Resisting temptation has never been so impossibleâ¦
Living on the edge used to make wild-card war reporter Jack Chapman feel alive. These days he needs some time-out before he burns out. So what better distraction than delectable pastry chef Ellie Evans? Sheâs oh-so-temptingâ¦and sleeping right next door! Perfect for a short-term fling!
Ellie knows it would be beyond stupid to fall for a guy with ice in his veins whoâs always on the move. But daredevil Jack is even more irresistible than her death-by-chocolate cakeâand saying no has never been Ellieâs strongpoint!
âCome on, youâre dead on your feet.â Jack took her hands and hauled her up.
Heâd either overestimated her weight or underestimated his strength, because she flew into his chest and her hands found themselves splayed across his pecs, warm and hard andâ¦oooohâ¦her nose was pressed against his sternum. She sucked him in along with the breath she tookâ¦man-soap, man-smellâ¦Jack.
She felt tiny next to his muscled frame as his hands held her loosely, fingers across her hip and at the top of her bottom. A lazy thumb stroked her hip bone through the chefâs jacket and Ellie felt lust skitter along her skin. She slowly lifted her head and looked at him from beneath her eyelashes. There was a half-smile on his face, and yet his eyes were dark and seriousâ¦
He lifted his hand and gently rested his fingers on her lips. She knew what he was thinkingâ¦that he wanted to kiss her. Intended to kiss her.
Ellie just looked up at him with big eyes. She felt like a deer frozen in headlightsâknowing that she should pull away, unable to do so. She could feel his hard body against hers, his rising chest beneath her palms. His arms were strong, his shoulders broad. She felt feminine and dainty andâ¦judging by his hard bodyâ¦desired.
Dear Reader,
For some reason I seem to love writing about things I know less than nothing about! This book is set in a bakery, which my friends found highly amusing because I have the baking skills of a dyslexic goat. But part of the fun of writing is falling into these alternate worlds and making them come alive. I hope you enjoy Ellieâs eclectic beachfront bakery and the stunning scenery of the False Bay area of Cape Town.
Iâve wanted to write Ellie and Jackâs story for a while and am so grateful that I was given the opportunity to do so. Ellie is, perhaps, not as feisty or gung ho as some of my previous heroines, but she has inner strength and a vulnerability that appealed to me. Standing in her famous war-reporter fatherâs shadow, Ellie has never had his love or affection and even less of his time. Ellie thinks that sheâd never fall in love with a warreporting journalist, but when her father sends her a temporary, broke, homeless and beaten-up Jack, her promise to herself is tested.
I think I am, at heart, a nomad, and I love to travel, so I really identify with Jackâs need to see new places and try new things. Emotional ties to houses, places and people all hinder his desire to keep moving, to sustain the thrill of his daredevil lifestyle. Girlfriends have come and gone because of his refusal to settle down, and I knew that Ellie had to be someone special to capture my very unique heroâs transplanted heart!
A book is not really a book until itâs in the hands of the reader. So thank you for reading mine. I hope you enjoy reading it as much I loved writing it!
With my very best wishes,
Joss
xxx
P.S. I love meeting new people, so please say hello via:
Facebook: Joss Wood Twitter: @josswoodbooks Josswoodbooks.wordpress.com
JOSS WOOD wrote her first book at the age of eight and has never really stopped. Her passion for putting letters on a blank screen is matched only by her love of books and travellingâespecially to the wild places of Southern Africaâand possibly by her hatred of ironing and making school lunches.
Fuelled by coffee, when sheâs not writing or being a hands-on mum, Joss, with her background in business and marketing, works for a non-profit organisation to promote the local economic development and collective business interests of the area where she resides. Happily and chaotically surrounded by books, family and friends, she lives in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, with her husband, children and their many pets.
This and other titles by Joss Wood are available in eBook formatâcheck out
www.millsandboon.co.uk
For their love and support, I have so many friends to thank. Old friends, new friends, coffee friends and crying friends. Friends who know me inside out and friends Iâve just met. But, because we share a friendship based on raucous laughter, craziness, sarcasm, loyalty and love, this book is especially dedicated to Tracy, Linda and Kerry.
ONE
âEllie, your phone is ringing! Ellie, answer it now!â