Jamie Denton - Rules Of Engagement

The thought of being cast in the role of her fiancé, with all those unconscious touches and secret smiles between lovers held a lot of appeal.

“Morgan?” Jill touched his arm.

He frowned. “Yeah?”

“Mind if I take off my shoes?” she asked. “It’s been a long day.”

Nodding, his smile was strained as she slipped off her navy pumps, her toes curling into the plush carpet. Her toenails were painted, and he was a sucker for that.

He looked closer and almost groaned. Red. A startling, deep, sensual red.

He was an even bigger sucker for anything red on a woman. An image of Jill lying before him in a red satin teddy had him nearly losing control.

“I have to kiss you,” he murmured. Rules be damned….

“You make it sound like a bad thing,” she answered breathlessly.

“It is,” he replied, reaching for her. “It’s real bad.”

“Bad can be very good, you know,” she said in a voice that had his temperature skyrocketing.

Dear Reader,

We’re surrounded by rules every single day of our lives. We have rules that tell us to follow the law, rules of the road and rules of conduct. There are even rules on how to clean the coffeemaker!

Jill Cassidy knows all about rules. She’s an attorney. Rules are her business. But when she approaches a sexy stranger and asks him to pretend to be her fiancé, she finds herself with a new set to learn—Rules of Engagement.

As far as Morgan Price is concerned, the only rule he plans to adhere to is keeping his heart safe from the sweet, sassy lawyer. Little does he know that Jill has every intention of bending that rule to the breaking point.

I enjoyed my time with Jill and Morgan and hope you do as well. And if you’re up for a little rule breaking, look for Jill’s sister Carly, in my next Temptation—#797 Breaking the Rules—out in September 2000.

I love to hear from readers. You can write to me at P.O. Box 224, Mohall, ND 58761 or via e-mail at jamiedenton@weluvromance.com.

Happy reading!

Jamie Denton

HARLEQUIN TEMPTATION

708—FLIRTING WITH DANGER

748—THE SEDUCTION OF SYDNEY

767—VALENTINE FANTASY

Rules of Engagement

Jamie Denton

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Before you start reading, why not sign up?

Thank you for downloading this Mills & Boon book. If you want to hear about exclusive discounts, special offers and competitions, sign up to our email newsletter today!

SIGN ME UP!

Or simply visit

signup.millsandboon.co.uk

Mills & Boon emails are completely free to receive and you can unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email we send you.

You said only I could make my dreams come true.

You said I could do anything.

You said only those who never tried, never succeeded.

As always, Mom, you were right.

This one is for you, with all my love.

Jamie

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

Epilogue

HE HAD TO BE the most gorgeous man on the face of the earth, his well-honed athletic body nothing short of a virtuoso’s work of art. Faded jeans hugged strong thighs and a knit polo shirt stretched over a wide chest and lean belly. Raisin-colored sleeves molded and emphasized sculpted, muscular biceps capable of making a girl’s heart go all fluttery.

He was also extremely irritated.

Jill Cassidy considered closing the door to her office, but with Mr. Tall, Dark and Gorgeous raising his voice at her boss right outside, the last thing she wanted was to draw attention to herself and perhaps embarrass her boss.

“I do apologize, Morgan,” her boss said calmly. “But calendar conflicts make it impossible. I just have no one available to handle such a minor offense.”

The Adonis glanced her way. Her breath hitched in her throat, and her mouth suddenly felt drier than the California desert. Hair as black as midnight highlighted eyes the color of thunderclouds, holding her spellbound. High cheekbones and a firm, square jaw added to the sculpted magnificence of his appearance. Even though his features were hardened by his obvious frustration, masculine appeal still radiated from him in waves.

Her feminine senses went on red alert.

Jill’s gaze dipped to his mouth, zeroing in on the sensuality of his full lower lip. Forbidden images of touching her lips to his sent a surge of heat racing through her.

Shocked by her reaction to a complete stranger, no matter how gorgeous, she shifted her attention back to the open book on her desk and the case law she needed for a motion to suppress evidence she’d been researching most of the afternoon. Before she looked away, she caught a glimpse of something else in his eyes, something that touched her deep inside. A hint of desperation—an emotion she was far too acquainted with to discount.

“There has to be something you can do,” Mr. Wonderful said, his tone calmer. “Someone you can spare.”

“It’s only a minor offense. Just let the public defender’s office handle it if this guy can’t afford an attorney,” Nick offered. “You can’t save them all, Morgan.”

Jill shook her head. A public defender was a sure guarantee of a conviction. She knew, since she’d spent six months in the PD’s office before landing a job in Lowell and Montgomery’s criminal department two years ago. From her experience in the government office, she’d quickly learned that most of the once bright-eyed lawyers were overworked, underpaid and jaded by the revolving-door policy of the criminal justice system.

“He’s a good kid, Nick, and I want him to have a good lawyer,” Morgan insisted. “He doesn’t need one mistake haunting him for the rest of his life.”

Jill agreed, even if she had no idea who needed an attorney or what crime had been committed. Everyone deserved a good lawyer.

“He’s my best foreman,” he added, shoving a large hand through his jet-black hair, “and I need him back on the job site as soon as possible. It’s important.”

Nick shook his head regretfully. “I’m sorry, Morgan,” he said. “I wish I could help, but we just don’t have anyone to spare. If it was a bigger case, I could see about shifting some things around to make room on the calendar. Look, if the final decision was mine, you know we wouldn’t be having this conversation, but I do have other senior partners to answer to.”

Jill sensed Morgan’s frustration when he shook hands with her boss, then said something she couldn’t hear before spinning on his booted heel and heading down the corridor. Which was just as well, she decided. She had her own personal problem for which she still hadn’t found a resolution, and panting after a handsome stranger was hardly a way to solve it.

Or was it?

Jill bit her lip as Nick walked into her small, windowless office, his hands shoved in the front pockets of his trousers. “How’s the motion coming along?” he asked, stopping in front of her desk.

“Good,” she said, her mind whirring with possibilities she couldn’t seem to shake. She dropped her pen on the desk, certain she was truly desperate to even consider propositioning a perfect stranger. “What was that all about?”

Nick shook his head again, compassion lighting his distinguished features. “One of his employees tied one on for his twenty-first birthday, got a little out of hand and now he’s facing a drunk-and-disorderly charge,” he said, dropping into the chair opposite her desk. “I’d like to help, but…well, you heard. Montgomery’s been on a rampage lately because he’s had more beans in the debt column and less in the income column. If I shifted a bigger case for something small like this, I’d be wearing his wing tips in a very uncomfortable place.”