All That They Desire (Wardham Book 10) Read online

  All That They Desire

  Wardham Book 10

  Zoe York

  ZoYo Press

  Contents

  About This Book

  Foreword

  Welcome To Wardham

  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

  Epilogue

  Books By Zoe York

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Dedication

  for Shannon and Katherine

  About This Book

  Jessica Doran needs a date who will make her husband—her ex-husband, she needs to remind herself—incredibly jealous. Evan West will do nicely, even if the charismatic winery owner runs the risk of being too much of a good thing. Too hot, too kind, too ruthlessly honest about wanting to take her to bed.

  Brent Doran misses his wife. Desperately. But they separated for a reason, and he’s not ready to deal with those complicated feelings yet. Not even if Evan drags it out of him.

  Evan wants Jess. And he wants Brent. And he wants, most of all, for Brent and Jess to sort their problems out so the three of them can have a lot of fun before he waltzes into the sunset. Because the one thing that Evan West doesn’t do is fall in love.

  Foreword

  If you are a long time Wardham fan, you’ll know this book spent a long time percolating for me. I moved on to other projects, and it was hard to clear the time on my schedule to get this book done when I wasn’t sure exactly how to tell their story.

  So for me, it’s been four and a half years since I’ve been back to Wardham. I know that for some of you it’s been less than that. If you are new to this world, and you start here and go back, you may find some timeline inconsistencies. I’m declaring up front that is my authorial right. I always wanted this book to take place a year and a half after Beneath These Bright Stars, but I flexed a couple of other story lines around that timeline. Maybe nobody will notice which kids are older than they should be! But if you do—it was intentional.

  This book completes the story arc I started in Between Then and Now. It’s not the end of Wardham for me, though. At the end of this book, I reveal my plans for the future—and for more stories set just down the road from me in real life.

  ~ Zoe

  Welcome To Wardham

  A sleepy village on the shores of Lake Erie, ready to explode with passion…

  Between Then and Now - Carrie & Ian Nixon (#1)

  Their story didn’t start with a fairytale romance. Their marriage wasn’t chosen for love. But they still chose each other...time and again. a novella

  What Once Was Perfect - Laney Calhoun & Kyle Nixon (#2)

  He was her first love, and she's always owned a piece of his heart. a novel

  Where Their Hearts Collide - Karen Miller & Paul Reynolds (#3)

  When the girl next door meets the man of her dreams...at exactly the wrong time. a novel

  When They Weren’t Looking - Evie Calhoun & Liam McIntyre (#4)

  She’s not looking for love, he’s not thinking about forever. It’s not what they expected. But it might turn out to be just what they need. a novel

  Beyond Love and Hate - Beth Stewart & Finn Howard (#5) *

  First comes love, then comes marriage... Or maybe just a single night of passion, no strings attached. (Yeah, right!) a novella

  Perfect No Matter What - Laney & Kyle Do Vegas (#6)

  A business trip for Kyle and a last-minute rearranging of Laney’s schedule provides the perfect fantasy escape to re-focus on what really matters. a short story

  No Time Like Forever - Chase Miller & Mari Beadie (#7)

  It started with a kiss… a novel

  Beneath These Bright Stars - Evie & Liam’s Wedding (#8)

  It’s time for Evie & Liam to say “I do”. a novella

  Forever Begins With a Kiss - Chase & Mari Get Hitched (#9)

  Chase and Mari tie the knot in the middle of Mari’s first big tour. a novella

  All That They Desire - Evan West + Jessica Dornan + Brent Dornan (#10, coming soon)

  Nothing about love is easy. a novel

  And if you love Wardham, keep up to date by joining my mailing list and the Wardham Ambassadors group on Facebook.

  * Finn Howard’s brother, Ryan, lives in a town a few hours north of Wardham. If you like this series, you’ll probably love Pine Harbour as well: small town military romance with heroes you’ll fall in love with.

  Pine Harbour

  Love in a Small Town

  Love in a Snow Storm

  Love on a Spring Morning

  Love on a Summer Night

  READ LOVE IN A SMALL TOWN FOR FREE!

  1

  Evan West flicked his suit jacket closed, smoothed the lines just so with a practiced slide of his hand, then fastened the top button. His shoes were perfectly polished and he’d gotten a fresh haircut that morning, going a little shorter than standard on the sides.

  He looked good, and he knew it.

  Which was important, because he had to make her look good.

  Jessica Doran.

  The brunette bombshell he was not going to fuck tonight, no matter how many hungry looks she gave him when she thought he wasn’t looking.

  No matter how soft her tits looked or how red—and wet—her mouth promised to be.

