Between Us

  Formatted by E.M. Tippetts Book Designs

  Other Books by Jen McLaughlin

  Out of Line Series

  Out of Line

  Out of Time

  Out of Mind - coming 2014

  Written as Diane Alberts:

  Take a Chance Series

  Try Me (Take a Chance #1)

  Love Me (Take a Chance #2)

  Play Me (Take a Chance #3)

  Take Me (Take a Chance #4)

  Faking It

  Divinely Ruined

  On One Condition

  Broken

  Kiss Me At Midnight

  Kill Me Tomorrow

  Temporarily Yours

  Reclaimed

  Superstars in Love Series

  Captivated by You

  One Night

  Dear Reader,

  Prepare yourself for Sex on the Beach, a trilogy featuring BETWEEN US (Jen McLaughlin), BEYOND ME (Jennifer Probst), and BEFORE YOU (Jenna Bennett). Three separate novellas. Three different authors. One literary world. Read them all, or just read one. It's up to you! No matter which route you choose, these standalone novellas are sure to satisfy your need for sizzling romance and an emotion packed story.

  Happy Reading!

  Jen, Jenna, and Jennifer

  Praise for BEYOND ME:

  "I loved this book, I very much enjoyed getting to know James and Quinn, and I wanted to step into their world of sun and water and love. This book made spring break even more fun, even with the intense feelings, I want to head to Florida now! I give this book 5 huge sunny and sandy stars!" –Sizzling Book Blog

  "Jennifer Probst does it again in Beyond Me with another amazing hit. From the first chapter I was captivated immediately and couldn’t put it down. The chemistry between James and Quinn had my heart racing, soaring, and dropping on more than one occasion. I found myself lost in their story, not wanting it to end." –NYT & USA Today Bestselling Author Kelly Elliott

  Praise for BETWEEN US:

  "The sweet good-girl looking to be a bit naughty and the sexy bad-boy looking to be thought of as good…Jen gives us another winning story with BETWEEN US. Drool worthy and devourable with plenty of emotion, I adored this book from start to finish! A must read!" –Jillian, from Read, Love, Blog

  "Anything that Jen McLaughlin writes is gold, in my book. BETWEEN US is no different. Set in the sweltering heat of Key West, it has all the passion, friendship and drama that made it impossible to put down. Go read this book. You won’t be disappointed!" –Casey, Literary Escapism

  Praise for BEFORE YOU:

  "The story felt fun, as Cassie enjoys the sunshine, and things develop and start to sizzle when she meets Ty. It kept me on the edge of my seat...and I was curling my toes at the romance." –Bella, from A Prairie Girl Reads

  "A thrilling mystery mixed with romance and some much needed humor and wittiness, Before You is an enjoyable and gripping story." –Stella, Ex Libris

  I’m just a girl…

  I’m a famous country star who’s spent her life cultivating a good girl persona to avoid bad press, but I’ve reached my limit. I’m going away for spring break with my two best friends from college, and we’ve vowed to spend the vacation seeking out fun in the sun—along with some hot, no-strings-attached sex. The only thing I needed was the perfect guy, and then I met Austin Murphy. He might be totally wrong for me, but the tattooed bad boy is hard to resist. When I’m in his arms, everything just feels right.

  And I’m just a guy…

  I’m just a bartender who lives in Key West, stuck in an endless cycle of boredom. But then Mackenzie Forbes, America’s Sweetheart herself, comes up to me and looks at me with those bright green eyes…and everything changes. She acts like she’s just a normal girl and I’m just a normal guy, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. My past isn’t pretty, you know. I did what I had to do to survive, and she’d run if she learned the truth about my darkness. But with her, I’m finally realizing what it’s like to be alive. To laugh, live, and be happy.

  All good things must come to an end...

  To Jenna and Jennifer—It’s been such a pleasure working with both of you! Thank you for being so amazing, and so much fun to work with!

