The Bachelor's Bed. Jill Shalvis

      How in the world had he fooled himself into thinking this was a good idea?

      IT WAS A BALMY, sticky evening, the kind only midsummer could bring.

      Colin wolfed down a quick bowl of soup for dinner, preoccupied with some critical adjustments he needed to make on his project. Forgotten soup bowl at his elbow, he sat at his kitchen table, furiously scribbling notes. He’d used up nearly the entire tablet when he heard the car.

      It was hard to miss as it backfired, sounding like the fourth of July.

      Then Lani was at his back door with a duffel bag and a smile that lit up the hot Southern California night.

      Something within him warmed to match it.

      He opened the door and she moved in, invading his space with her cheerfulness, her bright eyes, that sexy scent of hers.

      At least she wasn’t wet anymore, or cold, thank God.

      But then again, it was hard to tell in the shapeless summer dress she wore. She’d layered it over a loose T-shirt and high-top tennis shoes, and if he hadn’t seen her incredible body earlier, he could never have imagined it.

      Before he could move away, she gave him a quick hug, which so startled him he froze.

      At his reaction, she froze, too, and pulled back. “So…” She bit her lip, looking a little unsure of herself. “You did want me to come back tonight, right?”

      His mother wasn’t coming for two days. But Lani was looking at him with those unbelievable eyes and he didn’t know what to say. And was she always going to touch him for no reason?

      If so, it was going to be a hell of a long engagement.

      He had originally approached this whole fictional fiancée situation as he would anything—management by objectives. It wasn’t something he looked forward to, but it had to be done. And how hard could it be? They’d already known each other a full year.

      Except, she was unpredictable. She was also too…happy, a definite personality disorder in his book.