Lone Star Baby Scandal. Lauren Canan

      

      One night changes everything...

      It’s bad enough that straitlaced Sophie Prescott fell for her boss Clay Everett’s charms the night of Royal’s masked ball—now she’s pregnant with his baby! Too bad the former rodeo star turned billionaire entrepreneur’s emotional defenses are impenetrable and Sophie doesn’t stand a chance of breaking through. So where does that leave her? And with a blackmailer hounding the town’s A-list, is their secret the next to be revealed? Or is an even bigger surprise in store—that maybe, just maybe, Sophie has discovered the chink in Clay’s armor...?

      “Kiss me.”

      It was only a whispered request but Sophie was so attuned to him she couldn’t have missed his words if he was a mile away.

      “I don’t think that’s a very good idea.”

      “I think it’s a terrific idea.” One hand moved from around her lower back up to her head as he gently encouraged her lips to come closer to his.

      “Clay, I—” She opened her mouth but before words could form, he lifted his head and his lips found hers. They were hungry and he didn’t hesitate filling her mouth with his tongue. It was everything she remembered and more.

      Part of her wanted nothing more than to give him whatever he wanted; the other part, the smart side of her, wanted to run away as fast as she could.

      Only one thing was certain: this attraction to her boss was going to eventually cause a rift between them.

      * * *

      Lone Star Baby Scandal is part of the series Texas Cattleman’s Club: Blackmail—No secret—or heart—is safe in Royal, Texas...

      Lone Star Baby Scandal

      Lauren Canan

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      LAUREN CANAN has always been in love with love. When she began writing, stories of romance and unbridled passion flowed through her fingers onto the page. Today she is a multi-award-winning author, including the prestigious Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® Award. She lives in Texas with her own real-life hero, four dogs and a mouthy parrot named Bird.

      She loves to hear from readers. Find her on Facebook or visit her website, www.laurencanan.com.

      MILLS & BOON

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      Contents

       Cover

       Back Cover Text

       Introduction

       Title Page

       About the Author

       One

       Two

       Three

       Four

       Five

       Six

       Seven

       Eight

       Nine

       Ten

       Eleven

       Twelve

       Thirteen

       Fourteen

       Epilogue

       Extract

       Copyright

       One

      When Clay Everett approached, extending his arm in a silent invitation to dance, Sophie Prescott immediately shook her head in embarrassed refusal. Clay was her boss. Her employer. It was a job she valued highly. There should be no mixing business with pleasure even if Clay was the best-looking man at the charity ball. His deep emerald eyes gleamed, framed by dark lashes that matched his ebony hair. His dark tan, five-o’clock shadow and the scar on one side of his face from the rodeo accident that had almost taken his life made his very presence dark and menacing. He didn’t need the air of mystery the masquerade ball offered. Since the accident, he presented the persona of a man who was hard and unforgiving, who ate any competition for lunch.

      Actually, he had a beautiful smile, perfect white teeth. But he rarely smiled. In his five-thousand-dollar hand-tailored suits and white silk shirts, he gave the impression of the consummate businessman. A man of great wealth who was used to the world of glamour in which he lived.

      But when he wore the glove-soft faded jeans, scuffed boots and thin T-shirt that highlighted his six-pack abs and the muscles in his shoulders and arms, it was equally unsettling. That was the Clay she knew. He’d come into their office a couple of times in his Western getup and it was a look she