Slow Summer Kisses

By Shannon Stacey

Anna Frazier is used to living life at 100 mph, but being downsized out of a job in the financial industry has her permanently stalled. With nowhere to go, go, go, Anna hails a cab to her grandparents' neglected New Hampshire camp to plan her next move. It seems like a good ideauntil she realizes there's no takeout to be had and the boy next door has grown into a sexy but surly recluse.

Cameron Mayfield knows he can kiss his peace and quiet goodbye when Hurricane Anna blows in. She was loud and bossy as a ten-year-oldand besides developing some attractive curves, she hasn't changed. Cam's not looking for a relationship, especially not with a woman like Anna. He nearly broke down on that road once before. So why can't he stop thinking about her?

It's not long before their sizzling attraction leads to smoking-hot kisses. But as the days get shorter, Anna must decide if she's found a new road to happiness, or just taken a detour.

25,000 words

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Jun 4, 2012
• ISBN: 9781426893865

Shannon Stacey

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Shannon Stacey lives with her husband and two sons in New England, where her two favorite activities are writing stories of happily ever after and off-roading with her friends and family. You can contact Shannon through her website, www.shannonstacey.com, as well as sign up for her newsletter.

Book preview

Chapter One

All it took was a minivan with a taxi sign stuck on the roof sitting in front of the camp next door to take the shine off Cameron Mayfield’s mood. He slowed his pick-up as he approached the driveway before his, which was the last on the dusty, beat-up dirt road, and cursed himself for forgetting the phone call from Jim Frazier two weeks before.

My granddaughter, Anna—you remember her, right? She’s going to stay at the camp this summer. She’s had a tough year and she needs a little time to relax and get her head on straight. Keep an eye on her for me, wouldya?

He didn’t want to keep an eye on Anna Frazier. He didn’t like Anna Frazier. Okay, so he hadn’t actually seen her since he was twelve and she was ten, but he hadn’t liked her then. She’d been uptight and bossy and really, really intense, even as a kid. He didn’t think she’d have mellowed any, and he knew for a fact he didn’t want her next door all summer.

But he considered Jim and Betty Frazier friends, despite the age difference, so he’d promised to keep an eye on their granddaughter. Then he’d promptly put the call out of his mind.

Until now.

As Cam passed by the Frazier’s camp, the minivan swung out behind him, executing a few messy turns to get turned around and headed back down the dirt road. Even if she took a bus from her grandparents’ house—where he assumed she’d started—to as far as Concord, the taxi must have cost her a wad of cash. But last he heard Anna had some fancy, high-dollar finance job in New York City, so she could probably afford it.

He pulled his truck in front of his place and killed the engine. When he looked over toward the Frazier place, he saw a mound of luggage and a smoking-hot brunette who looked like she belonged on one of those chick magazines they put next to the cash registers so normal women waiting in line would feel crappy about themselves and grab a candy bar or two. Anna had rich brown hair falling almost to her shoulders in a sleek, straight line. A tank top made of some shimmery, silky material draped really nicely over breasts he never would have guessed the scrawny ten-year-old would develop, and a pair of those things that were longer than shorts but shorter than pants hugged slim hips and showed off nicely sculpted calves. The shoes were an interesting choice, with the high wedge heel, but they did great things for her legs.

Annoying little Anna Frazier had grown up to be hot as hell. And she was going to break an ankle trying to haul in that luggage in those sandals.

Cam got out of his truck and the door slamming drowned out the curse he let loose. He wanted to sit on the dock and drink a beer, not play bellhop for a woman who didn’t have the sense to wear sneakers. But, since he’d promised Jim he’d look after her, he might as well introduce himself and take care of the suitcases at the same time.

A line of trees had been planted between the two camps decades before to give some semblance of privacy, but they were thin enough to see through and there was a well-worn path from one yard to the other. Rather than go out to the road and walk down to the driveway, he just cut through the trees and came at the Fraziers’ front porch from the side.

You need some help? Since she had her back to him and had been muttering under her breath, she must not have heard him coming because she jumped a foot and made a strangled squealing sound as she whirled around.

Where the hell did you come from? she demanded, her New England accent changed some and made a little sharper by her time in the city.

Next door.

Why?

Because that’s where I live.

What? She put her hands on her hips, which did distracting things to the silky tank top. No. Why did you sneak over here?

I didn’t sneak. I walked. And you really haven’t changed much, have you?

She just looked at him a long time and he stood there and let her. He saw it on her face when she remembered him. Cameron…something. Mayfield. You live here? Like, all the time?

Cam. And yes, I’m here year-round. He walked past her and grabbed two of the four massive suitcases sitting on the walkway.

What are you doing?

