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  The Heartbreaker

  Lili Valente

  The Heartbreaker © 2018 by Lili Valente

  All Rights Reserved

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. This contemporary romance is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners. This ebook is licensed for your personal use only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with, especially if you enjoy sexy, hilarious romance novels with alpha males. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

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  Contents

  ABOUT THE BOOK

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Epilogue

  Tell Lili your favorite part

  Sneak Peek

  About the Author

  Also by Lili Valente

  ABOUT THE BOOK

  I’ve waited years for my drop-dead sexy boss, Tristan Hunter, to notice me as something other than his right-hand gal. But though his dog is deeply in love with me, Tristan and I seem doomed to the friend zone.

  Until the night we kiss…

  It’s all a ruse, of course—our make-out session is for the benefit of the two heartbreakers who dumped us—but very real sparks fly when his lips meet mine.

  At least…they’re real for me.

  * * *

  She’s my employee, one of my best friends, my dog Luke’s not-so-secret crush, and totally off-limits.

  So why am I suddenly unable to think of anything but Zoey Childers?

  Two days into our fake engagement and I’m dying to take her to bed and show her just how real the heat could be between us. But crossing that line wouldn’t just be borderline unethical—it could be lethal to our friendship.

  Zoey isn’t a casual fling kind of girl, and after the way things ended with my ex, I don’t trust my instincts when it comes to love.

  I should call off this fake engagement before somebody gets hurt, but how to say “no” to something real with Zoey when every bone in my body is dying to say “yes”?

  Chapter 1

  Tristan

  After sixteen months, two weeks, and three days, I’m finally at a place where I can attend a wedding without spending every single second thinking about the one who got away. The one who threw me away when she woke up one morning, decided being with one man for the rest of her life was a fate worse than death, dropped my ring on the bedside table, and bolted as fast as her shapely legs could carry her.

  Kim.

  For a solid month after she left, I wasn’t worth shooting in the face. I lost weight, I lost my sense of humor, I damned near lost my will to live.

  I know my brothers thought I was being a melodramatic, lovesick bastard, but Kim and I had been together since high school. I had been head over heels in love with the girl she was and the woman she’d become and had my heart set on all the plans we had for our future.

  She was my family, every bit as much as my father and my brothers.

  More so, if I’m honest.

  Kim didn’t expect me to be the calm, level-headed voice of reason all the time. Kim let me be a complete person, living in 3D. She saw every side of me—light and dark, serious and silly, dedicated and flexible, determined, and yet still sometimes so lost as to what I should do next.

  I thought she was The One. I was fucking positive of it, in fact.

  And when The One decides to call off your engagement and move to the other side of the world to live on a continent full of deadly land and sea creatures…

  Well, it’s enough to give a man a complex.

  The Australian beaches have jellyfish with a sting so excruciating the pain alone is enough to kill a man. They have ticks whose bites can send people into anaphylactic shock, spiders with venom that causes organ failure, and massive saltwater crocodiles that can clock in at nearly twenty feet long and over two thousand pounds.

  Not to mention sharks.

  Three kinds.

  “She hates sharks. I should have known she’d be back,” I mutter over the rim of my beer, fighting the urge to turn and glare at the woman across the room.

  Of all the bars in all the world, why did my ex and her new man have to walk into this dive in the middle of my brother’s wedding reception? Right when I was proving to myself and all my concerned family members that I was over her and moving the fuck on?

  My older brother Deacon grunts in solidarity. “You want to get out of here?” He pushes his half-finished beer away and slides off his stool. “I’m newly retired and have nowhere to be for the first time in my life. We could hit a few bars in Santa Rosa, drink too much, get a car home, eat pancakes at three a.m.”

  My lips curve. “Normally I’d say yes, but I’ve got to be at the shelter at seven tomorrow. Someone finally agreed to adopt that domesticated buffalo, but they need to pick him up early before they head home to Mendocino. Then I’ve got a pair of ferrets who need medicine, and a blind cat who may or may not have diabetes—we’re getting her tested. And then Zoey and I have to run numbers and place a food order before noon. Going to be a big day.”

  Deacon’s blue eyes crinkle at the edges as he claps a hand on my shoulder. “Talking to you always makes me glad I have kids instead of pets.”

  I grimace. “I hear you.”

  “Call me if you change your mind,” he says, backing toward the door. “And whatever you do, don’t talk to her. Don’t even look at her if you can help it.”

  I nod and lift a hand, though I have no intention of following my brother’s advice. As soon as Kim pulls her giggling, flushed face out of her new boyfriend’s asshole, I’m going to wave hello with my most relaxed smile and make it clear that I couldn’t care less that she’s moved on.

