More book worm than Barbie, Reese Shepard is completely caught off guard when the most beautiful man she has ever seen in her life steps in and pretends to be her boyfriend when some creep won’t leave her alone.

She assumes that it’s the last time that she’ll see the chivalrous stranger, but soon he is everywhere she is. And before she knows what’s happening, the two of them are spending all their free time together bonding over their love of the ocean, scary movies, and homemade cookies.

Reese knows that a guy like Brodie Larsen could have any woman he wants and that becomes even more apparent when she finds out that he’s a pro hockey player that’s worth millions of dollars. So to save herself the potential heartbreak she places him firmly in the friend zone.

If only he’d stay there.

The infuriating man starts pushing for more, lots more, and the worst part is she wants to give it all to him including her heart.

Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.

Excerpt: Brodie

With my sunglasses on, I watch the cute little brunette I clocked when I came out to hang by the pool get up from her lounger next to mine. I didn’t notice her because she’s the most stunning woman out here—not that she’s not beautiful. She is. I noticed her because she was reading a book with a strange-looking fish on the cover, unlike the twelve I’d seen with flowers and a few with couples or single men. I also noticed her because she’s the only woman under the age of forty not wearing a bikini. After placing her book on her chair, she adjusts her swimsuit, which looks like something Pamela Anderson wore during the height of Baywatch. Biting her bottom lip, she looks around and then peers at her stuff. I can almost hear her silently debating with herself, wondering if she should leave her things. This pool and the connected bar are private to the building, but that doesn’t mean everyone here lives here full time. People rent out their homes or have family who use the facilities. She likely knows that.

“I’ll watch them.” Startled, her sunglass-covered gaze flies to mine. “If you want to go to the bar or restroom, I’m here and will watch your stuff while you’re gone.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I got you.”

“Thanks. I’ll be right back.” She starts to walk off but stops and spins back to face me, jerking her thumb over her shoulder. “Do you want a water or something?”

“I’m good.” I smile, caught off guard by the offer.

With a nod, she walks toward the bar at the edge of the pool. I watch her noticing a group of guys who have been drinking since I arrived an hour ago—and probably long before that—take notice of her. Three in the group start egging one of them on while pointing in her direction. I can’t hear what they’re saying, but they’re obviously trying to get their friend to go over and talk to her. Not that it looks like he needs the encouragement.

With a cocky smirk, he gets out of the pool with his friends, laughing and acting like a bunch of drunk idiots, then starts his approach after a douchey grin over his shoulder to the guys.

My gaze goes to where she is now standing at the bar. The moment he’s close to her, he reaches for her, placing his hand on her lower back. Jumping in surprise, she looks up at him and then takes a step away, dislodging his touch. When he says something, she shakes her head with a polite smile. He must say something else because she shakes her head again. With a frown, he glances toward his friends, shouting from the pool, then grins and closes the space between them once more. She takes a step back when he reaches out to touch her arm.

Annoyed because it’s obvious she doesn’t want his attention, and he’s not backing down, I set aside my cell and get up. The closer I get, the clearer I hear him trying to coerce her into letting him buy her a drink. With her sunglasses now on the top of her head, I can see that she is starting to panic because he’s not giving up.

I walk up to her and get in her space, shoving my sunglasses up, too. “Hey, baby.” I look down at her, wrapping my arm around her waist and ignoring the shock etched into her pretty features. Jesus, she’s cute. And without her sunglasses, I can see that her eyes are an unusual brown with gold near the center. “Did you already order your drink?”

“Umm,” she whispers, looking adorably confused.

I can’t help but grin. “I changed my mind about the water.”

“Hey, man.”

My smile slides away as I turn my head, leveling my gaze on the guy behind me. He visibly swallows. “Can I help you?”

“I…” He blinks, and then his brows come together like he’s trying to figure something out.

If he wasn’t wasted, he might say he recognizes me. But in the state he’s in, and with the stench of alcohol coming off him, I doubt he’d recognize his own mother if she was standing right in front of him.

I don’t pull my gaze off his as I order. “Get our drinks, babe, so we can get back to our chairs.”

She steps away from me, sliding out of my hold, and I listen to her order two bottles of water.

The guy glances back at his friends, who are now watching the two of us. Then his eyes meet mine. “Do I know you?”

“I doubt it.”

He shakes his head like the action will clear some of the fog. “You look familiar.”

“Yeah, I get that a lot.” I turn my back on him and get in her space again. Once she has the two bottles of water, I walk her back around the pool to our loungers, hovering my hand over her lower back but not touching her.

“You okay?” I ask softly when we reach our chairs. She lets out a long breath.

“Yeah.” She glances at the guys in the pool, their friend back with them now. All of them are watching us. “Thanks for saving me,” she whispers.

“Anytime.”