Slow Burn: A Sensual Second-Chance Romance

By Janice Maynard

Will their second chance burn hot enough to singe away the past? Only in this Dynasties: Seven Sins novel from USA TODAY bestselling author Janice Maynard!

The prodigal playboy is back

and nothing is the same…

…except the attraction that still sizzles between Jake Lowell and the woman he left behind. But the globe-trotting bachelor is in for a surprise! Nikki Reardon is now a mother—to the daughter he never knew. He once blamed Nikki for the fall of his iconic family…now he can’t resist her. Will their slow burn spark a second chance or burn down all they hold dear?

From Harlequin Desire: Luxury, scandal, desire—welcome to the lives of the American elite.

A DYNASTIES NOVEL

Is passion the only path to redemption?

EXPERIENCE SEVEN SINS

Book 1: Ruthless Pride by Naima Simone

Book 2: Forbidden Lust by Karen Booth

Book 3: Insatiable Hunger by Yahrah St. John

Book 4: Hidden Ambition by Jules Bennett

Book 5: Reckless Envy by Joss Wood

Book 6: Untamed Passion by Cat Schield

Book 7: Slow Burn by Janice Maynard

• Language: English
• Publisher: Harlequin Desire
• Release date: Nov 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781488063244

Janice Maynard

USA TODAY bestselling author Janice Maynard loved books and writing even as a child. Now, creating sexy, character-driven romances is her day job! She has written more than 75 books and novellas which have sold, collectively, almost three million copies. Janice lives in the shadow of the Great Smoky Mountains with her husband, Charles. They love hiking, traveling, and spending time with family. Connect with Janice at www.JaniceMaynard.com and on all socials.

Book preview

One

Jake Lowell had circumnavigated the globe more than once in the last fifteen years. He’d traveled everywhere and seen everything. Well, except for Antarctica. That continent was still on his bucket list. But of all the cities and countries he’d visited and/or put down temporary roots, the one place he absolutely thought he’d never return to again was Falling Brook, New Jersey.

The town’s name was idyllic. Jake’s memories weren’t.

He’d left his birthplace at twenty-two, in the midst of scandal and tragedy. And he’d never returned. Until today. Under duress.

When his stomach growled for the third time, he pulled into a gas station and topped off his tank. The credit-card machine on the pump was out of paper, so he wandered inside for his receipt and to grab a very late lunch. In the end, he decided a candy bar would do for now. He’d always had a sweet tooth.

As he paid for his purchases, the stack of newspapers near the checkout stand caught his eye. The usual suspects were there. New York Times. Wall Street Journal. But it was the small-town paper that gave him heartburn. The headline screamed, Vernon Lowell Lives! Black Crescent Fugitive Located in Remote Caribbean Location.

Jake’s stomach churned. The story had broken over a week ago, but the local news outlets were milking it daily. He’d had time to get used to the incredibly upsetting news, but he was still in shock. For a decade and a half, he had known his father was gone. Probably living it up in the bowels of hell. Now the dead had come to life.

When the cashier handed Jake his receipt, she gave him a curious look. Too late for him to realize he should have paid cash. Would the woman see the name on his card and put two and two together? Was she part of the always speedy Falling Brook grapevine?

The name Lowell wasn’t all that unusual, but here in Falling Brook it was radioactive. Fifteen years ago, Jake’s father, Vernon Lowell, had absconded with an enormous sum of money—the assets belonging to some of Falling Brook’s most high-profile citizens. A dozen or more elite clients had entrusted Black Crescent Hedge Fund with their fortunes and their futures. Vernon, along with his CFO and best friend, Everett Reardon, were financial wizards who founded Black Crescent and made piles of cash for everyone involved.

But, inexplicably, something went very wrong. The money evaporated. Everett Reardon was killed in a car crash while fleeing police. And Jake’s father disappeared from the face of the earth, presumably dead.

The living were left to clean up the mess. And what a mess it was.

Jake drove aimlessly, tormented by the memories even now.

Falling Brook was a small enclave, still not much more than two thousand residents. Jake had done his due diligence before returning home. He’d waded through enough online research to know that not much had changed. This town with the rarefied air and high-dollar real estate still protected the famous from the outside world.

For a few moments, Jake parked across the street from Nikki Reardon’s old house—a mansion, really—letting the engine idle. Nikki’s world, like Jake’s, had been destroyed by her father’s misdeeds. Fifteen years ago she’d fled town with her mother, their lives also in ruins.

When Jake allowed himself to remember Nikki, he experienced the strangest mix of yearning and uneasiness. Because his father and Nikki’s had been business partners and best friends, it was inevitable that the two families spent a considerable amount of time together while Jake was growing up. But what he remembered most about Nikki was his one wild night with her in Atlantic City five years ago.

