by Wendy Vella
What? No! No—this was just schoolgirls’ talk coming back to haunt her. This had to stop. She had to stop. She tried to break with the vision. How could she know what it would feel like to have a man … how could she know?
And then she saw something in his eyes across the avenue that told her a fact she could not deny: she wasn’t having this illusion alone. He was as well. It was so real and not only for her—but for him also!
When he took a step into the street towards her, Sassy Winthrop ran as fast as her little walking boots could take her and escaped around the corner.
About Claudy Conn
Claudy Conn, a native New Yorker, now lives with her husband, Bob; their wolf, Cherokee; and Cherokee’s son, Rocky Man, who weighs in presently at 190 pounds.
She loves horses and riding and raised her ten-year-old gelding Southern Pride from the moment he was born. She also loves gardening, swimming, skiing, hiking, and travel—and of course, reading, writing, but no, she says, no arithmetic!
To get her monthly news, her reviews for all her new paranormal romances, and excerpts, come on and visit her at her website: http://www.claudyconn.com
To see pictures of Cherokee—and her shepherd-wolf son!—visit Claudy’s Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Claudy-Conn-Paranormal-Romance-Author/135826686471445
Discover this and other titles by Claudy Conn at Smashwords.com:
Risqué Regencies
Oh, Cherry Ripe – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/135532
Myriah Fire – http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/109011
Rogues, Rakes & Jewels – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/171997
Taffeta and Hotspur – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/179452
Wildfire Kiss – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/221331
Runaway Heart – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/239110
Netherby Halls – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/272171
After the Storm – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/282460
Legend Series
Prince Prelude—Legend – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/159840
Spellbound—Legend – http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/96103
Aaibhe—Shee Queen – http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/110252
Shee Willow—Legend – http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/103389
Prince in the Mist – http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/104045
Trapped—Legend – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/112028
Free Falling—Legend – http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/92368
Catch & Hold—Legend – http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/124602
Through Time Series
Through Time-Pursuit – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/210166
Through Time-Whiplash – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/292696
Shadow Series
ShadowLove—Stalkers – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/63037
ShadowHeart—Slayer – http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/84350
ShadowLife—Hybrid – http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/143173
Hungry Moon Series
Hungry Moon: Quicksilver – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/257284
Read more about Claudy Conn’s books
Risqué Regencies
Myriah Fire
Myriah Whitney wants thunder and lightning, not a proper courtship and a sensible marriage. Then circumstances lead to an encounter with the mysterious Lord Kit Wimborne—in his bed, with both of them naked, no less!—and the meeting is an explosion of wills that finally sets Myriah on fire …
Oh, Cherry Ripe
Cheryl Elton has been in London for three seasons and refuses to be courted. When her mother takes matters into her own hands, Cherry runs!
Rogues, Rakes & Jewels
What happens when an eligible marquis pretends to be a rake and a gambler, and the woman he is supposed to be courting disguises herself as a masked French card dealer? Find out in this spicy, risqué Regency romance.
Taffeta and Hotspur
Hotspur wants Taffeta—how far will he go to make her his? Taffeta has a secret—will it land her in trouble?
Wildfire Kiss
Lady Babs is a rule-breaker, but has she met her match in Lord Wildfire?
Runaway Heart
Chelsea takes London by storm, but the only man she wants thinks she is no more than a child.
Netherby Halls
Circumstances have forced Sassy to take on a teaching position at Netherby Halls, a school for well-bred orphaned girls, but her developing powers as a white witch tell her something wrong, something evil, lurks there. And what about the dashing marquis who keeps appearing in her life?
After the Storm
Jenny insisted she would never fall in love again, but she found herself drawn to the handsome Earl of Danfield. She also knew about his wild reputation, but it didn’t matter. His proposal would give her what she wanted. Peace.
Lady X (Coming in August)
Exerilla is a white witch. Her father, a dark and dangerous warlock, has a plan to marry her to someone she despises. He has the power to do this before she reaches her majority, which will occur at Samhain, Halloween. Her mother also has a plan and, against her daughter’s will, implements it, sending Exerilla into the past, where she must remain until October 31—months away. The problem: plans have a way of seeping from black and white into gray.
Legend Series
Prince Prelude—Legend
In this stand-alone tale and the backstory for the Legend series, we find ourselves in 1814. Gais and the prince come head to head over a woman. We will see Lamia DuLaine when she first sees Julian Talbot, and we will meet the first Maxie Reigate. Come along and see their world unfold …
Spellbound—Legend
Maxie is a reluctant heroine who travels to Scotland to find and save herself. Julian is a Druid priest in a modern age, and he is full of guilt—Can Maxie turn to him? Or will she turn to Prince Breslyn, a Royal Fae hunk offering her everything?
Aaibhe—Shee Queen (Novelette)
This is a love story but it is fringed with envy, jealousy, and bitterness—oh and more. It is laced with the havoc those devastating emotions can bring. It is about the seeds of hate born of love, and what havoc that hate can wantonly roar over even immortals. This is a story of Aaibhe, Queen of the Seelie Fae, because she deserves that it be told.
