How long do you figure it will be before we end up in bed together again?
Youuhreally need to go, she said, just a little breathlessly.
Then his lips were on hers and all thoughts of further protest evaporated.
This was crazy. It was wrong. He wouldnt stay in town for the long term. He never did. Maybe hed come back occasionally now that he knew about Carly, but she couldnt hope for any more than that. Hed already broken her heart once before. She could notwould notgive him that power over her again.
Dear Reader,
As always, Silhouette Intimate Moments is coming your way with six fabulously exciting romances this month, starting with bestselling Merline Lovelace, who always has The Right Stuff. This month she concludes her latest miniseries, TO PROTECT AND DEFEND, and youll definitely want to be there for what promises to be a slam-bang finale.
Next, pay another visit to HEARTBREAK CANYON, where award winner Marilyn Pappano knows One True Thing: that the love between Cassidy McRae and Jace Barnett is meant to be, despite the lies shes forced to tell. Lyn Stone begins a wonderful new miniseries with Down to the Wire. Follow DEA agent Joe Corda to South America, where he falls in loveand so will you, with all the SPECIAL OPS. Brenda Harlen proves that sometimes Extreme Measures are the only way to convince your once-and-only loveand the child you never knew!that this time youre home to stay. When Darkness Calls, Caridad Piñeiros hero comes out toslay? Not exactly, but he is a vampire, and just the kind of bad boy to win the heart of an FBI agent with a taste for danger. Finally, let new author Diana Duncan introduce you to a Bulletproof Bride, who quickly comes to realize that her kidnapper is not what he seemsand is a far better match than the fiancé she was just about to marry.
Enjoy them alland come back next month for more of the best and most exciting romance reading around, right here in Silhouette Intimate Moments.
Yours,
Leslie J. Wainger
Executive Editor
Extreme Measures Brenda Harlen
BRENDA HARLEN
Brenda lives in southern Ontario with her real-life husband/hero, two heroes-in-training and two neurotic dogs. She is still surrounded by books (too many books, according to her children) and imaginary friends, but she also
enjoys communicating with real people. Readers can contact Brenda by e-mail at brendaharlen@yahoo.com or by snail mail c/o Silhouette Books, 233 Broadway, Suite 1001, New York, NY 10279.
For Angela Muirhead (aka Joanie) Because our friendship started a long time ago at a hockey game.
And with thanks to:
My brother, Jim, for stories and insights from the dressing room.
My husband, Neill, for research on explosivesand other things.
And Leslie Wainger and Susan Litman, for giving this story a chance, and helping to make it better.
Contents
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 1
Why was he back?
She crossed the parking lot of the sports injuries clinic, scanning the article in the local newspaper shed swiped from the staff room.
Why now?
Hello, Nicole.
She stopped in her tracks, her eyes still fixed on the paper in her hand although the tiny black letters blurred together. She knew that voice. It didnt matter that she hadnt heard it in over five years, shed recognize it anywherethat deep, warm tone with the underlying sensuality that still caused tingles of anticipation to dance over her skin.
But even if she hadnt recognized the voice, she would still have known it was him. He was the only person who ever called her Nicole, and just the sound of her name on his lips was enough to bring the memories flooding back. Memories shed tried for so long to forget.
Her heart thudded heavily in her chest, but she glanced up with forced nonchalance into familiar deep green eyes. His dark hair was cut short, his square jaw freshly shaven, his lips tipped up at the corners. His shoulders looked as broad as she remembered, the cotton shirt he wore stretched over his powerful muscles. His waist was still trim, his denim-clad legs long and lean.
He bore the usual scars of an athlete. The slightly crooked nose that had been broken three times, the small scar that slashed through one thick eyebrow, and the barely noticeable chip in his front tooth. Yet he was still the most devastatingly handsome man shed ever met.
It had been more than five years since shed seen him, and she hadnt forgotten a single detail.
Hello, Colin.
He smiled at her, a slow, curving of the lips that caused her pulse to trip, then race.
You look good, he said, his eyes skimming over her. Youve cut your hair.
Nikki laughed and self-consciously tucked an errant strand behind her ear. Shed had hair that fell to her waist when she and Colin were married, and hed loved to comb his fingers through it, spread it out over the pillow
She thrust the painfully sweet memory aside. A long time ago.
He tilted his head. I like it.