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Grace tried to gather her scattered thoughts. Jack’s body felt lean and hard and disturbingly hot. When her hands fanned against his midriff she could feel the heat of his skin through his shirt.
And she knew she should put some space between them.
She tilted her head and looked up into his dark, compelling face and their eyes met.
Jack’s exclamation was harsh, but unmistakably passionate. And when his hands tightened on her arms she felt all the bones in her legs turn to water.
‘We—we have to go,’ she said, but her voice was thready and barely audible.
Jack nodded. ‘Yeah,’ he said hoarsely, but then he bent his head and covered her lips with his and she fairly melted against him. Which was so wrong. But just at that moment it felt so incredibly right.
Although it’s been three years since my last Modern Romance was published, I haven’t been wasting my time! I’ve written a long book, which took a little longer than I had anticipated and is still a work in progress, and three Modern Romances.
The first of them is A Forbidden Temptation, and I really hope you like it. It is set in the North of England, on the wild Northumberland coast, which I believe is one of the most beautiful coastlines in the UK.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all my readers, some of whom created the Anne Mather Fan Club on Facebook. I love reading all the posts, and I hope my new books will generate some more.
Thanks for everything.
Anne Mather
A Forbidden Temptation
Anne Mather
ANNE MATHER and her husband live in the North of England, in a village bordering the county of Yorkshire. It’s a beautiful area, and she can’t imagine living anywhere else. She’s been making up stories since she was in primary school, and would say that writing is a huge part of her life. When people ask if writing is a lonely occupation, she usually says that she’s so busy sorting out her characters’ lives she doesn’t have time to feel lonely.
Anne’s written over 160 novels, and her books have appeared on both the New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller lists. She loves reading and walking and browsing in bookshops. And now that her son and daughter are grown she takes great delight in her grandchildren. You can email her at [email protected].
I’d like to dedicate this book to my loyal readers, whose letters have given me so much pleasure.
Contents
THE PHONE WAS ringing as Jack walked into the house.
He was tempted not to answer it. He knew who it would be. It was at least three days since his sister-in-law had contacted him. Debra seldom ignored him for very long.
But she was—had been—Lisa’s sister, and he supposed she was only looking out for him. The truth was, he didn’t need looking out for, he thought resignedly. He was doing just fine on his own.
Dropping the bag containing the still-warm baguette he’d bought at the village bakery onto the granite counter, Jack hooked the kitchen phone from the wall.
‘Connolly,’ he said, hoping against hope that it might be a cold call. But those hopes were dashed when Debra Carrick came on the line.
‘Why do you insist on turning off your mobile phone?’ she greeted him irritably. ‘I called you once yesterday and twice today, but you’re never available.’
‘And good morning to you, too,’ Jack commented drily. ‘And why do I need to carry a mobile phone every place I go? I doubt there’s anything you need to tell me that can’t wait.’
‘How do you know that?’ Debra sounded offended now and he stifled a groan. ‘In any case, what if you had an accident? Or if you fell off that stupid boat of yours? You’d wish you had some means of communication then.’
‘If I fell off the boat, the phone wouldn’t work in the water,’ replied Jack mildly, and he heard Debra give an impatient snort.
‘You’ve