Break of Day

by Uncle John Scruggs

Overview

One Mistake Restraints

Carla Hernandez needs to drop off the glamorous Miami grid. Her aunt's house in Havana seems the perfect place to get over being dumped by her fiancé-and figure out why she keeps messing up her life. But photojournalist Jonah Kane's unexpected presence is one sizzling mistake she's hungry to make.

One Temptation Restraints

Jonah thought his favorite Cuban refuge would help him get some badly-needed peace. Still, he's ridden out way worse than the tropical storm trapping him with Carla. And he's going to handle this spoiled little princess on his own dominant, seductive terms just until the storm is over. Too bad this sexy wild card only makes him only want more. And more . . .

No Restraints

Now Carla's back home-but not quite alone. When her baby is born, she's going to raise it on her own, no matter how much she still burns for Jonah. But Jonah can't get over her irrepressible spirit or the passion they shared. And trying to walk away is only making things too hot to resist . . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781516100248
Publisher:	Random House
Publication date:	09/12/2017
Pages:	170
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 1.25(h) x 9.00(d)

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

Carla's skin was melting. Her cotton romper clung to her melty mess of a body in the heat of August in Cuba. Rivers of mascara ran down her face, and she would shank someone for an afternoon in air-conditioning with a stack of fashion magazines.

I just thought being with a redheaded Cuban girl would be more exciting.

Her ex-fiancé's words echoed in her head for the millionth time since he dumped her and asked for the ring back. She hadn't thought an accountant's wife needed to be exciting, but what the fuck did she know about anything anymore?

She smiled at the driver, probably a guy from Tia Lola's street. He'd picked her up at the airport to bring her to the family home. Lola's house was a couple of blocks off the stately, crumbling facades along the Malecón. When he'd put her bag in the trunk, she'd tipped him with American money; she'd seen her father do it the last time they'd visited. She clutched her shoulder bag, remembering exactly how much money she had in there. She didn't usually carry around thousands of dollars in cash.

When the car had pulled up to her aunt's house, she tried to give the driver more money. In a few words of rapid Spanish, he refused her and smiled. She grabbed her suitcase out of the trunk, took a deep breath, and walked up to the door.

Even though the exterior needed a whole mess of masonry work, the colonial mansion was still impressive. Carla wasn't sure how it had stayed in the family. She knew that her father's aunt ran a casa particulare. She rented out some of the bedrooms to tourists for more money than anyone in Cuba could afford, but she wasn't sure how that was enough to keep the place up — especially since Americans hadn't been able to come here for fun for almost half a century.

That was changing, and Carla was here to help turn her aunt's house into a boutique hotel so that her tia could retire and so that her family's home could sustain itself.

When she knocked, she was expecting her sixty-something-year-old great aunt to open the massive, carved, wooden door. Instead, a giant stood on the threshold. A bare-chested giant with biceps the size of her head. Her mouth popped open — and went dry to be perfectly honest. She made the mistake of looking down, hoping for more clothing. What she found were thighs, just massive thighs, encased in black boxer briefs.

She was going to find her words, eventually. Right now, she just needed a minute. Her clothes felt even stickier on her body, her makeup more melty, and before she humiliated herself by muttering something like thiiiighs, she looked up at his face. That didn't make the humidity situation with respect to her panties any better because he had the most perfect face. And the most perfect smirk to go with the most perfect face she'd ever seen. And to go along with the perfect brown skin and the — gah — muscles. The only thing not perfect about him was the scar that bisected one of his dark eyebrows and the furrow between said eyebrows.

"Seen enough, princess?" The giant's voice resonated to her very marrow, and she nearly shivered with the desire to climb him like a tree. She barely registered that he spoke English with an American accent. She didn't even take exception to the fact that he'd called her "princess." That should hit a sore spot, but she wasn't about to let it. Now that she was single, she needed to store this kind of thing up for her spank-bank.

But she knew it was probably better if she said something sooner or later. Before that drool started from the corner of her mouth and after memorizing the pattern of his chest hair. "Who are you?"

"Who the fuck are you?" He reared back a bit and seemed to pull air with him. That's the only way she could explain following him into the foyer, pushing past his big body without spending too much time trying to cop a feel. Indeed, who the fuck was she, trying to cop a feel of an angry giant? It might be time to admit that she was beyond needing spank-bank material and right in the neighborhood of need-to-get-laid-right-now.

"Where's Tia Lola?"

"You mean Señora Hernandez?"

"Do you ever answer questions without questions?"

"Only when I get my questions answered, princess."

"Stop calling me that."

"Answer my questions."

