Donna Clayton - Royal Seduction

Catherine’s pulse quickened when she thought about the end of their evening. Would he kiss her good-night? That was the American tradition, wasn’t it?

Royal protocol in her country called for first dates to be chaperoned, and a chaste handshake was all any suitor was allowed. Catherine had thanked the heavens for the strict etiquette many times over the years.

But tonight? Tonight she was grateful that no chaperone was watching her every move. Tonight she was hoping—praying—for a kiss.

Would it be soft? Warm? Moist? Firm? Slow and languorous? Or furiously ardent? If she had a say, she’d prefer to experience his kiss in each of those forms. The thought had her grinning.

“What are you thinking?” he asked.

“Oh, nothing. Nothing at all.”

Nothing she could tell him, anyway….

is a bestselling, award-winning author. She and her husband divide their time between homes in northern Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore. They have two sons. Donna also writes women’s fiction as Donna Fasano.

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Because birthright has its privileges and family ties run deep.

A doctor and a princess share a passion that defies expectation. And when duty and desire clash, they have to make the ultimate decision for their future! Will love conquer the crown?

Dr. Riley Jacobs: When he met Catherine for a consultation, he was dazzled by her beauty but resentful that a healthy person would take the precious time of a serious doctor. But as he got to know her, he saw the tender heart of a woman who crept into his soul….

Princess Catherine von Husden: This free-spirited princess ran from her royal responsibilities and delved into Portland’s social world. With her passionate reaction to Portland General’s Dr. Riley Jacobs, Catherine was thinking of ditching the crown altogether!

No Love Lost?

During Dr. Richie’s tenure at the Healthy Living Clinic, couples came together thanks to his special oil. With his departure, would love survive? Turn the pages and find out!

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Because birthright has its privileges and family ties run deep.

AVAILABLE JUNE 2010

1.) To Love and Protect by Susan Mallery

2.) Secrets & Seductions by Pamela Toth

3.) Royal Affair by Laurie Paige

4.) For Love and Family by Victoria Pade

AVAILABLE JULY 2010

5.) The Bachelor by Marie Ferrarella

6.) A Precious Gift by Karen Rose Smith

7.) Child of Her Heart by Cheryl St. John

8.) Intimate Surrender by RaeAnne Thayne

AVAILABLE AUGUST 2010

9.) The Secret Heir by Gina Wilkins

10.) The Newlyweds by Elizabeth Bevarly

11.) Right by Her Side by Christie Ridgway

12.) The Homecoming by Anne Marie Winston

AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 2010

13.) The Greatest Risk by Cara Colter

14.) What a Man Needs by Patricia Thayer

15.) Undercover Passion by Raye Morgan

16.) Royal Seduction by Donna Clayton

This book is dedicated to

Nancy and Mark Ruz…Ruszcs…Ruszczycky.

Nan, you’re the most seductive princess

I know.

And, Mark, better medical advice cannot be found.

Thank you, both, for the inspiration!

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

Chapter Fourteen

Epilogue

“I ’m not marrying that man!” If Princess Catherine von Husden were still a child, she’d have stomped her foot and jutted her chin toward her father. But now that she was twenty-six, such antics were no longer an option. Her only recourse was to fix her eyes on him and refuse to back down.

“Oh, Daddy,” her sister droned with irritating complaint, “can’t you do something about her?” Yvonne leveled a glare in Catherine’s direction. “Cat, you’re the oldest. Protocol calls for you to marry first. You know Hampstead and I have been waiting for nearly a year! Just marry Étienne and get it over with.”

Catherine calmly remarked, “You shouldn’t have waited. And you shouldn’t wait any longer. Haven’t I always said etiquette be damned?”

Yvonne gasped. Their father’s jaw tensed.

Catherine narrowed her eyes on her father. “Besides, the only reason you want a wedding is to try to show up Max. But that’s not going to happen. No matter how hard we try, Lextanyans cannot outshine a wedding and a coronation.”

Catherine was so happy for her cousin Max. Last year he’d married the love of his life and then had been crowned king of Lantanya. The wedding, attended by the entire von Husden family, had been a glorious affair. And as custom dictated, the coronation had been elaborate in the extreme.

“I wish you’d give up this silly competition.” Catherine lifted one hand, palm up. “Uncle Maxwell, may he rest in peace, isn’t even around any longer to compete with you.” Although Maxwell the Fourth, the former king of neighboring Lantanya, wasn’t her father’s brother, the two men had been close enough that the man had always been affectionately referred to as “uncle” by Catherine and her sister. Everyone knew about the silly game of one-upmanship that her father and Uncle Maxwell had spent years playing. “And Max doesn’t care to compete with you—”

“Catherine, this has nothing to do with me and my cousin, and it certainly has nothing to do with Max,” her father said. “This only has to do with you and Étienne. He is an exceptional young man. He’s industrious, and he has an excellent background as well as a flawless reputation.”

This had her brows arching. “So you haven’t heard the stories that he’s a skirt-chasing misogynist? Is that what you want me dealing with for the rest of my days?”