Can't Help Falling In Love (29 page)

Give in to your impulses…

Read on for a sneak peek at four brand-new

e-book original tales of romance from Avon Books.

Available now wherever e-books are sold.

LESS THAN A GENTLEMAN

By Kerrelyn Sparks

WHEN I FIND YOU

A
T
RUST
N
O
O
NE
N
OVE
L

By Dixie Lee Brown

PLAYING THE FIELD

A
D
IAMONDS AND
D
UGOUTS
N
OVEL

By Jennifer Seasons

HOW TO MARRY A HIGHLANDER

By Katharine Ashe

An Excerpt from

by Kerrelyn Sparks

New York Times
bestselling author Kerrelyn Sparks returns to romance during the Revolutionary War
with the sequel to her debut historical novel,
The Forbidden Lady
.

M
atthias gazed up the lattice to his balcony. As youngsters, he and his cousin had
used the lattice to sneak out at night and go fishing. Of course the doors had not
been bolted back then, but climbing down the lattice had seemed more exciting.

Matthias wasn’t sure the lattice would hold his weight now, but with Dottie’s restorative
coursing through him, he felt eager to give it a jolly good try. Halfway up, a thin
board cracked beneath his shoe. He shifted his weight and found another foothold.
The last thing he wanted was to slip and tear Dottie’s stitches from his shoulder.

He swung his legs over the balcony railing and landed with a soft thud.
How odd
. His door was open.
Of course,
he reminded himself. Dottie had gone there to fetch his clothes. She must have opened
the door to air out the room.

He slipped inside. Moonlight filtered into the room, glimmering off the white mosquito
netting. He strolled over to the secretaire, then kicked off his shoes and dropped
his breeches. When he draped the breeches on the back of the chair, he noticed something
was already there, something thick. He ran his fingers over the folds of cotton. The
scent of roses drifted up to his nose. His mother’s perfume. Why would she have left
one of her gowns in his room?

Odd.
He pulled off his stockings. He’d talk to his mother in the morning. For now, he
simply wanted to sink into a mattress and forget about the war.

He unwrapped his neck cloth, then removed his shirt and undergarments. How could he
forget the war when he had so much to do? Ferryboats to burn. Supplies to capture.
He untied the bow from his hair and dropped the thin leather thong on the desk. And
those two missing females.
Where the hell could they be?

He strode to the bed and slipped under the netting. With a sigh of contentment, he
stretched out between the clean cotton sheets.

The bed shifted.

He blinked, staring at the ghostly netting overhead. He hadn’t budged an inch. There
was only one explanation.

Slowly, he turned his head and peered into the darkness beside him. The counterpane
appeared lumpy, as if— He listened carefully. Yes, soft breathing.

He sat up. A soft moan emanated from the form beside him. Female. His heart started
to pound, his body reacting instinctively. Good God, it had been too long since he  . . .

What the hell?
He drew his racing libido to a screeching halt. This had to be another one of his
mother’s plots to force him to marry! Even Dottie was in on it. She had insisted he
bathe and go to the Great House. Then they had locked up the house, so he would be
forced to climb the lattice to his bedchamber. Straight into their trap.

He scrambled out of bed, batting at the mosquito netting that still covered him.

The female gasped and sat up. “Who’s there?”

“Bloody hell,” he muttered. His mother’s scheme had worked perfectly. He was alone
and naked with whomever she had chosen for his bride.

Another gasp, and a rustling of sheets. The woman climbed out of bed. Damn! She would
run straight to her witnesses to inform them that he’d bedded her.

“No!” He leapt across the bed and grabbed her. “You’re not getting away.” He hauled
her squirming body back onto the bed. Her sudden intake of air warned him of her intent
to scream.

He cupped a hand over her mouth. “Don’t.”

She clamped down with her teeth.

“Ow!” He ripped his hand from her mouth.

She slapped at his shoulders.

He winced as she pounded on his injury. “Enough.” He seized her by the wrists and
pinned her arms down. “No screaming. And no biting. Do you understand?”

Her breaths sounded quick and frightened.

