One night of passion...
Burkes of Sheridan Falls
When a family wedding reunites Melissa Conwell with Aaron Burke, she’s determined to prove she’s over the gorgeous soccer star who broke her heart years before. Newly single Aaron wants another chance with Melissa and engineers a plan for a full-throttle seduction. Will Melissa risk heartbreak again for the elusive dream of a happily-ever-after?
KAYLA PERRIN is a multi-award-winning, multipublished USA TODAY and Essence bestselling author. She’s been writing since she could hold a pencil, and sent her first book to a publisher when she was just thirteen years old. Since 1998, she’s had over fifty novels and novellas published. She’s been featured in Ebony magazine, RT Book Reviews, South Florida Business Journal, the Toronto Star and other Canadian and US publications. Her works have been translated into Italian, German, Spanish and Portuguese. In 2011, Kayla received the prestigious Harry Jerome Award for excellence in the arts in Canada. She lives in the Toronto area with her daughter. You can find Kayla on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Please visit her website at authorkaylaperrin.com.
Also By Kayla Perrin
Taste of Desire
Always in My Heart
Surrender My Heart
Heart to Heart
Until Now
Burning Desire
Flames of Passion
Passion Ignited
Sizzling Desire
Undeniable Attraction
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk
Undeniable Attraction
Kayla Perrin
ISBN: 978-1-474-08485-7
UNDENIABLE ATTRACTION
© 2018 Kayla Perrin
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
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Her attraction to him was fierce. Something she could no longer deny. She’d been fighting a losing battle since she’d arrived in town.
The battle to resist him.
“You’re good at this, aren’t you?” she asked.
“Good at what?”
“Good at being so darn irresistible,” she admitted.
There. She’d said it. She couldn’t deny it any longer, and she didn’t want to. The truth was, she wanted Aaron. She wanted a taste of him again. Maybe then she could fully get him out of her system.
“You find me irresistible?” His eyes lighting up, he drew his bottom lip between his teeth, indicating to her that he knew just how enticing he was.
“You’re good at making a woman weak with need,” Melissa said softly. “Good at making her want you.”
“Baby, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
The words were a promise. A promise that Melissa wanted him to fulfill.
One night with Aaron... It wasn’t something she’d ever imagined before she’d arrived in Sheridan Falls, but right now she wanted nothing more.
Dear Reader,
When I was young, a family at my church consisted of three brothers. What is it about a group of brothers that makes them instantly more appealing? These boys were infamous. All the guys wanted to be like them, and the girls wanted to date them.
I was one of those girls. I liked the taller, cuter one. He was my first crush, my first kiss. Then came devastation when his parents split and he, his brothers and his mother moved a few thousand miles away.
No one ever forgot them. And I certainly never forgot the excitement of falling in love for the first time. It’s the same excitement my heroine, Melissa, experiences when she falls for the popular Aaron Burke.
The definite appeal of more than one brother is that there are more you might have a chance with. Here there are four. Welcome to the world of the Burke brothers!
Kayla
For May-Marie Duwa-Sowi, founder of Illuminessence magazine.
Your vision is extraordinary and awe inspiring.
I know your big dreams are about to come true.
I’m proud to call you a friend and say, “I knew you when.”
Keep illuminating!
Contents
Cover
Back Cover Text
About the Author
Booklist
Title Page
Copyright
Introduction
Dear Reader
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Extract
About the Publisher
Chapter 1
Sheridan Falls, 10 Miles
Melissa Conwell’s hands tightened on the steering wheel as she passed the familiar sign along Interstate 90 west. Sheridan Falls. She was almost home.
Home home. Not Newark, New Jersey, where she lived now, but the small town in upstate New York where she’d been born and raised. Normally, seeing that sign caused her heart to fill with happiness, knowing that she would soon be seeing her parents, sister and young niece. But today, the fact that she was almost home had her throat tightening.
