Barbara Dunlop: High Stakes

Candice shook her head and leaned away from the sparkling dinner table. “Wish I could.”

“So?”

“What?” She feigned confusion, hoping that he’d forgotten their bet of a kiss for every point out of ten that he earned with this meal.

“How many points are we talking?” He cocked an eyebrow and grinned.

“I could…give you a zero.”

“You could.” He gazed at her knowingly.

“Oh, man.” Candice closed her eyes and raised a hand to her forehead. She couldn’t believe she was about to do this. Her nemesis, her archrival, and she was going to have to…pay him a compliment, not to mention—

“Zero to ten,” Derek said softly.

“Ten,” she whispered, and puckered her lips.

Note from the editor…

An Evening To Remember… Those words evoke all kinds of emotions and memories. How do you plan a romantic evening with your guy that will help you get in touch with each other on every level?

Start with a great dinner that you cook together. Be sure to light several candles and put fresh flowers on the table. Enjoy a few glasses of wine and pick out your favorite music to set the mood. After dinner take the time to really talk to each other. Hold hands and snuggle on the sofa in front of the fireplace. And maybe take a few minutes to read aloud selected sexy scenes from your favorite Harlequin Temptation novel. After that, anything can happen….

That’s just one way to have an evening to remember. There are so many more. Write and tell us how you keep the spark in your relationship. And don’t forget to check out our Web site at www.eHarlequin.com.

Sincerely,

Birgit Davis-Todd

Executive Editor

High Stakes

Barbara Dunlop

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Dear Reader,

Here’s the final story of the Reeves-DuCarter brothers. From the moment brother Derek appeared in Next to Nothing! to give his baby brother hell and his middle brother sage advice in Flying High, I’ve known that when Derek’s turn came, he was going to fall fast and he was going to fall hard.

Sure enough, Candice Hammond, the daughter of his archenemy, rocked Derek’s world. He’s used to being in charge, yet she challenges him at every turn. The woman is his intellectual and emotional match, and she’s going toe to toe with the millionaire entrepreneur until he gives her everything she wants. Which is also everything he wants, though he doesn’t know it yet.

I truly hope you enjoy the Reeves-DuCarter brothers. They’ve been a delight for me to live with and I’m thrilled to be able to share them. I’d love to hear from you at www.barbaradunlop.com.

Best,

Barbara Dunlop

HARLEQUIN TEMPTATION

848—FOREVER JAKE

901—NEXT TO NOTHING!*

940—TOO CLOSE TO CALL

1006—FLYING HIGH*

HARLEQUIN FLIPSIDE

22—OUT OF ORDER

HARLEQUIN DUETS

54—THE MOUNTIE STEALS A WIFE

90—A GROOM IN HER STOCKING

98—THE WISH-LIST WIFE

To Dad.

With appreciation, admiration and love.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

YOU’RE ALWAYS THE BEST MAN, but never the groom…. ” Derek Reeves’s brother Tyler propped his elbows on the terrace guardrail outside the ballroom of the Quayside Hotel. Orchestra music and muted laughter from their middle brother, Striker’s, wedding reception wafted through the open French doors into the clear September night.

Derek grinned to himself. He’d admit to feeling a little smug about being the Reeves family’s sole remaining bachelor. He turned his back on the rose garden, the marble fountain and Lake Washington and imitated his brother’s pose. “Jealous?” he asked.

Tyler’s gaze strayed through the open doors to where Jenna, his wife of three months, chatted with the other bridesmaids. There was a thread of incredulous laughter in his voice. “Not hardly.”

Derek took a swig of his ice water. He had to admit that Jenna was great. So was Erin, Striker’s new bride. But they were still wives. They had needs, demands and agendas. Derek was planning to be his own man for a long time to come.

Tyler nodded at the water. “You the designated driver or something?”

Derek shook his head. “I’m expecting a call from Tokyo.”

“You brought your cell phone to your brother’s wedding?”

“I turned it off during the ceremony.”

“We have got to get you a life.”

“By life, I’m assuming you mean a ball and chain of my own? Misery may love company, little brother, but I don’t think so.”

Tyler raised his glass of Scotch in a mock toast. “Come on in, the water’s fine.”

The wind picked up off the lake, bringing with it the scent of roses, as Derek slid his brother a skeptical gaze. “Uh-huh.”

“I’m serious.”

“I’m perfectly happy on my own.”

“How do you know?”

Derek frowned. “What kind of a question is that?”

“When’s the last time you had a steady girlfriend?”

“Define steady.”

“Longer than eight hours.”

The frown turned to another grin. It had been a while. Which meant Derek’s life was ticking along exactly the way he liked it. “Few months. Maybe a year.”

“We need to find you a nice girl to bring home to Mom.”

Derek let out a chopped laugh at the sappy expression on Tyler’s face. “There’s nothing worse than a reformed bachelor.”

“Hey, I’m being serious here.”

“So am I. If I want a woman, I’ll find a woman. No offense, bro, but I don’t need your help on the romance front.”

Tyler snorted. “Romance? I think they’re called one-night stands.”

“And your point is…”

“My point is, you’re hanging out with the wrong kind of women.”

“Well, the right kind of woman sure isn’t going to hang out with me.”

Derek had been in Europe three times this month. He had to be in Japan on the fifth. And if he didn’t figure out a way to salvage that electronics deal they’d just lost to Hammond Electronics, he’d be drumming up wireless business in rural Brazil. He somehow suspected most nice girls would insist he spend at least half his life on the North American continent.

“You never know,” said Tyler, making a show of sizing Derek up. “They might be able to get past your looks.”

“Nice try, pretty boy.”

Tyler laughed.

“The rest of you shareholders should be grateful I’ve stayed single.”

“Why?”

“The minute I have a little woman at home, the bottom line’s going to suffer.”

Tyler clicked his teeth, shook his head and gave Derek a pitying look.

“Don’t get sarcastic with me,” said Derek. “Women dilute a man’s focus. They want him to cater to their little whims, bring home presents, talk about their feelings.”

“Not all women are like that. Jenna’s not like that.”