These Wicked Games
Page 11
Patience. He smiled. He’d married her for her lands, and she for his money and title, but damn, he had got lucky.
It wasn’t just that she was beautiful. No, it was the spark behind her eyes, the quick, keen wit, the tiny hint of the devil in her smile. When he’d had her cornered in the library, so close he could feel the air move with each rise and fall of her chest, it was as if the world around them had disappeared. Jonathan could have begun dancing an Irish reel over by the window, and Damien would not have noticed.
But Patience was up to something. She had implied that she detested Snydley, and yet Jonathan had seen his carriage leaving that afternoon. Snydley had been there, in his house. And Damien was quite certain that he had not been there to threaten Patience. She had been far too carefree, far too easy to laugh.
No, she was up to something. And she was conspiring with Snydley to get it. But if she thought she could use that annoying little baron to force him to do her bidding, she was sadly mistaken. Because Damien had plans of his own.
In a single, fluid motion, he pushed himself off his bed and moved to the door that connected his room to hers. As he lifted his hand to knock against the wood, he smiled and whispered, “Let the games begin.”
Patience had changed into her nightclothes, but then, with a wary glance toward the door that led to the earl’s bedchamber, she pulled on a dressing gown. And then another. And then a third. A woman needed layers at a time like this. Many, many layers.
It was protection, really.
She stared at the door. At the knob. There was no lock, no way to keep him out.
But wasn’t this what she wanted? Hadn’t she come to London with the intention of transforming her marriage from farce to reality? She glanced at the clock. Dear heavens, it was nearly midnight. A sound bubbled forth in her throat—half laugh, half choke. She was mad if she thought she would sleep tonight. Her nerves were racing, her heart was thundering, and—
She swallowed. And he was knocking at her door.
Dear God, she needed another robe. She needed a winter coat. She needed—
“Patience?”
His voice, deep and rumbly through the wood of the door.
“Patience? Are you all right?”
All right? What was he talking about? She quickly crossed the room and pulled the door open. “My lord?”
He leaned in, concern etched on his face. “Did you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“That thump.”
“Thump?”
“It might have been more of a thunk.”
“A thunk.”
He stepped past her and strode into her room. “I thought it came from in here.”
“No,” she said, watching him as he peered behind the curtains. He was in his dressing gown, and she couldn’t quite keep her eyes off his legs, which were bare from just below the knees. Then he turned, and she looked up. At his chest. It was remarkable how much of it was peeking out between the lapels.
He shook his head. “I don’t like it.”
“It could have been a cat.”
For a moment he didn’t move.
“My lord?”
“Please say you don’t sleep with the cats.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “Just one.”
“I don’t suppose it’s the one you named after me.”
She shook her head. “He sleeps outside.”
He stepped toward her. “Banished, eh?”
Her mouth went dry.
He moved even closer. “Men don’t like to stay out in the cold.”
She licked her lips. “Wasn’t there something about a thunk?” she whispered.
“Thump,” he corrected, his hand finding the small of her back. “And I believe it was your heart.”
And it was then, as she tried to remember how to breathe, that his lips touched hers.
Avon Is Romance
The Story of the Company—and the Authors—Who Created Historical Romance…and Continue to Blaze Romantic History
In 1941, the world is at war…and Avon Publications prepares to release its first 12 paperbacks—mere days before the fateful strike on Pearl Harbor. The first Avon paperbacks cost 25¢ apiece; the entire first edition of Avon’s debut line sells out almost immediately.
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Under the Hearst umbrella, Avon diversifies its offerings, publishing groundbreaking fiction in paperback format. In 1972 the company creates a literary precedent with the publication of THE FLAME AND THE FLOWER, the world’s first historical romance, by literary trendsetter Kathleen Woodiwiss. Avon and Woodiwiss add a chapter to publishing history as the novel immediately hits the New York Times bestseller list, beginning a proud tradition of homegrown hits at Avon.
In 1977 the Woodiwiss phenomenon reaches a new pinnacle, climbing to the coveted #1 spot on the Times list.
Shortly thereafter, Avon releases another paperback novel that will obtain epic success: in 1978, more than three million copies of Colleen McCullough’s epic The Thorn Birds hit the stands, immediately followed by a second print run of 250,000 copies. The book climbs to the #1 spot on national bestseller lists instantly.
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Avon is an acknowledged force in the romance genre, thanks to the talent and popularity of their writing stars. This successful publishing formula continues to garner industry attention: in 1999, HarperCollinsPublishers merges with Morrow/Avon in a tactical move to bring the best commercial fiction to the American marketplace.
Avon Books, as part of HarperCollinsPublishers, continues to break new ground in romance. Avon recently makes national headlines in February 2006 with the introduction of Avon Red, an imprint dedicated to mainstream publication of today’s most sophisticated erotica.
Advances in e-book technology make this a very exciting time in publishing…it’s the dawn of a new era in functionality—and portability.
Copyright
This book 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.
THESE WICKED GAMES. Copyright © 2006 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
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About the Publisher
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Part One: These Wicked Games
1. The Wayward Wife by Sherry Ledington
2. Sweet Deception by Lacey Kumanchik
3. Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright…by Pamela Bolton-Holifield
4. Forget Me Not by Eve Ortega
5. The Missing Missives by Courtney Milan
6. Patience Makes Perfect by Sara Mangel
Part Two: The Daily Blog
Part Three: Writing Tips
Appendices
Avon FanLit Story Lines
About the Authors
About the Panelists
A FanLit Chapter by Julia Quinn: Let the Games Begin
Avon Is Romance
Copyright
Cover
About the Publisher