It was an illogical reaction, especially since she was returning to Sheridan Falls for a joyous occasion. It was sure to be the event of the summer, a big wedding that was bringing family members together from across the country. And yet joy was the last thing she was feeling.
She was anxious. Terrified, even.
Because this time she was going to have to see Aaron Burke. Small-town boy turned international soccer star.
International heartbreaker, more like.
She hadn’t needed to read the tabloids to learn that Aaron had had his share of women and had broken his share of hearts. She knew that from firsthand experience. Eleven years, nine months and ten or so days ago, Aaron had crushed her teenage heart and left her reeling.
Not that she was counting or anything.
Melissa’s fingers began to hurt, and she loosened her grip on the steering wheel. Why she was getting all tense at the thought of seeing Aaron was beyond her. She hadn’t spoken to him in nearly twelve years. He wasn’t part of her life, by any stretch of the imagination. So why was she acting as if seeing him was going to disrupt her world?
Because she didn’t want to see him. Ever. Not after how things had ended between them. She might be over him, but they weren’t friends, and spending time with him was going to be awkward at the very least.
But that’s exactly what she was going to have to do. Over the next few days, she was going to be seeing a lot of Aaron—at the welcome dinner, at the rehearsal, at the wedding. And worse than simply seeing him, she was going to have to interact and play nice, because not only was Melissa in the wedding party, Aaron was, too. And for some unfathomable reason, Tasha had paired Aaron with her.
“What’s the big deal?” Tasha had asked when Melissa expressed mortification over the wedding arrangements. “The other pairings made more sense this way. Besides, you and Aaron used to be close.”
“Exactly—used to be,” Melissa had said. “We haven’t spoken in years. Are you forgetting what he did to me?”
“But weren’t you the one who decided not to follow him to Notre Dame?” Tasha asked, sounding confused. “You said he’d be too busy with his soccer scholarship and you didn’t want to get in his way? Then things fell apart after that.”
Melissa had been glad that she and her cousin were speaking on the phone, three thousand miles between them. Because she didn’t want Tasha to see her face.
The story that Melissa was the one who’d decided not to go to Notre Dame had not been entirely truthful, but it had been much better than admitting that Aaron had rejected her. She’d been trying to save face when she’d told her close friends and family that she was the one who’d chosen not to follow Aaron to college. The truth was, Aaron had been the one to ask her why she would travel across the country for school when there were better social work programs closer to home. Melissa had been stunned. Didn’t he want her around? Didn’t he love her?
Melissa’s heart had been beating out of control as Tasha had gone on to talk about how Melissa being paired with Aaron would be fine, that years had passed and she was sure there would be no tension between them. Melissa hoped her cousin was right, but she wouldn’t bet money on it. How did you play nice with someone you’d tried to eradicate from your memory?
Melissa gazed out at the familiar landscape. The trees along the interstate were a vibrant green and in full bloom. The sky was cloudless and a gorgeous cerulean blue this early-summer day. The weather for the weekend was supposed to be perfect.
If only she could feel good about it.
Her mind ventured back to the one thing she couldn’t escape—the fact that she would have to see Aaron. Did she hate him? No, hate was too strong an emotion, but she certainly didn’t like him. Once she’d learned that Aaron had done the unthinkable—he’d married Ella Donovan, the one girl in high school she couldn’t stand—any remaining respect she might have had for him instantly died. He’d given Melissa the song and dance about how they were young, it was time for them to concentrate on their careers, that the distance between them would eventually become a factor.
Yet somehow he’d ended up making a relationship work with Ella? Ella had stayed in Sheridan Falls and worked for her father, who’d been the longtime mayor of the town. When had Aaron had time to forge a relationship with her?
