by Hailey North
He nodded and Mr. Gotho shook his head, apparently in despair at ever changing Mrs. Merlin.
And then the door shut behind them.
Tony shifted so he could look directly into Penelope’s dark blue eyes. He toyed with the silver pendant around her neck, running his finger over the engraved P.
“Come here, kitten,” he said. “Time to make you purr.”
Penelope found it almost easier to believe she’d inhabited a cat’s body than it was to believe the man with bedroom eyes was saying those words to her, desire lighting his face. When she hesitated, though, he pulled her to him and feathered a kiss over her lips. Then he raised his head. “But first we have to talk.”
Penelope, lips parted and eyes slightly unfocused, played with the top button of Tony’s shirt. “Talk?” She pouted. “Now?”
He nodded.
“Why is it you’re always doing the right thing by me?”
“Because you’re so important to me,” he said softly. He clasped her hand and stroked her palm. “So, first things first.”
She nodded, running the words “so important” over and over again in her mind. They weren’t “I love you,” but they were certainly significant.
Tony watched her mulling over his words, loving the way she analyzed every word, every gesture. He’d never met a woman like Penelope. Nestled close to him, eyes so alive, face aglow with awakening passion, she smiled up at him and he almost lost his determination to talk first and make love second.
He’d hoped she would say something similar when he’d told her she was important to him, hoped she would somehow reassure him that he wasn’t pursuing her in vain. Because if she didn’t want him as badly as he wanted her, he’d be suffering a worse punishment than a bullet wound.
“You’re looking very serious,” she murmured, tracing a finger over his brow.
He cleared his throat. “That’s because this time I’m going to tell you the truth about me, not a bunch of made-up stories.”
“Like you did in the bookstore?” She trailed her fingertips down his cheek, a feather-light touch that sent hunger for her arcing through his body.
He nodded.
“I bet I know what you’re going to tell me,” she whispered.
“Yeah?” Her touch was driving him nuts.
Gazing into his eyes, she said, “That you’re not an ex-cop.”
His surprise must have shown, because she touched a finger to his heart. “You’re a man of honor.”
He kissed her. “Thank you for your belief in me. I’ve been part of an undercover operation for more than a year, a scheme blown wide open tonight. That is the only reason I pushed you away after we made love. Can you forgive me?”
“Forgiven and forgotten.” She hugged him tightly, jostling his arm, and he grimaced.
“Oh, I’ve hurt you.” Then her eyes gleamed in a way that chased the pain from his body. “Maybe I should kiss it and make you feel all better.”
“Getting braver, or just more used to me?” Tony murmured his question, sighing in pleasure as she did indeed apply the lightest of kisses, starting at his neck and circling his shoulder above the bandage.
Penelope lifted her head. “Mrs. Merlin accused me of having no sense of adventure, so I’ve been working on it ever since she dropped into my life.”
“And coming along nicely, too,” Tony said, stroking her hair and little by little guiding the path of her kisses from his arm to his chest.
She paused. “Did Mrs. Merlin tell you who and what she is?”
He nodded, not wanting her to stop her kisses. Then he reminded himself he was the one who’d first suggested they talk. Wow, this woman really had his world turned upside down. “I saw you put her in your purse in Pottery DeLite and thought you got your jollies shoplifting.”
“Oh!” She paused; she had been blowing breathy kisses between the buttonholes of his, or rather Roy’s, shirt. “I’m surprised you didn’t arrest me.”
“I wanted to”—he grinned and ruffled her hair—”so I could strip-search you.” He unfastened the top button of her jacket. “Nice and slow, just the two of us locked in a cell together.”
“That would have been very improper and terribly illegal,” she said in a prim voice, but her eyes shone naughtily, as if she found the idea exciting. “And I want you to know I’m glad you’re a policeman. It fits you and I know you’d never do anything illegal.”
“Thank you for that.” He kissed her, then undid the second button. “Didn’t Raoul ever do anything improper?”
“Raoul?” Her eyes widened. “You’re not making fun of me, are you?”
“Never,” he said, slipping the third and last button free, revealing the smooth skin and lacy bra.
“As long as we’re sharing secrets,” Penelope said, “there’s something you ought to know about me.”
He smoothed a tendril of hair from her cheeks. “And what’s that, kitten?”
“Well, I. . . um, suffer from a tendency to fall into fantasy spells.”
He grinned. “We can probably use that talent to our advantage.”
Coloring slightly, she said, “And I’m not quite as serious as I appear. For instance. . .” she paused and looked almost defiant, “I might not practice law all my life. I’ve always wanted to become a chef and I’m also writing a cookbook.”
Again he kissed her. “The family will love another chef. You’ll fit right in.”
“Oh, Tony,” she hugged him, and he was grateful she avoided his wound. “You make me feel like everything is possible.”
“Good. You met my Aunt Tootie; she’s nuts for cookbooks.”
“Oh, well, the one I’m trying to write is a little different.”
Tony cupped one of her breasts and teased her nipple through the fabric of her bra. He’d talked about as long as he could stand right now—not that he wasn’t interested, but his body had other thoughts. “How different?”
She started to unbutton his shirt. “It’s called Love Bites.”
“Yum.” He nibbled on her neck. “Is there anything else you want to tell me that you think will scare me off?”
“I’m an orphan.” She spoke so softly he almost missed her words.
Tony stilled his hand, facing his conscience. He knew who her father was. Should he tell her—burden her with the knowledge that her father walked the wrong side of the law and never intended to claim her? Or should he let sleeping dogs lie? He wished for wisdom he didn’t possess.