He settled on top of her, applying just enough pressure to keep her from escaping.
“I know what you’re after. You think to trap me in wedlock so easily?”

“What?
”

He could hardly see her pale face in the dark. His damp hair fell forward, further
obstructing his view as he leaned closer. The scent of her soap surrounded him. Magnolia
blossoms. His favorite, and Dottie knew it. This was a full-fledged conspiracy. “I
assume you brought witnesses with you?”

“Witnesses?”

“Of course. Why would you want me in your bed if there were no one to see it?”

“My God, you’re perverse.”

“You’re hoping I am, aren’t you?” He stroked the inside of her wrist. “You’re hoping
I’ll be tempted by your soft skin.”

She shook her head and wiggled beneath him.

He gulped. She was definitely not wearing a corset beneath her shift. “You think I
cannot resist a beautiful, womanly form?” Damn, but she
was
hard to resist.

“Get off of me,” she hissed.

“I beg your pardon? That’s hardly the language of a seductress. Didn’t they coach
you better than that?”

“Damn you, release me.”

He chuckled. “You’re supposed to coo in my ear, not curse me. Come now, let me hear
your pretty little speech. Tell me how much you want me. Tell me how you’re burning
to make love to me.”

“I’d rather burn in hell, you demented buffoon.”

He paused, wondering for the first time whether he had misinterpreted the situation.
“You’re… not here to seduce me?”

“Of course not. Why would I have any interest in a demented buffoon?”

He gritted his teeth. “Then who are you and why are you in this bed?”

“I was in bed to sleep, which would be obvious if you weren’t such a demented—”

“Enough! Who are you?”

She paused.

“Is the question too difficult?”

She huffed. “I… I’m Agatha Ludlow.”

An Excerpt from

A
T
RUST
N
O
O
NE
N
OVEL

by Dixie Lee Brown

Dixie Lee Brown continues her heart-racing
Trust No One
series with a sexy veteran determined to protect an innocent woman on the run.

“O
kay—now that I’ve got your attention, let me tell you about my day.” Walker resumed
his pacing. “I’ve been up since four-thirty this morning. I’ve saved your neck three
times so far today, and for my trouble I’ve been cracked on the skull, threatened
by a bear, and nearly drowned. We’re through doing it your way.” He stopped and pinned
her with a warning glance. “I realize you’re confused and you’ve got no idea who I
am, but there’s only one thing you need to know. I’m taking you out of here with me,
and I don’t care if I have to throw you over my shoulder and carry you out. Are we
clear?”

She watched him without saying a word, looking anything but resigned to her fate.

Walker stared back, daring her to defy him.

She never even flinched.

“If you were me, what would you do?” Her strong, clear voice challenged him, while
her eyes flashed with fire.

“If I were you, I’d find someone I could trust and stick with him until this is over.”

“And that’s you, I suppose? How do I know I can trust you?”

He made a show of looking around. “You don’t have a lot of options at the moment,
but, in case you haven’t noticed, I’m the one trying to keep you alive.” He reached
for her elbow and pulled her to her feet. The cool breeze through his wet clothes
chilled him, and he worried about her. Even with her arms wrapped around herself,
just beneath her breasts, she still shook. No sense putting this off. She wasn’t magically
going to start trusting him in the next few minutes, and they had to get moving.

He held up his jacket in front of her and took a deep breath. “Get out of those wet
clothes and put this coat on.”

Her eyes widened in alarm and she stared at him, resting her hands on her hips in
a stance that would have made him smile if she hadn’t been so serious. He held her
gaze, expecting her to tell him to go to hell. He couldn’t afford to give on this
issue, so he kept talking. “We’ll head back to higher ground, start a fire, and get
our clothes dried out. I have to warm you up, and this is the only way I know to do
it. We don’t have time to argue about this.”

“You can’t seriously expect me to… you’re wet and cold, too. Wear your own damn
coat.” She wrapped her arms around her waist again, as though she could stop her trembling.

