Courting Innocence
KIMBERLY DEAN
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Mischief
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers
1 London Bridge Street
London, SE1 9GF
An eBook Original 2015
1
Copyright © Kimberly Dean 2015
Kimberly Dean asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
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Ebook Edition © 2015 ISBN: 9780008148768
Version: 2015–06–09
Contents
October 23, 7.00 a.m., 55 degrees.
It was going to be a beautiful autumn day, even if she wasn’t getting married.
Erin blew out a breath that beat across her lips. She eyed her bedroom door. The forecast predicted sunshine and moderate temperatures. The leaves on the trees outside would be blazing with colour. Now, she just had to face it.
‘Eye of the tiger.’
She’d been dreading this day for a month – ever since the whole thing had been called off. Once she had powered through the next 24 hours, she could finally move on. To what, she had no clue, but she was bound and determined to find out.
She was even excited about the possibilities.
Fluffing her damp hair, she headed for the kitchen. Quiet sounds met her ears the moment she stepped out into the hallway. Jason and Sienna must already be up. Her roommate and her boyfriend had spent the night here, and Erin knew why. They hadn’t wanted her to be alone.
She sighed. She was so tired of people tiptoeing around her. Maybe that would end after today, too.
She turned into the kitchen with a ‘good morning’ on her lips.
All she got out was a ‘guhhhh’.
Her eyes sprang open in surprise. No wonder she’d heard only soft sounds and no talking. Her friends’ mouths were currently involved in something infinitely more pleasurable.
Heat streaked through Erin unexpectedly. That was one more thing that wouldn’t be happening today.
Her wedding night.
Her toes curled in embarrassment, but she couldn’t stop watching. Jason had Sienna trapped against the kitchen counter. The kiss they were sharing was hot, with Sienna arching back until her head nearly bumped against the cabinets. Jason had his hand shoved under the tank top of her pyjamas and was playing with her breast intimately. Sienna wasn’t being shy either. She had one hand in Jason’s hair and another wrapped around…
‘Oh, my,’ Erin squeaked.
The two sprang apart as if she’d just pulled a fire alarm.
‘Erin!’
‘Shit!’