A Touch of Persuasion

by Janice Maynard

  She had known this day would come

  Six years ago, Olivia Delgado was abandoned by the man she loved—a man who had never existed. Billionaire adventurer Kieran Wolff had used an alias, made love to her, then disappeared. Now he’s returned, insisting on not only meeting her daughter—his daughter—but on seducing Olivia back into his bed! Passion still simmers between them, threatening her good sense. Can he be trusted this time, or is Kieran still a Wolff in sheep’s clothing?

  Enjoy a special 30th anniversary bonus story from Brenda Jackson—“A Lover’s Touch”

  “Feel the heat. Be consumed in passion. Read a Desire.”

  —New York Times and USA TODAY

  Bestselling Author Brenda Jackson

  Look for all six

  Special 30th Anniversary Collectors’ Editions

  from some of our most popular authors.

  TEMPTED BY HER INNOCENT KISS

  by Maya Banks

  with “Never Too Late” by Brenda Jackson

  BEHIND BOARDROOM DOORS

  by Jennifer Lewis

  with “The Royal Cousin’s Revenge” by Catherine Mann

  THE PATERNITY PROPOSITION

  by Merline Lovelace

  with “The Sheik’s Virgin” by Susan Mallery

  A TOUCH OF PERSUASION

  by Janice Maynard

  with “A Lover’s Touch” by Brenda Jackson

  A FORBIDDEN AFFAIR

  by Yvonne Lindsay

  with “For Love or Money” by Elizabeth Bevarly

  CAUGHT IN THE SPOTLIGHT

  by Jules Bennett

  with “Billionaire’s Baby” by Leanne Banks

  * * *

  Find Harlequin Desire on Facebook,

  www.facebook.com/HarlequinDesire,

  or on Twitter, @desireeditors!

  Dear Reader,

  I read my very first Harlequin Romance book in seventh grade, and I’ve been hooked ever since! What a delight it is to be part of celebrating Desire’s 30th anniversary. The men and women you meet in series romance every month reflect all that is heartwarming and breathtaking about romantic commitment.

  I hope you had a chance to meet part of the Wolff family in my January release, Into His Private Domain. Writing this series about The Men of Wolff Mountain has been the most fun I’ve ever had with a group of interesting, sometimes arrogant, but always fascinating siblings and their cousins!

  Each hero is different, because each hero has his own demons to conquer. In A Touch of Persuasion, Kieran Wolff finds that his past has caught up with him. He must make difficult decisions, and all in the context of a family and home that he has run from for most of his adult life. I hope you enjoy his story—one of secrets, lost love and divided loyalties.

  Don’t forget to visit www.WolffMountain.com for bonus content about all things Wolff.

  See you on the mountain!

  Janice Maynard

  Janice Maynard

  A Touch of Persuasion

  Books by Janice Maynard

  Harlequin Desire

  The Billionaire’s Borrowed Baby #2109

  *Into His Private Domain #2135

  *A Touch of Persuasion #2146

  Silhouette Desire

  The Secret Child & the Cowboy CEO #2040

  *The Men of Wolff Mountain

  Other titles by this author available in ebook format.

  JANICE MAYNARD

  came to writing early in life. When her short story The Princess and the Robbers won a red ribbon in her third-grade school arts fair, Janice was hooked. She holds a B.A. from Emory and Henry College and an M.A. from East Tennessee State University. In 2002 Janice left a fifteen-year career as an elementary teacher to pursue writing full-time. Her first love is creating sexy, character-driven, contemporary romance. She has written for Kensington and NAL, and now is so very happy to also be part of the Harlequin family—a lifelong dream, by the way!

  Janice and her husband live in beautiful east Tennessee in the shadow of the Great Smoky Mountains. She loves to travel and enjoys using those experiences as settings for books.

