Susan Stephens - The Acostas Box Set - The Shameless Life of Ruiz Acosta / The Argentinian's Solace / A Taste of the Untamed / The Man From her Wayward Past / Taming the Last Acosta / Christmas Nights with the Polo Player

‘Please don’t be angry with Holly,’ Lucia begged him, hanging onto her brother’s arm.

Easing himself free, Ruiz took hold of Holly. ‘Well?’ he murmured.

Their faces were very close. Ruiz’s mouth was almost touching hers. Everyone at the party was frozen to the spot, sensing drama. There was no music, no chatter, not a sound to be heard—until Bouncer whimpered and both Holly and Ruiz knelt simultaneously on the ground to make a fuss of him. As if this were the signal everyone had been waiting for the music started up again and the dance floor came back to life.

‘Happy Christmas, Ruiz,’ Holly murmured, staring across Bouncer’s head into Ruiz’s eyes. ‘I think Bouncer had this planned from the first moment we met, though Lucia brought him over in the private jet with the vet,’ she explained, ‘and as Bouncer has had all his shots and has a pet passport and Argentina has the same arrangement for allowing pets to travel as the EU …’

‘This I know,’ Ruiz assured Holly, softly holding her within an inch of his mouth as he lifted her to her feet. ‘I do deal quite a lot with the authorities in both countries, you know? Shipping ponies?’ Ruiz’s lips tugged in his trademark smile. ‘I tried to bring Bouncer over to surprise you for Christmas too, but it appears you beat me to it.’

His brothers, hearing this, congratulated Holly.

‘Nice to know someone can get the better of you, Ruiz,’ the great Nacho Acosta commented dryly before moving away to ensure the party didn’t flag.

‘I thought it would be better for Bouncer to live here on the pampas than in London,’ Holly admitted. ‘Your brothers agreed. But then I hesitated until Nacho said you had mentioned the same thing to him.’

‘Nacho agreed to Bouncer coming to live here?” Ruiz demanded with surprise.

‘He did more than that. Nacho arranged the jet,’ Holly explained. ‘He said it was a long journey for a rescue dog to take unaccompanied, but with Lucia and a vet on hand he thought it might be possible.’

‘Dios!’ Ruiz glanced at his brother who raised a glass.

‘Are you pleased with your surprise?’ Holly asked anxiously.

‘I couldn’t be more pleased,’ Ruiz said, holding Holly a little closer as the dance floor filled up. ‘But you’ve left me without the possibility of giving you a surprise.’

‘Oh, I don’t know,’ she said. ‘I can’t believe we’ve exhausted your repertoire yet …’

Ruiz’s wicked mouth tugged in a grin. ‘So you don’t need a surprise right here, right now?’

‘In front of all these people? Absolutely not,’ Holly murmured.

‘What am I going to do with this, then?’

She stared at the small jewel box. ‘What is it?’

‘The next headline for your column,’ Ruiz said dryly.

‘If that’s what I think it is.’

‘It is,’ Ruiz murmured, ‘but I think you’d better get out of that dress first.’

Holly sucked in a breath, remembering only now that her dress was ruined and covered in mud.

‘We have very good dry cleaners in Argentina,’ Ruiz reassured her, slipping the jewel case back into his pocket.

‘But I couldn’t possibly let you pay the bill …’

Their faces were very close as both of them relived a day in London that seemed such a long time ago now.

‘Shower?’ Ruiz murmured with a very particular look in his eyes.

‘As soon as possible,’ Holly agreed.

‘Ruiz and Holly. I like the sound of that,’ Ruiz commented as they strolled back to the house together arm in arm.

‘Holly and Ruiz,’ Holly corrected him.

‘I’ll go for that,’ Ruiz conceded. It was an easy victory for Holly. He was just quietly celebrating that the world and everything in it was his now, while Bouncer, who was safely back in Lucia’s keeping, barked his satisfaction at a job well done.

* * *

‘So what do you think, Holly?’ Ruiz demanded as Holly stared in thrilled delight at the huge ruby on her wedding finger.

‘I think you’re a very dangerous man,’ she said as Ruiz moved behind her.

‘Have you only just noticed that?’ Ruiz murmured against her neck.

As she turned in his arms Ruiz’s gaze slipped to her lips. ‘Stop it,’ she warned him softly as he whispered a world of wickedness in her ear.

‘No one will notice if we don’t return to the party right away …’

Ruiz had a point. He also had a formidable erection. And as they were both standing naked beneath the shower she thought it rude not to seize the moment.

It’s big and red and fits me perfectly. Rubies are the perfect choice for a fiery redhead, Ruiz told me. You can know his name now, seeing as the playboy and the redhead are going to be headline news in the next issue of this magazine—front cover too.

And the column?

This column will continue, for, as my polo-playing bad boy points out, I can send copy to ROCK! from anywhere in the world, and there should be plenty more headlines to come—especially as Ruiz has three gorgeous brothers and a baby sister, my best friend, Lucia. You can read all about them here—The Good, The Bad, and The—

Well, not ugly, since all of them are stunningly glamorous, lead the most riotous lives, and are the best fun to be around. You’ll have to stay tuned to find out.

Hasta la vista! Here’s to the next time we meet.

The Argentinian’s Solace

Susan Stephens

CHAPTER ONE

SHE had to close her mind to the man on the shore. Getting the old boat safely into its berth was more important. But he was like an elemental force, his gaze fixed and unswerving, with the most magnificent physique Maxie had ever seen. Tall, ripped and tanned, with wild black hair and dangerous eyes. A gold earring glinted in what light there was. Low-slung jeans over a flat, muscular belly were enough to throw anyone off course…

So think of the snarling face that would stop a rhino in its track and your concentration will come flooding back.

She had sailed the boat this far and she wasn’t turning back now.

Bringing the trawler through mountainous waves single-handed had been nothing short of a miracle. They had barely made it out of the harbour when the skipper had declared himself out of action after consuming the greater part of a bottle of Scotland’s finest. Maxie would be the first to admit her qualifications for sailing a boat this size were slim. She had once helped to crew a sixty-eight footer, but this old rust-bucket was proving rather more cantankerous. And she was more than a bit rusty, Maxie accepted as the deck lurched beneath her feet.

Glancing at the man on the dock, she guessed he was waiting for her to fail. His massive forearms were crossed over his formidable chest, and his black eyes blazed with mockery and scorn.

‘Welcome to Isla del Fuego,’ Maxie muttered beneath her breath. But, however unfriendly the welcoming committee, she was going to berth this bucketing monster if it killed her!

Which it probably would, Maxie registered with panic as the ancient fishing craft crashed into the dock.

With relief she saw the elderly skipper had made it out of his bunk in time to take the wheel. Boiling black storm clouds suggested the weather wasn’t about to change any time soon, which for a wedding planner on a scouting trip for an excited bride was somewhere south of perfect. And if the man onshore worked for the Acostas, who owned the island, he would need some serious retraining in the art of welcoming guests before the wedding, Maxie concluded, trying not to look at his glowering face.

She could always tell Holly the island was unsuitable…

The idea flitted across her mind, but it wasn’t an option. She’d seen Scottish castles in worse settings transformed into fairytale palaces on a warm spring day, and damp French châteaux revealed in all their ancient glory when the sun shone. Plus, she trusted Holly. The bride was a smart girl, and June was a famously fabulous month in which to get married. Bottom line? If Holly wanted to get married on Isla del Fuego then it was up to Maxie to make it happen and the man on shore would just have to suck it up.