by Rachel Caine
“He-he-he,” came a whiskey-rotted voice from a weaving figure to my right. I made the mistake of inhaling just as the toxic cloud from his mouth reached my nose.
I turned and found a methop junkie, drooling on his ragged shirt, grinning at my chest. He obviously hadn’t been to a dentist since the last millennium celebration, and he reeked of Eau de Middle Ages. That’s what happened when you cared more about your next hit of methamphetamines and opium than you cared about taking your next breath.
“What are you looking at?” I pressed the buzzer more forcefully.
“You, baby. Are those tits for real?”
I glanced down at my tight, leather V-necked vest. This was as close to cleavage as I ever got, and it wasn’t much. If this creep thought my breasts were surgically endowed, he needed more than a long bath. “They’re real and they’re off-limits, so get lost.”
“Let me give those melons a squeeze,” he said without sparing my face a glance. When he reached out with both hands, I felt like a fruit stand at a greengrocer’s. “Nice an’ ripe, I’ll bet. How much do you charge, baby?”
“You don’t want to do this,” I said calmly. “Trust me.”
But he was too doped up or dumb to listen. Hunched over, arms extended, he zeroed in on his targets with surprising precision, but before he could make contact, I snapped my arm out in a quick backhand punch to his jaw. He went down just as the door opened.
“Hey!” the bum protested, rubbing his chin. “That hurt like hell.”
Marco looked at me in surprise, then frowned at the junkie sprawled on the sidewalk. “What happened?”
“Sticker shock,” I replied confidentially. “Don’t worry. He’ll survive. I went out of my way to avoid his windpipe.”
“Very thoughtful,” Marco said. Our eyes locked and sparks flew. He grinned slowly. “He had no clue what he was up against, did he?”
I smiled back. “They never do.”
“Come on in. I was just about to take a break.”
“From what?” I stepped inside a long, restored loft with shiny blond wood floors and an intriguing maze of pipes looming from the ceiling high above. I breathed in the foreign, pungent odor of turpentine and paint, and quickly surveyed brick wall after wall adorned with large canvases covered in brilliant hues, some arrayed in geometric impressions and some realistically drawn.
My God, I thought. Is Marco also a painter?
I whirled around to gaze at him in frank wonder and realized he wore no shirt. How I had missed that was beyond me. Paint-spattered, threadbare jeans slouched at his jutting hip bones. A line of dark, silky hair intersected his naval and spread up his flat belly, fanning upward and outward over the mounds of olive skin and muscle that defined his breastbone. Red paint smeared over an inch of his collarbone. My attention wandered up to his ruggedly handsome face.
With a square, shadowed jaw, a seductive mouth and eyes that could undress you in seconds flat, he made my mouth water. It was amazing. I was right to come here. You can’t fight fate.
Wait a minute! Be cool, Angel, I told myself. Be cool. Then I shrugged and said, “So. You wanna make love?”
Oh, Lord, what did I say? Could I turn and run? No, not cool. Could I take it back? Impossible. Nothing left to do but pretend I had planned it. So I crossed my arms, shifted weight, jutting my right hip in a cocky pose. I raised one brow challengingly and waited for what seemed like the most agonizing and longest minute of my life to pass.
Marco simply stared at me as if he, too, couldn’t believe I’d been so bold, so blunt. So stupid. Then he moved toward me, his bare feet padding on the floor amidst the frayed hems of his jeans, and before I knew it, he scooped me up off my feet, both of his deceptively strong arms wrapped around my waist.
I steadied myself, putting my hands on his bare shoulders. His muscles seemed to melt beneath my fingers. I found myself kneading them. Just touching this man made me feel like I was running a fever.
Except for the one time we’d made love, I’d only seen him in suits and long sleeves. I’d thought of him as a studly but aging cop. Now he seemed like a not-so-middle-aged wild thing, more the unpredictable assassin I imagined him to be after his confession about his mob ties. That’s who I saw, anyway, when I caught my breath and looked down into his unturned face. Pheromones shot out from him like the grand finale of a July Fourth celebration. He smelled musky, masculine and sweaty-my favorite cologne.
“Did you just ask me if I want to make love?” His husky voice vibrated in his chest. His gaze skewered me with a “you’d better not be joking” look.
