The Marriage Campaign
Her PlatformCampaign fund-raiser Lisa Meyer has worked hard to be her own boss and will let nothing–especially romance–interfere with her success. Then fate places sexy Mark Smith back in her path and sparks begin to fly. But if she lets herself fall for Mark, will she lose all she's worked for?His OppositionTo Mark, Lisa is the perfect candidate for him to spend his life with. He's already shared one passionate kiss with her and can't resist the connection between them. Convincing her that they should treasure this second chance is another story, though. So Mark starts his own "marriage" campaign, one he's determined to win…!Sorority sisters, friends for life
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“I need to clear the air.”
“Okay,” Mark said slowly, as if quite lost. “About what?”
“About this. Us. Our motivations.”
“I thought we’d done that already.” Mark frowned as he tried to comprehend the situation. “Today’s simply about having fun. I’ve got some great places in mind for tonight.”
Lisa crossed her arms over her chest. She and Mark couldn’t afford any miscommunication here. “Before I can go anywhere with you, I have to know how tonight is going to end.”
Mark shifted, planting his feet on the floor. He straightened but remained seated. The dark blue shirt set off his deep brown eyes, and his troubled gaze locked onto hers. “Tonight ends like any other night. I’ve already told you to stop worrying. We’re friends. I’m not going to seduce you.”
Adrenaline unlike any she’d ever experienced pulsed through her. “That’s the problem,” she said. “I really think you should.”
Dear Reader,
I have great friends. Three of them have been friends since high school, while others have been my friends since my college sorority days. All have been with me through thick and thin, good and bad, better and worse. My friends and I chose each other, and I’m a better person for having them in my life. Even though we all live far away from each other and our lives have taken different paths, we are always there for each other.
My AMERICAN BEAUTIES miniseries uses this concept of friendship. Lisa, Cecile and Tori are three single women who have been best friends ever since pledging the same sorority. The fourth sorority sister, Joann, is married with kids. While all are separated geographically, they know that they can always depend on each other. The bonds they have will never be broken.
I hope you enjoy Lisa’s story as much as I did writing it, and be sure to watch for Cecile’s and Tori’s stories in the future. As always, feel free to e-mail me at [email protected].
Enjoy the romance,
Michele Dunaway
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
In first grade Michele Dunaway wanted to be a teacher when she grew up, and by second grade she wanted to be an author. By third grade she was determined to be both, and before her high school class reunion, she’d succeeded. In addition to writing romance, Michele is a nationally recognized high school English and journalism educator. Born and raised in a west county suburb of St. Louis, Michele has traveled extensively, with the cities and places she’s visited often becoming settings for her stories. Described as a woman who does too much but doesn’t know how to stop, Michele gardens five acres in her spare time and shares her life with two young daughters, six lazy house cats, one dwarf rabbit and two tankfuls of fish.
Michele loves to hear from readers, and you can reach her via her Web site, www.micheledunaway.com.
Books by Michele Dunaway
HARLEQUIN AMERICAN ROMANCE
848—A LITTLE OFFICE ROMANCE
900—TAMING THE TABLOID HEIRESS
921—THE SIMPLY SCANDALOUS PRINCESS
931—CATCHING THE CORPORATE PLAYBOY
963—SWEEPING THE BRIDE AWAY
988—THE PLAYBOY’S PROTÉGÉE
1008—ABOUT LAST NIGHT…
1044—UNWRAPPING MR. WRIGHT
1056—EMERGENCY ENGAGEMENT
1100—LEGALLY TENDER
1116—CAPTURING THE COP
For all the students I have taught over the years, I hope the friendships you’ve made and continue to make last a lifetime.
And to my own friends, thanks again.
You mean the world to me.
Contents
Prologue
She shouldn’t be kissing him. Not here, not like this. But when he lowered his mouth to hers, no amount of moral fiber could keep her from tasting his forbidden lips.
Mark tasted divine—of wedding cake and champagne. “We shouldn’t be doing this,” Lisa Meyer said weakly as, for one moment, they came up for air.
“We should,” he said, leaning down again for another kiss.
“You’re my best friend’s brother,” she protested in moth-to-flame futility. “Your date…”
“Is just a friend,” he insisted, his dark eyes intense. “It’s you I want. Always have. Ever since we first met.”
“You’re drunk,” she said. But weren’t they all high on champagne and wedding magic? Joann’s parents, Mary Beth and Bud, had thrown quite a bash, and since everyone was staying at the reception hotel, no one had shown much restraint.
She and Mark were young, not quite twenty-two, the world at their feet, and his words made her giddy. Made her forget his playboy reputation now that all that charm was directed at her.
In her wildest dreams she’d never imagined her crush on Mark Smith coming to fruition like this.
“Let’s go upstairs,” he murmured into her ear. “I want to get you alone.”
Oh, she was so tempted, as the heat pooling low attested. But, as wedding party members, they weren’t free. Not yet. Not until the bride and her groom said their goodbyes, which was soon. “We still have duties,” she managed, her breath a little short.
“A half hour. No more,” he said. “I want you, Lisa. I’m not waiting any longer.”