Perhaps he’d leave the decision to the fates, and he was glad he did when she said, “And that’s okay with me, but if I ever marry, I want to have lots and lots of children.”
“What do you mean, if?” Tony eased her down to his side, and they stretched full-length on the sofa.
She looked at him, uncertainty in her eyes.
“Penelope, my flirting days are over. I want you. I need you.” He took a deep breath, risking the biggest rejection of them all. “Some people would say I’m nuts for saying this when I’ve only just met you, but I love you.”
“Oh, Tony,” she whispered. “I love you, too. You’re my fantasies come to life.”
“If there’s one thing I plan to show you,” he said, pausing to tickle the sensitive lobe of one ear that sent her to trembling and giggling, “it’s just how superior reality can be to fantasy.”
“Mmm,” Penelope murmured, believing that with Tony Olano, such a feat might be possible.
He took her hand and lifted it to his lips. He kissed the back of it, then slowly put one of her fingers, then a second, into his mouth, wrapping his tongue around them and at the same time easing them in and out between his lips. His eyes danced suggestively and the combination left her strangely excited.
When he stopped, she wanted him to do it again. “Wow, that was . . .” she searched for the right word and came up with, “yummy.”
He grinned. “Now, did Raoul ever do that?”
Her eyes widened. She shook her head slowly.
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br /> By the way he smiled down at her while he tried to work his shirt off, Penelope knew he planned to show her even more delight. She helped him with the shirt, then placed her hand on his belt buckle, knowing she probably looked as shy as she felt.
“Penelope, we don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” he said softly. “We’ll stop right now if you say so.”
“Are you nuts? I didn’t back off yesterday and there’s no way you’re stopping me today.” She smiled. “Along with challenging my sense of adventure, Mrs. Merlin taught me it’s okay to be selfish.”
She tugged off his shoes and freed him from his jeans. Pulling her down by his side, he said, “I think I’m liking Mrs. Merlin more every minute.” He slipped her bra off, then inched his way down the couch, trailing kisses on her body as he went. He paused as his lips reached her satin panties.
Penelope caught her breath. He kissed the inside of one thigh, then the other, feathery kisses that teased and warmed and made her insides feel like melted butter. She sighed and murmured in a most satisfied voice, “Lollipops and lilacs.”
Then he eased her panties from her legs, his eyes dark and more intense than she’d ever seen them. She lay with her head back on her couch cushions, gazing at him.
Then, with a rather wicked grin on his lips, he lowered his head, his tongue exploring her much more intimately than the innocent kisses he’d trailed across her thighs.
She gasped, then moaned in a breathy way she hardly recognized as her own voice.
“Ah,” Tony said, “I guess Raoul never did this.”
“Oh, no,” she murmured, giving herself up to the most exquisite sensations rocking her body. Between gasps of pleasure, she managed to say, “I think Mr. Gotho was right when he said, ‘All’s well that ends well.’ “
Tony lifted his head slightly and gazed up at her with his bedroom eyes. “Penelope, my kitten, we’ve only just begun.”
Please visit Hailey North at
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Read more of Hailey North’s Love, New Orleans’ Style with a link to PERFECT MATCH, DEAR LOVE DOCTOR, and OPPOSITES ATTRACT
Dear Reader,
One of the reasons I love to read romances is that they reaffirm by belief that wishes really can come true. And in next month’s Avon Romantic Treasure WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE by Cathy Maxwell, a lonely English lord gets his wish for a bride, when a beautiful, mysterious maiden enters his life. Cathy’s love stories are a delight, and this one is especially charming. Don’t miss it!
I can’t resist a strong hero—he might be infuriating, but you always know he’s a man who’ll love and protect you. In Alina Adams’ contemporary romance, ANNIE’S WILD RIDE, you’ll meet Paul, an unforgettable, exasperating man whose love for Annie is so strong he’ll do anything for her—even risk his own life.
Of course, I want heroines who know their own mind . . . just like Aleene in Malia Martin’s HER NORMAN CONQUEROR. Aleene must marry to save her beloved castle, but she’s reluctant to wed at all . . . until she meets a virile stranger she is powerless to resist.
And there’s nothing more satisfying than a man and woman, destined to be together, just like Raimond LeVeq and Sable Fontaine in Beverly Jenkins’ THROUGH THE STORM. Raimond believes that Sable has betrayed him, but then fate reunites this pair in an unforgettable romance.
Enjoy!
Lucia Macro
Senior Editor
AEL 0798
About the Author
Hailey North is a USA Today bestselling author who began writing while employed as a “game show lawyer” for NBC Studios. Tired of hearing lawyers weren’t creative, she quit her job and typed “Chapter One” (not the chapter, just the heading!)
Since that day, North has penned eight romantic comedies set in her adopted hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana, and in her favorite imaginary town, Doolittle, Arkansas. She has also created a three-book “afterlife” series that celebrates creative, but accidentally dead, characters trying their darnedest to win a second chance at life.
North lives in Louisiana with her husband, her food-centric Labrador Shelby and her two kindred-spirit felines, Ali Kat and Rosa Pax.
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Other Avon Contemporary Romances by
Hailey North
DEAR LOVE DOCTOR
PERFECT MATCH
PILLOW TALK
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or the publisher.
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Copyright © 1998 by Nancy Wagner
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Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 97-94867
ISBN: 0-380-79895-6
EPUB Edition DECEMBER 2014 ISBN 9780062401892
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