I spread my hands over his day-old beard and up through his thick, natural dark curls of hair. “Yes.”
“Are you sure?”
A touch of gray distinguished his temples, and his long-lashed bedroom eyes ended with a trace of crow’s-feet, the legacy of too many deep smiles in the sun. He was all man, and he was mine. And he was just mature enough to make a relationship dangerous. I craved opening up to him, and dreaded it at the same time. If he really knew me-and he was smart enough to do that in time-would he still want me?
“Yes.” A simple reply. The last nail in the coffin.
He roughly grabbed my nape and pulled my lips to his. They were briefly tender, like silk, but soon parted and we melded in a mind-blowing French kiss. I wrapped my legs around his waist, feeling like I’d fallen into the eye of a hurricane. Everything around me was chaos. But something in me knew this was where I was supposed to be, and I grew calm, intent on consuming him.
I was ready. He was ready. Then I made the mistake of talking. Pulling from his lips, I said, “I guess your answer is yes.”
It was a joke. He smiled. But the ironic gleam in his eyes turned cloudy. He didn’t move, but I could almost see his emotional retreat, like one of those fancy camera moves in old-time horror flicks, when the dolly holding the camera retreats fast while the lens zooms in.
His interest slackened in the most obvious place. I gripped his shoulders, pulling him closer. No, I wanted to say. Don’t stop now. Don’t think. Just make love to me. But I wouldn’t beg.
He stepped away from me and tugged his lips into a rueful smile. “Now that you mention it, Baker, the answer is no.”
I was really speechless. “I don’t…understand. I’m not going to hurt you, Marco.”
He looked me up and down as if he were logically considering whether that was true. Then a chill flickered over his features. “You’re a beautiful woman, Angel Baker, fit and energetic, brave and yet grounded. Your heart is…very tender. I know you’ve been hurt, and I know you would never intentionally harm me. But I can’t watch you die. I’ve done that too many times already.”
COMING NEXT MONTH
Be enthralled, moved, thrilled, delighted…and satisfied by exceptional reads from outstanding authors and well-loved series.
Come back every two weeks for newly released selections in eight varied categories offering stories that appeal to every taste and mood.
Have a great time!
AVAILABLE NOW
Showcase
Enthralling stories by the brightest stars in women’s fiction—from MIRA Books, and big romances that sweep you away—from HQN Books
KILLER TAKES ALL by Erica Spindler, MIRA (psychological thriller)
BEFORE SUNRISE by Diana Palmer (contemporary romance)
DARK SKY by Carla Neggers, MIRA (romantic suspense)
50 HARBOR STREET by Debbie Macomber, MIRA (women’s fiction)
GHOST WALK by Heather Graham, MIRA (paranormal mystery)
Sexy Reads
Powerful, provocative tales full of heat and passion—from Harlequin Blaze, Silhouette Desire and Harlequin Presents
THE ITALIAN’S STOLEN BRIDE by Emma Darcy, Harlequin Presents
UNCONTROLLABLE by Susan Kearney, Harlequin Blaze
WHATEVER RILEY WANTS by Maureen Child, Silhouette Desire
SEXY ALL OVER by Jamie Sobrato, Harlequin Blaze
HO
T TO THE TOUCH by Jennifer Greene, Silhouette Desire
TALKING ABOUT SEX… by Vicki Lewis Thompson, Harlequin Blaze
Romantic Suspense
Danger…romance…adventure…suspense! Stories that will take your breath away—from Harlequin Intrigue and Silhouette Intimate Moments
MAN OF HER DREAMS by Debra Webb, Harlequin Intrigue
LOVING THE LONE WOLF by Ingrid Weaver, Silhouette Intimate Moments
GHOST HORSE by Patricia Rosemoor, Harlequin Intrigue
SUSPICIOUS by Heather Graham, Silhouette Intimate Moments
RIDER ON FIRE by Sharon Sala, Silhouette Intimate Moments
Inspirational
Stories of faith, hope and love that warm the heart and nourish the soul—from Steeple Hill Love Inspired and compelling suspense—from Love Inspired Suspense