She'd had about enough of his bullshit, but she surmised that the best way to get her questions answered was to give him what he wanted. "Okay. No, I haven't seen enough because I've been sleeping with the same guy for three years, and he doesn't look nearly as good as you in boxer briefs. Or at least he didn't before he dumped me." It felt so good to say exactly what was on her mind. With Geoff, she'd always had to watch her words. She took a breath, and continued while he still looked taken aback. "I'm Carla Hernandez. Lola Hernandez is my father's aunt. I'm here to bring her — something." She felt like a drug dealer carrying around this much money, but it was impossible to transfer American money to Lola's bank account in Cuba. She didn't want to say money, because while the giant appeared to be benevolent and had certainly made himself at home here, she couldn't be sure. "Now, who are you?"

"Jonah Kane." Of course he had to have a name that sounded like he looked. He appeared to be wearing boulders under his skin. Of course his name would be hard, like rock. "I'm here working on a book, and I'm renting a room here."

"You're a writer?" she asked, surprised. "I know some writers have crazy rituals to make sure things get done, but leaving the U.S. just to get away from reliable Internet seems extreme."

"I'm a photojournalist."

That piqued her interest, but it seemed past due for him to put his pants on. For one thing, his body was going to give her a heatstroke-related seizure if she was exposed to it any longer. He was so hot it was starting to make her mad. For another thing, she could feel his judgmental glare and didn't like the way he said princess — it was an insult disguised as an endearment, and she didn't need that.

"Can you please go put some pants on?"

He leaned one hand on the bannister of the stairway leading to the bedrooms, with a sexy, cocky half-smile on his face. "Why? I thought you were getting a great show?"

Carla wasn't going to rise to the bait of a jerk like that. She'd grown up with two of them — both her father and brother were a handful — so she just pointed upstairs. "Pants now, unbearable ego later."

*
Jonah stomped up the stairs, still cranky from his rude awakening. Mrs. Hernandez had told him her niece was coming for a visit. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but it wasn't the woman who'd showed up at the door.

He'd perked right up when she gave him a slow once over, worrying that he'd have an inconvenient hard-on, one that he couldn't control, for the first time in years. She wasn't his usual type. His last girlfriend — if you could call her that — had been a foreign service officer in Kenya. Shannon spoke multiple languages and could handle a bit of rough in the bedroom — hell, she'd loved a bit of rough. Ultimately, the only place they were compatible was in bed, but she was the kind of woman he'd end up with.

Carla Hernandez was a pretty little pixie sprite who reeked of privilege. He wasn't a big shopper, but it didn't take a genius to guess that her outfit probably cost more than all the furniture in his New York apartment. She showed up from the U.S. in an all-white little suit thingy — like the kind toddlers wore. If that didn't say idiotic rich girl, he wasn't sure what did.

If he'd started in on any of the things he wanted to try with her — pushed her up against the wall and shut up her throaty little cock tease of a voice with his mouth — he'd probably ruin her clothes and maybe crack a rib.

No, the freckled redhead was not his type, but she'd managed to get under his skin in about ten seconds flat, and he hated that. He'd negotiated his way out of getting kidnapped by a terrorist group, and he was having dirty sex fantasies about a woman who would balk at the first hint of a spanking. Maybe he wasn't being fair, but his gut told him that Carla was trouble, that it would be best to stay away. That pert, upturned nose combined with the deep smoky voice might make her sexy as hell, but he didn't have time for a regular girl, much less a princess like her. Make him put on pants. He should have dropped his boxer briefs just to see what she'd have done. He smiled at the idea of shocking her.

When he got back downstairs, she was sitting on one of the old, falling-apart chairs in the room that Lola insisted on serving her tea in every afternoon, even though Jonah preferred beer. But, every afternoon he was there. He sat his ass down anyway and drank tea from the chipped service Lola had inherited from her grandmother.

Carla looked fresh and unconcerned as she pressed the cuff of her shorts flat with her fingertip, as if she was ensuring they were still straight. Like a nervous tick. She'd said she was here to give her aunt something, but she hadn't said what that something was. He'd grown fond of Lola, and he didn't want anyone taking advantage of her, including her own family.

"What are you really doing here?" His voice was overly harsh, and she jumped. He was usually careful about how he used his voice and his size, which wasn't necessarily an asset in his line of work. Not many subjects forgot that he was there when he took up so much space.

"I don't see how that's any of your business." She might not see it, but that didn't matter. He wasn't about to let any avaricious relatives get at a woman who'd treated him like a son during the months he'd been in Havana. "But, if you must know, I'm here because Lola needs help updating this place."

Jonah looked around. He could see that, but he still didn't trust that Carla wasn't scheming to get this place out from under Lola and ship her great aunt off to some retirement home/purgatory until the woman kicked it. Jonah didn't trust women with perfectly pleated white shorts or prissy-ass attitudes.

He sat down on the chair opposite her and it creaked in protest. "Doesn't seem like it needs much updating to me."

