Luc's Unwilling Wife (The Dante Inferno: The Dante Dynasty Series Book 5) Read online

  Posing as his brother, Marco switches identities and sweeps Caitlyn off for a romantic weekend, seducing her first into becoming his wife and then into his bed for a night of passion unlike any other. The weekend is perfect … until a fatal mistake on Marco’s part reveals the truth.

  She married the wrong man.

  Or did she? Marco claims it’s some bizarre family myth called The Inferno, where soul mates connect with a single touch. But she couldn’t possibly love a man she only met one time, for all of five minutes. How can the lust she feels for a relative stranger far outstrip the chaste relationship she had with his brother? And yet, that’s exactly what’s happened.

  Now Caitlyn finds herself married to Marco for better or worse. The better, she finds in his arms and bed. The worse occurs when their marital mix-up is leaked to the press.

  Can she find a way to prove both the existence of The Inferno … and that Marco is the only man for her? Or is their relationship doomed if The Inferno is demonstrated to be nothing more than a myth?

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  Nicolò’s Wedding Deception, Book #3

  A liar and a thief … or his Inferno mate?

  When Kiley O’Dell claims to own half the mines that contain Dantes legendary fire diamonds, the family sends the most ruthless and cynical of the brothers, Nicolò Dante, the family troubleshooter, to negotiate with her. Neither expect the legendary Inferno to strike, sending both up in flames.

  Nicolò suspects Kiley’s claim is a con. And he’ll do whatever necessary to get to the truth, even chase a panicked and fleeing Kiley. To his horror, she darts into traffic and is hit by a cab before he can save her. After she wakes, she insists she has amnesia. Now he’s certain she’s conning him, and he has a way to prove it.

  Turning the tables on Kiley, Nicolò claims she’s his wife. What he doesn’t expect is for The Inferno to tumble them into a fierce love affair. Which is the real Kiley? The sweet, passionate woman in his bed, someone he’d do anything to keep, or the crafty con artist he first met? And what will happen when she discovers they’re not married at all, that far from being her loving husband, Nicolò is out for vengeance?

  Lover or liar? Devious or delectable? Only The Inferno can determine which.

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  Lazz’s Contract Marriage, Book #4

  A marriage of convenience … or inconvenience?

  They met at the altar. In order to satisfy a contract created by his late father and claim a priceless heirloom fire diamond, Lazz Dante must marry a complete stranger: Ariana Romano. He and his beautiful Italian bride intend to make it a temporary marriage, just long enough to satisfy the terms of the contract before parting ways. It’s a dispassionate and logical solution to an ill-conceived situation.

  What they don’t count on is The Inferno striking when they share their first kiss as husband and wife. Nor do they count on being sent off on a secluded, romantic honeymoon where desire rules the day and passion the night. Most of all they don’t count on the fact that the heirloom fire diamond is missing or that it’s Ariana’s father who’s responsible.

  Will their marriage end in disaster and disillusionment? Or will The Inferno provide them with the ultimate prize: a forever love?

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  Luc’s Unwilling Wife, Book #5

  Her Inferno Bodyguard… Dantes’ security chief, Luc Dante is coerced into six weeks of protection duty for heiress Téa de Luca—just until she reaches her twenty-fifth birthday and can claim her inheritance. The job should be a snap for the powerful, former Special Forces tough guy, despite a wound that never properly healed. After all, who would want to harm such a brilliant, family-oriented woman? Only two things stand in his way…

  First, Téa is the most adorable, gorgeous, sexy—annoyingly oblivious—person he’s ever met, ready and blithely willing to tumble headlong into any and all disasters that appear in front of her. Not that she sees them.

  And second, there’s the small matter of The Inferno, which strikes the second they touch. Of course, that one touch leads to another. And then another and another until they find themselves tumbling into a disaster to end all disasters … the nearest bed. Maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad if they hadn’t been caught in the act. Bound by an unbreakable Dante code of honor, their next disastrous step is to the altar.

