The Innocent's Sinful Craving
Everything she’s ever wanted…Dana Grantham was abandoned as a child, and the stately mansion she called home symbolised the security she so desperately wanted. She dreamt of a future within its four walls – until a shameful scandal and billionaire Zac Belisandro drove her away.…at a price!Now Dana has the opportunity to return to the life she craves, but comes face-to-face with Zac. He’s tainted her life once before, and now he has an outrageous proposition – he’ll give Dana her heart’s desire if she gives him her hand in marriage…and her innocence on their wedding night!
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âBe my wife,â Zac said lightly.âAnd save Mannion from its fate.â
Her hand jerked, spilling coffee on to the coral dress. She said breathlessly, âIf thatâs a joke, I donât find it amusing.â
âI am perfectly serious,â he said. âI am asking you to marry me, Dana mia.â
âIn which case you must be mad.â She swallowed convulsively. âAnd the answer is no.â
Zac sighed elaborately. âAnd only moments ago you were declaring that no sacrifice was too great for the house you love.â
Oh, God, she thought. Why did I let my mouth run away with me?
She took a deep breath. âMarriage is totally different. I am not for sale.â
Seven Sexy SinsThe true taste of temptation!
From greed to gluttony, lust to envy, these fabulous stories explore what seven sexy sins mean in the twenty-first century!
Whether pride goes before a fall, or wrath leads to a passion that consumes entirely, one thing is certain: the road to true love has never been more enticing!
So you decide:
How can it be a sin when it feels so good?
SlothâCathy Williams
LustâDani Collins
PrideâKim Lawrence
GluttonyâMaggie Cox
GreedâSara Craven
WrathâMaya Blake
EnvyâAnnie West
Seven titles by some of
Mills & Boon Modern Romanceâs most treasured and exciting authors!
Former journalist SARA CRAVEN published her first novel, Garden of Dreams, for Mills and Boon in 1975. Apart from writing (naturally!), her passions include reading, bridge, Italian cities, Greek islands, the French language and countryside, and her rescue Jack Russell cross Button. She has appeared on several TV quiz shows and in 1997 became the UK TV Mastermind champion. She lives near her family in WarwickshireâShakespeare country.
For Leo, stern critic and amazing support.
Contents
AT THE TOP of the hill, she stopped the car on the verge and got out, stretching gratefully after the drive from London.
The house lay below her in its secluded green valley, a sprawl of stones like some ancient dragon sleeping in the sunlight.
Dana drew a long, satisfied breath, her taut mouth relaxing into a smile of pure pleasure.
âIâve come back,â she whispered. âAnd this time Iâm going to stay. Nothingâand no oneâis going to drive me away again. Youâre going to be mine. Do you hear me?â
And after one final, lingering look, she returned to the car and drove down the hill towards Mannion.
It would notâcould not be the same. For one thing, there would be no Serafina Latimer with her kindness and smiling grace that could so suddenly change to severity. She was back in her beloved Italy, and Aunt Joss, of course, had gone with her.
But Iâve changed too, she thought.
She was a long way from the confused seventeen-year-old whoâd left here seven years earlier, physically, emotionally andâyes, she supposed, even financially.
No longer the housekeeperâs niece, there on sufferance, for ever on the outside looking in, but a successful and well-paid negotiator with a top London estate agency.
And the past years of fighting her way up the ladder, reinventing herself into a force to be reckoned with, had taught her a lot.
Iâve helped a lot of people make their dream come true, she thought. Now, itâs my turn.
Except that Mannion wasnât simply a dream. It was her birthright, whatever the law might say. There was such a thing as natural justice, and she would lay hold to it, no matter what means she had to employ. Or what the consequences might be.
Sheâd decided that a long time ago, and the passage of time had only deepened her resolve.
She drove through the tall wrought-iron gates and up the long drive through the sweeping lawns and formal gardens to the house. There were already cars parked on either side of the main entrance and she slotted her Peugeot into the nearest available space.
Climbing out, she stood for a moment, scanning the other vehicles, steadying the sudden flurry of her breathing, and smoothing any creases from her khaki linen skirt before collecting her weekend case from the boot.
As she turned she saw that the heavily studded front door had opened and a plump woman in a neat dark dress was waiting there.
âMiss Grantham?â Her voice was quietly civil. âIâm Janet Harris. Let me take your case and show you to your room.â
I probably know the way better than you do, Dana thought, amused, as she followed the housekeeper. How many times have I trotted round after Aunt Joss, making sure everything was ready for arriving guests? Sometimes even being allowed to put the flowers in the bedrooms.
I wonder if anyoneâs done that for me?
The answer to that, she soon discovered was ânoâ, along with the fact that sheâd been allocated the smallest of the guest rooms in the remotest part of the house, looking over the shrubbery to the slope of the valley where the summer house still stood.
