Hidden Hearts

Hidden Hearts
Susan Kearney

HE WOULD PROTECT HER WITH HIS LIFE…Architect Alexandra Golden insisted she didn't need the bodyguard her brother, Jake, had hired. Surely the papers Jake had sent weren't worth killing her for. Anyway, could she trust the handsome stranger? Sure, he was gentle with her and funny, and his I've-got-to-have-you kisses made her knees weak, but he was also arrogant, secretive and very dangerous.Roarke Stone, ex-CIA field officer, had failed to save his fiancée from a terrorist's bomb and had no intention of losing Alexandra to the powerful, deadly men who were pursuing her. He was determined to protect her, but could he protect his own vulnerable heart?

“Would you please remove your bra?”

“Excuse me?” Alexandra thought she must have heard him wrong. “I thought you asked me to remove my bra.”

“I did.”

While she knew Roarke couldn’t be making a pass at her with them imprisoned in the car’s trunk, she didn’t like the idea of removing her underwear—even in the dark. She had to force a calmness into her tone that she didn’t feel. “Mind telling me why you want me to undress?”

As usual, Mr. Silver Tongue had an answer. “I want to push your bra out the taillight hole and use it as a flag.”

“Couldn’t we use your shirt?”

“Which article of clothing do you think will draw more attention?”

Dear Reader,

This holiday season, deck the halls with some of the most exciting names in romantic suspense: Anne Stuart and Gayle Wilson. These two award-winning authors have returned together to Harlequin Intrigue to reprise their much loved miniseries—CATSPAW and MEN OF MYSTERY—in a special 2-in-1 collection. Night and Day is a guaranteed keeper and the best stocking stuffer around!

Find out what happens when a single-dad secret agent has to protect a beautiful scientist as our MONTANA CONFIDENTIAL series continues with Licensed To Marry by Charlotte Douglas.

The stork is coming down the chimney this year, as Joanna Wayne begins a brand-new series of books set in the sultry South. Look for Another Woman’s Baby this month and more HIDDEN PASSIONS books to come in the near future.

Also available from Harlequin Intrigue is the second title in Susan Kearney’s HIDE AND SEEK trilogy. The search goes on in Hidden Hearts.

Happy holidays from all of us at Harlequin Intrigue.

Sincerely,

Denise O’Sullivan

Associate Senior Editor

Harlequin Intrigue

Hidden Hearts

Susan Kearney

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

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Susan Kearney used to set herself on fire four times a day. Now she does something really hot—she writes romantic suspense. While she no longer performs her signature fire dive (she’s taken up figure skating), she never runs out of ideas for characters and plots. A business graduate from the University of Michigan, Susan is working on her fourteenth novel and writes full-time. She resides in a small town outside Tampa, Florida, with her husband and children and a spoiled Boston terrier.

Books by Susan Kearney

HARLEQUIN INTRIGUE

340—TARA’S CHILD

378—A BABY TO LOVE

410—LULLABY DECEPTION

428—SWEET DECEPTION

456—DECEIVING DADDY

478—PRIORITY MALE

552—A NIGHT WITHOUT END

586—CRADLE WILL ROCK* (#litres_trial_promo)

590—LITTLE BOYS BLUE* (#litres_trial_promo)

594—LULLABY AND GOODNIGHT* (#litres_trial_promo)

636—THE HIDDEN YEARS† (#litres_trial_promo)

640—HIDDEN HEARTS† (#litres_trial_promo)

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Alexandra Golden—An architect, and a woman with a painful past. As she faces danger and Roarke’s charm, can she find the courage to fall in love?

Roarke Stone—Charming, dangerous and sexy, the ex-CIA rogue is hired as Alexandra’s bodyguard. He’s determined to protect Alexandra, but will he succeed in protecting his heart?

Jake Cockran—The brother Alexandra never met. When Jake sends his sister a package from her biological parents, he inadvertently places her in danger.

Jake and Alexandra’s biological parents—Letters, pictures and diaries—secrets from her mother and cloaked in a mystery that must be solved.

Carleton Jamison—An FBI agent who owes Roarke his life. He’s one of the few men Roarke trusts.

Top Dog—Roarke’s nickname for the bald man who wants Alexandra and her secrets.

Contents

Prologue (#u292b700d-c091-5ba2-a4b1-51276e0778de)

Chapter One (#ud4478188-88cf-57ef-89d4-30f661782b7f)

Chapter Two (#udcd25f26-5aa0-5995-b6d9-1110721dbdda)

Chapter Three (#u18abcccb-4183-540a-b511-8fead10047a1)