Leanne Banks: Ridge: The Avenger

Cover Page

Excerpt “Good Morning,” Ridge Growled. “Did You Sleep Well?” Dara smiled. “Like a baby.” Ridge scowled and turned away. “I’m glad one of us did.” Her heart tightened, but she made herself remain calm. “You’re not going to give me one of those morning-after I-shouldn’t-have-given-in-to-my-carnal-urges speeches, are you?” Ridge sighed and met her gaze. “No. I couldn’t regret last night, not one minute of it. But there are some things that last night can’t change—that nothing can change.” “I wish you would tell me.” “No,” he said firmly. “Then tell me you’re not going to pretend that we didn’t make love. Or that you’re just my bodyguard. Or that I’m just another client….”

Dear Reader Dear Reader, Welcome to the wonderful world of Silhouette Desire! This month, look for six scintillating love stories. I know you’re going to enjoy them all. First up is The Beauty, the Beast and the Baby, a fabulous MAN OF THE MONTH from Dixie Browning. It’s also the second book in her TALL, DARK AND HANDSOME miniseries. The exciting SONS AND LOVERS series also continues with Leanne Banks’s Ridge: The Avenger. This is Leanne’s first Silhouette Desire, but she certainly isn’t new to writing romance. This month, Desire has Husband: Optional, the next installment of Marie Ferrarella’s THE BABY OF THE MONTH CLUB. Don’t worry if you’ve missed earlier titles in this series, because this book “stands alone.” And it’s so charming and breezy you’re sure to just love it! The WEDDING BELLES series by Carole Buck is completed with Zoe and the Best Man. This series just keeps getting better and better, and Gabriel Flynn is one scrumptious hero. Next is Kristin James’ Desire, The Last Groom on Earth, a delicious opposites-attract story written with Kristin’s trademark sensuality. Rounding out the month is an amnesia story (one of my favorite story twists), Just a Memory Away, by award-winning author Helen R. Myers. And next month, we’re beginning CELEBRATION 1000, a very exciting, ultraspecial three-month promotion celebrating the publication of the 1000th Silhouette Desire. During April, May and June, look for books by some of your most beloved writers, including Mary Lynn Baxter, Annette Broadrick, Joan Johnston, Cait London, Ann Major and Diana Palmer, who is actually writing book #1000! These will be months to remember, filled with “keepers.” As always, I wish you the very best, Lucia Macro Senior Editor Please address questions and book requests to: Silhouette Reader Service U.S.: 3010 Walden Ave., P.O. Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269 Canadian: P.O. Box 609, Fort Erie, Ont. L2A 5X3

Title Page Ridge: The Avenger Leanne Banks www.millsandboon.co.uk

About The Author LEANNE BANKS is a national number-one bestselling author of romance. Recognized for her sensual writing with a Career Achievement Award from Romantic Times magazine, Leanne likes creating a story with a few grins, a generous kick of sensuality and characters that hang around after the book is finished. Leanne’s favorite hobbies include hugging her children, dancing with her husband in the privacy of their home and going out to dinner…any night will do.

Acknowledgement Acknowledgments to Commonwealth Confidential Investigations and the Virginia Democratic Headquarters. Special thanks to my incredibly talented collaborators Cindy Gerard and Susan Connell. And to the editor who pulled it all together, what can I say? Lucia for president!

Dedication This book is dedicated to everyone who has ever held a grudge, and experienced the power and freedom of letting it go.

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Epilogue

Copyright

Dara smiled. “Like a baby.”

Ridge scowled and turned away. “I’m glad one of us did.”

Her heart tightened, but she made herself remain calm. “You’re not going to give me one of those morning-after I-shouldn’t-have-given-in-to-my-carnal-urges speeches, are you?”

Ridge sighed and met her gaze. “No. I couldn’t regret last night, not one minute of it. But there are some things that last night can’t change—that nothing can change.”

“I wish you would tell me.”

“No,” he said firmly.

“Then tell me you’re not going to pretend that we didn’t make love. Or that you’re just my bodyguard. Or that I’m just another client….”

Welcome to the wonderful world of Silhouette Desire! This month, look for six scintillating love stories. I know you’re going to enjoy them all. First up is The Beauty, the Beast and the Baby, a fabulous MAN OF THE MONTH from Dixie Browning. It’s also the second book in her TALL, DARK AND HANDSOME miniseries.

The exciting SONS AND LOVERS series also continues with Leanne Banks’s Ridge: The Avenger. This is Leanne’s first Silhouette Desire, but she certainly isn’t new to writing romance. This month, Desire has Husband: Optional, the next installment of Marie Ferrarella’s THE BABY OF THE MONTH CLUB. Don’t worry if you’ve missed earlier titles in this series, because this book “stands alone.” And it’s so charming and breezy you’re sure to just love it!

The WEDDING BELLES series by Carole Buck is completed with Zoe and the Best Man. This series just keeps getting better and better, and Gabriel Flynn is one scrumptious hero. Next is Kristin James’ Desire, The Last Groom on Earth, a delicious opposites-attract story written with Kristin’s trademark sensuality.

Rounding out the month is an amnesia story (one of my favorite story twists), Just a Memory Away, by award-winning author Helen R. Myers.

And next month, we’re beginning CELEBRATION 1000, a very exciting, ultraspecial three-month promotion celebrating the publication of the 1000th Silhouette Desire. During April, May and June, look for books by some of your most beloved writers, including Mary Lynn Baxter, Annette Broadrick, Joan Johnston, Cait London, Ann Major and Diana Palmer, who is actually writing book #1000! These will be months to remember, filled with “keepers.”

As always, I wish you the very best,

Lucia Macro

Senior Editor

Please address questions and book requests to:

Silhouette Reader Service

U.S.: 3010 Walden Ave., P.O. Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269

Canadian: P.O. Box 609, Fort Erie, Ont. L2A 5X3

www.millsandboon.co.uk

is a national number-one bestselling author of romance. Recognized for her sensual writing with a Career Achievement Award from Romantic Times magazine, Leanne likes creating a story with a few grins, a generous kick of sensuality and characters that hang around after the book is finished. Leanne’s favorite hobbies include hugging her children, dancing with her husband in the privacy of their home and going out to dinner…any night will do.

Acknowledgments to Commonwealth Confidential

Investigations and the Virginia Democratic

Headquarters. Special thanks to my incredibly

talented collaborators Cindy Gerard and

Susan Connell. And to the editor who pulled it all

together, what can I say? Lucia for president!

This book is dedicated to everyone who has ever held

a grudge, and experienced the power and