"You're asking me to leave?"

He had a voice like melted chocolate, the expensive Swiss kind. Rich, sinful and liable to make a woman forget she was on a diet. Not this woman.

Obviously, she'd have to spell it out. "Yes. I'm asking you, very nicely, very politely, to leave my house. I need it."

"Don't you have a house in Auckland?"

"I've just had a h.e.l.lish five-hour drive north to get away from it. I want to stay here."

"I see. Unfortunately, there's a problem with what you want. I'm legally your tenant."

"Legally?" Oh, h.e.l.l. What had Nate agreed to? "What are you, a lawyer?"

He quirked an eyebrow. "Yes, as a matter of fact."

It figured. Just as she figured most female clients would simper at his pretty baby blues and s.e.xily tousled brown hair and concede to whatever up-tight lawyerly demands he'd have in the courtroom...or in the bedroom.

"I drew up a fixed-term tenancy agreement with Nate before I moved in a week ago," he said.

Spots of rain peppered her head, splattered the deck around her. Sav inched a step toward the door then froze at the nearness of Glen's bulk. She crossed her arms over her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, her nipples tightening to tiny dart points as the spots turned into cold drips.

"You did what?"

Nate conveniently hadn't mentioned that on the phone. Or maybe he had, and Sav hadn't paid attention...

"Nate thought it was a practical thing to do, as he was acting on your behalf."

All very thoughtful of her big cousin, but what did it mean in the scheme of getting Glen out of her house? "And this agreement states what?"

"That I am leasing your house for six weeks. According to the law, both parties must agree if they wish to terminate the agreement. I don't agree; therefore, you have a problem."

Sav uncrossed her arms and fisted her hands on her hips. The man was turning out to be a giant pain in the backside. "You're refusing to leave?"

"I'm refusing to leave before the date on the contract."

He uncoiled from the casual lean and braced both hands high on either side of the doorframe, all refined power in strong, toned limbs. Sav backed up a step, heels clicking hollowly on the deck. Then she stiffened her spine. No man would make her cower again.

"I want you out of my house."

"Not happening. I'll leave on October eighteenth and not a day before. If you want to check the contract, Nate has a copy."

Blood surged up her neck in a scalding tide, the now-steady patter of rain dribbling through her hair, soaking through her thin shirt and doing nothing to cool her down. "I'm calling my lawyer."

"Try the front of the deck; it's the only place to get cell coverage."

When she gritted her teeth and almost snarled, his stubble-surrounded mouth peeled back in a grin full of straight white teeth.

Breathe. Focus. Switch tactics.

Sav donned her patented Savannah Payne smile again, complete with two cute-as-a-b.u.t.ton dimples. "Maybe we got off on the wrong foot."

"Maybe we did." He slid the gla.s.ses off his nose, folded the arms in carefully, and hooked them over the Henley's pocket.

There-his tone sounded a lot more reasonable. She smoothed her damp shirt over her hips, and his hooded gaze tracked her movements. Like a big, blue-eyed cat about to pounce on an unsuspecting mouse. Hah. She was no timid mousy.

"Can't we work out a reasonable solution? You're paying rent, of course."

"Four hundred a week, plus two weeks in advance."

A bargain. Nate had nearly sold the property to a developer planning to turn the house overlooking Bounty Bay into a celebrity resort, probably charging at least that a night to stay there. Then Nate had fallen in love with Lauren Taylor who owned the land next door. Nate had decided to sell the house to Savannah and keep the love of his life.

"I'll refund everything you've paid. I can transfer the money right now." Sav tossed her hair over her shoulder. It hit the back of her shirt with a wet slap. She swiped at her face again, and her fingers came away with black smears. Non-waterproof mascara-bane of her existence. So much for deciding she wouldn't need it, thinking her tears, after slinking back to New Zealand, were all over.

"You'll transfer the money, and I'll just pack my bag and vacate the premises?"

"Most guys travel light."

"True. I've barely unpacked."

"Wonderful. I'll pay for you to stay at the Sea Mist Resort in Bounty Bay tonight-with dinner at Kai Moana thrown in."

He dropped his hands from the doorframe and stepped forward. Skin p.r.i.c.kling, boots glued to the decking, Sav tilted up her chin to counteract the height difference.

"Sea Mist Resort, you say? Fancy."

"Four stars." The scent of him-warm male with the slightest hint of some spicy, exotic cologne-drifted into her nose. "Being still off season, I'm sure it won't be busy."

