Seductress

SEDUCTRESS A WHISKEY DOLLS NOVEL JESSICA PRINCE Copyright © 2023 by Jessica Prince www.authorjessicaprince.com Published by Jessica Prince Books LLC All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. CONTENTS Discover Other Books by Jessica About Seductress Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Epilogue Check Out More from the Whiskey Dolls Read a Sneak Peak of Crossing the Line Discover Other Books by Jessica About Jessica DISCOVER OTHER BOOKS BY JESSICA WHITECAP SERIES Crossing the Line My Perfect Enemy WHISKEY DOLLS SERIES Bombshell Knockout Stunner Seductress HOPE VALLEY SERIES: Out of My League Come Back Home Again The Best of Me Wrong Side of the Tracks Stay With Me Out of the Darkness The Second Time Around Waiting for Forever Love to Hate You Playing for Keeps When You Least Expect It Never for Him REDEMPTION SERIES Bad Alibi Crazy Beautiful Bittersweet Guilty Pleasure Wallflower Blurred Line Slow Burn THE PICKING UP THE PIECES SERIES: Picking up the Pieces Rising from the Ashes Pushing the Boundaries Worth the Wait THE COLORS NOVELS: Scattered Colors Shrinking Violet Love Hate Relationship Wildflower THE LOCKLAINE BOYS (a LOVE HATE RELATIONSHIP spinoff): Fire & Ice Opposites Attract Almost Perfect THE PEMBROOKE SERIES (a WILDFLOWER spinoff): Sweet Sunshine Coming Full Circle A Broken Soul CIVIL CORRUPTION SERIES Corrupt Defile Consume Ravage GIRL TALK SERIES: Seducing Lola Tempting Sophia Enticing Daphne Charming Fiona STANDALONE TITLES: One Knight Stand Chance Encounters Nightmares from Within DEADLY LOVE SERIES: Destructive Addictive ABOUT SEDUCTRESS I knew my best friend’s little sister was off limits, I just couldn’t help myself. When a tragic accident caused Ford Grimes to trade the fast pace of the city for the refuge that came with being a small-town firefighter, the last thing he wanted was romance. Then he met the seductive manager of the local pizzeria and found himself questioning all the rules he’d put into place for his new life. Hardin Shields may as well have had a neon sign strapped to her that said do not touch in big, glowing letters. The single mother had enough on her plate. With a family restaurant to run and an ex who was making her life difficult, the last thing she needed was for her unrequited crush on her older brother’s best friend to take a turn into . . . something. When the chemistry becomes too hot to ignore, they decide to keep things light and fun, but when danger comes lurking, threatening Hardin, Ford has to decide if he’s strong enough to let go of the pain of the past in order to protect the woman who’s coming to mean too much, or let her go. 1 HARDIN No one ever told me when you became a mother, everyone in your household, no matter how big or small, would stop being able to locate their personal belongings, and that job would fall on you for the rest of your life. “Mommy! I can’t find my leotard!” my daughter yelled from the general direction of her bedroom while I raced frantically around the kitchen like a chicken with its head cut off, trying to clean up the accidental mess I’d made while pouring my daughter’s cereal for breakfast, get Hazel’s lunch packed, switch the clothes I’d put in the washer the night before then forgot about over to the dryer, and try to keep hold of my sanity for a little while longer. “Look in the laundry room,” I shouted back, spreading the peanut butter across the slice of bread in front of me with a little too much force and tearing a massive hole in it. “It’s not there!” she returned. I let out a growl and fished another slice of bread from the bag. Of course, it was the last slice, because that was how my life was going. The pantry and fridge were both running dangerously low. I’d spilled the last of the milk all over the counter and floor earlier when I got sidetracked with the million other things I had going on, and the only thing in the freezer was a box of freezer-burned fish sticks that I was unwilling to try to scrape off and bake. So sometime between ballet class, soccer practice, managing the family’s pizzeria since my parents were semi-retired, dropping off and picking up Hazel from school, homework, and dinner, I was going to have to somehow find time that didn’t exist in my crammed schedule to get to the grocery store. “Have you looked in your dresser drawer?” The drawer where every one of her leotards had been since I’d washed them and put them all away last Sunday. “Oops! Forgot to look there!” Of course she had, because looking there would have made the most sense, so why bother? I managed to get the peanut butter spread smoothly the second time around and made quick work of slapping the sandwich together, stuffing it into a baggie, and throwing it in Hazel’s lunch box while I stuffed the destroyed bread in my mouth and chomped down. Waste not, want not, right? And besides, this was the best I could do for myself in regard to eating breakfast. As a mom, I made sure my kid had the most important meal of the day every single morning, but when it came to me, well, it was a feat if I managed to remember to eat at all most days, so this little snack was a win. Most of my