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When Darius Bravo Wants Something...
...he usually gets it. And the powerhouse CEO has wanted Ava Malloy since he was a Justice Creek High senior. Darius is already adored by one Malloy: Ava’s spirited daughter. Helping Sylvie and her local Blueberry troop build dollhouses for needy kids is a worthy cause that’s bringing him closer to the widowed single mom. Imagine his surprise when the usually unapproachable Ava starts flirting and making her romantic intentions crystal clear!
With one condition.
A holiday fling with the man Ava has always found irresistibly attractive is a thrilling way to ring in the New Year. She can’t promise Darius the future—one devastating heartbreak in a lifetime is enough. But Ava underestimates his staying power. And what about her own secret heart’s desire? A Bravo under the mistletoe and in her arms forever!
“Tonight,” he whispered. “Eight o’clock.”
She should have done what she always did when he pretended to put a move on her—given a shake of her head, stepped away, maybe let out a little chuckle of mingled amusement and annoyance. It was only a silly game between them and they’d been playing it the same way for months now, ever since she’d begun working with Bravo Construction, made friends with his sisters and started getting invited to Bravo family gatherings. They did this all the time and it didn’t mean a thing. All she had to do was stick with the program.
Shake your head. Move away. Her mind told her what to do, but her body and her heart weren’t listening. She had so much yearning all bunched up and burning inside her. The yearning had her hesitating, frozen on the brink of a dangerous emotional cliff.
Maybe it was her crazy Christmas-fling fantasy. Or his sweetness with the girls. It might have been loneliness stirred up and aching from too many years of self-control and strict self-denial.
Or maybe it was simply the perfect manly scent of him, the low, rough sound of his voice that had haunted her as a teenager and now, as a grown woman, stirred her way more than she ought to allow.
Whatever it was that finally pushed her over the edge of the cliff, she went. She fell. She turned her head back toward him behind her and whispered so low he probably shouldn’t have been able to hear it. “Great. See you then. I’ll be naked.”
* * *
THE BRAVOS OF JUSTICE CREEK:
Where bold hearts collide under Western skies
Merry Christmas! And welcome to Justice Creek, Colorado, where Realtor Ava Malloy wants just one special gift this year.
A widowed single mom, Ava has vowed never to suffer the pain of loving and losing again. But a little passion in her life? Yes, please!
Ava wants a man for Christmas. Someone hot and sweet and secret. And temporary. As in over and done by January 1.
Hunky CEO Darius Bravo has never settled down. He’s also been flirting with Ava since high school. This holiday season, he’s let himself get roped into helping out with a special Christmas project. For the past six weeks, he’s been working with the local Blueberry Troop, supervising ten six- to eight-year-old girls, including Ava’s daughter, Sylvie, as they assemble, paint and furnish five kit dollhouses for children in need.
Turns out, Darius is wonderful with kids. Sylvie adores him. And Ava can’t take her eyes off him. Could Darius be just the guy to help her live out her secret Christmas fantasy—or is this Bravo bachelor way more than she bargained for? All too soon, she’s wondering how she’s going to make herself turn and walk away on New Year’s Day.
I hope you enjoy Darius and Ava’s story—and all my best to you and yours this holiday season.
A Bravo for Christmas
Christine Rimmer
CHRISTINE RIMMER came to her profession the long way around. She tried everything from acting to teaching to telephone sales. Now she’s finally found work that suits her perfectly. She insists she never had a problem keeping a job—she was merely gaining “life experience” for her future as a novelist. Christine lives with her family in Oregon. Visit her at www.christinerimmer.com.
For MSR.
Always.
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