A_Little_Harmless_Fascination
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Authors: Melissa_Schroeder
A Little Harmless Fascination
Melissa
Schroeder
Wanting her isn't smart, seducing her is inevitable, but falling in
love with her could be downright deadly for both of them.
A Little Harmless Fascination
Harmless Book 7
Security expert Conner Dillon isn’t a man who often takes a
vacation. So when he is ordered to take a month off and his sister insists on a
trip to Hawaii, he isn’t very happy. But, after seeing his landlady Jillian
Sawyer again, he might just find something—or someone—to occupy his time.
For years, Jillian has always had a crush on Conner. Now an
erotic romance author with a thing for Doms, she finds herself beyond intrigued
by the man. He is good to the core, but there is something else darker in him
that calls to her.
After one night in bed, they both find themselves addicted.
In Jillian, Conner has found the perfect sub…and in him she finds someone she
can trust. Falling in love isn’t what they expected, but walking away is
impossible—especially when they realize someone wants Jillian dead.
WARNING
this book contains the following: An uptight
security expert who prefers schedules, a romance writer who does not, tattoos,
a trip to the Aloha Swap Meet, and of course this would not be a Harmless book
without a trip to Rough 'n Ready.
Ice is
recommended as any Harmless Addict will tell you, but the author takes no
responsibility if a reader should become overheated. Read at your own risk.
eBooks are
not
transferable. They cannot be sold,
shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.
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, locale or organizations is entirely
coincidental.
A Little Harmless Fascination Copyright © 2012 by Melissa
Schroeder Edited by Chloe Vale Cover by Kendra Egert All Rights Are Reserved.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without
written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical
articles and reviews. First electronic publication: April, 2012
Other Books by
Melissa Schroeder
To Brandy Walker for keeping me on schedule and for being so
much fun during Harmless in Hawaii. Your love of the absurd always makes me
laugh. To Ali Flores who has one of the kindest hearts and sweetest souls. One of
these days, Joy and I will make you design a plan and stick to it. And to Joy
Harris, who is always more than her name and understands what being a Cappy is
all about. You truly are a friend of romance and to every romance author out
there.
You three ladies make this crazy publishing world a little
less crazy.
Thanks,
Mel
Once again, this insane process was made possible by the
usual suspects. Brandy Walker who keeps me on schedule, Kendra Egert who does
the most wonderful covers, Chloe Vale who edits and formats the books, and the
wonderful Addicts who are just bloodthirsty enough to keep me writing for fear
of reprisals. None of this would have been possible without any of you.
Maura Dillon pushed open the door to the ER as she shook off
Zeke’s hand. The smell of the hospital still had her head spinning. She hated
it, hated the way it made her feel. She remembered sitting in a similar ER
years ago, waiting for her brother to show up and knowing that her parents were
dead. The smell of antiseptic still made her want to puke.
A large hand clamped down on her shoulder, and she shook it
off.
“Don’t fuck with me, Zeke.”
She heard the exasperated sigh and ignored it. The only
thing she gave a damn about was getting to Conner. Of course, Zeke just kept
following her.
“Love, if you go in there screaming at him, it isn’t going
to help.”
She stopped in her tracks, drew in a deep breath, and looked
at him. “Being gentle and sweet hasn’t worked.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “You’ve been sweet?”
She rolled her eyes. “Have I bitched about him working
eighty hours a week? No, I just let it go. I saw how bad he looked, and I let
it go. I suggested vacations, weekend trips, and taking a fucking day off. Did
he listen to me? No. And now look what happened.”
Without waiting for an answer, she turned on her heel and
walked up to the attendant window.
A woman who looked to be in her forties was writing
something down as slow as a turtle. Lord, her nerves were jumping beneath her skin.
Her stomach was tied in knots. When the woman finally looked up at her, Maura
said, “I’m here to see jackass Conner Dillon.”
The woman’s lips twitched. “I take it you’re his sister?”
She nodded.
“He’s in room four, second door on the left.”
She hit a button and a buzz sounded. The doors swung open,
and Maura hurried through them. Fear and anger churned in her gut. With each
step, her anxiety increased. He was the only person she had left in the world.
They had each other and that had been enough. When she’d gotten the call from
the ER doctor, everything had stopped. She might not have many close friends,
and her romantic relationships were embarrassingly few and far between, but she
could not lose Conner. It just could not happen. When she reached the door,
Zeke stopped her.
“Take a deep breath, Maura.”
She closed her eyes and did just as Zeke ordered.
“The doctor told you he’s going to be okay, so take it that
way. If you go in there screaming like a banshee, he’ll get even more
stubborn.”
She nodded and opened her eyes. “We’re in agreement, right?
He has to take a month off.”