  What neither realizes is there’s a very good reason Téa needs a bodyguard. And if they don’t see what’s happening right in front of them, even The Inferno won’t be enough to save them.

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  Rafe’s Temporary Fiancée, Book #6

  His fake fiancée… It’s time for lone wolf Rafe Dante to feel the fiery power of The Inferno. After a disastrous first marriage to his non-Inferno wife, he’s done with happily-ever-after. To satisfy his matrimonial-minded family, he hires a woman to fake an engagement, claiming they’ve experienced the burning itch of The Inferno. His plan is to pay his fiancée to leave him at the altar, and since Dante legend alleges The Inferno only ever strikes once, he’ll finally be free to return to his lone wolf ways, problem solved. Only one slight glitch…

  The minute he and his temporary fiancée touch, The Inferno strikes—for real.

  Sweet, innocent Larkin Thatcher longs for a family of her own. Unfortunately, it isn’t likely to happen, not considering the secrets she hides. When Rafe hires her to be his pretend fiancée and offers a place to stay, it’s a godsend for both Larkin and her “dog,” a lovely Husky who looks suspiciously like a wolf. But falling in love with his family while lying to them isn’t part of the plan. Nor is the overwhelming desire that sparks between the two, one that threatens their plan to go their separate ways.

  If she must leave, she will, even if it means she’ll be homeless again, but not without an antique bracelet in Rafe’s possession that will identify her father. It’s all she wants from her soon-to-be-ex fiancé. All Rafe wants from her is, well … her. At least, for now. But The Inferno has a funny way of turning “now” into forever.

  What will happen when Rafe learns her true identity? Will “now” turn to never? Or will The Inferno find a way to mate these two lone wolves?

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  Draco’s Marriage Pact, Book #7

  A one night stand…

  A secret baby…

  When Draco Dante experiences The Inferno with Dante family rival, Shayla Charleston, he isn’t the least opposed. In fact, he sweeps her off her feet and straight into his bed. What he doesn’t expect is for her to disappear after their one night of passion. Unwilling to let her go and with The Inferno burning in his veins, he spends months searching for her … only to discover Shayla is expecting his baby. Like, now!

  On the eve of her twenty-fifth birthday, Shayla Charleston has three goals. 1. Make sure her grandmother is taken care of. 2. Take off for Europe with her new boss. 3. Experience a one-night stand. Instead, she ends up in bed with the one man she should avoid at all costs … a Dante, her grandmother’s nemesis.

  Now nine months pregnant, Shayla is torn between families—her husband’s and hers. Even though Draco is reluctant to trap Shayla in an unwanted marriage, he’s determined his son will bear the Dante name. So they come to an agreement. She’ll marry him and, unwillingly, he’ll let her go.

  Can The Inferno resolve old rivalries? And more important, can it prove that love and family trumps everything, even a marriage pact?

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  Gianna’s Honor-Bound Husband, Book #8

  The Inferno hides a dark secret … and Gianna knows it.

  Gianna Dante wasn’t sure she could actually feel The Inferno. But the instant she touches her true love she discovers that not only can she … she does!

  Constantine Romano has a will unlike any other and refuses to take Gianna as his until he rebuilds his decimated finan
ces. After all, he might have no choice but to submit to The Inferno’s passion, but he still has his honor. Now, nineteen months, five days, eight hours and a handful of minutes later, he has returned to claim his mate, only to discover she’s moved on. While The Inferno overwhelms him with flames of desire, Gianna has apparently found a cure for its burn.

  And she has. It’s a secret she learned as a child and even though it threatens to break her heart, she can’t force Constantine to love her against his will. While family pressure forces them to the altar, Gianna has a heartbreaking decision to make. Tell her family the truth—that The Inferno isn’t real, just a sweet family fairy tale that can easily be broken. Or keep her silence and marry the only man she’ll ever love, even if he doesn’t want to marry her.

