Love Be Mine (The Louisiana Ladies Series, Book 3) (51 page)

A hush fell as Leonie, her vivid little face alight with rage, stopped directly in front of Morgan. Gaylord was at her side, and from the moment Morgan had spotted him, he knew there was going to be trouble, even if it hadn't been obvious that the young lady was harboring some great stress. What, he wondered with interest and growing wariness, was young Easton up to? And what part did this ravishing creature, standing so breathlessly before him, play in these machinations?

By God, but she was captivating, he thought detachedly, one part of him mesmerized by the vibrant features that went beyond mere prettiness—the cat-shaped eyes which gleamed an intriguing golden-green between the long, spiky lashes; the high cheek bones, stained just now with a becoming flush, and the soft, provoking mouth that blatantly dared a man to taste its sweetness. Most of Morgan's attention was on Leonie, but he was also aware of everything else that was going on in the room—of Mr. Marshall's blustering noises at the intrusion; of Melinda's tightening grasp on his arm; of Gaylord's half-conciliatory, half-defiant air, and of the curious hush that had fallen on the rest of the guests.

As for Leonie, she was aware of nothing but the man before her, and seeing his face up close for the first time in almost six years, she was baffled at how little he resembled her memory of the weak, unscrupulous man she had met in New Orleans. Had his eyes always been that piercing shade of blue, the oddly feminine, thick, black lashes intensifying the impact of their gaze? Had his jawline and chin always been so aggressively masculine? The nose so arrogantly formed? And the mouth so frankly sensuous and yet slightly cruel in its shape? She didn't think she could have forgotten his harshly handsome face.... This man was the Morgan Slade she remembered, and yet, he wasn't—but any differences she detected, Leonie promptly put down to the passing years and her own faulty memory. After all, she had only seen the man three or four times and that had been six years ago. There were bound to be changes—she wasn't the same so why should she expect him to have remained untouched by time? The man
was
Morgan Slade, of that she was positive, even if his actual features did not bear an exact resemblance to the face of her memory. And he was undoubtedly a double-damned villain, she thought with a surge of rage.

Deceive Not My Heart

Shirlee Busbee

To purchase

Deceive Not My Heart

from your favorite eBook Retailer,

visit Shirlee Busbee's eBook Discovery Author Page

www.ebookdiscovery.com/ShirleeBusbee

Discover more with

eBookDiscovery.com

New York Times bestselling author Shirlee Busbee is celebrating 50 years of marriage to her husband Howard, and looking forward to another 50. Together, they live in Mendocino County, California, with three Miniature Schnauzers (Shirlee wants a fourth but Howard thinks two is enough—ah, drama ahead) and a herd of American Shetland Ponies.

Table of Contents