Zeke nodded. “Sure. I’ve got my mate Rory coming over to
help us out. Conner is going on vacation.”
“Whether he likes it or not.”
How the fuck did I end
up here?
It was the only thought that came to mind when Conner Dillon
looked around the small quarters. It wasn’t the fact that it was sparse in
amenities that bothered him. He didn’t like clutter. Actually, he liked the little
apartment. It had a small kitchen and eating area, with a no-nonsense bathroom
and bedroom. He had a big house in Miami, but this suited him just as fine. So
his irritation wasn’t about the living area—it was about the location. There
was only one person in the world who could get him to Hawaii when they had a
big job in LA to handle.
Maura.
It only took one freaking doctor telling her that Conner’s
chest pains were a sign that something was seriously wrong, and that Conner was
heading toward a heart attack, for Maura to breakdown. After losing both of
their parents when Maura was only a teenager, she had freaked. And this time,
his best friend and business partner Zeke had turned on Conner and sided with
Maura.
Bastard
. There had been no
fighting the two of them.
Now he was in fucking Hawaii.
“Is there something wrong?” the sultry southern voice asked
from behind him.
He turned and looked at his new landlady for the next month.
Jillian Sawyer was a contradiction in terms. Her voice spoke of her upper-middle
class upbringing in Atlanta. Whenever he heard her speak, he thought of hot
summer nights and necking on the back porch. He’d been feeling uneasy since
she’d opened the front door.
The tattoos down her arms and braided hair, along with the
nose piercing, would be a shock to most people. The light cocoa skin brought
out her sea green eyes, and she was graced with the most amazing bone
structure. Most people wouldn’t suspect she had one of the highest IQ’s of her
graduating college class—or so his sister had told him. Her dress didn’t fit
with her upbringing. A worn out T-shirt cupped her abundant breasts and stopped
just above her pierce navel. Her jeans were just as worn, hung low on her hips,
and clung to every damn curve.
She cleared her throat, and he realized that he had been
staring at her for several moments without saying anything. He tried to ignore
the way his blood was starting to heat and smiled at her.
“No. The space is good.”
Her lips twitched. “Don’t overwhelm me with your praise,
Conner.”
He hadn’t missed the sarcastic tone, and he was pretty sure
his sister had acquired it from her the two years they’d roomed together at the
University of Georgia.
“Sorry. I just don’t like mandatory vacations.”
“From what your sister says, you don’t like vacations at
all.”
He could tell she was fucking with him. There was always a
look in her eyes that warned she was in a mood. He should let it go because it
would start out as flirting and end with them yelling at each other. But, right
at this moment, he didn’t want to. Something was urging him to tease her.
He opened his mouth to respond but her cell phone rang out
the University of Georgia fight song.
“Speak of the devil,” she said before answering. “Yes, your
big brother is here, and he’s fine. I understand the FBI taught him how to get
around on planes. And, seeing that he’s an old man, he knows how to drive. He
made it all the way over here to my little oasis without getting lost or
running anyone over.”
She was silent for a moment or two, and Conner could just
imagine his sister rattling off instructions.
“I’m sure it was very serious. Of course, bugging him
constantly is going to end up being worse for him. He came here to rest, so you
need to let him do it. Do you want to talk to him?” Silence again. “Okay, well
you get some rest and behave.”
She hung up and gave him a cocky smile.
“Your sister is concerned.”
He rolled his eyes. “Tell me about it. I can’t believe she
talked me into coming here.”
She shook her head. “What a shame. You have to spend time in
Hawaii relaxing. Quit being such a whiner.”
Before he could respond, there was a shout from outside.
“Jillian, love, what are you doing in there?”
“Give me a second.”
She turned and headed toward the door. After flinging it
open, she settled her hands on her hips.
“What do you want, Mick?”
“Adam and I are going for a ride. Wanna come with?”
She shook her head. “No, I have a new tenant to attend to.
You two have a good ride.”
She shut the door and turned to face him. She shoved her
hands into the pockets of her jeans and tapped her thumbs against the fabric.
“Well, what do you think?”
“I already said it was a good space.” He noticed her fidget,
and Jillian didn’t do it that often. He didn’t know much about the woman, but
he did know this was a sure sign she was nervous. He didn’t think he’d ever
seen her nervous before. Not like this.
“Cool. I have some work to do, so if you can handle settling
yourself in, I need to get back to it.”
He cocked his head to the side and studied her. He had known
her, or known of her, for about ten years, but he realized then how little he
knew about her.
“You just told your friend you couldn’t go for a ride
because you would be helping me.”
Her cheeks reddened. “I don’t like lying, but I have a
deadline breathing down my neck. Mick and Adam don’t understand about that.
They think being a writer is just all fun and games.”