Claiming His Shock Heir Page 17

  Now it would seem that it had—in the delicate shape of an English rose.

  Raul was no fool, and even from the snippets of conversation he’d heard, he had worked out a little of what was going on.

  Bastiano wanted Lydia to be there tonight.

  And Lydia didn’t want to go.

  It was enough to go on—more than enough. For despite her calm demeanour he could see the pulse leaping in her throat. More than that, Raul knew women—and knew them well.

  There was another issue that existed between them.

  She was turned on.

  So was he.

  They had been on sight.

  From her slow walk across the dining room and for every moment since they had been aware of each other at the basest of levels.

  ‘Come for breakfast,’ he said, and then he remembered how she liked manners. ‘Per favore.’

  Lydia realised then that every word she had uttered in the restaurant had been noted.

  It should feel intrusive.

  And it did.

  But in the most delightful of ways.

  Her breath felt hot in her lungs and the warm feeling from the brief touch of his hand on her arm was still present.

  She wanted to say yes—to accept this dark stranger’s invitation and follow this dangerous lead.

  But that would be reckless at best, and Lydia was far from that.

  There was something about him that she could not quite define, and every cell in her body recognised it and screamed danger. He was polished and poised—immaculate, in fact. And yet despite the calm demeanour there was a restless edge. Beneath the smooth jaw was a blue hue that hinted at the unshaven, decadent beauty of him. Even his scent clamoured for attention, subtle and at the same time overwhelming.

  Raul had her on the edge of panic—an unfamiliar one.

  He was potent—so potent that she wanted to say yes. To simply throw caution to the wind and have breakfast with this beautiful man.

  She didn’t even know his name.

  ‘Do you always ask complete strangers for breakfast?’ Lydia asked.

  ‘No,’ he admitted, and then he lowered his head just a fraction and lowered his voice an octave more. ‘But then you defy the hour.’

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  THE INNOCENT’S SECRET BABY

  by USA Today bestselling author

  Carol Marinelli,

  available March 2017 wherever

  Harlequin Books and ebooks are sold.

  www.Harlequin.com

  ISBN-13: 978-1-488-02911-0

  CLAIMING HIS SHOCK HEIR

  Originally published as WHAT YOU MADE ME by Harlequin Mills & Boon in 1984

  This edition published 2017

  Copyright © 1984 by Penny Jordan

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

  ® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

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