Winter Kisses
After "the love of her life" broke her heart, Monica Lakefield vowed never to trust a sexy, sweet-talking man again. Dubbed the Ice Queen, she hides her hurt beneath her cool, corporate facade. Until the workaholic Lakefield heiress arrives at an exclusive Aspen resort…and discovers hunky Alexander Bennett in her room! As CFO of his own company, Alexander works hard and plays harder.After being tricked into a vacation by his matchmaking relatives, he finds himself snowbound with the reserved yet sinfully sexy Monica. In front of a roaring fire, with the snow falling outside, he'll show the all-business businesswoman what real passion can be. He'll take nothing less than her kisses. Her heart. And all the love she has to give…
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Excerpt
As kisses went, this one rated well beyond Monica's high standards.
She struggled to figure out exactly where in the stratosphere it compared, then gave up and simply sank in.
Wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, made it more a pleasure in the present than one just swirling around in her mind. Beneath her arms she felt the strength of his broad shoulders. Pressing against her with heated persistence, the delicious warmth of an aroused man. Her heart hammered as his tongue slipped fiercely into her mouth. He was consuming her, that's what she thought when coherent words surfaced. He was sucking and tasting, savoring and enticing. She was simply falling, falling, until she didn't think she could feel the floor beneath her feet.
Then, as quickly as this pleasurable funnel cloud had swooped her up, it dropped her. Hot to cold, light to dark, beginning to end. Alex pulled back, stared down at her, then walked away.
Again.
Dear Reader,
It's finally Monica's turn! When I started the stories of the Lakefield sisters I knew Monica would be last because she had the most baggage and the longest road to true love. I didn't really know which man would be the one to tame her, but after Summer Heat I was sure that Alex Bennett was the one.
This story may touch a few hearts, bring a few laughs or even grunts of disapproval, but it's so truly Monica's story, her voyage through uncharted waters. Sometimes it's hard for a strong, independent woman to sit still and listen, really listen to her heart. I'm glad Monica did just that and I'm very happy that Alex was the one talking to her.
So as Winter Kisses concludes the Lakefield sisters, it opens the door for the Donovan cousins to take the lead. After this wintry love affair, get prepared for the heat of Miami Beach and the lives and loves of Sean and Dion Donovan, coming next year!
As always, happy reading.
AC
To anyone who has ever struggled with a secret, a past that you felt no one would ever understand. Here's to forgiveness and brighter days.
Contents
Prologue
The Setup
âShe's never going to go for this.â Sam Desdune sipped from his glass of wine, looking over the rim at his wife.
Karena Lakefield-Desdune smiled. Marriage and living in the stress-free country house away from the city suited her just perfectly. âThe most important thing to Monica is making sure Lakefield Galleries has a stellar reputation and continues to make money. If she thinks for one minute that my missing a meeting might jeopardize that, she'll go to the ends of the earth to fix the problem.â
âAnd then she's going to come down on you so hard you'll wish you worked in another country,â Sam added with a frown. âI don't want you taking on that kind of stress.â
âI'll be fine, Sam. I'm pregnant, not fragile. I can deal with Monica's backlash.â
âIf your guy does his thing we won't have to worry about her backlash,â Deena Lakefield-Donovan said from her perch on a stool at the bar. Standing right beside her with his hand wrapped securely around her shoulders was her husband of about six months, Maxwell Donovan.
âMatchmaking can be a dangerous game,â Max added.
âAnd matchmaking with my brother is the most dangerous game of all.â Renny Bennett sat on the leather couch with his wife, Sam's twin sister, Bree, beside him.
âI think it's time Alex settled down. He works way too hard and spends too much time trying to take care of his family. He needs to find someone special,â Bree said.
âThe operative word being âfind,â hence he needs to look for himself, not be conned into a meeting with a woman like Monica,â Sam said.
âAnd just what's a woman like Monica?â Karena asked, trying not to sound offended.
Sam immediately lifted his hands in surrender while around his den the men looked away, hiding their chuckles. âWhoa, wait a minute. You know I love my sister-in-law. Monica and I have developed an amicable relationship in the time I've known her. But, baby, you know she's not an easy woman. I mean, if she was we wouldn't be sitting here plotting a way to get her laid.â
âWe are not plotting to get her laid!â Karena stated adamantly.
âWe're not?â Deena gave Karena a perplexed look before putting her glass on the bar.
Bree laughed. âWe're plotting to get both of them laid before they drive us all crazy.â
âFine, we can get Alex there without a problem. The rest is going to be up to them. If you ladies think they're such a good match then a cozy cabin on the slopes of Aspen couldn't be a better place for them to hook up. Now you just need to do your part.â This was from Renny, who wasn't totally convinced but had learned long ago to pick and choose his arguments with his wife. She'd met Monica Lakefield while working with Sam's private investigation agency so she knew the woman and she knew Alex. He would have to trust her judgment, for now.