Though she was four years younger than he was, she had always been mature for her age. Eons ago, she had been his first real girlfriend. Despite all that, the alluring woman he’d hooked up with in a brief, unexpected, passionate reunion in a casino hotel was far different from the redheaded, pale-skinned beauty he had known as a very young man.

That new Nikki had dazzled him. And scared him.

Muttering under his breath, Jake made himself set the car in motion. Nikki’s ghost might still wander the halls of that glamorous house, but she was long gone.

His immediate destination was a small boutique hotel known for its discreetness and luxury. Jake needed the first and would enjoy the second. Though he possessed the skills to live off the land, these days he much preferred a comfortable bed at the end of the day.

Once he checked into his spacious, beautifully appointed room, he sat on the edge of the mattress and stared at his phone. He needed to let Joshua know he had arrived. Joshua Lowell. Jake’s brother, his twin. The only characteristics they shared were dirty blond hair, their six-foot-two-inch height and eyes that were a mix of hazel and green.

When Josh had called to say their father had been found, Josh asked Jake to come back to Falling Brook, and had invited him to stay in his home. But the invitation was obviously issued out of duty. The brothers hadn’t been face-to-face in fifteen years. Other than the occasional stilted text or email on birthdays and Christmases, or the very recent phone call, they might as well have been strangers.

Over the years, Jake had made himself hard to track down. On purpose. He had cut ties with his siblings, and now he knew little of their personal lives. When he was twenty-two, he hadn’t fully understood that family was family, no matter what. He also hadn’t realized that being a footloose, rolling stone would eventually lose its appeal.

Now that he was a seasoned man of thirty-seven, he was hoping to mend fences, especially since Joshua wanted Jake’s input on the CEO search at Black Crescent. It felt good to be consulted.

Joshua had agreed to meet in the hotel restaurant at seven. The entire place was dark and intimate, but even so, Jake offered the hostess a fifty to seat him and his prospective dinner date at an inconspicuous table. If anyone saw two of the three Lowell brothers together again, tongues would wag.

Jake hated the paparazzi. In the aftermath of his father’s disappearance, reporters had hounded every member of the Lowell and Reardon families. In fact, any family connected to the scandal was targeted. Jake, a newly minted university grad at the time, had already been planning to backpack around Europe, so he simply moved up his timetable and fled.

Josh—good old dependable Josh—had been left to clean up the mess. The guilt from that one decision hounded Jake to this day. His brother had rebuilt Black Crescent bit by agonizing bit. Joshua had stayed the course, faced the accusers and cooperated with the police. Despite having incredible artistic talent, he had put his dreams on hold and tried to make up for their father’s despicable deeds.

Jake had done nothing but pursue a selfish agenda.

Sometimes, the truth sucked.

When Joshua arrived, Jake leaped to his feet and hugged his brother awkwardly, feeling a tsunami of emotional baggage threaten to pull him under. Long time no see. He winced inwardly at what must have sounded like a flippant comment at best.

The two men sat, and a hovering sommelier poured two glasses of a rare burgundy that Jake remembered his brother enjoying. Although, who knew? Fifteen years was a long time. Tastes changed.

Josh downed half the glass, leaned back in his chair and managed a small smile. It seemed genuine enough. You look good, Jake.

So do you.

A few seconds of silence ticked by.

This is weird. Joshua raked a hand through his hair. He wore an expensive sport coat, dress pants and a crimson necktie. Jake, in jeans and a rugby shirt, felt scruffy in comparison. But that had always been the difference between them. Josh dressed the part of a wealthy man. Jake preferred to be unfettered by society’s dictates.

He straightened his spine as tension tightened his jaw. Here’s the thing, he said abruptly. I might as well get this off my chest. I’m sorry, Josh. I’m sorry Dad screwed us over, and I’m sorry I let you do the heavy lifting. I abandoned you. But I’m here now. For what it’s worth.

His brother’s smile was strained. Born first by three minutes, Josh had often taken the role of older brother seriously. He sighed, the sound a mix of resignation and something else. I quit being mad at you a long time ago, Jake. We all choose our own path in life. Nobody made me stay and sort through Dad’s screwups.

But we both thought he was dead. It was true. Their mother, Eve, had hired private detectives fifteen years ago. The feds had searched for months. No sign of Vernon Lowell anywhere.

Joshua’s gaze was bleak. "It would have been easier if he was dead, wouldn’t it?"

The harsh truth hung between them. Jake’s stomach clenched. Authorities had recently located Vernon Lowell on a remote Bahamian island and extradited him to the United States. Currently, the patriarch was languishing in federal custody. And he wanted to see his two oldest sons.

Oliver, their younger brother, had made the pilgrimage recently. It hadn’t gone well.

We have to go, don’t we? Jake said.

Josh shrugged. He can’t make us.

On the other hand, telling him to go to hell might give us closure.

