Personal Relations

Personal Relations
HEATHER MACALLISTER

The Plot: Courtney Weathers desperately needs a date–for her older sister! Jeff Ryan needs a break from his workaholic stepbrother. The Personal Touch! brings the teens together as partners in But will it also make them family?Brooke Weathers is counting the days before Courtney goes to college. At least then, she might get a life–a sex life. Chase Davenport has been so busy climbing the corporate ladder and looking after Jeff, he can't remember ever having a sex life.But when the two kids decide to get married, Brooke and Chase have to team up to stop them. Too bad they can't keep their hands off each other long enough to do

Love in a limo?

Brooke scooted inside the car, to the far side of a padded bench seat. Chase slid in beside her and gave her hand a squeeze. Across from them, Reverend Bob took his place and pulled out some papers. Looking around the interior of the limo, Brooke was overwhelmed by the garlands of greenery, flowers and ribbons that decorated the small space.

“Since we have some time before the ceremony, I’ll just point out the special features of this particular limo.” Reverend Bob gestured to the opaque glass partition behind him. “Soundproof. We’ll lower it during the ceremony so the driver can be your witness, but once you begin the honeymoon, it will be raised.”

“Honeymoon?” Brooke asked.

“Yes. You’ve got the limo for two hours.” He gestured for them to move apart, reached between them and lowered the padded panel. “You pull that handle there, and the seat will fold down to make a bed.”

Brooke was dumbfounded. He expected…people actually…

“Cool,” Chase said, giving Brooke a wicked grin.

Dear Reader,

I thought I’d get right to the good stuff—aphrodisiacs. After all, this is a Harlequin Temptation, right? In researching the scene where Brooke’s sister and Chase’s brother are trying to kindle a romance between their siblings, I learned some interesting things. Did you know that through the ages, there were a lot of foods—not just oysters—that were considered to have erotic powers? So, of course, I had to mention them….

One of the aphrodisiacs I used in the book was pine nut soup. Would you believe that pine nuts have been used to inspire romance since 116 B.C.? Do they work? I’ll let you be the judge of that. Look below for a recipe.

In the meantime, sit back and have fun watching Chase and Brooke as they struggle to avoid being caught in the romantic snare set for them by their siblings—and find themselves caught up in love anyway!

Have fun,

Heather MacAllister

P.S. You can visit my Web site at HeatherMacAllister.com

Recipe for Pine Nut Soup

Puree 1/2 cup of pine nuts and 3 egg yolks in a food processor until you have a smooth paste. Put the mixture in a saucepan and add 1 cup of chicken broth and 1 cup of cream. Add 1/8 teaspoon of saffron and heat gently, stirring consistently until the soup thickens. Don’t let it boil!

Serve immediately—and enjoy!

Personal Relations

Heather MacAllister

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

To Trudy and Bill Hanes.

And Pilgrim.

Contents

Prologue (#ua619d6e5-3c4d-5bdf-b81e-e5b0da069e07)

Chapter 1 (#u406206cc-64b0-56b7-aecf-b718149cd850)

Chapter 2 (#u3cec216d-a5f5-5a64-88b6-abf4d3ccee26)

Chapter 3 (#ub191c0cc-2f20-5a94-b066-e89ce9c09fc4)

Chapter 4 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 5 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 6 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 7 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 8 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 9 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 10 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 11 (#litres_trial_promo)

Prologue

I’m a female West Houston High senior and am looking for a valentine for my overprotective older sister who’s cramping my style. She’s a babe-in-waiting, not a woofer. If you’ve got an available older brother who’s at least twenty-five, and isn’t a troll, call me and let’s hook them up. I’ll make it worth your while.

“HI, MY NAME IS Jeff Ryan and I’m calling about the ad you put in Additudes.”

“Oh, yeah. I’m glad my sister didn’t answer the phone. Hang on and let me kick my door shut…okay. I’m Courtney Weathers, by the way.”

“Uhm, I know who you are—you’re in South Pacific at school, right?”

“Yes, just the chorus, but I am the understudy for Nellie.”

“Is that good?”

“Well, not as good as being cast as Nellie, since that’s the lead, but better than not being the understudy. I mean, people can get colds, right? Anyway, you’ve got a brother?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, is he cute?”

“I’m a guy! I don’t know if he’s cute or not.”

“Do you look like him?”

“Not really. He’s my stepbrother, actually, my ex-stepbrother, but he never has a problem getting dates, if that helps.”