After That Night

After That Night
Ann Evans

She wants to have this baby aloneJenna Rawlins is a straitlaced kind of woman. As fate would have it, the one night she goes a little crazy and allows herself to be seduced, she becomes pregnant. It's bad timing, since she's trying to claim her independence from her overprotective family, but she's bound and determined to have this baby–alone. After all, she's successfully raising two boys by herself after kicking out her good-for-nothing husband. Another baby she can handle. Another man–forget it.But he won't let herMark Bishop has discovered Jenna's condition and wants to be part of his child's life. But Jenna doesn't believe the confirmed bachelor is up to the challenge. So she tests him–making him spend time with her boys, showing him what it's like to be a parent. The problem is, he loves this life that's been thrown at him–the boys, the child on the way…and Jenna.

Unfair!

Jenna wanted to cry, “Stop!” But the word simply wouldn’t come.

Mark gave her a long, speculative appraisal from beneath his lashes. His tender smile had melted her insides. “You realize, of course, if you go now, you’ll never find out.”

“Find out what?” Her voice sounded detached and foreign.

His mouth widened into a grin. “Whether it’s boxers or briefs.”

She stared at him in mute misery. The dark, heavy truth descended on her in full force. She might as well acknowledge the terrible inevitability of this moment, that something was breaking like a cord in her mind.

Jenna nodded slowly. “You’re right, damn you. I have to know.”

She tossed her remaining shoe over one shoulder. By the time it hit the floor she had lifted her arms around Mark’s neck and pulled him to her. She kissed him, thoroughly. And he responded.

If this was a mistake, she’d find a way to make it right somehow. And if there were regrets, she’d never lay claim to them. A premonition of danger flared at the edges of her mind, but her body was already on a wild journey, and the feeling didn’t last long enough to become a nuisance.

Dear Reader,

It’s wonderful to feel safe in the life you’ve built for yourself. We should all be so lucky as to have stress-free, secure, peaceful lives that never cause us a moment of concern.

But sometimes that kind of complacent existence can get…well, boring. You get stuck in a rut. You never feel challenged. You stop taking chances. And the people you love? They think they know you inside and out.

Which is why sometimes your life needs a swift kick in the pants. Or, as in the case of my heroine, you need to shake things up a bit. That’s what Jenna Rawlins decides to do one night when she meets Mark Bishop. Something new. Something unexpected and out of character. And that adventurous decision results in big changes in both their lives.

Resolving their problems was a great way for me to shake up my own little world, too. I’ve never written a story about two people who are drawn to one another so quickly, with such life-altering consequences. I hope I’ve met the challenge, and that you’ll find Jenna and Mark’s story interesting and fun.

May all your challenges in life be exciting, rewarding and, as always, may they make for wonderful stories!

Sincerely,

Ann Evans

After That Night

Ann Evans

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

For my good friends Lanny Reddick and Sherri Angell,

who never say “No” when I want to play “What if…?”

I couldn’t do it without you.

Well…I could, but it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun.

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

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

EPILOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

JENNA RAWLINS really disliked Atlanta’s Regent Street Grill. The restaurant, situated in the upscale suburb of Buckhead, was too sleek, too cold and too uncomfortable. The waiters thought they were doing you a favor by taking your order. And the prices!

Jenna swallowed as her eyes drifted down a dessert menu as thick as a Russian novel. Where did they get the nerve to charge so much?

Of course, she had to admit that Vic was right about one thing. This place was the latest trendy eatery in the city for that important business lunch. Already two of the magazine’s advertising clients had stopped by their table to say hello and buss everyone on the cheek. But honestly, with the small portions they served, what good did it do you to make contacts in the restaurant if you were too weak from hunger to remember their names?