  THE SALSA music blaring in the background almost made up for the fact that it was over ninety degrees outside and I was melting, but the Sex on the Beach in my hand? Well, that totally made up for any residual heat that was frizzing my curly hair, Chia Pet style, and the fine sheen of sweat covering my body.

  Now, I needed to work up a sweat in a different way.

  This was what I’d wanted when I dragged my best friends, Quinn and Cassie, down here for an impromptu spring break in Key West. We’d debated going somewhere else for more privacy, or maybe renting a private home or something, but Key West was the ultimate spring break spot, and with the hordes of bodies shoved into any one building, the chances of me being recognized down here were slim to none.

  With any luck, I’d blend right in. I’d even dyed my hair and refused to allow any security to come along. We wanted the ultimate spring break experience—and this was the best way to get it. By me trying to be normal for once.

  For this one short, glorious week, I was a normal girl. For the next few days, I’d have my besties at my side, the sun over our heads, the warm sand between our toes, the fruity booze on our tongues, and the warm water beckoning for us to come in. The only thing missing was my spring fling, but I hadn’t found a guy who fit my requirements. I’d been looking since we arrived yesterday afternoon, but no luck so far. I was a little bit picky when it came to men…

  Okay, a lot picky. So sue me.

  When you’re a famous country star—the same one who’d been dubbed “America’s Sweetheart” the moment you first appeared on stage—you had a certain criteria for men. And one of the most important ones that was non-negotiable?

  Absolutely, positively no talking to paparazzi afterward.

  It was a heck of a lot harder than you’d think to find a man who wouldn’t sell you out after making you scream his name. Trust me. I’ve tried to find one, and failed. It’s why I was still a virgin. But after this trip, I wouldn’t be. I was going to find the right guy. Someone who wouldn’t know who I was, so there would be no messy complications afterward.

  And I had my eyes on him now.

  Cassie nudged me in the ribs. “Are you sleeping under that huge hat or what?”

  “Of course not.” I tugged my sun hat lower, peeking over my shoulder as I did so. “I’m just man-hunting is all. You should be, too. We agreed we’d all get laid this weekend.”

  “I’m looking.” Cassie took a sip of her drink, her blonde hair sparkling under the twinkling lights overhead. “Kinda.”

  “Are we still splitting up as much as possible?” Quinn asked.

  “Yeah, we have to. It’s why we have separate rooms. We won’t get laid if we’re two to a bed.” I looked at the guy at the bar again. I needed an excuse to get up there. “Are you girls ready for a refill yet?”

  They’d decorated the outside bar with white lights all over, and tiny little lanterns hung from the wood ceiling beams overhead. “I can’t down them like there’s no tomorrow. Something tells me a hospital visit is not on your spring break agenda,” Cassie said.

  I pointed at her with my drink, concern for their safety taking over. Maybe we shouldn’t split up. What if something happened to one of them? I’d die. “Absolutely not. Watch how much you drink. Balance it out with water at all times, never accept a drink from a stranger, and we have to make sure to keep in contact via text at least a few times a day, so we know we’re all okay.”

  “We already knew that,” Quinn said, her soft voice crystal clear. Her long, dark hair was flawless, as usual, a
nd her dark eyes narrowed on me. “We got the usual Mackenzie speech the whole way down.”

  “I don’t give speeches…okay, never mind. I totally do.”

  Cassie rolled her eyes and Quinn snorted. I fought the urge to hug them tight, but that was nothing new. I always felt that way around them. Grateful they accepted me as I was. Happy we’d met. You know, all those mushy-gushy feelings that I threw into my music but never really voiced out loud.

  They were the only ones who didn’t treat me like I was different because I was famous. It had been a refreshing change of pace, to say the least. We’d bonded two years ago in English 101 when I’d asked Cassie what a dangling participle was, and Quinn had answered from Cassie’s other side. We’d been inseparable ever since. I still didn’t know what a dangling participle was, but that was okay.

  I had them. And soon I’d have him.

