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  ‘Can you see, Orsino?’

  ‘How close did you come to death?’

  ‘Are you and Poppy reconciling? Are you in love after all this time? How about a kiss for the camera?’

  Poppy spoke. ‘The car is straight ahead.’ There was nothing in her tone, neither stress nor sympathy. She might have been talking to a stranger.

  He hadn’t expected her to feel anything. He’d had her measure since the night five years ago when he’d discovered what she really was.

  Why did it matter that he’d been mistaken in the hospital, imagining he’d got under her skin? Why did it matter that he meant nothing to her?

  Yet it did.

  Because almost dying out there on the mountain, he’d faced the terrible truth that some part of him was still connected to her.

  The realisation was like salt poured on an open wound. A wound he’d believed healed. His gut churned with the force of his reaction as years of resentment came flooding free.

  Someone jostled them and his stick clattered to the ground. He reached out and found himself grasping soft cashmere and even softer hair. His fingers tightened.

  ‘That’s it, Orsino. Just one kiss!’ Around them the paparazzi pressed closer.

  ‘Can you stand while I reach for your stick?’ Poppy’s words were innocent enough but her ice-cool tone struck him again. To her he was an encumbrance till the divorce, a necessary responsibility. No more.

  Five years ago she’d made a fool of him. Even now, when he’d blackmailed her into dancing to his tune, he hadn’t dented her self-assurance much less her emotions.

  Impotent fury spiked.

  He would get a reaction from her.

  Planting his feet more solidly, he released his hold and heard her breath sigh out. But before she could draw away he lifted his hand to the back of her head, to the silk tresses that moved as she jerked beneath his hold.

  Her tangy, sweet scent filled his nostrils.

  ‘Orsino?’ Her voice wobbled.

  Now that was a reaction.

  He looked down into wide eyes. The fiery burn in his belly flared and spread as he held her tight and slanted his mouth over hers.

  Poppy could have broken away from him. She should. He held her with one arm only, the plaster on his other arm pressing against her middle.

  His splayed hand held her firmly but not unbreakably.

  So why did she hesitate as his mouth captured hers?

  Maybe it was the surprising restraint in the touch of his cool lips against hers. It reminded her of the first time they’d kissed. Then he’d scooped her close, his shoulders blocking out the world, leaving her cocooned in the passion that swirled like a maelstrom between them. Yet he’d taken her mouth with a gentleness that had been more devastating than any urgent caress. He’d undone her with one simple kiss, because she’d felt not only desired but cherished.

  His mouth moved now against hers, pressing gently. Poppy felt the years peel back, as if awakening to a man for the first time.

  A shudder ran the length of her body as nerve endings sprang to life.

  His tongue swept the seam of her lips, coaxing a response that rippled through her, from her mouth down to her tingling nipples and her toes curling in her boots.

  Orsino’s hand moved in her hair, long fingers strong and hard and ridiculously erotic given all he did was hold her.

  Her heart hammered into her breastbone and her eyes fluttered shut as her lips moved tentatively against his.

  Sensation flooded her, the sound of blood pulsing in her ears, the tensile strength of him against her, the dark chocolate and spice deliciousness that was the shockingly familiar taste of Orsino on her tongue.

  He pressed closer and reason finally surfaced from the inchoate thoughts tumbling through her mind.

  She pulled back, eyes wide at her body’s betrayal.

  Impenetrable dark glasses stared back at her. Her eyes dropped to the thin, mobile mouth that had so easily worked magic on hers. She caught a gleam of dampness on his bottom lip, the sheen where her mouth had met his.

  Wrenching free of his hold, Poppy staggered back, heart pounding, her breath sawing from her lips.

  Still he stood unmoving while all around them cameras clicked and whirred and reporters climbed over each other for a better view.

  She felt like she’d had an out of body experience. It sure wasn’t her body that had responded to Orsino so eagerly. It couldn’t be. She’d eradicated him from her system.

  Pity your body doesn’t know it.

  The snide little voice came from inside her head.

  Imagine what would have happened if he’d had two hands to work with.

  Find out more about Rebel’s Bargain at Annie-West.com

  Here’s a sample of a few of Annie’s other titles:

  Defying Her Desert Duty

  Across the bustling nightclub, bodyguard Zahir El Hashem watches his new charge sway temptingly on the dance floor, his pulse quickening. Returning the Princess to her bridegroom might not be such a simple operation after all. Soraya Karim has always known one day she must resume her royal obligations—just not so soon! Clinging to the last shreds of her freedom, Soraya insists they take the long way back to Bakhara—and their attraction reaches a dangerous fever pitch. Once they reach the gates of the palace such a liaison will be utterly forbidden. From then duty must reign.

  Captive in the Spotlight

  Domenico might be tall, dark and the epitome of Italian charm, but he’s also the man who saw Jenna convicted of killing his brother. So why does he offer her refuge on her first day of freedom?

  An Enticing Debt to Pay

  Rafe Benton gives Ravenna no choice. Either she works as his housekeeper to pay off the money her mother took, or he prosecutes.

  Girl in the Bedouin Tent

  Kidnapped and presented to a sheikh for his pleasure! But Cassie has other ideas. She’s no man’s plaything.

  Protected by the Prince

  A Cinderella fantasy with a twist when a frumpy but feisty bookworm threatens Prince Charming’s kingdom and he’s forced to take action.

  The Sultan’s Harem Bride (1 February 2015)

  WANTED: Desert princess to join harem.

  Sultan Asim of Jazeer has hundreds of women at his beck and call. So why does he want the only one who threatens to reveal his family's shameful secrets?

  Journalist Jacqui Fletcher jumped at the chance to write a history of the harem—not to become a sultan's plaything! But it's hard to remember her assignment when the sultan's sensuous caresses spark a fire she's never experienced before…

  Asim is looking for a pliable princess for a marriage of duty. Brave, beautiful Jacqui couldn't be more wrong for him. So why does holding her feel so right?

  ABOUT ANNIE

  Growing up in Australia, I didn’t ride a kangaroo to school but I did acquire valuable survival skills like what to do when faced with a venomous snake or caught in a dangerous ocean rip. As the dangers of ocean swimming involved close observation of tall, burnished surf life savers, you could say I began researching early to become a romance writer.

  I’ve been a reader almost as long as I can remember and the idea of being without a book sends a chill down my spine. In my teens I got hooked on romance and never looked back.

  I found my own tall, dark romantic hero while at university. After a surprisingly interesting career in the public service I found myself with young children and a burning desire to do what I’d always secretly dreamed – write romance rather than government reports. I’ve been writing ever since. Along the way I’ve won a number of awards, including the Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award. I’m also a multiple USA Today Bestselling Author.

  I live with my hero and family at Lake Macquarie, north of Sydney, Australia. We’re close to the Hunter Valley’s marvellous wine country, superb beaches and the beautiful lake.

  My favourite things are books, travel, long walks, good company and great food. I get
to spend my days fantasising about gorgeous men and their love lives, which can be hard work, but I have no regrets. There’s nothing better than that sigh-worthy moment when your hero and heroine finally get their happy ending, or when a reader contacts you to say they loved your story too.

  If you want to know more about me or any of my books you’ll find details at www.annie-west.com