Joss Wood - Friendship On Fire

Fool her once, as her best friend.

Fool her twice...as her fake fiancé?

Top Boston interior designer Jules Brogan has no shortage of work. So why say yes to designing a yacht with Noah Lockwood—her former best friend who disappeared from her life ten years ago after one smoldering encounter? Especially since the job requires posing as Noah’s fiancée! But what are old friends for...especially if she can coax him into one more kiss?

JOSS WOOD loves books and traveling—especially to the wild places of Southern Africa. She has the domestic skills of a potted plant and drinks far too much coffee.

Joss has written for Mills & Boon Modern and, most recently, Mills & Boon Desire. After a career in business, she now writes full-time. Joss is a member of the Romance Writers of America and Romance Writers of South Africa.

Also by Joss Wood Contents Cover Back Cover Text About the Author Booklist Title Page Copyright Prologue One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten Epilogue Extract Extract About the Publisher

Convenient Cinderella Bride

The Nanny Proposal

His Ex’s Well-Kept Secret

One Night to Forever

The CEO’s Nanny Affair

Little Secrets: Unexpectedly

Pregnant

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

Friendship on Fire

Joss Wood

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-07660-9

FRIENDSHIP ON FIRE

© 2018 Joss Wood

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

® and ™ are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text Fool her once, as her best friend. Fool her twice...as her fake fiancé? Top Boston interior designer Jules Brogan has no shortage of work. So why say yes to designing a yacht with Noah Lockwood—her former best friend who disappeared from her life ten years ago after one smoldering encounter? Especially since the job requires posing as Noah’s fiancée! But what are old friends for...especially if she can coax him into one more kiss?

About the Author JOSS WOOD loves books and traveling—especially to the wild places of Southern Africa. She has the domestic skills of a potted plant and drinks far too much coffee. Joss has written for Mills & Boon Modern and, most recently, Mills & Boon Desire. After a career in business, she now writes full-time. Joss is a member of the Romance Writers of America and Romance Writers of South Africa.

Booklist Also by Joss Wood Contents Cover Back Cover Text About the Author Booklist Title Page Copyright Prologue One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten Epilogue Extract Extract About the Publisher Convenient Cinderella Bride The Nanny Proposal His Ex’s Well-Kept Secret One Night to Forever The CEO’s Nanny Affair Little Secrets: Unexpectedly Pregnant Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

Title Page Friendship on Fire Joss Wood www.millsandboon.co.uk

Copyright ISBN: 978-1-474-07660-9 FRIENDSHIP ON FIRE © 2018 Joss Wood Published in Great Britain 2018 by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental. By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher. ® and ™ are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries. www.millsandboon.co.uk

Prologue

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Epilogue

Extract

Extract

About the Publisher

Prologue

Callie...

As she’d done for nearly thirty years, Callie Brogan kissed her daughter’s sable-colored hair, conscious that nothing was guaranteed—not time, affection or life itself so she took every opportunity to kiss and hug her offspring, all seven of them.

God, no, she hadn’t birthed them all. Levi and the twins—Jules and Darby—were hers. The Lockwood brothers—Noah, Eli and Ben—were the sons of her heart. Biologically, they belonged to her best friend and neighbor, Bethann Lockwood, who had passed away ten years ago. Dylan-Jane, well, DJ was another child of her heart.

The life Callie had lived back then, as the pampered wife of the stupendously wealthy, successful and most powerful venture capitalist in Boston, was over. Her beloved Ray was gone, too. She’d been a widow for three years now.

Callie was, gulp , alone. At fifty-four, it was time to reinvent herself.

So damn scary...

Who was she if she wasn’t her kids’ mom and her exuberant, forceful husband’s wife?