LOVING FEELINGS by Gail Gaymer Martin, Steeple Hill Love Inspired
FOR THE TWINS’ SAKE by Jillian Hart, Steeple Hill Love Inspired
NOTE OF PERIL by Hannah Alexander, Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense
UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS by Elizabeth White, Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense
BLACK HILLS BRIDE by Deb Kastner, Steeple Hill Love Inspired
WINDINGO TWILIGHT by Colleen Rhoads, Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense
MILLION DOLLAR DILEMMA by Judy Baer, Steeple Hill Café
STORM CLOUDS by Cheryl Wolverton, Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense
Women’s Fiction
Books that celebrate the “next” stage of women’s lives…because every life has a second chapter! From Harlequin Next
THERE’S ALWAYS PLAN B by Susan Mallery, Harlequin Next
RIGGS PARK by Ellyn Bache, Harlequin, Next
CUTTING THROUGH by Joan Hohl, Harlequin Next
THE ME I USED TO BE by Jennifer Archer, Harlequin Next
Women’s Action Adventure
Strong, sexy, savvy heroines who save the day…and always get their man. From Silhouette Bombshell
ONCE A THIEF by Michele Hauf, Silhouette Bombshell
HOT PURSUIT by Kathryn Jensen, Silhouette Bombshell
DEVIL’S BARGAIN by Rachel Caine, Silhouette Bombshell
THE GOLDEN GIRL by Erica Orloff, Silhouette Bombshell
Chick Lit
Women’s fiction with attitude, these humorous, edgy, hip stories celebrate life’s little curves…From Red Dress Ink
WITH OR WITHOUT YOU by Carole Matthews, Red Dress Ink
KILLER SUMMER by Lynda Curnyn, Red Dress Ink
DO THEY WEAR HIGH HEELS IN HEAVEN? By Erica Orloff, Red Dress Ink
Fantasy/Science Fiction
Powerful, magical tales, vivid characters and richly imagined worlds from the first imprint solely dedicated to female focused fantasy—Luna Books
THE DESTINED QUEEN by Deborah Hale, LUNA
URBAN SHAMAN by C.E. Murphy, LUNA
POISON STUDY by Maria V. Snyder, LUNA
ON SALE OCTOBER 1ST
Showcase
Enthralling stories by the brightest stars in women’s fiction—from MIRA Books, and big romances that sweep you away—from HQN Books
MASQUERADE by Brenda Joyce, HQN Books (historical romance)
Romantic Suspense
Danger…romance…adventure…suspense! Stories that will take your breath away—from Harlequin Intrigue and Silhouette Intimate Moments
SECURITY MEASURES by Joanna Wayne, Harlequin Intrigue
Inspirational
Stories of faith, hope and love that warm the heart and nourish the soul—from Steeple Hill Love Inspired and compelling suspense—from Love Inspired Suspense
DIE BEFORE NIGHTFALL by Shirlee McCoy, Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense
Women’s Fiction
Books that celebrate the “next” stage of women’s lives…because every life has a second chapter! From Harlequin Next
PELICAN BAY by Charlotte Douglas, Harlequin Next
Fantasy/Science Fiction
Powerful, magical tales, vivid characters and richly imagined worlds from the first imprint solely dedicated to female focused fantasy—Luna Books
IN STONE’S CLASP by Christie Golden, LUNA
ON SALE OCTOBER 15TH
Sexy Reads
Powerful, provocative tales full of heat and passion—from Harlequin Blaze, Silhouette Desire and Harlequin Presents
THE TYCOON’S TROPHY WIFE by Miranda Lee, Harlequin Presents
Inspirational
Stories of faith, hope and love that warm the heart and nourish the soul—from Steeple Hill Love Inspired and compelling suspense—from Love Inspired Suspense
DECK THE HALLS by Arlene James, Steeple Hill Love Inspired
Women’s Action Adventure
Strong, sexy, savvy heroines who save the day…and always get their man. From Silhouette Bombshell
FLAWLESS by Michele Hauf, Silhouette Bombshell
Chic Lit
Women’s fiction with attitude, these humorous, edgy, hip stories celebrate life’s little curves…From Red Dress Ink
THE NIGHT I GOT LUCKY by Laura Caldwell, Red Dress Ink
