Enter to win a print set of Bayou Billionaires (bks 1&2)
HIS PREGNANT PRINCESS BRIDE &
HIS SECRETARY'S SURPRISE FIANCE
Reunited with the Rebel Billionaire
Bayou Billionaires #3
Catherine Mann
Releasing on April 1st, 2016 (Digital)
and April 5th, 2016 (Print)
and April 5th, 2016 (Print)
Harlequin Desire
Is it a real reunion, or one for the cameras? It's a second-chance romance from USA TODAY bestselling author Catherine Mann!
Football star Henri Reynaud won't let his career go down without a fight. If the only way to win is to reconcile with his estranged wife, he'll do what it takes. But spending time with Fiona Harper-Reynaud isn't just some ruse. The sultry beauty belongs in his bed.
Fiona doesn't know where her sexy husband's public act ends and his real feelings begin. Can she afford to fall a second time for the man every female wants? One thing is undeniable—their attraction has never flared hotter!
Fiona looked around at the packed event, a total success. Anyone
would think she had a full life.
Except she
couldn’t bring herself to have sex with husband. She’d been so certain the
surgery was the right decision. She’d gone to counseling before and after. Her
husband had been completely supportive.
And still the
distance between them had grown wider and wider these past months, emphasizing
how little they knew about each other. They’re married because of infatuation
and great sex. Now that the initial glow of infatuation had passed and they
didn’t even have sex to carry them through the rough patches, their marriage
was floundering. Badly.
And with a
cancer scare looming over her today, she couldn’t bear the thought that he
would stay with her out of sympathy.
***
Henri wasn’t in much of a party mood, no matter how much his
brothers elbowed him and teased him about his latest fumble. His Texas cousins
weren’t cutting him any slack either.
He’d been thinking about the divorce papers his wife insisted on
pursuing.
While the love had left their marriage, he’d heard plenty say
that marriage had ups and downs. He wasn’t a quitter. And damn it all, he still
burned to have her.
His gaze skimmed along the guests around the pool, landing on
his wife. Her loose hair and slim curves called to him, reminding him of the
enticing feel of her back as he’d tugged her zipper up.
She smiled at whoever she spoke to – a man with his back to the
rest the crowd - and nodded as she walked away. The man turned and Henri’s
breath froze in his chest. He knew the man well. Dr. Carlson was a partner in
the practice Fiona used to see before they’d transferred her to another
physician for the surgery.
Fear gelling in his gut, Henri charged away from his brothers
and cousins, shouldering through the crowd to his wife.
“Henri--.”
He grasped her arm and guided her toward the shore of Lake
Pontchartrain. “In a moment. When no one can over hear us.”
Lights from yachts and boats dotted the distance. Along the
shoreline, couples walked hand and hand into the distance. Henri opened the
boat house door and stepped inside. Moonlight streaked through streaked through
the windows, across her face. Confusion and frustration stamped along her lovely
features.
He angled them beneath a pontoon boat on a lift. The boat was
still wet from use, and water tapped the ground in a rhythm that almost matched
his pounding heart. Inhaling deeply, he caught the musty scent of the boathouse
with the cinnamon notes of Fiona’s perfume. He’d bought it for her on trip to
France before all of these difficulties had really gotten out of control.
“Enough already, Henri. Would you please tell me why we’re out
here?”
He clasped both
of her shoulders. “Are you okay?”
“What do you
mean?”
“I saw you
talking to Dr. Carlson.” He looked in her sherry colored eyes, trying to read
her. Something flickered there but he wasn’t sure what.
Staring at the
floor, she chewed her bottom lip for an instant before answering, “We were discussing
a fundraiser and party for the pediatric oncology ward.”
Okay, but why
was she looking away? “You’re sure that’s all?”
She hesitated a
second too long. “What do you mean?”
Fear exploded
inside him. “Are you feeling alright?” He clasped her shoulders. “Physically.
Is there something wrong? If so, you know I’m here for you. Whatever you need,
just tell me.”
She squeezed
her eyes closed, shaking her head, tears sliding free.
“Oh God, Fiona,
is it …,” his throat moved in a long swallow, “do you have…”
“What were you laughing so
hysterically about?” Anger edged through the fear. “And would you like to clue
me in on the joke because right now I could use something to lighten the mood?”
“No joke,” she
said with a sigh, meeting his gaze again. “Just so ironic.”
“Then what are
you hiding?”
“Not that it’s
any of your business,” she chewed her bottom lip again, “but he asked me out
for a drink to discuss the fundraiser.”
He saw red.
Pure red. “He asked you out for a drink? As in for a date? Not because of the
fundraiser?”
“Because of the
fundraiser, but yes, he clearly meant a date as well.” She pulled at her curls,
tension mounting in her cheeks.
Henri had to
stay calm. Had to make it through this conversation. “And what did you say?”
“I told him I’m still married.” Eyes
narrowing, the words launched at him like daggers.
“Clearly that
wasn’t a problem for him since you are wearing my ring.”
She shrugged
her shoulders, chandelier earrings swaying. “That didn’t bother him in the
least.”
He turned
toward the door, ready to return to the party and deck the guy straight into
the pool.
Fiona placed a
hand on his shoulder. “Stop, Henri. He mentioned hearing we’re splitting up. He
thought I was available.”
“How would he
have heard such a thing?” His mind went back to the original concern. “Were you
at the doctor’s office where he’s a partner?”
She swallowed
hard. “You seem to have forgotten his brother is our lawyer.”
“Not anymore.”
“I was thinking
the same thing actually.” She picked at her French manicure. “We should get
separate lawyers.”
Damn it. This
conversation was not going the way he intended. He just wanted to pull her into
his arms and take her here. Now. To say to hell with the past and future. No
more jealousy or discussion about … hell.
He just wanted
her.
USA Today bestseller and RITA Award winning author Catherine Mann writes contemporary romance for Berkley, Harlequin, Sourcebooks and Tule. With over sixty books released in more than twenty countries, she has also celebrated six RITA finals, an RT Reviewer’s Award finalist, three Maggie Award of Excellence finals and a Bookseller’s Best win. Catherine and her flyboy husband live on the Florida coast where they brought up their 4 children – and still have 5 four-legged, furry “children” (aka pets). Catherine is an active volunteer with an animal rescue, serving on their Board of Directors and fostering over 200 puppies, ill dogs, and dogs with service/working potential.
Don't Miss the First Two Titles in
The Bayou Billionaires Series
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