He smiled again, and her pulse danced a jig. Nate's old buddy really did have a gorgeous smile. Not that she was noticing. His gaze swept down the length of her once more, but there was nothing heated or sensual in his examination. It was the indifferent study of a doctor-no, a surgeon-who'd seen women of countless shapes and sizes, and nothing about her slightly hourgla.s.s figure elicited an excited response.

He dragged two fingers and a thumb up and down his scruffy jaw. "You really don't look like a movie star."

"Because I'm standing in the rain, freezing."

"Guess under these circ.u.mstances, you'd usually have some poor sap holding an umbrella over your head?"

"In these circ.u.mstances, I'd expect a man to have some manners and invite a lady in out of the rain." She pa.s.sed an irritated hand over her hair, which instead of being its usual bouncy, toffee-colored self, now had the texture of wet string.

"Used to men saying 'yes' to you, aren't you, Savannah Payne?"

Something in Glen's edgy tone lifted the fine hairs on her nape. What, exactly, did that mean? People often a.s.sumed they knew her from the big screen-and now, because of her debut in the New Zealand TV drama, High Rollers, people a.s.sumed they knew her intimately, as if the small screen made her that much more accessible. People would be wrong.

Blue eyes drilled into her, the mocking angle of his jaw eliciting a flicker of memory... nope. Nothing. She must be getting paranoid.

Savannah c.o.c.ked her head. "I'm trying to negotiate a deal."

"There's no deal to be negotiated. I'm not one of your yes men." He made the words yes men sound as if they were interchangeable with the words man wh.o.r.es. "And since you were so generous with your offer of a night at Sea Mist, I'll give you some legal advice. On the house. Unless you want to drag this through the Tenancy Tribunal court, by which time the fixed-term agreement will already be over, you're best to turn around and go back to the city. I'm not leaving until the eighteenth."

Then he sauntered back inside, flicking a hand behind him to slam shut the door.

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OTHER SERIES.

Due South Series.

The Due South series focuses on family, community, and of course, each book contains a scorching hot romance.

In Too Deep (Book #1).

"Out of the gate with her debut at full throttle, Ms. Alvarez receives a blue ribbon!"

~ InD'Tale Magazine.

Click here to download In Too Deep.

Melting Into You (Book #2).

"Melting Into You has it all, from touching family drama to off-the-charts s.e.xual chemistry."

~Becky on Books & Quilts.

Click here to buy Melting Into You.

Ready To Burn (Book #3).

"Perfection comes in many shapes and forms, and Ms Alvarez delivers in her contemporary voice and quirky character traits that make a distinctive difference between average and stellar storytelling."

~ InD'Tale Magazine.

Click here to buy Ready To Burn.

Christmas With You (Book #4).

"With just the right touch of romance, this heart-warming and witty read entertains from beginning to end and has the reader cheering for the HEA."

~ InD'Tale Magazine.

Click here to buy Christmas With You.

My Forever Valentine (Book #5).

"If you've read any (or all) the four novels in the series, this is a MUST READ."

~Roberta's Dreamworld.

Click here to buy My Forever Valentine.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR.

I live in the Coolest Little Capital in the World (a.k.a Wellington, New Zealand) where I've yet to be buried under my to-be-read book pile by our infamous wind-my Kindle's a lifesaver! Married to a wonderfully supportive IT guy we have two teens who would love to be surgically linked to their electronic devices.

Fuelled by copious amounts of coffee, I'm the author of contemporary romantic fiction set predominantly in New Zealand. Small-towns, close communities, and families are a big part of the heart-warming stories I love to write. Oh, and hot, down-to-earth heroes-Kiwi men, in other words.

When I'm not writing, thinking about writing, or procrastinating about writing, I can be found reading s.e.xy books of all romance genres, nibbling on smuggled chocolate bars or bribing my kids to take over the housework.

Want to know when I release new books or have special subscriber only promotions? Please sign up to my newsletter by clicking here.

Questions or comments? E-mail me at or find me on the following social networks:.

Website: www.traceyalvarez.com.

Acknowledgements.

Thanks to the many RWA compet.i.tion judges who gave me such amazing feedback on this story and helped hone it into the best it could be.

Also thanks to my wonderful editor who is still so patient with all my dangling modifiers and impossible simultaneous action.

I lived in the Far North region for over a decade and it still remains very close to my heart. Thanks to my husband's family who bought the land up there and welcomed me into their whnau.

I am most at peace when walking on the beautiful sandy beaches or listening to the sound of kerer swooping through the Kauri on our land.

It truly is the home of my heart.

Glossary of Maori Words.