his heart tightened painfully.

  He took it from her, and traced his fingers over the stitching. Everything inside him reached out to her, and he swallowed the lump in his throat. “Lila,” he choked out, “you didn’t have to go through—”

  She pressed her lips to his and whispered, “How many times do I have to tell you that you’re worth the trouble?” When she inched back, she searched his face. “Will you hang it with me tonight?”

  As he looked at her and realized how many good memories they were going to create, he said, “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Then he gave a slow shake of his head. “How is it possible that someone like you has come into my life?” he asked again.

  “Errol,” she said laughing. “Or should I say Saint Nick, because he sure answered my Christmas wish.”

  As Jon laughed along with her, his phone beeped. He pulled it from his pocket and opened the text. “Speaking of Errol.”

  “What is it?”

  “Looks like he’s still at it.” Jon couldn’t help but grin at the old man’s antics. “He said he was supposed to play Santa in the parade this afternoon, but he’s feeling under the weather and needs me to do it.”

  Lila wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. “I guess he thinks you still plan on leaving today.”

  “And this is his way of keeping me here.”

  “Well, since you’re staying…” She poked him in the stomach. “We’d better get you into the kitchen and get some food into you if you’re going to play Santa.” She gave him a playful wink and added, “Besides, isn’t the way to a man’s heart through his stomach?”

  Jon cupped her face and as his heart soared with love and laughter, home and hearth, he planted a warm kiss on her mouth. “You’ve already got my heart, Lila.” He grinned and added, “It comes with the house.”

  “Oh does it now?”

  “Yes
, it also comes with lazy Sunday afternoons, a house full of kids and slow-cooked meals.”

  She kissed him and he felt her love reach out to him when she whispered, “I’m so happy I finally found someone to cook for.”

  Jon pulled her in tighter and they both laughed when he said, “That’s good, because you and I both know I really, really need someone to cook for me.”

  About the Author

  A multi-published author in the romance genre, Cathryn Fox is a wife, mom, sister, daughter and friend. She loves dogs, sunny weather, anything chocolate (she never says no to a brownie), pizza and red wine. She has two teenagers who keep her busy with their never-ending activities, and a husband who is convinced he can turn her into a mixed-martial-arts fan. Cathryn can never find balance in her life, is always trying to find time to go to the gym, can never keep up with emails, Facebook or Twitter, and tries to write page-turning books that her readers will love.

  A Maritimer and former financial officer, Cathryn has lived all over Canada but has finally settled down in her childhood hometown with her family.

  To learn more about Cathryn please visit www.cathrynfox.com.

  You can find her on Facebook. www.facebook.com/cathrynfox

  Twitter @writercatfox

  Look for these titles by Cathryn Fox

  Now Available:

  Blood Ties

  One on One

  Dance of the Dragon

  Pleasure Inn

  All Tied Up

  All Worked Up

  All Lit Up

  Whispering Cove

  Wet in Whispering Cove

  Brazen in Whispering Cove

  Boys of Beachville

  Good at Being Bad

  A Lick of Flame

  Bad Girl Therapy

  Coming Soon:

  In the Line of Duty

  His Obsession Next Door

  His Trouble in Tallulah

  His Taste of Temptation

  His toughest battle is ahead—the battle for one woman’s heart.

  Morning Light

  © 2013 Cora Cade

  A Day of Pleasure, Book 1

  During Noah Harper’s ten years as an Army Ranger, Tennyson Sharpe’s letters were his lifeline. With each mail call, the bright and vibrant girl of his youth slowly became the woman of his dreams.

  Now he’s home—and he’s in hell. The problem? Tenn is his little brother’s best friend. Claiming her risks all kinds of collateral damage.

  Tenn is getting nervous. Since Noah came home, they’ve been circling each other, neither willing to risk the status quo. It’s time to kick things up a notch and make a play for the man she’s loved since she was sixteen—before someone else does.

  Dressing to impress works better than she could have dreamed. After a scorching interlude leads to a steamy morning wrapped in each other’s arms, reality comes crashing down. Shining a devastating light on Tenn’s deepest fears…and forcing Noah into scramble mode to convince her forever was always on his mind.

  Warning: This book contains some serious foreplay in the great outdoors; stand-up sex with a hot, stand-up guy; and a wounded Army Ranger who’s determined to leave no heart behind—especially the one belonging to the girl of his dreams.

  Enjoy the following excerpt for Morning Light:

  Moving down the stairs from the apartment to the pub below, Noah heard the distinct sound of someone cussing up a storm. He quickened his pace to reach the door separating his living space from his workspace and gently opened it.

  There, standing on top of his immaculately gleaming mahogany bar, stood Tennyson Sharpe in her bare feet. All five feet two inches of her. She was on her tiptoes, reaching for one of the light fixtures with one hand and a light bulb in the other. The stretch caused her white, fitted tee to slide up her belly and expose a sliver of summer-tanned skin.

  She stuck her tongue out at an angle—in concentration, he supposed. As she twisted the used bulb from the fixture, she uttered a soft, “Gotcha.” The final motion to remove the bulb caused her to dip forward on her toes and lifted her jean skirt higher, offering a delectable view of her plain white cotton panties.

