Worth the Risk (Worth It 2)

“Perfect.” He didn’t look pleased. He suffered through most public appearances for Worth, so she assumed this tour was the last thing he wanted to do. “I’d like you to prepare an itinerary as soon as you can. I need to know where I’ll be at all times for the duration of the trip.”

“Yes, sir.” She returned her attention to her computer monitor, painfully aware that Alex stood there, silently watching. A tingle started at the top of her spine, slowly working its way down the length of her back, and she barely contained the shiver that wanted to move through her. She could feel his gaze upon her much like a physical caress and she held her breath. Wished she knew what he was thinking.

Did he approve of what he saw? Did she displease him in any way? She worked so hard, harder than she ever had before for fear she would disappoint him.

The very last thing she wanted to do.

“Tessa?” His voice had lowered, roughly sexy, murmuring along her nerve endings.

If he only knew the effect he had on her…

“Yes?” She looked up at him, marveling yet again at his height, the very breadth of him. His shoulders were impossibly broad, emphasized by the exquisite cut of his dark suit jacket. He wore a Worth tie made of the finest silk, a lovely shade of blue that reminded her of the ocean.

The blue almost matched the turbulent color of his eyes. His face was clean-shaven, not a hair out of place. He was so completely, utterly perfect she sometimes wondered if he was real.

“I have a request.” He paused, letting the words hang in the air, and anticipation ran through her, sharp and potent.

“Yes?” she urged when he still hadn’t said anything.

Propping his hands on the edge of her desk, he bent down, setting his face just above hers. She pressed her feet into the ground, pushing her chair back the slightest bit, but that only made him loom in closer. “I want you—”

A tremble moved through her and she released a shuddering breath. Those three words filled her with edgy suspense. So many possibilities to consider…

“—to stop calling me sir.”

The road to heartbreak is paved with honorable intentions…

Fever Cure

© 2011 Phillipa Ashley

After a year dealing with her mum’s health scare and the end of a bad relationship, Keira Grayson was looking forward to kicking up her heels at her best friend’s wedding. Until she kicks off her (spare) knickers in front of the trifecta of perfection. Tom Carew. Son of an earl, honorable doctor and possibly the hottest man on the planet.

One look at Keira’s delightful embarrassment, and Tom’s hormone meter spins off the charts. Trouble is, his bags are already packed to return to the jungles of Papua New Guinea. He has patients waiting—and amends to make for a terrible choice that left devastation in its wake.

They both reason that indulging in a one-time dinner date won’t hurt…until their inhibitions melt away in the heat of their lethal sexual chemistry. Leaving Keira wondering if a sizzling fling is just what the doctor ordered, or another prescription for relationship disaster. And Tom fighting a battle against inner demons that could shatter both their hearts.

Warning: This book contains a hot aristocratic doctor, sparky heroine, new uses for a chaise longue, a steamy shower scene and a knicker-ripping encounter in a four-poster bed.

Enjoy the following excerpt for Fever Cure:

Now why wasn’t there a convenient chasm around when you wanted one? A nice big pit you could disappear into completely. Please don’t tell them about the pants, she pleaded silently.

“We bumped into each other before the ceremony.”

Her insides began to liquefy.

“Keira mislaid something from her bag, and I picked it up.”

Was that strangled sound really coming from her?

“Absolutely.” He looked directly into her eyes as she held her breath. “I found her mobile from the church steps.”

The tension ebbed away. Her shoulders slumped. It was all she could do to keep from letting out a cry of relief.

Carrie beamed. “Wasn’t that nice of Tom?”

“Very…noble,” Keira muttered through gritted teeth, still feeling the warm cradling of his palm around her fingers.