Phantom Lover. Rebecca York
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She couldn’t see him…
But the bedroom air stirred. Then she felt his kiss, a butterfly kiss, on her lips. A caress that tantalized her senses, that made her capable of nothing else but returning his kiss.
It was as though he knew her, how to tease her, how to please her. “Troy?” Bree whispered. But he remained silent, never stopping, drawing her into his sensual spell.
Deep inside she felt doubt stirring. Whether this man was Troy or not, he had come to her without announcing his name or his intentions. He’d come to her bed like a phantom lover.
Her eyes flew open. She couldn’t see him, but she pushed him away. For a millisecond she felt the resistance of warm flesh, of muscle and bone. Then her hands pressed upward through chilled, empty air.
He was gone. Vanished, as silently and as swiftly as he had come to her.
Dear Harlequin Intrigue Reader,
This month Harlequin Intrigue has a healthy dose of breathtaking romantic suspense to reignite you after the cold winter days. Kicking things off, Susan Kearney delivers the first title in her brand-new trilogy HEROES INC., based on a specially trained team of sexy agents taking on impossible missions. In Daddy to the Rescue, an operative is dispatched to safeguard his ex-wife from the danger that threatens her. Only, now he also has to find the child she claims is his!
Rebecca York returns with the latest installment in her hugely popular 43 LIGHT STREET series. Phantom Lover is a supersexy gothic tale of suspense guaranteed to give you all kinds of fantasies…. Also appearing this month is another veteran Harlequin Intrigue author, Patricia Rosemoor, with the next title in her CLUB UNDERCOVER miniseries. In VIP Protector, a bodyguard must defend a prominent attorney from a crazed stalker. But can he protect her from long-buried secrets best left hidden?
Finally rounding out the month is the companion title in our MEN ON A MISSION theme promotion, Tough as Nails, from debut author Jackie Manning. Here an estranged couple must join forces to solve a deadly mystery, but will their close proximity fuel the flames of passion smoldering between them?
So pick up all four of these thrilling, action-packed stories for a full course of unbelievable excitement!
Sincerely,
Denise O’Sullivan
Senior Editor
Harlequin Intrigue
Phantom Lover
Rebecca York
Ruth Glick Writing as Rebecca York
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Award-winning, bestselling novelist Ruth Glick, who writes as Rebecca York, is the author of close to eighty books, including her popular 43 LIGHT STREET series for Harlequin Intrigue. Ruth says she has the best job in the world. Not only does she get paid for telling stories; she’s also the author of twelve cookbooks. Ruth and her husband, Norman, travel frequently, researching locales for her novels and searching out new dishes for her cookbooks.
Dear Reader,
In Phantom Lover I wanted to write a novel with all the classic gothic trappings. You know how a gothic tale starts. A naive young woman comes to an isolated estate to be the governess of a young child. She’s immediately immersed in a world of secrets and intrigue, a world where nothing is as it seems—and the master of the house is a dark, brooding man with deep emotional wounds. Yet his sexual attraction for the heroine is powerful. Can she trust him? Should she surrender to him? Can her love save his soul?
I had a wonderful time playing with these themes, and I pushed them to their limits. My isolated estate is called Ravencrest. In my story that dark, brooding hero, Troy London, may be a ghost. Or is he? That’s something you’ll have to decide for yourself.
There are a couple of the classic elements that I did bend in my story. I love to write a sensual book, and this one is no exception. Troy London wants Bree, and he uses all his considerable skill as a lover to get what he wants. And then there’s my heroine. She’s smart enough to bring a gun along with her to Ravencrest. But she simply couldn’t calculate the risks she’d be taking by setting foot on the estate.
Enjoy!
Ruth Glick writing as Rebecca York
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Troy London—Was he dead or alive? Desperate or calculating?
Bree Brennan—Could she save the man she loved? Was he worth saving?
Helen London—She was sending Bree into a dangerous situation.
Dinah London—Had Troy’s daughter seen her father recently, or was she telling stories?
Nola Sterling—Why was she giving Bree a hard time?
Abner Sterling—Was Nola’s husband dangerous or deranged? Or both?
Foster Graves—Was he just the handyman—or a major player in the drama unfolding at Ravencrest?
Edith Martindale—Was she an ally or an enemy?
Miss Carpenter—Did the former schoolteacher get fired, or was she scared into quitting?
Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Prologue
Troy London squinted against the wind blowing salt spray into his face and matting the dark hair to his forehead. Tipping back his head, he looked up to the cliffs at the great house towering above the ocean.
Ravencrest. The estate his great-grandfather had built. For the first time in months he felt the joy of coming home to this place. Well, a muted joy, with the present problems hanging over him. But he would solve them— one way or the other. And then he’d get his life back on track again.
Deftly he maneuvered the small craft through the swells, finding the calm channel between the towering rocks.
He had sailed these waters since he was a boy. For sport and for the challenge of pitting his mind and body against the elements.
He found the ring anchored to the rock and tied up the boat, then waited for a swell to crest before stepping off onto the landing platform, slippery with ocean water. Using the familiar handholds, he climbed the rough-hewn steps toward the top of the cliff.
He could have approached the house from the headlands. But then he would be visible from the west-facing windows. Instead, he stopped at the entrance to one of the secret tunnels carved into the stone. Opening the door, he slipped into a dark passage.
A flashlight was hanging