âIâve been thinking about that kiss.â
Oh, heâd been thinking about it, too. About what he would have done if theyâd been alone in the dark.
Garrett looked at her and knew instantly thinking about it had been a mistake. Desire glittered in her eyes. He recognized it, because the same thing was happening to him. He couldnât seem to fight it. More, he didnât want to.
He hadnât asked for this. Didnât need it. But the truth was, he wanted Alexis.
The worst part? He couldnât have her.
He was working for her father. She was a princess. He was responsible for her safety. In the real world, a holiday romance was right up his alley. No strings. No complications. But this woman was nothing but complications.
Good reasons for avoiding this situation, he told himself. For keeping an eye on her from a distance.
And not one of those reasons meant a damn thing in the face of the need clawing his insides.
Dear Reader,
I love old movies. From romantic comedies to thrillers to ghost stories. The old moviesâand Iâm talking really old movies from the forties and fiftiesâall had a kind of magic you donât see very often today.
And one of my absolute favorites has always been Roman Holiday, the story of a princess who runs away from her royal duties for a day of freedom.
In To Kiss a King, I was able to change that idea up a little and give it the romantic happily ever after it deserved. My royal princess, Alexis, escapes palace life to experience real life. And she starts out with her dream trip to Disneyland. Which, of course, since itâs my book, is where she meets Garrett King.
Garrettâs a security expert, and when he discovers that Alex is a runaway princess, heâs torn between protecting her and seducing her.
And that, I think, makes for a whirlwind romance filled with secrets, lies, seduction andâI sincerely hopeâa wonderful love story.
I hope you enjoy To Kiss a King and Iâd love to hear from you! Find me on Facebook or Twitter and e-mail me at [email protected].
Happy reading!
Maureen
MAUREEN CHILD is a California native who loves to travel. Every chance they get, she and her husband are taking off on another research trip. The author of more than sixty books, Maureen loves a happy ending and still swears that she has the best job in the world. She lives in Southern California with her husband, two children and a golden retriever with delusions of grandeur. Visit Maureenâs website, www.maureenchild.com.
To Susan Mallery, a great writer and an even better friend. For all of the shared dreams, all of the good laughs and all those yet to come.
Thanks, Susan.
Garrett King was in Hell.
Dozens of screaming, laughing children raced past him and he winced as their voices hit decibels only dogs should have been able to hear. Happiest Place on Earth? He didnât think so.
How he had let himself be talked into this, he had no idea.
âGetting soft,â he muttered darkly and leaned one hand on the hot metal balustrade in front of him only to wrench his hand back instantly. He glanced at his palm, sighed and reached for a napkin out of his cousinâs bag to wipe the sticky cotton candy off his skin.
âYou could be at the office,â he told himself sternly, wadding up the napkin and tossing it into a trash can. âYou could be checking invoices, keeping tabs on the new client. But no, you had to say yes to your cousin instead.â
Jackson King had pulled out all the stops getting Garrett to go along with this little family adventure. Jacksonâs wife, Casey, was apparently âworriedâ because Garrett was alone too much. Nice woman Casey, he told himself. But did no one ever consider that maybe a man was alone because he wanted to be?
But he still could have begged off if it had been just Casey and Jackson doing the asking. But Garrettâs cousin had cheated.
He had had his daughters ask âUncleâ Garrett to go with them and frankly, when faced with three of the cutest kids in the world, it would have been impossible to say no. And Jackson knew it, the clever bastard.
âHey, cuz!â Jacksonâs shout sounded out and Garrett turned to give him a hard look.
Jackson only laughed. âCasey, honey,â he said, turning to his stunning wife, âdid you see that? I donât think Garrettâs having any fun.â
âAbout that,â Garrett cut in, lifting his voice to be heard over the raucous noise rising from the crowd, âI was thinking Iâd just head out now. Leave you guys to some family fun.â
âYou are family, Garrett,â Casey pointed out.
Before he could speak, Garrett felt a tug at his pants leg. He looked down into Miaâs upturned face. âUncle Garrett, weâre going on the fast mountain ride. You wanna come?â
At five, Mia King was already a heartbreaker. From her King blue eyes to the missing front tooth to the dimple in her cheek, she was absolutely adorable. And not being a dummy, she knew how to work it already, too.