Mollie Molay - Married By Midnight

“What are you doing in my bed?”

Clutching the sheet, Kelly pulled herself up against the satin pillows, a stricken look on her face.

“I believe it’s my hotel room,” Max said on a sigh. “As to why I’m in bed with you, I’m not sure. Frankly, this is as big a shock to me as it is to you. You know, I don’t make a habit of waking up next to strange women.”

“I hope you don’t think I’ve done this sort of thing before!”

“Of course not,” Max agreed hastily. “It was all a game we were playing, right?”

She had intended to take him up on his dare, flirt a bit and then walk away. Instead, his tempting smile had gotten to her. Like Cinderella, she should’ve run away from him at midnight. Just when had the game turned into something more serious? And, more to the point, what had she gotten herself into?

Dear Reader,

February is a month made for romance, and here at Harlequin American Romance we invite you to be our Valentine!

Every month, we bring you four reasons to celebrate romance, and beloved author Muriel Jensen has reasons of her own—Four Reasons for Fatherhood, to be precise. Join former workaholic Aaron Bradley as he learns about parenthood—and love—from four feisty youngsters and one determined lady in the finale to our exciting miniseries THE DADDY CLUB.

Some men just have a way with women, and our next two heroes are no exception. In Pamela Bauer’s Corporate Cowboy, when Austin Bennett hits his head and loses his memory, Kacy Judd better watch out—because her formerly arrogant boss is suddenly the most irresistible man in town! And in Married by Midnight by Mollie Molay, Maxwell Taylor has more charm than even he suspects—he goes to a wedding one day, and wakes up married the next!

And if you’re wondering HOW TO MARRY…The World’s Best Dad, look no farther than Valerie Taylor’s heartwarming tale. Julie Miles may not follow her own advice, but she’s got gorgeous Ben Harbison’s attention anyway!

We hope you enjoy every romantic minute of our four wonderful stories.

Warm wishes,

Melissa Jeglinski

Associate Senior Editor

Married by Midnight

Mollie Molay

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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For Paul and Terri Molé, whose wedding inspired this story. And to newly married Michael and Lynn Fox. Great grandsons who were smart enough to marry wonderful women. Way to go!

After working for a number of years as a Logistics Contract Administrator in the aircraft industry, Mollie Molay turned to a career she found far more satisfying—writing romance novels. Mollie lives in Northridge, California, surrounded by her two daughters and seven grandchildren, many of whom find their way into her books. She enjoys hearing from her readers and welcomes comments. You can write to her c/o Harlequin Books, 300 East 42nd Street, 6th floor, New York, NY 10017.

HARLEQUIN AMERICAN ROMANCE

560—FROM DRIFTER TO DADDY

597—HER TWO HUSBANDS

616—MARRIAGE BY MISTAKE

638—LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

682—NANNY & THE BODYGUARD

703—OVERNIGHT WIFE

729—WANTED: DADDY

776—FATHER IN TRAINING

799—DADDY BY CHRISTMAS

815—MARRIED BY MIDNIGHT

American Romance

is pleased to announce the

wedding of

Maxwell Taylor

and

Kelly O’Rourke.

The bride and groom will be notified

of their nuptials

shortly after the ceremony.

Fireworks to follow.

Prologue

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

Epilogue

Max Taylor didn’t know what hit him.

Caught in a logjam of cheering wedding guests, he was nursing a glass of champagne punch when suddenly an object flew through the air. He ducked—too late. The bride’s decorated lace garter, still warm with her body heat, struck him just above his right eye. Shaken out of his reverie, Max instinctively reached for the garter and caught it before it fell into the punch bowl. The crowd around him parted and to his bewilderment started to clap and cheer him on.

To complicate matters, directly in his line of vision, the maid of honor was seated with her striking emerald-green bridesmaid’s dress drawn up over her knees, a leg poised and an embarrassed look on her face. In her arms, she held the bridal bouquet. From the eager expressions on everyone’s faces, it was obvious to him, as the lucky garter-catcher, that he was expected to slide the intimate object over her shapely slender leg.

Max could see the bride standing next to the groom clapping in time to the music. The amateur four-piece band was playing not too well but enthusiastically.

With the drummer executing a brisk roll of the drums, the master of ceremonies motioned Max forward and pointed to the redhead’s upper thigh.

Max froze.

What was he to do now?

A whirlwind of thoughts raced through his mind, including making a quick getaway. He should have been pleased. After all, this was the first time he’d won anything more than a few bucks on a lottery ticket. Good enough, he muttered to himself as he gazed at the sculptured leg, but why did the prize have to be something that might test his manhood? He hesitated, trying to come up with a good reason to decline the honor. He couldn’t. The groom was his cousin and he was the best man. Family honor was at stake. Short of causing a scene, he realized he had to be a good sport and enter into the festivities.

He took a deep breath, raised his glass to his lips and gulped the last of the champagne punch for courage. Fortified, he handed the glass to his nearest neighbor and moved inside the circle of clapping wedding guests. Up close, the leg’s owner looked watchful. He didn’t blame her. Although they were part of the wedding party, they’d only seen each other for the first time at the brief rehearsal last night. What he was about to do was pretty intimate.

He knelt on the one good knee he had left after his recent skiing accident, carefully removed the lady’s dainty shoe and slowly slid the garter over her stockinged foot, up her silken leg and to her knee. He felt himself flush when he became more aware of her charms than he cared to admit. He stopped and started to get to his feet.

“No, no, no,” the wedding guests chanted.

“Up, up, up, up,” the master of ceremonies instructed, sending Max back down on his knee and firmly pointing the way.

Max took another deep breath, glanced apologetically at his fellow victim and slid the garter upward another inch.

“More, more, more,” urged the crowd.

Max silently muttered his frustration and cautiously moved the garter up another inch, and another. His body warmed with each move. The innuendos thrown at him weren’t helping his discomfiture a damn bit. By the time he’d reached her warm upper thigh, he’d had more than any red-blooded man could be expected to handle and he wasn’t going to take it anymore. He enjoyed a joke as well as any other man, but since he didn’t know the lady he was touching so intimately, this was too much. He muttered his apology and hoped for the best.