Turn Up The Heat: Love Won't Wait / Beach House Beginnings / Strong Enough to Love

Happy reading!

Lori Foster

www.LoriFoster.com (http://www.LoriFoster.com)

Contents

Chapter One (#u6027dd0f-7bbe-54aa-8f32-4698640eaef1)

Chapter Two (#uae9c8b90-549d-57f2-95cd-4be6801ff745)

Chapter Three (#u535970dc-292e-5832-996a-20be0a73aa36)

Chapter Four (#u942568b2-91fc-52ca-bc2d-8685e9c12982)

Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER ONE

RUMOR HAD IT, she was a virgin. As in, had never had sex.

Ever.

Looking at her now, Brendan Carlisle—Brick to those who knew him well—found that hard to believe.

Young, sure.

But not so young she hadn’t had time and opportunity to get busy. He figured her to be in her mid-twenties, which would put her at a few years younger than him. Plenty old enough for just about anything. Actually, for everything. Like all those things now crowding his brain and making him twitchy.

Shifting in the booth seat, Brick settled back a little more and continued to study her.

Sweet? Oh, yeah, she was super sweet. Just look at that smile. And the dimples in her velvety cheeks were so damned cute. He’d almost swear her big green eyes sparkled as she spoke to customers and took orders. Polite but engaging. And yeah, really, really sweet.

But sweet enough to remain untouched? Pfft. He’d known plenty of sweet women who loved sex. Sometimes they dragged him off to the bedroom. He’d always adored sexually aggressive women. It was a big turn-on.

But the idea of sexual innocence teased him. He’d never before realized how exciting it might be to be...the first.

Until now. Until he looked at Merrily Loveland.

From the get-go, he’d been drawn to her. For nearly a month he’d been flirting, chatting her up and teasing while keeping things superficial—the way he preferred his relationships to be. He liked to sit back and let women make the first move. Then he would inform them of his intent to stay single, and take it from there.

Merrily hadn’t made a move.

She was friendly enough, always gifting him with those dimples and smiles and bright green eyes.

But then, she gifted everyone the same way.

Why would an attractive, lusciously built, friendly woman have remained a virgin?

Lack of interest from guys? No way.

Merrily—God, he loved her name—looked like a stacked elf. Curvy, but still petite. Adorable, but with a sensual heat lurking in her gaze. Bubbly...and yet somehow a little reserved.

Religious convictions?

He didn’t think so. Not that he’d know how to tell just by engaging in occasional casual conversation with her while ordering lunch. But she had such a ripe look about her that it seemed at odds with any deep religious affiliation.

Waiting for marriage?

If so, then maybe he could convince her that experiencing life was better than waiting.

She finished taking an order and turned to head back to the kitchen. Her silky brown hair, held in a high ponytail, swished back and forth between her shoulder blades with each hurried step she took.

A plain sky-blue T-shirt hugged her upper body, while snug jeans showed off her curvy backside.

Brick shifted again. In the weeks he’d known her, he hadn’t pressed her beyond friendly greetings and putting in his lunch order. But how much time could he spend hanging out at the diner before she caught on to his interest?

Was she a virgin? He wanted to find out. He would find out.

And with that decision made, he felt himself stir.

Damn it, around her, he had to constantly fight off a boner. Insane. At twenty-eight, he didn’t lack control. But she affected him—and that was reason number one why he’d hesitated to ask her out. A woman with that much influence on his libido could only be trouble. He liked being free of commitments and took great pleasure in answering to no one for anything, being accountable only to himself.

A clingy, marriage-minded woman could put a kink in his lifestyle.

But he could be her first...

Brick shook himself because reason number two—her supposed innocence—was a biggie.

If she was waiting for Mr. Right, or if she had some strong reasons for avoiding intimacy, well...he’d be as wrong for her as wrong could be. He’d ensure she enjoyed herself while in the sack, but afterward, when the spark faded and he walked away...

Yeah, much as he relished the idea of her innocence, he didn’t relish the idea of breaking her heart.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t into self-torture, and not having her would be pretty torturous, so to hell with it. He’d just have to figure out a way to have it all, and if—

“Hey, Brick. What’s up?”

Guilty over the carnality of his thoughts, Brick jumped a good foot. “Damn it,” he complained when diners at nearby tables glanced at him. He scowled over the appearance of his good friend, Jesse Baker. “I didn’t see you come in.”

As he sat opposite Brick in the booth, Jesse scrutinized him. Then he looked back at where Brick had been staring. He saw Merrily bent over a table as she served an older couple, turned back to Brick and grinned. “Taking in the view?”

“I was—but you shouldn’t.”

“Ho! Are you warning me off? Seriously?”