Summer Lightning

By Saskia Walker

A steamy, heart-warming summer romance…

 

Molly Delavine thinks she's in heaven spending an idyllic summer getaway on a secluded cove on the English coast, and when she spots a gorgeous Adonis walking naked on the beach, she knows she is. But what is this gorgeous guy doing on her private beach?

 

Coastal Ranger Julian Keswick is on conservation duty when he finds a woman shacked up in his favorite cove. He's fuming, and confronts her, but his natural instinct to protect comes to the forefront during an incoming storm.

 

As the wild summer storm brings these two opposites together, the natural elements take charge of their mutual destinies. But Molly has to return to her business world in London, and her wild holiday romance with a ranger is soon to become a memory. Opposites attract, but for two people so very different, is destiny one week, or forever?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Saskia Walker
• Release date: Jul 22, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393109297

Saskia Walker

Award-winning British author Saskia Walker first dreamed of writing her own stories when she discovered a handful of romance novels stashed away in her school library. An avid reader, she lapped up the adventures and the life-affirming emotion she found there. As well as fantasy and romance, Saskia writes paranormal, historical and contemporary fiction, with a special interest in witchcraft. Saskia's short stories have now been published in over one hundred international anthologies and magazines. Her novels have been published by two New York publishing houses as well as several smaller publishing houses. To her absolute delight two of her novels won Passionate Plume awards, and her work has twice been nominated for a Romantic Times Magazine Reviewers' Choice Award. Her Witches of Scotland series was widely translated and became a Scandinavian bestseller. In 2015 she became a USA TODAY bestselling author. It's been an amazing journey. Saskia is now a full time author and she has many more stories to tell. Saskia is happily settled in Yorkshire in the north of England, with her real-life hero, Mark, and a houseful of felines. 

Book preview

SUMMER LIGHTNING

Cover copy:

A steamy, heart-warming summer romance...

Molly Delavine thinks she’s in heaven spending an idyllic summer getaway on a secluded cove on the English coast, and when she spots a gorgeous Adonis walking naked on the beach, she knows she is. But what is this gorgeous guy doing on her private beach?

Coastal Ranger Julian Keswick is on conservation duty when he finds a woman shacked up in his favorite cove. He’s fuming, and confronts her, but his natural instinct to protect comes to the forefront during an incoming storm.

As the wild summer storm brings these two opposites together, the natural elements take charge of their mutual destinies. But Molly has to return to her business world in London, and her wild holiday romance with a ranger is soon to become a memory. Opposites attract, but for two people so very different, is destiny one week, or forever?

PLEASE NOTE: A SHORT version of this story was previously published by Red Sage.

What people are saying:

"a highly entertaining and delightfully steamy tale of a lusty holiday romance... opposites can attract and electrically so! 5 Angels and a Recommended Read! Fallen Angel Reviews.

SUMMER LIGHTNING is an excellent book that takes readers away to their own deserted island. The love scenes are sensual, passionate and readers will find themselves glued to the pages. SUMMER LIGHTNING is the first story that I have read by Saskia Walker, but I can definitely say that I will be on the lookout for more of her work in the future. 4.5 blue ribbon rating. Angel, Romance Junkies.

I really recommend this book if you like steamy scenes and romance thrown into the mix. I can’t wait for the next one. Fresh Fiction.

"looking for love in all the right places with a heat rating out the charts. 4.5 star rating. Fantastic keeper. A top pick at Romantic Times Magazine.

Dedication:

This story is dedicated to Mark Walker, my rock, my Real Life Hero.

Note to the reader:

Picture this: you’re totally alone and enjoying the summer sun on an isolated beach. What would make it even better for you — seeing a gorgeous hunk walking naked in the waves? And if he arrived at your door in the middle of a storm, offering to help you out of a fix? Well, what’s a girl to do...

SUMMER LIGHTNING

Chapter One

​Molly Delavine did a double-take.

Either her eyes were deceiving her, or there was a man strolling along her private beach. She blinked and looked again, but the man had disappeared from view.

Figment of my imagination, she decided.

For a split second he’d looked real enough, but when she craned her neck there wasn’t another soul in sight. Just her and the glorious sand dunes.

Relaxing, she laughed it off.

She’d put her towel out in a sheltered spot between two low sand dunes, close to her rented holiday cottage. Lying back, she watched the sky. It roared overhead, fluffy summer clouds fleeting across the expanse of bright blue. The smell of ozone filled her nostrils, and the mesmerizing sound of the waves rolling up onto the shore washed over her, leading her senses into a mellow, peaceful place. The sun broke through the racing clouds and, through her lowering eyelids, the light dimmed and then brightened, charting its progress. It was perfect.

