Daniel laughed, translating in fluid Portugese for his blushing bride. He’d attained a polished look that complemented the top hat and cloak he wore. A small diamond still glittered at his ear, but seemed somehow more sedate in the presence of a well-groomed mustache and goatee. “I thought Maria would be more comfortable in the European atmosphere of the Tremont,” he informed Temple. “Besides, old man, I wanted to surprise you.”
“And you did,” Temple shot back. “But call me old man again, and the joke will be on you, my about-to-be unemployed friend “
Daisy peeled off her gloves, put two fingers to her lips and whistled like a stevedore. “Merry Christmas, guys. You don’t mean a word of this bickering Give it a rest at least till Sal gets here. He called to say he’s buying a new shrimp boat for his fleet—his sixth, I think. Oh, my word—Temple, stop your son. He’s eating a crayon.”
“Ick,” Rebecca said. Being closest, she wrestled it from the pudgy hand. “Boys are so gross. I hope our new baby is a girl. Girls never eat crayons.”
Temple and Daisy gazed at one another, linked hands and smiled. They were both remembering a time when life hadn’t been so settled for the Wyatts. A time of danger, vicious storms—and little girls eating crayons.
Surveying his growing happy family, Temple thought his life couldn’t be more perfect. “I love you, Mrs. Wyatt,” he whispered
“And I love you,” she said. She didn’t care who heard.
Weddings by De Wilde
Since the turn of the century the elegant and fashionable De Wilde stores have helped brides around the world turn the fantasy of their “Special Day” into reality. But now the store and three generations of family are torn apart by the divorce of Grace and Jeffrey De Wilde. As family members face new challenges and loves—and a long-secret mystery—the lives of Grace and Jeffrey intermingle with store employees, friends and relatives in this fastpaced, glamorous, internationally set series. For weddings and romance, glamour and fun-filled entertainment, enter the world of De Wilde…
Twelve remarkable books, coming to you once a month, beginning in April 1996
Weddings by De Wilde begins with
Shattered Vows by Jasmine Cresswell
Here’s a preview!
“SPEND THE NIGHT with me, Lianne.”
No softening lies, no beguiling promises, just the curt offer of a night of sex. She closed her eyes, shutting out temptation. She had never expected to feel this sort of relentless drive for sexual fulfillment, so she had no mechanisms in place for coping with it. “No.” The one-word denial was all she could manage to articulate.
His grip on her arms tightened as if he might refuse to accept her answer. Shockingly, she wished for a split second that he would ignore her rejection and simply bundle her into the car and drive her straight to his flat, refusing to take no for an answer. All the pleasures of mindless sex, with none of the responsibility. For a couple of seconds he neither moved nor spoke. Then he released her, turning abruptly to open the door on the passenger side of his Jaguar. “I’ll drive you home,” he said, his voice hard and flat. “Get in.”
The traffic was heavy, and the rain started again as an annoying drizzle that distorted depth perception made driving difficult, but Lianne didn’t fool herself that the silence inside the car was caused by the driving conditions. The air around them crackled and sparked with their thwarted desire. Her body was still on fire. Why didn’t Gabe say something? she thought, feeling aggrieved.
Perhaps because he was finding it as difficult as she was to think of something appropriate to say. He was thirty years old, long past the stage of needing to bed a woman just so he could record another sexual conquest in his little black book. He’d spent five months dating Julia, which suggested he was a man who valued friendship as an element in his relationships with women. Since he didn’t seem to like her very much, he was probably as embarrassed as she was by the stupid, inexplicable intensity of their physical response to each other.
“Maybe we should just set aside a weekend to have wild, uninterrupted sex,” she said, thinking aloud. “Maybe that way we’d get whatever it is we feel for each other out of our systems and be able to move on with the rest of our lives.”
His mouth quirked into a rueful smile. “Isn’t that supposed to be my line?”
“Why? Because you’re the man? Are you sexist enough to believe that women don’t have sexual urges? I’m just as aware of what’s going on between us as you are, Gabe. Am I supposed to pretend I haven’t noticed that we practically ignite whenever we touch? And that we have nothing much in common except mutual lust—and a good friend we betrayed?”
eISBN 978-14592-7784-7
THE WATER BABY
Copyright © 1996 by Rosaline Fox.
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
Printed In U.S.A.
Table of Contents
Cover Page
Excerpt
Dear Reader
Title Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Epilogue
Preview
Copyright
The Water Baby Page 26
