Doing It Right. MaryJanice Davidson

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       “LOOK OUT,” JARED SAID.

      The woman’s head snapped up and she stared at him. For a long, electric moment, their eyes met and Jared had the absurd thought that she could see all the way down into his soul.

      “Don’t worry,” he said. She had the look of a doe trapped in the headlights, which was ridiculous. What could he, mild-mannered physician and volleyball player, do to her, kick-ass princess? “I’m here to rescue you.”

      Her lips twitched at that and she sidled toward him, then dashed past him as he came forward to meet her, turning left out the door. He could hear her running lightly and damned quickly.

      “Hey!” he yelled and took off after her. Blessed—or cursed—with a Texan-sized curiosity bump, he had to catch her. She could tell him why there had been a fight, who the unconscious man was, her name, and if she was free for dinner any night this week. This year. She was the most intriguing woman—certainly the most beautiful—he’d ever seen.

       More from MaryJanice Davidson

       Doing It Right

       Drop Dead, Gorgeous!

       Hello, Gorgeous!

       Really Unusual Bad Boys

       The Royal Mess

       The Royal Pain

       The Royal Treatment

      And look for her stories in these anthologies:

       Bad Boys with Expensive Toys

       How to Be a “Wicked” Woman

       Perfect for the Beach

       Valentine’s Day Is Killing Me

      Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation

       Doing It Right

       MaryJanice Davidson

       All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

      BRAVA BOOKS are published by

      Kensington Publishing Corp.

      119 West 40^th Street New York, NY 10018

      Copyright © 2007 by MaryJanice Davidson

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

      If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

      All Kensington titles, imprints, and distributed lines are available at special quantity discounts for bulk purchases for sales promotion, premiums, fund-raising, educational, or institutional use.

      Special book excerpts or customized printings can also be created to fit specific needs. For details, write or phone the office of the Kensington Special Sales Manager: Attn. Special Sales Department. Kensington Publishing Corp., 119 West 40^th Street, New York, NY 10018. Phone: [phone].

      Brava and the B logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

      eISBN-13: 978-0-7582-6854-9

      eISBN-13: 0-7582-6854-8

      First Brava Books Trade Paperback Printing: February 2007

      First Brava Books Mass-Market Paperback Printing: March

      2011

      10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

      Printed in the United States of America

      For all the readers who were willing to buy this hard-to-find e-book for hundreds of dollars. I, personally, don’t think any book (certainly not one of mine) is worth hundreds of dollars, so I asked Brava to publish it in paperback. It was my editor’s brilliant idea to reprint Thief of Hearts as well as a sequel (in novella form) in one paperback anthology; the smallish single title plus a follow-up novella, a novel (heh) idea that I immediately pounced on. So this is for Kate Duffy, too.

      CONTENTS

      “LOOK OUT,” JARED SAID.

      More from MaryJanice Davidson

      Acknowledgments

      Author’s Note

      THIEF OF HEARTS

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

       Chapter Fourteen

       Chapter Fifteen

       Chapter Sixteen

       Epilogue

       WILD HEARTS

       Author’s Note

       Chapter One

       Chapter Two

       Chapter Three

       Chapter Four

       Chapter Five

       Chapter Six

       Chapter Seven

       Chapter Eight

       Chapter Nine

       Chapter Ten

       Acknowledgments

      As always, writing the book is easy. Editing it, editing it again, checking and double-checking contracts, checking galleys, thinking up flap copy, designing the cover, marketing it, and selling it is hard. So, many thanks to the unsung heroes of publishing, all of whom are busy making me rich.

      Thanks to the fans who tirelessly track down my backlist. If not for all the requests for this anthology, it wouldn’t have been done. I hope it was worth the wait! (Not to mention the $14.00.)

      Thanks to my husband, Anthony, who reads everything I write and isn’t afraid to tell me when something sucks, the bum. And thanks to my darling children, who are adept at entertaining themselves when Mommy is on deadline, and who only bother me when something