Shee Willow—Legend
Half-human, half-Fae Willow Lang has never felt she truly fit in either world, but she’s doing her best to ignore her Fae nature. But when she finds herself in the middle of a conflict between the Seelie Fae and the evil Dark Fae, she must embrace her Fae powers in order to protect the Human world.
Prince in the Mist (Novella)
Fact one: By tradition and treaty, Fae do not interfere with the human world—it is against the rules. Fact two: For a Royal Fae prince who suffers from the ennui of immortality, watching and interacting with humans—especially lovely, spirited human females—can be entertaining. Fact three: When entertainment changes to affection, and affection becomes love, rules will be broken.
Trapped—Legend
Magical powers, a castle, and a charming prince sound like the ingredients for a fairy-tale life, but for BJ Mulroy, reality turns out to be a whole lot more complicated. The war between the Seelie and the Unseelie is heating up, BJ has been drawn into the fray … and there’s the matter of the seventeenth-century hunk in the painting.
Free Falling—Legend
They call her Z, and she is a handful ready to explode. She has entered the war against Gais and the Dark Fae and means to take him on all by herself. She is driven. Aaibhe, Queen of the Seelie Fae, has other plans, and she sends in Prince Danté to execute and preserve her wishes. When Z and the prince meet, hackles go up on both sides.
Catch & Hold—Legend
Half-human/half-Daoine Fae Radzia MacDaun—Z to her frie
nds—finds herself in the Dark Realm, where she’ll have to fight Gaiscioch on his own turf. Danté, Prince of the Tuatha Dé and Z’s lover, is not about to let her face this danger alone, however, and the two of them are thrust on a ride that takes them to the edge of life as we know it …
Through Time Series
Through Time-Pursuit
Revenge is the driver. Will love be the equalizer in Through Time-Pursuit? Chance LeBlanc and Princess Royce are about to find out in this contemporary fantasy romance, picking up where Catch & Hold—Legend left off.
Through Time-Whiplash
Four Dark Royals are about to march out of the Dark Realm with an army of monsters at their back. The Queen of the Seelie Fae is in jeopardy with the Council because of her love for Morgan LeBlanc, a Milesian. Enter, unexpectedly, Jazmine Decker, a Fios (Fae seer) who finds herself unwittingly thrown into the past with Trevor. Chaos lies ahead.
Shadow Series
ShadowLove—Stalkers
Shawna Rawley has no choice but to run when Pentim Rawley, one of the most evil vampires who has ever lived, discovers she is his daughter. Chad MacFare has an offer for Shawna he thinks she can’t afford to refuse: he’ll protect her from Pentim and his minions. But Shawna doesn’t trust the sexy immortal. She knows he has his own agenda—he wants to kill her father, and he wants to set her up as bait …
ShadowHeart—Slayer
Damon Drummond and Nikki Walker are on opposite sides. He is a potent vampire—she is a skilled and powerful vampire slayer. Problem right there … but when they look at each other, sparks of all kinds fly. Too much stands between them: He will live forever, she will not, and yet …
ShadowLife—Hybrid
WB and his clan have moved in, and section by section Dublin is going dark. When the team needs help, they turn to a shapeshifter, Roxie MacBran.
Hungry Moon Series
Hungry Moon: Quicksilver
Seeking a haven in which to recover from heartache and betrayal, Ravena MacAllister returns to the Scottish Highlands she loves. But instead of peaceful solitude, Rave discovers a passion she had never dreamt possible and an adventure that will change her life—if she survives. Oh, and she’s also going to have to face a truth she has long tried to deny: she is not exactly human.
Once Upon a Rake
Samantha Holt
Copyright 2014 ©Samantha Holt
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Prologue
Yorkshire, England 1853
Lucian winced as Ellie’s high-pitched voice grated down his spine. He tucked himself further around the side of the house and hoped the shadows hid him from her. Unfortunately, the little lanterns scattered around the gardens for the ball destroyed any hopes of remaining hidden. The warm glow—while romantic—lit most parts of the path that trailed around the Elizabethan home.
Damn and blast, he should have asked Lady Clarissa to meet him in the maze or by the gazebo. That would have been equally romantic, if a little shady. But certainly less chance of being caught by Miss Eleanor Browning, the seventeen-year-old daughter of the hosts for the evening, Lord and Lady Browning.
His name echoed into the night and he shrank around the corner of the building. Here, the glow from the windows highlighted him, but if he went any farther he would have no chance of spotting Clarissa as she slipped out of the ballroom to join him for their rendezvous.
Clarissa was softening, he was sure of it. Tonight, he was certain to get a kiss at the very least. Maybe even a feel of that divine figure the widow failed to hide under layers of tulle and silk. Before long, he’d have her stripped down and writhing in his bed. The elegant woman would be spilling his name from her lips and begging him for more.
