Cynthia Rutledge - Rich, Rugged...Royal

Time seemed suspended as their gazes met, his reflecting the same flare of heat that burned in her veins.

“I want to walk you to your room,” he said.

Lauren drew a steadying breath and shook her head. “You’re way too—”

“Irresistible?”

“I was thinking more along the lines of persistent.” The elevator door opened on her floor and she moved forward onto the plush carpet.

Alex stepped off the elevator and the door closed behind him. He picked up her hand and drew a lazy pattern on her palm with his index finger. “I’d give up if you told me to get lost and meant it.”

His touch made it difficult for Lauren to breathe. “I’m not sure.”

“Maybe this will help you decide.”

He tugged her toward him, and covered her mouth with his own.

Dear Reader,

What are your favorite memories of summer? Even though I spend my days reading manuscripts, I love nothing better than basking in the sun’s warm glow as I sit immersed in a great book. If you share this pleasure with me, rest assured that I can make packing your beach bag really easy this month!

Certainly, you’ll want to make room in your bag for Patricia Thayer’s A Taste of Paradise (SR #1770), part of the author’s new LOVE AT THE GOODTIME CAFÉ miniseries. Thayer proves that romance is the order of the day when a sexy sheriff determined to buy back his family’s ranch crosses paths with a beautiful blond socialite who is on the run from an arranged marriage. Watch the sparks fly in Rich, Rugged…Royal by Cynthia Rutledge (SR #1771) in which an ordinary woman discovers that the man whom she had a one-night affair with is not only her roommate but also a royal! International bestselling author Lilian Darcy offers an emotional tale about an estranged couple who are reunited when the hero is named bachelor of the year, in The Millionaire’s Cinderella Wife (SR #1772). Finally, I’m delighted to introduce you to debut author Karen Potter whose Daddy in Waiting (SR #1773) shows how a mix-up at a fertility clinic leads to happily ever after.

And be sure to leave some room in your bag next month when Judy Duarte kicks off a summer-themed continuity set at a county fair!

Happy reading,

Ann Leslie Tuttle

Associate Senior Editor

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To Lee Cades, my favorite aunt

Silhouette Romance

Trish’s Not-So-Little Secret #1581

Kiss Me, Kaitlyn #1651

Rich, Rugged…Royal #1771

Love Inspired

Unforgettable Faith #102

Undercover Angel #123

The Marrying Kind #135

Redeeming Claire #151

Judging Sara #157

Wedding Bell Blues #178

A Love to Keep #208

The Harvest/“Loving Grace” #223

Two Hearts #264

Love Enough for Two #264

For Love’s Sake #281

is a lifelong Nebraska resident. She graduated from the University of Nebraska with a liberal arts degree, then returned several years later to earn a degree in nursing. A registered nurse, Cynthia now works full-time for a large insurance company and writes in the evenings and on weekends. She loves writing romance because a happy ending is guaranteed!

Cynthia loves to hear from readers and encourages you to visit her Web site at: http://www.cynthiarutledge.com.

* Develop pictures from friend’s wedding.

* Remember fondly how I spent the wedding reception dancing with a handsome stranger…who is now my roommate.

* Eat a hot fudge sundae to forget that your roommate is a hunk and that you are “just friends.”

* Go to Neiman Marcus and find a sexy dress on the off chance hot roommate will ask me out for a spontaneous dinner.

* Buy stamps so that I can pay overdue bills.

* Eat another hot fudge sundae to forget overdue bills.

* Go to Neiman Marcus to buy shoes I can’t afford to match dress on off chance my princely roommate will find me irresistible.

* Eat third hot fudge sundae to numb the fact that I am in love with my roommate!

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

“Were there any men at the wedding?” Clarice Carlyle took a tiny bite of dessert and tilted her head expectantly, an avaricious gleam in her eye.

Lauren resisted the urge to sigh. Why couldn’t her mother realize that not everything in life revolved around men? The fact that she was almost thirty and still unmarried drove her mother crazy. But she wasn’t going to settle for just anyone. Or marry for money, as her mother hoped.

Lauren wanted the fairy tale. She wanted a man to sweep her off her feet, to love her with a passion that defied logic. Quite simply, she wanted to live happily ever after.

“They didn’t invite any men,” Lauren said flatly when the silence lengthened and she realized her mother actually expected an answer to the ridiculous question.

Clarice looked askance for a second before she chuckled. “Of course there were men there. Chicago is full of men. What I was asking was if you’d met anyone interesting?”

“I danced with several different men.” Lauren skirted the question, her answer honest as far as it went. Most of the evening had been spent either talking or dancing with old college friends.

“Didn’t anyone in particular catch your eye?”

Lauren sipped the Guatemalan coffee blend and hoped the heat stealing its way up her neck didn’t give her away. One particular man had done a lot more than catch her eye.

“What’s his name?”

“Who?” Lauren took a bite of cheesecake, desperately wishing she’d left right after dinner.

“The man who is making you blush,” Clarice said. “I assume he was good-looking?”

Good-looking?

An image of Alex’s face flashed before Lauren. Good-looking would be an understatement. She’d always liked men with dark hair. And Alex’s hazel eyes held flecks of gold and green in their depths. At just over six feet, he was tall enough without being too tall, with a lean, muscular body and broad shoulders. In his arms, a woman could feel soft and feminine and utterly desirable.

“He was handsome,” Lauren said into the expectant silence. “But it doesn’t matter. I’ll never see him again.”

Having a one-night stand was one thing. Lauren wasn’t going to compound the error by pretending the interlude had been about anything more than sex.

Clarice made a tsk-tsking sound. “You always were such a pessimist.”

“Realist,” Lauren said.

“If your father and I taught you anything,” Clarice said. “It should be that where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

“He’s in Chicago, Mother,” Lauren said, wondering why she continued to take part in this awkward discussion. It wasn’t as if the cheesecake was that good. “Even if I wanted to get in touch with him, I wouldn’t have a clue how to do it.”

Clarice leaned forward. “Surely some of his friends were at the wedding?”

“He was an old college roommate of Tom Alvarez.” Lauren shrugged. “That’s all I know.”

It wasn’t, of course, all she knew, just all she was willing to share. Her mother didn’t need to know what Alex looked like naked or that he spoke French when he made love.