Maya Blake - A Marriage Fit For A Sinner

There was that tone again—the one that said she didn’t believe him. That she thought this was some sort of twisted game on his part.

‘I guess we’ll find out one way or the other when the sordid details are laid out for you on Monday. All you need to concern yourself about today is picking out an engagement ring that makes the right statement.’

Eva’s striking green eyes clashed with his and that lightning bolt struck again. ‘And what statement would that be?’ she challenged.

Zaccheo let loose the chilling half-smile that he knew made his enemies quake. ‘Why, that you belong to me, of course.’

The true taste of temptation!

From greed to gluttony, lust to envy, these fabulous stories explore what seven sexy sins mean in the twenty-first century!

Whether pride goes before a fall, or wrath leads to a passion that consumes entirely, one thing is certain: the road to true love has never been more enticing!

So you decide:

How can it be a sin when it feels so good?

Sloth—Cathy Williams Lust—Dani Collins Pride—Kim Lawrence Gluttony—Maggie Cox Greed—Sara Craven Wrath—Maya Blake Envy—Annie West

Seven titles by some of Mills & Boon Modern Romance’s most treasured and exciting authors!

A Marriage

Fit for a Sinner

Maya Blake

www.millsandboon.co.uk

MAYA BLAKE’s hopes of becoming a writer were born when she picked up her first romance aged thirteen. Little did she know her dream would come true! Does she still pinch herself every now and then, to make sure it’s not a dream? Yes, she does!

Feel free to pinch her too, via Twitter, Facebook or Goodreads! Happy reading!

Before you start reading, why not sign up?

Thank you for downloading this Mills & Boon book. If you want to hear about exclusive discounts, special offers and competitions, sign up to our email newsletter today!

SIGN ME UP!

Or simply visit

signup.millsandboon.co.uk

Mills & Boon emails are completely free to receive and you can unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email we send you.

Contents

Cover

Introduction One eyebrow spiked. ‘You seem so confident I’m going to hand myself to you on a silver platter. Isn’t that a tad foolish?’ There was that tone again—the one that said she didn’t believe him. That she thought this was some sort of twisted game on his part. ‘I guess we’ll find out one way or the other when the sordid details are laid out for you on Monday. All you need to concern yourself about today is picking out an engagement ring that makes the right statement.’ Eva’s striking green eyes clashed with his and that lightning bolt struck again. ‘And what statement would that be?’ she challenged. Zaccheo let loose the chilling half-smile that he knew made his enemies quake. ‘Why, that you belong to me, of course.’

Seven Sexy Sins Seven Sexy Sins Seven Sexy Sins Title Page About the Author 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 CHAPTER FIFTEEN EPILOGUE Extract Copyright The true taste of temptation! From greed to gluttony, lust to envy, these fabulous stories explore what seven sexy sins mean in the twenty-first century! Whether pride goes before a fall, or wrath leads to a passion that consumes entirely, one thing is certain: the road to true love has never been more enticing! So you decide: How can it be a sin when it feels so good? Sloth —Cathy Williams Lust —Dani Collins Pride —Kim Lawrence Gluttony —Maggie Cox Greed —Sara Craven Wrath —Maya Blake Envy —Annie West Seven titles by some of Mills & Boon Modern Romance’s most treasured and exciting authors!

Title Page A Marriage Fit for a Sinner Maya Blake www.millsandboon.co.uk

About the Author MAYA BLAKE ’s hopes of becoming a writer were born when she picked up her first romance aged thirteen. Little did she know her dream would come true! Does she still pinch herself every now and then, to make sure it’s not a dream? Yes, she does! Feel free to pinch her too, via Twitter, Facebook or Goodreads! Happy reading!

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

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

EPILOGUE

Extract

Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

‘ONE PLATINUM CHRONOGRAPH WATCH. A pair of diamond-studded cufflinks. Gold signet ring. Six hundred and twenty-five pounds cash, and...Obsidian Privilege Card. Right, I think that’s everything, sir. Sign here to confirm return of your property.’

Zaccheo Giordano didn’t react to the warden’s sneer as he scrawled on the barely legible form. Nor did he react to the resentful envy in the man’s eyes when his gaze drifted to where the sleek silver limousine waited beyond three sets of barbed wire.

Romeo Brunetti, Zaccheo’s second-in-command and the only person he would consider draping the term friend upon, stood beside the car, brooding and unsmiling, totally unruffled by the armed guard at the gate or the bleak South East England surroundings.

Had Zaccheo been in an accommodating mood, he’d have cracked a smile.

But he wasn’t in an accommodating mood. He hadn’t been for a very long time. Fourteen months, two weeks, four days and nine hours to be exact. Zaccheo was positive he could count down to the last second if required.

No one would require it of him, of course. He’d served his time. With three and a half months knocked off his eighteen-month sentence for good behaviour .

The rage fused into his DNA bubbled beneath his skin. He showed no outward sign of it as he pocketed his belongings. The three-piece Savile Row suit he’d entered prison in stank of decay and misery, but Zaccheo didn’t care.

He’d never been a slave to material comforts. His need for validation went far deeper. The need to elevate himself into a better place had been a soul-deep pursuit from the moment he was old enough to recognise the reality of the life he’d been born into. A life that had been a never-ending whirlpool of humiliation, violence and greed. A life that had seen his father debased and dead at thirty-five.

Memories tumbled like dominoes as he walked down the harshly lit corridor to freedom. He willed the overwhelming sense of injustice that had festered for long, harrowing months not to explode from his pores.

The doors clanged shut behind him.

Zaccheo froze, then took his first lungful of free air with fists clenched and eyes shut. He absorbed the sound of birds chirping in the late-winter morning sun, listened to the distant rumble of the motorway as he’d done many nights from his prison cell.