  Noah instantly hardened at the sight. He’d been in lust with this girl since she was sixteen to his nineteen, and after ten years apart he was finally home. And here she stood, flashing him the sexiest view he’d seen in years. He leaned against the doorframe and watched the scene unfold, never happier to have given her a key a few months back.

  As she placed the fresh bulb in the fixture, she stretched again. Her whole body lengthened, straining to reach the fixture. She was all tan limbs and womanly curves. Her body was at enough of an angle that he could see her breasts tight against the fitted tee, but more importantly her cute behind as she placed both palms on the bar to hop down from her perch. As she braced herself she lifted her perky behind and flashed him.

  The curve of her sex flashed before him as those white panties intimately hugged her. In a flash, both feet were planted on the floor and she was picking up the used bulb from the bar, then slipping her sandals back on. Time to turn around and head back upstairs before she caught him with a full-on erection and he embarrassed himself.

  Noah eased the door shut and sprinted back up the stairs as quietly as he could, hoping to give himself a few moments to calm his erection before she unceremoniously showed up in his apartment for their breakfast plans.

  He needed a cold shower before they left or he’d never survive the meal. He was going to have wet dreams about her white panties for weeks to come.

  Stripping off his jeans and plain black tee, he dropped his clothes where he stood and snapped the bathroom door shut as his apartment door opened.

  “Noah?” Tenn heard the shower start as she closed the door behind her. Well, that was unusual. Noah was nothing if not prompt. Ten years as an Army Ranger kind of beat that into you. She rapped on the bathroom door with a knuckle. “Hey, are you alive in there?”

  “I’ll be out in minute. Got a late start to the morning. Give me five.”

  She glanced down and saw a pile of clothes. Strange. Noah was also one of the neatest, cleanest people she’d ever known. His place was always immaculate, with nothing out of place. Let alone a pile of clothes tossed by the bathroom.

  Now she was starting to sweat. Did he have a girl here? Had she interrupted the morning-after? Shit. That Amber bimbo had been making a play for Noah ever since he’d come home. And if she was in this apartment right now, Tenn was going to die of embarrassment. Right after she beat Noah to death.

  They had plans. Even if they weren’t the romantic kind, they were definitely plans. They’d had Sunday breakfast as a standing date since his return from overseas. And he’d never had a woman here.

  Who was she kidding? He had every right to get freaky with anyone he wanted. She was just the trusty sidekick, the platonic friend who was always there. Like a lapdog.

  Picking up the clothes, she folded them and set them on the back of the couch a few feet away. The apartment was neat as a pin and pretty spacious, as far as it went. It was an open floor plan with only two separate rooms off the main living area, the master bedroom and the bathroom. Everything else was one large, airy space. From this angle she couldn’t see into the bedroom and was half-afraid to know if someone was still in his bed. Warming it for him, so to speak.

  Deciding she needed to know, she took a step toward the bedroom after picking back up the stack of clothes she’d set down a moment before. It was a perfect excuse to check out the situation. His dirty clothes needed to be tossed into the hamper. Right.

  She was about to fully push open the bedroom door when Noah yelled, “Hey, Tenn. I left my clothes out there. Could you grab them for me?”

  And before she could whip around and not look guilty he popped his head out of the bathroom door. As she turned in his direction, she could only see a portion of his upper body, with the rippling muscle and just-now-fading tan from his time in Afghanistan, but it wa
s enough to stop her dead in her tracks. The man was masculine perfection and her panties got a little wet looking at him.

  “Oh, did you want these? Um, I was about to put them in your hamper.” Belatedly she whirled around and held up the clothes in question. “I thought they were dirty.”

  For a moment he looked like he blushed. Really? “Sorry, I wanted to take a quick shower before we headed out and I tossed them on the floor in my rush.” He reached out a hand and beckoned her forward.

  She was going to combust before she reached him. Not only was the man deliciously muscled, he still dripped from his shower. His dark hair, cut in a military-style buzz, glistened in the morning light. Eyes the color of the ocean on a sunny day, clear and crisp-blue, tracked her progress. She cleared the edge of the couch and his gaze skated down the length of her body, snagging on her legs before coming back to her face.

  Once within reach of the bathroom door heat crept up her neck and face when she realized Noah stood naked on the other side of the door. His body was positioned so she could only see a naked hip and the curve of a well-defined ass, but it was obvious he hadn’t bothered wrapping a towel around his waist before popping his head out the door.

  She dropped his clothes before he could get a grip on them and they fell to the floor with a soft impact. Unbelievably, as she bent to retrieve the clothing, her face flamed even hotter in embarrassment.

  You are cordially challenged to a test of true love.

  The Dysfunctional Test

  © 2013 Kelly Moran

  Growing up in her large, crazy Serbian family, Camryn Covic became an expert at shutting down her emotions in order to maintain her sanity. But when she loses her apartment, her job and her boyfriend all in one day, she hits her breaking point.

  Worse, if her family finds out she’s single again, her sister’s upcoming wedding will be a disaster. The bride-to-be has a plan, though. A plan that involves an old friend, a pretend relationship…and the probability of ending up in a padded cell. This time for real.