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BOOK: Celeste Bradley - [Heiress Brides 02]
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Don’t miss the other titles in
Celeste Bradley’s new series
Desperately Seeking a Duke
Duke Most Wanted
AND LOOK FOR THESE OTHER BOOKS
BY CELESTE BRADLEY
THE LIAR’S CLUB
The Pretender
The Impostor
The Spy
The Charmer
The Rogue
THE ROYAL FOUR
To Wed a Scandalous Spy
Surrender to a Wicked Spy
One Night with a Spy
Seducing the Spy
Available from St. Martin’s Paperbacks
SEDUCING THE SPY
“Thrilling up to the last page, titillating from one sexually charged love scene to the next, and captivating from beginning to end, the last of the Royal Four series displays Bradley’s ability to tell an involved, sexy story. If you haven’t yet read a Bradley novel, let yourself be seduced by the mistress of the genre!”
—
Romantic Times BOOKreviews
“Have you discovered the bawdy charms of Celeste Bradley? Laced with intrigue and adventure, she has quickly become a staff and reader favorite and with each book we just fall further in love with her characters. This is the final book in the superb Royal Four quartet, with her most dangerous deception yet!”
—
Rendezvous
THE ROGUE
“Once you’ve read a Liar’s Club book, you crave the next in the series. Bradley knows how to hook a reader with wit, sensuality (this one has one of the hottest hands-off love scenes in years!), and a strong plot along with the madness and mayhem of a Regency-set novel.”
—
Romantic Times BOOKreviews
“Bradley continues her luscious Liar’s Club series with another tale of danger and desire, and as always her clever prose is imbued with wicked wit.”
—
Booklist
“Celeste Bradley’s The Liar’s Club series scarcely needs an introduction, so popular it’s become with readers since its inception … Altogether intriguing, exciting, and entertaining, this book is a sterling addition to the Liar’s Club series.”
—
Road to Romance
TO WED A SCANDALOUS SPY
“Warm, witty, and wonderfully sexy.”
—Teresa Medeiros,
New York Times
bestselling author
More …
“Funny, adventurous, passionate, and especially poignant, this is a great beginning to a new series … Bradley mixes suspense and a sexy love story to perfection.”
—
Romantic Times BOOKreviews
“A wonderful start to a very looked-forward-to new series … once again showcases Celeste Bradley’s talent of creating sensual and intriguing plots filled with memorable and endearing characters … A non-stop read.”
—
Romance Reader at Heart
“Danger, deceit, and desire battle with witty banter and soaring passion for prominence in this highly engrossing tale … Bradley also provides surprises galore, both funny and suspenseful, and skillfully ties them all in neatly with the romance so as to make this story more than averagely memorable.”
—
Road to Romance
“A fantastic read … Bradley successfully combines mystery, intrigue, romance, and intense sensuality into this captivating book.”
—
Romance Junkies
THE CHARMER
“Amusing, entertaining romance.”
—
Booklist
“Bradley infuses this adventure with so much sexual tension and humor that you’ll be enthralled. You’ll laugh from the first page to the last … The wonderful characters, witty dialogue, and clever plot will have you wishing you were a Liar too.”
—
Romantic Times BOOKreviews
THE SPY
“Only a clever wordsmith can make this complex, suspenseful tale work so perfectly. Bradley pulls us into the wonderful world of the Liar’s Club and gives us a nonstop read brimming with puzzle after puzzle.”
—
Romantic Times BOOKreviews
“With its wonderfully witty writing, superbly matched protagonists, and intrigue-steeped plot, the third of Bradley’s Liar’s Club historicals is every bit as much fun as
The Pretender and The Impostor.
”
—
Booklist
“A must for readers of the Liar’s Club series and a good bet for those who haven’t yet started … I unhesitatingly recommend.”
—
All About Romance
“Ms. Bradley has an effortless style to her prose.”
—
The Romance Reader
“A Top Pick … the best of [the Liar’s Club] so far. Bless Celeste Bradley … She just seems to get better at it as she goes along.”
—
Romance Reader at Heart
THE IMPOSTOR
“Bradley carefully layers deception upon deception, keeping the intrigue level high and the tone bright … Readers will race through this delightful comedy of errors and eagerly anticipate the next installment.”
