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    Summer Storm
    Summer Storm
    Summer Storm
    Ebook79 pages40 minutes

    Summer Storm

    By Matilda Martel

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Can a beautiful, free-spirited dancer and a once jaded but now lovesick retired soldier set aside what they want and give in to what they need?

    Find out in this friends to lovers, age gap romance that sizzles off the page.

    SUMMER
    Why is everyone in a rush to fall in love?
    My cousin and bestie, Sunny, fell madly in love with the movie star she’s been crushing on since we were kids. They’ve set up house in the Village and have a baby on the way. She’s marvelously happy.
    I’d like to be marvelously happy, but I’ll settle for one or the other. After all, we get one chance to get things right. I don’t want any divorces or do-overs. I need to be sure the man I choose will not only make my babies but stick around to raise them.
    Roman Russo might be hot, sweet as cotton candy, and divine on the dance floor, but I know when something feels too good to be true.
    He’s the first man to give me butterflies and the first to rock my world.
    But things are moving too fast. I can’t lose my head and make rash decisions.
    I’ve got a perfect gig in the mountains. It’s temporary. Secluded. Far away from Roman with just enough time to clear my mind.
    At the end of the summer, if he’s still available---we can reunite with a fresh perspective for our future.
    Roman’s a reasonable man. I’m sure he’ll understand.
    ROMAN
    For as far back as I can remember, I’ve had a way with the ladies. It’s not a brag. When you grow up with sisters, you learn a thing or two about charming the opposite sex.
    I’ve never been short on girlfriends. But no one has kept my attention long enough to settle down. A restless heart breeds a wandering eye, and I’m not the kind of man who breaks promises.
    Still, I never lost faith I’d meet the right girl.
    And I was right. Summer Luna set me straight the moment we met. Like a summer storm, she blew in with a blast of sweltering heat and turned my life upside down.
    Her indifference intrigued me. Her sass provoked me.
    She had no time for my charm or game. The more she pushed me away, the harder I fell under her spell.
    It took months to break down her suspicions, but it was worth it. Summer’s perfect for me. Beneath her tough exterior, I caught a glimpse of the girl of my dreams, and I can’t lose her now.
    I thought I could play by her rules. I wanted her so badly that I agreed to school my heart and keep things casual.
    But I should have known better.
    You don’t make love to a woman like Summer, let her crawl under your skin and give her time to get you out of her system.
    Maybe I pushed things too far, too fast. A man in love says crazy things.
    But I’ll be damned if I let her push me out of her life.
    I’m not a reasonable man. Logic flew out the window when I fell head over heels in love with Summer Luna.
    Wherever she goes, I go.
    And this summer, despite her objections, I’m headed into the mountains to be with my woman.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMatilda Martel
    Release dateSep 9, 2023
    ISBN9798215768365
    Summer Storm
    Author

    Matilda Martel

    Matilda loves many things---her husband, dachshunds, cats, the two terrible Chihuahuas who live with her, Paris, New York, a few select friends and family, Nutella, books, lots and lots of books, and writing sweet, steamy romance for nerdy girls-- because that's who I am.If you like your romances steamy but sweet. Sexy, but on the shorter side. With smart and sassy heroines who fall for soulful Alphas- then you might like my books.I write A LOT of OMYW, cause that's just my bag. But no matter what kind of story it is, my ladies are always adored and my endings are always HEA.Please head to my blog: www.matildamartel.com, to learn what's in the final stages and will be coming out soon!Want a free Ebook? Join my mailing list to get my monthly newsletter at : www.matildamartel.com/mailinglist/

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      Book preview

      Summer Storm - Matilda Martel

      Prologue

      Roman

      It started with a smile. Sometimes the best things in life begin with a smile. 

      Six months ago, I was minding my own business, burned out from government jobs and spying on coked-up Wall Street big wigs who still think they’re living in the heyday of the 80s. I work in security and surveillance, and I’m damn good at my job. I cut my teeth in military intelligence and honed my skills in the FBI.

      My work is my life. I’ve never had time for anything else. 

      Before Summer Luna waltzed into my world, I never mixed business with pleasure. The thought never entered my mind. As a matter of principle, women were never my targets. Invading their privacy was minimal and nothing more than collateral damage. Most of my clients are men who want to get the upper hand on business associates or politicians who need compromising information on their rivals. Some of it is shady as shit, but I keep my nose clean and bail whenever they want me to cross the line. I’ve been in the business long enough to know when something isn’t kosher, and if they try to hire me to prey on women, the only thing it gets them is a call from the FBI. It’s a dangerous world, and I won’t help make them more vulnerable. 

      Then I met Baron Caulfield. I knew him by name and reputation. Who doesn’t? I may have served overseas but haven’t lived under a rock for the past twenty years. And by some sheer life-altering coincidence, Baron and I had a mutual friend who slipped him my information.  

      Who knew it would change the course of my life? 

      As a rule, I don’t work with actors. They’re prima donnas who are too busy gazing into a mirror to follow simple directions. You can’t effectively protect someone who refuses to cooperate. But I needed a change of pace, and my buddy persuaded me to take his call.  

      I was pleasantly surprised. It was easy money from a guy with strange but honorable intentions. Baron was in love with his best friend’s little sister and wanted a new life with her in New York. He’d just ditched his life in L.A, his entourage, bodyguard, and the sycophants who showered him with daily praise. He asked me to install a state-of-the-art security system in his swanky new love nest, set him up with a new security detail, and help him watch over his girl as a special favor. He said off the bat that he wasn’t worried about other men---he just wanted to keep her safe from crazy fans who may want to do her harm. I could live with that. She loved him---he loved her. And I suspected she knew he was on her tail all along. It was a cushy assignment without real excitement, but I soon discovered it came with a few fringe benefits. 

      It came with that smile. 

      Summer Luna wasn’t my assignment. She was the dark-haired girl dancing playfully around her cousin, Sunny, Baron’s girl.  

      There was no flirtation or smoldering glances---she wasn’t smiling at me. Neither girl could see me glaring through binoculars from across the street.  

      That sounds horrible when I say it out loud. I’m not a peeping Tom. At least, I wasn’t. I’m not sure I can say that anymore.  

      The first time I saw her, I admired her beauty for no more than a second and returned to my work. That’s the kind of man I am---always hyper-focused and dedicated to the task at hand. But there was something about the slight curve touching the corner of her full lips that made me take a pause. 

      My rabid interest caught me by surprise. I blinked twice, shook my head then brushed off the thumping beat of my racing heart. After all, too much coffee can have the same effect on a man who’s lost far too much sleep. When she hugged her cousin goodbye, my eyes followed her down the sidewalk, glued to the motion of her swaying hips. As she turned the corner, I laughed at myself for moving to the edge of my seat, hoping if I craned my neck, I could somehow defy the laws of physics or develop superhuman sight.  

      A few hours later, I chuckled at my impatience, wondering when I’d see her again. Surely, too many lonely years had taken their toll. I’d sworn off relationships after the last fiasco that never ended. It was hardly my ex’s fault. When you spend most of your formative years in the military, you learn there’s only one way to keep your head above water. You cut yourself off emotionally or face the consequences at the bottom of a bottle. Better men than me work through it and find comfort in their families. I’ve been on my own for too long to depend on anyone else, and you can’t be in a relationship if you refuse to participate. 

      It took me years to figure that out, and I haven’t wanted to try again. 

      Weeks later, I tracked her down at her place of business, a dance studio in Brooklyn, something I swore I wouldn’t do after discovering Summer is only a year older

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