Setting Off Sparks
A Jupiter Point Novel by Jennifer Bernard Publication Date: June 13, 2017 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, RomanceUSA Today bestselling author Jennifer Bernard returns to the town readers are falling in love with… In one fiery moment, Finn Abrams went from cocksure firefighter to scarred survivor. Now all he wants is to put his life together again, get back on a hotshot crew, and figure out exactly what happened to him during the Big Canyon burnover. He never expected to be knocked off his feet by a gorgeous, no-nonsense stranger to Jupiter Point—the one woman who seems completely immune to his famous charm. Coolly practical, Lisa Peretti knows she won’t be in Jupiter Point for long. As an ER nurse in Houston, she helped a friend escape a dangerous situation. Now she’s hiding out in the little town, determined to keep a low profile. The last thing she needs is attention, especially in the form of the tabloid-starring, actress-dating, too-sexy-for-his-own-good Finn Abrams. Still, Lisa can’t resist someone who needs her help. As long as she can keep her distance, working with the local hero as he recovers from his burns should be no problem, right? Wrong. When danger follows Lisa to Jupiter Point, she’s startled to find Finn ready, willing, and more than able to come to her rescue. Add to that a meddling movie crew, some kindhearted locals, and her own unruly heart, and Lisa quickly loses any shot at keeping her feelings under cover. Fire season in Jupiter Point is always smokin’ hot…but this time it’s going to be Setting Off Sparks.
Excerpt:
“So, do you come
here often?” He winced as soon as he asked the clichéd question. “Don’t answer
that. What I mean is, I think I saw a picture of you on that corkboard.”
He waved in the direction of the lookout tower kitchenette where she’d cooked her meals last summer.
She nodded, making a mental note to confiscate
that photo as soon as possible. She hadn’t known it was there.
“So, I figure you’ve been here before. Not that
I’m stalking you or anything. I didn’t know you’d be here. I mean, I kind of
hoped you would be.” He clawed one hand through his dark hair, leaving it
romantically tousled. With a pained—but charming—smile, he finished with, “I’m
making a mess out of this, aren’t I?”
She wrinkled her forehead, still not really
getting it. “A mess of what, exactly?”
“Let me try again. I hiked out here a couple
months ago with some friends. I saw that photo, which I now know is you, and I
thought, ‘I hope I meet that woman someday.’ And here you are. Sounds like destiny
to me.”
“Destiny?” She finished her cheese and wiped
her fingers on a napkin. “Sorry, I’m not much of a believer. I put destiny in
the same category as cheesy pick-up lines.”
“Are you a magician?”
“Excuse me?”
“Every time I look at you, everyone else
disappears.” He looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to smile.
She narrowed her eyes at him instead. “That’s
the cheesiest line I’ve ever heard. It’s actually an insult to cheese.”
He laughed. “Did you read Dr. Seuss as a kid?”
“What?”
“Because green eggs and damn.” He shoved his hands in his pockets, raking her with an
exaggerated, appreciative survey.
Finally, she laughed. It was an involuntary,
incredulous laugh, but still. “Okay, you got me. That is the worst
pick-up line I’ve ever heard.”
“Oh, I’ve got more. I have an extensive
collection.”
Honestly, she was surprised he needed pick-up
lines. A guy like him, with his looks and charm, could probably pick up a woman
with half a wink of one eye. “Strange thing to collect.”
“Yes, well, I grew up in LA.” He gave her that
flashing, groove-in-the-cheek smile again. “Misspent youth on Sunset Boulevard.
How about you? Where are you from? I’m Finn Abrams, by the way.”
“Well, Finn, I don’t think we’ve reached the
sharing-life-stories phase, sorry.”
“I think I heard a ‘yet’ in there. We’re not at
that phase yet. But I know a good way to get there. So how about we back
up and start again. Will you have dinner with me, mystery tower woman?”
She shook her head, bewildered by how quickly
the conversation had morphed so it felt like she actually knew this stranger.
Like she wanted to know him. Wanted to know how he’d gotten the scars,
why pain still lurked behind his eyes. How he could still be so charming,
despite such a recent—to her expert eye—trauma.
But she had to stay cautious. And she didn’t go
for the charming type anyway.
“We’re in a tower in the middle of the
wilderness. What exactly did you have in mind?”
“Leave it to me. We’ll gorge on cheese and
crackers and drink champagne under the stars.”
Everything about him was so warm, so inviting,
so enticing.
So not happening. “It’s January.”
He cocked his head at her. “Do you believe in
love at first sight?”
She gaped at him.
“Because I can walk by again.” Mischief
glittered in his dark eyes.
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