How to Tame a Modern Rogue

by Diana Holquist

  Ally watched Granny Donny, who had formed a one-woman receiving line. She was in heaven, enjoying herself immensely. Ally had finally given her a fun, fantasy-filled night worthy of her uniqueness. She felt proud.

  Ally was getting restless.

  The tent was filling with locals that she vaguely recognized from the house next door and her long walks on the beach. The clerk from the grocery store down the street waltzed with the woman who walked a small poodle every morning at dawn.

  But where was Sam?

  Ally went to the appetizer table and picked up a chicken sate. She ate it without tasting it.

  “Is it good?”

  It was Sam.

  He had come. And he looked amazing.

  Not the title. Not the riches. Not the bravery. Not the glory. Just the man. The simple man, standing before her, looking into her eyes as if he saw just the woman. For the first time in their lives, they were truly alone.

  —From The Dulcet Duke

  Chapter 33

  Madam, may I have this dance?”

  Sam, in his old-fashioned pants and tails, looked as if he’d just stepped out of The Dulcet Duke. The orchestra had begun a waltz behind them, and—except for Ally being barefoot, surrounded by tourists and locals in brightly colored neon beach wear, and the hem of her gown growing heavy with accumulated sand—she could have been in a London ballroom, waiting breathlessly for her duke.

  “Of course.”

  He led her onto the dance floor, an expanse of sand in the middle of the tent. Christmas lights were strung all around, and it seemed half the town had come out to experience the spectacle. Everyone but Ally, Sam, and Granny Donny wore modern clothes; a few were even in bathing suits and skimpy cover-ups. And yet, under the twinkling lights, the moonlight shining in through the open flaps, and the music, everything looked perfect because Sam had come.

  Naturally, Sam was a divine dancer. He waltzed Ally across the sand. “Still haven’t really learned to waltz?” he asked.

  “Still haven’t learned what to say to your dance partner to keep her from stamping on your toes,” she said.

  “I missed you,” he murmured into her ear.

  “I loved your letters,” Ally said. He had his hand on the small of her back and his barely there touch electrified her. “I’m sorry about Hana. I wish I could have met her.”

  “Ally, this is magical. Thank you.”

  “This is nothing. Wait until the dancing elephants show up.”

  He spun her and pulled her closer. His face grew serious. “Ally, I meant everything I wrote to you.” He twirled Ally across the floor as he spoke, and the world spun around her. In Sam’s arms, it seemed as if anything might be possible. She was finding it hard to speak. So she decided not to. Instead, she took his hand and pulled him through the tent flaps and into the darkened night.

  Their lips met and their bodies met and Sam pulled her down into the sand. They could hear the orchestra in the distance, but they were out of the light, which was good as Ally was yanking his ruffled white shirt out of his lace-up pants and he was undoing the endless stays on her dress.

  “Who invented these ridiculous clothes?” he asked.

  “I thought of everything tonight but scissors.”

  “Good thing I brought my teeth.”

  As they struggled with their layers, Sam stole bites and kisses and they fell into the sand.

  They made love so softly and slowly, as if they were discovering each other for the first time. The only words were each other’s names, whispered breathlessly. With not a mention of the duke or the princess.

  It was the first time they had made love as themselves.

  And then the second time.

  And then the third.

  The music slowed. Then the guests started to file out. But still, they lay together, just the two of them, unable to separate.

  “I don’t even miss the duke and the princess,” Ally admitted.

  “Told you we’d write our own book,” Sam said.

  “Chapter one, page one,” Ally said.

  “Chapter one, page one, the rogue corners the maiden in the dark and vows she will be his,” Sam said.

  “I’m not sure I like that book,” Ally said. “How about, chapter one, page one, the good woman sees the rogue, and decides that the two of them together could conquer all of London, with her brains and his stunning looks.”

  “His brains, and her stunning looks.”

  “And all of polite society watched in wonder—”

  “Scandalized as she ran off to San Francisco without him,” Sam said.

  “Nonsense, they run off to San Francisco together,” Ally said. It was as much a question as she dared. “My place is kind of small.”

  “We’ll get a bigger place,” Sam said.

  She turned to him. “Really? You’ll come with me?”

  “Sure. Why not? It’s not like I have any commitments here.”

  They watched the last of the guests leave the tent. They could hear the caterer cleaning up inside. The musicians left in pairs and threes, carrying their black cases. Ally hoped her grandmother was inside to tip everyone.

  “Of course, it wouldn’t be very proper for a gentlewoman to run off with a man unless they married,” Sam said.

