No More Mister Nice Guy
Page 1
Shelby’s hair was dirty and tangled around ber face.
Letter to Reader
Title Page
Books by Linda Randall Wisdom
About the Author
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Copyright
Shelby’s hair was dirty and tangled around ber face.
Smudges of dirt were on almost every inch of exposed skin, and what wasn’t filthy was marred with scratches and bruises.
Jed couldn’t imagine anyone looking more beautiful than she did right now.
And he couldn’t stop himself from touching her. He cupped the back of her head and pulled her toward him. The moment their lips met, his tongue thrust inside for a raw, heated kiss, and she melted against him.
“Shelby…” He broke away, breathing hard. “I swear, if you ever pull a stunt like this again, I’ll keep you tied to the bed for the rest of your life.”
The Shelby of the past would have been angered by his arrogance. The new Shelby merely smiled. “And the same goes for you, darling…. Now, can we get out of here…?”
Dear Reader,
There’s a nip in the air, now that fall is here, so why not curl up with a good book to keep warm? We’ve got six of them this month, right here in Silhouette Intimate Moments. Take Modean Moon’s From This Day Forward, for example. This Intimate Moments Extra title is a deeply emotional look at the break-up—and makeup—of a marriage. Your heart will ache along with heroine Ginnie Kendrick’s when she thinks she’s lost Neil forever, and your heart will soar along with hers, too, when at last she gets him back again.
The rest of the month is terrific, too. Jo Leigh is back with Everyday Hero. Who can resist a bad boy like T. J. Russo? Not Kate Dugan, that’s for sure! Then there’s Linda Randall Wisdom’s No More Mister Nice Guy.
Jed Hawkins is definitely tough, but even a tough guy has a heart—as Shelby Carlisle can testify by the end of this compelling novel. Suzanne Brockmann’s TALL, DARK AND DANGEROUS miniseries continues with Forever Blue, about Lucy Tait and Blue McCoy, a hero as true blue as his name. Welcome Audra Adams to the line with Mommy’s Hero, and watch as the world’s cutest twin girls win over the recluse next door. Okay, their mom has something to do with his change of heart, too. Finally, greet our newest author, Roberta Tobeck. She’s part of our WOMEN TO WATCH new author promotion, and once you’ve read Under Cover of the Night, you’ll know why we’re so keen on her.
Enjoy—and come back next month for six more top-notch novels of romance the Intimate Moments way.
Leslie Wainger,
Senior Editor and Editorial Coordinator
Please address questions and book requests to:
Silhouette Reader Service
U.S.: 3010 Walden Ave., P.O. Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269
Canadian: P.O. Box 609, Fort Erie, Ont. L2A 5X3
NO MORE MISTER NICE GUY
LINDA RANDALL WISDOM
Published by Silhouette Books
America’s Publisher at Contemporary Romance
Books by Linda Randall Wisdom
Silhouette Intimate Moments
No More Secrets #640
No More Mister Nice Guy #741
Previously published under the pseudonym of Linda Wisdom
Silhouette Romance
Dancer in the Shadows #49
Fourteen Karat Beauty #95
Bright Tomorrow #132
Dreams from the Past #166
Snow Queen #241
Silhouette Special Edition
A Man with Doubts #27
Unspoken Past #74
Island Rogue #160
Business as Usual #190
A World of Their Own #220
LINDA RANDALL WISDOM
first sold to Silhouette Books on her wedding anniversary in 1979 and hasn’t stopped since! She loves looking for the unusual when she comes up with an idea, and only hopes her readers enjoy reading her stories as much as she enjoys writing them.
A native Californian, she is married and has two dogs, five parrots and a tortoise, so life is never boring—or quiet—in the Wisdom household. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys going to the movies, reading, making jewelry and fabric painting.
Many thanks to Adrian Paul, s.k.a. Duncan MacLeod of
the Clan MacLeod, the Highlander, for giving romance
writers a wonderful hero to draw upon. As far as many
of us are concerned, Duncan is the Only One.
Prologue
Jed had to know if her soul was as fïery as her hair.
With the crystal tumbler of whiskey, neat, in one hand, he stood by a doorway where he could be out of the way and still easily watch her dazzle everyone around her.
She stood across the room looking like a brilliant flame, beckoning him to her side. There was only one problem. Flames could burn a person, and he wasn’t into pain. Still, this was one time when the pain might be worth it.
It wasn’t just her porcelain skin or flame red hair streaked with strands of rich gold, copper, bronze and blond. It wasn’t even the black, strapless, sequined gown that hugged every curve.
It was the incredible energy that seemed to flow all around her body. She stood there looking like every man’s fantasy come vividly to life. Judging by the expressions on the faces of the men in her vicinity, Jed doubted he was the only one who saw her that way. Who visualized her in his bed.
Jed didn’t need to ask the identity of the lady with the fiery hair. He already knew her name and her vital statistics.
But dry statistics weren’t the same as the real thing. For Jed, studying his subject in the flesh was much more enjoyable than reading facts and figures on a sheet of paper. Especially when the subject was as lovely as this one.
