KENSINGTON BOOKS

       http://www.kensingtonbooks.com

      For Andrew and Shelley

      Acknowledgments

      Many thanks to my fabulous agent, Jennifer Schober, and my editor, John Scognamiglio. Words can’t convey my appreciation.

      I also want to thank all the people who helped with the technical aspects of this book, especially Rob Hancock at Sea Sports Scuba. Any mistakes are all mine.

      CONTENTS

      Redd Hot

      Chapter 1

      Chapter 2

      Chapter 3

      Chapter 4

      Chapter 5

      Chapter 6

      Chapter 7

      Chapter 8

      Chapter 9

      Chapter 10

      Chapter 11

      Chapter 12

      Chapter 13

      Chapter 14

      Chapter 15

      Chapter 16

      Chapter 17

      Just Right

      Chapter 1

      Chapter 2

      Chapter 3

      Chapter 4

      Chapter 5

      Chapter 6

      Chapter 7

      Chapter 8

      Chapter 9

      Chapter 10

      Chapter 11

      Chapter 12

      Chapter 13

      Chapter 14

      Chapter 15

      Chapter 16

      Chapter 17

      Chapter 18

      Chapter 19

      Chapter 20

      Stroke of Midnight

      Chapter 1

      Chapter 2

      Chapter 3

      Chapter 4

      Chapter 5

      Chapter 6

      Chapter 7

      Chapter 8

      Chapter 9

      Chapter 10

      Chapter 11

      Chapter 12

      Chapter 13

      1

      “Oh, yeah, baby, that’s right. Bend it, work it.” Connor O’Brian slouched deeper into the leather bucket seat of his rental car and groped for his binoculars, his gaze locked on the woman in the red power suit across the street.

      He visually caressed the trim ankle flexing above the black stiletto as she attempted to right the REDD HOT PROPERTIES real estate sign in the front yard of the beach house.

      His gaze licked the length of tan leg exposed by the tight, short skirt while he mentally urged her to bend over a little farther. He was betting she wore a black thong.

      When it became apparent she would not cooperate, his gaze took a leisurely trip along the gentle swell of her ass, shown to perfection, thanks to the tight skirt and the angle of her leg. The flair of her hip had his heart racing.

      “Turn around,” he urged in a hoarse whisper. “I need to see if the front is as delicious as the back view.”

      Her spine stiffened, and for a moment, he wondered if she’d heard him. She glanced left and right, then back over her shoulder.

      He held his breath. It whooshed out when she again bent to her task, a clump of long, shining dark hair falling across her face, this time giving him a direct view down the plunging neckline of the black-trimmed red jacket. With each movement, her perfect breasts jiggled in an intriguing manner.

      She straightened again and swiped her forehead with the back of her hand. After a quick glance around, she stripped off the jacket and tossed it over a purse and briefcase a few feet away, then resumed her struggle with the sign.

      Connor swallowed and adjusted the hardness pressing against the fly of his cargo shorts. Tank tops had intrigued him since puberty, and the form-fitting, wrapped black version the woman wore had just become his favorite.

      He swallowed and swiped at the sweat trickling down his temples. If he turned the engine on to cool off, she might notice him.

      He wasn’t ready yet.

      Andrea Redd brushed a strand of hair away from her sweaty forehead and glared at the sign. She’d sunk a million signs just like it over the years. She’d be damned if she’d let this one get the best of her.

      The strains of “Five O’Clock Somewhere” filtered through the air above the sound of nearby waves. Abandoning her battlestation, she trudged to her purse and fished out her cell. “What?”

      “Isn’t that a lovely, professional way to answer your phone.” Her assistant Lisa’s droll voice echoed in her ear. “I know you prob don’t want to hear this, but BFD, because we have a little, um, situation.”

      “Stop speaking in text-messaging jargon. It annoys me.”

      “Again, BFD. Everything annoys you lately.” Lisa huffed out a sigh. “Do you want to hear what I have to say?”

      “Do I have a choice?” Andrea balanced the phone on her ear and attempted to right the sign.

      “We lost him.”

      “Who?” Please don’t let it be the new client, she silently prayed. While business was good, it had been better. She’d planned to get back in the game with the next sale.

      “Connor O’Brian. Remember? The guy we were supposed to be meeting at the airport this morning? Hello? IDK, is any of this ringing a bell?”

      “Of course it is; don’t be a smart-ass.” She lifted her hair, allowing the