Annette Broadrick - Double Identity

“I didn’t think it was necessary,” Carina said.

“You could have warned me, at least. I practically leaped on you.” Jude frowned.

She smiled. “I thought it was great.”

“Well—” he looked down at her “—I’m glad you think so, but I should have taken more time with you. I was too rough, too eager. I wanted you so badly.”

“You made it a marvelous experience for me.”

“I thought that since you were—I mean, you were engaged, so it seemed reasonable that you had, uh, that you had—” He sighed, looking glum.

“You know, I understand there are men who actually want to be the first one with a woman.”

He took a deep breath and sighed. “Probably. It’s more important to me that I be the last one.”

Dear Reader,

Thank you for choosing Silhouette Desire. As always, we have a fabulous array of stories for you to enjoy, starting with Just a Taste by Bronwyn Jameson, the latest installment in our DYNASTIES: THE ASHTONS continuity series. This tale of forbidden attraction between two romance-wary souls will leave you breathless and wanting more from this wonderful author—who will have a brand-new miniseries of her own, PRINCES OF THE OUTBACK, out later this year.

The terrific Annette Broadrick is back with another book in her CRENSHAWS OF TEXAS series. Double Identity is an engrossing page-turner about seduction and lies…you know, all that good stuff! Susan Crosby continues her BEHIND CLOSED DOORS series with Rules of Attraction, the first of three brand-new stories set in the world of very private investigations. Roxanne St. Claire brings us a fabulous McGrath brother hero caught in an unexpected situation, in When the Earth Moves. Rochelle Alers’s THE BLACKSTONES OF VIRGINIA series wraps up with Beyond Business, a story in which the Blackstone patriarch gets involved in a surprise romance with his new—and very pregnant—assistant. And last but certainly not least, the engaging Amy Jo Cousins is back this month with Sleeping Arrangements, a terms-of-the-will story not to be missed.

Here’s hoping you enjoy all six of our selections this month. And, in the months to come, look for Maureen Child’s THREE-WAY WAGER series and a brand-new installment of our infamous TEXAS CATTLEMAN’S CLUB.

Happy reading!

Melissa Jeglinski

Senior Editor

Silhouette Desire

www.millsandboon.co.uk

believes in romance and the magic of life. Since 1984, Annette has shared her view of life and love with readers. In addition to being nominated by Romantic Times as one of the Best New Authors of that year, she has also won the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best in its Series, the Romantic Times WISH Award; and the Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Awards for Series Romance and Series Romantic Fantasy.

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

Chapter Sixteen

Epilogue

Jude Crenshaw’s phone rang at seven o’clock, waking him from a deep, exhausted sleep at his condo in Fort Meade, Maryland. He fumbled for the phone without opening his eyes.

“Crenshaw,” he mumbled.

“This is Ms. Kincaid’s office calling. One moment, please.” He was put on hold. Kincaid was his supervisor at the National Security Agency.

Jude had worked for the agency for the past four years. He’d been hired as a civilian after leaving the army, where he’d been in Special Ops. He had been in the field until six months ago when he’d been promoted to a supervisory position.

He couldn’t imagine why Jackie Kincaid would be calling him at home at this time of morning. He sat up, rubbed his hand over his face and swung his legs to the floor.

“Jude? Jackie. Sorry to bother you so early. I tried to reach you yesterday, but you must have been incommunicado. I couldn’t get my calls to go through on your cell phone so I could leave a message.”

“I’ve been on the west coast for the past two weeks. Got home in the wee hours this morning.”

“I know you’re on vacation this week but something’s come up here that needs your presence.”

“Staff problems?”

“Nothing like that. We need you at an interdepartmental meeting at nine.”

He frowned. “What department?”

“DEA.”

“You’re kidding me.”

“Nope. Do you think you can get here by that time?”

Jude yawned and said, “Sure. No problem.”

“Great. See you then.”

Jude stood and stretched. His body was still on Pacific Standard Time, which meant he was having to function at four in the morning.

He went into his kitchen and made a pot of coffee that would be ready by the time he finished his shower. In the bathroom, his bleary-eyed gaze looked back at him from the mirror.

He needed a haircut.

He’d been out in the sun quite a bit while in southern California, so that his skin was deeply tanned and his blond hair lighter than usual.

Jude showered and shaved, dressed and returned to the kitchen for his caffeine fix. After his first cup, he filled a thermos cup with the rest of the coffee to drink on the way to work and went into the garage where he kept his baby.

His two-seater late-model Porsche spent more time in the garage than out on the road. He’d been looking forward to a few days off so he could take her out, wind her up and put her through her paces. The car was the love of his life, and why not? She was always waiting at home when he got there, never complained about the hours he kept, didn’t demand attention and didn’t eat him out of house and home while he was away.

He hit the garage-door button as he stepped through the door and slid behind the wheel. When he turned on the engine, he smiled at the whisper of sound. She was purring for him.

Jude drove to the NSA office complex sipping on his coffee, determined not to let the rush-hour traffic disturb him. Once there, he went to his office, checked his mail and headed down the hall to Kincaid’s office.

He stopped at the desk of Kincaid’s assistant, who looked up from opening the morning mail and saw him.

“Welcome back, Blue Eyes,” Justine said, her expression mischievous. “I like the tan. Wish I had nothing better to do than lie around on a beach all day soaking up some rays.”

He lifted one eyebrow and said, “Yeah, me, too. I have an appointment with Jackie.”

“Go right in. Mm-mm. I swear, that tan shows you off quite nicely. You probably have to fight off all the women you meet.”

He shook his head and grinned. “Not so’s you’d notice.”

Justine was in her midthirties, happily married with three young daughters. She’d teased him ever since she’d met him that he’d be her pick for a son-in-law if he’d only wait to find a bride until her daughters were grown.

He tapped on Jackie’s door and walked inside.

Three men and a woman sat in front of Jackie’s desk. They turned to look at him, their faces grim.

One of the men stood and turned to face Jude.

He looked to be in his late forties, possibly early fifties, with thick dark hair liberally sprinkled with gray. The man looked trim, probably worked out several times each week. His eyes missed nothing about Jude and Jude caught himself before he polished his shoe on the back of his pants leg.