  The night seemed very still.

  “No. That wouldn’t be proper at all,” Ally said.

  “So what happens next in our book?” Sam asked.

  “I suppose they marry,” Ally said. Sand was on his nose. She kissed it away, so what could he do then but kiss her? Deeply.

  “Are you sure, Ally? Would you marry me?”

  “I’m absolutely sure,” she said.

  “And they lived happily ever after,” Sam added when he had thoroughly kissed her again.

  “Well, of course happily ever after,” Ally said. “That’s the way they all have to end, or they aren’t any good.”

  Acknowledgments

  I’d like to thank everyone at Grand Central Publishing, especially Michele, for making this the best book it could be. Also, I’d like to thank Carolyn Pouncy, for her insane knowledge of historical romance and for turning me on to Georgette Heyer. And, of course, my unending gratitude to Ellen Hartman, for reading this manuscript way more times than it’s right to ask a friend to do.

  * * *

  The One True Love Series :

  Make Me a Match,

  Sexiest Man Alive, and

  Hungry for More

  Readers who like books in a series, are in for a treat with Diana Holquist’s “One True Love Series”. But where to start? Should you read the books in order? Do you have to read them all to get to the happily ever after? Well, just like with love, there are no rules. Each book in this series about three part-Gypsy sisters stars three very different heroes, so why not start with the one you like best?

  Finn Concord

  from MAKE ME A MATCH: Book One

  Occupation: Carpenter

  Eyes: Green, Smoky

  Favorite clothes: Jeans and a faded T-shirt

  Interesting facts: Single father; ex-minor league baseball player

  What draws him to a woman: Honesty, humor, and has to be good with kids

  Favorite line: Likes it best when he doesn’t have to speak; more the strong, silent type.

  Favorite Review: “Finn was delicious, broody, and so sweet, you wanted to keep him for yourself…” ( coffetimeromance.com)

  Josh Toby

  from SEXIEST MAN ALIVE: Book Two

  Occupation: Movie Star

  Eyes: Violet, often behind sunglasses

  Favorite clothes: Armani tux from last year’s Oscar night

  Interesting facts: Has terrible stage fright; loves dogs and pastrami sandwiches

  What draws him to a woman: She doesn’t care about fame or fortune

  Favorite line: Anything that’s not from one of his Mitch Tank: Tank Command movies

  Favorite review: “Fans will be drooling over the cover but
remember, that is just the beginning of something amazing.” ( Strictlyromancereviews.com)

  James LaChance

  from HUNGRY FOR MORE: Book Three

  Occupation: Chef

  Eyes: Brown

  Favorite clothes: Chef whites

  Interesting facts: Dyslexic, can barely read a menu

  What draws him to a woman: Who has time for women? He’s got a restaurant to run.

  Favorite line: “Cooking, like sex, is best done right or not at all.”

  Favorite Review: “James LaChance…can cook both in and out of the kitchen…” (Cheryl’s Book Nook)

  * * *

  THE DISH

  Where authors give you the inside scoop!

  From the desk of Rita Herron

  Dear Reader,

  I have to admit that I’m a TV junkie. I love comedies, dramas, crime shows, and paranormal series, especially those with a romance in them. Of course, I always find myself drawn to the strong heroes.

  Two of my favorites are Jack Bauer from 24 and Cole Turner from Charmed. Both are charismatic, tough, sexy, dark tortured guys with tons of emotional baggage. In fact, my husband, who is also a huge 24 fan, named our cat Jack Bauer.

  When I first decided to write about demons, I wanted my heroes to have the same qualities as Jack and Cole, to be larger-than-life men who risked their lives to save the world—and of course, the women they love.

  In DARK HUNGER, the second book in my paranormal romantic suspense trilogy The Demon-born, (out now!), I combined Jack and Cole and created Quinton Valtrez, Vincent’s long lost brother.

  Quinton is a loner, a government assassin, and a man determined to keep his job and supernatural powers secret. Like Jack, he fights terrorists. Like Cole, he battles demons—as well as the pull of evil inside him.

  Pit him against a sassy, tenacious, struggling reporter named Annabelle Armstrong who is determined to unravel his secrets, and the sparks immediately fly. Quinton doesn’t know whether to kill her or love her.

  Quinton also faces a new kind of terrorist—a demon who has the ability to exert mind control over innocents and turn them into killers. Soon he and Annabelle realize they must work together in a race against time to stop this demon. But Annabelle isn’t quite prepared to be thrust into this terrifying demonic world, or to face Quinton’s father Zion, the leader of the underworld, who will use her to get to Quinton.

