Natalie Charles - The Burden of Desire

Former lovers become partners in Natalie Charles’s new novel of the perfect crime…

On the eve of trial, prosecutor Sally Dawson has all the evidence she needs to convict a man of killing his wife—until the “victim” reappears. Now, alone and pregnant, to save her career she must trust the very man who broke her heart—her sworn enemy, Ben McNamara.

The case confounds Ben, a former marine JAG, but not the attraction budding between him and Sally. Their mutual desire never died. Can Ben prove to her that he’s a changed man? He may never get the chance, because the closer Sally gets to the surprising truth, the closer she gets to a desperate killer….

“You could be in danger.”

Ben didn’t let it drop. “Stay with your friend tonight. We’ll figure out where you should stay tomorrow night.”

Sally fought to keep her traitorous knees from softening. “My sleeping arrangements don’t fall within the purview of our partnership,” she replied. “I’ll decide for myself whether it’s safe to go home.”

He bit his lip as if fighting the urge to say something. She didn’t care. She had a mind of her own, and her instincts told her to steer clear of Ben McNamara.

He came closer, towering protectively over her. “Wherever you stay, I need to know you’re safe.”

Something in his tone snagged her breath, and the heat in his eyes made her head reel. She was falling for him, hard and fast.

Her head told her this was no good, but the rest of her had all but given up fighting the attraction.

Dear Reader,

I must have written the first chapter of this book about forty times before settling on the final version. Between all of those iterations, the only similarity was the image of the heroine in a white trench coat that was longer than her skirt, leaving the hero to wonder whether she was wearing anything underneath. It seems like such a minor image from which to develop a heroine (and a book!), but from there, Sally Dawson unfolded in all of her fashionable and dramatic glory.

Sally knows who she is and she doesn’t make apologies, and I greatly enjoyed bringing her to life. Of course, that life is turned upside down the minute she reunites with the gorgeous Ben McNamara. Ben is strong and kind, but he’s also deeply flawed. The courage with which he sets about righting past wrongs is, in my eyes, what makes him heroic.

I’m very excited to share Ben and Sally’s story with you! I hope you enjoy your time with them as much as I did.

All the best,

Natalie

The Burden of Desire

Natalie Charles

www.millsandboon.co.uk

NATALIE CHARLES

is a practicing attorney whose day job writing is more effective for treating insomnia than most sleeping pills. This may explain why her after-hours writing involves the incomparable combination of romance and suspense—the literary equivalent of chocolate and peanut butter. The happy sufferer of a lifelong addiction to mystery novels, Natalie has, sadly, yet to out-sleuth a detective. She lives in New England with a husband who makes her believe in Happily Ever After and two children who make her believe in miracles.

Natalie loves hearing from readers! You can contact her through her website, www.nataliecharles.net.

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For Mom and Dad, with love and gratitude

Contents

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

Epilogue

Excerpt

Chapter 1

Sally Dawson sat in her car and waited for disaster. A meteor, perhaps, or a freak bolt of lightning that would knock out power to the city. Whatever happened, it would have to be significant enough to distract her boss from the morning meeting he’d called with her. In her experience, morning meetings with Jack Reynolds were never called to convey good news.

She smoothed a light gloss across her lips, puckered at her reflection in the rearview mirror and took a deep, calming breath. Her father had a term for what she was about to experience: a Day, with a capital D, to indicate the gravity. How tragic that she’d been too upset about this meeting to notice her surroundings until this moment. The sky was the radiant, cloudless blue that seemed unique to early autumn, and the air was clean. She heaved a sigh. The butterflies still flittered against her stomach, but she was already running late. Time to face the Day.

She tapped her hip against the door of the sporty blue BMW to shut it, balancing the tray of coffees in one hand and her briefcase in the other. A few members of the defense counsel bar were gathered along the steps to the courthouse, eyeing her and whispering to themselves. Sally was well aware of the rumors that preceded her. She was a spoiled trust-fund baby, petulant and dramatic. She could be brash and short-tempered. Headstrong. Stubborn. She worked for fun and didn’t take it seriously.

Sally had heard it all before, and she’d stopped caring a long time ago. The gossip was as unfair as it was immutable. Besides, people could say what they wanted about her bank account or her temper. She was equally aware of her reputation for being an impeccably dressed fashion symbol, and there was some comfort in that. There was also some comfort in winning difficult cases and rising to the top of her department. In her experience, nothing shut up the naysayers like a show of competence.

“Good morning, gentlemen,” she said with a knowing smile as she passed the gossipers. Her quirks had never bothered her. She liked who she was just fine.

The click of Sally’s heels up the marble steps resounded like a battle march as she walked into the courthouse. She’d labored for too long over her wardrobe that morning, carefully considering each fabric for optimal effect, but some decisions could not be rushed. She’d finally settled on a gray Valentino dress with a plunging neckline, black Louboutin pumps and a Ferragamo handbag. Every perfect stitch of her clothing bolstered her confidence, the kind of confidence that comes with polish and excellent tailoring. She was unstoppable, a one-woman lawyering machine. These were her fatigues, and this was war.

Well, maybe not exactly war. A business meeting first thing in the morning didn’t feel too far off from it, though. Jack Reynolds hadn’t said much in his email, only that he’d seen her time sheets, and he was concerned about the long nights she’d been pulling while preparing for the Kruger murder trial. It’s time that we discuss getting some help for you, he’d written. Someone who can sit second chair.

She would set Jack straight easily enough. She did not need a partner on the Kruger case. She’d managed to get along without one for this long, and jury selection was only days away. To bring on another attorney, catch him or her up to speed— Was Jack out to sabotage her performance? To throw a wrench in her perfectly oiled machine? No, she couldn’t have that. Sally flew solo; she didn’t need someone else cluttering up her cockpit, and the sooner her supervisor accepted this fact, the easier her life would be.