Shelby Elizabeth Carlisle. A natural redhead, with eyes the color of multifaceted emeralds. Five feet seven inches, with measurements worthy of a woman who worked out with a personal trainer four times a week. Twenty-nine years old and known for her fashion sense, she was well traveled, articulate, intelligent and pampered to within an inch of her life. He knew she was a born and bred Californian who made her home in one of the more refined Los Angeles suburbs and shunned the beach for the glitzy boutiques on Rodeo Drive and had even somehow turned her love for shopping into a business.
Not the kind of woman Jed normally associated with. He generally liked ones who knew the score. He could sense that while Shelby looked the part of the jaded jet-setter, she didn’t play the game. He’d already heard about the past men in her life. He was surprised to learn she always remained good friends with them, even after the relationship was over. He wasn’t sure he could be so generous as to give her up graciously.
She was dangerous. He sensed it.
But that was all right. He was dangerous, too.
Jed ambled over to the small group surrounding Shelby, never once taking his eyes off her glittering form. He didn’t miss the way her body stiffened for just a second as she glanced over her shoulder and noticed him. For a brief moment, flames flared in her eyes. He didn’t smile in satisfaction. He wanted her kept off guard.
Beware, old friend, she’s the boss’s daughter, his common sense warned him. Not a good idea to seduce her.
Many times Jed listened to his common sense. It had saved his life more than once ov
er the years. This was one time he ignored that voice.
“Miss Carlisle,” he murmured, nodding in her direction.
Lips colored a warm glossy red curved upward in a welcoming smile that spread to her eyes. “You must be Jed Hawkins. My father mentioned you were working stateside now.” She held out her hand. “Pleased to meet you.”
He noticed that the emerald solitaire winking on her ring finger matched her eyes exactly. The sultry fragrance emanating from her skin teased his senses in all the right ways.
“I understand you’ve recently returned from Monte Carlo. Did you enjoy your stay?” he asked smoothly, holding her hand just long enough for his message to get through. I’m attracted to you and you’re attracted to me. What shall we do about it?
“It’s always lovely this time of year, although I usually prefer somewhere quieter,” she replied. “But it was nice to get together with old friends.”
“Shelby in a quiet place?” one of the men hooted. “Honey, anyone who looks like you deserves bright lights and parties. Not some of those off-the-track hellholes you like to choose for your getaways.”
The man stepped back the moment Shelby’s cool glance settled on him. “You may prefer the parties, Frasier, but there are times when peace and quiet allow a person to think. Although I realize that isn’t one of your strong points. Thinking, that is.”
“I just meant…” He faltered.
“Yes, I’m sure you did.”
Jed hid his smile. So the lady could bite back. Good. The idea of her in a black negligee teased his mind. Followed by the mental picture of her wearing nothing.
He blamed his mental wanderings on a too-longcelibate life. His work didn’t allow for long-term relationships, which was just fine with him.
Shelby raised her chin. Her delicate eyebrow arched upward as if she could read his mind.
“Have you met the others, Mr. Hawkins?” She quickly made introductions.
Jed nodded at each one. It wasn’t difficult to notice that the men didn’t appreciate his intrusion into their group and the few women there appeared to feel exactly the opposite. He ignored them all.
“Seems your father has pulled out all the stops in his effort to welcome you home,” he commented, looking around the large ballroom filled with people dressed in tuxedos and formal gowns.
Hothouse flowers in fragile vases had been placed everywhere and waiters circulated with trays holding champagne-filled goblets or various tidbits to tempt the palate. Jed knew an orchestra would be providing dance music later. He turned back to find Shelby’s gaze on him. He quickly discovered she wasn’t as easy to read as he thought she would be. Jed always did enjoy a challenge.
All Shelby knew about Jed Hawkins was what her father had told her. One thing he had mentioned was that the man could prove dangerous to her peace of mind.
She had never known for sure what Jed Hawkins did. Stories that circulated about him gave him credit for everything, including the ability to walk on water. He traveled a great deal for Warren Carlisle’s import /export firm and had been out of the country for the past four years at one of the overseas offices. Her father often referred to him as the Hawk.
“Just remember he didn’t come by that name lightly,” he had warned her that afternoon. “The man is lethal when it comes to women. He’s broken more than his share of hearts along the way.”
“Ah, but I’m your daughter,” she had said lightly. “And everyone knows that trifling with Warren Carlisle’s daughter is tantamount to a very painful death. Besides, I absolutely refuse to allow my heart to be broken.”
She remembered now that Warren hadn’t smiled back. “Jed wouldn’t worry about that,” he’d said. When she’d asked him why he’d invited Jed at all, her father had given her a cryptic response about the Hawk needing to be around civilized people again. Then he’d swiftly changed the subject.
Shelby hadn’t given another thought to her father’s second-in-command until now.
Suddenly she understood why Warren had warned her about the man.
Jed Hawkins was aptly named. She was certain his piercing gaze saw past her dress to the black, sheer lingerie she had chosen to wear. He looked at her as if he was a bird of prey and she was an unsuspecting jackrabbit.