  Hearing from readers is one of the best perks of the job! Visit her website at www.janicemaynard.com or email her at JESM13@aol.com. And of course, don’t forget Facebook (www.facebook.com/JaniceMaynardReaderPage). Find her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/JaniceMaynard and visit all the men of Wolff Mountain at www.wolffmountain.com.

  A Touch of Persuasion

  Janice Maynard

  For Deener

  Your energy, enthusiasm and joie de vivre

  challenge the rest of us to embrace life more fully.

  I’m glad you are my friend!

  * * *

  THE MEN OF WOLFF MOUNTAIN:

  Wealthy, mysterious and sexy…

  they’ll do anything for the women they love.

  For an inside look at the wealthy, reclusive Wolff family, visit WolffMountain.com! Bios, sneak peeks, contests and more… See you on the mountain!

  Contents

  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

  Chapter Seventeen

  One

  Kieran stood on the front porch of the small, daffodil-yellow house and fisted his hands at his hips. In the distance, the sounds of a lawn mower mingled with childish shouts and laughter. The Santa Monica neighborhood where he had finally tracked down Olivia’s address was firmly, pleasantly middle class.

  He told himself not to jump to conclusions.

  The article he’d clipped from one of his father’s newspapers crackled in his pocket like the warning rattle of a venomous snake. He didn’t need to take it out for a second read. The words were emblazoned in his brain.

  Oscar winners Javier and Lolita Delgado threw a lavish party for their only grandchild’s fifth birthday. The power couple, two of the few remaining MGM “Hollywood royals,” commanded an A-list crowd that included a who’s who of movie magic. Little “Cammie,” the star of the show, enjoyed pony rides, inflatables and a lavish afternoon buffet that stopped just short of caviar. The child’s mother, Olivia Delgado, stayed out of the limelight as is her custom, but was seen occasionally in the company of rising film star Jeremy Vargas.

  Like a dog worrying a bone, his brain circled back to the stunning possibility. The timing was right. But that didn’t mean he and Olivia had produced a child.

  Anger, searing and unexpected, filled his chest, choking him with confusion and inexplicable remorse. He’d done his best to eradicate memories of Olivia. Their time together had been brief but spectacular. He’d loved her with a young man’s reckless passion.

  It couldn’t be true, could it?

  Though it wasn’t his style to postpone confrontation, he extracted the damning blurb one more time and studied the grainy black-and-white photo. The child’s face was in shadow, but he knew her family all too well.

  Did Kieran have a daughter?

  His hands trembled. He’d been home from the Far East less than seventy-two hours. Jet lag threatened to drag him under. Things hadn’t ended well with Olivia, but surely she wouldn’t have kept such a thing from him.

  The shocking discovery in his father’s office set all of Kieran’s plans awry. Instead of enjoying a long overdue reunion with his extended family on their remote mountaintop in the Virginia Blue Ridge, he had said h
ello and goodbye with dizzying speed and hopped on another plane, this time to California.

  Though he’d be loath to admit it, he was jittery and panicked. With a muttered curse, he reached out and jabbed the bell.

  When the door swung open, he squared his shoulders and smiled grimly. “Hello, Olivia.”

  The woman facing him could have been a movie star herself. She was quietly beautiful; a sweeter, gentler version of her mother’s exotic, Latin looks. Warm, sun-kissed skin. A fall of mahogany hair. And huge brown eyes that at the moment were staring at him aghast.

  He probably should be ashamed that he felt a jolt of satisfaction when she went white. The urge to hurt her was unsettling. “May I come in?”

  She wet her lips with her tongue, a pulse throbbing visibly at the side of her neck. “Why are you here?” Her voice cracked, though she was clearly trying hard to appear unconcerned.

  “I thought we could catch up…for old times’ sake. Six years is a long span.”

  She didn’t give an inch. Her hand clenched the edge of the door, and her body language shouted a resounding no. “I’m working,” she said stiffly. “Now’s not a good time.”

