âWould you like some more?â asked Derek
Candice shook her head and leaned away from the sparkling dinner table. âWish I could.â
âSo?â
âWhat?â She feigned confusion, hoping that heâd forgotten their bet of a kiss for every point out of ten that he earned with this meal.
âHow many points are we talking?â He cocked an eyebrow and grinned.
âI couldâ¦give you a zero.â
âYou could.â He gazed at her knowingly.
âOh, man.â Candice closed her eyes and raised a hand to her forehead. She couldnât believe she was about to do this. Her nemesis, her archrival, and she was going to have toâ¦pay him a compliment, not to mentionâ
âZero to ten,â Derek said softly.
âTen,â she whispered, and puckered her lips.
Note from the editorâ¦
An Evening To Remember⦠Those words evoke all kinds of emotions and memories. How do you plan a romantic evening with your guy that will help you get in touch with each other on every level?
Start with a great dinner that you cook together. Be sure to light several candles and put fresh flowers on the table. Enjoy a few glasses of wine and pick out your favorite music to set the mood. After dinner take the time to really talk to each other. Hold hands and snuggle on the sofa in front of the fireplace. And maybe take a few minutes to read aloud selected sexy scenes from your favorite Harlequin Temptation novel. After that, anything can happenâ¦.
Thatâs just one way to have an evening to remember. There are so many more. Write and tell us how you keep the spark in your relationship. And donât forget to check out our Web site at www.eHarlequin.com.
Sincerely,
Birgit Davis-Todd
Executive Editor
Dear Reader,
Hereâs the final story of the Reeves-DuCarter brothers. From the moment brother Derek appeared in Next to Nothing! to give his baby brother hell and his middle brother sage advice in Flying High, Iâve known that when Derekâs turn came, he was going to fall fast and he was going to fall hard.
Sure enough, Candice Hammond, the daughter of his archenemy, rocked Derekâs world. Heâs used to being in charge, yet she challenges him at every turn. The woman is his intellectual and emotional match, and sheâs going toe to toe with the millionaire entrepreneur until he gives her everything she wants. Which is also everything he wants, though he doesnât know it yet.
I truly hope you enjoy the Reeves-DuCarter brothers. Theyâve been a delight for me to live with and Iâm thrilled to be able to share them. Iâd love to hear from you at www.barbaradunlop.com.
Best,
Barbara Dunlop
HARLEQUIN TEMPTATION
848âFOREVER JAKE
901âNEXT TO NOTHING!*
940âTOO CLOSE TO CALL
1006âFLYING HIGH*
HARLEQUIN FLIPSIDE
22âOUT OF ORDER
HARLEQUIN DUETS
54âTHE MOUNTIE STEALS A WIFE
90âA GROOM IN HER STOCKING
98âTHE WISH-LIST WIFE
To Dad.
With appreciation, admiration and love.
YOUâRE ALWAYS THE BEST MAN, but never the groomâ¦. â Derek Reevesâs brother Tyler propped his elbows on the terrace guardrail outside the ballroom of the Quayside Hotel. Orchestra music and muted laughter from their middle brother, Strikerâs, wedding reception wafted through the open French doors into the clear September night.
Derek grinned to himself. Heâd admit to feeling a little smug about being the Reeves familyâs sole remaining bachelor. He turned his back on the rose garden, the marble fountain and Lake Washington and imitated his brotherâs pose. âJealous?â he asked.
Tylerâs gaze strayed through the open doors to where Jenna, his wife of three months, chatted with the other bridesmaids. There was a thread of incredulous laughter in his voice. âNot hardly.â
Derek took a swig of his ice water. He had to admit that Jenna was great. So was Erin, Strikerâs new bride. But they were still wives. They had needs, demands and agendas. Derek was planning to be his own man for a long time to come.
Tyler nodded at the water. âYou the designated driver or something?â
Derek shook his head. âIâm expecting a call from Tokyo.â
âYou brought your cell phone to your brotherâs wedding?â
âI turned it off during the ceremony.â
âWe have got to get you a life.â
âBy life, Iâm assuming you mean a ball and chain of my own? Misery may love company, little brother, but I donât think so.â
Tyler raised his glass of Scotch in a mock toast. âCome on in, the waterâs fine.â
The wind picked up off the lake, bringing with it the scent of roses, as Derek slid his brother a skeptical gaze. âUh-huh.â
âIâm serious.â
âIâm perfectly happy on my own.â
âHow do you know?â
Derek frowned. âWhat kind of a question is that?â
âWhenâs the last time you had a steady girlfriend?â
âDefine steady.â
âLonger than eight hours.â
The frown turned to another grin. It had been a while. Which meant Derekâs life was ticking along exactly the way he liked it. âFew months. Maybe a year.â