Welcome to Climax Creek, North Carolina
Established 1858
"Built on Tradition, Moving Toward the Future"
Climax Creek is a small, quaint town situated between Greensboro and Sanford in North Carolina. Bordered by I-85 and three North Carolina state highways, it's occupied by less than sixteen hundred people. Climax Creek is the kind of town where you won't find a Starbucks, but you can get a great cup of coffee from Paulina down at Cool Beans. Watch out for Paulina- she'll talk your ear off if you let her. Down at Phipps Pharmacy, Quinn Phipps has got a cure for whatever might be ailing you. Say the wrong thing to your significant other? Minnie Hughes has got an "apology special" running down at her flower shop- she'll fix you up. Feel the need for some spiritual guidance? Climax Creek has four churches- take you pick. If you're looking for something fancy and pretentious, this isn't the place. But if you're looking for a little Southern comfort, the kind that you can't get out of a bottle, then stop on by.
Home for the Holidays...
Sheridan Cole works hard as an accountant and financial planner- so hard she's barely had time to sleep, let alone date. She's looking forward to a relaxing Christmas at her parent's home, in the tiny North Carolina town of Climax Creek. But a chance encounter with a handsome man from her past changes everything.
An Unfulfilled Desire
Nick Dunn has spent the last several weeks trying to keep his family's business from being taken over by a large corporation. As the eldest of the four Dunn children, keeping his family legacy intact is important to him. That situation holds his entire focus...that is, until he runs into his high school crush at the local coffee shop.
Two Feuding Families
Ever since Sheri and Nick were children, their families have been embroiled in a bitter dispute. Neither of them knows the root cause, but the Coles and Dunns businesses are in direct competition, and that hasn't helped heal the rift.
A Burning Passion
The heat between Sheri and Nick is palpable, undeniable, and inescapable. Before Sheri can even get a sip of her coffee, she's on her way home with Nick. But is this just a sexy holiday fling? Or is Nick using his sexual prowess to convince Sheri to enter a business deal with him?
Or could he be after her most guarded possession of all...her heart?
EXCERPT
Eying Sheridan Cole, Nick was suddenly very glad he'd
stayed later than he intended to grab a hot chocolate. He'd spent the last hour
or two sitting in the shop with his younger brother, Dalton. They'd been
discussing possible courses of action to take now that Purcell Foods,
Incorporated was chomping at the bit to buy out his family's grocery store. He
and his brother acted as manager and assistant manager, respectively, and the
surprise offer on the store had put quite a damper on their holiday. No one in
the entire Dunn family seemed to agree on what to do about the offer. As the
eldest child, and designated voice of reason, his stress levels had been high
for the last two weeks from to get everyone to a consensus.
But now, looking at this tasty morsel of femininity that
fate had seen fit to drop in front of him, he thought his Christmas spirit
might be returning in full force. Wearing a pair of skin tight, dark denim
jeans and an emerald green sweater beneath a black leather jacket, she looked
like the best gift he could ever hope to unwrap. The clothes clung to her in
every place they should, showing off the womanly curves she'd acquired. They'd
known each other since childhood, but now, she was all woman and looked every
bit the part.
She'd come a long way from the math genius in glasses
he'd known in high school, and even from the recent college graduate he'd seen
on her last visit. He watched her stand there, trembling like a Chihuahua in a
freezer, and waited for her to answer his question.
"I...uh....just got in. Decided to stop off for
something warm on the way home." Her hand went to the straight, dark locks
of her hair, hanging over her shoulders, and she twirled a few strands around
her fingertips. Watching her do that just made him want to run his hand through
the silken tresses.
He smiled, reaching out for her hand with his free one.
"Welcome home. It's so good to see you. How long has it been...three, four
years?" Her hand was shaky as he captured it in his larger one.
She nodded. "About that long, yeah." As if she
realized she was playing in her hair, she stuffed the offending hand into her
jacket pocket. Still gazing at him, those chocolate eyes wide, she asked,
"How have you been?"
