Spotlight: It's All About the Duke by Amelia Grey
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Nearing thirty, the Duke of Rathburne is finally ready to make amends for the wager that caused him and his best friends such scandal, but taking on a ward who needs a husband is a feat he’s not sure he can manage. The last he saw of Miss Marlena Fast, she was a spirited little ruffian, not the sort of bride most bachelors on the marriage mart sought. But one glance at the lovely lady she has become is enough to convince him otherwise…
Orphaned young and shuffled from family to family, Marlena counts on her fierce independence and quick wits to keep herself content. Being the responsibility of a notoriously wicked duke who upended so many lives is an unexpected challenge when she realizes he arouses her decidedly feminine desire. Marlena must be careful. She has her own scandalous secret to protect. If he finds out, will it shatter her chances of a happily-ever-after with the notorious rake?
Excerpt
Oh, he was a rake of the highest order.
Of course she wanted to kiss him.
But shouldn’t he just catch her up against his chest and kiss her madly, force a kiss on her whether or not she wanted him to? He was a rake. Shouldn’t he act like one?
Apparently not.
He knew she wanted him to kiss her. Was dying for him to kiss her. Why couldn’t he just do it? Without her making the first move. Wasn’t that what rakes were supposed to do?
Marlena sat silent.
And so did the duke.
It wasn’t fair. He had been the one promising her a kiss almost from the first day he showed up at her door with his short, captivating glances, long compelling gazes, and provocative words that kept her wanting more and more from him. What was he thinking to now make it her decision whether or not they kissed? And how could she once again be contemplating it at all? She should be feeling nothing but shame over her feelings for him but instead, she was determined to see to it they kissed.
He was a rake, a rascal, and a scoundrel!
And why after all his years of being such a man would he decide at this very moment to be a gentleman and not kiss her?
Maybe this was his plan all along because he was a master of seduction? For surely he knew that denying her his kiss made her want it all the more. Her outrage over his past couldn’t control the continuing attraction she had for him. He stirred emotions inside her that were too complicated for her to understand.
Marlena kept her hands still. “Why are you making this my decision?”
“You are an innocent.”
“Why does that matter? You have kissed innocent young ladies before, haven’t you?”
His gaze searched hers. “Not for a long time.”
“Because?”
“You don’t mind asking personal questions, do you, Marlena?”
“It’s the usual way one gets answers.”
A grin broke across his masculine features and she realized she liked it when he looked at her like that. He quirked his head a little as a breeze scattered his dark locks across his forehead, reminding her of a brazen pirate yet again.
“All right,” he said. “I’ll tell you. I made a vow not to pursue innocent young ladies. And I will keep that vow.”
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About the Author
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Amelia Grey read her first romance book when she was thirteen. She's been a devoted reader of love stories ever since.
Amelia has been happily married to her high school sweetheart for over thirty-five years and she lives on the beautiful gulf coast of Northwest Florida.
With more than thirty books published, she is a two-time winner of the prestigious Booksellers Best Award. She's also won the Aspen Gold, and the Golden Quill Awards. Writing as Gloria Dale Skinner, she won the coveted Romantic Times Award for Love and Laughter and the Maggie Award. Amelia's books have been published in Europe, Indonesia, Turkey, Russia, and Japan.
Several of her books have been featured in Doubleday and Rhapsody Book Clubs.