  For any paranormal story, setting and world-building is important. Blending the real world with paranormal elements makes the stories more frightening. In DARK HUNGER, I also take you to three of my favorite southern cities: Savannah, Charleston, and New Orleans. All three are steeped with folklore, ghost legends, history, and a spooky ambience that adds flavor to the world of The Demonborn. If you haven’t visited those cities, put them on your TO DO list. And don’t forget to take one of the ghost tours and be on the lookout for demons!

  Enjoy!

  From the desk of Robyn DeHart

  Dear Reader,

  I've always been a huge movie buff and my very favorite genre is romantic action adventure; think Indiana Jones and The Mummy. Toss together some archeology, a dash of history, and a nasty curse, add in two protagonists with lots of sizzle and I’m one happy woman. I suppose it’s this love that brought me to my Legend Hunters and the first book in that series, SEDUCE ME (on sale now).

  I admit I’m a geek at heart, but there’s something so compelling about old things: ancient texts, antiques, dusty old tombs. I mean, who hasn’t dreamt of going on a dig and unearthing something so amazing it changes your life? Well, this is precisely what happens to our heroine Esme Worthington. She ends up getting herself kidnapped, but in doing so she comes face-to-face with the object of her lifelong obsession, Pandora’s box.

  Enter our hero, Fielding Grey, a treasure finder-for-hire who is none too happy that his latest assignment comes with a damsel in distress. But he can’t walk away from her while she’s literally chained to a wall. So he snags Esme and the fabled box and thus begins an adventure neither could have imagined. Not only does the box come with a unique curse that has Esme acting the wanton, but a nefarious villain is hot on their trail and will stop at nothing until he possesses Pandora’s treasure.

  This new series is about Solomon’s, a luxurious gentleman’s club equipped with all the accoutrements one would expect from such a fine establishment. Membership is by invitation only, because in this club there's a hidden room where secret meetings occur. In these secret meetings some of London’s finest gentlemen gather to discuss their passions; their obsessions. Some are scholars, some collectors, some treasure-hunters, but each of them is after the find of the century. I can’t wait for you to meet the Legend Hunters…

  Visit my Web site, http://www.RobynDeHart.com for contests, excerpts, and more.

  From the desk of Diana Holquist

  Dear Readers,

  When my family moved from the big city to a tiny rural town for my husband’s work, there were no jobs for me. I wept for about a week. Okay, maybe two weeks. Then I realized that this was the perfect time to start something new. Because I was incredibly naive, I opened a file on my computer and typed, "Chapter One."

  Uh-oh. Now what? I needed a story. But what? What did I care about enough to pour my heart and soul into? Later, I learned that what a book is about—what it's really about—is called a premise, and every good book has one. What was my premise?

  I started lurking on the Web site of a woman who was looking for her soul mate. She wanted him to be a certain height and make a specified income and on and on. But no matter how hard she looked, she couldn’t find her "one true love."

  What if there was a soul mate put here on this earth just for this woman, but he wasn’t tall and rich? This woman needed a guide to the world of love.

  Thus, Amy Burns was born, the psychic gypsy who can tell you the name of your One True Love. She starred in my first three books, creating chaos, love, and a premise I could believe in: only when we face our true desires can we find happiness.

  In my first book, MAKE ME A MATCH, Cecelia Burns is a doctor about to marry the "perfect" man: a rich, successful, handsome, charming lawyer. Along comes her psychic sister Amy, to announce that Cecelia’s one true love as destined by fate is not only an underemployed single father, but that he might be dying. If she wants her one shot at experiencing true love, she's got to act fast.

  In SEXIEST MAN ALIVE, Jasmine Burns, the shyest woman alive, learns that her one true love as destined by fate is Josh Toby, People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive. Uh-oh. She can't talk to a regular man; how will she ever get near this one?

  HUNGRY FOR MORE is Amy's book. She has to choose between learning the name of her own one true love or keeping her psychic powers. When she meets a sexy French chef, she realizes that accepting true love is harder than she thought it would be.

  The One True Love series got great reviews, a RITA nomination, and won awards like the New York Book Festival romance award. But more important, this series introduced me to so many wonderful readers, some of whom I now count among my friends. When I look back on those first days of moving away from the city, I laugh when I think about how what I thought was the end was actually a new beginning. I didn't realize then that I was living my own premise: be careful what you wish for. Because when you try something new, open your mind to the possibilities that life offers, and focus on your true desires, good things happen.

  Happy reading!