Caroline Cross - Sleeping Beauty's Billionaire

February’s menu

BARONESSA GELATI

in Boston’s North End

In addition to our regular flavors of Italian gelato, this month we are featuring:

A scrumptious taste of Italian-American beauty

Convent-bred Colleen Barone is full of sugar and spice and everything nice…except for a naughty twelve-year obsession with the college sweetheart she would never forget.

A supersized serving of Irish charm

Self-made tycoon Gavin O’Sullivan has overcome poverty, a tough neighborhood and a dysfunctional family, but can he ever fill the huge hole that Colleen Barone left in his heart?

An unexpected mix of flavors

The fortunes of the Barone family have been more sweet than bitter, leading many to doubt the validity of the family’s Valentine’s Day curse. But when the introduction of their newest ice cream flavor—passion fruit—is sabotaged on V-Day, the clan rallies to turn down the heat of bad publicity and salvage their company’s reputation. Perhaps there is something to that curse after all….

Buon appetito!

Dear Reader,

Revel in the month with a special day devoted to L-O-V-E by enjoying six passionate, powerful and provocative romances from Silhouette Desire.

Learn the secret of the Barone family’s Valentine’s Day curse, in Sleeping Beauty’s Billionaire (#1489) by Caroline Cross, the second of twelve titles in the continuity series DYNASTIES: THE BARONES—the saga of an elite clan, caught in a web of danger, deceit…and desire.

In Kiss Me, Cowboy! (#1490) by Maureen Child, a delicious baker feeds the desire of a marriage-wary rancher. And passion flares when a detective and a socialite undertake a cross–country quest, in That Blackhawk Bride (#1491), the most recent installment of Barbara McCauley’s popular SECRETS! miniseries.

A no-nonsense vet captures the attention of a royal bent on seduction, in Charming the Prince (#1492), the newest “fiery tale” by Laura Wright. In Meagan McKinney’s latest MATCHED IN MONTANA title, Plain Jane & the Hotshot (#1493), a shy music teacher and a daredevil fireman make perfect harmony. And a California businessman finds himself longing for his girl Friday every day of the week, in At the Tycoon’s Command (#1494) by Shawna Delacorte.

Celebrate Valentine’s Day by reading all six of the steamy new love stories from Silhouette Desire this month.

Enjoy!

Joan Marlow Golan

Senior Editor, Silhouette Desire

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always loved to read, but it wasn’t until she discovered romance that she felt compelled to write, fascinated by the chance to explore the positive power of love in people’s lives. She grew up in Yakima, Washington, the “Apple Capital of the World,” attended the University of Puget Sound and now lives outside Seattle, where she (tries to) work at home despite the chaos created by two telephone-addicted teenage daughters and a husband with a fondness for home-improvement projects. Pleased to have recently been #1 on a national bestseller list, she was thrilled to win the 1999 Romance Writers of America RITA ®Award for Best Short Contemporary Novel and to have been called “one of the best” writers of romance today by Romantic Times. Caroline believes in writing from the heart—and having a good brainstorming partner. She loves hearing from readers and can be reached at P.O. Box 47375, Seattle, Washington 98146. Please include a SASE for reply.

Meet the Barones of Boston—

an elite clan caught in a web of danger, deceit…and desire!

Who’s Who in

SLEEPING BEAUTY’S BILLIONAIRE

Gavin O’Sullivan—As owner of a luxury hotel chain, he was used to handling megadeals, beautiful women and a jet-set lifestyle. But Gavin never got used to the heartbreak he suffered because of the supposed snobbery of a Barone beauty.

Colleen Barone—Seven years as a nun and her work as a high school counselor couldn’t erase the feelings Colleen still harbored for her college sweetheart. One look into his bedroom-brown eyes and she was again twenty…and in love with Gavin.

Carlo and Moira Barone—They’ve always wanted only the best for their brood, but when it comes to matters of the heart, Mama and Papa Barone are still learning that “the heart has reasons that Reason doesn’t know.”

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

“Hey, Colly, what’s the matter? Why’re you stopping?”

Colleen Barone only dimly registered her second cousin Matthew’s inquiries. The nine-year-old’s voice seemed far away as, her feet rooted in place, she stared transfixed at the tall, black-haired man who had just entered the reception hall.

Gavin O’Sullivan. Even among the throng of notable guests helping to celebrate her brother Nick’s wedding—and so far she’d seen four U.S. senators, the current governor of Massachusetts and two of his predecessors, a bushel of Fortune 500 CEOs and a smattering of Hollywood movie stars—he stood out. And while Colleen wished it was merely because of his chiseled good looks or the impeccable tailoring of his expensive black suit, she knew better. There was simply something about the aloof way he held himself, the serious line of his sensual mouth, the reserve in his coffee-colored eyes, that set him apart.

But then, that was Gavin. Always so intense, so unpredictable, so alone.

Of course, there’d been a handful of brief exceptions to the latter. Once upon a time, for the three years they’d played soccer together at Madison Prep, he and Nick had been best friends. And then later, during her second year of college and his last, he and Colleen had shared for a little while what could only be called magic.

An ache, brief but savage, squeezed her heart. It had been twelve years since their last meeting, and the relationship had ended badly. Yet suddenly she longed to cross the space separating them, slip her hand into Gavin’s and say something to make him smile.

If only it was that easy…

“Colleen!” Matthew’s earnest voice coupled with his sharp tug on her hand jerked her back to reality.

Tearing her gaze from the man across the room, she looked down at her young companion. “What?”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m hungry, remember?”

As if someone had hit a switch, the totality of the reception hall snapped into focus for her. She heard the band playing, registered the noisy, shifting presence of the hundreds of guests, saw the impatience on her young relative’s face. “Oh, Mattie, I’m sorry. Of course you are.” Pushing away an edge of dismay—just how long had she been staring at Gavin, anyway?—she summoned a smile. “Lead the way.”