  Has The Inferno finally burned out? Or will its flame catch fire for Gianna and her honor-bound husband before it’s too late?

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  Becoming Dante: Gabe, Book #9

  Forced to become a Dante …

  Gabe Moretti despises his connection to the Dantes ever since they rejected his mother and sister. He wants nothing to do with them … until he meets Kat Malloy. The instant they touch, a bizarre, passionate reaction overwhelms him. Despite that, he’s determined to keep their relationship a business one. Only, The Inferno has other ideas.

  Kat Malloy wants just one thing, a fiancé to help repair her relationship with her dying grandmother. And Gabe Moretti is the perfect man for the job. Not only does her grandmother adore him, but he has the ability to restore her shredded reputation, primarily because he’s the man who shredded it. In exchange, she’ll give him Heart’s Desire, the gorgeous diamond necklace his mother designed and that he’s spent years attempting to purchase.

  She’s utterly shocked when he insists that in addition to giving him the necklace, she share his bed, or that she finds herself not just willing, but eager. What she doesn’t anticipate is their passion flaming out of control and the unexpected results which lead them to a marriage neither expect or want. Or do they…?

  Will The Inferno help the two learn to overcome their past and find love? And will Gabe finally be able to accept that with Kat’s help he’s finally Becoming Dante.

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  Dante’s Dilemma: Romero, Book #10

  Romero Dante: The town bad boy. The man all good girls should avoid.

  Julietta Bianchi: Sweet and virginal. The woman who’d do anything to save her family. And engaged to Rom’s best friend.

  Rom Dante had always been warned about the danger of The Inferno. After all, it creates an all-consuming, love-at-first-touch lust, which led to his mother’s ruin … and Rom’s birth. Now it strikes again with the one woman Rom can’t have—Julietta Bianchi, the fiancée of his best friend.

  Julietta will do whatever necessary to save her family from financial disaster, even marry a man she doesn’t love. But days before her wedding is to take place, her heart is stolen—with a single touch. Now the two lovers must choose between honor … and each other.

  But Romero’s grandfather warns that to ignore The Inferno will turn love from a blessing to a curse. And Rom can’t allow that, even if it means stealing his bride and forcing her to the altar.

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  Forever Dante: Lucia, Book #11

  All love child Lucia Moretti has ever wanted is to share her father’s name. To be a Dante, like her dad. To belong. To feel the burn of The Inferno when she first joins hands with her soul mate. Unfortunately, she no longer believes in fairy tales. Or so she thinks until a protective stranger touches her and The Inferno strikes. Too bad he doesn’t feel it, too.

  Ty Masterson is hired to guard the millions of dollars’ worth of Dante gems Lucia is modeling at a premier celebration to debut the New Beginnings jewelry line. But he finds himself more interested in guarding her body. After a night of passion, it’s discovered the jewelry is fake—switched at some point under his watch—and Ty is torn between duty and his growing attraction for Lucia.

  Then matters take a more serious turn when Lucia suspects she’s pregnant...with Ty’s baby. Will history repeat itself, or will her own lovechild escape the stigma of illegitimacy that Lucia spent a lifetime living?

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  Excerpt: Rafe’s Temporary Fiancée

  Chapter One

  This time his family had gone too far.

  Rafe Dante stared at the bevy of women being subtly—and not so subtly—paraded beneath his nose by various family members. He’d lost count of the number of women he’d been forced to shake hands with. He knew why they were doing it. They were all determined to find him a wife. He grimaced. No, more than just a wife.

  They hoped to find his Inferno soul mate, a Dante legend that had gotten seriously out of hand. For some reason, his family had it fixed in their heads that it only took one touch for some strange mythical connection to be forged between a Dante and his soul mate. Ridiculous, of course. Didn’t they get it?

  Not only didn’t he believe in The Inferno, but he had no interest in ever experiencing matrimonial blisslessness again. His late wife, Leigh, had taught him that lesson in the short span of time from “I do” to “My lawyer will be in touch.” Of course, that phone call had never come. Eighteen months ago, his wife had chartered a private plane to Mexico to recover from the tragedy of her marriage to him and met a far worse fate when her plane crashed into a mountainside, leaving no survivors.

