Double Identity

Double Identity
Annette Broadrick

LOVE 'EM AND LEAVE 'EM WAS HIS SPECIALTY…And that made Jude Crenshaw the perfect man for this assignment. His blond, craggy good looks would make it easy for him to woo innocent, sweet Carina Patterson. The skilled secret agent knew he could secure the information he needed before anyone got hurt.FALLING IN LOVE WAS NOT ON THE AGENDASomehow lovely Carina had shaken him right down to his boots. Now, doing his job meant betraying her trust, risking her heart, maybe destroying her family. But the one thing he couldn't do was walk away….

“Why Didn’t You Tell Me This Was Your First Time?”

“I didn’t think it was necessary,” Carina said.

“You could have warned me, at least. I practically leaped on you.” Jude frowned.

She smiled. “I thought it was great.”

“Well—” he looked down at her “—I’m glad you think so, but I should have taken more time with you. I was too rough, too eager. I wanted you so badly.”

“You made it a marvelous experience for me.”

“I thought that since you were—I mean, you were engaged, so it seemed reasonable that you had, uh, that you had—” He sighed, looking glum.

“You know, I understand there are men who actually want to be the first one with a woman.”

He took a deep breath and sighed. “Probably. It’s more important to me that I be the last one.”

Dear Reader,

Thank you for choosing Silhouette Desire. As always, we have a fabulous array of stories for you to enjoy, starting with Just a Taste by Bronwyn Jameson, the latest installment in our DYNASTIES: THE ASHTONS continuity series. This tale of forbidden attraction between two romance-wary souls will leave you breathless and wanting more from this wonderful author—who will have a brand-new miniseries of her own, PRINCES OF THE OUTBACK, out later this year.

The terrific Annette Broadrick is back with another book in her CRENSHAWS OF TEXAS series. Double Identity is an engrossing page-turner about seduction and lies…you know, all that good stuff! Susan Crosby continues her BEHIND CLOSED DOORS series with Rules of Attraction, the first of three brand-new stories set in the world of very private investigations. Roxanne St. Claire brings us a fabulous McGrath brother hero caught in an unexpected situation, in When the Earth Moves. Rochelle Alers’s THE BLACKSTONES OF VIRGINIA series wraps up with Beyond Business, a story in which the Blackstone patriarch gets involved in a surprise romance with his new—and very pregnant—assistant. And last but certainly not least, the engaging Amy Jo Cousins is back this month with Sleeping Arrangements, a terms-of-the-will story not to be missed.

Here’s hoping you enjoy all six of our selections this month. And, in the months to come, look for Maureen Child’s THREE-WAY WAGER series and a brand-new installment of our infamous TEXAS CATTLEMAN’S CLUB.

Happy reading!

Melissa Jeglinski

Senior Editor

Silhouette Desire

Double Identity

Annette Broadrick

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

ANNETTE BROADRICK

believes in romance and the magic of life. Since 1984, Annette has shared her view of life and love with readers. In addition to being nominated by Romantic Times as one of the Best New Authors of that year, she has also won the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best in its Series, the Romantic Times WISH Award; and the Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Awards for Series Romance and Series Romantic Fantasy.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Epilogue

One

Jude Crenshaw’s phone rang at seven o’clock, waking him from a deep, exhausted sleep at his condo in Fort Meade, Maryland. He fumbled for the phone without opening his eyes.

“Crenshaw,” he mumbled.

“This is Ms. Kincaid’s office calling. One moment, please.” He was put on hold. Kincaid was his supervisor at the National Security Agency.

Jude had worked for the agency for the past four years. He’d been hired as a civilian after leaving the army, where he’d been in Special Ops. He had been in the field until six months ago when he’d been promoted to a supervisory position.

He couldn’t imagine why Jackie Kincaid would be calling him at home at this time of morning. He sat up, rubbed his hand over his face and swung his legs to the floor.

“Jude? Jackie. Sorry to bother you so early. I tried to reach you yesterday, but you must have been incommunicado. I couldn’t get my calls to go through on your cell phone so I could leave a message.”

“I’ve been on the west coast for the past two weeks. Got home in the wee hours this morning.”