At
the Spy’s Pleasure
In the Crown’s Secret Service # 2
In the Crown’s Secret Service # 2
By: Tina Gabrielle
Releasing May 26th, 2015
Entangled: Scandalous
Blurb
Every
gentleman has his secrets…
London
1821
After years of marriage to a selfish man
who preferred gambling to his young bride, Jane, the widowed countess of
Stanwell, now seeks what she was long denied-a satisfying lover. Naturally, a
lady needs a list of eligible candidates, which doesn’t include the dangerously
handsome (if far too arrogant) Gareth Ramsey…until he steals a sinful kiss from
Jane’s all-too-willing lips.
Reputed as an arrogant barrister, Gareth’s
real occupation is as a spy in the service of His Majesty, and his suspect is
on Jane’s list of possible lovers. With her life in danger, there’s no safer
place for Jane than with him-and in his bed. But Jane is as distracting as she
is infuriating, and keeping her by his side while he pursues his mission might
just endanger them both…
To
Jane’s horror, Gareth Ramsey unfolded the paper and read aloud. “Possible
Candidates as Lovers.” For a brief instant his face hardened, then the cool,
confident mask descended once again.
“Are
you serious?” Gareth asked, mockingly.
Never
had she been so embarrassed in her life. Not even when she’d tripped after
being announced at Lady Tavistock’s ball as a first year debutante.
But
then her humiliation veered into anger. How dare he rip a private document from
her hand and then mock her?
She
placed her hands on her hips and lifted her chin. “I am quite serious. I’ve
decided to turn over a new leaf.”
He
cocked an eyebrow. “Turn over a new leaf?”
“Yes.”
Ignoring
her dismay, he glanced at the list. “Simon Marbury is on your list.”
Jane
met his stare. “You cannot possibly criticize the man.”
Something
flickered in his eyes, something dark and unpleasant. “Stay away from him.”
“You
cannot tell me what to do.”
“The
man is a dissolute pleasure seeker.”
“Half
of the gentlemen of my acquaintance match that description.”
“Your
behavior is reckless.”
Her
anger rose a notch. “There’s nothing reckless about my list. To the contrary,
it’s very well planned.”
He
looked back at the paper and smiled arrogantly. “If you refuse to come to your
senses, then I have just one question for you.”
“What?”
“Why
am I last on your list?”
She
wanted to laugh. He would have been first, had she dared. “It’s not you,” she
lied. Thank heavens she hadn’t written out his full name.
“I
don’t believe you,” he said. “It clearly has my initials.”
She
placed her hands on her hips. “That could stand for anyone.”
“I’m
well versed at reading people. You’re a bad liar.”
“You’re
a conceited fool.”
His
eyes narrowed and for a heartbeat she thought she had gone too far, but then he
threw back his head and laughed.
“You
are a handful, Jane. You need a man to keep you in line. A man that can teach
you passion, not these fools.” With deliberate movements, he folded the list
and slipped it into the inside pocket of his jacket. “I do believe I’ll keep
this.”
Reason
fled. She threw herself at him, fully intending to strike him and take the list
back with physical force. But as she lunged forward, her heel snagged in the
thick carpet. She stumbled, lost her balance, and fell headlong into his solid
chest.
He
grunted as she took him by surprise. Strong arms grasped around her waist as
they tumbled onto the settee, Jane sprawled on top of him.
“Oh!”
She
was aware of every hard inch of him. He was completely unlike any of the
popinjays she had put on her list. He was all male—big, hard, and dangerous.
His mouth was mere inches from hers.
“You
needn’t have worked yourself up into such a fury although I must admit I don’t
mind. I intended to give the list back to you. I was jesting,” he said.
His
eyes weren’t black, but deep coffee-brown. His lips full and sensual.
“Oh.
I see.” She made no attempt to rise, and he made no effort to assist her to her
feet.
“But
I am serious about the character of the men on your list. None of them are
appropriate for the position, especially Marbury.”
“And
you know others who are?”
“Other.
And yes.” His eyes raked her face with a sensuality that was unmistakable. She
started to rise, but his arms tightened about her, forcing her to remain
pressed against him.
“Then
you truly are a fool, Mr. Ramsey. You are the last person I’d want as a lov—”
He
captured her lips in a searing kiss. Drawing her tightly to him, her breasts
were crushed against his solid chest. The heat emanated from his body and
seeped into hers, flooding her limbs with languid passion. His lips, which had
appeared carved of marble, were not cold, hard, or demanding as she had
initially thought, but sinfully seductive. He explored her mouth with
tantalizing persuasiveness, and coaxed her response like one would stoke a slow
burning fire.
Her
eyelids fluttered closed. She grasped his forearms to steady herself, then slid
her hands up his arms. His biceps were enormous, rock hard and pulsing with
heat. Simon Marbury appeared well built, but she’d suspected his tailor had
added padding to his coat to increase the breadth of his shoulders.
Nothing
about Gareth Ramsey was padded or soft. The shock of his muscular frame ran
through her body. But instead of fear, his strength and power thrilled her and
she wanted to be ravaged by him—to know what it felt like to be fiercely
desired by a man.
She
stopped herself just in time. This wasn’t a man she could control. The passion
that inched through her veins was as dangerous as it was thrilling, and without
a doubt she knew that she wouldn’t be able to have a casual affair with Gareth.
No.
She wanted a lover without complications. A man who would not hurt her.
With
Gareth Ramsey she would get scorched.
Author
Info
Tina Gabrielle, an award-winning
author, is an attorney and former mechanical engineer whose love of reading for
pleasure helped her get through years of academia. She's the author of
adventurous Regency romances In The Barrister's Bed, In The Barrister's Chambers,
Lady Of Scandal, and A Perfect Scandal from Kensington Books. "A Spy
Unmasked" is the first book in her new Regency romance series, "In
The Crown's Secret Service," and will be released from Entangled
Publishing on November 10, 2014. "At The Spy's Pleasure" will be
available in April 2015. Tina's books have been Barnes & Noble top picks,
and her first book, Lady Of Scandal, was nominated as best first historical by
Romantic Times Book Reviews.
Rafflecopter Giveaway (A $20.00 Amazon eGift Card and Four Digital Copies of A SPY
UNMASKED, the first in the series)
3 comments:
Thank you for hosting AT THE SPY'S PLEASURE
Thank you for hosting me!
I love this excerpt and can't wait to read it.It's at the top of my TRL. I'd love to enter for the GC because I don't read ebooks. Thanks.
Carol L
Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com
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