Emma Bennett

He was part of her past, and that was exactly where she meant to keep him. Yet, she would never forget her eighteenth summer, the summer he had appeared--not a boy, but a man with a man's passions--to teach her the searing pleasures of first love. Nine years ago Eileen Terrell had been a naïve Louisiana farm girl. Immaculately groomed, poised and presentable, she had come a long way. But as she stood before him now, discussing oil rights to her Texas properties, she suddenly knew she had gone no distance at all. One false step and she would be right back where she had started from--breathless and helpless in Connor Mitchell's strong irresistible arms.

Artist Wendal Hunter had been deceived once in love. As far as she was concerned, once was enough. But Flynt Murdoch, the intriguingly powerful restaurateur and ranching tycoon, was a hard man to refuse. Flynt was intent on breaking down her defenses. Wendal was determined to keep him at bay. Yet, his rugged masculinity was a narcotic to her senses, and when he swept her into his arms, the last barriers were too easily broken. An irresistible lover, Flynt was, above everything else, a businessman. In spite of herself Wendal had invested herself, body and soul. But was the bottom line just one more deal for the almighty dollar- or a lifetime dividend of love?

Molten desire carried the heated message to every cell in her body. It would have blazed a path to her eyes, to burn brightly there, but Neal couldn't let him see.... Memories-- all they had were memories. A starry-eyed teenager and a magnetic young man of twenty-four. More than a decade had passed. They'd been mere children then. Now Neal, at least, was an adult, a woman in charge of her life. A veterinarian, she'd come out to the Golden Cam to tend sick livestock, not to embark on another wild-goose chase with the irresistible Edric Cameron. Her memories held passion, pleasure--and heart-wrenching pain. She dared not trust him, dared not act on her emotions, but she couldn't deny the longing to throw caution to the winds, to fling herself into his arms without thought of tomorrow-- again.

Stevie Hylton found herself content with life. A congenial job at a riding school on the unspoilt Norfolk coast; a pleasant home for herself and her sister Lisa; the promise of romance for both of them; what could be better? It was a pity, though, that the local Squire was so irritating; handsome, yes, but an idle, worthless, thoughtless playboy. And for two pins she'd tell him so?

He was obstinate, rude, primitive-and the most dangerously attractive man Megan Jonas had ever met. From their first explosive encounter rugged farmer Alan McDonald had peeled away her sophisticated businesswoman's veneer, had penetrated her cool self-confidence and provoked the hellcat beneath. What he wanted, he got-one way or another-and he'd made it perfectly clear that he'd play her game to win. Suddenly Megan found her passionate challenge. She wanted to tame this man, to make him quiver at her touch, to earn her slightest embrace, But she hadn't reckoned on her treacherous heart-and a love determined to possess her, body and soul!

Danella Jones hated Logan Spencer sight unseen. But business was business, and she couldn't let memories of her best friend's ill-fated romance intrude. She needed Logan's public relations expertise to promote Blaketon Pharmaceuticals without losing the goodwill of Blaketon, North Carolina. Clearly Logan was accustomed to getting his own way. In his embrace her resistance became raging passion. He wanted her--and despite herself Danny desired him. But how could she trust this man for whom love was just a game? She'd heard the worst about Logan Spencer, but had she seen him only at his best? Somehow she had to learn the truth before she lost her heart.

Melissa Phillips had no time to brood on her bad luck in love. Day's Work, her mother's foundering temporary-employment agency, needed Iverson Gerrick's endorsement. Salvaging his account was going to take all her ingenuity. Impossible to please, he'd gone through every eligible employee. Melissa entered his office prepared to be a paragon of executive virtue and to do battle. But winning the battle didn't mean she'd won the war. Soon the skirmishes grew more heated, and before she knew it, Melissa was in her enemy's arms. Behind the arrogant facade did she detect the warmth of hidden tenderness? Did she merely intend to bring Iverson Gerrick to heel--or was it more?

"I want you," he said, the hunger in his voice echoing the heat of desire in his eyes. But Francyne LaRue had had enough men in her life who wanted her. Now she wanted nothing less than love. And who was Brendan O'Shea, the bewitching stranger from Baton Rouge who had sauntered into her peaceful San Antonio afternoon? Was he a handsome tourist of the senses, merely passing through, only too eager to take a piece of her heart as a souvenir of his passage-- or the one man she could love for a lifetime? Were the feelings real? Could she trust them-- or were they both swept up in a passing fancy, adrift on the river's sweet, enchanting spell?

President of her own corporation, Erin Lindsay had finally met her match in Devlin Douglas, the industrial giant whose laughing black eyes belied his awesome position in the business world. Erin knew that conquering a man like Devlin was a challenge like no other. His reputation was all too well deserved. With ruthless determination he was systematically destroying her defenses. Erin might have triumphed on the corporate battlefield. Now she was waging wear on the battlefield of love, struggling to hold her own against a man who'd pay any price to achieve his goal, struggling to keep her wits about her, to hold on to her heart against a man who had already taken possession of her soul.