Deck The Halls With Love: Lost Lords Of Pembrook Novella by Lorraine Heath Page B

have to care about her. He wouldn’t care about her.
    But he could damn well make use of her.

 
    Also by Lorraine Heath
    Fiction
    Lord of Temptation
    She Tempts the Duke
    Waking up With the Duke
    Pleasures of a Notorious Gentleman
    Passions of a Wicked Earl
    Midnight Pleasures With a Scoundrel
    Surrender to the Devil
    Between the Devil and Desire
    In Bed With the Devil
    Just Wicked Enough
    A Duke of Her Own
    Promise Me Forever
    A Matter of Temptation
    As an Earl Desires
    An Invitation to Seduction
    Love With a Scandalous Lord
    To Marry an Heiress
    The Outlaw and the Lady
    Never Marry a Cowboy
    Never Love a Cowboy
    A Rogue in Texas

Give in to your impulses . . .
    Read on for a sneak peek at five brand-new
    e-book original tales of romance from Avon Books.
    Available now wherever e-books are sold.
    NIGHTS OF STEEL
    T HE E THER C HRONICLES
    By Nico Rosso
    ALICE’S WONDERLAND
    By Allison Dobell
    ONE FINE FIREMAN
    AB ACHELOR F IREMEN N OVELLA
    By Jennifer Bernard
    THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT LADY MARY
    AS UMMERSBY T ALE
    By Sophie Barnes
    THE SECRET LIFE OF LADY LUCINDA
    AS UMMERSBY T ALE
    By Sophie Barnes

 
    An Excerpt from
    NIGHTS OF STEEL
    T HE E THER C HRONICLES
    by Nico Rosso
    Return to The Ether Chronicles, where rival bounty hunters Anna Blue and Jack Hawkins join forces to find a mysterious fugitive, only to get so much more than they bargained for. The skies above the American West are about to get wilder than ever . . .
     
    T ake his hand? Or walk down the broken stairs to chase a cold trail. Anna’s body was still buffeted by waves of sensation. The meal was an adventure she shared with Jack. Nearly falling from the stairs, only to be brought close to his body, had been a rush. The hissing of the lodge was the last bit of danger, but it had passed.
    The wet heat of that simple room was inviting. Her joints and bones ached for comfort. Deeper down, she yearned for Jack. They’d been circling each other for years. The closer she got—hearing his voice, touching his skin, learning his history—the more the hunger increased. She didn’t know where it would lead her, but she had to find out. All she had to do was take his hand.
    Anna slid her palm against his. Curled her fingers around him. He held her hand, staring into her eyes. She’d thought she knew the man behind the legend and the metal and the guns, yet now she understood there were miles of territory within him she had yet to discover.
    Their grips tightened. They drew closer. He leaned down to her. She pressed against his chest. In the sunlight, they kissed. Neither hid their hunger. She understood his need. His lips on hers were strong, devouring. And she understood her yearning. Probing forward with her tongue, she led him into her.
    And it wasn’t enough. Their first kiss could’ve taken them too far and she’d had to stop. Now, with Jack pressed against her, his arm wrapped around her shoulders and his lips against hers, too far seemed like the perfect place to go.
    They pulled apart and, each still gripping the other’s hand, walked back into the lodge room. Sheets of steam curled up the walls and filled the space, bringing out the scent of the redwood paneling. The room seemed alive, breathing with her.
    Jack cracked a small smile. “This guy, Song, I like his style. Lot of inventors are drunk on tetrol. Half-baked ideas that don’t work right.” He held up his half-mechanical hand. “People wind up getting hurt.”
    “Song knows his business,” she agreed. “So why the bounty?”
    He leveled his gaze at her. It seemed the steam came from him, his intensity. “You want a cold trail or a hot bath?”
    She took off her hat, holding his look and not backing down. “Hot. Bath.”
    Burbling invitingly like a secluded brook, the tub waited in the corner. The steam softened its edges and obscured the walls around it. As if the room went on forever.
    With the toe of his boot, Jack swung the front door closed. Only the small lights in the