âHey, McCoy, hereâs your new partner.â
David took one look toward the door and felt an inexplicable urge to run. Walking toward him was Kelli Hatfieldâthe same sexy, innocently insatiable, utterly feminine Kelli Hatfield heâd shared a bed with last night. Her face mirrored the shock he felt.
It couldn'tâ¦there was no way in hell that thisâ¦that sheâ¦was his new partner. The reality that this gorgeous woman was actually a cop was enough to send him reeling.
Kelli appeared to regain her bearings before he did. âOfficer McCoy,â she said, clearing her throat. Apparently remembering where they were, she thrust her handâher delicate, talented handâtoward him.
David took it, tempted to pull her into the nearest room where they could have a little talkâ¦and then some. He looked up to find Officer Kowalsky studying them guardedly.
âYou two know each other?â he asked.
David looked into Kelliâs eyes. âYeah,â he said, tempted to add, In the biblical sense.
Dear Reader,
Sexy as sin and impossible to forgetâthatâs THE MAGNIFICENT MCCOY MEN! First brothers Marc, Mitch and Jake stole our romantic hearts. Now the youngest McCoy, David, is proving heâs just as much a McCoy as his brothers.
In You Only Love Once, maverick cop David McCoy never dreams that the magnificent woman he undresses one night will show up at the precinct in uniform the next morning. Worse, Kelli Hatfield, Davidâs sexy new partner, is determined to prove herself his equalâon the job and in his bed. Has the precinct Casanova finally met his match?
Weâd love to hear what you think of the youngest McCoy. Write to us at: P.O. Box 12271, Toledo, OH 43612, or visit us at the Web site we share with other Temptation authors at www.temptationauthors.com. And be sure to keep an eye out for the next and final book of the series, featuring stubbornly sexy Connor McCoy, available in July.
Hereâs wishing you love, romance and many happy endings.
Lori and Tony Karayianni
aka Tori Carrington
We heartily dedicate this book to romance-friendly booksellers and librarians everywhere, especially Mark Budrock, Dawn Rath, Kathy Andrico, Jim Beard, Chris Champion, Barb Kershner, Sharon Harbaugh, Kathie Freedly, Joan Adis and her lovable staff, Lisa Hamilton, Kristin Fennell, Kery Han, Betty and Fred Shultz and their partners in crime, Joan Selzer, Cathy Bartel, John Cleveland, Colleen Lehmann, Kathy Hendrickson, Heather Osborn, Lori Grassman, Judy and Bob Dewitt, Cy Korte, Michele Patrykus, Gayle Davis, Tracy Marr, Molly Carver, Rosechel Sinio, Bessie Makris, Eileen Masterson, Linda Membel, Donna Leaver, Delores Silva and last but certainly not least, Donita Lawrence.
Although we write the stories and Harlequin publishes them, its each and every one of you who makes sure our books find their way into the readers hands. Thank you doesnt begin to cover it.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
âYOUâRE LATE.â
David McCoy slid onto a stool next to his brother Connor and shrugged out of his sheepskin coat. He glanced at his bulky black sports watch as he rubbed his hands together to warm them. It was cold even for December in D.C., the kind of cold that inspired the saying, âitâs too cold to snow.â But the bar was pleasantly warm and decked out festively for the holiday season. Green garland laced with red lights hung behind the counter, and hurricane candle centerpieces were placed on tables around the room. He motioned for Joe, the bartender at The Pour House, to bring him a brew when he finished serving a guy down the long length of the oak bar. âYeah. Lieutenant Kowalsky wanted to have a few words after I knocked off tonight.â He greeted a couple of fellow officers taking their seats a few stools down. âLooks like I get a new partner tomorrow.â
Connor knocked back what remained in his own glass. âShould be interesting.â
âYeah.â David paid Joe and made a comment on the busyness of the place this early on a Thursday night. Joe shrugged and told him whatever paid the bills.
âWhat will this be? The third?â Connor asked as Joe took an order down the bar.
David grimaced at his older brother. Connor knew how many partners heâd gone through. He could probably recite their names, and exactly how long it had taken David to scare them off. Connor was good that way. Always the one to remember when one of them had gotten the measles, when their homework had been due and which forms he had to forge so they could participate in school-sponsored road trips. Mostly, his diligence was welcome. There were times, however, when he wished Connor would get a lifeâpreferably, his own.
He had the sinking sensation this was going to be one of those times.
He drank more of his beer than he intended and gritted his teeth at the onset of a cold headache. Of course, in the case of his last partner, Lupe Ramirez, he hadnât exactly scared her off. In fact, sheâd very nearly been killed off. A perp at a twenty-four hour convenience store had taken a potshot at her while heâd been making his way around the back. Lupe was still in rehab, learning how to walk on her reconstructed knee.