  He might have been amused by her futile attempt at resistance if he hadn’t been so tightly wound. Her generous breasts filled out the front of a white scooped-neck top. It was almost impossible not to stare. Any healthy man between the ages of sixteen and seventy would be drawn to the lush sexuality of a body that, if anything, was more pulse-stopping than ever.

  He pushed his way in, inexorably but gently. “Perhaps not for you. I happen to think it’s a damn good time.”

  She stepped back instinctively as he moved past her into a neat, pleasantly furnished living room. Though it was warm and charming, not an item was out of place. No toys, no puzzles, no evidence of a child.

  On the far wall, built-in bookcases housed a plethora of volumes ranging from popular fiction to history and art appreciation. Olivia had been a phenomenally intelligent student, an overachiever who possessed the unusual combination of creativity and solid business sense.

  A single framed picture caught his eye. As he crossed the room for a closer look, he recognized the background. Olivia had written her graduate thesis about the life and work of famed children’s author and illustrator Beatrix Potter. On one memorable weekend, Olivia had dragged Kieran with her to England’s Lake District. After touring the house and grounds where the beloved character Peter Rabbit was born, Kieran had booked a room at a charming, romantic B and B.

  Remembering the incredible, erotic days and nights he and Olivia had shared on a fluffy, down-filled mattress tightened his gut and made his sex stir. Had he ever felt that way since?

  He’d tried so damned hard to forget her, to fulfill his duty as a Wolff son. A million times he had questioned the decisions he made back then. Leaving her without a word. Ending an affair that was too new…too fragile.

  But he had ached for her. God, he had ached. For Olivia…elegant, funny, beautiful Olivia…with a body that could make a man weep for joy or pray that time stood still.

  He shoved aside the arousing memory. There was a strong chance that this woman had perpetrated an unforgivable deception. He refused to let his good sense be impaired by nostalgia. And let’s face it…this meeting should be taking place on neutral ground. Because without witnesses, there was a good chance he was going to wring Olivia’s neck.

  Again, he studied the photo. Olivia stood, smiling for the camera, holding the hand of a young child. Kieran’s world shifted on its axis. He lost the ability to breathe. My God. The kid was a Wolff. No one could doubt it. The wide-spaced eyes, the wary expression, the uptilted chin.

  He whirled to face his betrayer. “Where is she?” he asked hoarsely. “Where’s my daughter?”

  Two

  Olivia called upon every parentally bestowed dramatic gene she possessed to appear mildly confused. “Your daughter?”

  The man facing her scowled. “Don’t screw with me, Olivia. I’m not in the mood.” She saw his throat work. “I want to see her. Now.”

  Without waiting for an invitation, he bounded up the nearby stairs, Olivia scurrying in his wake with her heart pounding. She’d known on some level that this day would come. But in her mind, she’d always thought that she would be the one orchestrating the reunion.

  Kieran Wolff had been her first and only lover. Back then she’d been a shy, lonely, bookish girl with her head in the clouds. He had shown her a world of intimate pleasures. And then he had disappeared.

  Any guilt she was feeling about the current situation evaporated in a rush of remembered confusion and pain.

  On the landing he paused, then strode through the open door of what was unmistakably a little girl’s bedroom. A Disney princess canopy bed…huge movie posters from a variety of animated children’s films…a pair of ballet slippers dangling from a hook on the door.

  For a moment, Olivia was reluctantly moved by the anguish on his face, but she firmed her resolve. “I repeat the question. What are you doing here, Kevin?”

  A dull flush of color rose from the neck of his open-collared shirt. Short-cropped hair a shade darker than hers feathered to a halt at his nape. He was dressed like a contemporary Indiana Jones, looking as if he might be ready to take off on his next adventure. Which was exactly why, among other reasons, she had never contacted him.

  He faced her, his gaze an impossible-to-decipher mélange of emotions. “So you know who I am.” It was more of a statement than a question.

  She shrugged. “I do now. A few years ago I hired a private investigator to find out the truth about Kevin Wade. Imagine my surprise when I learned that no such man existed. At least not the one I knew.”

