Make Me Forget
Make Me Forget
ISBN #
978-1-78430-721-9
©Copyright Jacqueline Anne 2015
Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright August 2015
Edited by Jamie D. Rose
Totally Bound Publishing
This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Totally Bound Publishing.
Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Totally Bound Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.
The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.
Published in 2015 by Totally Bound Publishing,
Newland House, The Point, Weaver Road, Lincoln, LN6 3QN
Totally Bound Publishing is a subsidiary of Totally Entwined Group Limited.
Warning:
This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has a
heat rating
of
Totally Sizzling
and a
Sexometer
of
2.
MAKE ME FORGET
Jacqueline Anne
Deadline approaching, Paige takes a vacation to battle writer’s block. Her quiet plans are interrupted by a handsome, naked intruder. Is he her inspiration?
Bestselling romance author, Paige Mattheson, is experiencing the worst case of writer’s block. She hasn’t written a word in weeks and is struggling with the intimate scenes in her book. With a deadline quickly approaching, she goes on a weekend getaway to the beach to clear her head. She promises herself she will relax and find her true self again, along with some inspiration to see past her heartache and complete her novel.
Fun-loving Tyler Barrow is vacationing in Montauk, New York. He is passionate about his career as a teacher—and about surfing. When Tyler misses his original flight home, a miscommunication with the owner of the rental unit finds Tyler staring at a beautiful woman in his kitchen. He is instantly drawn to her and eager to find out why, even if it is only for the weekend.
Paige is initially annoyed by the naked intruder who has interrupted her quiet vacation. She sticks to the promise she made herself and tries to let go and have some fun.
Will Tyler be able to make Paige forget about her past? Will fate prove to be more than just a weekend fling, even though they live on different ends of the earth?
Only time and a bestselling novel will tell.
Dedication
To the man who showed me Montauk and all of its beauty.
Trademarks Acknowledgment
The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmark mentioned in this work of fiction:
Facebook: Facebook Inc.
Chapter One
“I just need to get away for a bit,” Paige mumbled to her publisher as she stared at her computer screen. She was more than half way done with the novel she was working on, and she’d hit a major case of writer’s block. It had been nearly two weeks since she had written a single word. Her publisher was now calling every other day to bug her, since her deadline was quickly approaching.
“Paige, you have two weeks. You need to get this book done. Fans are anxiously waiting,” Sylvia said in a firm, yet sympathetic, tone. The director of the publishing company used to be an author herself, until her father had passed away and left the company to his middle daughter, the only child out of five who had a love for books.
“I promise it will get done. I’ve never failed you yet,” Paige reassured her as she bit her lip, because honestly, she wasn’t so sure this time. This would be her tenth romance novel—the last five were bestsellers—but this one wasn’t coming so easily.
“Good. Take a quick weekend getaway to relax and unwind. Get inspired and finish that book.”
Paige ended the call and put her cell phone back on the charger.
What had changed since her last book was released?
Oh right, my heart got broken by my lying, cheating fiancé.
She sighed and pushed those feelings and the blame aside.
I am a writer, dammit!
I won’t let him take this from me.
While the first part of the book had flowed fairly easily, she was struggling on writing the intimate scenes between her characters.
How is my sex drought and heartache causing the same for my characters? This can’t keep happening.
Paige rubbed her hands over her face in pure frustration. She glanced out of the window for the millionth time today, this time taking note of a flock of geese in the pond. Her apartment complex was situated in a beautiful, private park in the heart of downtown Hartford, Connecticut. It was peaceful, a far cry from where she’d lived in New York City with her ex-fiancé, Justin. It was also close to everything the clean city had to offer. Paige enjoyed walking or taking the bus to wherever she needed to go. She had become a regular at the coffee shop around the block and the nearby market. They all knew her as Paige, not a bestselling romance author. She preferred it that way. She wore very little makeup and kept her clothes simple. She liked to keep to herself and didn’t want to stand out in any way.
