A Warriner to Seduce Her by Virginia Heath
Published: 1st May 2018
Publisher: Harlequin Mills & Boon
Pages: 368
Available in Paperback and on Kindle
Purchase - http://www.myBook.to/Warriner4
Blurb
A sensible schoolmistress… Awakened by the notorious rake!
In this The Wild Warriners story,
schoolmistress Felicity Blunt feels old beyond her years―and desperately dull.
Meeting confirmed rake Jacob Warriner brings her gloriously alive, and yet no
matter his allure she must remain immune to his obvious charms and unashamed
flirtation. But is Jacob merely a mischievous scoundrel? Or is there much more
to this Warriner than meets the eye…?
Extract
Hi and thanks for inviting me to That
Thing She Reads! Here’s a little snippet in the lead up to the first kiss.
Enjoy!
Bouncing in a Hackney
through the city…
“I am famously irresistible to
all women.”
“And yet here I am, resisting
you.” One wheel hit a pothole and she groped for the strap to steady herself as
it bounced out, forcing Jake to watch certain parts of her bounce as well.
“Gracious- this is a dreadful
carriage!”
He grabbed his own strap as the
tired, corroded springs did little to stop the shoddy road surface rattling his
bones. “You’d think in a city as rich as this one they could manage to make a
decent road… Ah look! We’re passing St Paul’s.” Jake put his hand up to point
then instantly used it to brace himself on the seat as they rumbled along
possibly the worst stretch of road in the whole capital.
As she stared out at the massive
cathedral in wonder, he took the opportunity to shuffle closer, ostensibly to
point things out but more because the sight of one of England’s greatest
edifices reminded him that he was supposed to be seducing vital information out
of her. “Did you know it is the fourth St Paul’s to sit on the site? The first
was built over a thousand years ago, sometime after the Romans left.”
“Really?” Her head whipped around
to grin at him then quickly returned to the building. “You truly are a font of
knowledge on the history of London Jake.” It was the first time she had used
his name and he like the sound of it on her lips.
“Everybody knows this building
was designed by Wren, but few know he was still designing it even as it was
being built. Especially the dome. He wanted to create the dome without any
visible supports inside. You should see it. It’s a shame we have run out of
time today as I would love to show you around it. We could climb up to the top
and whisper at each other across the gallery.”
“I’d love to.” She turned her
head and he recognised the instant she became aware of his close proximity,
because she unconsciously licked her lips and looked down at her hands. “I’d
have to bring Cressida and Daphne of course. Today has been highly improper.”
If that was intended as his cue
to move back to his side of the seat, Jake skilfully ignored it. “Hardly
improper. I’ve been a perfect gentleman. Why- I’ve barely even flirted.” But
there were other ways to flirt which required no words, and his eyes were
currently gazing deeply into hers. “But we have laughed a lot, haven’t we?”
Humour was another excellent way of cutting through a lady’s defences. Jake had
laughed a few into his bed in his time too. A goodly few.
She smiled at him and began to relax in the
seat. “It has been a perfectly lovely after n-oooh!” The Hackney lunged to the right and tilted, sending Fliss
sliding across the bench towards him. Jake only just caught her before they
both slammed into the side, her forehead bashing against his chin and making
him yelp.
“I’m so sorry!” As she looked up
at him, her spectacles were dangling at an odd angle on her face. The engaging
sight did a great deal to alleviate the brief, sharp pain of bone hitting bone.
Because she wasn’t looking through the lenses, she instinctively leaned nearer
to see if he was hurt. “Are you bleeding?”
“No. No, I’m fine.”
A lie. Being so close to her was
playing havoc with his senses. That perfume- fat summer roses, fresh air and
sunshine- so uniquely her and divine. Those stormy green short-sighted eyes.
The honey gold hair. Those damned erotic spectacles which haunted his dreams.
Everything made his body yearn and his heart pump. Her fingers touched his lip.
If ever fate had presented him with the perfect opportunity to kiss her, this
was it. Yet he hesitated, feeling suddenly awkward.
“Are you sure. I gave you quite a
clonk.” And now she was torturing him. The sensitive skin tingled beneath her
gentle touch, her face inches from his as she studied his mouth. “I have a very
hard head.” Gentlemanly good manners dictated he didn’t tell her which part of
him was currently harder. Jake stifled the groan. His fingers went to the
spectacles and righted them, then simply stared at her mouth.
Longingly.
He wanted to kiss her.
Desperately wanted to kiss her. Slowly he moved his face closer, watched her
lips part. Was she game?
Perhaps.
Her eyes drifted to his mouth
again. She didn’t move away.
Good grief why was he lingering?
He should jolly well get on with it… the bad taste and the uncharacteristic
guilt churning in his gut made him sit back instead. She deserved better.
Honesty at least. A sobering thought for a man who made a living from lying. “I
have a very stiff upper lip.” As well as a stiff bulge in his breaches. “I’m
sorry for my appalling choice of Hackney… still at least it’s an adventure. Of
sorts.”
“It is that.” He watched her
blink, her long lashes and fine eyes made his heart stutter. “I hope we survive
it. Being shaken to death in a Hackney is not how I had planned on leaving this
mortal coil.” She was so very beautiful he found himself looking away because
he couldn’t think of a single sensible thing to say which did not make him
sound gauche. Not a single witticism sprung to mind. No flattering words.
Nothing flirtatious. Just nothing. The memorised script of seduction had
disappeared out of his mind, or been buried under a whole swathe of new
thoughts. Questioning thoughts which had him second-guessing himself. Jake had
never felt so strange in his own skin. It was like it didn’t fit. There was at
least another twenty minutes till they hit Mayfair. Twenty painful, awkward
minutes now that he had apparently lost his ability for seduction thanks to the
distasteful flavour of his deception.
About the Author
When Virginia Heath was a little girl it took
her ages to fall asleep, so she made up stories in her head to help pass the
time while she was staring at the ceiling. As she got older, the stories became
more complicated, sometimes taking weeks to get to the happy ending. Then one
day, she decided to embrace the insomnia and start writing them down.
Fortunately, the lovely people at Harlequin Mills & Boon took pity on her
and decided to publish her romances, but it still takes her forever to fall
asleep.
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