Reunited in Love
Authors: Nadia Lee
| Reunited in Love |
| Hearts on the Line [2] |
| Nadia Lee |
| Four Isles Press (2014) |
Book 2 in the Hearts on the Line Series
A temporary reunion...
Newly jobless and adrift, former investment banker Kerri Wilson travels to Virginia to see her best friend and regroup, only to run into billionaire playboy Ethan Lloyd. It's been years since she's snuck out of his bed after the most amazing sex of her life, and he's so not her type--she likes them tall, dark and
manageable
. But he's too hot to resist, and she succumbs to another sizzling, no-strings-attached (or so she thinks) night.
Unwilling to let her go this time, Ethan makes a simple proposition: a job, a place to stay, and an exclusive affair that will end when either of them finds someone else. But with her dark, painful past catching up to her, Kerri may have to bolt again--even though her heart is telling her to stay. And Ethan's not giving her up without fighting to make their "temporary" arrangement something far more permanent...
Recommended for readers who enjoy:
Alpha heroes
Protective billionaire heroes
Smart heroines
Mildly (and unsubtly) meddling, matchmaking best friend
Forced close proximity romance
A temporary reunion…
Newly jobless and adrift, former investment banker Kerri Wilson travels to Virginia to see her best friend and regroup, only to run into billionaire playboy Ethan Lloyd. It’s been years since she’s snuck out of his bed after the most amazing sex of her life, and he’s so not her type—she likes them tall, dark and
manageable
. But he’s too hot to resist, and she succumbs to another sizzling, no-strings-attached (or so she thinks) night.
Unwilling to let her go this time, Ethan makes a simple proposition: a job, a place to stay, and an exclusive affair that will end when either of them finds someone else. But with her dark, painful past catching up to her, Kerri may have to bolt again—even though her heart is telling her to stay. And Ethan’s not giving her up without fighting to make their “temporary” arrangement something far more permanent…
Reunited in Love
Hearts on the Line, Book 2
Nadia Lee
Reunited in Love
Copyright © 2014 by Hyun J Kyung
Kindle Edition: January 9, 2014
Formatting by
Nadia Lee
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without the prior written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical articles and reviews.
For Benjamin.
Hello, Little Dragon.
Writing is solitary, yet publishing requires so many people’s hard work.
Reunited in Love
couldn’t have been written without the infinite patience of my husband and toddler boy who fended for themselves while I typed away. Gwen Hayes, Diana Fox and Melissa Karcz provided invaluable editorial feedback. Special thanks to Zara Keane for reading an earlier draft of the story and cheering me on. I owe you, V and Jim, for holding down the fort in America while I moved and tried to repair a townhouse halfway around the world. And my awesome friends May Khaw, Amanda Bonilla, Amanda Carlson, Shawntelle Madison and Sandy Williams—thank you for keeping me sane.
I couldn’t have written and published this book without all of you.
KERRI WILSON MADE her way out of the international terminal at Dulles International Airport after going through immigration and customs. The final leg of her flight was taking off in an hour, and she couldn’t spot the two irritating men who had been tailing her since Hong Kong. She smiled to herself, the tightness around her shoulders easing. She’d never had any intention of getting on that Texas-bound plane.
She wasn’t going home.
She touched the black wig lightly, making sure it was still on straight. Its short and blunt Cleopatra hairstyle changed her appearance completely. Certainly it looked nothing like her usual shoulder-length copper waves. That, combined with a change into atypically casual clothes and shoes that added a few inches to her height, made her look too different for anyone to recognize her at a glance.
She briefly regretted having to abandon her rolling carry-on in the ladies’ room, but it was a small sacrifice to pay for anonymous independence. And now she was free again to do as she wished.
A big crowd was gathered on the other side of the black security line. A brunette in her early thirties rushed past Kerri to a group of three—one man and two little boys. The latter wrapped their plump arms around her, while the man took her bag and kissed her in greeting.
Time stood still for a moment, and Kerri stared. The scene reminded her of what her family had lost because of her, and the time away hadn’t done a thing to dim the memory.
The brunette and her family started walking off. Drawing in a breath, Kerri tore her gaze from their retreating backs. Less than an hour back on U.S. soil, and she had to see that.
Oh well. Shaking her head, she scanned the waiting crowd for her best friend Natalie Hall…no, it was Natalie Damon now. She’d recently married one of the richest and most successful businessmen in America. Kerri had wanted to cab it from the airport, but Natalie had insisted.
I’m not letting my BFF take a taxi. Stay put for a pickup. Or else!
A frown creased Kerri’s forehead as she scanned the area. She couldn’t spot Natalie’s familiar Asian face with its quick smile and warm dark eyes.
Maybe Natalie had needed to leave. The flight was more than an hour late. A newly-wedded woman probably had better things to do—like seducing her husband—than waiting for a friend’s super-late plane to land.