He grinned to himself and curled a fist in anticipation, feeling the warm stirrings of desire as he pictured her, flushed and naked against his bed sheets. He had been pursuing her for nigh on a month now. A hard nut to crack that one, but thoroughly worth it. There was, after all, not a deluge of attractive, experienced widows in the country, so one had to make the most of the opportunity when one was presented with one.
A flurry of bright pink skirts and frizzy hair came dashing up to him, and Lucian groaned inwardly. This was not the sight he’d been hoping for. He had wanted to see the dark, expressive eyes of Clarissa, not these insipid grey things staring up at him with all the adoration of a child thanking her father for her latest pony.
“Lucian, here you are. Will you not return to the ballroom? The next dance is on,” Ellie said breathlessly.
He clenched his jaw. He’d already taken one dance with her—at his mother’s persuasion—even with the knowledge one dance would never be enough for Ellie. She had trailed after him like a lost puppy for several years now. At three and twenty, he had little interest in a mere child and certainly not an irritating one like Ellie. But his mother had known she would struggle for dance partners and had pushed him to lead her out for the first dance in the hopes other men might follow suit.
What a damn fool. He should have known it would only encourage her. Their families had been close for many years though even his mother would not wish for him to make a match with Ellie. His mother had hopes of him marrying higher than his father’s rank. The daughter of a duke perhaps or...by God, royalty would probably be her preference.
“Well, Lucian?” Ellie prompted and tugged on his arm.
“I’m taking some air,” he replied gruffly.
There, that would frighten the chit off.
But instead, she looped her arm through his, near forcing it through, and gazed up at him. “Well, I shall join you then. It is a might stuffy in there and the evening is so very beautiful.”
It was. Hence why he had high hopes for breaking through Clarissa’s reserves. Candlelight, the scent of honeysuckle in the air, stars above...the fates had aligned perfectly to give him this elegant setting in which to meet the woman he would make his lover and yet...
Ellie.
The damned girl was determined to ruin everything. She was like a shadow. An ugly shadow. Lucian glanced down at her and tried to find something attractive in there, something to lessen his annoyance, but there was nothing. His mother would scold him, telling him she had taught him better and to look for the beauty within, but what use was inner beauty when all he wished to do was enjoy the outer.
His father’s health was declining. Before long, he would be the Viscount Rushbourne and his life as a rake would be at an end. If he was to enjoy himself before the tireless duties of a viscount were upon him, then he did not need to be looking for inner beauty.
“You should return to the ballroom,” he said stiffly. “No doubt there are many gentlemen lacking a partner.”
“Oh hardly. Mama says the balance is not very good this summer. Too many women and not enough men. I have been sitting out the past two dances. I told her that would never have happened had you been present and I simply didn’t know where you were, so I came in search of you.”
He twisted in an attempt to disengage her arm from his and only managed to draw her close as he turned to face her. He eyed the riot of curls piled atop her head. With its dull, straw-like color, he had never seen her hair look more like a haystack than today. The pink gown did nothing for her reed like figure—no amount of ruffles could disguise her lack of breasts—and her small features peeked out from under those curls like...well, like a damned scarecrow.
Yes, a scarecrow, that’s what she reminded him of. Perhaps that was uncharitable of him, but at the present, he didn’t much care. He longed to be touc
hing the glossy dark curls of Lady Clarissa and slipping his hands around her neck to be breathing in her fragrance. The only scent that reached him now was an overpowering scent of jasmine.
“You should not be out here alone,” he tried again.
“Oh, but I’m not alone. You are here.”
“Precisely.”
She giggled. “I do not think you would do anything untoward.”
Lucian resisted the urge to roll his eyes. How she avoided every rumor—true, and not so true—about him, he did not know. Ellie was in total ignorance of his reputation somehow. But everyone else knew it well and to be caught outside with him could potentially mean her ruination. More likely her mother would drag her in and scold her, but the danger was there. How typical of Ellie not to think. Throughout the years he’d known her, he had witnessed her impulsive, silly streak over and over.
“It does not matter if I would actually do anything untoward, you should not be out here alone. Return now and maybe you can secure yourself a partner for the next dance. My feet are sore and I’m wearied.”
“Poor Lucian. You are so much in demand that the ladies have turned you into an old man before your time,” she teased.
Lucian didn’t respond with anything but a glare, though it seemed to go unnoticed. “Ellie,” he warned on a growl, “return to the ballroom.”
A crease appeared between her brows and she took her arm from his, only to place her hand on his chest. “Are you not well? You seem terribly out of sorts.”
“I am perfectly well,” he replied through gritted teeth.
Or at least he would be once he’d rid himself of this scarecrow and replaced it with an elegant, exotic bird of paradise who would more than match him in looks. How Ellie ever thought she would interest him, he had no idea. They were as far apart in looks as... as a scarecrow and a mannequin in London’s finest clothing emporium. He, dark and refined, perfectly poised and immaculately dressed, and she, looking as though she had just been dragged from the nearest field.