Hot Spell

Hot Spell
Michelle Rowen

Everybody knows there's no love lost between paranormal investigators Amanda LaGrange and sexy Jacob Caine. They can't even stand being in the same room together. . . .Well, unless it's an enchanted bedroom. And they're trapped there, at midnight. And the sexual tension suddenly becomes too powerful to resist. . . Then that bedroom gets really hot, really fast! But come morning, they still can't keep their hands off each other. Are they cursed forever? If so, neither one's complaining.

“I think we might be trapped in here,” Jacob said

Instead of being upset at the idea, Amanda felt a warm thrill go through her. She so wasn’t thinking straight.

He was breathing faster now as his gaze traveled the length of her. “I need to warn you that I’m not feeling in control of myself here.” He stalked over toward her and she braced herself, expecting him to kiss her, hoping he’d kiss her. Instead, he breezed past her to a small table where there was a heavy brass candleholder. Holding it out to her, he said, “Preventative measures.”

“For what?” she asked, taking the candlestick.

“You need to knock me out. Bash me on the head. Then you’ll be safe. I don’t want to do anything I’m going to regret.”

At her puzzled look, he continued. “I don’t want to force myself on you. I feel an overwhelming compulsion to throw you on the bed over there and take you hard and fast. It’s close to uncontrollable. So knock me out while you have the chance.”

She considered the candlestick for a moment, then slowly put it down. Then, holding his gaze, she took his hand and guided it to her breast….

Dear Reader,

Hot Spell, my first book for Harlequin Blaze, was inspired by three little words spoken on a talk show about how love can “feel like magic.”

Jacob Caine and Amanda LaGrange are clearly—at least to me and their matchmaking boss—meant for each other. But because of that stubborn streak both of them have, self-protection, denial, practicality, the wrong thing said at the wrong time—or all of the above—they’re going to need a little push.

A little…magical…push.

Thanks to an enchanted grandfather clock the two paranormal investigators uncover in a haunted house at the stroke of midnight, they’re going to find out exactly how much love can feel like magic—whether they’re ready for that particular discovery or not.

I’m thrilled to not only get the chance to write for my favorite Harlequin line, but to have my release during their sixtieth anniversary celebrations. It’s truly an honor!

Happy reading…

Michelle Rowen

Michelle Rowen

HOT SPELL

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michelle Rowen is an award-winning, bestselling author of multiple paranormal romance novels, including the Immortality Bites vampire series. Hot Spell is her first book for Harlequin Blaze. A voracious but picky reader, TV viewer and movie watcher, she prefers all her entertainment to include a happily-ever-after…or else! Michelle is currently in treatment for serious Twitter and Facebook addictions. Please visit her online at www.michellerowen.com.

Thank you to my editor Brenda Chin and fellow Blaze authors Kelley St. John and Alison Kent for all their help and general fabulousness.

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

1

AMANDA LAGRANGE shook her head so vigorously it felt as though it might come loose from her shoulders. “Please, not him. Anyone but him.”

“Jacob’s the only agent currently available, and we need this house investigated tonight. The owner paid extra for an immediate assessment.” Patrick McKay’s voice was firm.

It was pointless to argue. Knowing Patrick, her boss, there was no way she’d be able to get out of this. Besides, making a fuss about her last official assignment for the Paranormal Assessment and Recovery Agency would make her look childish.

She finally sighed. “Okay, fine. I’ll do it.”

“I don’t understand why you two can’t stand each other after all this time. Why is that again?” Patrick sounded both curious and distracted. He was a born multitasker, and was currently having a conversation with Amanda while he replied to a long list of text messages from other agents on his BlackBerry.

“It’s…it’s just…many reasons. Too many to list.”

PARA had hired Jacob Caine two years ago because of his empathic abilities. He could get a sense of people and places just by touch. Before that, he’d worked as a private detective for five years. Both talents came in very handy at an agency that investigated paranormal phenomena. PARA agents were often called in to assess haunted properties and cursed or enchanted objects, and would then take the necessary precautions to ensure no one was harmed.

Jacob had it easy, like many of the other agents in-house. He hadn’t even known he was psychic until recently.

Amanda? Not so much.