Principles And Pleasures
If Meredith Cartwright's chilly reception was any indication, then her "Ice Princess" reputation had been earned.Of course, Josh Adams had never experienced Meredith behind closed boardroom doors…yet…but he knew she was unforgettable in the bedroom. After all, she had seduced him, long before her work became her bedfellow. Now he wanted something from her. Shockingly, Meredith made the first move, suggesting they return to the scene of her seduction. But when they found themselves stranded, Josh realized that Meredith had no idea who he was.To her, he was just the playboy to whom she'd given her virginity, with history hot to repeat itself. Yet Josh knew he'd amassed the power to take what Meredith prized most. But Meredith had her own agenda, making Josh wonder who was playing whom?
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He Was In The Midst Of A Complicated Business Deal, And He Had Slept With The Opposing Bidder.
What made matters worse was that she had no idea who he was. He had deceived her.
He needed to tell Meredith who he was.
How had he lost control? Was it hearing that he had been her only lover?
The truth was, he had been attracted to Meredith from the moment he saw her at her party. He had hoped that time would have lessened his reaction to her. But it hadn’t.
It seemed to have made it worse.
She had opened up to him, trusting him to see her vulnerable. And he had encouraged it. In spite of himself, he wanted her to trust him. To care about him.
He was a fool. Because once Meredith found out who he was, she would want nothing more than to get away from him.
Dear Reader,
As expected, Silhouette Desire has loads of passionate, powerful and provocative love stories for you this month. Our DYNASTIES: THE DANFORTHS continuity is winding to a close with the penultimate title, Terms of Surrender, by Shirley Rogers. A long-lost Danforth heir may just have been found—and heavens, is this prominent family in for a big surprise! And talk about steamy secrets, Peggy Moreland is back with Sins of a Tanner, a stellar finale to her series THE TANNERS OF TEXAS.
If it’s scandalous behavior you’re looking for, look no farther than For Services Rendered by Anne Marie Winston. This MANTALK book—the series that offers stories strictly from the hero’s point of view—has a fabulous hero who does the heroine a very special favor. Hmmmm. And Alexandra Sellers is back in Desire with a fresh installment of her SONS OF THE DESERT series. Sheikh’s Castaway will give you plenty of sweet (and naughty) dreams.
Even more shocking situations pop up in Linda Conrad’s sensual Between Strangers. Imagine if you were stuck on the side of the road during a blizzard and a sexy cowboy offered you shelter from the storm…. (Hello, are you still with me?) Rounding out the month is Margaret Allison’s Principles and Pleasures, a daring romp between a workaholic heroine and a man she doesn’t know is actually her archenemy.
So settle in for some sensual, scandalous love stories…and enjoy every moment!
Melissa Jeglinski
Senior Editor, Silhouette Desire
Principles and Pleasures
Margaret Allison
MARGARET ALLISON
was raised in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan, and received a B.A. in political science from the University of Michigan. A former marketing executive, she has also worked as a model and actress. She is the author of several novels and is happy to return to the world of romance after taking some time off to care for her young children. Margaret currently divides her time between her computer, the washing machine and the grocery store. She loves to hear from readers. Please write to her c/o Silhouette Books, 233 Broadway, Suite 1001, New York, NY 10279, or visit her Web site at margaretallison.com.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
One
Until Meredith saw Josh Adams, she had been thinking that this year’s holiday party might just be her mother’s most successful ever. Elaborate ice sculptures decorated her family’s impressive foyer. Hundreds of votive candles were placed strategically, winding up staircases and layered across tables. Furniture had been moved to make room for the live spruce trees decorated with tiny gold lights and crystal icicles. And, as usual, all of Aspen high society had turned out to dance, sip champagne and eat caviar.
Meredith watched as he moved through the crowd, smiling and shaking hands. She had not seen Josh in more than ten years, but he had not aged a day. Curly brown hair, smoky-gray eyes and a sexy just-rolled-out-of-bed grin. It was as if he had never left for Europe, as if crashing the party of an ex-lover with whom he had not spoken in years was the most natural thing in the world.
Although, she reminded herself, ex-lover was a generous term for what they were to each other. It had been one night, nothing more.
But, oh, what a night.
Focus, she reminded herself. She could not afford to be distracted by childhood crushes.
Still, she couldn’t help but wonder what had brought him back after all this time. Josh had been a friend of her younger sister, Carly, and Carly had not mentioned him in years. The last Meredith had heard was that he had moved to Europe to continue his career as a ski instructor to the wealthy.
Ignore him, she told herself.
She weaved her way through the horde of people, doing her best to play the role of hostess. It was a difficult chore for someone who was so distracted, even more difficult for one who preferred spending her evenings behind her desk, reviewing the latest financials. As CEO of Cartwright Enterprises, once one of the largest conglomerates in the country, Meredith had a difficult job. The company had been hemorrhaging money, driven into financial ruin by her stepfather. An addicted gambler, he had embezzled millions of the company’s dollars before taking his own life. The stock had fallen drastically, taking their family fortune along with it.
