“Sebastian?”
Suddenly, the words were there, waiting. “I love you, Kat. As much as I imagine the human heart can hold. Then I wait a moment, and I love you more.” More afraid than he’d ever been before, he asked, “Marry me?”
Katelyn smiled tremulously. “Isn’t this against your rules?”
He nodded, fear receding. “Yes. And that’s a promise.”
“Why?” She’d told him what she believed, but doubt demanded that he tell her the truth. “Why do you love me?”
Understanding, he gently lifted her wounded arm, feathered a kiss onto her hand. “Because you’re brave and loyal and stubborn. Because you can trust a thief.” His voice failed him, and he bowed his head. The next words were a whisper against her skin. “Because I want to spend the rest of my life earning your trust and making sure you never have to doubt me again.”
“Those are pretty good reasons.” Kat grinned and cupped his cheek. “I love you, too. Of course, I’ve never met anyone like you before. An honest liar. A loyal thief. Every day with you will be an adventure. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
With a sigh of relief that quaked through him, Sebastian sat on the bed and carefully pulled her across his lap, raining kisses across her mouth, her cheek, everywhere he could reach. He slipped the ring onto her finger. Tenderly, he soothed her wound with a brush of his lips. “No one has trusted me before. Implicitly. Without wanting proof.”
“I’ve got my proof,” Kat whispered, raising her hand, the gem sparkling in the lamplight. “I’ve got you.”
Author’s Note
Dear Readers:
Secrets and Lies brought one of my favorite characters into full view, Sebastian Caine. From his first appearance in Never Tell, to his heroism in Hidden Sins, I’ve been waiting to fall in love with him. When his “job” takes him to South America and into a web of subterfuge, I knew only Dr. Katelyn Lyda would suit him and the mystery that unfolds. Plus, it offered a brief reunion with Gabriel and Erin and Mara and Ethan, an author’s greatest plea sure.
The love story of Sebastian and Katelyn and the mystery of the Cinchona required a special place, born of fact and imagination. My imagined nation, Bahia, is modeled on the actual history of Peru and Ecuador during the time of Pizzaro. I have added the illegitimate Incan son Calcucha, the priest Father Juan-Carlos Borrero, the Mutambo and the Cinchona elixir that could be the Fountain of Youth. The rest is as accurate as I could discern.
I welcome your thoughts and feedback, so please contact me at:
[email protected]
www.selenamontgomery.com
P.O. Box 170352
Atlanta, Georgia 30317-0352
Happy reading,
Selena Montgomery
Acknowledgments
My debts continue to accrue: I owe Dr. Andrea Abrams for helping me to see the world larger; Mirtha Oliveros for seeding, reading, and proofing; Ben Oliveros for unveiling the mystic life of plants; Jeanine Abrams for scientific accoutrements; my mom, Rev. Carolyn Abrams; my agent, Marc Gerald; and Linda DiSantis, Lisa Borders, and Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole for listening; and my editor, Erika Tsang, for stretching the days. With the deepest and truest love for my sister, Leslie Abrams, for sharp eyes and her terrific magic.
About the Author
SELENA MONTGOMERY grew up in Southern Mississippi, with two incredible parents and five fascinating siblings. She is a graduate of Spelman College, the LBJ School of Public Affairs, and Yale Law School. She draws upon her interest in and experiences with social and economic policy, politics, and creative writing to fuel her novels.
Selena is now a proud resident of Atlanta, where she is a lawyer by day and a writer during every waking hour. As her alter ego, Stacey Abrams, she is a State Representative and the author of several pieces on tax policy and social justice issues.
She is also an obsessive consumer of political biographies, every genre of fiction, good television, and film and movies (which are different). She is still mourning the passing of Buffy and the end of the Star Trek: The Next Generation franchise.
Selena would love to hear from her fans. Please visit her website at www.selenamontgomery.com.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
By Selena Montgomery
SECRETS AND LIES
HIDDEN SINS
Copyright
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.
SECRETS AND LIES. Copyright © 2007 by Stacey Abrams. 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.
ePub edition December 2006 ISBN 9780061751011
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
25 Ryde Road (PO Box 321)
Pymble, NSW 2073, Australia
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
55 Avenue Road, Suite 2900
Toronto, ON, M5R, 3L2, Canada
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.ca
New Zealand
HarperCollinsPublishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1
Auckland, New Zealand
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
77-85 Fulham Palace Road
London, W6 8JB, UK
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
10 East 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com
Secrets and Lies Page 27