Unless they’d been involved while he and Melissa had been. Every unthinkable scenario had crossed Melissa’s mind, and she’d ultimately been livid with herself for falling for a Burke brother. Hadn’t she known better? During high school, she’d heard all the rumors about the four Burke boys, how they dated whomever they wanted, were too popular to be faithful and women were supposed to take what they could get—if they were lucky enough to catch the eye of one of the Burkes. Which was exactly why Melissa had always vowed to never be like the other women in town, who seemed to lose their minds whenever in the presence of Aaron, Keith, Carlton or Jonas. Yes, the Burkes were hot, but it was pathetic how googly-eyed women became around them.
And then Melissa spent a summer with Aaron. They were both hired by a local camp at the end of their senior high school year as counselors charged with entertaining kids twelve and under. Melissa and Aaron had spent a lot of time together, time in which she’d gotten to know him. And he’d seemed so different from everything she’d heard. Caring. Funny. Engaging. Truly interested in the kids. Relatable. A good listener. He didn’t seem conceited at all. And somehow, Melissa had fallen for him.
Her first love. Her first heartbreak.
Dreams shattered. Her innocence lost.
The best summer of her life had turned into her biggest regret.
Though Melissa had tried to the best of her ability to avoid following Aaron’s career and his life over the years, she hadn’t been able to avoid everything. She had seen the photos of him in various highlights on the news about his soccer achievements, and of course about his happy marriage to the mayor’s daughter.
It was rare that she didn’t find a story about Aaron whenever she looked up news in the online version of the Sheridan Falls Tribune. In their town of seven thousand people, Aaron Burke was a local hero. Even him buying a new car made the paper.
Melissa had fallen for him before he’d ever become successful, though he had always been legendary. He was the son of Cyrus Burke, a local celebrity who’d had a long and celebrated career in the NFL. Not that Melissa knew anything about Cyrus’s personal life, but every time she’d seen him in town with his wife, Cynthia, he seemed like a man in love. Always holding her hand. Opening doors for her. Gazing at her fondly, as though there was no woman more beautiful in the world.
There’d never been a hint of scandal about Cyrus’s fidelity, something Melissa had reflected on after she and Aaron had become an item. She’d figured like father, like son, and had assumed that if Aaron became successful as a soccer player, he would be like his father. Instead, he’d proceeded to behave exactly like the majority of highly paid professional athletes out there—parties, women, a string of broken hearts.
Melissa had read all about it in the tabloids. Seen pictures of him on yachts in the Mediterranean with other soccer players and a horde of bikini-clad women. She’d seen how female sports reporters would look up at him with the same googly eyes she’d witnessed on the women from Sheridan Falls. It had been hard for Melissa to stomach.
And then Aaron had married Ella in some big event in Sheridan Falls, and Melissa had stopped paying attention to what Aaron did with his life. She’d spent too much time over the years thinking about him as it was, and if he could marry the one person who’d made her life hell in high school, he didn’t deserve a second thought.
“Enough of this nonsense,” she said to herself. Vowing to forget about Aaron, she turned up the music on the radio and bopped her head to an upbeat tune. Her eyes ventured to the lake as she crossed the city limits into Sheridan Falls. That was the lake on which she’d spent her last summer of high school as a counselor.
The summer she had fallen in love with Aaron Burke.
“Oh, for goodness’ sake,” she all but yelled. “Stop thinking about Aaron! He’s ancient history.”
Suddenly, it hit her what the real issue was. She didn’t want to see him with Ella, who she knew would rub in the fact that she had snagged a Burke brother. Having to stomach Ella gloating over her coveted prize would be more than Melissa could bear. In high school, Ella had lived to steal other women’s men, as though it were a competitive sport. If only Aaron had ended up with anyone but her. Ella, who’d never suffered from self-esteem issues to begin with, must have an ego as large as the state of Texas now.
Dealing with Ella’s gloating would be bearable if Melissa were heading home with a hot man on her arm. But sadly, she was single. Her relationships over the years had all died before any real promise of a happily-ever-after. Her most recent relationship had started off with hope, in part because of the fact that Christopher worked in the social work field, as did she. But hope had faded as quickly as the initial spark, and the relationship had ended without so much as a fizzle.
