Interracial Romance, Mystery & Suspense
Date Published: May 22, 2026
No matter how you add the numbers, Nick is one hunk of an auditor!
When government tax auditor Nick finds himself obsessed with the work of
romance author Khloe Matters, there’s only one thing to do. Audit her! But
getting a closer look at the author in her own home just makes him switch his
obsession from the writing to the writer.
When he accompanies her to a writers’ festival, things heat up in a hurry.
Neither of them is being entirely honest, and as the weekend progresses so
does the hilariously tangled webs of deceit as each of them seeks to further
their own agenda.
EXCERPT
“What do you mean you’re disallowing ninety percent of the expenses I
claimed?” Khloe tried not to scream at the smug smile on the auditor’s face.
Hard to believe her libido had jumped to attention when he’d first showed up
at her door. Just went to show how bad a judge of character she was. “You
can’t do that. They are all legitimate business deductions.”
“Really?” The man raised one of those perfect brows. “Care to explain how a
trip to Spain qualifies as a business expense? You’re a writer. You don’t have
to leave the house. You don’t even have to get dressed.”
Khloe gritted her teeth, taking a deep breath to calm herself down before she
answered. She knew his name. Nicholas Carver. She just didn’t think a
government auditor deserved such an impressive name. Calling him a dumb-assed
bean counter probably wouldn’t help her situation, though.
“Although I have not claimed any clothing expenses, I assure you I do have to
get dressed. My neighbours are a conservative bunch. I do have to leave the
house occasionally, and I generally make a point of putting some clothes on
before I do. That trip was for research.” Well, duh, what else would it be?
Maybe this guy got all the looks and none of the brains. “My last mystery
novel was set in Madrid during the running of the bulls. I needed to be there
to get the feel of the place and understand the atmosphere, how the crowd
reacted. I wouldn’t stay in business long if I didn’t pay attention to the
little details. Readers can smell a mistake a mile away, and if I lose their
trust I’ll be working at the grocery store for a fraction of what I make
writing.”
The auditor snorted. “Quite the drama queen, aren’t you? I might accept the
research excuse if the tone came through in your work, assuming we’re talking
about a published manuscript. Do you have a copy of that alleged book?”
The sceptical tone of his voice, not to mention his use of the word “alleged,”
set Khloe’s teeth on edge. How dare he sit there in his perfectly pressed suit
and make her justify every item on her tax return? Oh right. He was the
almighty tax department auditor! Maybe it would help if she curtseyed or
kissed his ring or something.
She smiled sweetly. “Of course.” Turning, she ran her fingers along the spines
of the books on the shelf. Plucking Bullfighter’s Downfall out, she handed it
to him. It took quite some effort to keep her smile from turning into a snarl.
“I hope you enjoy it. It spent two months on the New York Times Best Sellers
list.”
He took the book, his brows rising at the cover picturing a couple in a
passionate embrace against a backdrop of the famous bull run. Turning the book
over, he read the back cover before looking up at her. “Romantic suspense?
You’re one of those kinds of authors?”
Okay, he might be the big-shot auditor, and he had the ability to make her
life, not to mention her finances, a living hell, but he had no right to use
that tone of voice when describing the genre she loved.
“Exactly what do you mean by that?” She straightened up to her full five feet
five inches and glared down at him. “If you mean one of those authors who can
take two characters, introduce them to each other and make them fall
passionately and fervently in love while they dodge bullets, murder, mayhem
and other nasty plot points, then yes. I’m one of these kinds of authors. And
in case you don’t believe me, you might want to ask the thousands of readers
whose buying habits have put me on the New York Times Best Sellers list time
and again.”
“No need to get defensive. It’s hardly War and Peace but I’m sure it’s a very
nice story.”
It took all of her willpower not to grab the heaviest book on the shelf and
smack him over the head with it. War and Peace indeed! “Have you ever tried to
read War and Peace?” She took a step forward, gratified at his flinch. “My
books are meant to entertain people and take them away from their everyday
lives, not bore them to death.”
He had the grace to look uncomfortable. “Well, no, I haven’t actually read it.
I’m more of a John Grisham fan. Lots of war but not much peace.”
She felt the tension in her gut relaxing a bit. He wasn’t quite the
pretentious prig he looked like. Actually, if she took an honest look at him,
he resembled the cover models for some of her steamier books.
And that gave her an idea.
About the Author
Anne Kane lives in the beautiful Okanagan Valley with a bouncy little rescue
dog whose breed defies description, a cantankerous Himalayan cat, and too many
fish to count. She spent many years trying to fit in and act normal, but
finally gave up the effort. She started writing romance in 2008, and her fate
was sealed when she won a publishing contract with Red Sage Publishing and
just a month later Changeling Press accepted her first submission. Since then
she has published more than thirty stories in a variety of sub-genres, all
with a happily ever after.
She has two handsome sons and six adorable grandchildren and enjoys spending
time with them whenever she can. Her hobbies, when sheās not playing
with the characters in her head, include kayaking, hiking, swimming, playing
guitar, singing and of course, reading.
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