Treasure My Heart

The man every woman wants…wants her

There are flings, and then there’s real life. Minka Gerald, assistant to one of the country’s top financiers, is too smart to confuse the two. But a business trip to Miami is the perfect place for a workaholic to let loose, and Oliver—brother to her boss’s fiancée—is the ideal partner-in-pleasure. And with his heartbreaker reputation, that’s as much as she expects.

A ladies’ man doesn’t become a one-woman guy overnight. But once property developer Oliver Bauer has a taste of real connection, he wants more. Outwardly reserved but full of fire, Minka could hold his heart forever. Can he make her believe in him, before an old enemy’s quest for revenge puts her safety and their sizzling new love in jeopardy?

“Minka, you should know that I have a habit of coming on strong in the presence of things that appeal to me, but you don’t have to be afraid of me.”

She was studying the patterns painstakingly crafted into the glass constructing the spotlight several feet up. She heard his voice very close, very…soft. When she turned, he was right there looking adorable and wholly concerned that fear was the emotion she had for him.

Her expression discounted that. It was soft, bordering on amused that he could think such a thing. “Oliver that—that’s crazy. You’ve done nothing to—”

His head dipped and he was kissing her, his tongue plundering, exploring, discovering. Minka responded with a moan that held tones of surprise and expressed need. She wasn’t sure what to do with her hands—an unnecessary concern as he’d taken possession of her wrists. He held them fast as he tugged her into the unexpected kiss.

The gesture wasn’t overpowering—it teased. His tongue enticed her to respond in kind yet was just as content being the lone participant in the act.

At first, Minka had been too stunned to launch right into full participation, but that eventually—deliciously—changed. His tongue continued to tantalize hers, thrusting and withdrawing during its hearty sampling of her mouth.

Dear Reader,

Treasure My Heart was a complete surprise to me. How? Well, I was all set to write a completely different story, but had to switch gears to spin the tale of Oliver Bauer and Minka Gerald. I have to say it was a completely enjoyable surprise. I did NOT expect this story to take on the life that it did. The couple quickly became a treasure to me. The dynamic between Oliver and Minka is one that I hope you will feel as strongly as I did. Of course, you know how I enjoy tossing in those dangerous little twists, and Treasure My Heart will bring those to you.

So kick back with your favorite treat and spend a little more time in California wine country with Minka Gerald, Oliver Bauer and a few other familiar faces.

AlTonya Washington

Treasure my Heart

AlTonya Washington

ALTONYA WASHINGTON has been a romance novelist for over eleven years. She’s been nominated for numerous awards and has won two RT Book Reviews Reviewer’s Choice Awards for her novels Finding Love Again and His Texas Touch. AlTonya lives in North Carolina and works as a college reference librarian. This author wears many hats, but being a mom is her favorite job.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

Prologue

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

Copyright

Prologue

San Francisco, CA

“Will, man, what—what the hell? What the hell happened?” Charles Ruggles rushed into the office to find his colleague viciously filling a leather carryall with the few personal effects he had in his office.

At the door stood two uniformed guards. They were there to ensure William Lloyd took nothing more from the Wilder Investments building than he’d brought.

“Will, man, what happened?” Charles pleaded.

“Little witch got me fired, is what,” Will grumbled in a voice as sinister as the look on his attractive honey-toned face.

Charles’s bewilderment continued to mount.

“Minka Gerald is a nosy little micromanager who can’t let anybody outshine her in the boss’s eyes.” Will shoved a wad of sticky notes into the carryall.

“That doesn’t sound like Minka,” Charles said after expelling a low whistle.

“It’s her, all right.”

“Well damn, man, what happened?”

“Forget it.” Will wasn’t about to share what had led up to his firing, nor did he have time to come up with a believable lie. His head ached, and his thoughts were raging. He had to get out of there.

“Will—”

“Let it go, Chuck, will you?”

“This has to be some kind of mistake.” Charles paced the room, rubbing his jaw. “Sim’s always raving about what a good job you’re doing with the foundation.” He referred to the boss, Qasim Wilder. Will had been the point person for Qasim’s Wilder Warriors Foundation since he’d been hired.

“Why don’t I talk to him—”

“No, Chuck, please. It’s cool, all right?”