Valerie Parv - Operation - Monarch

An arrow of anger pierced her. Serena was a cop now, and he needed to acknowledge that. “Looks can deceive. I can have you flat on your back in the sand before you can blink.”

His glance was measuring, a hint of a smile playing around his generous mouth. “Might be an interesting experience.”

Annoyed with herself for thinking along the same lines, she snapped, “You wouldn’t think so if it happened. I’m liable to break something.”

“I’ll consider myself forewarned.” He sounded as if he couldn’t wait.

The promise in his tone sent sexual fantasies tumbling through her mind. She had to fight to clear her thoughts. This wasn’t the time and place, if ever there were such a thing. Not until she knew where he stood.

She drew herself up. “We’re not here to exchange sexual fantasies. I need to know—”

He cut off the question by simply kissing her.

Dear Reader,

What better way to start off a new year than with six terrific new Silhouette Intimate Moments novels? We’ve got miniseries galore, starting with Karen Templeton’s Staking His Claim, part of THE MEN OF MAYES COUNTY. These three brothers are destined to find love, and in this story, hero Cal Logan is also destined to be a father—but first he has to convince heroine Dawn Gardner that in his arms is where she wants to stay.

For a taste of royal romance, check out Valerie Parv’s Operation: Monarch, part of THE CARRAMER TRUST, crossing over from Silhouette Romance. Policemen more your style? Then check out Maggie Price’s Hidden Agenda, the latest in her LINE OF DUTY miniseries, set in the Oklahoma City Police Department. Prefer military stories? Don’t even try to resist Irresistible Forces, Candace Irvin’s newest SISTERS IN ARMS novel. We’ve got a couple of great stand-alone books for you, too. Lauren Nichols returns with a single mom and her protective hero, in Run to Me. Finally, Australian sensation Melissa James asks Can You Forget? Trust me, this undercover marriage of convenience will stick in your memory long after you’ve turned the final page.

Enjoy them all—and come back next month for more of the best and most exciting romance reading around, only in Silhouette Intimate Moments.

Yours,

Leslie J. Wainger

Executive Editor

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With twenty million copies of her books sold, including three Waldenbooks bestsellers, it’s no wonder Valerie Parv is known as Australia’s queen of romance and is the recognized media spokesperson for all things romantic. Valerie is married to her own romantic hero, Paul, a former crocodile hunter in Australia’s tropical north.

These days he’s a cartoonist and the two live in the country’s capital city of Canberra, where both are volunteer zoo guides, sharing their love of animals with visitors from all over the world. Valerie continues to write her page-turning novels because they affirm her belief in love and happy endings. As she says, “Love gives you wings, romance helps you fly.” Keep up with Valerie’s latest releases at www.silromanceauthors.com.

For Bat Dame and the Bat Cave denizens.

Every writer should have such a safety valve.

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

Historian’s note:

The events described here take place about one year after the wedding of Prince Lorne and Alison Carter depicted in The Monarch’s Son

As a senior member of the Royal Protection Detail, Serena Cordeaux had seen the sovereign ruler of Carramer at times elated, imperious, furious and melancholy, but his emotions were usually so well masked that only those closest to him suspected how he really felt.

Never before had she seen Prince Lorne de Marigny so openly troubled. His dark eyes were clouded with worry and although his pose remained calm, the hands he linked together in front of him were white knuckled.

Seated in a wing-backed leather chair beside the prince’s desk, his wife, Princess Alison, looked calm but her eyes were dark with worry. Her fall of nut-brown hair hid much of her expression, but from the way she kept sneaking glances at the package lying open on the desk, Serena wondered if she expected the contents to rear up and strike her husband.

As well they might.

Knowing how devoted Alison was to Lorne and their little son, Nori, Serena wished she could assure them everything was going to be all right, but Serena was far from certain herself.

The prince placed his hands palms down on the leather blotter on either side of the damning evidence. “You did the right thing bringing this directly to me. How did you learn of its existence?”

Wondering if the monarch knew more than he was revealing about the significance of the package, Serena said, “The R.P.D. got a tip-off that Carramer First intended to disrupt the American president’s visit, so we’ve been monitoring the group’s activities.”

Lorne shifted impatiently. “Naturally.”

He knew as well as she did that the antiroyalist group hoped to manipulate international media interest in the first visit of an American president to Carramer to gain publicity for their cause. The majority of Carramer’s people supported the monarchy, and dissidents were rare in the peaceful island kingdom, so the group was unlikely to gain sympathy any other way.

Knowing Prince Lorne wouldn’t appreciate a history lesson, she straightened a little more. “Two days ago my contact in the group attended a meeting where they were told they’d soon have the means to do more than disrupt the president’s visit. They could destabilize the kingdom itself.”

Lorne tapped the package. “This.”

She nodded. “According to my informant, only the man who took it to the group knew precisely what it contained. He was ordered to deliver it to a prearranged drop-off point so their leader could retrieve it and put it to use.”

“Our old friend, the Hand,” Lorne said heavily.

Serena heard Princess Alison catch her breath. “The Hand” was the only name by which they knew the leader of Carramer First. The other group members were basically harmless hotheads, but according to R.P.D. intelligence, the Hand was a professional criminal, skilled at covering his tracks. Only a handful of the group’s elite were said to know his identity, hampering efforts to pin him down. Through phone calls and taped instructions, he controlled the group’s activities with an iron hand, hence his code name. Everything else about him remained a frustrating mystery.