(MSRP: 13.9900)
After spending years in an arranged marriage as the repressed wife of an older man, Amanda Wainwright has learned the hard way that money can’t buy happiness. She arrives in Willow Creek determined to keep a deathbed promise to her husband and do something to help other people. When Amanda meets a handsome, mysterious stranger who tempts her with sweet promises and long nights of passion, she discovers a fiery, passionate nature that could lead her to disaster.
For Samuel Calhoun, falling in love wouldn’t just be foolish, it could be deadly. He’s in Willow Creek, Montana as an undercover agent for the Secret Service. In order to maintain his secret identity, he accepts an offer from a consortium of mine owners to seduce, humiliate, and ruin the Widow Wainwright. Before long, Sam knows he’s met the woman who can banish the aching emptiness in his soul, and he’s willing to risk everything – even his life – to be with her.
(280 pages) Spicy
EXCERPT:
He grasped her chin gently, but tried to make his voice stern.
“It’s not nice to tease a scoundrel, Amanda.
I’m going to need to punish you.”
“That sounds terribly frightening, Sam.”
He saw the invitation in her eyes. And he was seized by an urge he had no power to resist. Leaning forward, his intention was only to taste, to brush his lips across hers, to satisfy this craving to know how she’d react if he kissed her.
He wasn’t prepared for her response. Her lips parted, the soft heat of her inviting him into a deeper embrace. She made a delicate, almost purring, sound as her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer. She captured him with her desire.
Sam plunged his tongue deep into her mouth, reveling at the taste of her. She was honey, fruit, and sweet sensuality all in one. Passion seared his blood until he felt as if he were standing in front of a blazing fire. He needed to pull away from her, but the thought was agony. He wanted more, so much more. And he promised himself he would have it, but not here, not yet. If he moved too quickly, he might frighten Amanda and thwart his ultimate purpose.
Finally, he found the courage to release her. He sat back on the rocks, his fingers combing through his hair, and he struggled to catch his breath.
Amanda still stretched across the rocks, the dark black velvet of her riding habit now wrinkled where his body had crushed the fabric. He considered what lay beneath the richness of the velvet—the dainty lace of her undergarments, the delicious satin of her skin.
He closed his eyes and lifted his face to the clouds, silently pleading for help. He needed to gain control of himself.
