Nights of Fantasy Read online

  Every wish will be fulfilled

  Five seductive dates with gorgeous real estate mogul Jaleen Walker—Danni Allison can’t believe she said yes. At least spending time with the sexy playboy might stop her from dwelling on the momentous secret she carries. Revealing her background could cost Danni the beautiful life she’s built, along with a partnership in the Dupree sisters’ lingerie company. Yet with each passionate encounter, Jaleen proves his knack for anticipating her deepest longings. How long before he also discovers the truth she’s been desperately hiding?

  From the moment he meets Danni, Jaleen knows that he wants her as more than just a friend. Although their physical connection is electric, emotionally she’s holding something back. And so is he... Will their five incredible nights together be long enough for them to stop keeping secrets...and start losing their hearts to each other forever?

  “Has anyone ever told you that playing hard to get doesn’t work if a man loves to chase?”

  “Who says I’m playing hard to get? You couldn’t get me even if you tried.” Normally, their banter went back and forth like this for hours, but today his silence caught her off guard. She turned toward him and placed her hands on her hips.

  “What’s wrong, Walker? Cat got your tongue?” She would have said more, but the mischievous look in his eyes told her to stop while she was ahead.

  “I can think of a lot of things I want to do with my tongue, and each and every one of those things would bring you the utmost satisfaction.”

  She couldn’t help the hitch in her voice at his accusation. Apparently, she wasn’t thinking as quickly on her feet as she normally did. He glanced behind her before curling his hand around her waist and pulling her into a corner of the hallway. He leaned his forehead on hers in a way he never had before. The endearing gesture only made her breathing more staggered.

  Dear Reader,

  I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Jaleen Walker and Danni Allison!

  You initially met Jaleen in my first novel (wow!), A Tempting Proposal, from my Elite Events series. Jaleen is better known as the jokester playboy and loyal sidekick. You met observant and feisty Danni Allison in Enticing Winter and have been able to get to know her throughout the Bare Sophistication series.

  Surprisingly, I tried to pair Jaleen with several heroines in the Elite Events series, but it never felt right. When I decided to write the Bare Sophistication series, I immediately knew that Danni was his perfect match. Although both characters appear to have it all figured out, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

  I received numerous emails and messages asking for Jaleen and Danni’s story, so I’m extremely excited for you all to join them on their journey!

  Much love,

  Sherelle

  [email protected]

  @SherelleGreen

  Sherelle Green is a Chicago native with a dynamic imagination and a passion for reading and writing. She enjoys composing emotionally driven stories that are steamy, edgy and touch on real-life issues. Her overall goal is to create relatable and fierce heroines who are flawed just like the strong and sexy heroes who fight so hard to win their hearts. There’s no such thing as a perfect person...but when you find that person who is perfect for you, the possibilities are endless. Nothing satisfies her more than writing stories filled with compelling love affairs, multifaceted characters and intriguing relationships.

  Books by Sherelle Green

  Harlequin Kimani Romance

  A Tempting Proposal

  If Only for Tonight

  Red Velvet Kisses

  Beautiful Surrender

  Enticing Winter

  Wrapped in Red with Nana Malone

  Falling for Autumn

  Waiting for Summer

  Nights of Fantasy

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  To my parents, Mary and Carl,

  for always being my rocks and biggest supporters. Words can’t express how extremely grateful I am to have you both as parents. Even as a young girl, I knew my parents were special. Now I can’t help but admire you even more. You are the two most selfless people I know, and if it were in my power to do so, I’d give you the world! You are both role models to so many and you give so much to others without ever asking for anything in return. When I think about you both and try to find the words to explain you to others, the first adjective that constantly comes to mind is...exceptional. You’re exceptional individuals and the most hardworking people I know. Thank you for your unconditional love and encouragement.

  Acknowledgments

  To two people who mean the world to me—my sister, Nikki, and husband, Henry. There are times when you can’t control the factors that stand in the way of a deadline. Throughout writing this book, you both were my saving grace. Thank you for the endless conversations, awesome brainstorming sessions and words of encouragement. I’m not sure I could have completed this story without your love and support.

  Contents

  Prologue

  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

  Excerpt from The Only One For Me by Bridget Anderson

  Prologue

  Six months ago...

  “If you want me to leave with you, you’ll have to kiss me first.”

  Jaleen Walker glanced at his friends before setting his eyes on the woman who was making it extremely difficult to keep his distance. He’d arrived at the bar ten minutes prior, along with the other men celebrating his friend Aiden’s bachelor party.

  When Aiden Chase had received a call from his soon-to-be wife, Summer Dupree, Jaleen’d watched Aiden’s face turn from excitement to concern when he learned his fiancée had had one too many fruity drinks. It had only taken a minute for Aiden to announce that he wanted to crash Summer’s bachelorette party.

