Seduced by a stranger...
Claimed as his princess!
After an exquisite encounter with a handsome Sicilian, idealistic Tess is left alone, penniless and pregnant. But when Stefano returns to New York, he discovers his unknown heir and reveals a secret of his own: heâs a prince! Stefano is determined to protect his daughter, and the first thing on his royal agenda? Claiming Tess as his Cinderella bride!
Enjoy this dramatic secret-baby story!
USA TODAY bestselling author JENNIE LUCASâs parents owned a bookstore, and she grew up surrounded by books, dreaming about faraway lands. A fourth-generation Westerner, she went east at sixteen to boarding school on scholarship, wandered the world, got married, then finally worked her way through college before happily returning to her hometown. A 2010 RITA® Award finalist and 2005 Golden Heart® Award winner, she lives in Idaho with her husband and children.
Also by Jennie Lucas
The Consequences of That Night
The Sheikhâs Last Seduction Uncovering Her Nine Month Secret Nine Months to Redeem Him A Ring for Vincenzoâs Heir Baby of His Revenge The Consequence of His Vengeance Carrying the Spaniardâs Child Claiming His Nine-Month Consequence The Secret the Italian Claims
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.
ISBN: 978-1-474-07250-2
THE HEIR THE PRINCE SECURES
© 2018 Jennie Lucas
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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Dedication
To Katharine,
who inspires me every day, and who daily shows how the impossible can be achieved with both kindness and grace.
Dear Reader,
How far would you go for love?
Tess Foster, a romantic, kind-hearted orphan, has dreamed of falling in love all her life. When a handsome Sicilian stranger seduces her one magical night she thinks her dream has come true. Instead she wakes up alone, pregnant and abandoned.
But still Tess has faith. Untilâa year laterâshe finally learns the heartbreaking reason why Prince Stefano never returned: because he didnât love her.
How can she tell him about their baby? Will her heart be permanently broken? Or will her faith in love be rewarded?
This is the second book in my trilogy about three single mothers who are all very different but have one thing in common: theyâve never told the powerful billionaire fathers about their babies. Hallieâs story was The Secret the Italian Claims, and the trilogy will finish with Lolaâs story in November, The Baby the Billionaire Demands.
I loved writing these stories about three vibrant, different women and the powerful, untameable men who finally meet their match. I hope you love them too.
With warmest wishes,
Jennie
CHAPTER ONE
LOVE MEANT EVERYTHING to Tess Foster.
Not just love. Romance. Pink roses. Castles and hearts.
As a lonely teenager living in the attic of her aunt and uncleâs Brooklyn bakery, Tess tried to keep her romantic dreams secret. In a modern world of easy hookups and one-night stands, it was embarrassing, even shameful, to be an idealistic virgin waiting for true love. As other girls giggled over their first fumbling sexual experiences in the back seats of cars, Tess kept quiet and hoped no one would notice that she spent her own Saturday nights with dusty books in the library, dreaming of handsome princes.