Seductive nights, p.1
Seductive Nights, page 1
part #1 of Servicemen of Blossom Springs Series
Seductive Nights
A steamy, small-town romantic suspense
Servicemen of Blossom Springs
PJ Fiala
Contents
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
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Epilogue
Bonus Epilogue
Also By PJ Fiala
MEET PJ
To the lovely women of my reader group, PJ Fiala’s Road Queens, who help me out with names of characters, places, and businesses, thank you. I appreciate and adore you.
Characters
Debbie Bonsteel - Logan (Margo Price's husband)
Amy Burkhart - Anthony (Sailboat Captain)
Sharon R. Cowan - Josseline (Margo Price's youngest sister)
Marlene Davis - Addison (Margo's assistant)
Belinda Jackson Hercule - Lorraine (Thrift Store Owner) and
Nathan (Logan's Lure customer)
Nancy Hoch - Jose (server at the Sandbar)
Carol Jones Karason - Marco Karason (Chef at the Sandbar)
Gayle Lazur - Crystal (Quinn's Assistant)
Karen Cranford LeBeau - Carley (Margo Price's older sister)
Elinda Moody - Krystal Jones (new server at the Sandbar)
Terra Oenning - Holly (Margo Price's younger sister)
Nicky Ortiz - Sheriff Elliott Ortiz (Miami Sheriff)
Julie Price - Margo Price (Book 3 Heroine)
Christa Stigler - Sierra Stigler (Logan Price's mistress)
Jo West - Jace Marriott (Book 3 Hero)
Dana Zamora - Gilbert Reese (Miami Sheriff's Deputy)
Debbie Zsidai - Mathias Zsidai (Miami Attorney)
Description
USAT author PJ Fiala, brings you steamy, small-town romantic suspense stories, where outside forces threaten to ruin the peace and tranquility Blossom Springs was built on.
He’s navigating his way through his PTSD and has found a way to thrive.
She’s learning to harness her rage before it destroys everything important to her.
Together they must channel their anger and distrust towards good.
Jace Marriott learned that owning his bar and keeping his mind busy are the secrets to preventing PTSD from ruining his life. Now that he’s found a sense of calm, outside forces threaten to steal it away from him.
Margo Price suffered an unimaginable loss, before being brought to her knees by an epic betrayal. Throwing herself into her real estate business is the only way she can move forward. Until she’s confronted by the one person who can destroy her new found peace of mind.
Jace and Margo meet and the attraction between them burns as bright and hot as a flame. Will they end up being burned, or will their Seductive Nights together be enough to combat the evil forces set out to destroy them.
***
USA Today bestselling author PJ Fiala brings you the Servicemen of Blossom Springs series—heroes willing to sacrifice everything in service to their country, and for the men and women they love. A novel with no cliffhanger, no cheating, and a happily-ever-after guaranteed.
1
Margo trudged into the hospital room where her husband, of twenty-three years, lay dying. She rotated her head, then tried rotating her shoulders, but they were stiff. She'd been in this damned hospital for nearly a week. Ever since Logan finally stopped being stubborn and went to see his doctor.
She vacillated between being pissed at Logan and being sad. She knew he'd been sick for a while, yet he refused to go to the doctor. Wasn't that just a typical man? Finally, when his pain increased to a point he couldn't tolerate, and he couldn't keep food down, he relented and went in to see his doctor. Only to be told the worst news of all.
He was dying, and he had very little time to live. As a matter of fact, he was immediately admitted into the hospital, and that's where he'd been, and she'd been since. Tests were inconclusive at this point, and she shifted between worry, fear, and irritation that in this day and age, how could a test result be inconclusive? As of this morning, he was comatose, and she knew his death was imminent. She looked across the room at her sisters, the three of them tittering and tattering quietly, and all of them froze when she walked in. If she didn't know better, she'd think their looks were guilty.
"What are you three talking about? You've had your heads together for the last day and a half. You're getting on my nerves."
Her older sister, Carley, stepped forward. "We're sorry. We know you're stressed right now, and we're not trying to add to your stress. We're just trying to figure out some of the arrangements. Wondering if you're finally in the right mind to talk about that."
Margo let out a deep breath and turned her head to stare at her husband, Logan. He hadn't moved in hours. He was frail. The color of his skin was gray. She knew the end was near. She knew him well. Her entire adult life they'd been married. They'd started Price Real Estate Company more than fifteen years ago, and they'd made it a huge fucking success, and now she was going to have to run the whole thing herself. Not to mention all the things. The house. The business. And she didn't know how she'd do it without her partner in crime. They'd done everything together over the years. When they'd made a conscious decision not to have children, that decision was made based on their desire to travel. The real estate business offered them the life they'd dreamed of. Success offered them travel to exotic locations.