  Then, I’ll leave. Then, and only then.

  I may be “the nice brother,” but I still have my pride, dammit.

  I take a slow, shallow sip of my beer, determined to nurse it as long as I have to, when Zoey suddenly appears in front of me, wide-eyed and clearly in a panic, blocking my view of Kim and her beefy new man-candy.

  “Hide me,” she whispers, her face going so pale the freckles dusted across her nose and cheeks stand out in stark relief. “You have to hide me. Please. Just tuck me under your jacket or a bar stool. Something!”

  “Why? What’s wrong?” I sit up straighter, doing my best to offer her cover. Zoey is my
oldest employee, but she’s also a good friend. If she needs to hide, I’ll help her.

  I can’t imagine what has her so upset. She’s usually the most upbeat, sunny person I know.

  “This horrible person I went to college with is here,” she says, scooting closer to the bar and my stool. “She made fun of me for years, and now she’s here with Bear, my ex-boyfriend, who I thought was the sweetest person in the world. But if he’s with her, he’s not sweet. He’s awful. And she’s awful, and I’m afraid if they see me I’m going to cry or faint or throw up in the middle of the dance floor.”

  “All right, no worries, we’ve got this.” I ease off my stool, my own drama forgotten. “Tell me where they are. I’ll be your human shield, block you from view until we get to the door, and then we’ll bail. Go get a drink somewhere with no assholes in it.”

  Her shoulders sag, and her bright blue eyes flood with gratitude. “Thank you, Tristan. So much. They’re over by the window. The big guy with the fuzzy face and the girl with the platinum blond hair and a chunk of ice for a heart.”

  I go still, chest tightening. Surely she can’t mean…

  I mean, I know Kim isn’t the person I thought she was, but surely she wouldn’t torture a sweetheart like Zoey? “The woman in the red sweater? Black pants?”

  Zoey’s forehead furrows as she nods. “Yes. Why?”

  “That’s Kim,” I blurt out.

  “Kim.” She frowns harder before her brows shoot up in sudden understanding. “The Kim? Your Kim?”

  “Yes,” I whisper. “Her picture used to be on my desk in my office.”

  “Well, I never go into your office,” she hisses, looking distressed. “I respect your space. You’re my boss.”

  “She came to the benefit gala with me three years in a row. Surely you met her there. Or when she used to bring me lunch?”

  “No, I never saw her, Tristan,” Zoey insists. “I never had a date for the gala, and somehow I managed to miss the lunch visits from your evil ex-girlfriend. Believe me, if I’d known you were dating Kimberly Khan, I would have remembered it.” She exhales sharply, adding beneath her breath, “And I would have quit my job, so I never had to risk running into her again.”

  Damn, that sounds serious. “What did she do to you?” I ask, unable to help myself.

  “How many hours have you got,” she grumbles, glancing over her shoulder before turning back to me with a soft yip of terror. “Oh my God, she’s coming! She’s coming; she’s seen us. What do we do? I rode here with Violet, and I can tell she’s not ready to leave.” Zoey grabs handfuls of my jacket, clinging to me with a desperation that makes my pulse race.

  I look down into her panicked face and am suddenly struck by how pretty she is.

  And if there’s one thing I know Kim hates, it’s competition. For anything—even for things she’s decided she doesn’t want anymore.

  Trusting my gut, I lift a hand, sliding my fingers gently through Zoey’s sun-streaked brown hair as I whisper, “Just go with me, okay?”

  Her lips part, but before she can speak, I cover her mouth with mine, kissing her slowly, gently at first, shocked by the sizzle that races across my skin in response. Before I know it, her arms are around my neck, and I’m tugging her curvy body against mine, and my tongue is stroking into her sweet mouth while she gives as good as she gets, pressing closer as the kiss grows deeper, hotter.

  Soon I’m aching and entertaining all sorts of inappropriate thoughts about my number one employee. Thoughts about Zoey laid out on my bed while I kiss every freckle on her body, while I taste her, tease her, make her bright eyes flash even brighter as I make her come.

  I lose all awareness of time, space, or approaching exes until a familiar laugh tinkles through the air.

  Zoey and I jump apart, and I turn to see Kim standing inches away, grinning up at me with an expression that says she isn’t buying our act for a minute.

  Only…it wasn’t an act.

  Well, it was when I decided to kiss Zoey. But now…

  God, I don’t know what that was, only that I want to do it again as soon as possible.

  “Hi, Kim,” Zoey says in a flat voice. “How are you?”

