Harper Allen - Mcqueen's Heat

McQueen’s hands spread wide on either side of Tamara’s face, and in the instant before she closed her eyes she saw those dark lashes come down like inky spikes over his. His mouth more than covering hers, his tongue licked the wetness of her inner lips and then went deeper.

She wanted to see him in shadowy half-light, that big body over hers, those corded arms braced on either side of her, that wet hair falling into his eyes.

He’d said a woman had struck the match. He’d said that he’d been burning so long he’d grown to like it. But whoever that woman had been she’d walked away years ago, leaving him smoldering.

And that was dangerous. A damped-down flame needed only the slightest breath of air to bring it into a full-blown blaze.

Lightly she blew against his ear.

Dear Harlequin Intrigue Reader,

Yeah, it’s cold outside, but we have just the remedy to heat you up—another fantastic lineup of breathtaking romantic suspense!

Getting things started with even more excitement than usual is Debra Webb with a super spin-off of her popular COLBY AGENCY series. THE SPECIALISTS is a trilogy of ultradaring operatives the likes of which are rarely—if ever—seen. And man, are they sexy! Look for Undercover Wife this month and two more thrillers to follow in February and March. Hang on to your seats.

A triple pack of TOP SECRET BABIES also kicks off the New Year. First out: The Secret She Keeps by Cassie Miles. Can you imagine how you’d feel if you learned the father of your child was back…as were all the old emotions? This one, by a veteran Harlequin Intrigue author, is surely a keeper. Promotional titles by Mallory Kane and Ann Voss Peterson respectively follow in the months to come.

And since Cupid is once again a blip on the radar screen, we thought we’d highlight some special Valentine picks for the holiday. Harper Allen singes the sheets so to speak with McQueen’s Heat and Adrianne Lee is Sentenced To Wed this month. Next month, Amanda Stevens fans the flames with Confessions of the Heart. WARNING: You may need sunblock to read these scorchers.

Enjoy!

Sincerely,

Denise O’Sullivan

Associate Senior Editor

Harlequin Intrigue

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Harper Allen lives in the country in the middle of a hundred acres of maple trees with her husband, Wayne, six cats, four dogs—and a very nervous cockatiel at the bottom of the food chain. For excitement she and Wayne drive to the nearest village and buy jumbo bags of pet food. She believes in love at first sight because it happened to her.

Tamara King—As a firefighter, she thought she knew what danger was—until she walked into a burning building and met the smoke-gray gaze of Stone McQueen.

Stone McQueen—The ex-arson investigator is a man who’s reached rock bottom. And he doesn’t want Tamara King to save him.

Petra Anderson—The little girl adores McQueen, despite his hard-edged manner.

Robert Pascoe—He’s a man who never existed. But McQueen thinks he’s returned to finish what he started seven years ago.

Claudia Anderson—Once Tamara’s best friend, Claudia betrayed her by running off with her fiancé on her wedding day. Now it’s too late to make amends.

Jack Foley—The gruff ex-firefighter and his late wife adopted Tamara when her family was killed in a fire, and he’d do anything to keep his adored Tammy safe.

Bill Trainor—The arson investigator once had a thing for Claudia. Now he and his partner are looking into her death—and trying to pin it on McQueen.

To the real heroes

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 Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Epilogue

The beast had devoured her world. At five years old she’d looked into its face and had barely escaped from its jaws. Now she was twenty-six—okay, twenty-seven in a couple of weeks, Tamara King thought grimly. She was still battling the beast.

She was a firefighter. She hated fire.

“Anybody in there?” She saw Joey Silva spare her a glance from a few yards down the corridor, but already she was kicking the door open. She entered, moving quickly through the tiny rooms before racing back into the corridor.

“These freakin’ rooming houses.” Under his helmet, her partner’s expression was disgruntled. “Freakin’ fire-traps. Come on, I found another freakin’ hallway.”

“Gosh darn it all anyway.” Tamara looked at the stairway behind them. “You know, Joey, you’re going to have to get a couple new cuss words one of these days.”

He followed her glance. “We can’t wait for the hose. Let’s go rouse the rest of the rubbies and the junkies.”

She fell into step behind him, not taken in by his seeming callousness. It and his profanity were part of the protective shell that all of them had to grow, in their own individual ways.

The yellow bands on Joey’s coat were bobbing smears of color in the smoke, and she reached with her leather-gloved hand for the air-pack at her chest. Following him into the secondary corridor Tamara realized that although a few tendrils of smoke were eddying in from the hallway they’d just left, this one was clear.

Bad sign, she thought, instantly alert. It’s trying to trick us.

“The bitch is around here somewhere.”

Joey’s gaze had narrowed in identical suspicion, and despite the situation she hid a smile as she scanned the hallway. She called it the beast. For reasons known only to himself, he saw fire as a heartless female who—

Her thoughts screeched to a halt. Running along the top of the walls in front of them was a tracery of glowing red.

“Hell, Joey—it’s in the ceiling,” she whispered hoarsely.

“And the freakin’ ceiling could go any minute.” He wiped his mouth. “Come on, Red, the faster we check this hall the faster we can get out of here.”

He’d bestowed the roughly affectionate nickname on her the first day she’d walked into the stationhouse six years ago, her auburn hair scraped back into a braid that kept unraveling. His use of it now didn’t mask his apprehension. Her gaze sharpened.

“Where’s your air-pack?”

He shrugged, avoiding her frown. “Guess I’ll just have to eat the smoke. You take this room, I’ll check out the one at the end of the hall.”

With a father and grandfather who’d both been Boston firefighters, Joey knew better. But too often he arrived at a fire without his air-pack and ended up having to eat the smoke, as the old-timers called it. Tamara thudded her gloved palm on the door before pushing it open with more force than she needed.