Leah Vale - The Rich Girl Goes Wild

He reached up and gripped her elbow, his fingers warm and strong. The consistent possessiveness of his touch thrilled her. No man had ever made her feel the way he did.

“You’re welcome, Ash. And you were right. It wasn’t so bad.”

“See, I told you—”

He leaned close to cut her off. “Mostly because I had the chance to hold you in my arms.”

Before she could decide if he was simply being complimentary out of politeness or if the shadows darkening his topaz gaze held something more, something closer to what she was feeling, she had to step ahead of him to avoid the waiters scrambling to clear the dozens of large round tables. But she had no doubt there was something between them.

Something very real, very compelling…and very dangerous.

Dear Reader,

It’s hot outside. So why not slip into something more comfortable, like a delicious Mills & Boon American Romance novel? This month’s selections are guaranteed to take your mind off the weather and put it to something much more interesting.

We start things off with Debbi Rawlins’s By the Sheikh’s Command, the final installment of the very popular BRIDES OF THE DESERT ROSE series. Our bachelor prince finally meets his match in a virginal beauty who turns the tables on him in a most delightful way. Rising star Kara Lennox begins a new family-connected miniseries, HOW TO MARRY A HARDISON, and these sexy Texas bachelors will make your toes tingle. You’ll meet the first Hardison brother in Vixen in Disguise—a story with a surprising twist.

The talented Debra Webb makes a return engagement to Mills & Boon American Romance this month with The Marriage Prescription, a very emotional story involving characters you’ve met in her incredibly popular COLBY AGENCY series from Mills & Boon Intrigue. Also back this month is Leah Vale with The Rich Girl Goes Wild, a not-to-be-missed billionaire-in-disguise story.

Here’s hoping you enjoy all we have to offer this month at Mills & Boon American Romance. And be sure to stop by next month when Cathy Gillen Thacker launches her brand-new family saga, THE DEVERAUX LEGACY.

Best,

Melissa Jeglinski

Associate Senior Editor

Mills & Boon American Romance

The Rich Girl Goes Wild

Leah Vale

www.millsandboon.co.uk

For my mom, because she listened to each and every one of my stories, or at least did a darn good job pretending.

Having never met an unhappy ending she couldn’t mentally “fix,” LEAH VALEbelieves writing romance novels is the perfect job for her. A Pacific Northwest native with a B.A. in communications from the University of Washington, she lives in Portland, Oregon, with her wonderful husband, two adorable sons and a golden retriever. She is an avid skier, scuba diver and “do-over” golfer. While having the chance to share her “happy endings from scratch” with the world is a dream come true, dinner generally has come premade from the store. Leah would love to hear from her readers, and can be reached at P.O. Box 91337, Portland, OR 97291, or at http://www.leahvale.com.

MILLS & BOON AMERICAN ROMANCE

924—THE RICH MAN’S BABY

936—THE RICH GIRL GOES WILD

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

Bike shorts are padded, right?

The inane question was the only coherent thought Ashley Rivers could form, as she stood frozen in her descent of the grand, freestanding staircase in her family’s mansion.

Granted, the fact that a strange man in full bicycling gear with a bright yellow mountain bike hoisted on his shoulder had strolled through the front door first thing in the morning, without so much as a knock or call of hello, was shocking enough. But for that man’s skin-tight biking shorts and mud-caked short-sleeved Lycra shirt to hug his big, muscular body the way it did…well, it was little wonder Ashley found herself growing warm in her cream Chanel suit and incapable of thought. She practically gaped as he angled his body, well-defined muscles bunching and stretching, to close one of the oversize, dark oak, front doors behind him.

Having always preferred polish and sophistication, not to mention proper manners, Ashley should have been repulsed. She wasn’t.

Far from it.

The mud splatters and dark whisker stubble on his square jaw enhanced his rugged, chiseled features the way the best makeup enhanced a woman’s looks, and had, no doubt, been much easier to acquire.

He glanced up, his gaze as startling and disconcerting as his unexpected entrance and attire. His hazel eyes were the exact golden-brown of the sun-lightened streaks in his dark-brown hair hanging beneath his bicycle helmet to his collar.

Then he smiled at her.

Ashley almost dropped her day planner. His even, white teeth, and a broad grin that created deep grooves in his cheeks and a warmth in his eyes gave his looks the impact of a backboard shattering slam-dunk. The light in his gaze increased to an unmistakable, sizzling heat when he looked her over from head to foot with obvious deliberation, pausing significantly on her breasts and legs.

“Well, good morning, gorgeous.” His deep voice rumbled its way up to her and made her heart do something it had never done before in her entire thirty years—skip a beat.

“Good—” Her voice sounded horribly strangled. She cleared her throat and started again. “Good morning.” The ridiculous tenor of her voice was enough to shake her out of her hormonally induced stupor.

Her brain working again, she flipped open her day planner with practiced efficiency and scanned the day’s schedule. Nothing about her receiving anything via messenger. Besides, what sort of messenger let himself into the house?

Belatedly realizing she should be concerned, she leaned toward the rail and checked to see if Donavon, their houseman, was anywhere in sight. And while it was barely past seven in the morning, surely someone else, perhaps her grandmother, or her only sibling, Harrison, and his wife and son, should be up and about.

An early riser, her father would normally be in his den right off the large foyer, occupying himself with the management of the Rivers family’s huge portfolio, since he’d turned over the running of Two Rivers Industries to her older brother six months ago. But Dad was out of town, playing host to a charity golf tournament she herself had put together, and wouldn’t be home until next weekend.

Ashley returned her attention to the man eyeing her with far too much undisguised interest. Used to more subtle appreciation, she grew uncomfortable. The last man to so blatantly admire her, Roger Benton, had actually been calculating her net worth when they first met at a charity wine auction. She was, after all, the unattached daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Oregon. The ache of a heart that had been slow to realize Roger’s true focus was a potent reminder to steer clear of such men.

She allowed herself the indulgence of the slightest frown. Crude gold digger or not, it would be impolite to scowl. Determined to be the mannerly, devoted daughter her father had once assumed her incapable of being, Ashley strove to never be impolite. “May I help you?”