  “There were reasons, Olivia.”

  “I’m sure there were. But those reasons mean less than nothing to me at this point. I need you to leave my house before I call the police.”

  Her futile threat rolled off him unnoticed. He was intensely masculine, in control, his tall lanky frame lean and muscular without an ounce of fat. Amber eyes narrowed. “Maybe I’ll call the police and discuss charges of kidnapping.”

  “Don’t do this,” she whispered, her throat tight and her eyes burning. “Not after all this time. Please.” The entreaty was forced between numb lips. She owed him nothing. But he could destroy her life.

  “Where is the child?” His unequivocal tone brooked no opposition.

  “She’s traveling with her grandparents in Europe.” Not for anything would Olivia reveal the fact that Cammie’s flight wasn’t departing LAX for several hours.

  “Tell me she’s mine. Admit it.” He grasped her shoulders and shook her, his hands warm, but firm. “No lies, Olivia.”

  She was close enough to smell him, to remember with painful clarity the warm scent of his skin after lovemaking. Her stomach quivered. At one time she had believed she would wake up beside this man for the rest of her life. Now, in retrospect, she winced for the naive, foolish innocent she had been.

  In high heels she could have met him eye to eye, but barefoot, wearing nothing but shorts and a casual top, she was at a distinct disadvantage. She pushed hard against his broad chest. “Let me go, you Neanderthal. You have no right to come here and push me around.”

  He released her abruptly. “I want the truth, damn it. Tell me.”

  “You wouldn’t know the truth if it bit you in the ass. Go home, Kevin Wade.”

  Her deliberate taunt increased the fury bracketing his mouth with lines of stress. “We need to talk,” he said as he glanced at his watch. “I have a conference call I can’t miss in thirty minutes, so you have a choice. Tonight at my hotel. Or tomorrow in a room with two lawyers. Your call. But the way I’m feeling, a public forum might be the best option.”

  The sinking sensation in her belly told her that he would not give up easily. “I don’t have anything to say to you,” she said, her bravado forced at best.

  He stared her down, his piercing golden eyes see
ming to probe right through her to get at the truth. “Then I’ll do all the talking.”

  Olivia watched, stunned, while he departed as quickly as he had come. She trailed after him, ready to slam the front door at the earliest opportunity, forcefully closing the door to the past. He paused on the porch. “I’ll send a driver for you at six,” he said bluntly. “Don’t be late.”

  When he drove away, her legs gave out beneath her. She sank into a chair, her whole body shaking. Dear God. What was she going to do? She was a terrible liar, but she dared not tell him the truth. Kieran Wolff—she still had trouble thinking of him by that name—was not the laughing young man she remembered from their graduate days at Oxford.

  His skin was deeply tanned, and sun lines at the corners of his eyes gave testament to the hours he now spent outdoors. He was as lethal and predatory as the sleek cats that inhabited the jungles he frequented. The man who helped dig wells in remote villages and who built and rebuilt bridges and buildings in war-torn countries was hard as glass.

  She shuddered, remembering the implacable demand in his gaze. Would she be able to withstand his interrogation?

  But there were more immediate details to address. Picking up the phone, she dialed the mother of Cammie’s favorite playmate. The two families’ backyards adjoined, and Cammie was spending part of the afternoon with her friend. Olivia had been terrified that Cammie would come home while Kieran was in the house.

  Twenty minutes later, Olivia watched her daughter labor over a thank-you picture for her grandparents. Despite Olivia’s reservations about the recent birthday party, the worst that had happened to her precocious offspring was the almost inevitable spilled punch on a five-hundred-dollar party dress…and a sunburned nose.

  The dress had been a gift from Lolita. Olivia warned her mother that the exquisite frock was highly inappropriate for a child’s birthday party. But as always, Lolo, as she liked to be called by her granddaughter, ignored Olivia’s wishes and bought the dress, anyway.