One Secret Night, One Secret Baby. Charlene Sands

      

       Her entire body relaxed.

      Of course he’d give her a sisterly kiss on the cheek. She closed her eyes.

      His lips came down softly.

      On her mouth.

      Oh, she’d died and gone to heaven. His lips were warm and giving and soothing. She wrapped her arms around his neck and brazenly returned the kiss. Wow. It was all so new. And exciting. Dylan McKay was kissing her on Moonlight Beach at sunset, and she was fully in the moment this time. There were no gaps of memory from a fuzzy brain. There wasn’t anything but right now, this speck of time, and she relished the taste of him.

      But something still seemed slightly off with his kiss. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Was it just that she was fully aware, fully attuned to him right now?

      Dylan broke off the kiss first. “Thank you. I needed your company tonight, Emma.”

      What could she say? Was she foolish enough to think he remembered their night of passion and wanted more? No, that wasn’t it. Dylan needed comforting. At least she could give him that.

      Her secret was safe.

      â€œYou’re welcome, Dylan.”

      * * *

      One Secret Night, One Secret Baby is part of the series Moonlight Beach Bachelors: Three men living in paradise… and longing for more.

      One Secret Night,

       One Secret Baby

      Charlene Sands

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      CHARLENE SANDS is a USA TODAY bestselling author of more than thirty-five romance novels. Her books have been honored with a National Readers’ Choice Award, a CataRomance Reviewers’ Choice Award, and she’s a double recipient of the Booksellers’ Best Award.

      Charlene writes “hunky heroes with heart.” She knows a little something about true romance—she married her high school sweetheart! When not writing, Charlene enjoys sunny Pacific beaches, great coffee, reading books from her favorite authors and spending time with her family. You can find her on Facebook and Twitter. Charlene loves to hear from her readers! You can write her at PO Box 4883, West Hills, CA 91308, USA, or sign up for her newsletter for fun blogs and ongoing contests at www.charlenesands.com.

      Special thanks to my wonderful son-in-law,

       Zac Prange, who helped me with the on-set moviemaking details of this story. Your support and expertise really meant a great deal, keeping the story honest and authentic. With love to you, Nikki my fabulous daughter, and of course your two sweet princesses who brighten our lives every day, Everley and Lila.

      Contents

       Cover

       Introduction

       Title Page

       About the Author

       Dedication

One

Two

Three

       Four

       Five

       Six

       Seven

       Eight

       Nine

       Ten

       Extract

       Copyright

One

      She wasn’t a one-night stand sort of girl.

      Emma Rae Bloom was predictable, hardworking, ambitious and least of all, adventurous. Boring. She never did anything out of the ordinary. She was measured and sure and patient. Double boring. The one time she’d crushed that mold, breaking it to bits, was at her neighbor Eddie’s blowout bash at Havens on Sunset Boulevard in celebration of his thirtieth birthday last month. She’d partied hard, lost her inhibitions as well as her mind during the now infamous Los Angeles blackout and wound up in bed with her best friend’s brother, Hollywood heartthrob in the flesh, Dylan McKay.

      She’d had secret dibs on Brooke’s brother since the age of twelve. He was the older boy with sea-blue eyes and stubble on his face who’d treated her kindly and given her a measuring stick to compare all men against.

      There was no going back to reclaim their night together, although her memory of her time with Dylan was almost nonexistent. Just her luck, she had her first ever one-night stand with the hottest guy on earth and her mind had gone as foggy as a London winter day. Too many mango mojitos could do that, she’d been told.

      She stood at the port-side railing of Dylan’s yacht now. As he approached her, his head wrapped with gauze bandages, a haunted look on his face spoke of sadness and grief. It was a somber day, but beaming rays of sunshine and stunning marshmallow fluff clouds didn’t seem to know that. She pushed her sunglasses farther up her nose, grateful to hide her true emotions.

      Roy Benjamin was gone, killed in the freakish stunt accident on the set of Dylan’s Navy SEAL movie. The tragedy had rocked Hollywood insiders and made a big splash on the news, even eclipsing the story of how the lights went out in the city just the day before. It wasn’t just Roy’s death that had rocked the entertainment world and hit the headlines with a bang, but Dylan’s amnesia resulting from the same blast that had killed his friend.

      â€œHere, have a soda.” Brooke walked up beside her brother and offered Emma a glass. “You look like you could use one.”

      â€œThanks.” She accepted the benign drink. No more alcohol for her, thank you very much. “It’s a hard day for everyone.” She sipped her cola.

      Standing between her and Brooke, Dylan wrapped his arms around them. “I’m glad you both are here with me today.”

      Emma’s nerves squeezed tight. She hadn’t seen Dylan since the night of the blackout. The supportive arm around her shoulders shouldn’t elicit any of the sensations she was having. It shouldn’t. She sighed. His hand caressed her upper