The Romance Series Series by Kate Valentine

Claire Connor was supposed to be her best friend’s maid of honor. Instead, she finds herself dutifully accompanying the heartbroken, jilted bride on a trip to island resort paradise. Non-refundable honeymoons are the worst! Claire is prepared for a week of drying her friend’s tears. What she isn’t prepared for is Justin. He’s tall, gorgeous and completely irresistible. He’s also staying right down the beach... moreClaire Connor was supposed to be her best friend’s maid of honor. Instead, she finds herself dutifully accompanying the heartbroken, jilted bride on a trip to island resort paradise. Non-refundable honeymoons are the worst! Claire is prepared for a week of drying her friend’s tears. What she isn’t prepared for is Justin. He’s tall, gorgeous and completely irresistible. He’s also staying right down the beach. When Claire unexpectedly finds herself with free time, she knows exactly how she wants to spend it. It’s only supposed to be a fling, but as the week of flirtation and fun draws to a close, she finds she isn’t ready to say goodbye. It’s stupid to fall for a perfect stranger. There’s a lot she doesn’t know about Justin, and he isn’t exactly forthcoming. Will Claire be the one who ends up returning from paradise heartbroken? _____ “You know what?” Justin finally murmured, still holding Claire above the water. “What?” she whispered breathlessly. She was unable and unwilling to look away. “I think you were right. I was bluffing,” he admitted, breaking the spell he had cast on her. “Let’s get you back to shore.” With that, he waded back to shallower water, not setting Claire down until her feet were on dry land. “So all you really accomplished was getting your shorts all wet,” she couldn’t resist pointing out. “I wouldn’t say that’s all I accomplished,” he protested. “I got you a little wet too, admit it.” Sexual tension hung heavy in the air. Claire looked down and sure enough, she saw a few splotches of water on her clothing. There were even some water droplets clinging to her legs, but she had been far too caught up in the moment to notice when it had happened. Even now, she couldn’t feel the ocean on her skin. She couldn’t feel anything, except the way her body was tingling. “I guess I am a bit wet,” she conceded, batting her eyelashes ever so slightly. She didn’t want to lay it on too thick, but flirting with Justin was hard to resist. To think that a man like him wanted to spend his time with her was dizzying. He was a lot better looking and more fun than any of the other guys she had dated recently – or ever, for that matter. He smirked and said nothing. Instead, he peeled off his shirt, revealing his toned chest and muscular arms. All the air went out of Claire’s lungs and for a moment, all she could do was enjoy the view. “What are you doing?” she finally squeaked. What was up with all the squeaking she was doing lately? She was not a woman who squeaked! And yet here she was, barely able to get a full sentence out. Justin had a strange, profound effect on her. “Getting the sand out,” he replied, turning his t-shirt inside out and shaking it. Clumps of sand came tumbling out, falling back to the beach from which they had been taken. Claire had really done a number on him. “Oh, right,” she said, feeling flustered and a bit sheepish. “Sorry about that, by the way. I’m not quite sure what possessed me to dump sand down the back of your shirt but it, uh, seemed like a good idea at the time?” He snorted. “Sure, sure, you act so innocent now. But I’m onto you, Claire.” She motioned for Justin to turn around and ran her hand across his back to remove any remaining bits of sand. less

