Hadn’t Gene already indicated that he was an uncaring playboy … the kind of man who took what he wanted simply because his money and position allowed him to be as mercenary as he liked?
Yet here Rose was, in his isolated sanctuary on a remote Scottish island, miles away from anywhere civilised, and until the boatman met her tomorrow to take her back to the mainland she had to make the best of things. She’d sleep a whole lot better tonight if she didn’t antagonise the man.
Yet, despite all of that, she couldn’t help recalling that crazily unreal moment when her gaze had locked with Gene’s and molten desire had made her feel frighteningly weak. For a shocking instant there had been the urge to abandon all reason and surrender to the wild and wanton nature of it … How was any sane person able to explain such a thing?
The true taste of temptation!
From greed to gluttony, lust to envy, these fabulous stories explore what seven sexy sins mean in the twenty-first century!
Whether pride goes before a fall, or wrath leads to a passion that consumes entirely, one thing is certain: the road to true love has never been more enticing!
So you decide:
How can it be a sin when it feels so good?
Sloth—Cathy Williams
Lust—Dani Collins
Pride—Kim Lawrence
Gluttony—Maggie Cox
Greed—Sara Craven
Wrath—Maya Blake
Envy—Annie West
Seven titles by some of Mills & Boon® Modern™ Romance’s most treasured and exciting authors!
A Taste of Sin
Maggie Cox
MAGGIE COX is passionate about stories that can uplift and transport people out of their daily worries to a more magical place, be they romance novels or fairy tales. What people want most, she believes, is true connection. She feels blessed to be married to a lovely man who never fails to make her laugh, and has two beautiful sons and two much loved grandchildren.
To Karen Middlemiss at the MS Therapy Centre.
Whenever we speak you help me make peace with this condition and remind me that life is for living, whatever our challenge.
With love and blessings, Maggie x
Contents
Seven Sexy Sins
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
EPILOGUE
ROSE WAS STANDING by the window, mesmerised by the steady rain that hadn’t let up all morning, when a gleaming black Mercedes drew up in front of the antiques shop and effortlessly glided to a stop.
It was just like a scene from a movie and she was immediately riveted. Inside her chest her heart thumped hard, because she knew it was the visitor she’d nervously been anticipating... Eugene Bonnaire.
Even the name gave her chills. He was one of the country’s wealthiest restaurateurs, with an uncompromising reputation for getting what he wanted, and when Rose’s boss, Philip, had put the beautiful Thames-side antiques shop he owned up for sale the businessman had wasted no time in declaring his interest.
Not for the first time that morning she wished Philip could be there alongside her, but sadly his already failing health had deteriorated and he was now in hospital. In his absence, he had asked Rose to handle the property’s sale on his behalf.
The responsibility was a bittersweet one. Not just because he was ill, and she feared he might not recover, but because she’d nurtured a secret hope to take over the business herself one day. Having spent ten enjoyable years working with Philip, and training as a dealer, she’d honestly grown to love the place. Consequently, she wasn’t predisposed to warming to their potential buyer.
Her first glimpse of the man, after his chauffeur had opened his door and he’d stepped out into the rain, was of a pair of classy Italian brogues, followed by a flawless charcoal suit that was no less than stunningly perfect. Rose caught her breath. As soon as she saw his arrestingly sculpted features, the cut-glass jaw and crystalline blue eyes that were frequently described by the press as ‘unflinchingly piercing’, she had the disturbing sense that she was coming face to face with her greatest fear and—inexplicably—her greatest desire...
She irritably chided herself for the thought. Snapping out of the near trance she’d fallen into watching him, she smoothed her hands down her smart navy dress and made herself walk calmly to the door. It was then she saw that the businessman’s height dwarfed hers.
Lifting her head to gaze up at him, she said, ‘Eugene Bonnaire? Please come in. I’m Mr Houghton’s assistant—Rose Heathcote. I’ve been asked to conduct the meeting with you on Mr Houghton’s behalf.’
The handsome Frenchman stepped inside. Charmingly polite, he shook Rose’s hand with a slight bow of his head and she immediately sensed the reined-in strength he exuded.
‘I am delighted to meet you, Miss Heathcote. But I have to confess I was sorry to hear that your boss has been taken ill. Might I ask how he is?’
Before answering, Rose pulled the door shut behind him and adjusted the sign that hung inside the glass to read ‘closed’. She was glad of the chance to compose herself before she turned round again. Not only had his firm handshake made her far too aware of him as a man, but the deep bass timbre of his arrestingly attractive voice made her skin feel as though he’d brushed it with gossamer. She prayed that the blood that