The Duchess and Her Bodyguard. Mollie Molay

      She wanted him as a woman wants a man

      Commander Stevens stood more than six feet tall, with wavy brown hair and hazel eyes that changed with his thoughts. In his pristine white uniform, he stirred emotions in her that no other man had managed to stir.

      May had promised herself she would never let a man control her again. Certainly not a person from another country. She’d spent her life as a member of the Baronovian royal family, with a position to be upheld. Upholding that position often kept her from going where her heart and her interests led her.

      Now, to her surprise, her heart had led her straight to a man she could never make her own.

      Dear Reader,

      Welcome to Harlequin American Romance, where you’re guaranteed heartwarming, emotional and deeply romantic stories set in the backyards, big cities and wide-open spaces of America. Kick starting the month is Cathy Gillen Thacker’s Her Bachelor Challenge, which launches her brand-new family-connected miniseries THE DEVERAUX LEGACY. In this wonderful story, a night of passion between old acquaintances has a sought-after playboy businessman questioning his bachelor status.

      Next, Mollie Molay premieres her new GROOMS IN UNIFORM miniseries. In The Duchess & Her Bodyguard, protecting a royal beauty was easy for a by-the-book bodyguard, but falling in love wasn’t part of the plan! Don’t miss Husbands, Husbands…Everywhere! by Sharon Swan, in which a lovely B & B owner’s ex-husband shows up on her doorstep with amnesia, giving her the chance to rediscover the man he’d once been. This poignant reunion romance story is the latest installment in the WELCOME TO HARMONY miniseries. Laura Marie Altom makes her Harlequin American Romance debut with Blind Luck Bride, which pairs a jilted groom with a pregnant heroine in a marriage meant to satisfy the terms of a bet.

      Best,

      Melissa Jeglinski

      Associate Senior Editor

      Harlequin American Romance

      The Duchess & Her Bodyguard

      Mollie Molay

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      For Hudson Thomas Fox.

      Welcome to the world.

      ABOUT THE AUTHOR

      After working for a number of years as a logistics contract administrator in the aircraft industry, Mollie Molay turned to a career she found far more satisfying—writing romance novels. Mollie lives in Northridge, CA, surrounded by her two daughters and eight grandchildren, many of whom find their way into her books. She enjoys hearing from her readers and welcomes comments. You can write to her at Harlequin Books, 300 East 42nd St., 6th Floor, New York, NY 10017.

      Books by Mollie Molay

      HARLEQUIN AMERICAN ROMANCE

      560—FROM DRIFTER TO DADDY

      597—HER TWO HUSBANDS

      616—MARRIAGE BY MISTAKE

      638—LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

      682—NANNY & THE BODYGUARD

      703—OVERNIGHT WIFE

      729—WANTED: DADDY

      776—FATHER IN TRAINING

      799—DADDY BY CHRISTMAS

      815—MARRIED BY MIDNIGHT

      839—THE GROOM CAME C.O.D.

      879—BACHELOR-AUCTION BRIDEGROOM

      897—THE BABY IN THE BACK SEAT

      938—THE DUCHESS & HER BODYGUARD*

      Contents

       Prologue

       Chapter One

       Chapter Two

       Chapter Three

       Chapter Four

       Chapter Five

       Chapter Six

       Chapter Seven

       Chapter Eight

       Chapter Nine

       Chapter Ten

       Chapter Eleven

       Chapter Twelve

       Chapter Thirteen

       Epilogue

      Prologue

      Wade Stevens felt someone’s intent gaze boring into the back of his head. A practicing lawyer, he was used to being the focus of attention, but tonight felt different. Tonight, the vibrations reaching him were making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

      After all, he wasn’t in court, he told himself as he glanced around him for the offender. He was attending a diplomatic cocktail party as the representative of the Navy’s Judge Advocate General Corps, more commonly known as JAG. In his white dress uniform, surely he was no different from the variety of uniformed men in attendance.

      Casually, he rubbed the back of his neck. And, just as casually, slowly turned to survey the activity going on around him.

      The parlor of Blair House across the street from the White House and currently the temporary residence of Prince Alexis of Baronovia, and his daughter, the duchess Mary Louise, was ablaze with lights. The buzz of conversation almost drowned out the soft music played by a quintet of uniformed U.S. Marine musicians. The air was filled with the appetizing scent of hors d’oeuvres being offered by white-gloved waiters. Foreign notables from countries around Europe were easily identified by the multitude of colorful ribbons and medals on their chests. United States diplomats were equally distinguishable by their conservative tuxedoes. Wade’s experienced gaze didn’t miss the men in suits, CIA and FBI operatives, who attempted to fade into the woodwork.

      The women guests in attendance outshone each other in obligatory little black cocktail dresses or in the currently popular red version. More than one woman wore strands of colorful jewels at her neck, wrists and in her hair.

      With the exception of one exquisite woman.

      A woman who drew Wade’s gaze as surely as slivers of steel are drawn to a magnet.

      She wore a flowing white chiffon dress, which, although gracefully draped over her breasts, managed to reveal more of her shapely figure than it concealed.