  Tonight Evan would be on his best behaviour, because Jess was a friend and a woman in need.

  And Evan didn’t fuck friends, or women in need.

  In general, he preferred his fuck buddies to be just like him. Ruthlessly independent and looking a good time—nothing more. Male, female, non-binary…he was an equal-opportunity screw for anyone as long as the chemistry was there. But for relationships, he found himself sticking to men more often than not, for reasons he didn’t bother to analyze in depth.

  He was messy and his lovers knew it.

  Jess didn’t need his mess right now. She needed his help, so he had a role to play which for another man—a lesser man—might complicate the not-going-to-sleep-with-Jess rule.

  Tonight, Evan was going to very much want to sleep with her. Publicly. Visibly. In-front-of-her-ex kind of public.

  It wasn’t the noblest of plans, but he didn’t care.

  Jess wanted this, and so, Jess would have this.

  It was the least he could do. She was going to save his town, after all.

  2

  A month earlier

  It was telling that in order to drown herself in a bottle of red with a friend, Jessica had to drive two hours down the highway to Wardham.

  It was also telling that Liam McIntosh was the closest thing she had to a best friend. Other than Brent, of course. But a year ago, when her husband had walked out on her, he’d become her ex-friend at the same time he became her ex-husband.

  Which left Liam. They’d been colleagues in business school, and then stayed in touch when he’d moved to wine country to raise a family.

  And Liam also came with a built-in co-bestie for wine drinking—his wife Evie, who had a way with wine and words
and wisdom.

  Jess needed a hefty dose of all three this weekend.

  She took a deep breath as she steered her car off the highway and headed into the lush green countryside south of Essex. No big city noise, or traffic, or firefighters who can’t talk about their feelings and shut out their wives.

  There was a lot to like about Wardham. She’d visited a few times in the last year, since Brent left her the same weekend Liam got married. She didn’t have anything else to do.

  From the empty seat beside her, the embossed invitation to the annual mayor’s service gala taunted like a neon light. Sure, Jan, it said. Likely story. So why did you burst into tears when you opened the envelope?

  Because Brent—her asshole ex—was also a courageous firefighter who was getting a commendation from the mayor. At a gala dinner she was on the fundraising committee for. And nobody had told her.

  In fact, people must have gone out of their way to keep this information from her, to protect her, and God damn it, she didn’t need saving.

  She was fine. Capital-F Fine, in fact.

  Two hours later, she actually was fine, no capitalization required. She’d been squished by Evie and served a very nice Go West red wine by Liam. She’d played with their two-year-old daughter and oohed and ahhed over their new baby boy.

  And now she was watching her friend and his wife tidy up together, a perfectly synchronized dance in and out of their small kitchen. She was fine. Happy and a little tipsy. But there was still that raw corner of her heart that ached for what could have been. This was what she’d wanted with Brent. At times she’d thought they’d had it, but he’d been just as likely to disappear for a long run or bury himself in a book right after a meal together. Tidying up side-by-side had been a rare treat, and now she knew why.

  Her husband—ex-husband—had never really loved her. He’d let fondness be mistaken for love, and when that became too heavy a burden, he’d ducked out of their lives just as easily as he’d ducked out after countless dinners.

  Why had she gone and fallen in love with an introvert? Why couldn’t she tumble head-over-heels for Liam before he’d met Evie?

  “Because I’m like your brother, and if you fell in love with me you’d have to see me naked.” He grinned at her as he settled on the far side the table. “I think you’ve had enough wine.”

  “Did I ask that question out loud?” She moaned and rubbed her face with her hands. “Yeah, I don’t want to see you naked. Ever.”

  Evie settled in Liam’s lap and reached for her own glass. “I don’t see why not? He’s gorgeous.”

  Jess groaned and waved her hands in the air. “I deserve that teasing. I’m hopeless! I spend too much of my time wrapped around the axle. I can’t stop analyzing healthy relationships like yours, and I’m totally jealous of the idea of anyone being better suited for Brent when I should be focused on getting back in the dating pool. What is wrong with me?”

  “It’s just hard to move on, sweetie.” Evie pursed her lips. “But this sounds like something new has happened. Is he dating?”

  Liam frowned. “If he’s being a dick about it—”

  Jess took a deep breath. “No. I don’t think he’s dating. Or if he is dating, it’s on the down-low. He seems to be working a lot. Work is the problem, actually.” She scrunched up her face. “He’s getting a commendation from the mayor at a gala dinner I have to go to next month.”

  “That jerk,” Liam said dryly. He held up his hands when they both swung murderous glances in his direction. “Obviously I’m not Team Brent, but what’s the big deal?”