Stealing your clothes. He went up the porch steps and set one case down to open the screen door. After setting them down in the middle of the small living room, he went back for the other two.

Thank you, she said when he walked out of the house and started past her.

You’re welcome. He was almost to the tree line when he remembered his promise to Jim, so he called over his shoulder, If you have any problems, you know where I live.

Cam walked into his house and went straight to the refrigerator for a beer. He’d spent the day helping his buddy Ron put a new roof on his garage and he was hot, thirsty and looking forward to jumping in the lake. Tomorrow was Sunday and he had a full day planned. Sleeping. Eating. Fishing. A beer or two. More eating. Sleeping.

After downing a quarter of the can in one shot, Cam flipped on the ceiling fans and turned the TV on to catch a few minutes of the evening news. It had cost him a pretty penny to have the digital cable run to their road but, unlike most of the other people around Askaskwi Lake, he lived in the house year-round and there were some things a man just couldn’t do without.

One thing he’d been doing without for a little while, though, was female company, which was probably why he was looking at a weather map on the television screen but seeing Anna Frazier’s shapely legs in those high Barbie shoes she’d probably break her neck in. The prickly personality and body that wouldn’t quit were a bad combination and Cam was afraid it was going to be a really long summer.

* * *

Anna stood in the middle of her grandparents’ camp and silently panicked. She was good at that. Anybody who happened to look in the windows would see an impeccably groomed, well-dressed woman calmly contemplating…something. But on the inside she was coming undone.

How had she ended up here, in this small camp decorated in what could kindly be described as well-worn L.L. Bean outlet circa 1978? She’d been valedictorian of her class. Excelled in college. Soared in the world of NYC finance, until it all came crashing down and she was downsized out of a job. Now she had nothing to show for fifteen years of drive and ambition but shot nerves, high blood pressure, a possible ulcer and throw pillows with forest animals embroidered on them. And some kind of fish mounted over the door.

Leaving the suitcases, she wandered through the house, strangely conflicted about the fact it didn’t look much different than it had the last time she saw it, when she was ten. The center of the camp was the living room and to the left was the bedroom and to the right were the eat-in kitchen and the bathroom. That was it.

Anna’s dad had worked in Boston and rarely gone to his parents’ camp in central New Hampshire, but Anna’s mother brought her often during the summer. The ugly, plaid couch folded out into a surprisingly comfortable bed where the two of them slept. They would eat and play and swim and then eat some more. Then came the divorce and, after that, a new stepfather who moved them to Connecticut. She’d seen her father

Reviews for Slow Summer Kisses

[creativejunkie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I fell in love with Shannon Stacey's writing in Yours to Keep, the third in the Kowalski Family series. She had me hooked once again in this short and sweet novella.

From the beginning, I really enjoyed Anna's character. She was high-strung, but lovable and friendly. She was a breath of fresh air to Cam's brooding, and I thought they balanced each other really well.

If you've never read any of Shannon's books, this would be a great starter book. It's a fast read with the swoons, the delicious sexy times, and the hot as hell heroes I've come to expect from her writing.

[paideiamom · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved it. Characters and situations made sense. The conflict was compelling but not overwhelming and the ending was just right, believable and realistic.

[cranberrytarts · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoy Stacey's contemporary novels. She has a good blend of humor and wit that really draws the reader in.

I loved how prickly they both were with each other. Cameron was happy with his life, which really came through. I loved what a guy he was. The baseball stuff was hilarious, too, and had me snickering out loud.

I also liked how the resolution of the main conflict came about. Too often we see one person give up everything and that wouldn't have worked here. I'm glad Stacey took it in the direction she did.

Overall a sweet story. It seemed kind of slow in places, but I think that worked with the theme of the plot.

[claudiagc-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Shannon Stacey writes some of my favourite contemporary heroes! They always act like guys. They don't care what kind of flowers they're are looking at. They're all flowers after all. They don't care that there're numerous shades of white. White is white. And they don't need swimming trunks for swimming. Boxer briefs do the same job and you save laundry. :)

[ridley_ · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

As usual, Stacey writes snappy dialog that makes me laugh out loud and creates characters - heroes especially - who feel so real I'd swear she was borrowing people from my life to populate her books. Unfortunately, this story didn't really grab me like hers usually do. I don't know if it was the shorter length or what, but I felt hurried along and like I was missing out on their romance developing.

Not bad, but it's not my favorite of hers, much as I wanted to love "my" story with the Sox-Yankees conflict. I'm an asshole like that.

[ellenavondale · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved it. Characters and situations made sense. The conflict was compelling but not overwhelming and the ending was just right, believable and realistic.

[ellen1213_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved it. Characters and situations made sense. The conflict was compelling but not overwhelming and the ending was just right, believable and realistic.