“You don’t need to return home with a man,” Melissa said. “All you have to do is ignore Aaron. Pretend like he doesn’t exist.”
Because he didn’t. He hadn’t existed in her life for over a decade, and that wasn’t about to change just because of the wedding.
Chapter 2
A slow smile spread on Melissa’s lips as she pulled into the driveway of her parents’ home, the house in which she had been born and raised. Gone were all thoughts of Aaron as she saw her mother sitting on the porch swing. As Melissa exited her navy Chevrolet Malibu, her mother got to her feet, her eyes lighting up with excitement.
“Melissa!” her mother exclaimed. “Ooh, come here, child.”
Melissa quickly closed the car door and rushed up the porch steps. Her mother’s arms were already spread wide, and Melissa threw herself into her embrace. Her mom hugged her long and hard against her large bosom. Instantly, Melissa felt a sense of comfort, the same way she always had as a little girl when her mother had wrapped her in her arms.
The weekend was going to be okay. Why had she been worrying herself silly?
“My baby.” Her mother broke the hug, leaned backward to check her out and took both of Melissa’s hands in hers. “Looks like you could use some good home cooking. You’re getting a little thin.”
Her mother had grown up in the South, and practically everything she made had a stick of butter or lard in it. It was a diet Melissa tried to steer clear of, for the most part. “I’ve been working out.”
“I’ll get some meat back on your bones,” her mother promised. Then she said, “It has been way too long since you’ve been home. It’s like you’ve forgotten your father and me now that you’re living in the big city.”
“You know I could never forget about you and Dad,” Melissa said. She squeezed her mother’s hands affectionately, then released them. “I meant to come back after Christmas, but I’ve been so busy with work.”
“Some days I wonder about that job of yours.”
“I love it,” Melissa said quickly, walking into the house. “Even the crazy hours and the emergencies.” Being the program coordinator at a group home in Newark was deeply rewarding. Melissa made an impact in the lives of troubled youth, helping the kids get back on track.
“I know your job is important. But I don’t like that you have to devote so much time to it. All work and no play, you’ll never find a nice man.”
Melissa offered her mother a small smile, though what she wanted to do was roll her eyes. Her mother would never be fully happy until Melissa had been married off.
Though her mom should know by now that marriage didn’t mean happiness. Her sister, Arlene, had just endured a nasty divorce. Her parents had viewed Craig as the son they’d never had, only to be devastated when he’d turned his back on not only Arlene, but also on them. He’d cheated with his secretary, then had the nerve to be unapologetic about his actions. The ensuing scandal had caused much embarrassment for Arlene and the family.
“Where’s Dad?”
“He’s lying down,” her mother said, and now she was the one to roll her eyes. “The crazy fool tired himself out retiling the basement bathroom. I told him to hire someone, but no, he swore he could do it himself. I think he threw his back out, but he’ll never admit it.”
Oh, yes. Melissa was home, all right. Her parents always bickered, sometimes from sunup until sundown, but despite their small disagreements, their deep love was never in doubt.
“I’m about ready to tell him that if he doesn’t call in a professional, I’m leaving him. This time I mean it.”
Melissa chortled. “Mom, you know you’re not going anywhere. You always threaten to leave, but you never will. And you know why? Because you and Dad would be lost without each other.”
Melissa crossed through the living room en route to her parents’ bedroom. She found her father lying in bed, his eyes closed, but when he heard her, he opened them and immediately smiled.
“Melissa,” he said warmly, starting to sit up.
Melissa hurried over to him. “No, Dad. Don’t get up. Mom said you threw your back out.”
Her father made a face and waved a dismissive hand. “I’m fine. Ripping out tile is hard work. I just needed a little nap, is all.”
“You didn’t pull your back out?”
“Of course not,” he scoffed, his tone saying the idea was ridiculous. But he winced after speaking the words.
Melissa leaned down and hugged her father, then sat on the edge of the bed. “It’s good to see you, Dad.”
“It’s always good to see my favorite daughter.”
“And what do you say to Arlene?” Melissa asked, raising an eyebrow in a feigned gesture of seriousness.
“That she’s my favorite, too. A father is allowed to have two favorites.”
“Only two?” Melissa asked.
“Two favorite children. And numerous favorite grandchildren.”
“Hmm, that’s convenient,” Melissa said. Then she grinned down at her dad. “I love you.” She got up off the bed. “You need anything?”
“I’d tell you to get me a beer, but your mother is watching me like a hawk. She thinks if I cut down on beer, my belly will disappear.”
“How about water?” Melissa suggested.
“How about a new wife?” her father shot back.
“Sure. Should I go into town and pick one up for you? Bringing her home could be tough, though. It could get ugly with Mom.”
“I’ll have some water,” her father said grudgingly.
Melissa smirked, then exited the bedroom. She heard her cell phone ringing and quickly ran to the front of the house, where she’d dropped her purse. Seconds later, she had her phone in her hand and saw her sister’s smiling face flashing on the screen.
“Hey, sis,” Melissa greeted her.
“You here?” Arlene asked without preamble. “In Sheridan Falls?”
“Yep. Just got to Mom and Dad’s.”
“Great. We need you here ASAP.”
A loud wail sounded in the background. “Where are you?” Melissa asked. “And what is going on?”
“We’re at the bridal shop,” Arlene told her. “Tasha is having a meltdown. She’s worried your dress won’t fit, and there’s only a short time left for alterations. Tasha’s maid of honor put on ten pounds and her dress has to be altered.”
“I’m sure my dress will be fine,” Melissa said. “I sent in my exact measurements for every part of my body, and my weight hasn’t changed. I might have lost a couple of pounds, actually.”
“Yeah, well, nothing’s going to appease Tasha unless she sees it with her own eyes. How quickly can you get here?”
“I’m on my way.”
* * *
Melissa arrived at the upscale bridal shop twelve minutes later and found the bridal party in the back. Tasha was slumped in a velour armchair, two of her bridesmaids on either side of her. Maxine, Tasha’s older sister, stood to her right and held Tasha’s hand. The friend who must be Tasha’s maid of honor was on her knees beside the chaise. She was also holding Tasha’s hand and worrying her bottom lip.
“How can you tell me everything will be all right, Maxine?” Tasha demanded. “Bonnie’s dress doesn’t fit. And she’s my maid of honor. She has to look amazing.”
Tasha shot a glance at the woman on her knees. Yes, she was definitely Bonnie. “It’s only the zipper,” Bonnie said. Her plump face lit up with a reassuring smile. “Enid already said that can be fixed. Plus, I’ll eat only salad for the next two days.”
“But what about Melissa?” Tasha countered. “What if her dress doesn’t fi—”
Tasha’s words died on her lips as her eyes ventured beyond the women trying to console her and landed on Melissa. Tasha immediately eased up in the chair. “Melissa?”
“Hey, you.” Melissa beamed as she moved toward her cousin. The moment Tasha got to her feet, Melissa took her in her arms.
“You’re here,” Tasha said, then burst into tears.
“Hey,” Melissa said softly, easing back and taking Tasha’s hands in hers. “What’s this all about?”
“I just want everything to be perfect, and if your dress doesn’t fit...maybe they won’t get all the alterations done in time.”
“It’ll fit,” Melissa assured her.
The attendant, a red-haired woman with a worried expression on her face, whom Melissa had briefly noticed as she entered she shop, tentatively approached the group. “I’m Enid.” She looked Melissa directly in the eye. “I take it you’re Melissa.”
“Yes.”
“Oh, thank God.” The woman’s shoulders slumped with relief.
Melissa fully turned to face the woman, asking, “Where’s my dress?”
