More #buqosteamyreads! When I first saw the list of titles and authors, I knew that I wanted to read EA Martelle's Heat of the Moment. From the cover alone, this promises to be a good one.
She needs the diversion...
Noelle Sanchez is looking for a distraction from the pressure of organizing a company-
wide event and her recent heartbreak after a two-year relationship. She gets more than what she asked for in Aiden, the smoking-hot bartender at the resort where she and her colleagues are staying for the next two weeks.
...then Mr. Sex on Two Legs arrives.
Aiden Bennett has been on fire since the day he first saw Noelle. He tries to pursue her, but she turns the tables on him and amps up the heat, leading to one night of mind-
blowing sex and an insatiable craving to take care of her. But before he can tell her the truth about himself, she discovers his identity.
Will one lie be too many for Noelle whose trust is already damaged, or will Aiden manage to win her trust...and maybe her heart?
Now here's a short excerpt (I want more Aiden!):
Aiden wasn’t the type of person to get distracted at work. He had built Island Paradise Resort from the ground up, and he always took pride that it turned out to be more of a home than just a piece of property he inherited from his parents. With over eight people under his wing, Island Paradise was home to each and every one of his employees, and all of them depended on him. Aiden cursed himself for not being at the reception desk when the group checked in. The woman who made his senses go haywire talked to Cheryl at the front desk and checked in their group for the next two weeks. The second they left and headed to their cabanas, Aiden asked Cheryl about the group and learned her name—Noelle Sanchez. She was part of the HR team that made arrangements in behalf of Invictus. He said a silent prayer of thanks for the interesting turn of events.
Aiden caught Joe looking at him quizzically. Joe was one of the waiters at Café Mirasol, the resort’s main restaurant, and he had been working there for the past three years. Aiden pursed his lips, threw the wet rag in the sink, and turned the faucet on. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Joe shrugged and rearranged shot glasses on the counter. “Nothing much, boss. You just got that look on your face that says you got hit hard in the nuts,” he replied, then chuckled.
“Something funny?”
Joe grinned. “I don’t want to sound like I’m meddling in your personal life, boss, but I’d say it’s about time you devoted some time to it. You work too hard.” He nodded towards the direction of the beach where the woman still lounged. “She seems like a nice person.”
“You talked to her?” Unbelievable. Why did it seem like he was the only person in their resort who hadn’t spoken to her yet? Damn, he had to ramp up his game. Fast.
Joe was about to reply when the woman in question stomped back into the shade of the resort. Her long hair waved behind her like a dark flag as she made a beeline to the bar and sat on one of the stools just a few meters within Aiden’s reach. Her face was a mixture of anger and sadness.
The lanky waiter winked, gave Aiden a thumbs-up sign, and sauntered to the kitchen.
Aiden turned his attention back to the woman in front of him. She was even more breathtaking up close. With her sunglasses over her head, he was able to see her strong profile—a delicate jawline, pert nose, high cheekbones, and almond eyes framed by incredibly long lashes. She was also wearing a low-cut, see-through floral dress. Underneath the flimsy clothing was a hot red bikini. Aiden sucked his breath when she leaned on the counter, unconsciously giving him an enticing view of the valley between her breasts.
“I’d like a margarita, please,” she said without even looking up. She clutched her cellphone in a death grip while reading something on it.
He found it unusual for anyone to be in a sour mood while in a peaceful place. One of the things he loved about owning a resort was its close proximity to the ocean. There was something peaceful and calming about the area, and he had made it a point to enhance that feeling by creating a place where people can relax and leave their worries behind.
But the lady in front of him paid no attention to the serene atmosphere, or to the fact that she was in an upscale resort-hotel. Aiden wanted to know what ticked her off. More importantly, he wanted to make her smile.
“Did you have lunch already?” He tried to play it cool by heading over to the other side of the counter to put away the shot glasses Joe had been cleaning.
She had a puzzled look on her face. He tried to curb his compulsion to kiss those full lips.
“You don’t want to drink an alcoholic beverage on an empty stomach. Trust me; you’d get drunk faster than you could say ‘I shouldn’t have had a margarita on an empty stomach.’” It wasn’t one of his wittiest lines, but a smile peeked out from the corner of her lips. He felt like shaking his fist in triumph.
“You got me. I guess I just wanted to do something bad for a change, like get crazy drunk. I feel like I’m too much of a goody two-shoes.” She glanced at her cellphone and her expression darkened once more.
He leaned over the counter and glanced at the phone in her hands. “Guy problem?” He hoped not.
She sighed, blowing a lock of hair away from her face. He found the gesture to be quite endearing. “I wish it wasn’t.”
“Tell you what, sweetcakes.” He pulled out a bottle of champagne from the shelf and a couple of fruit juices from the fridge. “I’ll fix you a Mimosa to help get you out of that rut, but you have to promise me you won’t feel bad about yourself just because some jerk had balls for brains.”
That made her smile. He poured the concoction in a tall glass and garnished it with a slice of lemon on the side and a cocktail umbrella. “You should smile more often…” He let that statement hang for a bit, hoping he made the right cue.
Her blush showed through the slight tan on her flawless face. Oh boy, was he a goner.
#BuqoSteamyReads is the collective term for mature short stories produced by a writing workshop conceptualized by author Mina V. Esguerra and Buqo. Download the Buqo app (http://bit.ly/buqodroid on Android and http://bit.ly/buqoapple for iOS) to get this short story, as well as the others in the Hot and Bothered Bundle:
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