BOOK 1

A bateau-mouche glided over the dark water of the Seine. The glow from the lamplight joined the silvery light of the moon to dance on the spreading wake.

It had been a long day, Nathan Damaron reflected, casually slipping his hands into his pockets as he strolled along the rough stones of the quay. But Paris never disappointed. The city was like a beautiful woman, seductive in her diamond lights and intriguing scents. Spring was in the air and lovers were in each other’s arms.

“Excuse me?”

A young woman materialized in front of him. So suddenly had she appeared, he was instantly forced to halt before he walked right into her. He caught sight of a lovely face, long brown hair, and a smile.

“Would you mind kissing me as if you’re madly in love with me and are never going to let me go?” she asked in a rush. Without waiting for his answer, she threw her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his.

Instantly, he grabbed her upper arms, intending to imtangle them from around his neck and push her away, but before he could, his body took control over his mind. Her Hps were closed. Still, there was something especially alluring about her. He had no idea who she was, but he’d never been a man to pass up an opportunity, whether it was a good business deal or an exquisitely lovely woman.

Sure, he’d go along. Why not?

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him so that her soft breasts crushed against his chest and her slim body pressed the length of his. He hadn’t known how she’d react. Didn’t care, really. But she tensed.

Strange that she hadn’t been prepared for the consequences of her actions. Even so, he kept his movements deliberately gende. Despite the fact that she’d instigated their encounter, he didn’t want her to feel threatened, nor did he want her to panic, but he did want more.

He moved his lips back and forth over hers until he felt her body begin slowly, almost imperceptibly, to relax, and her lips began to part, tentatively, sweedy. Still, he was careful not to go too quickly.

But her lips were soft and tasted of honey and he had every intention of taking this kiss further. He lifted his mouth briefly, then brought it down on hers from another angle. Heat wound its way through him as he felt her body flow into his.

Her breathing was coming faster now. His blood had thickened and slowed. He could feel the points of her stiffened nipples against his chest and longed to take her breast into his hand. However, they were in public and he had to satisfy himself in another way.

He slid his fingers upward through her astonishingly silky hair until he was cupping her head, then he thrust his tongue deep into her mouth.

Once again, she responded, softening, opening. She smelled of flowers and beguiling femininity. As slight as she was, she fit perfecdy against him. She was all heat, enticing curves, and endless temptation. He inhaled sharply as pleasure slammed through his body and knotted in his loins. He heard her faintly moan. As far as he was concerned, whoever she was, whatever she wanted, this kiss was only the beginning of what he wanted from her.

Then she stiffened and pressed her palms against his shoulders. She wanted to end what she had started, he thought wryly. Too bad, because he wasn’t quite ready. If she didn’t know it already, she needed to learn that it was dangerous to start a game with a stranger without any guarantee of how he would react or what direction he might take the game.

Besides, she fit against him as if she had been made for him and she tasted of everything he craved. He wanted to explore the promise of what could happen between the two of them if he held her just a little longer, kissed her more thoroughly.

She made a sound and pushed harder against him.

With a muffled curse, he released her. He would have much rather continued the kiss, but he was also more than ready to find out her name and the reason for her decidedly unconventional methods. But astonishingly, as he looked down into her eyes, he saw shock and wariness. Why? Surely she must have thought out her actions before she threw herself at him.

“Who are you?”

“It doesn’t matter,” she said breathlessly. “Thank you for your cooperation.” She swirled and ran.

“Wait!” He started after her, but then stopped as a surge of quick, hot anger hit him with the force of a fist to his gut. She was running toward a young man who was holding a small video camera. As she approached the next set of stone steps that led to die walkway above, the young man caught her hand and hurriedly pulled her up the steps. Then they were gone.

He blew out a long, calming breath, steadying himself. Obviously the young man was her partner and he had taped the entire kiss. There was no potential in blackmail there—they’d only gotten a picture of a single man kissing a pretty girl. But that didn’t matter. He knew all too well how the tabloids could spin a story out of air.

Years ago, when he and his cousins had inherited their family’s business, they had made a policy to refuse all interviews regarding their personal lives. It hadn’t mattered, though. They had long been a treasure trove for tabloids and popular magazines to mine. Undaunted by a family who zealously guarded their privacy, the newsprint publishers made do with the candid pictures they could get and the text they made up.

And money slipped to a bellman or a maid would ensure their knowledge of which Damaron was in what city. In this case, he and his cousins Sin and Lion were in Paris to conduct business meetings concerning several of the Damaron European holdings. They had one more meeting scheduled tonight, a dinner meeting in thirty minutes back at their hotel.

Sin and Lion had used this short break to go up to their suite to call their wives, but he’d seized the time to get out of the hotel. He hadn’t been tired, but he’d definitely felt the need to grab a breath of fresh air and take a walk. A glimpse of the City of Light, he’d figured, would be an added benefit.

Slowly, he smiled. He certainly hadn’t counted on being stopped and kissed by a lovely young woman.

Normally he was able to avoid the paparazzi, but in this case, he’d been set up and set up masterfully. If selling the tape was truly what the girl and her partner had in mind, then they would be very sorry.

It didn’t matter what publication or even television magazine show the video ended up in, he’d still be able to find out who she was. If the head of the company wouldn’t willingly give him the name of the person from whom they’d bought the tape, he’d send his entire legal department over to the offices. If suing the company didn’t work, then he’d buy the damn place.