—
Publishers
Weekly
“With delicious characters and a delectable plot, Bradley delivers another enticing read brimming with the mayhem and madness that come with falling in love when you least expect it. The devilishly funny double identities, witty dialogue and clever twists will captivate.”
—
Romantic Times BOOKreviews
(Top Pick)
“Don’t miss this second book of the Liar’s Club series. With humor, passion and mystery, it’s absolutely delightful in every way! I can’t wait for the next one.”
—
Old Book Barn and Gazette
THE PRETENDER
“Totally entertaining.”
—
New York Times
bestselling author Julia Quinn
“An engaging, lusty tale, full of adventure and loaded with charm.”
—Gaelen Foley,
USA Today
bestselling author of
Lord of Ice
“Bradley certainly knows how to combine engaging characters with excitement, sensuality, and a strong plot.”
—
Booklist
(starred)
“Bursting with adventure and sizzling passion to satisfy the most daring reader.”
—
Romantic Times BOOKreviews
“A charming heroine and a dashing spy hero make
The Pretender
a riveting read … [E]ntertained me thoroughly from beginning to end.”
—Sabrina Jeffries,
USA Today
bestselling author of
After the Abduction
Read on for a sneak peek at CELESTE BRADLEY’S
Now available from St. Martin’s Paperbacks
“You’ve turned into such a lady,” Graham teased softly. He made a grab for her hand and caught it. He tugged her around. “Sophie, don’t let’s be angry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
She kept her face turned away. “I’m not upset. I’m just dead sick of you, that’s all. No time for this, I fear. Too many more important people waiting for me outside.”
He drew her chin about with tender fingers. “Here now. You’ve mussed your fancy doings.” He pulled out his handkerchief and dabbed at her powdered cheeks, smoothing the lines of her tears away. “There now, all pretty again.” He dropped a quick, meaningless little kiss on her lips, so close to his own.
Except … it wasn’t meaningless at all.
SOPHIE FROZE AT the brief touch of Graham’s lips on hers. So did he.
Time hung there, sweet and long, each unwilling to move away, unable to think or protest or do anything but stay.
The little room was a haven, the gathering outside
growing more distant with every heartbeat, the sounds faded and misted beneath the pounding of two hearts.
When she inhaled, taking in the heat and scent of him, it was as though he breathed some of his own life and vitality into her spirit. Suddenly nothing was to be feared, nothing was to be hidden. There was no one in the world but the two of them, and she reveled in that isolation.
He was here and he could be hers. All she need do was reach out—
His solid pectoral muscle flexed beneath her palm and she realized she already had.
It was all he’d needed, it seemed, for in the next instant she found herself pulled roughly into his arms, against that rock-hard chest, into the circle of his scalding sexuality.
She made no sound of protest, not even a gasp of surprise, for there was no surprise here. He was precisely as he ought to be and so was she, quivering for him, on fire for him—
Willing.
Nay, eager.
It was so easy to let go it made her doubt she’d ever held on. She slid both hands up to lace them around his neck, moving slowly as if in a dream. He exhaled harshly at her voluntary embrace and she was ashamed of how much she’d held back from him. She vowed she would show him herself, in such a way he might never forget it.
She twined her fingers through his hair gently, then tightened them. His eyes widened and he opened his mouth to speak.
“Shh.” It was stunning how sure she was, how she knew just what to do. She’d never kissed him, but she
knew just how to tilt her head to make their lips fit just so. She went up on tiptoe, sliding her body slowly up his hard stomach and chest, making no attempt to hide her enjoyment of the sensation.
He swallowed, hard. She felt the power surge through her, raw feminine power older than time itself. She claimed her seductress self, allowing her to well forth and play out the moment with slow, sure enticement.
He waited, his jaw tense, his eyelids heavy with unexpressed desire. He hardened against her. She smiled slightly and rotated her hips to press the softness of her lower belly into his rigidity. A rocky shudder went through him and the cords of his throat throbbed, but he kept his silence, still pinned in place by her entangled fingers in his hair.
He could have broken free, but Graham was finally in the place he’d dreamed of since … how long? Just this week … or for months?
He dared not so much as breathe too hard, although he could be panting by now if he allowed himself. She was so innocently, wickedly sensual—this was not his careful, restrained Sophie. This was the woman who had fought for him, the woman who had stood fiercely between him and Lilah’s vicious insults.
Then there was no more time for memory, there was only now, for she kissed him at last.