She sighed and thought about a place to go for a long weekend. She didn’t have much time and didn’t want to spend money on a plane ticket. Then she recalled the barista at the coffee shop recently raving about her trip to Montauk, New York. Ally had explained it to her as a
quaint little town with a big fishing problem
. She’d said it wasn’t too commercialized, and the beaches were beautiful and never overcrowded, unless you were at Ditch Plains Beach, which was full of surfers.
Paige looked at hotels, pulled up a vacation rental website and searched for a place available this upcoming weekend. As she glanced through available dates, it wasn’t looking very promising.
“Damn, this place must be more popular than I thought,” she mumbled to herself as she scrolled through the rental listings.
She finally clicked on a two-bedroom condo across the highway from the beach. Luckily, it said it was available last minute due to a renter leaving earlier than expected. She made her reservation and arrangements with the owner. Excitement began to brew within her along with a little relief from the tension she had been feeling.
This was just what she needed.
She packed her bags and checked the ferry schedule. The high-speed ferry was set to leave New London at eight o’clock at night. Paige did a little shopping in the quaint, historic district. She treated herself to a new dress, a pair of handmade earrings and a book.
As she strolled through town listening to a band playing in the distance, she took a deep breath. She felt at ease here—or perhaps it was thoughts about the weekend ahead of her. She boarded the boat determined to have a good weekend. It had to be. Her career was depending on it, and lately, so was her whole demeanor. She promised herself she would let go and be free this weekend, embrace the real Paige
Mattheson—the girl who loved to write, believed in true love and was a romantic at heart. She seemed to have lost the real her quite some time ago. It was about time to get her back, or maybe even discover a whole new side that had been suppressed forever.
The boat docked in Montauk near Gosman’s Dock. She went from one charming area to another. She felt relaxed here as well. How she’d even survived two whole years in busy, crowded New York City still surprised her. She had grown up in a decent-size Midwest town. It had a small village area where everyone gathered to shop, dine and enjoy countless activities. Big cities, on the other hand, had always overwhelmed her. She found it hard to meet people—even her neighbors—and it was never quiet. Paige had always needed a calm place, ever since she was a little girl. It had helped her get lost in her books. When she got older, she’d needed it to focus on her thoughts, stories and characters.
Paige took a cab back to her vacation retreat—or writer’s retreat sounded more appropriate. Writing was what she was here for. She had a deadline, fans waiting, and her publisher was on her ass.
She took a deep breath in, tasting the salt in the air, and trekked up the flight of stairs to the unit. She entered the code the owner had given her on the keyless lock, walked into the condo then flipped on the lights. The condo was how it was pictured, decorated in bright, airy colors with a nautical feel—but a mess.
Ugh.
She assumed the cleaner didn’t have time to come by between renters. It was almost nine-thirty and she was exhausted. It would have to do for now. Tomorrow she would call the owner and request at least a partial refund.
Paige made her way to the first bedroom she saw. She couldn’t wait to get to sleep and start her day bright and early the next morning. She glanced around and it looked perfectly tidy, like no one had ever slept in the room. Relieved, she quickly unpacked her suitcase and got ready for bed.
As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out.
Chapter Two
Tyler had taken a few weeks to come over to the States and was beyond thrilled with his decision. After the first couple of days in Montauk, he felt at home. He had the opportunity to surf all day and had even taught a few lessons. He loved surfing and did it whenever he could. He was passionate about it as a hobby. His other passion was his career as a teacher. He taught math at a high school back in Australia, where he also coached the boys’ soccer team.
“Glad you got to stay a few extra days. I can’t believe you missed your flight, mate.” Matt chuckled as he took a swig of beer.
Tyler was with his buddy, Matt, at a small bar in the village of Montauk. They had met through a surfers’ group on Facebook. After a few months of sharing their surfing stories and backgrounds, Matt had finally convinced Tyler to come visit. Tyler had been born in the United States, but his family had moved to Australia when he was a teenager. Matt had been born in Australia and had moved to the States to go to college. Both of the men were teachers and loved surfing. They definitely had a lot in common.
