ABOUT THAT KISS is book 5 in the Heartbreaker Bay series that is about an eclectic group of friends with varied personalities. One explosive kiss that is quite memorable left them both shook up. This is a fun to read series with some funny characters. They may be an odd group, but they have their own version of a family. They have each other's back but will give you a swift kick when you need it. Once again Jill Shalvis deals with the dynamics of what a family life consists of -- pain, guilt, misunderstanding and the healing effects of love. This story also deals with PTSD and how it affects the individual as well as family members.
Sexy, fun loving, no commitments Joe Malone didn't call Kylie Masters after that explosive kiss, but he can't and didn't forget it. But Joe is carrying around a boatload of guilt from some family issues. So because of that guilt, he feels that Kylie deserves more than he can give her. Kylie has tried desperately to forget about that kiss. But when she needs help in finding something that is precious to her she goes to the one person she knows that can help her. Working together to solve a mystery proves to be more than either of them expected. They are both carrying around undeserved guilt that will require help from others to shake.
Joe does whatever he needs to when it comes to family. But because of misplaced guilt, he has always shut himself off from any personal relationships. He has been able to maintain that practice until he encounters Kylie and they share that kiss. Kylie enjoys having fun with Joe until she realizes she wants more than just fun. It was so much fun watching these two navigate through this relationship.
When love drives you crazy . . .
When sexy Joe Malone never calls after their explosive
kiss,
Kylie shoves him out of her mind. Until she needs a favor,
and itβs a doozy. Something precious to her has been stolen
and thereβs only one person with unique finder-and-fixer
skills that can helpβJoe. It means swallowing her pride and
somehow trying to avoid the temptation to throttle himβor
seduce him.
the best thing to do . . .
No, Joe didnβt call after the kiss. Heβs the fun time guy,
not the forever guy. And Kylie, after all sheβs been
through, deserves a good man who will stay. But everything
about Kylie makes it damned hard to focus, and though his
brain knows what he has to do, his heart isnβt getting the
memo.
β¦ is enjoy the ride.
As Kylie and Joe go on the scavenger hunt of their lives,
they discover surprising things about each other. Now, the
best way for them to get over βthat kissβ might just be to
replace it with a hundred more.
Joe studied her. βI asked you once before, but now Iβm
going to ask you again. Is there something going
on between you two?β
She tossed up her hands. βWhy do you both keep asking me
that about each other?β
His eyes narrowed. βI thought nothing was going on.β
βAnd before today, I couldβve passed a lie detector test on
that,β she said.
βWhat happened today?β
She paused. Not because she had anything to be ashamed of,
but because she wasnβt quite sure what
had happened.
βKylie.β
She sighed. βItβs nothing.β
βTry again,β Joe said and gave her the very male universal
go on gesture.
She rolled her eyes. βFine. He . . . finally made a move on
me.β
Joe didnβt budge. Not a blink, not a muscle twitch,
nothing, but she couldβve popped corn off the electric
tension coming off him.
βDescribe βmade a move,β β he finally said.
She crossed her arms. βAnd again, how is this relevant to
my case?β
He just gave her that careful stare again and she thought
wow, those eyes of his should be registered as a lethal
weapon, because she found herself opening her mouth and
spilling her guts. βHe kissed me.β
βHe kissed you.β
βYeah,β she said. βDo you know that you often repeat what I
say?β
βWhat kind of a kiss?β he asked.
She was momentarily bewildered. βI donβt know. It was a
kiss. A normal kiss. A nice kiss.β She cocked her head at
him. βHow many kinds of kisses are there?β
He just looked at her for a long moment before coming
toward her. He backed her to the wall and pressed his big
hands on either side of her head.
βThere are many kinds of kisses,β he said.
Her breath had backed up in her throat, where her heart had
lodged, pounding wildly. βS-s-such as?β
βSuch as this one.β And then he leaned in and covered her
mouth with his.
At the touch of Joeβs mouth, Kylieβs brain stopped being
capable of rational thought. His tongue gave a knee-
weakening stroke against hers and she let out a shockingly
needy moan as she clutched at him, fisting her hands in the
material of his shirt at his chest. Only when heβd
thoroughly plundered and pillaged and left her boneless did
he lift his head and
look into her eyes.
βWow,β she whispered, fully aware she was still holding on
to him like he was a lifeline, but the bones in her legs
had liquefied. βI mean . . .β She shook her head. βWow.β
He nodded. βYeah. So to be clear, that wasnβt βa normal
kissβ or even βa nice kiss.β It was a βwowβ kiss. Any
questions?β
βJust one,β she said softly. βCan I have another?β
Joe didnβt have to be asked twice. His mouth immediately
descended again, his fingers sliding into her hair to
change the angle of the kiss to suit him. It was a
controlled, alpha thing to do, but she had only one thought
βnothing about the usually carefully, purposely leashed Joe
was in control at the moment.
And she liked it.
She had no idea how long they went at it because she was in
absolute heaven. Who knew that the man could use his
preferred silent mode to communicate in a way that she
finally approved of?
Only when she was completely breathless and about to strip
him down to his birthday suit did she manage to pull back.
βAny more questions?β he asked, also a little bit
breathless, which was more than slightly gratifying.
Dumbly, she shook her head. His eyes softened and he gently
he stroked his thumb over her bottom lip. βAnd FYI? Gibβs
an idiot.β
© 2003-2026