Carla brushed a large strand of red hair off of her face and behind her shoulder, revealing a swath of milky, freckled skin that make him think of summer. Innocence. When he looked up at her face, her plush lips were twisted into a suppressed smile. She'd caught him checking her out. And now she'd be on some power trip about how he wanted her — which, of course, he didn't.

"It does need updating if she wants to turn this place into a successful B&B once tourism travel completely opens up."

"She's never said anything about wanting to do that." Jonah pulled on his earlobe. "I think this place is charming as is. It's a historical landmark. You're probably wanting to tear out everything nice about the place and put in a one-hundred-thousand-dollar bathroom."

She grimaced. "That's mighty presumptuous of you. And, like I said, this isn't any of your business." She got up on her feet then. Her high heel echoed against the bright, mosaic stone floor. "Where's my aunt?"

"Great aunt."

"I'm well aware of our relationship to each other. Where is she?"

"She's at the park, playing checkers with her friends. She usually comes back around four and makes tea."

She mumbled, "I hope she has rum for the tea." She hefted her carry-on and roller bag and walked out of the room.

He had to fight himself to keep from grabbing her bag and carrying it up the stairs for her. And then he had to fight his hard-on again when she turned around. She might be lean, but her ass was to die for. His heart picked up at the thought of palming it, and an image of her mouth, wide with the shock of taking him inside as he grabbed both half-globes, took him over for a split second. Not even her grumbling something about being a gentleman stopped him from thinking about what she'd look like naked and wanting him.

He did not have time for this shit.

CHAPTER 2

Carla had never liked being pushed around by a guy — in bed or out. Why did it turn her on when he yelled at her? Jonah Kane was definitely the kind of guy who would push her around. He looked like he'd hold her down and maybe bite. And — surprisingly — she'd like it.

He was nothing like Geoff, and she was pretty sure that was why she was insta-attracted to him. Geoff was mild-mannered and — to be honest — dorky. Carla had liked that about him after the string of fuckboys she'd dated after college. Geoff had listened to her, treated her like what she had to say was important, like her aspirations were worthy. He'd wanted the same things — a home, a social life like her parents had, and lots of babies.

At least, until he hadn't.

So many people — her sister, her brother, her mom — had questioned her choice of fiancé, and she'd blown them off. Marrying Geoff, who'd worked for her father's company, had been the one way she could contribute to its future. Her parents had always made it clear that she was generally a debit on the family ledger, that paying for her to go to college wasn't the same kind of investment that sending her sister and brother to prestigious institutions was. She had no talent for math or any real business sense. She'd given away enough design advice to pay herself a salary for a year, but there wasn't any need. She might not be doing anything to earn her trust fund, but she used it just the same.

Once she got into the bedroom she'd used when visiting Lola with her brother and sister a few years ago, she carefully unpacked her dresses, placing them on hangers in the small wardrobe. If it had just been family, she wouldn't have considered changing her clothes. If Jonah wasn't so — gah — handsome, she would have put on worn-out jeans and hunted for her great aunt's stash of rum before Lola returned from her checkers game. But, because she wanted to feel like she was wearing her armor, she reapplied her makeup and put on a dress before returning downstairs.

Jonah hadn't moved far. His big body was straining the wood fibers of one of the chairs while his arm curled around a book. She hadn't put on shoes and loved the feel of the cool stone of the steps against her skin. It was remarkable how cool this old house stayed even without proper air-conditioning. It was well built, and she appreciated that.

Not wearing shoes felt especially like a mistake as she approached Jonah. If he stood up, he'd dwarf her with his size. The idea excited her more than she would ever admit aloud.

She walked through the sitting room to the heavy wood cabinets lining the wall. She opened three before she found what she was looking for. Some ice, a lime, and a glass, and she'd be in business.

"Kind of early to be drinking, isn't it?" She turned to find him right behind her.

She looked over her shoulder at him. "I would say it's a free country, but it's not. Still, the last I heard, the regime did not prohibit drinking before five."

"You're one of those 'ladies who lunch,' aren't you?" Jonah extended his legs out in front of him and crossed his ankles, making his thigh muscles pop out. Why couldn't she stop thinking about his quad muscles? They were exceptional, but they weren't even the best-looking thing about him. His face had that covered. "You need to start drinking around noon just to get through your afternoon shopping."

Carla's face heated, and her heart beat faster. She could feel it thumping as she replied. "I don't know who the fuck you think I am, but you have no right to talk to me that way." She adjusted her grip on the rum bottle, ready to bring it into the kitchen. "I'm not sure what I did to piss you off, but you are way out of line."

She lifted her nose and started to walk out of the room. Before she made her escape — and got the last word — he was behind her. He wasn't touching her, but she could feel the heat emanating from his body all the same. She smelled the minty soap he used, worn down by a hint of sweat.

(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "Break of Day"
by .
Copyright © 2017 Andie J. Christopher.
Excerpted by permission of KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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