Then as if fate stepped in, her eyes snagged on the lower half of a man descending from a pretty spiral staircase that sheâd not noticed earlier.
Even if men werenât a priority for Olivia, a little blip of pleasure registered on her radar. Black-trouserscovered legs that went all the way upâand upâthe fabric lovingly clasped around muscled thighs, a firm, rounded, super-hero-in-tights butt. Nice.
A girl deserved a little lust blip every now and then and this blip was brightening by the second.
His gaze met hers as if sheâd summoned him to look her way. And he didnât look pleased about that. His eyebrows lowered, his mouth firmed and a muscle clenched in his jaw.
Steely black eyes with the power to tempt. To persuade. A shiver rippled down her spine. The power to take her will and flex it between his long slender fingers like so much overcooked spaghetti.
And Olivia felt hot, like she did when standing on the steaming deck of her yacht on a mid-summerâs day in Barbados. In the eye of a tropical storm even, because her usually strong sea legs were wobbly.
She was still looking at him and he was still looking at her and she swore she saw him mouth, âTroubleâ.
âThis sweet and sexy story has engaging characters
that will captivate readers from the very first page.â âRT Book Reviews on Thereâs Something About a Rebel
âQuick paced, this story has a sensitive hero that readers
will easily fall in love with.â âRT Book Reviews on Her Not-So-Secret Diary
âThis attraction-at-first-sight story has just the
right blend of adventure, passion and heartfelt emotion to make you want to spend time with this terrific twosome.â âRT Book Reviews on Hot Boss, Wicked Nights
ANNE OLIVER was born in Adelaide, South Australia, with its beautiful hills, beaches and easy lifestyle. Sheâs never left.
An avid reader of romance, Anne began creating her own paranormal and time travel adventures in 1998, before turning to contemporary romance. Then it happenedâshe was accepted by Mills & Boon in December 2005. Almost as exciting, her first two published novels won the Romance Writers of Australiaâs Romantic Book of the Year for 2007 and 2008. So, after nearly thirty years of yard duties and staff meetings, she gave up teaching to do what she loves mostâwriting full time.
Other interests include animal welfare and conservation, quilting, astronomy, all things Scottish, and eating anything she doesnât have to cook. Sheâs travelled to Papua New Guinea, the west coast of America, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the UK and Holland.
Sharing her charactersâ journeys with readers all over the world is a privilege and a dream come true. You can visit her website at www.anne-oliver.com.
This and other titles by Anne Oliver are available in eBook formatâcheck out www.millsandboon.co.uk
This book is dedicated to anyone whose lives have been
touched by breast cancerâmums, daughters, sisters, aunts, grandmothers. And the men who support them. Thatâs pretty much everyone really.
With thanks to Wendy for making my time in
beautiful Tasmania even more enjoyable.
With thanks to my editor, Suzanne Clarke, for
putting in the hard work on my hero.
ONE
Olivia Wishart slicked ruby gloss on her lips, then checked her strapless cocktail dress in the mirror and frowned. âRed lips, red dress, red hair.â She reached for her standby little black dress. âI donât care if everyoneâs decked to the halls in Christmas finery, itâsââ
âLovely, but not for tonight.â Her best friend, Breanna Black, whipped the garment from her hand. âAnd not another wordâyou look sensational.â She eyed the cleavage on display and nodded. âWise choiceâmen will look.â
âSo long as they listen.â Olivia wasnât a fancy dress fan but the opportunity to talk up her charity to her fellow competitors in this yearâs Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race was too good to pass up. And a little flesh never failed to get attention.
âTry to remember, it is Christmas.â Brie shimmied into a short mulberry all-in-one playsuit with a fur-trim neckline then tossed Olivia a white feather boa. âHere. Itâll put you in the mood.â
Oliviaâs lips twitched as she slung the silky feathers around her neck. âI assume youâre referring to the festive mood.â
âThatâd be a start,â Brie suggested, brightly.
Raising the Pink Snowflake Foundationâs profile was the reason for Oliviaâs entry into the race. Being invited by yachting royalty to celebrate the festive season at the mega-million-dollar mansion overlooking Sydney Harbour was a bonus, but anything else...well, it wasnât going to happen.
Brie unravelled a luscious strand of silver tinsel. âYouâre sure you donât mind if Jett shares our suite?â she asked for the umpteenth time.