The perfect dessert should lick you dirty. A seduction: that’s what my restaurant Flambé will be when it opens—the hottest one-night stand you didn’t know you wanted to indulge in. Except my one-night stand just became the lynchpin in securing my restaurant’s biggest investor. Flambé is a classy establishment, but now I have to hire the Tiki-drink-slinging shirtless wonder Connor Voss as my new bartender … or I’m out of business! Call me a control-freak, but Connor is a recipe for disaster, and I won’t last the week. Not only is Connor sure that he can mix a drink better than me (let him try!), he thinks he’s allowed to play with fire, flirt with the wait staff, and defy everything I say. I may be “the boss”, but he’s sure he can do whatever he wants because he knows woman-on-top is not my favorite position. But this is my kitchen. If Connor Voss wants to play with fire, then he’d better get ready, because he’s about to learn just how I hot I burn.

Mistaken identity was never so hot … When Arie's twin sister, Esme, is mistaken for the up-and-coming restaurateur, her love life goes from non-existent to volcanic. The crew of the hottest new show on television, Billionaire Heat, just checked into the Atlantis Resort in Waikiki. On his first night in town, the show's smoldering leading man, Desmond Pike, visits the infamous restaurant Flambé expecting to meet the owner Arie (and her sinful reputation for late night delicacies). Only, Desmond unknowingly meets Esme, the chef's twin sister, instead. Esme is everything Arie is not—sweet, shy, romantic—and for a girl who is allergic to one-night-stands, things are about to turn molten! Refusing to let her sister blow it with TV's hottest celebrity, Arie decides to coach Esme on how to bring the actor to his knees. And when Arie sets her mind on a project, get out of the way. Dessert is back on the menu and Arie is turning up the heat.

I’ve handcuffed myself to the hottest lawyer in Waikiki on his birthday … what could possibly go wrong? OLIVIA: Connor’s grumpy older brother, Ned Voss, won’t attend his own birthday party at Flambé without a little convincing … of the handcuffs and kidnapping variety. It’s a fun little prank, except I don’t expect the poster boy for Grinch-of-the-Year would be so much fun to tease ― or that he’d be so dang sexy. Everything I love, Ned hates: glitter, frosted tarts, flirting. And now that I’ve gotten a taste of torturing him, I’m addicted. I’m sorry, Mr. Lawyer Man: Hurricane Olivia is rolling in, and I’ve got more than handcuffs to keep you from blowing away. NED: When Flambé’s hostess, Olivia Reese, handcuffs herself to me on my birthday, I’m sure it’s a cruel joke. The woman is gorgeous and out of my league (and completely obnoxious, too). Last thing I expected was to have the time of my life. I’m sure I won’t see her again when the night is over. I don’t have my brother’s swagger for impressing women. Which is fine. I’m a busy man with a top-notch firm because I’m disciplined. I don’t get distracted. And Olivia is the worst kind of distraction. I definitely won’t keep the birthday handcuffs like they were my favorite present. And I’ll absolutely throw her out of my office when she shows up unannounced to feed me one of Flambé’s naughty desserts. Guess what, Sexy Maiden of Mayhem: you’re the type of woman who crushes men’s hearts, and I’m the type of man who likes to win. Even though I don’t know the rules of your game, I never shy away from a challenge.

No one should ever plan a wedding at Flambé! Why? As Ned and Olivia’s wedding planner, let me count the ways: 1. Flambé is waaaay too sexy for a wedding. Remember, grandparents will be there. 2. Flaming cocktails + a wedding veil = literally burning down the house. 3. Head chef Arie is an absolute tyrant who thinks she’s planning the day. 4. Co-owner Simon is Clark-Kent-hot … a huge distraction. 5. Did I mention Simon’s sexy horn-rimmed glasses? Can I get an Amen! 6. I have this condition where I get too excited around good-looking men. Like Simon. 7. If the Flambé staff finds out I’m a virgin, I’ll never live it down. Unfortunately, my bride is determined to get hitched in Flambé’s den of sin. The view there may be great, but everything else is complicated—especially with Simon as my liaison. I can’t stop having Superman fantasies about him. Worse, it seems like he might be up for a little roleplay, but he doesn’t know my pesky V-card will get in the way. And if Arie and I spend more than five minutes together, somebody’s going to find body parts in the chocolate crème. Of course, none of that matters because I’m a professional. It’s my job to make my bride and groom’s life easier, even if it means making my own life hell. And everything between Simon and I can wait until after the wedding … maybe. If he’ll just stop giving me that dang sexy smile.

When two single people meet at a wedding, they should hook up, right? Even if those people happen to be me (sweet, demure, slay-the-day, people-pleaser Naomi) and Mason Haas (foul-mouthed, phallic-shirt-wearing owner of the local tiki bar)? And flings are forgettable, right? That is, unless it was the best one-night-stand of your life. But I swear I can forget about it, because I’m a good girl. However, it looks like a second wedding is on the horizon, and guess who’ll be there? My ex, who was the trifecta: smart, rich, and unspeakably good-looking. But he dumped me and left me licking my wounds, and I’m not about to show up to another wedding single and pathetic. But wait: if Mason and I were so compatible in the bedroom, we’re bound to make fake-dating look like paradise. Nothing says I’m happy without you like a fake boyfriend on my arm. Or even better, a fake fiancé. However, when the bride, wedding party, and my ex all show up a week early and stay at my Hawaiian beach house, paradise suddenly gets overcrowded. A fake relationship is easy for a day, but how will we keep it up for a whole week in Hawaii? Especially when Mason starts to play fiancé a little too well. In fact, I’m not sure if we’re still faking at all. Gin and Lava is a standalone, spicy, fake dating romantic comedy and the fifth book in the Flambé series. THE FLAMBÉ SERIES: Flaming drinks, decadent desserts, and hot Hawaiian nights! Read the Flambé series and follow the steamy adventures of restaurateur Arie Noel (and her staff) as she opens the sexiest new restaurant in Waikiki. Dessert is always on the menu.