Perhaps there was someone there, and he’d disappeared between the tufts of grass on the sand dunes? She opened one eye, and took another look.

Nope. Definitely a figment of my imagination.

She spread her arms wide and closed her eyes. Her skin warmed and prickled as the summer breeze danced over her. Against her back the solid shape of the wind-molded sand dune arched under her, as if offering her to the elements.

She sighed happily and rolled over onto her belly, folding her arms under her chin and exposing her back to the sun. It was idyllic. In fact the small cove was so isolated she’d pulled off her T-shirt and lay on the warm sand wearing only her shorts and deck shoes. Her nipples tightened when they made contact with the warm sand. Her skin tingled as her body responded to every stimuli.

It was just as she’d imagined it would be, the secluded idyll fulfilling her desire to get closer to nature. Best of all, she still had another six days before she had to head home. She’d taken two weeks away from her office in London for much needed time to devote to her sculpture. She’d been busy working on a new cyber-warrior figurine when she decided to get out of the cottage and walk along the shore. Something about exposing herself to the elements made her feel closer to the clay when she returned, and this time would be no exception.

A strand of grass tickled her nose. She rubbed it away and opened her eyes, squinting while she grew accustomed to the bright sunlight again. Much to her surprise, there actually was a male figure moving along the shore, further down the cove.

Damn, she whispered.

She hadn’t seen another soul on the beach during the whole time she’d been there. The cottage had been advertised as having a private beach, and –so far—that’s exactly what it had been. Who the hell was he?

Annoyed, she reached for her T-shirt and held it against her boobs, still lying close against the ground. The clumps of beach grass lining the top of the dunes gave her cover, but she wanted her T-shirt to hand in case she needed it.

It really was a man, and he seemed to be alone.

A very attractive man.

He was tall and well built, with closely shorn hair, left longer on top. He wore loud shorts and a threadbare, faded T-shirt. He had the look of a beachcomber, but this was England and the only beachcombers Molly had ever seen were on TV, on Australian soap operas. His legs were corded with strong muscles, and she eyed them as an artist, and more, as a woman—a woman subconsciously hungry for such a sight.

Perhaps she’d been away from people too long. A few trips to the local village for supplies obviously wasn’t enough to keep her in touch with the real world.

Torn between the urge to march over there and ask what the bloody hell he was doing on her beach, and the equally compelling urge to continue secretly observing him, she tried to figure out what to do.

Glued to the spot, the desire to continue observing took the lead.

As the moments passed she noticed again how supremely well built and attractive he was. She smiled to herself, watching as he kicked off his sports shoes and walked barefoot toward the edge of the shore.

As she watched, he walked into the water and dipped a long plastic tube into the surf. He lifted it and looked at it in the light, then sealed it with a plastic cap. She wondered what he was doing. He walked back to where he’d left his shoes and deposited the tube.

She could hardly drag her attention away, but it was her beach, it said so in the advert. Private, secluded beach, the perfect getaway. So what was he doing here? Who did he think he was? She had to remind herself she was from a city and things were different here. Along the wild coast in Northumberland roaming beachcomber types might be the norm. She was enjoying the privacy of the place though, and felt provoked to defend it.

Then he began to strip off.

Molly’s eyebrows lifted, astonished as she was by his actions.

He pulled his T-shirt over his head, giving her a look at his perfectly shaped torso as he did so.

Wow, she whispered approvingly.

If she was looking for inspiration, she’d surely found it today. He was a handsome specimen all right, gorgeous looking, and with a very impressive physique. The guy worked out, that much was obvious. He had amazing, powerful shoulders and a six-pack to match. He stood on the edge of the surf as if he owned it—it was as if Neptune himself had just walked out of the waves.

Molly’s eyebrows shot up when she realized he wasn’t stopping at the T-shirt.

He was busy undoing the tie at his waistband and was about to drop his shorts.

She glanced around, half expecting to see somebody else running over to accompany him. But, no, he appeared to be alone. And she was trapped there, clutching her T-shirt to her chest as she observed him, unseen.

His shorts were kicked off unceremoniously and he walked, naked, toward the edge of the surf, giving her a look at his gorgeous backside.