Carley put her arm around Margo’s shoulders and squeezed her. "Margo honey, can we at least talk about a few things with the service? And don't you think you should call your pastor and have him come in to give him last rites?"
Margo swallowed the dry, hard knot that just materialized in her throat at the thought of having to watch as her husband was given last rites.
Finally, she responded softly, "Yes, please call my pastor. And yes, we should make some arrangements. Nothing big and ostentatious. Friends and family. A small gathering in the church basement after the service. He would have wanted it that way. He was so private about so many things. I don't want to take that away from him at a time when his wishes should be honored the most."
Margo's youngest sister, Josseline, scoffed. Margo's eyes landed on hers. "Are you saying he wasn't private?"
Josseline's cheeks turned pink, her lips thinned, and her jaw tightened. "Oh, he was private, all right."
Margo raised her eyebrows. "And what does that mean?"
Her younger sister, the sister in between her and Josseline, Holly, nudged Josseline. Holly shrugged, "Nothing. It's just been a stressful time for all of us, and we just hate seeing you so sad."
Josseline nodded slowly, and Margo stared at her sisters one at a time. They'd been here for her. Gosh, they'd been her best friends her whole life. She didn't need outside friends. She had these women, and they were fantastic, fabulous, loving, beautiful, smart women. She had the immense pleasure of being related to them. That was a bonus not every person got in life.
Josseline excused herself. "I'll go call the pastor."
As she walked by, she grabbed Margo's hand and squeezed. "I love you, Margo."
"I love you too, Josseline."
Her sister moved past her and out the door.
Margo stepped to the side of Logan's bed and took his hand in hers. It was cooler than it had been earlier. The time was certainly near. That was a fact. Some chiming and pinging were heard from across the room, and her sister Carley said, "I'm sorry. I forgot to turn my phone off. I'll step outside and see who needs my attention, then turn it off. She moved quickly through the door before Margo could say anything to her. It was fine if she had her phone on. Their lives didn't stop because Logan's was about to, right?
Her shoulders slumped. How would she navigate all of this? Did she go on with her business and her life as if she'd never had Logan all these years? How did one do that?
A few moments later, a nurse entered the room. The first thing she did was touch Logan's forehead. She listened with her stethoscope to his breathing, which was so faint it was hard to hear. She typed something into her handheld computer, which looked like a bulky phone. When she finished, she glanced at Margo and smiled softly. "Is there anything you need, Margo?"
"No." She took a deep breath, "I mean, do you know how...? I mean," she watched Logan for a moment, afraid to say the next words.
She lowered her voice and whispered, "Do you know how much longer?"
The nurse shook her head slowly, her lips turned down in a frown. "I'm afraid we don't, but I can tell you it'll be imminent. I've just texted the doctor and asked him to come up here one last time."
A tear dripped down Margo's cheek and her siste
At that moment, Logan took a deep breath, and all Margo could do was stare.
2
Jace Marriott stood on Sunset Beach Road in front of his bar. He stared at the bar, then turned his head to the right and stared at the thrift shop next door. It was an older building made of cinder block, painted faded fuchsia, though that was peeling. It looked in need of repair, but he just found out it was going up for sale, and he wanted it. He wanted that old, dilapidated building torn down, and he wanted to expand Sarge's Sandbar. The bar he'd grown immeasurably over the last year. He wanted it to grow even further. Not so big that it would be a big giant bar with no personality. What he really wanted was to expand the inside a bit more, so he had more kitchen space. His food business was growing by leaps and bounds. He wanted the bar area to be expanded. And he'd just been informed the town council expected him to have a buffer of thirty feet all around his business as a noise barrier. He'd offered to plant trees around the area as a buffer. They said they'd take it under advisement. That meant he needed the thrift shop because, right now, he was encroaching on that buffer. He wasn't sure what he was going to do if he couldn't get the thrift shop and he couldn't plant trees. That was going to be his next big challenge.
He strode toward the front door as a truck approached. He turned to see his friend, Quinn, driving toward him. Quinn waved as he passed, then pulled into the parking area at the Sandbar and Jace hustled to meet him.
Quinn stepped out of his truck and chuckled. "What are you doing staring at the bar from the road? I almost hit you."
Jace shrugged. "I just found out that ugly old thrift shop is going up for sale and I want it."
Quinn nodded. "I was just coming to tell you that I heard that this morning when I was in the bakery. Hanna had a group of ladies, her Tuesday Ladies, as she calls them, in the bakery having a chat. They were talking about Lorraine, the owner of the Thrift Shop, moving out of town. Apparently, one of the women is friends with her. She did say she's a motivated seller."
Jace nodded. "Well, that's good to hear because I'm a motivated buyer. I'm going to need to buy that property. The town council just told me I don't have enough of a buffer between these two buildings, and I'm going to have to do something about that. Plus, I need to expand."
