One Dangerous Desire (Accidental Heirs) (26 page)

An Excerpt from

BLACK LISTED

A Benediction Novel

by Shelly Bell

Years ago con artist Lisa Smith fell in love with her mark, then vanished without a trace . . . but now he’s found her and he’s not going to let her slip through his fingers again.

An Avon Red Romance

H
e sucked in a breath, the tightening in his chest becoming more pronounced as he watched her glide across the dance floor with a glass of champagne in her hand. She’d changed since the last time he’d seen her. Gone was her halo of white blonde tresses that spilled down her back and those round silver irises that looked at him with what he’d believed was love. Like a chameleon, she’d adapted to her environment, her chestnut hair cut into a sleek bob and an air of sophistication clinging to her designer-clad body.

With a smile on her face, she had everyone at this wedding fooled, but he knew the truth. She was a con artist who had stolen millions from unsuspecting men and women. At the drop of a hat, she could become someone else, fade into the crowds until she turned invisible, only to return moments later as someone new. And no one would ever guess the truth. She’d mastered the art of disguise, her ability to convince someone of her love and devotion worthy of an Academy Award. Just when she had you wrapped completely around her finger, she’d disappear without a trace, taking your money and your heart with her.

But she’d grown careless when she’d allowed herself to be photographed, the picture on the front page of every major newspaper. She’d been in the background, barely discernable to most. But not to him. Never him. He’d know his chameleon anywhere.

She had no idea he was watching her.

Stalking her.

Hunting her.

His chameleon had forgotten to use the reptilian sense that warned her of impending danger. She might believe she was a predator, but she was now the prey.

His
prey.

Sweat dripped down the back of his neck and black spots flickered in his vision. He shook his head as if clearing the cobwebs from his mind. Didn’t she understand he needed her? After everything he’d done for her, she owed him. It was time for her to repay her debts.

Time and fate had kept them apart for far too long. But now that he’d found her, he was never letting her go again.

She loved to play her games.

He smiled.

A game was what they’d play.

W
alking away from her friends, Lisa Smith took a sip of wine and headed toward where she’d last seen the caterer. Not spotting him, she stopped and scanned the crowd.

“Lisa!”

Lisa turned and caught sight of her friend Rachel Dawson walking toward her with two men by her side.

It took only a moment for it to register.

The long blond hair she loved to tug on during rough sex.

The stubble lining his jaw that used to scratch the skin of her inner thighs as he worked her over with his mouth.

The roguish and lighthearted appearance he maintained in public and the dark dominance that lurked beneath the surface.

It was him.

He was here.

Her
Master.

He had found her.

She blinked a few times, trying to see if maybe she was imagining that the man she’d run from five years ago was suddenly only feet away and talking with her friends as if he knew them. Which was impossible, right?

Her heart galloped a wild beat and the sounds of the crowd disappeared under the roar of her pulse.

She wanted to run
from
him.

She wanted to run
to
him.

All the sorrow and regret she’d buried deep down inside came rushing back with a force that nearly bowled her over. And when the ghost from her past stood right in front of her and looked at her like a stranger, the glass of red wine slipped from her shaking hand onto the green grass, the liquid pooling beneath her heels.

Seemingly oblivious to her shock, Rachel smiled, a twinkle of mischief in her eyes. “I’d like to introduce you to Logan’s friend, Sawyer Hayes. Sawyer, this is Lisa Smith.”

“Hello,” Sawyer said cordially, standing so close she could feel his body heat radiating off him and smell a scent that reminded her of the best days of her life. “It’s nice to see you again, Annaliese.”

Her mind was a jumbled mess.

Like she was prey caught in the sights of a hunter, she became entrapped in his eyes.

She couldn’t breathe.

Couldn’t speak.

Couldn’t move.

“You know each other,” Rachel said, her brows wrinkled in confusion.

“You could say that,” Sawyer said slowly, still holding Lisa captive with his eyes. “She’s my wife.”

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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.

Excerpt from
One Tempting Proposal
copyright © 2015 by Christy Carlyle.

Excerpt from
Serving Trouble
copyright © 2016 by Sara Jane Stone.

Excerpt from
Ignite
copyright © 2016 by Karen Erickson.

Excerpt from
Black Listed
copyright © 2016 by Shelly Bell.

ONE DANGEROUS DESIRE
. Copyright © 2016 by Christy Carlyle. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, 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 hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

Avon, Avon Impulse, and the Avon Impulse logo are trademarks of HarperCollins Publishers.

EPub Edition APRIL 2016 ISBN: 9780062428066

Print Edition ISBN: 9780062428073

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