Jules Bennett - Married In Name Only

Here comes the blackmailed bride

...and her Texas Cattleman’s Club groom!

Paisley Morgan just discovered that Texas’s most infamous billionaire could be her real father. Now she needs the help of her infuriating and incredibly sexy ex, investigator Lucas Ford. But Lucas will accept only one payment: Paisley’s hand in marriage. But will his thirst for revenge outlast their passion-filled nights as Paisley proves to be much more than a wife in name only?

USA TODAY bestselling author JULES BENNETThas published over sixty books and never tires of writing happy endings. Writing strong heroines and alpha heroes is Jules’s favourite way to spend her workdays. Jules hosts weekly contests on her Facebookfan page and loves chatting with readers on Twitter, Facebookand via email through her website. Stay up-to-date by signing up for her newsletter at julesbennett.com

Also by Jules Bennett

Twin Secrets

Claimed by the Rancher

Taming the Texan

A Texan for Christmas

Most Eligible Texan

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

Married in Name Only

Jules Bennett

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-09245-6

MARRIED IN NAME ONLY

© 2019 Harlequin Books S.A.

Published in Great Britain 2019

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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www.millsandboon.co.uk

Version: 2020-03-02

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Legacy means passing down a gift and there’s

no greater gift than love. This is for you, Lori.

Your love and light will shine on forever.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Note to Readers

Dedication

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Thirteen

Fourteen

Fifteen

Sixteen

Seventeen

Epilogue

About the Publisher

One

“I didn’t know who else to turn to.”

That statement alone added to the already sickening feeling in the pit of Paisley Morgan’s stomach. As if life hadn’t knocked her down over and over, now she stood on the other side of Lucas Ford’s desk as he continued to glare at her like she had nerve walking in here.

Well, she did have nerve. After dumping him years ago and never speaking to him since. But that was all in the past. Wasn’t it?

He leaned back in his leather desk chair and remained silent, and she couldn’t help but second-guess just how much her bold move twelve years ago had affected him.

Had he not moved on? Found someone else to drive insanely wild with desire just from one piercing blue stare? Had he ever thought of her? Because there hadn’t been a day she hadn’t questioned her decision to let him go.

Paisley had bigger issues to worry about than their past and what Lucas may or may not be feeling seeing her show up unannounced. Like the fact that her biological father could be Sterling Perry—the man loathed by nearly the entire city of Houston for his scheming, stealing and money laundering. Not to mention he was arrested for conspiracy to commit fraud.

“What makes you think Sterling is your father, and why should I help you?”

Paisley gripped her clutch in one hand and the letter from her late mother in the other. “I have reason to believe he’s my dad and I need you to investigate to see what you can find out.”

Lucas stared at her another minute, giving her a visual lick as he came to his feet. He was still just as ruggedly sexy as she remembered, but those shoulders had gotten broader, the creases at the corners of his eyes deeper and the strong jaw firmer.

Lucas Ford could always make her breath catch as a young woman and it was no different now, even though years had passed since she’d seen him. Her body responded just the same. There were some memories that were too alive to be pushed into the past. Those vivid moments were always part of her everyday life, no matter how she’d tried to move on.

“What’s this reason you have?” he asked.

Paisley swallowed and glanced down to the letter in her hand. She didn’t bother unfolding the paper as she tossed it down onto his desk. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep her emotions in check. Now was not the time to fall apart. Remaining strong in front of Lucas was imperative, especially considering he hadn’t seen her in over a decade. Vulnerability and tears wouldn’t get her what she wanted; what she needed.

And Lucas was her stepping-stone to finding out the real truth since the obvious choice of her birth certificate had been left blank on the father line.

If there had been any other way than to contact Lucas...

He reached for the letter, opened it up and shoved one hand in his pocket as he read. She knew every word written in her mother’s flawless, delicate writing. It was the content that had Paisley so unsettled and questioning everything she’d ever known and what kind of future she’d ultimately have.