  Evie poked him and gave Jess a sympathetic smile. “Will this be the first time you’ll see him for an extended amount of time?”

  She got it. Jess nodded miserably. “For any amount of time, really. He moved his stuff out of the house while I wasn’t there, and he’s swung by twice for mail. That’s it. Other than what I see on Facebook—”

  Liam cut her off. “I thought you were going to unfriend him.”

  “He’s still my friend,” Jess retorted hotly. Except he wasn’t. He’d all but ghosted her. If he was her friend, he’d have reached out about the dinner and said—something. Anything.

  Liam rolled his eyes.

  She pointed her wineglass at him. “I didn’t come here for your judgment, mister.”

  He started to apologize at the same time as the baby woke up and let out a startled cry.

  Evie got up and gestured in the direction of the nursery. “That’s your cue, mister.”

  He stood and gave his wife a tender smile. “Say that again, I like it.”

  Jess groaned and reached for the bottle to refill her glass. But she smiled as her friend disappeared, then reappeared with a squirming baby in his arms. He bounced on the balls of his feet, gently shushing his wailing son. “Here’s mama, don’t worry. I know.”

  Evie took the baby and settled into the chair to nurse him. As soon as little Deacon was quiet, she wiggled her free hand at Jess. “Okay, so tell me more about this dinner. Why is it so stressful?”

  “He’s getting a commendation for saving a fellow firefighter’s life last year. I’ve been heavily involved on the fundraising committee, and I want to keep that profile. I want to be recognized, too, you know? I’ve worked hard for this opportunity. Put in my dues and now my first major chance to get meaningful face time with the city’s powerbrokers is going to be disrupted by the fact that I want to burst into tears every time I see Brent.”

  “That really sucks.” Evie raked her lower lip between her teeth, her eyes glinting. “Can you take a guest?”

  Jess pulled a face. “Are you pimping Liam out?”

  His wife laughed. “No, although he does own some very nice suits that he doesn’t wear often enough these days. But Brent knows him, and knows he’s married. That won’t work. I was thinking of someone else.” A naughty smile teased at Evie’s lips.

  Liam stopped and gave her a look. “What are you doing, woman?” His question was low, but Jess heard it all the same.

  Evie turned and looked at her husband, all wide-eyed innocence. “She needs a date.”

  He frowned. “Not with Evan.”

  Evan? Jess’s heart jolted against her ribcage. They’d met only once, at Evie and Liam’s wedding, and he’d left a significant mark on her. He’d made her feel special that day, which she’d desperately needed because Brent had just left her.

  Evan West was Wardham’s king of wineries. An international businessman—and a dangerously sexy beast.

  Also, from what Liam had said in the past, an incorrigible flirt and a ruthless playboy who never actually dated any of the women whose panties he could melt off in a single scorching glance. His date to Liam’s wedding had been a young rower named Adam—adorable and very, very masculine.

  But Brent didn’t need to know that Evan was gay.

  “Why not with Evan?” she asked in a rush. “If he would. Maybe he’s busy. But…”

  It was a terrible idea. Terribly good, though.

  Evan would make her look amazing. Brent had never met him, and maybe, if he saw the older man on her arm…

  No. She wasn’t going to try to make Brent jealous. It wouldn’t work, first of all, but if she was going to do this—ask Evan on a faux date—it would be for good old-fashioned capitalistic reasons. Business reasons. This would be a good move for her marketing consulting, and she could make it worth his while, too. London’s powerbrokers liked wine—and the wine business.

  She blinked. Liam and Evie were both looking at her, because she’d trailed off. “It’s a great idea,” she said firmly.

  “It’s not,” Liam said, just as firmly.

  “Is this because of my history with him?” Evie stroked Liam’s cheek and Jess was torn between wanting to tell them to get a room and demanding to know how they had a conversation like that without getting mad at each other.

  “What history?”

  Liam shook his head. “They dated in high school. Prom king
and queen, the whole nine yards. And no, of course that’s not the reason.”

  “That was a long time ago, anyway,” Evie said. “Decades in the past. Now he’s my oldest, dearest friend.”

  “Who you will offer up at the drop of a hat to be a high-class escort,” Liam muttered.

  “That’s not how I’d put it,” Evie retorted. She glanced down at Deacon, now sleeping at her breast. “Want to put the kidlet to bed again?”

  “I sure do.” He took the baby, then kissed her. “I’ll take him into our room and lie down with him for a bit. You two can talk more about this, but don’t make any crazy plans until the morning when we’re all for-sure sober, okay?”