A NIGHT WITH THE SOCIETY PLAYBOY :: ebookThe hero
Caleb Gilchrist first appeared in the award-winning best-selling
THE MAGNATE'S INDECENT PROPOSAL
, as the hero's Lothario best friend. A total cad. Irrepressible. Shameless. Soooo not hero material. And then as I neared the end of revisions on that earlier book something happened. As Caleb and Damien sat in a darkened bar, Damien lamenting the loss of his true love, Caleb let something slip. The reason behind his playboy ways. He said:
'...if it wasn't for the number their divorce did on the two of you Iwould have run off with your sister years ago.'
Damien kept his mouth shut and let Caleb's words sink in. Chelsea. The one. His sister?'You and Ava?'Caleb smiled though there was no roguish humour in his eyes. 'We're focussing on you right now my friend.'And just like that it all made sense! Poor Caleb was nursing a broken heart! For his best friend's sister. The one who got away. How could I not make it alright? And what with Damien all set for a big wedding, guess whose little sister is all set to come home?
'So,' Avasaid, head down, hair falling in a waterfall over her face as she scuffed hershoe against the step, 'which of the bevy of beautiful blondes out there underthe stars is your arm candy for the evening?''Who says I have any interest in arm candy.'She lifted her chin, her mouth twisted as she pinned him with hertrademark flat, discerning, too smart for her own good gaze. 'There is such a thing as email youknow. And from what I hear from thosewho've used said email to tell me things about home, these days you're aregular hound dog.'Caleb laughed. The suddenexplosive release of tension was such a surprise he let it rumble through him agood deal longer than he'd normally bother.
And it felt good. Reallygood.It was enough to make him glad he'd sought her out again. For one thing she didn't seem to have aninordinate interest in Roman blinds. Andfor another he was definitely enjoying her attempt at being sassy. She honestly had no idea she looked likebutter wouldn't melt in her mouth.'And what makes you think you can trust such stories?' she asked.'The source.'He glanced her way, eyebrow raised.'My brother.'Caleb laughed again. 'You can'tbe quoting your brother, I'm sure.' Damien would have used far less ambiguous language.'I am,' she said. 'Or Ithink I am. He may have put thingsanother way and I simply extrapolated that meaning. So you're not a hound dog?'The minx actually looked disappointed.'Honey, I'm not sure any man has been a 'hound dog' since the1950s.''But – ''But I understand your meaning. And he was quite wrong. I'mperfectly discriminating,' he said with a devilish smile.'How's that? No blondesafter Labour Day?'
'I said I was discriminating, not an imbecile.'This time Ava laughed. Hereyes brightened, her hair shimmied, and those lips... Damn but she was one gorgeous creature.Caleb's extremities stirred as he wondered how long it might takefor butter to melt anywhere else on her body.'So anyway,' Ava said, before he could sink too deeply into thatfantasy, 'I was thinking of heading up to my old bedroom for a stickybeak. See if my mother turned it into anaquarium, or a gift-wrapping room, or a yoga studio. What do you reckon?''Knowing your mother I'd say...trophy room.'Ava clicked her fingers. 'Right. Of course it is. So, do you want to come see if you're right?'Caleb waited for the other shoe to drop, but she merely blinked athim, all ingenuous blue eyes.Ava was inviting him up to her old bedroom.It didn't mean what the sudden surge of adrenalin throughout hisbody indicated it meant. Or did it?Only one way to find out for sure...Buy the eBook. Buy from iTunes. More about the book
Published on April 09, 2012 16:00