His brother’s lips twitched. You have a valid point.

I guess these last six months haven’t been easy for you after that damn reporter wrote an anniversary piece about the Black Crescent debacle. I didn’t see it until recently.

Joshua’s smile broadened. "Actually, I have no complaints. I’m now engaged to that damn reporter."

Jake’s jaw dropped. Seriously? Why didn’t you tell me that when you called?

You and I hadn’t spoken in forever. I wanted to give you the news in person. We’re planning a wedding very soon. Sophie is great. You’ll like her. And you might as well know, she’s the one who encouraged me to resurrect my art career. That’s why I’m giving up the helm of Black Crescent.

That explains the CEO search. I was wondering why now. If anybody deserved to follow his dreams, it was Josh. I’m happy for you. What will happen to the company, though?

Joshua didn’t answer immediately, because a waiter dropped off their appetizers. A few moments later, Josh drummed his fingers on the table, his unease palpable. You’ve played the part of a dilettante well over the years. No one realized you were a financial wunderkind. Joshua’s smile was wry.

Jake tried not to squirm. Why would you say that?

I’ve been doing some digging, baby brother. You’re an uncannily successful day trader. Probably richer than I am. At the risk of insulting you, I’d say you’ve inherited some of Dad’s business savvy. But not his morals, Josh said hastily.

Jake told himself not to overreact. I’ve had some success, he said mildly. "And I’m not your baby brother."

Joshua stared at him, gaze clear, jaw firm. I want you to take over Black Crescent.

What? Oh, no, Jake said. "Oh, hell no. His hand fisted on the table. Surely, you have other possibilities."

We do, actually. I’ve been interviewing candidates for some time now. But I don’t know that any of them are exactly right.

"Well, you’re dead wrong if you think I’m the man."

Maybe. Joshua’s expression was hard to read.

What about Oliver? I’m guessing he doesn’t want to give up his photography? The youngest Lowell brother had been affected deeply by their father’s betrayal, perhaps even more than Josh and Jake. His anger and despair had led him into addiction. Fortunately, he’d been clean for a very long time now.

Oliver is finally in a good place. Finding out Dad is alive has been hard for him. He’s dealing with a lot of the old anger. But he’s handling it well.

Eventually, the meal came to an end and Joshua insisted on picking up the tab. A nice gesture, but unnecessary. Awkwardness returned.

Joshua frowned as he slid his credit card back into his billfold. I need to talk to you about something important, he said. Something I didn’t want to say over the phone. But not here.

More important than the fact our father has returned from the dead?

Jake expected at least a smile for his snarky question. But Joshua was serious. Perhaps. How ’bout we walk while we talk?

With his mind spinning, Jake followed his brother through the restaurant and outside onto the sidewalk. The air was crisp, though not unpleasant. It was early November. A few businesses had already begun to decorate for the holidays, getting a jump on the busiest season of the year.

For fifteen Decembers, Christmas had been a painful season for Jake, presumably for the rest of his family, too. It was a reminder of all he had lost. The memories of happy times with the Lowell family of five gathered around the tree had faded beyond repair. In the golden years of Jake’s childhood, there had been spectacular gifts: ponies, guitars, racing bikes. Everything a kid could want.

And then it was all gone. Even worse, other families, innocent families, had been hurt. Jake and his siblings and his mother had been innocent, too, but no one had wanted to believe that. They were vilified, scorned. Hated.

Jake hunched his shoulders in his jacket and matched his brother’s stride as they set off down the street. He didn’t want to think about the bad times, but the memories clung to him like cobwebs. There was no peace to be had in Falling Brook.

Even so, it felt good to get some exercise. For three blocks, Joshua didn’t say a word. Jake tried to wait him out, but his patience evaporated quickly. Why are you being so mysterious?

Joshua halted suddenly, beneath the soft illumination of a streetlight. I don’t know how to tell you this.

What? Am I dying?

This isn’t funny.

How am I supposed to know that? You haven’t said anything yet.

Josh leaned against the light pole, his features betraying tension and exhaustion. For a man in love, he didn’t look all that carefree.

He shrugged. When that article came out back in the spring, the story omitted one very big bombshell.

Oh? Jake shoved his hands in his pockets, trying not to react to the gravity in his brother’s voice.

Sophie had DNA evidence proving that I had fathered a child.

Hell, Joshua. Why didn’t you tell me?

At first, she wouldn’t reveal her source, but when she and I got closer, she finally admitted that Zane Patterson had given her the DNA analysis.

Jake was more than shocked—he was suspicious. Zane Patterson from prep school? He was a year behind Oliver, right? What would he have to do with any of this?

"Zane received the report from an anonymous source. He was still angry about everything his family lost when Dad disappeared with the money. So Zane saw this as a chance to stick it to me and Black Crescent. Only Sophie decided not to include Zane’s