CEO Jack Harvey wants to put his scandalous past behind him, but that means facing the shareholders from his tourism company, and showing them that he’s a new man—more focused, ready to increase profits and certainly not the guy whose nudes were all over the media thanks to a former employee. Now, his sister steps in and hires an assistant to help get him where he’s needed—and sleeping with the sexy new hire is certainly not it…

Billie Jones embarks on a work opportunity in Australia ready to a get new lease on life. She wants to have new experiences, travel and learn… and thanks to jet lag and too much booze, she ends up getting to know her hot boss too well, too soon. She didn’t count on an unexpected pregnancy, or all the feelings she’s developing toward Jack. They come up with a foolproof plan to keep their hands to themselves, and return to employee/boss zone, but the scorching passion burning between them has no expiration date.

Jack Harvey is returning as CEO of Downunder Adventures after a scandal involving him and his now ex. All of the dirt provided to the tabloids had come from his former personal assistant. Now his sister Amy is insisting he needs a new personal assistant and has gone a bit overboard finding one.

Billie Jones formerly of Texas and currently living in New York City is more than a little excited. Traveling to Australia with a contract for a year. She would be a personal assistant to someone, she just didn’t know who yet. Amy Lancaster had arranged all the details including a place to stay. Billie expected Amy to pick her up at the airport, instead she’s met by Jack, Amy’s brother and her new boss.

She is to share a duplex with her boss, she assumed that was Amy. There was no way she could explain to her nosey cousins she was staying with a very tempting, sexy man who is her new boss. That was a funny conversation, one that Jack overheard.

This is a favorite scene.

Billie finished the call and tossed her phone to the side. She stretched out of the bed, hyping herself up to not fall asleep yet. It was about seven o’clock, and she didn’t want to go to sleep then wake up at four am, full of energy. Tonight, especially, she needed a good night’s rest.

She strolled out of her room, and walked into the living area. The view from the French doors arrested her again, and she nearly stopped in her tracks. Would she ever get used to this? Not that she’d be here long enough to find out. One year and she’d go back to New York. Hopefully a much more rounded woman, with a beefed-up resume and the wits to take on the world.

“Hungry?” said a sexy Aussie voice behind her.

She circled to face her boss, wearing a pair of denim jeans and a black shirt. God, he was handsome. She’d tried not to stare at him too much, and every time her gaze swung to his arm’s tattoo sleeve, she made a conscious effort not to try to make out each one of them. It was a long colorful swirl, and somehow it all blended nicely. She slapped herself mentally, wishing she’d done soon a second or two sooner, and shook her head, blinking herself from that foggy cloud of sexual awareness.

“I grabbed some sandwiches earlier,” he said. “While you were asleep.”

A wave of embarrassment surged through her. “Shouldn’t that be my job? Running errands and making life smooth for you?”

“It will be—tomorrow. For now, you’re just a guest in my house. Helping out an old, sickly man with a suspicious mole.”

Jack bit back a smile. He shouldn’t have exposed her like that. Though watching a lovely shade of pink spread across her freckled cheeks gave him an odd sense of joy. She was something else, this Billie.

“Oh…” she licked her lips. “I’m so sorry. Shit,” she said, then clapped her mouth. She shifted her weight from one foot to another. “I didn’t mean to—”

He lifted his hand to keep her from worrying. “Hey, it’s fine.”

“Wait a moment… how do you know what I said?”

“I meant to knock on your door to let you know I got sandwiches. Just in case you were hungry. Then, I heard you.” In his defense, she wasn’t a low voice. Though he had no idea why she’d lied to whoever she was talking to. Could it have been a jealous boyfriend? He didn’t hear the other voice, making it hard for him to figure out. What kind of secrets was she hiding? Fuck. Me. Dead.

Of course she could have a boyfriend. She should. After all, she was exquisite—in a natural, fresh faced kind of way. Wavy auburn hair framed her pretty face, and most times her smile reached her luminous green eyes. And the freckles…

He wondered if they also peppered her shoulders.

Arousal hit him in the gut, and he prayed it wouldn’t slide lower. Recognizing she was sexy was one thing, but acting on it, something else entirely.

“Oh… I tend to be a loud phone talker.”

“I’ll remember that when I tell you my deepest secrets.”

“Yes, you might not. I also suck at keeping secrets, in general.”

Quality personal assistant, he told himself inwardly. He wondered about making a joke about it, though it was probably too soon. They barely knew each other, and she was visibly nervous after he verbally accosted her.

“Why don’t you have a seat?” He pointed at the dining table. “I’ll go grab the sandwiches.”

He scurried to the kitchen, and snatched the bag with the sandwiches he’d purchased. His was a meatball sub, but he brought her a couple of different options.

A twinge of guilt stabbed at him. He could have done more than give her food and shown her around, but he didn’t want to complicate things. They already lived in the same place and she worked for him. Friendship would be a stretch.

Though he had to feed her. Until she was driving around and more independent.

He grabbed a couple of bottles of water, and when he opened the fridge, a bottle of wine caught his attention.

No. Probably best to keep this alcohol free, just so they wouldn’t get anything misinterpreted. Especially him. He needed more help than she did, probably.
Carmen Falcone. Suddenly Pregnant (Kindle Locations 224-260). Kindle Edition.

Things heat up quickly between these two and of course there will be consequences. Jack has made a big promise to the board of directors, and he can’t fail. The results of failure would be catastrophic to the business.

There’s an interesting twist that has Billie returning to Texas and facing some very important decisions of her own.

This is a fun and sizzling read with just a touch of drama.

5 Contented Purrs for Carmen.

Carmen Falcone

Carmen Falcone learned at an early age that fantasizing about fictional characters beat doing math homework any day. Brazilian by birth and traveler by nature, she moved to Central Texas after college and met her broody Swiss husband–living proof that opposites attract.

She found in writing her deepest passion and the best excuse to avoid the healthy lifestyle everyone keeps talking about. When she’s not lost in the world of romance, she enjoys spending time with her two kids, being walked by her three crazy pugs, reading, catching up with friends, and chatting with random people in the checkout line.

She loves to procrastinate, so please indulge her and drop her a line. For more info, visit her website.