  I pulled my sun hat lower and continued to scope out the guy at the bar. He wasn’t looking this way, so I feasted my eyes on his utter hotness. He had dark brown hair, and I was pretty sure I spotted a chin dimple from over here. His arms were inked up, and he oozed sexual confidence without even trying.

  He was probably about six-foot-one, and he had the kind of muscles that showed he worked out, but he didn’t look overly big like those wrestlers or bodybuilders. He was perfection. Something about the way he held himself and the way he carried on a conversation spoke of a confidence a girl like me could appreciate. He looked like he knew what to do inside the bedroom and out of it, and that’s what I needed tonight.

  “Girls?” I leaned in closer, and they did, too. “I think I found my guy. Ten o’clock. Black shirt and brown hair.”

  Quinn peeked while taking a casual sip of her drink. “Hmm. He’s promising. But he kind of looks…dangerous.”

  He did, and I liked that about him. It was the right style of dangerous he oozed—not the “tie me up in a basement and kill me” type.

  “Yeah, I don’t know about him, Mac.” Cassie’s brow furrowed. “He’s tapping his foot to the music way too perfectly. He’s got to be a musician. And all that ink? He’s hardly your type.”

  Oh, he’s totally my type. I watched his foot move. Seeing him in perfect rhythm with the music was a huge turn-on for me. As a musician, I couldn’t help but be attracted to men who could carry a tune or a beat.

  And this dude? Yeah, he had it.

  “Hm. Maybe he’s a little dangerous, but I like that about him.” I took a deeper drink, needing the coolness to cool off my overheated cheeks. “And why is him being a musician such a bad thing?”

  “Because he might recognize you and sell out for a quick buck,” Cassie said, her gray eyes twinkling. She looked halfway to toasted already, and we were only on our first Sex on the Beach. “It wouldn’t be the first time. Need I remind you of what happened when you almost slept with that guy from the club back in Chicago? You didn’t even seal the deal, so to speak, and the press ate you alive. Do you want to be role model turned Slutty McSluttergans all over again?”

  I flinched. “It’s not fair. I’m a virgin, but the one time I appear in the tabloids, I’m a huge whore?” I took a deep sip, my eyes still on the guy at the bar. “Well, screw them. Besides, I dyed my hair and I’m wearing this big hat. No one will know it’s me.”

  Cassie blinked at me, looking way too worried for someone who was supposed to be having fun. “Your brown hair isn’t all that different from your blonde, Mac.”

  “It’s the best I could do.” I’d considered multiple wigs and big glasses, but that would look weird. And it kind of felt too Pretty Woman to me. “I’m going in.”

  Cassie looked at him again. “But are you sure he’s the right guy to do it?”

  “Yep.” I finished off my drink and stood, the empty glass in my hand. “Wish me luck.”

  “Good luck,” Quinn called.

  Cassie smiled. “You don’t need it. Just be careful. And thank you again for bringing us here.”

  “It’s nothing,” I said. “See ya soon.”

  An all-expenses paid vacation was the least I could do for them, when they’d done so much for me. It’s not as if I couldn’t afford it or anything. They weren’t as blessed as me financially, so I paid for them to come with me. That’s all there was to it.

  I don’t think they really understood how much it meant to me to have two best friends I could count on for anything. They wouldn’t steal from me or betray me like my mom had. I flinched at the thought. I tried not to think about her.

  It had taken five months for my father to realize there was missing money in my bank account. It had taken less than twenty-four hours to figure out why. It had gone into my mother’s pockets—and up her nose—while we’d been away from home. After we figured out she was a junkie, there had been a big, sloppy, public divorce, and everyone had felt sorry for me.

  I’d been seventeen and stuck between two warring parents. We’d managed to hide the drug aspect of the story from the tabloids during the court proceedings, but God only knows how. I didn’t speak to her anymore—she hadn’t even come to Dad’s funeral. As far as I knew, she was still a junkie and always would be. Money had corrupted her soul. I would never let it do the same to mine.

