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Look what people are saying about Leslie Kelly’s Santori stories…
“Kelly’s sweet, made-for-one-another couple
and her warm-hearted Italian family are
impossible to resist.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews on That’s Amore (“There Goes the Groom”)
“Don’t Open Till Christmas by Leslie Kelly is a present in itself where the humour and the sizzling sex never stop. Top Pick!” —Romantic Times BOOKreviews
“Leslie Kelly’s Christmas-themed Blaze [novel]
has plenty of good things to be cheerful about:
an adorable look at romantic Stooges dealing
with over-the-top Christmas festivities, a hero
that is simply too adorable for words, and
plenty of nicely written sexual tension to
keep the worst chill at bay.”
—Mrs Giggles on Don’t Open Till Christmas
“Well-written and fast-paced, Asking for Trouble is a page-turning delight and a delicious contemporary nod to the Gothic novel.” —The Romance Reader’s Connection
“Leslie Kelly’s entry ably combines the
traditional spooky elements of a gothic with the
modern sensibilities of a more contemporary
tale. The result is a highly enjoyable read I
ate up like a starving person.”
—All About Romance on Asking for Trouble
LESLIE KELLY
A two-time RWA RITA® Award nominee, eight-time Romantic Times BOOKreviews Award nominee and 2006 Romantic Times BOOKreviews Award winner, Leslie Kelly has become known for her delightful characters, sparkling dialogue and outrageous humour. Since the publication of her first book in 1999, Leslie has gone on to pen more than two dozen sassy, sexy romances. Honoured with numerous other awards including the national Readers’ Choice Award, Leslie writes sexy novels for Blaze and single-title contemporaries. Keep up with her latest releases by visiting her website, www.lesliekelly.com, or her blog site www.plotmonkeys.com.
Dear Reader,
Well, this is it. I’ve finally come to the end of my journey with the Santoris of Chicago.
I’ve had such a fantastic time creating this family, revisiting them now and again and getting to know them a little more with each book. Honestly, when I wrote the first story – Sheer Delights in the BEHIND THE RED DOORS collection – I had no idea that I was stepping into the lives of a whole Chicago Italian clan for the next five years. And I’m so very grateful to my editor and my readers for supporting me as I snuck back for visits now and then, both in novellas and in Mills & Boon® Blaze® novels.
This particular book allowed me to close the overall story and also to really stretch myself as a writer. Being asked to launch the new Blaze® ENCOUNTERS mini-series was an honour. Actually sitting down to write five individual-but-connected stories in one book was an incredible challenge. I wanted them to stand alone, I wanted them to be different from each other, with different types of plots, characters and conflicts. And, of course, I wanted them to be hot.
I think I accomplished all of that in this book. I sincerely hope you agree.
Happy reading!
Leslie Kelly
ONE WILD WEDDING NIGHT
BY
LESLIE KELLY
To the Santori family. I know you’re fictional…
but thank you for becoming so real in my
heart and in my mind.
And to my editor Brenda Chin.
Thanks so much for letting me take this family
all the way to the end. you are the best!
Prologue
SCHEDULING A JANUARY wedding in Chicago probably hadn’t been among the world’s best ideas. Especially since the Windy City had been humped all week by a meteorological snow monster that seemed to want to stick around for the entire winter.
Somehow, though, despite the thick, white flakes that had swirled down around the church, everything had gone as planned. And now a winter wonderland surrounded the hotel where the afternoon reception had been held.
In Izzie Santori’s opinion, the day had been perfect.
“Happy, Cookie?” her new husband, Nick, asked as he kicked the door to their room shut. His hands were too full to do the job. Full of Izzie, still clad in her long-trained wedding gown.
“Deliriously.”
He pressed a kiss on her throat as he lowered her onto her own feet. “Only you could make a white wedding gown look sinful.”
“I’m a natural at sin.”
“Don’t I know it. I work with you, remember?”
Arching toward him, she twined her fingers in his black hair, which had grown out from its military cut since he’d left the marines. The length suited him, especially when he pulled the silky strands back into a ponytail at Leather and Lace, the upscale strip club where they both worked. “I’m so glad we had an early wedding so everyone from work could come.”
“Me, too. I doubt that church has held so many strippers, cocktail waitresses and bouncers at one time before.” He kissed his way to her earlobe. “You were so beautiful today, Iz. Like always, you made every other woman fade into insignificance.”
“I did have some very pretty bridesmaids,” she pointed out.
He nodded, lifting her hand to start unbuttoning the long row of tiny buttons at her wrist. “You did, not that they looked anything alike. Talk about variety.”
That was true. Izzie’s bridesmaids had certainly run the gamut. Her maid of honor—and cousin—Bridget, was a quiet, sweet-faced brunette who never had a harsh word for anyone. She’d been Izzie’s best friend since childhood.
Bridget was nothing like Leah, a feisty stripper who worked with Izzie at the club. The girl was young and sweeter than anyone would suspect, given her rough background. Blond and bouncy Leah was definitely the antithesis of Izzie’s sister Mia, with her short, jet-black hair and hard edge.
Mia’s years as an attorney, prosecuting some pretty awful crimes, had made her even tougher than she’d been growing up. A fighter and a tomboy, Mia had eschewed big sister Gloria’s good-girl desire to be a housewife and little sister Izzie’s bad-girl desire to be a dancer. Frankly, Izzie had held her breath after asking Mia to be in the wedding, knowing it was not her sister’s thing. But family was family. She’d come through.
Then there was Vanessa. While, like Mia, she had some serious attitude, Vanessa also oozed sex appeal and warmth. The stunning African American was a good friend of Izzie’s from her Radio City days.
Finally came Gloria, the oldest Natale girl. Married, thirtysomething. Pretty in an Italian housewifey way. Gloria was bossy and old-school, which was why Izzie had both a maid and a matron of honor. Gloria would have been mortally offended if Izzie hadn’t asked her.
Definitely a varied menu of bridesmaids. All of whom had looked stunningly beautiful in their dark red velvet gowns. All of whom were women she adored, for their strengths and their kindness, their intelligence and their