Holiday Hottie by @JewelQuinlan
from @EvernightPub
The Cougar Journals Book 3
Blurb: To get away from the pressures
of work, Ava takes a last-minute cruise to the Greek islands by herself. But on
the ship she runs into the coworker she despises the most, John Montgomery.
Somehow he has a knack for driving her mad, and seeing him with his hot young
date makes Ava feel even worse about herself. Meanwhile, sexy young steward
Florian has been making passes at her, reminding her of how beautiful and alive
she really is. Will Ava allow her loneliness to be chased away and desires
fulfilled by a much younger man one more time?
Where You Can Buy It
Excerpt:
“Something to drink,
Miss?”
I looked up to see
Florian smiling down at me. “Oh my gosh, what are you doing here? I thought you
had the day off again.”
He was wearing black
shorts and a black t-shirt with the ship’s logo on it. The dark fabric made his
own natural coloring stand out even more. He sat down on the edge of my lounger
near my hip, seeming pleased I’d noticed his absence.
“Normally I would have
the day off, but a friend of mine is sick and I’m covering his shift.” His eyes
swept over my body as he spoke, and the glint of appreciation I saw in them
made me feel good.
“Thanks again for your
company yesterday,” I said in a low voice.
He smiled. “My
pleasure.”
The tone of our simple
words exchanged even more meaning between us. Having been single for so long
I’d become a master of deciphering tone, and his was telling me he’d had the
time of his life. He was so damn cute.
“So what can I get
you? You look thirsty, and I wouldn’t be doing my job if I left you that way.”
He was leaning toward me, his small round tray forgotten on the deck beside him.
I put an arm
underneath my head and removed my sunglasses so I could make better eye
contact. “What would you recommend?” My suggestive tone made his eyebrows rise
and his cheeks dimple in pleasure.
Even though he was
young and a member of the staff, I allowed myself to respond to his attentions.
The pang of loneliness I felt at seeing John and Kim together reared its ugly
head. What was wrong with getting a little attention? Why not have some fun on
this trip? People flirted with each other all the time. And it was my turn to
throw off my conservative chains and flex my sexy muscle.
He frowned as though
deep in thought, considering the question. Then he exhaled and pointed at me.
“You look like the kind of woman who enjoys not only fine wine but great gin as
well. Our bartender makes a cocktail I think you would like. Not too sweet and
just the right amount of tartness to it.” He said it the way car aficionados
described legendary Porsches. I knew right away he was talking about himself.
He had it right on the
nose. That was exactly my style. “I’ll give it a try.” My hand was on the chair
next to his leg, and I fingered the bare, firm flesh of his thigh. I blamed my
earlier glass of champagne for my loosened inhibitions. I sat forward and
leaned in close to him. “Maybe the next time you’re off, we can hang out
again.”
His eyes widened with
pleasure. He opened his mouth to say something, but someone else cut in.
“Sorry to interrupt,
but I wanted to see if I could order a couple of drinks.”
I turned my head to
see John Montgomery standing behind my chair. From the amused look on his face,
he’d heard everything I said. Mortification laced through me.
Florian jumped up. “Of
course.”
John gave him his
order, and Florian went to the bar. Then it was just John and me.
“Having fun, Ava?” He
lifted a brow.
His eyes were hidden
under the dark sunglasses he wore, but I got the meaning, the bastard. He was
trying to embarrass me for flirting with Florian. I huffed at him and opened my
magazine again, refusing to take the bait.
He tried again. “He’s
a little young for you, isn’t he?”
“Hm. I think he’s the
same age as Kim actually. If you don’t think that’s too young then I certainly
don’t.” I allowed the sweet sound of disdain to roll off my lips, then I
flipped over onto my stomach, excusing him.
He
gave a soft chuckle. But he got the hint because he walked away.
About
the Author:
Restless
by nature, Jewel Quinlan is an avid traveler and has visited 16 countries so
far. Lover of ice cream, beer, and red wine she tries to stay fit when she’s
not typing madly on her computer concocting another tale. In her spare time,
she likes to do yoga, hike, learn German and play with her spoiled Chihuahua;
Penny.
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