  I’d been extremely careful to keep my image squeaky clean ever since. My father had been adamant I had to make sure I did no wrong in the eyes of the media. That way if the truth ever came out about Mom, I’d still be the good one in their eyes. Never step out of line. Never get caught doing something bad. And never misbehave in public.

  He’d died in a car crash two years ago, but I still lived by those rules of his.

  I didn’t know any other way.

  As I made my way over to the guy at the bar, making sure to swing my hips just so to attract his attention, I lowered my head. I might be a virgin, but I’d won Who Sings It Best at fifteen, and I’d been starring in music videos since I was sixteen. And what was in music videos? Sex, sex, and more sex. It might not be actual sex, but it was all about the approach and the hotness factor. And I had that down pat, so I could totally fake the rest. It was all in the confidence.

  Even if the confidence was fake.

  His gaze skimmed over me the closer I got. He adjusted his position on the barstool so he was turned slightly toward me. I knew this guy at the bar was the type of guy to fit into my strict plans. I could feel it in my bones, the same feeling I got when I played the right chord or heard a song that I had to sing.

  It just fit.

  “This seat taken?” I asked, my country drawl a little bit more obvious with a drink or two already in me.

  He gestured at it with his left hand. “Please. Sit.”

  I scooted up onto the stool, stealing a quick peek at him from under my hat as I did so. I eyed his ink, making out a few foreign words in bright colors, and some black swirls inked around the words. Flames too.

  Hot. Really hot.

  “Thank you,” I said, motioning toward the bartender. He came over and smiled at me. “I’ll have another Sex on the Beach, and I’d like two more for the table over there.” I pointed at my girls, waving at them to show that I knew them. They waved back, then whispered to each other. I turned back to my guy. “And another of whatever he’s having.”

  He cocked a brown brow. “Do you always order for other people?”

  “Sometimes.” I lifted my head slightly, still not making full eye contact thanks to my wide-brimmed hat. “I’m a girl who knows what she wants and goes after it. Is that going to be a problem?”

  He laughed lightly, the sound musical. Oh, the girls had been right. I bet this guy could sing the dress off an angel. “No, that won’t be a problem. I’ll have two fingers of Maker’s Mark, please.”

  I handed my card to the bartender. “Ah, so you’re a whiskey guy? Before he died, my daddy always used to tell me to find a man who could appreciate the finer things in life.” I deepened my voice. “‘Find a man who can sit back and enjoy the sunset and the way the waves ro
ll over the beach on a stormy day. And he should also appreciate things like whiskey and Cuban cigars.’”

  “They’re illegal,” the man on the barstool said, leaning closer. “But I do enjoy a good Cuban. Sunsets and the ocean, too.”

  I flushed, my stomach tightening at the way he’d dropped his voice. This guy was affecting me in ways I’d never felt before. “Good to know you like breaking the rules every once in a while.”

  He laughed again, his fingers clutching his glass. All I could see of him, due to my hat, was his hand and his legs, which were encased in torn blue jeans. Because of this, I could just barely make out the dark hair on his thigh. “You have no idea.”

  “Oh, I bet I do.”

  He tapped the side of his glass with his finger. “Pardon me for being rude, but can you lose the hat?” He reached out and tugged on it gently, trying to remove it but not being forceful. “I can’t even see your face.”

  I held onto the brim of the hat, keeping it in place. “Maybe that’s the point.”

  “The hat goes or I go.” He rested a hand on my thigh. My dress stopped right at the knee, so he wasn’t touching bare skin, but he might as well have been for the impact it had on me. I quivered. Yes, quivered. “I don’t play games. You’re either in or you’re out in my world. Is that going to be a problem?”

  I waited too long to answer. He sighed and started to remove his hand from my leg, intending to leave. I panicked, knowing nothing except that I couldn’t let this guy walk away from me. Not yet. So I covered his hand with mine, holding it firmly in place. “Fine, but first tell me what you sing.”

  “What? How did you…?” He tensed. “Have we met before?”

  I shook my head. “No, I just have a feeling you’re a singer.”