"Good, good." He took a sip from the cup of
cocoa, through the tiny hole in the plastic lid. It was scorching hot, but
somehow not as hot as Sheri. "Still managing the store. How about
you?"
Her gaze flickered, dropped for a moment. "Still
working at the firm."
"Well, you look fantastic. Whatever you're doing up
in Pennsylvania is obviously working for you." He lifted her hand up to
his lips, and kissed it.
"Ah."
The sound that slipped from her mouth may not have been
intentional, but it was audible. He heard her sigh, loud and clear. Hearing her
utter that throaty, pleasure filled sound made his pants feel about two sizes
too small in the crotch. At this point, he had two options. He could either go
stand in the corner, cross his legs, or think about last year's ski trip to
Aspen, or he could invite her home with him. Right away, he knew which one he
preferred, although, it would be quite a feat to drive in his current
condition.
Paulina cleared her throat, and they both turned in her
direction. "Don't hog Sheridan, Nick. Come on over here and tell me how
you've been doing, girl!"
Releasing a long breath, Sheri excused herself and went
to the counter to converse with Paulina. He watched her round hips swaying from
side to side, then moved to a nearby table and sat down, covering his lap with
his trench coat before he embarrassed himself.
He sat there and waited for the two women to finish
their conversation, all the while wondering what Sheri would say when he asked
her to come home with him. They were well acquainted, so she probably wouldn't
slap him in the face, but he knew what he was about to do was still more than a
little forward. Back in high school, she completely ignored him, preferring to
spend time with her math books over dating. He hoped to God she'd changed her
mind, because what was throbbing between his legs told him that if he didn't
have her, he'd never get to sleep.
He waited what seemed like hours for her to finish
chatting with Paulina and order her drink, while he shifted back and forth on
the hard wooden seat. There just wasn't any comfortable way to sit in a chair
like that when he was so damn hard. Finally, mercifully, she got her drink and
turned back in his direction. "I was on my way home, so I guess I'd better
get back on the road."
He stood, careful to close his coat as he did. Rather
than announce his intentions now, and risk getting shot down in front of the
gossiping Paulina, he offered his arm. "Let me walk you to your car."
She gave him a small smile, linked arms with him, and he
pressed the door open with his elbow so they could step out into the cold night
air.
Outside, they walked toward her dark blue sedan. He
watched her face, and the way she seemed to be avoiding making eye contact.
When she made a move to slip her arm out of his, he stayed her.
She looked up at him with those doe eyes. "What is
it, Nick?"
He sat his cup on the roof of her car, then took hers
and did the same. With both hands free, he cupped her face in his hands.
"Sheri, why don't you come to my place?"
The long lashes fluttered. "I...didn't I just say I
was on the way home?"
"You did." He dipped his head low, and placed
a soft kiss on her lips.
The same sound she'd made earlier, when he'd touched her
hand, slipped out again.
She stepped back, pressed a hand over her mouth.
"Oh, God. You heard that, didn't you?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Both times." He kissed her
lips again, loving how soft and yielding they felt beneath his. Unable to stop
himself, he kissed her again, and again, giving her little pecks until his
mouth, craving more of her, opened to slide his tongue between her lips.
Her arms wrapped around his neck, and that was his cue
to pull her flush against his body, his hands resting on her hips. She relaxed
into his embrace, and let the kiss deepen.
The chill of the night faded away, until all he could
feel was the heat the two of them were generating. His hands moved around to
cup her the full cheeks of her ass, and he gave them a firm squeeze. For the
third time, she moaned; this time, the sound was muffled by his mouth covering
hers.
He released her lips, pulled back for a moment. Looking
down, he could see the desire shimmering in her eyes. "Do you want to
stand out here in the cold making out, or do you want to continue this at my
house? It's warmer, and much more private."
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