  Since Summer was like a little sister to Jaleen, he hadn’t argued with Aiden and had quickly informed the guys that the bachelor party was about to become coed. Jaleen hadn’t even known Aiden for an entire year, but the two had immediately hit it off when Summer had taken him to a holiday celebration last year.

  Summer and Aiden were getting married in less than forty-eight hours and Jaleen couldn’t be happier for the both of them. It seemed like all of his friends were tying the knot and he’d been to more pre-and postwedding celebrations over the past few years than he could count.

  Now that the men had arrived at the chic Miami lounge, they learned that Summer wasn’t the only one tipsy. Most of the women appeared to be feeling a buzz and dancing as if they didn’t have to get up in the morning for rehearsal. Reacting quickly, each husband, fiancé or boyfriend went to their significant other to join them on the dance floor, leaving only those unattached to watch the scene unfold.

  “I’ll be right back,” Jaleen said to Danni, ignoring the way her lips curled into the perfect pout.

  Jaleen looked at the remaining men and motioned
for them to group together. “Maybe we should get all the women some water,” he suggested to his friend Luke, Aiden’s friend Dax, Summer’s cousin Malakai and a few others. “Then I’ll ask Aiden and the others if they need help getting any of the other ladies back to the hotel. But, fellas, let’s remember that these women are friends with Aiden and Summer, so we have to act respectfully.”

  “Agreed,” Dax said as the other men nodded their heads. “I think I have a bottle of aspirin in my rental car, so I’ll grab that, too.”

  Jaleen glanced at Malakai, both men knowing that the statement was made for the men who weren’t either family or like family to the happy couple. They didn’t have to worry about Luke and Dax because both were stand-up men.

  Once they’d gotten the bottles of water and aspirin ready for the women, they returned to the group. Jaleen almost laughed at the way Luke and Dax made a beeline for two of Summer’s friends and business associates, Nicole LeBlanc and Aaliyah Bai.

  “They are so predictable,” Malakai said, shaking his head. “I assume you’re going to find Danni?”

  Jaleen didn’t have to respond because Malakai was already heading over to the other men to assist with a couple of Summer’s high school friends. It was well-known news that although Jaleen and Danni were constantly bickering, they had a close friendship. He wouldn’t be surprised if bets were going around the group that they’d be the next pair to start dating. But Jaleen knew that could never happen. He wasn’t exactly a one-woman type of man. Although he never dated more than one woman at the same time, he had a reputation for not allowing a woman to make it past the one-month mark.

  Jaleen glanced around the VIP area and dance floor, finally finding Danni in the corner of the lounge. As he approached, he tried to ignore the soft sway of her hips as she moved to the beat of the music. She looks beautiful. All the women were wearing teal dresses while Summer was in all white. Despite the fact that the dresses were each similar in style, it was Danni’s teal formfitting dress that had his undivided attention.

  “There you are,” he said when he’d reached her. “Why are you all the way over here?”

  “Because I knew you would find me.” Her eyes sparkled with interest. “And I didn’t want all our friends to see when you kissed me.”

  Jaleen ran a hand down his face. She’s not going to make this easy. He couldn’t even remember how long he’d waited to finally feel how soft Danni’s lips were. However, he wanted her to be fully conscious of her decisions when he kissed her. She wasn’t sober, which meant he had to keep his lips to himself.

  He glanced down at the glass she was holding. “Danni, I don’t think you mean that,” he said, reaching for her drink. “How about we trade this drink out for a bottled water?” She accepted the water and took a nice long sip. He tried not to watch the way her lips curled around the bottle, but he failed.

  “I do mean it,” Danni said as she closed the distance. “The only way I’m leaving this bar is if you kiss me like I’ve seen you kiss so many other women.”

  Jaleen winced at the comment despite how true it was. “I do want to kiss you, but how about I kiss you tomorrow night instead?”

  She tilted her head as if trying to decide if she could trust to him or not. “Hmm, okay, that might work. As long as you actually kiss me so that I can mark you off my list.”

  Jaleen raised one eyebrow. “And what list might that be?”

  “My special list that I made on my birthday,” she said with a cheesy grin. “My ‘Thirty Things To Do Before I’m Thirty’ list.”

  Jaleen did a quick mental calculation. She’d just had a birthday, so he assumed she hadn’t gotten far on the list.

  “You’re on it more than once,” she said in almost a whisper.

  When she ran her fingers down the collar of his shirt, he made no effort to stop her. A special list. It sounded like a bucket list of sorts and he knew Danni was big on lists. She was the only woman he knew who didn’t just make a grocery or chores list, but rather a list to remind her she’d created a list for groceries and chores. He often teased her about being overprepared, but she denied it each and every time.

  She rested one hand on his chest, moving her fingers in a small, circular motion. Her touch was innocent, but his thoughts definitely weren’t.

  “I think we need to get you back to the hotel,” he said as he searched for their friends. He noticed that the others in their group seemed to be preparing to leave, as well.

