Read Slow Summer Burn: A Loveswept Contemporary Romance for Free Online

the fact that this year was the first they’d done everything electronically, hadtaken its toll on her mind and her body. In the long run, it would be worth it to have everything digitized, but in the meantime, it was utterly exhausting work. Things would go more smoothly tomorrow, but right now, all she wanted to do was to curl up and sleep.
    Three more blocks until she reached home. She rubbed her right temple with her fingers, which did nothing to ease the throbbing in her skull. Some good music on her stereo, a long soak in her large bathtub, and some scented candles would do wonders. She hoped.
    Next Monday she planned to be in Star Harbor to oversee inventory on the second boutique. It would be similarly demanding, but even the thought of being on Cape Cod lifted her spirits. She couldn’t wait to see the little town this season, though she knew it would be a long few days of work. Plus, there was nothing like being right on the water. Her place in Boston was wonderful, but she had grown to love her little cottage by the sea in Star Harbor, especially falling asleep to the sound of the waves crashing onto the shore.
    A lone car drove by, its tires sounding hollow against the paved road.
    Safety-conscious despite the fact that her neighborhood was one of the nicest places in the city to live, she withdrew her house key from her pocket and held it firmly in her hand. The metal key felt solid and secure. For a brief instant, Val Grayson’s long, strong body flashed in her mind. The picture was unsettling.
    A few minutes later, she reached her brownstone on Marlborough Street. Energized by the fact that she was almost home, she briskly climbed the thirteen stairs that led to the front stoop, opened the door, and stepped inside.
    As soon as she locked the door, her cell phone buzzed in her handbag.
    Quickly, she answered. “Cameron speaking.”
    “Cameron, hello. It’s Junior.” She winced, realizing he probably had expected her to call him. “I haven’t talked with you for a few days. How are you doing?” He spoke in his usual calm, smooth, and educated style.
    “Just fine, Junior,” she responded, kicking off her shoes. “I’ve been a bit busy at work and with events. I saw your dad last night at the awards ceremony, and I meant to call you. Did the press conference go well today?”
    “Of course. I had no doubt that it would.”
    “Nor did I,” she responded quickly.
    “No. I suppose you didn’t.” Was there a hint of sarcasm in his voice? He cleared histhroat. “Believe me, I wasn’t happy to miss the ceremony last night, but my team thought it best if I prepped for the press conference instead. From what I understand, Dad did a great job. He got to dance with you, didn’t he?”
    She couldn’t help but smile. To the world, Edward Kirkland, Sr. was a famous congressman who’d done some fine work in the immigration sphere, but to her, he was just Uncle Ted. “That he did. Isn’t there any way you could take a break? You sound like you’ve been working as hard as I have.”
    He chuckled. “I’ve missed you, Cameron. Why don’t you join me for dinner next weekend and we can catch up? We could go to Garibaldi’s. I know how much you love that place.”
    She did love Garibaldi’s, but the problem was that the press loved Junior. She’d been out with him before—multiple times, at her mother’s insistence. At first, things were just fine, if she could forget about the lack of chemistry between them. Junior was exactly like every other society guy—polite and poised—but at least she was comfortable with him and he was interesting. She liked the fact that even though he could have coasted on his family name, he seemed to have a genuine passion for his work. He always knew how to make her laugh, and she knew he didn’t care a whit about the size of her trust fund. It made sense. His own family was as powerful and well connected as hers, and Junior was an intelligent man.
    Unfortunately, once