Kristin Gabriel - Seduced In Seattle

Brock slowly slid out from under the bed, his dark hair slightly tousled. “It’s been quite a while since I’ve hidden under a girl’s bed.” He smiled. “Makes me feel seventeen again.”

His smile made her stomach feel funny. “Glad to know I’m not your first.” Kate held out her hand to help him to his feet, her heart skittering at the way his big hand closed around her fingers.

“Thanks,” he said, straightening to his full height.

“You’re welcome,” she replied, automatically reaching up to brush the dust bunnies out of his hair. Suddenly she realized just how intimate her actions were and drew back her hand as if she’d been burned. “Sorry.”

“Me, too,” Brock said huskily. “I’m sorry you stopped.”

Kate swallowed, the tone in his voice making her skin tingle. It’s the skirt, she reminded herself. Brock wasn’t really attracted to her. He was just reacting to the skirt’s magnetic qualities.

But after seeing how good he looked in her bedroom, Kate was tempted to take Brock any way she could get him….

Dear Reader,

Do clothes make the man, or in this case, the woman? Most people think so. As a poor college student, on the first five dates I had with my future husband, I actually wore clothes I borrowed from friends. I really wanted to impress him, and I was sure that nothing I had in my meager closet could do the job. And I wouldn’t be surprised if young women today were having the same problem. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a special store that sold clothes guaranteed to attract men?

In Seduced in Seattle, Kate Talavera doesn’t find the store—but she gets The Skirt! And she’s determined to use it to catch the man of her dreams. Only, when she meets sexy Brock Gannon, her dreams begin to change….

I hope you enjoy the third installment of the SINGLE IN THE CITY miniseries. Cara Summers, Heather MacAllister and I had so much fun writing them! And the fun isn’t over yet! To find out more about our ongoing series, check out our Web site at: www.singleinthecity.org.

Enjoy,

Kristin Gabriel

HARLEQUIN TEMPTATION

834—DANGEROUSLY IRRESISTIBLE

HARLEQUIN DUETS

7—ANNIE, GET YOUR GROOM

25—THE BACHELOR TRAP

27—BACHELOR BY DESIGN

29—BEAUTY AND THE BACHELOR

61a—OPERATION BABE—MAGNET

61b—OPERATION BEAUTY

Seduced in Seattle

Kristin Gabriel

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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This book is for Brenda Chin—editor, adventurer and friend.

Prologue

Chapter 1

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

Epilogue

FATE WAS CONSPIRING against Kate Talavera. There could be no other reason she found herself locked in the ladies’ room of the reception hall the very moment the bride was scheduled to toss the skirt.

“Let me out of here!” Kate pounded on the bathroom door, hoping someone could hear her over the loud music reverberating from the reception hall. The strong odor of pine-scented air freshener was giving her a headache.

When her fist grew sore, Kate leaned against the sink and debated her options. Staying stuck in the ladies’ room wasn’t an option. Not when an event that could change her entire future was about to take place.

She glanced at her watch, noting that it was almost time for the bride, Gwen Kempner, to toss the bouquet. But Kate didn’t care about that. She wanted the skirt. The secret weapon that had snared husbands for all three of her old college roommates.

The skirt came from an island hidden deep in the Caribbean and a rare, powerful thread ran through it. A thread that drew men to the woman who wore it and entranced them forever.

Wearing the skirt, which she had caught at Torrie’s wedding, Chelsea Brockway had found true love with Zach McDaniels and been married at Christmas. Kate and Gwen had both been bridesmaids, only Gwen was the one lucky enough to catch the skirt that night. Shortly afterward, Gwen had met Alec and this morning, on Valentine’s Day, she had become Mrs. Alec Fleming. Now it was Kate’s turn.

If she could get out of the bathroom.

She looked around the small lavatory for some kind of tool that she might be able to use to pry the door open. But all she found were some extra rolls of toilet paper and an empty tube of lipstick. This couldn’t be happening. Not when she’d finally found the perfect man.

Todd Winslow, her former next-door neighbor and the current owner of one of the most successful home shopping channels on cable television. He was smart, successful and, best of all, single. In two weeks, he’d be coming to Seattle to attend her parents’ fortieth wedding anniversary party.

That’s when she planned to snag him. All she had to do was catch the skirt, then catch Todd. She’d waited so long for true love that she wasn’t about to let a locked door stop her now.

Kicking off one shoe, she whacked the three-inch heel against the edge of the sink until the small rubber tip on the end of the heel came loose. She pulled it off, then rubbed one finger over the sharp metal point. She’d chisel her way out of here, if necessary.

A knock sounded on the door, sending a rush of relief flowing through her. Kate dropped her shoe and ran to the door, pounding as hard as she could on the solid wood. “Please, help me! I’m stuck in here.”

“Kate?” Chelsea’s familiar voice drifted through the door. “Is that you?”

“Yes, it’s me. Have I missed it yet?”

“No, but Gwen’s been stalling until I found you. She can’t hold off much longer. Alec is more than ready to start their honeymoon.”

“You’ve got to get me out of here!”

“Okay,” Chelsea replied through the door. “Hold on and try to stay calm. I’ll get Zach and see what he can do.”

Kate paced back and forth across the porcelain tile floor. She had to catch the skirt. At twenty-seven, she’d kissed more than her share of toads in search of a prince. And endured yet another Valentine’s day without a date. It was time to take her future into her own hands.

“Zach tracked down the manager,” Chelsea called through the door. “He’s getting a key.”

“Tell him to hurry.”

“I can’t believe this is happening to you,” Chelsea said, laughter bubbling in her voice.

“I can.” Kate slumped against the door. “This kind of thing happens to me all the time. I find a decent guy, then fate steps in and snatches him away.”

“I think you’re exaggerating just a little.”

“Then how come the last guy I dated got transferred to Hong Kong? And the one before that got hit by a car?”

“That’s terrible,” Chelsea exclaimed. “Was he killed?”

“No. The car was only going five miles per hour. But he fell in love with the emergency room nurse who treated him. They were married six weeks later.”