Born to be Wild. Anne Marie Winston

      

      October’s menu

      BARONESSA GELATERIA

       in Boston’s North End

      In addition to our regular flavors of gelato, this month we are featuring:

       Angel food cake with fresh whipped creamAt seventeen, small-town girl Celia had never been out of her home state, never let loose, never been kissed. But when Reese Barone spent a summer at the Cape, a lot changed. His sexy swagger stirred her senses and made her lose control.

       Dark, rich devil’s food cakeReese was privileged, monied; he knew what he wanted and usually got it. And he wanted Celia. One touch and she was his. He knew she could never resist him—and after he fled, he knew he could never forget her….

       Hot fudge sundaeTheir lovemaking thirteen years ago was child’s play compared to the heat that flared between them at Reese’s return. No longer a sweet innocent, Celia was a woman now, with a woman’s needs. As much as she wanted to deny them, her body betrayed her with an all-out yearning for Reese’s expert hands and sensuous mouth. She’d spent most of her life trying to forget them…. Now she wanted to revel in them—rumors be damned—for as long as it lasted….

      Buon appetito!

      Dear Reader,

      Thanks for choosing Silhouette Desire, the place to find passionate, powerful and provocative love stories. We’re starting off the month in style with Diana Palmer’s Man in Control, a LONG, TALL TEXANS story and the author’s 100^th book! Congratulations, Diana, and thank you so much for each and every one of your wonderful stories.

      Our continuing series DYNASTIES: THE BARONES is back this month with Anne Marie Winston’s thrilling tale Born To Be Wild. And Cindy Gerard gives us a fabulous story about a woman who finds romance at her best friend’s wedding, in Tempting the Tycoon. Weddings seem to be the place to meet a romantic partner (note to self: get invited to more weddings), as we find in Shawna Delacorte’s Having the Best Man’s Baby.

      Also this month, Kathie DeNosky is back with another title in her ongoing ranching series—don’t miss Lonetree Ranchers: Morgan and watch for the final story in this trilogy coming in December. Finally, welcome back the wonderful Emilie Rose with Cowboy’s Million-Dollar Secret, a fantastic story about a man who inherits much more than he ever expected.

      More passion to you!

      Melissa Jeglinski

      Senior Editor

      Silhouette Desire

      Born To Be Wild

      Anne Marie Winston

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      To Kathleenest

       The bestest roommate ever.

      ANNE MARIE WINSTON

      RITA^® Award finalist and bestselling author Anne Marie Winston loves babies she can give back when they cry, animals in all shapes and sizes and just about anything that blooms. When she’s not writing, she’s managing a house full of animals and teenagers, reading anything she can find and trying not to eat chocolate. She will dance at the slightest provocation and weeds her gardens when she can’t see the sun for the weeds anymore. You can learn more about Anne Marie’s novels by visiting her Web site at www.annemariewinston.com.

      Meet the Barones of Boston—an elite clan caught in a web of danger, deceit…and desire!

      Who’s Who in BORN TO BE WILD

      Reese Barone—He’s made a killing in the stock market and has seen picturesque sunsets all around the world, but he finally realizes that when he walked away thirteen years ago, he lost everything that mattered. Family…and Celia, the only woman he’s ever loved….

      Celia Papaleo—Something strange is happening at her harbor in Cape Cod. Something she suspects is linked to the mysterious deaths of her husband and young son. Even stranger is the return of her one—and only—true love, Reese. His return is the one thing she dreaded—and the one thing she craved….

      Nicholas Barone—He knows all about reunions. Some fail miserably…and some are worth waiting for. Which will his brother’s be?

      Contents

      Prologue

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      Chapter Nine

      Prologue

      “She said what?” Twenty-one-year-old Reese Barone, seated in the parlor of his family home in Boston’s Beacon Hill district, stared at his father in shock. “She’s lying!”

      “Eliza Mayhew says that she’s pregnant and you are the father.” Carlo Barone stood in front of the elaborate marble fireplace, hands clasped behind his back. He eyed his second-to-eldest son sternly. “Needless to say, your mother and I are very disappointed in you, Reese. Let’s not make this more difficult than it already is.”

      “But I never—”

      “Reese.” His father’s voice was colder than he’d ever heard it, even more so than the time Reese had been caught and disciplined for putting two baby goats in the headmaster’s office on April Fools’ Day. The fact that he hadn’t taken into account their tendency to eat everything in sight—and promptly recycle it from the other end—had been a significant problem. “There will be no discussion. You will do the right thing and marry Miss Mayhew at the end of the month.”

      “I—huh? I will not.” Reese leaped to his feet, nearly upsetting the elegant wing chair in which he’d been sitting while he’d waited to find out what could possibly have gotten his old man’s drawers in such a twist. “That baby isn’t mine.”

      On the love seat facing them, his mother, Moira, bowed her head as a sob escaped.

      Carlo’s face darkened with anger. “Haven’t you already done enough to damage our family name?” he demanded. “First you get involved with that fisherman’s daughter in Harwichport—”

      “There’s nothing wrong with Celia,” Reese said hotly, “except that she doesn’t come with a pedigree.”

      “It’s not the lack of family connections,” his mother said. “I would hope you know us better than that. It’s just that… Oh, Reese, she’s so young. And she comes from a world that’s very different from yours—”

      “Being of Portuguese descent doesn’t make her different.”

      But his mother ignored the rebuke. “How could you ever expect to have anything in common?”

      “Besides the obvious,” put in his father. “Which, might I point out, you appear to have in common with other women, as well.”

      “I already told you,” Reese said tightly, “I can’t be the father of Eliza’s baby. I—”

      “Enough!” Carlo made an angry gesture. “I will not tolerate lying. Miss Mayhew is the daughter of a family friend as well as a classmate of your sister’s. How could you be so careless?”

      “Has