Kerri looked around some more and noticed a sign with her name scrawled on it in block letters. She raised her eyes to the man holding it and blinked. He had his head angled away, but a vague sense of familiarity tugged at her as heat curled in her belly. The way his charcoal-gray Savile Row suit hung on his frame said not only did he work out, but the body underneath didn’t have an ounce of excess fat. Her lips parted slightly as she tried to draw in more air to clear her suddenly foggy head.
Where had she seen him before?
His ensemble—the suit, discreet watch, platinum ring on his right middle finger and gleaming shoes—probably cost more than what most limo drivers made in a year.
No way he’s my chauffeur
.
Was this Natalie’s idea of a joke…or help?
Kerri had everything except…well, a job, a home and a man. The first two were recent phenomena that hadn’t made the gossip circuit yet—so she still had time to rectify them before word got around—but the last one was common knowledge among her friends and acquaintances. She wouldn’t put it past Natalie to fix it. Fix her.
After all, Natalie was a woman in love. Who believed in the power of love.
Well, she’d have to do better if she wanted to recruit Kerri into the cult. She believed in many things, but love wasn’t one of them. Actually, that wasn’t technically true. She did believe in love. Just didn’t think it was for her.
Dragging her lone suitcase, she approached the supposed chauffeur. Whatever he’d done to deserve this, it was time to end his misery. She wanted to check in and unpack her stuff for the week she was planning to stay in Virginia. Then she could figure out her next step.
“Hi.” Despite her five-foot-nine height plus stiletto sandals, she had to tilt her chin upward to address him directly. “I’m Kerri Wilson.”
He held up a long, strong finger without turning to face her. It had a small white scar running diagonally down the fleshy pad. “Gotta go. We’ll finish this later,” he said.
The voice was low and matter-of-fact. But it intensified the sense of familiarity she’d felt earlier and made her toes curl. Good lord. He could’ve said, “I like eggs,” and her toes would still have scrunched up like shrimp tails.
For god’s sake, Kerri, get a grip!
In the last seven years, she’d never sighed over a man, lusted after one or wanted one with any degree of intensity. They’d been a nice addition to her life when she could spare the time and energy necessary to manage a romantic relationship in addition to the dozens of responsibilities on her plate. The result? Exactly three boyfriends since college.
Of course, she no longer had the job that had kept her so busy. Serendipity?
He turned around and the world seemed to go into slow motion. She noticed a small black earpiece, eyelashes whose length made her slightly jealous…and then a face that could cause a riot in a nunnery. All the air rushed out of her lungs as she stared at the blue eyes that belonged to Ethan, the only man who’d made her succumb to a white-hot passion one foolish night. The only man who’d succeeded in tempting her to be irresponsible.
And what a night she’d had in his arms.
The eyes narrowed as he studied her. The full intensity of his gaze prickled her skin. She had the oddest feeling that he was trying to see through her dove gray baby tee and short denim skirt. It wasn’t anything as clichéd as trying to strip her with his eyes. That she could handle. He was trying to see beneath her skin.
Sweat slickened her palms. She felt terribly exposed, especially without her power suit, but she couldn’t seem to erect a barrier fast enough to keep herself insulated.
Men never looked at her like this, like they wanted to see her soul.
Why would he want to do that? It had just been one night. And he’d known the terms of the deal.
She had to be imagining things. Most likely she was just tired from the trans-Pacific flight. He probably didn’t even remember her. Men like Ethan had harems full of willing women at their disposal.
“Jacqueline?” he whispered.
So much for him not remembering their night toge—
“No, wait.” He glanced down at the sign he was holding. “You said Kerri Wilson.”
She nodded, unable to speak. He’d become even more arresting since their one-night stand seven years ago. His voice had deepened, age and experience adding a dark timber to his tone; his body was wider, thicker through the shoulders, more powerful. Her body, meanwhile, was busy recalling every deliciously wicked thing he’d done. The flesh between her legs tightened, reminding her how long it’d been since she’d had any.
“Which one’s the real name?” he asked.
“Both,” she said faintly. “Jacqueline’s my middle name.” She’d gone by a different name in college to distance herself from her family, just in case they’d cared enough to…what? Come visit? Check up on her?
Yeah, right.
After graduation, she’d gone back to Kerri. It didn’t matter what she called herself. Never had.
He shook his head. “No wonder.”
“No wonder what?”
“Nothing.” His tone said anything but that, but the firm line of his mouth indicated the topic was closed.
“You’re still Ethan, I presume?”
“Correct. I don’t usually give out my middle name to people I’m about to sleep with.”
An awkward silence stretched. Her heartbeat skittered as more people moved past them. She didn’t want to dredge up the past.
Well, it didn’t matter what Ethan did with people he was about to sleep with. She’d never owed him anything, including her real name. She swallowed and forced a light tone. “Shall we?”