A Secret Between Friends — Serenity Woods

A wounded soldier needs her own hero…

Carrying out the goals on someone else's Bucket List might seem like an odd thing to do, but for Genie it's the perfect way to honor her best friend, Ciara, who died in the bomb blast that blew up the Army truck carrying them both across Afghanistan. Genie's come home to the Bay of Islands to rest her injured knee, and she hopes that by fulfilling Ciara's list of wishes she can also heal the grief and guilt that goes deeper than her physical wound. Spending some time with Ciara's gorgeous big brother just happens to be an added bonus.

Niall Brennan has always been attracted to Genie, but when he offers to join in with the Bucket List idea, he tells himself it's purely out of a desire to pay homage to his sister. That's fine when the first goal they pick at random is taking cooking lessons. It becomes less easy to hide his desire when they spend an afternoon on a nudist beach, and by the time they take part in the body painting event, Niall has no chance of keeping his desire a secret. Luckily, Genie reciprocates his feelings -- a hundred and ten percent, and soon it's not only the weather that turns hot and sultry.

Conscious that Niall's mother, Sinead, blames Genie for her daughter's death, they decide to keep their sizzling but brief fling just a secret between friends. But although Genie's knee is on the mend, her emotional wounds refuse to heal. Sinead continues to refuse to forgive her, and even Ciara reaches out from beyond the grave to warn Genie against dating her big brother.

The final wish on Ciara's Bucket List brings everything to a head. Genie knows she has to end the fling. But the heart wants what the heart wants, and besides, Niall has other ideas…

Warning: this sweet and sexy romance is best read with a fan on standby. Adults only.