Her lips were soft, her nipples were hard, her fingers in his hair causing him pain he would not have forgone for a thousand nights of heartless pleasure. She was the one. She had ever been the one. He’d known, in some place he’d never investigated inside himself, he’d known since the first time he’d rescued her from running into a wall.
He stood there, taking her closemouthed kiss for as long as he was able to bear it, for he savored the innocence he tasted in it. She would never kiss so again.
Then he violated that sweet virginity with the tip of his tongue, a slow careful penetration that made her stiffen in surprise.
She wasn’t one to quail. No, not his Sophie. At once she was back in the joust, her own dainty tongue slipping into his lips, the soft sounds of her pleasure vibrating through his mouth.
God, so sweet, so strong, so powerful—
He couldn’t get close enough to her. In two steps he had her down on the fainting couch, her willing body at last pressed completely to his. Beneath his …
Soft and pale, her breasts emerged from her bodice when he pulled the neckline. The gift of her flesh in his hands as he impaled her mouth again and again with his tongue. There were other things he would do with that tongue, things she would enjoy, things he would get to in just a moment, just as soon as he’d had enough of fitting his hands around her small, high, perfect breasts.
Oh, the things he would do to his magnificent Sophie …
Outside the alcove room, the audience broke into applause. Jarred, Graham broke the kiss.
“Oh God.” Not Sophie! He was a monster. He was a rotter, through and through. “Oh, bloody
hell!
”
He backed off her, turning away—
tearing
himself away, in fact, an act that cost him more than he could ever articulate. He rubbed both hands over his face, straining for sanity through the aching, heart-pounding
lust … and need. Need like nothing he’d ever felt before. Need that nearly had him turning back and flinging himself upon her once again, just for one more minute of that sweet, pure hearthfire light …
He forced himself away, as far as the tiny room would allow. Leaning his forehead against the wall, he clenched his eyes tightly shut and beat back the aching loss until coherent thought returned.
Mostly.
Losing himself in Sophie … when had she become a pool of cool clean water? When had she become the unpolluted air in his lungs? Why hadn’t he seen it sooner—why had she kept it from him, like a secret, like a treasure hoarded away for someone more worthy, someone less blind?
Too late.
No. Never. He needed this—needed her—needed—
You need Lilah’s pile of gold.
No. He could not trade this … this pure, clean creature for a tainted harpy like Lilah!
Then trade her for the folk of Edencourt.
The pale, sunken faces … the blank, enduring eyes that held no faith in his promises … the rot and the waste and the damned, squandered years he’d walked right by …
Trade Sophie for his people? That … that he could do. Must do. To live without kissing Sophie would be torture. To live with destroying Edencourt … that would be hell on earth.
Resolute, he turned his heart to stone. Only then did he dare to turn back to her.
She was upright and dressed again, although her
hair was down from its elaborate coil, falling untamed and coppery over her delicate ivory shoulders as she sat tensely on the fainting couch, her hands knotted in her lap.
He was an idiot. Looking at the girl before him, the most lucid, non-babbling thought he could form was just that.
I am an idiot.
She gazed at the floor, her cheeks bright with a flush. “This was not a mistake. Don’t you dare say it was a mistake—I couldn’t bear it.”
“Sophie …” He wanted her but he couldn’t. “That was a mistake.”
He would not be his father. He would not please himself at the cost of Edencourt’s people. He was only glad he’d managed to stop before he’d gone too far.
No, you aren’t. Too far is precisely where you want to be.
“So that is all, then?” She raised her chin and gazed at him evenly. He steeled himself against the stain of disappointment and hopelessness in her expression.
He gazed back at her solemnly. “Did you expect more?”
“Of course not. Who am I to expect anything in this world?” She lifted her chin proudly and stood. Shaking out her somewhat the worse for wear skirts, she moved to the door. “My congratulations on your imminent engagement, my lord.”
With a dip and a careless tilt of her head, she was gone, striding back into the noise and crowd of the musicale as if she had more important business kept waiting.
Worry slithered through Graham’s relief. Her gray
gaze might seem calm and disinterested to others, had, in fact, seemed so to him once upon a time, but he now knew what raged beneath that still surface. His Sophie was a hard-headed, fiery, unpredictable creature.
Who now seemed to think she had nothing to lose.
BOOK: Celeste Bradley - [Heiress Brides 02]
11.45Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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