âWhy Didnât You Tell Me This Was Your First Time?â
âI didnât think it was necessary,â Carina said.
âYou could have warned me, at least. I practically leaped on you.â Jude frowned.
She smiled. âI thought it was great.â
âWellââ he looked down at her ââIâm glad you think so, but I should have taken more time with you. I was too rough, too eager. I wanted you so badly.â
âYou made it a marvelous experience for me.â
âI thought that since you wereâI mean, you were engaged, so it seemed reasonable that you had, uh, that you hadââ He sighed, looking glum.
âYou know, I understand there are men who actually want to be the first one with a woman.â
He took a deep breath and sighed. âProbably. Itâs more important to me that I be the last one.â
Dear Reader,
Thank you for choosing Silhouette Desire. As always, we have a fabulous array of stories for you to enjoy, starting with Just a Taste by Bronwyn Jameson, the latest installment in our DYNASTIES: THE ASHTONS continuity series. This tale of forbidden attraction between two romance-wary souls will leave you breathless and wanting more from this wonderful authorâwho will have a brand-new miniseries of her own, PRINCES OF THE OUTBACK, out later this year.
The terrific Annette Broadrick is back with another book in her CRENSHAWS OF TEXAS series. Double Identity is an engrossing page-turner about seduction and liesâ¦you know, all that good stuff! Susan Crosby continues her BEHIND CLOSED DOORS series with Rules of Attraction, the first of three brand-new stories set in the world of very private investigations. Roxanne St. Claire brings us a fabulous McGrath brother hero caught in an unexpected situation, in When the Earth Moves. Rochelle Alersâs THE BLACKSTONES OF VIRGINIA series wraps up with Beyond Business, a story in which the Blackstone patriarch gets involved in a surprise romance with his newâand very pregnantâassistant. And last but certainly not least, the engaging Amy Jo Cousins is back this month with Sleeping Arrangements, a terms-of-the-will story not to be missed.
Hereâs hoping you enjoy all six of our selections this month. And, in the months to come, look for Maureen Childâs THREE-WAY WAGER series and a brand-new installment of our infamous TEXAS CATTLEMANâS CLUB.
Happy reading!
Melissa Jeglinski
Senior Editor Silhouette Desire
believes in romance and the magic of life. Since 1984, Annette has shared her view of life and love with readers. In addition to being nominated by Romantic Times as one of the Best New Authors of that year, she has also won the Romantic Times Reviewersâ Choice Award for Best in its Series, the Romantic Times WISH Award; and the Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Awards for Series Romance and Series Romantic Fantasy.
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Epilogue
Jude Crenshawâs phone rang at seven oâclock, waking him from a deep, exhausted sleep at his condo in Fort Meade, Maryland. He fumbled for the phone without opening his eyes.
âCrenshaw,â he mumbled.
âThis is Ms. Kincaidâs office calling. One moment, please.â He was put on hold. Kincaid was his supervisor at the National Security Agency.
Jude had worked for the agency for the past four years. Heâd been hired as a civilian after leaving the army, where heâd been in Special Ops. He had been in the field until six months ago when heâd been promoted to a supervisory position.
He couldnât imagine why Jackie Kincaid would be calling him at home at this time of morning. He sat up, rubbed his hand over his face and swung his legs to the floor.
âJude? Jackie. Sorry to bother you so early. I tried to reach you yesterday, but you must have been incommunicado. I couldnât get my calls to go through on your cell phone so I could leave a message.â
âIâve been on the west coast for the past two weeks. Got home in the wee hours this morning.â
âI know youâre on vacation this week but somethingâs come up here that needs your presence.â
âStaff problems?â
âNothing like that. We need you at an interdepartmental meeting at nine.â
He frowned. âWhat department?â
âDEA.â
âYouâre kidding me.â
âNope. Do you think you can get here by that time?â
Jude yawned and said, âSure. No problem.â
âGreat. See you then.â
Jude stood and stretched. His body was still on Pacific Standard Time, which meant he was having to function at four in the morning.
He went into his kitchen and made a pot of coffee that would be ready by the time he finished his shower. In the bathroom, his bleary-eyed gaze looked back at him from the mirror.
He needed a haircut.
Heâd been out in the sun quite a bit while in southern California, so that his skin was deeply tanned and his blond hair lighter than usual.