Molly was transfixed. Her skin prickled all over, appreciation and desire consuming her. Between her thighs a dense, humid heat built.

He waded into the water, unhindered by its temperature.

She was amazed, because she knew how cold it was, after a tentative paddle the week before. She’d traveled up to Northumberland on the far north east of England, to get peace and solitude on this lonely coastline. The above average summer warmth was a lucky bonus, but the sea temperature was never going to get warm enough for her to consider a full-on paddle.

She watched admiringly as he waded out until the water reached half way up his powerful thighs. He ran his fingers through his hair, arching his back, his face turned up to the sun and his eyes closed.

Molly sighed longingly. She was willing to bet running her hands over his physique would feel pretty darned good.

He turned in the water, and she got a full frontal view of his masculinity.

A purr of appreciation escaped her. The sound lifted and was swept away on the breeze as she looked at his bare masculinity, hanging heavy at the junction between his thighs. It was an imposing sight. She was impressed.

Then he reached down and grasped his cock, his hand moving expertly as it grew and rose before her eyes.

Molly couldn’t believe what was happening.

At first she’d been alarmed to see someone there, and now she was enthralled. The most gorgeous hunk of man had stripped off, right in front of her eyes, and was now touching himself completely without self-consciousness.

What an incredible sight.

She was getting a secret show from an absolute sex god, and she was getting very horny as a result. Her clit was pounding, and her core clenched as she eyed the magnificent tool he held in his hand.

He stroked his erection lazily.

Molly stared in disbelief, her eyes riveted to the man standing in the waves, the water lapping against him, as he unashamedly indulged himself. She wriggled and reached, her body throbbing with desire, her pulse beating out its own response.

What if he saw her, what if he caught her watching him?

The sudden unbidden question brought about a rush of embarrassment and self-awareness. She couldn’t believe she was watching, but she couldn’t turn away now. The secret vision of an absolute sex-god pleasuring himself in the ocean was like some pagan ritual. Observing him secretly was such a turn on.

His fist moved faster, and his body tensed as he turned away into the water.

She cursed under her breath, reached down and squeezed her hand over her pussy through her shorts, crushing her clit and worked hard until she gained some relief. Her breathing rasped and she felt stunned at the unexpected, deviant desire he’d caused in her, and the subsequent rush of sensations.

He’d moved deeper into the water. Would it be too cold though, and what if he came back toward her now? How was she going to get away without being seen? Her heart raced, concern building. But then, much to her relief, she saw him dive into the waves and swim away.

Taking advantage of the situation, she grabbed her T-shirt and quickly pulled it on as she stood up. She shot off, towel in hand, jogging back toward the cottage, her mind already racing with ideas for a new sculpture, something pagan and sexy.

When she reached the cottage, she glanced back over her shoulder.

At the far end of the cove she saw a motorbike parked. A tent had been erected nearby. He was staying over. Would she see him again? A sliver of anticipation ran through her veins as she considered the question, and then she darted inside her rented cottage, smiling to herself.

Chapter Two

Julian Keswick was furious.

There appeared to be someone staying at the empty cottage nestled on the opposite end of the cove. He’d just about done with his daily sea swim when he caught sight of someone flitting into the cottage. A woman.

Who the hell was she, and what was she doing on his beach?

Grumpily, he pulled on his clothes, reminding himself it wasn’t exactly his beach. He got to stay here on a circuit every few weeks, yes, but he didn’t own the place. As a Coastal Ranger his task was to monitor the beaches and the water quality. This hidden cove was pretty inaccessible. It was difficult to climb across the rocks from other nearby bays, and the cottage itself was served by a private road. That’s what he loved about it.

As far as he was aware the previous owner had passed away a couple of years ago. Since then the place had been empty. The villagers informed him it’d been inherited by a relative who had no interest in it. Julian had just about pulled together the funds to put an offer on the house. Had it been sold on already?

Either way, he was absolutely livid to find the place invaded. Was it squatters, or tourists, or worse still—had the person who inherited the cottage finally taken up residence?  There was only one way to find out—go to the local village and ask. The locals were friendly and seemed to know everything going on around here, which was helpful to him in his work, and he’d made many friends amongst them. They’d know what’d happened to the house.

He tidied up around his tent and zipped it up, then pushed his motorbike over the hill toward the main road, taking a last regretful look across the bay at the cottage. He’d had such plans for it.

Twenty minutes later he was in The Lobster Pot, the local village pub.

It was still early, but several locals had already taken up residence in their favorite seats. The pub had