The fear in her expression tugged at his conscience and sent him searching for the
words to reassure her that he wasn’t going to jump her as soon as she undressed. The
suspicious glare she fixed him with succeeded in hardening his resolve, and he lowered
the coat, raised an eyebrow, and swept his gaze over her. “Either you can get out
of those clothes yourself, or I can help you.”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

“You’ll find there’s not too much I wouldn’t do.”

Darcy glowered at him a few more seconds, clearly wishing she had a tree branch in
her hand. Then she sighed and dropped her gaze, blinking several times in quick succession,
obviously determined that he wouldn’t see her break down. So, the woman wasn’t as
tough as she wanted him to believe. Her vulnerability unleashed a wave of protectiveness
that washed over him and left him feeling like an ass.

He frowned. “I’m not the enemy.” He held the coat higher so it blocked his view of
everything but her head and shoulders. “Hurry, we have to get moving.” Trembling visibly,
her lips still maintained a bluish tint. She wasn’t out of danger yet.

An Excerpt from

A
D
IAMONDS AND
D
UGO
UTS
N
OVEL

by Jennifer Seasons

The sexy baseball players of Jennifer Seasons’
Diamonds and Dugouts
series are back with the story of a single mom, a hot rookie, and a second chance
at love.

JP
reached out an arm to snag her, but she slipped just out of reach—for the moment.
Did she really think she could get away from him?

There was a reason he played shortstop in the major leagues. He was damn fast. And
now that he’d decided to make Sonny his woman, she was about to find out just how
quick he could be. All night he’d tossed and turned for her, his curiosity rampant.
When he’d finally rolled out of bed, he’d had one clear goal: to see Sonny. Nothing
had existed outside that.

Her leaving her cell phone at the restaurant last night had been the perfect excuse.
All he’d had to do was run an internet search for her business to get her address.
And now here he was, unexpectedly up close and personal with her. So close he could
smell the scent of her shampoo, and it was doing funny things to him. Things like
making him want to bury his nose in her hair and inhale.

No way was he going to miss this golden opportunity.

With a devil’s grin, he moved and had her back against the aging barn wall before
she’d finished gasping. “Look me in the eyes right now and tell me I don’t affect
you, that you’re not interested.” He traced a lazy path down the side of her neck
with his fingertips and felt her shiver. “Because I don’t believe that line for an
instant, sunshine.”

Close enough to feel the heat she was throwing from her deliciously curved body, JP
laughed softly when she tried to sidestep and squeeze free. Her shyness was so damn
cute. He raised an arm and blocked her in, his palm flush against the rough, splintering
wood. Leaning in close, he grinned when she blushed and her gaze flickered to his
lips. Her mouth opened on a soft rush of breath, and, for a suspended moment, something
sparked and held between them.

But then Sonny shook back her rose-gold curls and tipped her chin with defiance.
“Believe what you want, JP. I don’t have to prove anything to you.” Her denim blue
eyes flashed with emotion. “This might come as a surprise, but I’m not interested
in playing with a celebrity like you. I have a business to run and a son to raise.
I don’t need the headache.”

There was an underlying nervousness to her tone that didn’t quite jive with the tough-as-nails
attitude she was trying to project. Either she was scared or he affected her more
than she wanted to admit. She didn’t look scared.

JP dropped his gaze to her mouth, wanting to kiss those juicy lips, and felt her body
brush against his. He could feel her pulse, fast and frantic, under his fingertips.

It made his pulse kick up a notch in anticipation. “There’s a surefire way to end
this little disagreement right now, because I say you’re lying. I say you
are
interested in a celebrity like me.” He cupped her chin with his hand and watched
her thick lashes flutter as she broke eye contact. But she didn’t pull away. “In fact,
I say you’re interested in
me
.”

JP knew he had her.

Her voice came, soft and a little shaky. “How do I prove I’m not?” The way she was
staring at his mouth contradicted her words. So did the way her body was leaning into
his.

Lowering his head until he was a whisper away, he issued the challenge, “Kiss me.”

Her gaze flew to his, her eyes wide with shock. “You want me to do
what
?”

What he knew they both wanted.

“Kiss me. Prove to me you’re not interested, and I’ll leave here. You can go back
to your business and your son and never see my celebrity ass again.”