AlTonya Washington - Texas Love Song

They both mean business—in the boardroom and the bedroom

Setha Melendez will do anything for her family. When an explosive scandal threatens those she loves most, her protector turns out to be the one she least expected: publishing magnate Khouri Ross of the Ross Review. And Setha knows it’s only a matter of time before their two fierce, powerful families collide.

With multimillion-dollar contracts at stake, neither family is willing to back down. It’s going to take the coolheaded Khouri and Setha to find a middle ground. Problem is, just being near each other spikes their desire to the boiling point.

Khouri can’t resist letting Setha get under his skin. With her passionate touch and free spirit, the sexy heiress has a straight shot to his heart. Now that she’s his, he won’t let her go. Not for business, not for family. And especially not for the unknown danger targeting her.

“I never eat when I get on a cooking kick.”

“Well, hell, that’s no fun. Come out with me.”

“No, I um…no.” She couldn’t decide whether she wanted her hands in or out of the denim capris she sported.

“Is that because there’s someone you’re trying not to upset?”

She opened the refrigerator door and then closed it. “There’s no one.”

“Does he know that?”

Setha blinked and turned from the refrigerator to study him curiously. “What are you talking about?”

Khouri maintained his spot along the counter. “You’re starting to offend me. Turning down all my invitations.”

She resumed wiping down the countertops, starting with the one nearest him. “You’ll get over it,” she grumbled.

“Don’t be so sure,” he said, moving from the counter and turning her against it.

He’d moved so quickly, she’d barely had time to register the change in her position. The only thing registering then was his mouth on hers. He delivered the kiss thoroughly, enticing her tongue into the sultriest of duels. Infrequently, he curved his tongue over and around hers and then traced the even ridge of her teeth, which coaxed her to do the same to him.

“What are you doing?” She barely formed the words when he finally let her up for air.

“Giving you what you wanted earlier.”

ALTONYA WASHINGTON

has been a published romance novelist of contemporary and historical fiction for eight years. Her novel Finding Love Again won the RT Book Reviews Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Multicultural Romance in 2004. In addition to teaching a community-college course entitled Writing the Romance Novel, she works as a senior library assistant, resides in North Carolina and is currently working to obtain her master’s in library science. Writing as T. Onyx, AlTonya releases erotic romance. Her latest release with the Harlequin/Kimani label was the January 2012 title Pleasure After Hours. She will release the twelfth installment in her popular Ramsey/Tesano series, A Lover’s Hate, in 2012.

Texas Love Song

AlTonya Washington

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Dear Reader,

You’ve decided to embark upon a mystery and witness the unfolding of a romance. Texas Love Song is a fitting title for this story. The relationship between Khouri Ross and Setha Melendez was crafted to possess the beauty, longing and desire of the ballads we adore. Khouri and Setha come into each other’s lives amid dark circumstances, which are the key to a mystery that affects their families.

It was challenging and rewarding to craft a complex suspense within the allure of a love story. Those of you who know my work know that I delight in mixing these elements. It was also very exciting and quite fitting to create larger-than-life characters who hail from the bold state of Texas. I hope you’ll enjoy the effort and tune in for its companion piece, His Texas Touch, in August. Please email your thoughts to altonya@lovealtonya.com.

Blessings,

Al

Love and thanks to my family for being so patient

when I spend so much time writing.

Contents

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

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Prologue

She could’ve celebrated the loss of those killer pumps had she lost them anywhere besides a dark alley. Unfortunately, it was either lose the shoes or give herself away to the creep who’d been following her all night. She knew of course that he’d been stalking her much longer than that.

Setha Melendez gave another quick glance across her shoulder and felt momentary ease when no shadow passed in her line of sight.

Son of a b, she hissed silently, wisps of dark hair fluttering beneath her nostrils as she inhaled deeply to catch her breath. She cursed her pursuer again for involving them in this when it had nothing to do with them. None of it had been their fault.

Setha grimaced; those words sounded naive even though they’d been spoken silently in her head. There was one thing she’d learned at an early age. In the Melendez family, it was one for all and all for one. If one was despised, they all were.

Her quick breather reached its end when the clatter of a rolling bottle caught her ear. The sound had come from the far end of the alley. Setha cast a last, longing look at the awesome pumps and then figured she’d better get a move on. She prayed whoever found her discarded shoes had more fun wearing them than she did.

* * *

“Jumpin’ ship already, man?” Bose Osmond grinned at his boss’s older brother.

Khouri Ross returned the grin while shaking hands with Bose who was one of the seven bouncers at his sister’s club. “I’ll leave you and your colleagues to it,” he said, casting a weary hazel stare at the bodies packing the three-story brick building. “Never been a fan of love songs.” He shrugged.

“Understood.” Bose nodded solemnly from his perch guarding the club’s back entrance. “Rocky says she’s tryin’ to soften the club’s image.”

Khouri chuckled. “In this neighborhood?”

Bose joined in on the laughter at Raquel Ross’s expense. The chuckles shaking his large frame ended on a sigh and he scratched the smattering of whiskers covering his chin. “So how’s Avra doin’?”

“Still mean.” Khouri shook his head at the mention of his older sister.

“Still fine?” Bose’s question was laced with interest.

The look on the man’s face instilled more laughter in Khouri. Amusement crinkled the corners of his translucent stare. “You’re a glutton for punishment, B.”

Bose raised one hand as though he were about to testify. “What can I say? A woman like that can make a man do anything.”

“Hmph. Don’t I know it,” Khouri groaned while patting his sagging dark jeans for keys. It was because of Avra that he’d been checking up on their little sister and her club that night. While he was most definitely a protective older brother, he’d have rather spent the night at his monthly poker game.