Being a jilted bride officially sucks. And having to take your best friend on what was supposed to be a romantic honeymoon only adds insult to injury. But the worst part is definitely watching said best friend fall in love with a handsome stranger. Even though she’s vacationing on a beautiful tropical island, Melissa Murray’s life is in shambles. Or is it? Her best friend’s new man has a sexy, charismatic, flirtatious brother... moreBeing a jilted bride officially sucks. And having to take your best friend on what was supposed to be a romantic honeymoon only adds insult to injury. But the worst part is definitely watching said best friend fall in love with a handsome stranger. Even though she’s vacationing on a beautiful tropical island, Melissa Murray’s life is in shambles. Or is it? Her best friend’s new man has a sexy, charismatic, flirtatious brother. Rebellious amateur musician Jake is everything that Melissa, a serial monogamist, fears. He’s wild and fun-loving. He drinks too much and has casual sex with floozies who are nothing like good girl Melissa. He’s a womanizer, having never had a serious relationship in his life. He’s definitely not the type of guy you settle down with. So why can’t Melissa stop fantasizing about settling down with him? _____ “I’m not a bad guy,” Jake told her sincerely. “That’s what all the bad guys say,” Melissa teased, only half-joking. But he didn’t return her smile. It was clear he was taking their conversation seriously. “I admit haven’t always made the best choices – especially when it comes to women. I hope you’re not going to let that stop you from getting to know me. Maybe I don’t clean up as well as Justin – I’m not as well spoken or polished, I’m not as comfortable in a suit. But I could make you happy if you’d let me.” His words made Melissa want to melt on the spot. A gorgeous man was sitting there gazing into her eyes telling her how desperately he wanted to make her happy. What wasn’t to love about that? It was almost too good to be true. Maybe it was too good to be true. Sure, Melissa was a recovering love addict. She had been in love with love, addicted to love, hooked on it. But even so, she hadn’t been born yesterday. She wasn’t about to fall for Jake’s sweet talking. He was too charming, too charismatic. Surely that had to be a warning sign. “Why me?” she asked, biting the bullet. It was the million dollar question, the one that had been on her mind right from the first moment Jake had expressed interest in her. Flirtation was one thing, but she couldn’t shake the feeling his interest went beyond that. And for the life of her, she couldn’t understand why. She was damaged goods, she had baggage. What could possibly be appealing about that? He furrowed his brow. “What do you mean? Why not you?” he shot back. “Let’s be real,” she said bluntly. “You can probably talk any woman you meet into bed.” “Any woman except you, apparently,” he smirked, reminding her of the way she had rejected him the other night. “Yes, well,” she mumbled, averting her eyes and clearing her throat. He sat there patiently, waiting as she fidgeted in her seat and absentmindedly tugged at her hair. His gaze never faltered. less

Clover Carpenter has made a comfortable life for herself on Heart Island. Waking up to blue skies, sand and palm trees is a dream come true, not to mention a relief. The pretty bartender was able to literally put an ocean between herself and her past. Finally, she can breathe again. Then she meets Blaine. He’s very tall, incredibly good looking and unbelievably fit. He’s also the worst co-worker ever. He breaks almost as many glasses as he washes and the drinks he mixes are truly disgusting... moreClover Carpenter has made a comfortable life for herself on Heart Island. Waking up to blue skies, sand and palm trees is a dream come true, not to mention a relief. The pretty bartender was able to literally put an ocean between herself and her past. Finally, she can breathe again. Then she meets Blaine. He’s very tall, incredibly good looking and unbelievably fit. He’s also the worst co-worker ever. He breaks almost as many glasses as he washes and the drinks he mixes are truly disgusting. Until he made her life complicated, Clover never thought she could be stressed on such a beautiful island. Of course, it doesn’t help that her sister is visiting and the past is being drudged up. It also doesn’t help that Clover can’t stop fantasizing about sexy, klutzy, gorgeous Blaine. He’s a pain in her ass yet she desperately wants him. It seems like he’s into her, too. What’s a girl to do? _____ Clover handed Blaine a glass and held her breath as he tasted her latest love. “Damn,” he said appreciatively after he had downed the drink. “That is good. It’s really good! And only three ingredients, that’s awesome. Maybe it’s something I could even make,” he joked. “What’s it called?” “Bend Me Over.” Blaine stopped in his tracks, his eyebrow shooting up. “Okay, but what’s the drink called?” Clover’s eyes grew wide. She had answered automatically, without even thinking about it. As a bartender, she came across a lot of dirty drink names and thought nothing of it. But Blaine had made it more than clear he wasn’t a bartender. And he probably wasn’t nearly as accustomed to hearing vulgar drink names as she was. And now she had just told him to bend her over. “I didn’t mean – I don’t – that’s the name of the drink!” she sputtered, completely flustered. Blaine burst out laughing. “I figured as much,” he told her once he could speak again. “I was just playing. And your reaction was priceless.” “Oh my God,” she exhaled, starting to giggle as relief washed over her. “You have the best poker face. For a second there I was afraid you really did think I was sexually harassing you!” “It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world,” he replied as their laughter died down. Silence suddenly fell over them. Blaine was just standing there, towering over Clover as they held their empty glasses and stared at each other. She struggled to come up with something to say – anything at all. But the longer she looked at him, the harder it was to think clearly. less