THE NAKED DUKE
Sally MacKenzie
ISBN: 0821778315
Publisher: Zebra Books
Release Date: Feb. 2005
The Surprise of Her Life
Sophisticated. Scandalous. In fact, Miss Sarah Hamilton, a proper Philadelphian, finds London society altogether shocking. How can it be that she has awakened from her innocent slumber to find herself in bed next to a handsome--and exceedingly naked--man? The laughing onlookers standing in the doorway are no help whatsoever and surely this amorous lunatic cannot be a duke, as he claims. She is compromised--though she most certainly will not marry him!
The Sweetest Moment of His
James, the Duke of Alvord, is enchanted by his unexpected bedmate--and not at all afraid of her pink-cheeked fury. True, the circumstances and place of their meeting are most unusual, but the spirited American who's pummeling him with a pillow is an incomparable beauty. If Sarah will only listen to his perfectly reasonable explanation, James is sure that he can capture her heart...forever.
From Chapter 1:
James noticed the sweet scent first. Delicate, clean, feminine. He drew a deeper breath--and felt a soft weight on his chest. And a delicious warmth along his side. And something round and smooth on his upper arm. The warmth nestled closer and a slight exhalation tickled across his neck.
The girl. She was still in bed with him. He swallowed, trying to tame the blood surging through his head and another part of his anatomy. Don’t jump on her like a hungry animal, he told himself. Savor the moment.
He opened his eyes slowly. The covers had blessedly slipped down to his waist during the night. The girl’s slender arm rested across his chest. He followed the delicate curve of her wrist and forearm, the tender angle of her elbow. A curtain of long, reddish hair hid her face and the small breast he felt resting against his side and arm. He wanted to see them, too. He wanted to see all of her.
He raised his free hand carefully--he didn’t want to waken her just yet--and touched her hair. It was soft, shot through with threads of gold. He tangled his fingers in the silky strands, lifting them so he could study the girl’s face. Her skin was peach-tinted, not freckled as the skin of some redheads. Her nose was a little blunt and her lips a little thin. Perhaps once she opened her eyes--and her mouth--the illusion would be broken, but now she looked like a fairy tale princess. Certainly the most beautiful whore he had ever seen.
He let his eyes wander down to the soft, pale weight resting on his arm with its slightly darker tip just peeking out against his side. Exquisite.
He didn’t know where Robbie had found the girl, but at the moment, he didn’t care. He had much more interesting subjects to occupy his mind.
He smiled as he put his lips against the girl’s mouth.
* * * * *
Sarah was caught up in the most amazing dream she had ever had. She was in a large, soft bed and somehow her warm flannel nightgown had vanished. But she wasn’t cold. No, she was actually warm. Very warm. There was something large and hot next to her. She was pressed up against it. It felt sinfully wonderful. She breathed in the warm scent of brandy and linen.
She felt a delicious pressure on her lips. Firm, yet soft. Like velvet. Seductive. Her mouth moved to explore the new sensation, and was rewarded with a moist heat.
Wake up, a small voice said. Something this good cannot be right.
Sarah silenced the voice.
|
