sammy_saturday
~ But as he stepped toward the stairs, another flash of lightning lit up the room, followed immediately by a crack of thunder so loud it seemed to shake the foundation.
Jake stumbled in the dark, and his foot caught on the edge of the kitchen table. I heard him curse softly as he lost his balance, and before my right brain could stop me, I lunged forward to catch him.
My hands found his shoulders just as he reached out to steady himself, and his palms found my waist. The motion sent us both off balance, and we tumbled backward together.
My back hit the edge of the counter, and I found myself breathless as Jake's weight pressed against me.
Jake's chest rose and fell against mine, each breath sending heat spiraling through my body. One of his hands was still on my waist, his fingers digging into the fabric of my shirt while the other braced against the counter beside me.
"...Claire." His breath fanned my lips, hot as iron. ~
Claire Whitmore fled her toxic marriage for a quiet cottage by the sea, vowing never to let anyone control her life again.
Practical, wary, and fiercely independent, she's content with her freelance work, her massive orange tabby, and a dying lemon tree that mirrors her own slow recovery.
Until the day she rescues her neighbor's toddler heading straight for the ocean waves-ALONE.
Jake Morrison is a sleep-deprived single dad doing his best-and failing. When Claire marches over to scold him, she ends up helping childproof his house and takes a gig caring for little Emma.
What begins as a reluctant favor turns into small moments of joy. Jake's daughter loves coloring on the floor, park picnics, and sandcastles, moments that slowly chip away at Claire's walls.
As feelings deepen, so do the complications. A high-profile job offer in New York. A manipulative ex who wants her back. Financial threats to her beloved cottage. And the constant fear that opening her heart means losing herself once more.