Cara Summers - Twice the Temptation

Look what people are saying about Cara Summers.

“Cara Summers knows how to write fun yet passionate plots that readers will never forget.”

—Romance Junkies

“I can’t wait to read more by Cara Summers.”

—The Best Reviews

“Ms. Summers is a compelling storyteller with a gift for emotional and dramatic prose.”

—Rendezvous

“With exquisite flair, Ms. Summers thrills us with her fresh, exciting voice as well as rich characterization and spicy adventure.”

—RT Book Reviews

“A writer of incredible talent with a gift for emotional stories laced with humor and passion.”

—Rendezvous

“A great mystery. The excitement and romance never end. Top Pick.”

—RT Book Reviews on Christmas Male

Dear Reader,

When the Brightman sisters open Haworth House, a small hotel on an island off the coast of Maine, they get more than they bargained for—including Hattie Haworth, a resident ghost who can transform their most secret fantasies into reality …

And she’s going to do it again for a few lucky couples attending a special singles’ weekend.

As the youngest of three sisters, workaholic five-star chef Reese Brightman has always followed the path of least resistance. But no more. Now she’s going to take charge of her life, starting with fulfilling the secret fantasy she drew out of Hattie’s hat box.

Not only is lounge singer Brie Sullivan the star witness in the murder trial of a mob boss, but her first bodyguard has been shot. When she meets her new protector, former CIA agent Cody Marsh, the thrill of having him watch over her, day and night, definitely takes her mind off her problems.

I’ve had so much fun writing this FORBIDDEN FANTASY book. It’s allowed me to bring to a conclusion all the stories that I began in my other Blaze ®books, Led into Temptation and Taken Beyond Temptation. I hope you enjoy these stories as much as I did.

Love and laughter always,

Cara Summers

Was CARA SUMMERSborn with the dream of becoming a published romance novelist? No. But now that she is, she still feels her dream has come true. She loves writing for the Blaze line because it allows her to create strong, determined women and seriously sexy men who will risk everything to achieve their dreams. Cara has written more than thirty books, and when she isn’t working on new stories, she teaches in the Writing Program at Syracuse University and at a community college near her home.

Twice the Temptation

Cara Summers

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To my brother Andy who reads all of

my books and thinks I’m a better writer than

“Billy” Shakespeare! You are definitely my

biggest fan. And thanks for posing for all of my

covers, too! I love you!

MAKING A SALES PITCH to a ghost wasn’t something they’d covered in the MBA program at Harvard’s Business School. No, indeedy, thought Avery Cooper as he stepped into the tower room where the spirit of legendary film star Hattie Haworth had resided for some forty-five years.

Avery straightened his tie and took a deep breath. He’d been managing the Haworth House hotel for the Brightman sisters well over a year now, and he’d known right from the get-go that the original owner haunted the place. The story was that she’d fled to Belle Island to build her new home when both her marriage and her career had tanked in Hollywood.

She’d appeared to all three of the sisters right in this very room. Jillian Brightman, his best friend and excollege roommate, had included that piece of information when she’d hired him to manage the hotel.

Avery doubted that a dozen ghosts could have deterred him from accepting her job offer. Not once Jillian had explained what she and her sisters, Naomi and Reese, had in mind. And now, the picture she’d painted for him—a small exclusive hotel on an island off the coast of Maine—had become a reality.

He let his gaze sweep the tower room. Late afternoon sunlight slanted through a circle of windows, and the muted sound of the sea could be heard crashing on the rocks below. During the renovation, the tower room had been turned into an office/sitting room where each of the sisters worked when they were in residence. But fifty-five years ago, this was where Hattie Haworth and her lover, a man from the village, had shared their love and lived out their fantasies for nearly a year.

You’re stalling. Avery frowned. What in the world was wrong with him? In his line of work, he was never at a loss for words. And Hattie Haworth had already proven that she loved the sisters as much as he did. Not only had she played a role in saving both Naomi’s and Jillian’s lives but she’d brought them each together with their true loves by satisfying their most secret fantasies.

And the fantasies were what he needed to talk to Hattie about. Avery strode forward until he stood in front of the gilt-framed, beveled mirror. Peering into it, all he could see was his own reflection—a tall, broad-shouldered, dark-skinned man in his late twenties. His grandmother would have approved of the clothes—a suit, tie and shirt in varying shades of gray. Grandma Cooper had always told him that it was important to dress well.

He could only hope that Hattie shared that opinion. But so far, he saw no sign of that in the glass. All three of the sisters claimed to have glimpsed Hattie Haworth’s image in the mirror. Naomi and Jillian had also claimed to have carried on one-sided conversations with her.

Shit. He fingered his tie again. He hadn’t been this nervous when he’d defended his Masters thesis at Harvard.

“Hattie, I’m Avery Cooper. You may have seen me around.”

Duh. Get to the point. “I came to talk to you about an idea I have. It concerns your fantasy box and Reese.”

Avery blinked, then narrowed his eyes. Was that the tiniest flash of light he’d seen in the mirror?

“Jillian told me all about how she found your secret room and the hat box with the fantasies in it, how she and her sisters each chose an envelope out of it on the night they bought Haworth House.”

He paused, but saw nothing in the mirror. Had he imagined it?

“Okay, old news. But I want you to know that I think the world of the two men Naomi and Jillian have hooked up with as a result of those fantasies. Dane and Ian MacFarland are the best.” In his opinion, the two men were perfect matches for Naomi and Jillian. Now, if Hattie could just work the same magic for Reese …

This time he was sure he saw a shimmer of light. Just for an instant. But it was enough to make his heart skip a beat.

Okay, you’ve got her attention. Now all you have to do is sell it.

“I have this idea. Reese is a bang-up chef. The whole menu here at the hotel is hers. And she designed the kitchen. She’s so good that the pilot she filmed for a syndicated cooking show in L.A. has just sold thirteen episodes.”

Get to the point. “But she hasn’t been back to visit the hotel in a while. She’s moved all her stuff in, but she hasn’t really made the place her home. Reese claims she’s too busy. But even now, when she’s on a break from filming her new TV series, she’s holed up in L.A.”

Avery stepped closer to the mirror. “I’m wondering if she’s worried about that parchment envelope she drew out of your fantasy box. You know, you’re two for two in the fantasy-fulfillment department. If I’d drawn one out, I might be a little nervous, too.”

When he paused to take a breath, Avery was almost sure he heard a sound. Laughter?