Quinn nodded as they walked into the bar. Quinn perched himself on a bar stool. Jace strode around behind the bar.
Quinn responded, "I heard Margo Price is listing the property from Price Realty. Do you know her?"
"I know of her. I've seen her around town here or there, and she's been here, but I don't really know her. Is that who helped you buy the barracks?"
Quinn chuckled, "One and the same. She's a very good real estate agent. I'm sure if you make a fair offer, she'll do what she can to help you buy the building."
"That's what I need. Perfect. I think I heard her husband was sick or something though, right?"
Quinn nodded. "Sounds that way. Sounds like he's not doing well. He hadn’t been feeling well for a while but refused to go to the doctor. She finally made him. Sounds like he hasn't come out of the hospital since then."
Jace shook his head. "Man, life is fragile, right?"
"That's a fact," Quinn responded.
Jace tapped the top of the bar. "Are you drinking something?"
Quinn looked at his watch. "Well, since it's only ten in the morning, I better stick to coffee. How about coffee?"
Jace shook his head. "I had to put a new coffee pot into the kitchen just for all the people coming in early in the day wanting coffee. Let me get it for you."
Jace hustled back to the kitchen, poured Quinn a cup of coffee, grabbed the creamer and sugar, and hustled back out to the bar. Setting the steaming drink in front of his friend, he asked, "How're the barracks coming anyway?"
Quinn poured creamer in his coffee and nodded. "It's coming along great. We've got the walls torn down in the first building. The architect was there yesterday. He's given us the go-ahead, and Jared's there right now getting the framing up. I'm on my way over there, but I just heard the news about the thrift shop and wanted to let you know."
"If I get this thrift shop and expand, I'm going to need to hire a couple more people, and maybe they'll be your first tenants."
Quinn nodded. "That would be good. Hopefully, I'll be ready in time. So, tell me your plan with the bar. I thought you didn't want it to be this big monstrosity of a business."
"I don't, but we're bumping into each other in the kitchen, and as you know, I was retrofitting things back there as our menu grew, but now we've outgrown the kitchen, so I need more space back there. And I'm going to need some new equipment. Also, with us having music now on weekends, our business is booming, so that's making the town council a little irritated. Apparently, one of the town council members lives close enough that, get this, he thinks he heard music the other night." Jace held the first two fingers of each hand up and bent the fingers, simulating air quotes. "He thinks he heard music."
Quinn laughed. "Oh my god. Well, I'm happy to go to the next town council meeting with you if you need someone who thinks they don't hear music. I'm not that far from here, and I think I know who you're referring to. I live closer than he does."
Jace laughed. "Well, I may take you up on that. We'll see."
Quinn sipped his coffee.
Jace stared out the window a moment. "Have you set a wedding date yet?"
Quinn's grin spread to a huge smile. "We have. That's the second reason I'm here. We'd like to follow in Sid and Grace's footsteps and get married here. Maybe we won't use the stage. Hanna would kind of like the water to be a backdrop. What do you think of that?"
"Well, I'm never gonna turn down business, so I think that sounds pretty fucking great."
"Good." Quinn laughed. "And I'd like you to be my best man."
Jace smiled. "I'm honored. What about Sid?"
"He's gonna be my best man, too. I'm gonna have two best men."
Jace laughed. "Boy, oh boy, you two. I think that sounds pretty great. I wouldn't want Sid to be left out at all. He's good people."
"That he is. Okay, so we're getting married at the end of the month, and we're gonna have it here."
"Excellent. So, are you here to make plans?"
Quinn started laughing and held his hands out in front of him. "Oh no, I wouldn't dare. I'm gonna let Hanna come in and talk to you about all that. I just told her I'd see if you had the date open here before we moved any further."
Jace grabbed his appointment book and flipped it to the end of the month. "What's the date?"
They looked over the book together. Quinn pointed to the last Thursday of the month.
"You want to get married on a Thursday?" Jace asked.
"Well, I believe you have live music here on Fridays and Saturdays, so yes, we're thinking Thursday."
"Okay, but a lot of people work during the day and aren't gonna be able to make it, so why don't you think about Sunday afternoon?"
Quinn's lips pursed a moment. "Okay, let me ask Hanna about Sunday afternoon. In the meantime, why don't you put those two days on your calendar, and I'll let you know when you can clear one of them?"
Jace chuckled. He marked Quinn and Hanna on both Thursday and Sunday and set his pencil down. "Okay, I'm going to call Margo Price's office and see about getting an offer made. Why don't you hop skip over to Margo Price's office and tell her that your good friend, Jace Marriott, is eager to make an offer on that thrift shop, in case she doesn't know who I am?”
Quinn laughed. "Oh, I think everybody knows who you are, but I'll absolutely do that for you. Let me just finish my coffee."