  “Did the ladies drive?” Jaleen asked Aiden as he approached him and Summer.

  “No, we had a driver,” Danni answered instead. “But I sent him away since I figured we could walk back.”

  The hotel wasn’t that far from the lounge, but tugging along ten tipsy women wearing heels seemed like too much work.

  “Let’s head back,” Aiden said with a whistle as he twirled a finger in the air. The group started filing out of the lounge toward the parking lot. Aiden, Summer and Danni hopped into Jaleen’s car while everyone else divided into the other four cars.

  “I want to sit with Summer,” Danni said as she pulled Summer to the back of the car, leaving Aiden to sit in the front with Jaleen.

  “Well, this isn’t exactly how I thought your bachelor party would end,” Jaleen said with a laugh as he pulled out of the parking lot.

  “Tonight with you and the guys was a lot of fun.” Aiden glanced back at Summer. “But the fact that I get to spend the rest of the night making sure that beauty in the backseat doesn’t have a hangover isn’t a bad way to end the night, either.”

  The amount of love Jaleen heard in Aiden’s voice didn’t surprise him. If anything, it made him envious that he’d never get a chance to experience the type of love Aiden and Summer shared. His eyes caught Danni’s in the rearview mirror. What is it about Danni Allison? For years he’d wondered why the only woman who seemed to be immune to his charm was the same woman who was constantly on his mind.

  He supposed that’s the reason they’d developed an actual friendship. Although he still teased her any chance he got, he was well aware that Danni knew entirely too much about his dating history and, for that reason alone, he couldn’t even get her to agree to go on one date.

  After they arrived at the hotel and parked the cars, Aiden and Summer bid good-night to the group. The ladies all boarded the elevator a couple minutes later to head to their rooms, while the men went to the bar in the hotel lobby.

  Jaleen had just sat at the bar when Luke nodded his head toward the front of the lobby. Jaleen followed his gaze.

  Danni was standing near the hotel entrance with her clutch in her hand.

  I could have sworn she just got on the elevator.

  Jaleen turned back to Luke. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Yeah, right,” Luke said with a laugh as he turned to the other men.

  Jaleen caught Danni’s arm as soon as she took one step outside the door. “Where are you going?”

  “To get something to eat.”

  Seriously! “It’s almost three in the morning. Nothing is open.”

  “Well, I’ll find a gas station, then. They never close.” She took one more step out the door.

  “They have twenty-four-hour room service,” Jaleen said, stopping her again. “How about you order some food in your room?”

  A sly smile crept onto her face. “On one condition.”

  He was almost afraid to ask. “What’s that?”

  “You come to my room and eat with me.”

  Jaleen groaned. “If I do, will you eat and then get some rest before tomorrow’s rehearsal?”

  “Yes,” she said a little too quickly. Before he knew it, Danni was tugging his arm and leading him toward the elevators.

  The second they arrived at her hotel room, Danni tossed her clutch on the table and kicked off one hee
l. When she went to remove the other heel, she stumbled.

  “Whoa, pretty lady,” Jaleen said as he helped her steady. “Let’s be careful.”

  “I’m tired of being careful,” Danni replied, looking him in the eye before turning her back to him. “Can you unzip my dress?”

  No, I can’t unzip your dress. “Sure,” he said instead. He felt like his fingers were moving in slow motion as he worked the zipper to reveal the back of a sexy, white-and-teal lace bra. It would take little effort to unclasp the sole clip, but he wouldn’t dare do that tonight.

  “There you go,” he said, allowing one sole finger to run down her spine. She gasped at the touch before turning around to face him.

  “Are you sure you won’t kiss me tonight?” She looked so vulnerable standing there and something in her eyes made him want to say to hell with what he’d said earlier and take a sample of what she was offering. Luckily, his brain was thinking more than the other part of his anatomy.

  “Not tonight. But if you ask me tomorrow, you’ll get a different answer.”

  For a minute he thought she was going to ignore what he was saying, but instead she walked to the couch to lie down.

  “How about I order that room service?” He walked over to the desk. “What do you want?”

  “You decide,” she said, curling onto her side. “I just need something to eat.”

  The last thought he had before he ordered was that the best food they could both have right now would be if they feasted on each other.

  * * *

  Sunlight seeping through the curtains caused Danni to awaken. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand—8:00 a.m. She checked her iPhone, surprised that she hadn’t set her alarm. As a matter of fact, part of the night was a blur. She’d planned on waking up a little earlier to meet a couple of the bridesmaids for breakfast before rehearsal in a couple of hours.

  Maybe I can still meet them, she thought as she stretched her body. It was then that she noticed she was still wearing her dress from last night. What the...? The back of her dress was unzipped and one shoulder was out of the strap. Her hands flew to her mouth as memories of the previous night came rushing back to her.