J.T. Marie

When Tara receives a wedding invitation from a cousin she hasn't seen in years, she knows it's nothing more than a bid for a gift or money. But Amanda lives in Wildwood, New Jersey, where Tara used to spend her summers as a child, and a much-needed vacation down the shore sounds like the perfect way to finish off a hectic summer.<br><br>Every hotel in the tourist trap is booked, though, so Tara's Aunt Marlene invites her to stay with them the week of the wedding. But Wildwood isn't quite the island paradise she remembers from her youth, and both her relatives would rather get drunk than have fun on the boardwalk. Plus Marlene is determined to set Tara up with a coworker of hers even though Tara isn't interested -- in men or in romance.<br><br>The vacation is beginning to look like a bust until the night of Amanda's bachelorette party, when Tara meets Delaney, a pretty bartender with fiery curls and a personality to match. Suddenly the summer heat isn't the only thing making her sweat. Can Tara salvage what's left of her time in Wildwood with Delaney's help? Or will family obligations keep her from following her heart?

Heat Wave: Wildwood

And God, so hot. Tara had to suppress the urge to fan herself to cool off as Delaney approached.


When she reached the car, Delaney leaned on the driver’s side door and into the open window. “Hope I didn’t keep you waiting long.”


“Just got here, actually,” Tara said with a smile. “I got a little lost. Guess I don’t know Wildwood as well as I’d like to think I do.”


Delaney laughed. “So what you’re saying is I should drive?”


Slapping the car door, Delaney stood. “Then lock up. My Jeep’s around back.”


Of course she’d drive a Jeep. Tara turned on the car long enough to roll up the windows, then grabbed her purse off the passenger seat and got out. The heat took her breath away—or was it Delaney’s hand on her arm?


As they headed for the bar, or rather, for the employee lot behind it, Delaney moved closer. Her hand slipped down, over Tara’s wrist, to brush the back of Tara’s hand.


Chapter 16