“I swore I wasn’t going to do this.”
“Do what?” Alexis whispered.
“This.”
They came together with a shudder of need. Her hands slid over the silky panes of Wyatt’s chest to wrap around his neck in a silent plea. Wyatt’s lips covered hers.
It wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough. She nipped at his lip in demand and the kiss went hot and wet with hunger. She felt him stir against her, hard and wanting, the way she wanted with a burning fierce intensity that consumed her.
Wyatt released her and stepped back, breathing hard. “Go to bed.”
Alexis wondered if she’d lost her mind. They didn’t know each other. Wyatt didn’t even know her real name! She trembled. “Come with me.”
Dear Harlequin Intrigue Reader,
The holidays are upon us! We have six dazzling stories of intrigue that will make terrific stocking stuffers—not to mention a well-deserved reward for getting all your shopping done early….
Take a breather from the party planning and unwrap Rita Herron’s latest offering, A Warrior’s Mission—the next exciting installment of COLORADO CONFIDENTIAL, featuring a hot-blooded Cheyenne secret agent! Also this month, watch for The Third Twin—the conclusion of Dani Sinclair’s HEARTSKEEP trilogy that features an identical triplet heiress marked for murder who seeks refuge in the arms of a rugged lawman.
The joyride continues with Under Surveillance by highly acclaimed author Gayle Wilson. This second book in the PHOENIX BROTHERHOOD series has an undercover agent discovering that his simple surveillance job of a beautiful woman-in-jeopardy is filled with complications. Be there from the start when B.J. Daniels launches her brand-new miniseries, CASCADES CONCEALED, about a close-knit northwest community that’s visited by evil. Don’t miss the first unforgettable title, Mountain Sheriff.
As a special gift-wrapped treat, three terrific stories in one volume. Look for Boys in Blue by reader favorites Rebecca York, Ann Voss Peterson and Patricia Rosemoor about three long-lost New Orleans cop brothers who unite to reel in a killer. And rounding off a month of nonstop thrills and chills, a pregnant woman and her wrongly incarcerated husband must set aside their stormy past to bring the real culprit to justice in For the Sake of Their Baby by Alice Sharpe.
Best wishes to all of our loyal readers for a joyous holiday season!
Enjoy,
Denise O’Sullivan
Senior Editor
Harlequin Intrigue
The Third Twin
Dani Sinclair
For Natashya Wilson—I can’t thank you enough.
Ditto to Roger, Chip, Dan, Barb and Judy Fitzwater, who hung in there when I wasn’t sure I could.
And special thanks to Max, Mischief and Possum, the best stress relievers a writer could have.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
An avid reader, Dani Sinclair didn’t discover romance novels until her mother lent her one when she had come for a visit. Dani’s been hooked on the genre ever since. But she didn’t take up writing seriously until her two sons were grown. Since the premiere of Mystery Baby for Harlequin Intrigue in 1996, Dani has kept her computer busy. Her third novel, Better Watch Out, was a RITA® Award finalist in 1998. Dani lives outside Washington, D.C., a place she’s found to be a great source of both intrigue and humor!
You can write to her in care of the Harlequin Reader Service.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Dennison Hart—Was the Hart family patriarch murdered because he learned what had been done twenty-four years ago?
Amy Hart Thomas—Could a mother not know she gave birth to a child?
Brian and Lois Ryder—Did they know the truth all along?
Alexis Ryder—Who is she really?
Wyatt Crossley—A cop with a murder to solve.
Marcus Thomas—Was he blackmailed or the blackmailer for all those years?
Eden Voxx Thomas—If the truth comes out, she’ll go to jail.
Jacob Voxx—How far will Eden’s son go to protect his mother?
Mario Silva—What does the ex-con know about the past?
Livia Walsh—She was devoted to the Hart family. Too bad she can’t talk anymore.
Kathy Walsh—Livia’s daughter may know the answers if they can find her in time.
Bernie Duquette—Did Kathy’s boyfriend take one gamble too many?
George and Emily Walken—Were they more than family friends and neighbors of Heartskeep?
Hayley and Leigh Hart Thomas—They need to find Alexis first.
Bram Myers/Gavin Jarret—They are committed to protecting the women they love.
Dear Reader,
Heartskeep has been eerily watching, waiting for this day to come. The estate is willing to divulge its secrets to the right person—providing she can stay alive long enough to find the answers.
Alexis Ryder lives a normal life until the day she comes home from work to learn that nothing about her life is what it seems. Her parents aren’t really her parents, and her real family has reason to want her dead—and only part of that reason is a briefcase full of money and instructions to trust no one. Running from faceless killers, Alexis has no choice but to go to the small town of Stony Ridge looking for answers. But all she finds are more questions and an incredibly handsome stranger who mistakes her for someone else. If she can ignore the compelling attraction between them long enough, she just might learn what she needs to know.
Police officer Wyatt Crossley has a seven-year-old murder to solve and a family debt to repay. He never expects to find himself so attracted to one of the Thomas twins. Their dislike of the police in general, and the Crossley family in particular, makes his investigation into their mother’s death hard enough without becoming personally involved with one of them. Wyatt knows that Alexis—smart, sexy, yet beguilingly vulnerable—is keeping secrets from him. Unless he can earn her trust, those secrets may get them both killed.
Join me once more in the shadows of Heartskeep, where only love can dispel the darkness of betrayal and open the future for the Hart family heirs. Enjoy!
Happy reading,
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter