Loves Me Knot: A Man of the Month Club Novella: A Small Town Second Chance Beach Romance

LOVES ME KNOT A Second Chance Small Town Beach Romance` Man of the Month Club - Candy Cane Key AUBREE VALENTINE Contents 1. Jessica 2. Jessica 3. Ryan 4. Jessica 5. Ryan 6. Jessica 7. Ryan Man of the Month Club 2023 Also by Aubree Valentine About the Author Loves Me Knot Copyright © 2023 by Aubree Valentine All rights reserved. All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this book may be reproduced, copied or transmitted in any medium, whether electronic, internet, or otherwise, without the expressed permission of the author. This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, locations, and names occurring in this book are the product of the author’s imagination, or are the property of their respective owners and are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual events, locations, or persons (living or dead), is entirely coincidental and not intended by the author. All trademarks and trade names are used in a fictitious manner and are in no way endorsed by or an endorsement of their respective owners. Contains sexual situations, violence, sensitive and offensive language and mature topics. Recommended for age 18 years and up. Cover Design: Cormac Covers Cover Images: Depositphotos Formatting: Beyond the Bookshelf Publishing Services Series Management: Kara Kendrick Jessica A few weeks ago… “What are you doing?” I leaned closer to my best friend Abby and whispered through gritted teeth. It was bad enough that I let her convince me to come with her to this Manuary charity auction. Now she was sitting here bidding on Candy Cane Key’s favorite Sheriff's Deputy, who also happened to be my pain in the ass ex. Deputy Ryan Albright worked the crowd of hungry local women with his piercing blue-green eyes, a charming and seemingly innocent schoolboy smile, and that sandy blondish-brown hair that I used to love running my fingers through. When he winked at someone in the front, a table of ladies that we graduated high school with whistled and placed another round of bids. Abby’s hand went up and she doubled the last bid. “Abby!” I hissed, suddenly wishing I was anywhere but here. Betsy Henry, my arch-rival essentially since birth, raised Abby’s bid while looking right at me with an evil smirk on her face. Ha. If Betsy wanted a date with Ryan, she could have him. It would serve him right, too. After breaking my heart in two, Ryan absolutely deserved to suffer through a night with the likes of Betsy. Besides, it wasn’t like I was the one bidding on him. Abby pledged another hundred dollars on top of Betsy’s bid. What the hell was she thinking? Did she want a date with Ryan? There was no way. Abby would never do that to me, nor would she do that to her boyfriend Liam. And if she was merely trying to up the bids and raise more money for charity then surely she would have placed a bid on some of the other guys, too. Right? I swallowed hard and my cheeks flushed when Ryan looked in our direction and shot Abby a confused glance before locking eyes with me. “Abs. Really. That’s enough. Please, stop,” I pleaded. “Going once. Going twice,” the auctioneer called out. “Sold to our very own Abby Monet!” I gasped out loud. Abby turned and looked at me with a satisfied grin. “You’re welcome.” “What?” I croaked. “That was all for you, bestie,” she winked. “You can thank me later.” “Abbbbbbyyyyy. What have you done?” “I just bought you one night with Ryan Albright,” she replied as if that somehow explained everything. “Why? Why on earth would you do that?” I tried really hard to keep my voice even and not to let my emotions get the best of me. “Because you two have circled each other for long enough. It’s time for you both to work out your shit and get it together.” I huffed. “There’s nothing to work out. Ryan made that clear when he dumped me.” “Don’t pout. It’s not cute,” Abby chided. I rolled my eyes and picked up my glass of wine, quickly chugging what was left. “I think I’ve stuck around long enough. I’m going home,” I said after swallowing down the last drop. Abby sighed and her shoulders dropped. She knew me well enough to know that I was no longer okay, and this time, it was pretty much her fault. “Come on, stay.” “I’ve got papers to grade and lessons to finish planning.” Tears burned the backs of my eyes and threatened to fall. “I’ll catch up with you later. This was fun…” Until it wasn’t. “I’ll call you about lunch on Thursday.” I stood and nodded before I made a beeline for the exit. And ran smack into a solid wall of muscle. Really familiar smelling muscle. My God, the man still wore the same Old Spice Swagger fragrance that he wore back in high school. I didn’t need to look up to know who I’d just collided with. Fuck my life. “Jess…” his husky voice somehow still made my toes curl. Ryan. Looking up into his eyes made my chest ache. “I was just leaving,” I mumbled, hoping that he would let me go. “I’ll walk you out,” he offered, because of course he did. Ryan wouldn’t be caught dead not being a perfect gentleman in public. “That’s not necessary.” It really wasn’t. Candy Cane Key was a peaceful little isle just off the coast of Florida. Everyone knew everyone and our crime rate was nearly non-existent. Tourists seemed to respect us and none of the townies really made a habit of causing trouble. Heck, the most action Ryan probably saw was probably due to some bored high schoolers playing silly pranks. I could handle walking to my car. “I need the fresh air,” he offered up as an excuse. “Aww, what’s wrong, Ryan? Did all that attention make you all hot and bothered?” The minute the words flew out of my mouth, I