CHAPTER ONE

      ‘WOW, will you look at that? His Royal Highness and the industrialist everyone swears is not up for a knighthood. And don’t they look cosy together for two people who are supposed to be sworn enemies.’

      As Suzy struggled to hear the voice of Jeff Walker, the photographer from the magazine they both worked for, over the noise of the busy launch party, she heard him saying excitedly, ‘I’ve just got to get a shot of that. Come on.’

      This was her first month on the magazine, and immediately she followed him.

      She had taken a couple of steps when she heard him saying bitterly, ‘Hell! He’s got Colonel Lucas James Soames with him. Ex-Commando, Special Forces, hero, and hater of the press!’ he explained impatiently when he saw Suzy’s uncertain frown. ‘Despite the fact that a female reporter with a certain British news team practically dribbled with lust every time she interviewed him during his last campaign.’

      Suzy tried to look as though she was up to speed with what she was being told, but the plain truth was that she knew nothing of Colonel Soames. Already unnerved by the photographer’s comments, she looked round discreetly, but was unable to spot anyone wearing any kind of military uniform.

      She knew she ought to be grateful to her university tutor for recommending her for this job. He had been so enthusiastic about it, telling her what a wonderful opportunity it would be for her, that she had felt she would be letting him down if she didn’t accept the probationary position. But after nearly a month working on the political affairs desk of the cutting-edge City magazine Suzy was beginning to suspect that she had made a mistake.

      Maybe it was the fact that she had been out of the swim of things for so long whilst she nursed her mother through the last two years of her life that made her so uncomfortable about the methods the magazine adopted in order to get its hot stories. She had certainly felt immeasurably older than her fellow students when she had returned to university to complete her degree.

      ‘I’m sorry—’ She began to apologise uncertainly to Jeff. ‘I can’t see the Colonel.’

      But she could see a man several yards away, who stood head and shoulders above every other man in the room—or so it seemed to Suzy. She was transfixed, every female hormone in her body focusing on him with an eager interest. Her mouth had gone dry and her heart had started to pound unevenly. The fact that he was standing alone, somehow aloof from everyone else, only piqued her interest further.

      She had the most unexpected and dangerous urge to go up to him and make him…Make him what, exactly? Acknowledge her presence? Talk to her? Tell her that he was experiencing the same heart-wrenching, sanity-undermining, wholly unfamiliar need to be with her that she was experiencing for him? Was she going crazy? Her legs had gone weak and her heart was racing. She didn’t know whether it was shock that was running through her body with mercurial speed or excitement. Her? Excited by a man? A stranger? She was too sensible for such stuff. Too sensible and too wary!

      Determinedly she started to look away, but he had turned his head, and her heartbeat went into overdrive whilst a surge of explicit and bewildering arousal and longing raced though her. Longing for a man she had only looked at? How could that happen?

      And yet Suzy couldn’t help watching him. He wasn’t looking at her, but past her, she recognised. However, whilst he did so, Suzy was able to stare at him and greedily absorb every tiny physical detail. Tall, dark and handsome went nowhere near describing his full male magnificence. He was more than that. Much, much more! Suzy could feel her whole body responding to just about the sexiest man she had ever seen and was ever likely to see. Her heart gave another small nervous flurry of thuds when he turned his head again, as though he knew that she was now looking at him. He was now staring straight at her,