  Rafe’s younger brother, Draco, joined him and folded his arms across his chest. He stood silently for a moment, surveying the room and the glittering contents, both jeweled and female. “Ready to surrender and just pick one?”

  “Get serious.”

  “I am. Dead serious.”

  Rafe turned on his brother, only too happy to vent some of his irritation. “Do you have any idea what the past three months have been like?”

  “I do. I’ve been watching from the sidelines, in case you hadn’t noticed. I’m also keenly aware that once you succumb to The Inferno, I’m next in line for the firing squad. As far as I’m concerned, feel free to hold out as long as possible.”

  “I’m working on it.”

  Rafe returned his attention to the shimmer and sparkle and sighed. Dantes international jewelry reception possessed everything a man could ask for—wine, women and bling—and nothing he wanted.

  The wine came from a Sonoma, California vineyard just a few hours from the family’s San Francisco home office. He knew the label on the bottles was as exclusive as the guest list. The women were beautiful, wealthy, and shone as brilliantly as the wedding rings on display around the private showroom. As for the bling? Well, that often fell within his purview, at least it did when Dantes Courier Service transported the stunning array of gemstones and finished pieces.

  And yet a sense of utter boredom nagged Rafe. How many times had he attended receptions similar to this one? Always observing. Always maintaining a vigilant eye from the shadows. Always the watchful lone wolf instinctively avoided by the guests, until one family member or another thrust a potential bride in his direction. It was a pattern that had repeated itself so many times he’d lost count.

  This occasion celebrated the exclusive release of the latest Dantes collection, the Eternity line of one-of-a-kind wedding rings. Each unique set combined the fire diamonds for which his family was renowned with the Platinum Ice gold from Billings, the company owned by Rafe’s sister-in-law, Téa Dante, who’d married his older brother, Luc, three months earlier. Just seeing rings that symbolized love and commitment filled Rafe with bitterness.

  Been there. Done that. Still had the scars to prove it.

  And then he saw her.

  The little blonde pixie working the reception as one of the c
aterers couldn’t claim the title of most gorgeous woman in the room, but for some reason Rafe couldn’t take his eyes off her.

  He couldn’t say why she attracted his attention or explain the vague sizzle she stirred. Granted, her features were quite lovely, delicate and fine boned with enough whimsy to make them interesting. Maybe it was her hair and eyes—hair the same shade as the ice-white sand of a Caribbean island and eyes the glorious turquoise of the rolling ocean waves that splashed and frolicked across those pristine beaches. Then there was the sizzle he couldn’t explain, a vague compelling itch urging him to get closer to her in every possible way.

  She circulated through the display room of the Dantes corporate office building with a hip-swinging glide that made her appear as though she were dancing. In fact, she possessed a dancer’s body, lean and graceful, if a bit pint-size, every delectable inch showcased by the fitted black slacks and tight red vest of her uniform.

  She disappeared into the crowd, her tray of canapés held high, and he lost sight of her. For a split second he was tempted to give chase. A few minutes later, the pixie waitress reappeared with a fresh tray of champagne and circled through the guests in the exact opposite direction from where he stood.

  For some reason it annoyed Rafe. Determined to force a meeting, he began to maneuver his way through the crowd on an intercept course, one circumvented by Draco’s restraining hand.

  “What?” Rafe asked, lifting an eyebrow. “I’m thirsty.”

  Draco shot him a knowing look. “Funny. I’d have said you look hungry. And with so many eyes on you, I recommend you avoid sating your appetite until a more appropriate time and place.”

  “Hell.”

  “Relax. Where there’s a will . . .” Draco gestured toward one of the nearby display cases and deliberately changed the subject. “Looks like Francesca’s latest line of Eternity wedding rings is going to be a huge success. Sev must be thrilled.”