Wickedly Hot

Wickedly Hot
Leslie Kelly

New Yorker Ryan Stoddard can describe Savannah, Georgia, in two words: wickedly hot. But the dark, mysterious woman he's gone there to find is even hotter.Though Jade Maguire turns him on to no end, he can't be distracted from his mission–to prove the sultry siren is a conniving thief! But as he charms her into letting down her guard, he never dreams the wicked game he's playing is about to backfire….Jade is surprised–and secretly thrilled–when Ryan Stoddard finds her. His blatant come-on provides a perfect opening for her revenge. As Ryan's payback for breaking her sister's heart, Jade plans to tempt him, tease him…and seduce him out of his clothes, leaving him high and dry. Only, as she gets to know oh-so-sexy Ryan better, she soon fears she'll be the one left desperate for more….

“Wh-what are you doing?” Jade asked, licking her lips

Ryan unbuttoned his shorts and dropped them to the floor.

“Oh, my God,” she whispered, reaching up to clutch her throat.

“Nothing you haven’t seen before, is it, Jade? Though you didn’t stick around long enough to really see how you affected me last night.”

She could see it now, though. Her whole face was flushed as she stared at him. All of him, including the erection he wasn’t trying to hide.

He’d always assumed he was a normally built man. But the shocked hunger in her eyes told him he’d caught her off guard.

“No, you’re right. I d-didn’t see you that well,” she stammered.

He just stood in front of her, completely naked. Uncaring, not bothering even to pretend to be self-conscious.

She looked as if she wanted to run. She looked as if she wanted to jump on him. She looked as if she needed someone to tell her what to do.

So he did.

“Take off your dress and get into the bed, Jade.”

Dear Reader,

I just love Southern cities. Though I was born in Virginia, I wasn’t really raised in the South. But I have always been intrigued by the rich culture, passion and romance of the region. One city in particular, Savannah, has always fascinated me. So when I decided to write a book about a sultry possible-thief, I couldn’t think of any better city to put her in than Savannah.

Jade’s not like a lot of my heroines. She’s more self-confident, and a lot more mysterious. But I really liked exploring her quirky love of history, her legacy and ancestry, not to mention her wicked sense of revenge, which would allow her to tie a naked man to a statue…and leave him there.

Hmm…enter naked man. Ryan Stoddard. Northern, conservative, professional. But since he also has vengeance on his mind, he’s more than up to the challenge of tackling Jade head-on. Handcuffs and all.

Hope you enjoy my atmospheric little visit to this lovely Southern city. I enjoyed it so much I think I’ll return there in the future. In person. And in my books.

Best wishes,

Leslie Kelly

Wickedly Hot

Leslie Kelly

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

To Karen and Lynn…thanks for helping me plot this one

while we floated in my pool last summer.

And to all the wonderful reviewers and Webmistresses

who help support this genre, particularly Barb Hoeter,

Barb Hicks, Carla Hosom, Blythe Barnhill, Kathy Boswell,

Catherine Witmer, Cynthia Penn and Diana Tidlund.

We couldn’t do this job without your

support and enthusiasm.

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 6 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 7 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Epilogue

Prologue

LYNNETTE GRAYSON HAD finally found the perfect woman for her grandson Ryan and she was utterly determined to bring them together. Whether he liked it or not.

“Brunette, his favorite,” she murmured as she went over her checklist. “Intelligent, without question. Tall and slim, somewhat mysterious.” And, most of all, interesting.