Simone Devereaux has inherited an estate on the Northern California coast after her Aunt Celeste meets with a sudden, mysterious death. The hot neighbor, Trent Grayson, insists Celeste was murdered, and wants to be more than the man-next-door.
When clients arrive to pose for their nude portraits over the weekend, Simone realizes she's inherited more than an estate. Two randy poltergeists enter her dreams for a lusty menage, and a budding serial killer threatens her sanity.
Now her Wiccan mother and gypsy father are coming for a visit, just in time to watch Simone lose her heart . . . and possibly her life.
Excerpt:Simone appreciated that Cavendish had the cleaning staff empty the closet and chest of drawers. Having those items stored away in the basement gave her the chance to go through Celeste's things later. The task would be too hard until she finished moving in and made the house her home.
She turned off the light and came out of the room quickly, right into the arms of a tall, muscular man. Shocked, she pushed against tight abs and strong arms, which seemed determined to keep her imprisoned.
"Let go!" Her heart pounded from an injection of adrenaline.
The stranger relaxed his hold and tilted her back from him.
Green eyes framed by dark lashes stared down at her with a curious expression and the twinkle of a smile. Simone roughly pulled away and stumbled back in fear.
"What the hell are you doing in here?" Her voice projected anger as she edged to the side, hoping to make a run for the bedroom door.
The ruggedly handsome intruder stepped agilely to the side to let her pass. "Sorry, I knocked and called out, then heard noise upstairs." He put his hand out in greeting. "I'm Trent Grayson, and I'd say you're family of Celeste's?"
His smile and easy charm seemed harmless enough, if she didn't count his impressive physical attributes. He had to be six-two easy.
"Yes, I'm Simone Devereux, Celeste's niece; I'm moving in today."
Her hands fisted, and she tried not to be lulled into believing the man could be safe, just because he looked gorgeous. Simone watched his eyes widen, as if her words had leveled a great blow.
"Ah, you've inherited Celeste's estate." A long pause filled the air, as he raked long fingers through his dark-brown hair and his green–eyed gaze settled on the birthmark above her breast. "Welcome to O'Malley's Cove, Simone. You know you really resemble your aunt—if I hadn't attended the funeral, you would have given me a hell of a shock." He grinned at her nod. "I'm your neighbor to the south along the coast. I'm about a mile from here; our estates share a border."
Simone relaxed a little. His description sounded strange; he made her feel like the mistress of the manor. She could get used to that.
"Thank you for stopping by and making sure nothing had been stolen, or worse. I should probably get a security system once I'm settled."
Trent's gaze moved over her body, assessing and scrutinizing her from nose to toes. Simone used her fingers to test if she had mustard on her mouth from the fast food on the road.
"Actually, you have a security system; I put the alarm in myself." His eyes narrowed, and he waited for her to respond to his claim.
"That's great—maybe you can show me how to use it then."
The muscles in Trent's jaw relaxed, and his smile warmed. The human gesture transformed him from a man on alert to a sexy neighbor. He would be worth picking at the corners, to peel away the layers of the man and see what lay beneath.
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