“It’s hanging in dressing room number four.” Enid pointed toward the door. “You can try it on any time you’re ready.” Then she leaned close to Melissa and whispered, “But sooner would be better.”
“Got it,” Melissa said, facing her cousin and giving her a bright smile. “Everything’s going to be okay. Don’t you worry.”
Tasha nodded, but her glum expression said she didn’t believe Melissa’s mollifying words.
Melissa greeted the other women with smiles and hellos, then briefly hugged her sister before heading into the dressing room. The bridesmaid dress was hanging on the back of the door. Melissa’s eyes widened as she checked it out. It looked even more beautiful in person than it had in photos. The lavender dress was a floor-length, one-shoulder stunner. The charmeuse fabric was soft and shimmery. The bodice of the dress was covered with a layer of lace, and a ribbon of satin surrounded the dress’s waist.
A lump of emotion suddenly formed in Melissa’s throat. She’d always thought that by thirty, she would either be married or on her way to being married. Yet here she was, single with no prospects, while her twenty-seven-year-old cousin had found the love of her life.
Melissa disrobed and put the dress on. It was meant to be fitted from the waist up and flowed elegantly from the waist down. There was a slit in the dress that came to midthigh.
“Do you need any help?” the attendant asked.
Melissa opened the door. “If you could zip me up...”
The attendant eased forward and zipped the dress at the back, then Melissa fully exited the dressing room and moved to stand in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirror. The rest of the bridesmaids gathered around her. Through the mirror, Melissa could see their eyes lighting up. That was when she fully took note of her outfit, giving it a slow gaze from the top of the one shoulder, along the lace-covered bodice that somehow managed to make her breasts look more shapely, and down to the length of the flowing skirt. A smile spread on her face. It fit her perfectly. And she looked beautiful.
Tasha came up behind her, and her eyes filled with fresh tears. She had already cried a lot, given how puffy and red her eyes were. But at least these tears were happy ones.
A bubble of laughter escaped Tasha’s throat. “It’s perfect. You look gorgeous. Just stunning.”
“I told you not to worry,” Melissa said.
“You look so beautiful.”
Melissa turned and faced her cousin, the gown swooshing around her bare feet. “But not nearly as beautiful as you’ll be. The picture you sent me of you in your dress...you’re going to knock Ryan off his feet.”
“You think so?” Tasha asked, a hitch in her voice.
“I know so.” Melissa reached out and tucked a strand of her cousin’s curly hair behind her ear. “How could you not?”
Tasha beamed. “Everything’s going to be fine, isn’t it?”
“Of course it is,” Melissa said. “Why wouldn’t it be? You’re marrying the love of your life, and he absolutely adores you. Everything is going to be perfect.”
Tasha wiped at her eyes. “You’re right.” Then she glanced at the rest of the bridal party. “I’m sorry I’ve been such an emotional mess.”
Maxine looped an arm through her sister’s. “You’ve just got the prewedding jitters. It’s perfectly normal.”
“But Bonnie’s dress—” Tasha said.
“Will be fine,” Enid said, stepping forward. “There’s enough room to let the dress out at the sides so that it zips up. I’ll be working as long as necessary to make sure that everything is just right.”
Tasha inhaled and exhaled deeply. “You’ve been so good to me, Enid. Working overtime to make sure that all is perfect.”
“I’m happy that you gave our boutique the opportunity,” Enid said, smiling. “A big wedding like yours... I thought for sure you’d find a boutique in Buffalo or New York City.”
“Never,” Tasha said. “You and I go way back. Fourth grade. Of course I’d give you the business.” She squeezed Enid’s hands, then glanced at her wristwatch. “Ooh, we only have a couple of hours before the welcome dinner. We should really get out of here so we can get ready.”
Melissa glanced at Enid, seeing relief wash over her face. “The alterations will be started immediately,” she said in an effort to allay any possible concerns that Tasha might have.