The New York Times bestselling authors Sabrina Jeffries, Karen Hawkins and Candace Camp, and USA TODAY bestselling author Meredith Duran come together for a sizzling historical romance holiday anthology. In the snowy Scottish countryside, Karen Hawkins’ rakish duke has an unforgettable holiday encounter in Twelve Kisses when the alluring lady he surprises under the mistletoe is not who he expected, but a long-lost love with a score to settle.
Read the excerpt from What Happens Under the Mistletoe:
He came up behind her, stepping between her and a broad potted palm, and slipped an arm about her waist. With an insistent move, he pulled her against him and then moved deeper into the privacy afforded by the palm pots. With a few steps they were completely hidden from sight.
Marcus murmured in her ear, “There you are, under the mistletoe, just as you promised.”
She held still, though her breath quickened visibly, the feather near her mouth fluttering. “Rothesay?” she whispered.
“Who else?” He chuckled and slipped his hands from her waist up her front, finding her full breasts.
Her hands closed over his and she gasped, shivering in delight.
More: Read a scene from The Prince and I by Karen Hawkins
“Mmmm, I have been thinking of this — of you — all evening,” he murmured into her delicate neck and increased his ministrations.
A deep sigh shuddered through her and she pressed back against him, tilting her head to give his lips better access to her neck. Her scent tempted and teased him.
“A new perfume,” he whispered. “From an admirer? Should I be jealous, my lovely swan?”
In answer, she quickly turned in his arms, slipped her arms about his neck and pulled his mouth down to hers. The second his lips touched hers, a wild, savage heat raced through him and his heart thundered in his ears in a reaction so swift, so furious, his breath disappeared. Damn, I haven’t felt this since —
He opened his eyes. Instead of Lila’s light blue eyes, smoky brown ones met his. Can it be —?
More: Why dating a prince is the absolute best
He broke the kiss, tightened his arm about her waist, and lifted her off her feet, holding her prisoner against his chest while he yanked free the bow tied behind her ear. With a twist of his wrist, he jerked the mask free.
And there she was, bare-faced, her body held to his, her thickly lashed eyes wide with fear and something else, her lips but an inch from his. “Kenna!” It was more a moan than her name, for even as he was furious at her deception, his body ached to taste her again.
About the author: Karen Hawkins is a USA TODAY and New York Times bestselling author of some of the funniest and freshest fairytale-based Scottish romances. When not stalking hot Australian actors, getting kicked out of West Virginia thanks to the antics of her extended family or adding to her considerable shoe collection, Karen is getting chocolate on her keyboard while writing her next delightfully fun and sexy historical romance!
Leave a Comment