  “I’m great. And how are you, Zoey? Still getting drunk and kissing random men at parties, I see.”

  “She was kissing her fiancé, actually,” I find myself saying, my mouth making executive decisions before my brain can weigh in. I’m dimly aware of Zoey staring up at me with a stunned expression, but I just hug her closer and smile. “You ready to go, babe? Or do you want to grab another beer?”

  “I’m r-ready to go, honey,” Zoey stammers. “Good to see you, Kim.”

  “Totally,” Kim says, sounding less confident than she did a moment before. “See you two around, then. I’m here until the New Year, when Bear and I are heading back to Swan Valley for the harvest.” She laughs and rolls her eyes. “Weirdly enough, we’re actually renting a condo behind our old place, Tristan. So, I guess we’ll all be neighbors.”

  Inwardly I curse the cruel and heartless Fates—living next door to my ex will be about as much fun as a standing date for a root canal—but outwardly I simply smile and say, “Guess so. See you around, neighbor.”

  Zoey and I head for the door, my arm around her waist, playing the happy couple while I silently wonder what fresh hell my big mouth has gotten me into this time. Me and Zoey. Because there’s no easy way out of this lie.

  The only way to escape with our dignity intact is to pretend to be engaged—at least until Kim and Bear go back to the land Down Under.

  I do some quick calculations as I tuck Zoey into the passenger’s seat of my truck and circle around to the other side—Halloween is a week away. Then roughly four and a half weeks in November, another four and a half in December…

  Ten weeks.

  To save face, Zoey and I are going to have to pretend to be madly in love for ten whole weeks.

  Fuck…

  I slide into the driver’s seat and slip the key into the ignition. “I’m so sorry, Zoey. I don’t know what I was thinking. I just opened my mouth and craziness came out.”

  “Just drive,” she whispers. “And look happy. She’s watching us through the window. We can talk more on the road.”

  “Gotcha.” I force a smile as I reach across the truck to give Zoey’s knee an apologetic squeeze, surprised again by the electricity that hums across my skin when we touch. Memories of the way her full lips felt pressed to mine, of the way she tastes—like salted strawberries and summertime—rush through my head as I pull out onto Highway One and aim the truck east, away from the coast. Zoey’s been my right-hand woman for three years, and not once in that entire time has our relationship been anything but professional. I was with Kim when I hired her, but even if I’d been single, I’m not the kind of guy who hits on his employees. I would never abuse my position that way or do anything to make my staff feel uncomfortable.

  Until now, asshole. Ten minutes in Kim’s presence and you’re already losing your shit again.

  I wince at the thought but refuse to let the voice of doom prove prophetic.

  I will figure a way out of this mess with my self-respect, my professional reputation, and my friendship with Zoey intact. All three mean too much to me to settle for anything less.

  “I don’t know about you, but I could really go for a glass of wine,” Zoey says, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “I’m not nearly tipsy enough to unpack the past fifteen minutes.”

  “Want to hit the Locals on the square? My treat?”

  “Sounds good.” Zoey sighs as she leans back in her seat, her face pale. She looks tired and more stressed than I’ve ever seen her, making me wonder all over again what the hell Kim did to her back when they were in school.

  But she also looks…beautiful. Ethereal in the moonlight, with her lips softly parted and her perfect profile highlighted against the night sky.

  How on earth have I worked next to this woman every day for years and not no
ticed that her mouth is a work of fucking art? Or that she’s every bit as sexy as she is sweet?

  Better question—how am I going to go back to being her boss and friend now that I know how incredible it feels to kiss her?

  Chapter 2

  Zoey

  I kissed Tristan.

  Tristan kissed me.

  My lips and Tristan’s lips have met, my tongue and Tristan’s tongue have made each other’s intimate acquaintance, and after years of crushing and daydreaming and far too many late-night fantasies, I know exactly what it’s like to make out with my boss.

  It is…addictively amazing. Euphorically magnificent. Blissfully mind-blowing and utterly and completely perfect in every way.

  His kiss was like fresh sea air and something seductively smoky—like a campfire on a cool spring night—and I’m already dying for another taste.

  Okay, fine. I want more than a taste.

  I want Tristan’s body pressed to mine, Tristan’s hands pinning my wrists to the mattress, Tristan’s mouth hot on my throat as he tells me he’s been dying to make love to me since the moment I walked into his animal shelter with a degree in social work and a passion for rescuing Northern California’s four-legged friends. I want his lips everywhere, his hands everywhere, and I would gladly sell a piece of my soul to know what it feels like to have nothing between us but skin.