He was devastating in the formal black tuxedo with the snowy white shirt highlighting his sun-darkened skin. Raven black hair was tied back in a renegade’s ponytail. His face might not have been considered conventionally good-looking, but the intensity in his expression captured every woman’s attention. He was six feet but appeared even taller thanks to an erect bearing; the animal grace in his movements prompted a woman to think of other ways that same agility might be displayed. Eyes the deep gray of storm clouds watched her intently. His voice was like rich dark velvet that seduced and beguiled. She already felt the strong magnetic pull of his personality.
She resisted the urge to smile. Little did he know that the last thing she would even consider was becoming another notch on his bedpost.
A small voice inside her told her that getting to know this man would greatly change her life.
Chapter 1
“You slime! I cannot believe you are telling me this now!”
Jed’s idea of bliss was the quiet time after making love with Shelby. With all the traveling he did for Warren, their time together was limited, and by mutual consent they spent most of it in bed. For a man whose idea of commitment was being with the same woman more than three months, the past eighteen months had come as a surprise to him. During that time, he had never once found himself bored or thinking it was time to buy her something pretty and move on. She had always taken his news of yet another trip with grace and a warm smile, and he could always count on an equally warm welcome back. It didn’t appear she was taking the news as well this time.
He raised himself up on his elbow, the sheet slipping down to drape over his bare hip. When he’d broken the news about his early morning flight, he hadn’t expected this kind of reaction.
“Hawkins, your timing absolutely stinks. It’s bad enough you’re doing this to me again, but to do it right after we’ve made love is despicable.” Shelby seemed to snarl the words as she leapt out of bed and snatched her bra from the carpet. Her head whipped from right to left as she searched the room for the matching bikini underwear. She hopped on one foot as she climbed into them, then wrapped her bra around her chest. In her hurry, she left one hook undone.
Jed released a silent sigh of regret as he watched her cover up what he so much enjoyed looking at. Considering her mood, he decided the best thing to do was take the logical approach. Appear quiet and rational, and she’d understand why he hadn’t wanted to break the news earlier of his leaving the next morning and thereby ruin their evening together.
“Shelby, you know very well my job has always required a great deal of traveling,” he began.
Her eyes blazed brilliant green fire as she faced him. One hand crushed a tangerine silk T-shirt at her side. “With all the traveling you do, people would think you’re the only capable person in the company,” she stated coldly. “I can’t believe you are so indispensable that you have to do all the traveling you’re asked to do. There are others who are just as capable.”
Jed mentally compared his capabilities with some of the others and instantly dismissed them. It wasn’t conceit. He merely knew what he could do and what they could. He always won hands down.
“Not exactly.” He didn’t move as he watched her drop the top over her head and pull on matching silk trousers. Her movements were jerky, filled with anger as she tucked her shirt inside the waistband. He was amazed at this new side of Shelby. Until now she’d never displayed any form of temper in front of him. He’d thought she was one of the calmest women he’d ever known. This other side of her was proving to be fascinating. And arousing.
Shelby looked up and didn’t miss the lambent glow in his eyes or his body’s response. If anything, she looked angrier than she had before.
/>
“You pig,” she cried. “All you can think about is sex.” She lifted her arm as if she would strike him. Where it would hurt the most. And she wasn’t aiming at his ego.
Jed figured only his lightning-quick reflexes kept him from receiving a painful blow. He sat back against the headboard. “Are you going to tell me exactly why you’re so angry with me?” he asked in his most reasonable voice.
Shelby shot him a look guaranteed to melt him into a tiny puddle. She stalked out of the room and came back carrying her purse. She wrenched her brush out of it and faced the dresser mirror, brushing her hair with furious strokes. When she finished, the tousled waves hung sleekly past her shoulders. Afterward, she carefully applied lipstick. Jed didn’t miss the slight trembling in her fingers.
By the time she turned around, any sign of turmoil was erased from her expression and she almost looked serene. Yet he doubted this conversation would be anything close to serene.
“How long have we known each other, Jed?” she asked in a soft, controlled voice.
“Eighteen months, two weeks, four days,” he said without hesitation.
A brief smile curved her lips at his literal answer. She picked up her pendant and slipped it around her neck. The heart-shaped, deep blue topaz swung down between her breasts. She picked up matching earrings and fastened them in her ears before sliding on her ring. “And how often have you been gone during those eighteen months, two weeks and four days?”
Jed frowned. He didn’t like the direction this conversation was taking. “I believe six or seven times.”
Shelby’s smile held a tinge of sorrow. “Six or seven times? Give me a break, Jed. Your brain is better than any computer at storing information.” She reached inside her purse and pulled out a small appointment book. She leafed through it.
“We knew each other exactly five days when you took your first trip. You were gone for two months,” she told him. “Your second trip was three weeks after you returned that first time. Next time, you were gone for seven weeks. At last count, you have been absent a total of thirteen months, three weeks and one day during the eighteen months we’ve known each other.”