An Accidental Fling

an accidental fling Green Valley, Book Two –––––––– NOELLE ADAMS This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental. Copyright © 2023 by Noelle Adams. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. Table of Contents Title Page Copyright Page About An Accidental Fling One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Epilogue about Noelle Adams About An Accidental Fling WHEN I ARRIVE AT A luxury spa resort for a much needed vacation, the last person I expect to find is my best friend's grumpy older brother. Carlton got his heart broken years ago and has been jaded and reclusive ever since. He might be at the resort to work, but I'm here to relax, and I'm not going to let his obnoxiousness get in my way. Only it's hard to relax when he's around. He's much too good-looking, and he's always been able to rile me up. I shouldn't go out of my way to taunt and bicker with him, but he's too tempting a target. I can't help it. Then we accidentally end up in bed together, and the situation gets even more complicated. Because now we have to go back home to Green Valley and pretend it never happened. There has to be a limit to the mistakes I make with Carlton. An unwise vacation fling is one thing, but I'm not going to fall in love with the man. That would be the biggest mistake of all. One MY FIRST VACATION SINCE college begins today, and for some reason I’m kind of nervous about it. Why, I don’t even know. Most people don’t get nervous about taking time off, going away, and trying to relax. But I am. Maybe because it’s a vacation just for me. No one else is coming along. Or maybe because I’ve never been to a luxury spa resort before. Skytop isn’t in an exotic location. It’s just outside of Asheville in the mountains of North Carolina, so it’s only a few hours’ drive from my home in Green Valley. It’s definitely not the vacation I would have chosen for myself, but my mom bought me a full-week package in an attempt to make up for getting drunk and embarrassing me at my New Year’s Eve party a few months ago. My mom and dad are constantly trying to bribe me into forgiving them for their failings as parents. It’s been going on since I was a kid. I don’t always accept the gifts anymore, but my mom bought this week as a nonrefundable package. If I don’t use it, then it will go to waste. Plus I’m exhausted. My job as a junior associate in a local family law firm is fulfilling, but we just finished a difficult, challenging case, and I really need a break. So my mom’s bribe came at a good time. Plus she really did mortify me at the party, getting sloppy drunk and hitting on all my friends, both male and female. I should be used to that sort of thing, but I can’t quite insulate myself fully from the emotional toll. All that to explain why I’m standing next to my car right now as a bellhop pulls my luggage out of the trunk. I’m an active sort of person. I’m not sure how I’m going to manage lying around, getting massages and skin treatments for an entire week, but I’ll give it a try. The woman who greets me at the front desk is gorgeous and smiling—tall and slim and tanned with bright white teeth that make me blink. Women like her used to bother me, making me feel even shorter and curvier and more freckled and messier than I actually am, but I’ve been working on my insecurities for the past few years. I’m thrilled when I don’t feel even a twinge of jealousy at the sight of her perfect face and body. My life wouldn’t be any better if I looked like her. And even if I devoted hours every day to molding my body, it would still never look like hers. People are who they are. And I’ve gotten more than my share of attention with my curly auburn hair, blue eyes, and soft, curvy figure. I’m momentarily distracted by my reflections, so it takes a few seconds to realize the woman has asked me if I’ve visited before. “Oh. Oh no, I haven’t. This is my first time.” “Well, welcome! We’re so happy to have you here at Skytop Spa Resort. Kurt can show you around as he brings up your luggage if you’d like, or you can come down later for the tour.” “I’m happy to get the lay of the land now. Thank you.” Kurt, my bellhop, is young and obviously well trained. He’s been waiting a few feet behind me, but he steps forward at my words. When the woman finishes checking me in, I follow Kurt toward the central courtyard, which is overflowing with plants and domed with impressive glass that lets in the sunlight. The building is only two floors, sprawling out in all directions in an irregular design. I’m relieved for the tour because there’s no way I’d be able to find my way around otherwise. Kurt shows me the pool, the sauna, the treatment rooms, the yoga studio, the meditation sanctuary, the coffee shop, and the restaurant. He also shows me the outdoor facilities, many of which are currently closed because it’s only March. But there are hiking trails and tennis courts, so I can have outdoor activities if I want them. When we’ve completed the maze of the first floor, we reach an elevator. Kurt explains that all the rooms and suites are on the second floor. I’m smiling in response to a mild joke