And then . . . His smile broadened in anticipation. When he did . . . Well, he’d play it by ear. But one way or another, he would see the woman again.

Rare Siena marble, heavy silk draperies, Aubus-son rugs, and gold-leafed woodwork met Danielle Savourat’s gaze as she walked into the Hotel Crillon, but there was no sign of the person she was there to see.

A glance at her watch told her it was a bit late for dimier, but she still checked the Ambassadors Salon. He wasn’t there either. Her nervousness increased. Over the phone, the hotel wouldn’t confirm that he was registered there, but it made sense that he was. One way or the other, she planned to find out. If he wasn’t here, she’d go on to the next hotel and the next. She had to find him and she needed to do it tonight or she might lose her nerve.

She got lucky. In the doorway of the hotel’s bar, L’Obelisque, she paused and gazed toward the man she’d been looking for.

Hindsight was a wonderful thing and, in this case, absolutely useless to her. In the hours since she’d last seen him, she’d learned she should have taken a better look at him before she’d rushed up and thrown her arms around him. If she’d seen that silver streak in his hair, she would never have chosen him to kiss.

Very few people in the world carried a silver streak like the one he had. It marked him as a Damaron. Now that she was looking at him again, she didn’t know how she’d missed it. The silver streak was remarkable for its prominence in his dark brown hair. Perhaps when she’d first seen him, that part of his head had been in shadows. Or maybe she’d made her decision too fast after catching a glance at his face.

Dumb, Dani. Very, very dumb.

But in that first glance, she’d received an impression of intelligence and strength, not to mention the fact that he was incredibly nice-looking. Truthfully, he’d been the first person she’d seen all night whom she wouldn’t mind kissing. In fact, not in the least.

So she’d kissed him and nearly lost herself in his arms. Belatedly, but thankfully, she’d remembered that Kevin was waiting for her and getting the entire kiss on tape. Flustered by her response, she’d pulled away and run.

But when she and Kevin had gotten back to the apartment and shown their tape, her friends, with irritatingly great glee, had identified him for her as Nathan Damaron.

Worse than dumb Dani. Incredibly stupid.

She put her hand on her stomach where it felt as if a big glob of cement had taken form. Her skin was cold and clammy. If she wasn’t mistaken, a tension headache was beginning to constrict her scalp. There weren’t too many things that made her nervous, but then she’d never before had to apologize to a Damaron.

And just her luck, there wasn’t one Damaron at the table, there were three.

What, she wondered, did one call two or more Damarons? A gaggle? A flock? A herd? No. She had it. A power convergence.

Not that it mattered. Not that it changed the ordeal that was before her by a whit. She was only killing time.

She braced herself. She knew what she had to do and she wouldn’t be able to rest until she’d done it. Slowly she walked toward the table, keeping her eye on the smile Nathan was directing at his cousins.

“Excuse me.”

Nathan’s head snapped up and she found herself the recipient of a hard, gray-eyed gaze, starding and sharp enough to shatter all the stone statues across Paris. The other two Damarons merely gazed curiously at her.

“Who?” one them asked.

“I’m sorry to bother you all, but I need to speak with Nathan.” She glanced at the them, but returned her gaze to him, and nearly lost her train of thought.

He had a strong face with a square jaw and full lips. It hadn’t been that long since those lips had been on hers. His kiss had rocked her to her toes. If she hadn’t come to her senses and broken it off, she had the feeling he would still be kissing her. And she would still be reveling in it. In retrospect, she knew she would never have approached him if she’d given herself time to think, or even looked at him twice.

She swallowed. “That is, if you don’t mind.” She clasped her hands together. “And actually even if you do, I still need to speak with you.”

Nathan leaned back in his chair, his expression cold and hostile. “Ah, the lady of the kiss and the video camera. I didn’t think I’d hear from you this soon.”

“You thought you’d hear from me?”

“Of course. I just didn’t know how, and I must say, I honestly didn’t think you’d contact me in person —and alone. You must be very brave. Or very stupid.”

Stupid, she thought wearily. No question about it. She’d already admitted it to herself, but she could definitely have done without him calling her stupid. “Look, I came because—”

He glanced over her shoulder, then back at her. “Where’s your boyfriend?”

She was already embarrassed to be in the position of having to seek him out, but she’d never expected to be thoroughly confused as well.

“My boyfriend?” she repeated. Then it hit her.

“Oh, you must have seen Kevin. He’s a friend, not my boyfriend.”

“I wouldn’t think he’s much of a friend if he let you come here alone.”

She glanced at the other two Damarons and discovered their demeanor had suddenly turned as hard as Nathan’s. Obviously they’d picked up on their cousin’s caustic mood, and now they looked as if they would behead her in the bUnk of an eye if their cousin indicated she’d hurt him in some way. Perhaps she was exaggerating the matter to herself, but even if she wasn’t, this encounter wasn’t going at all as she’d planned. She’d thought she’d simply say her piece and then leave. Instead, Nathan had taken charge of the conversation and, with his questions, was leading her down a path she knew nothing about.

“There was no reason for Kevin to come. This has nothing to do with him.”

“So he was just an unwitting accomplice?”

She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “He wasn’t an unwitting anything. We were a team, and he was there to tape what was happening.”

“Yeah, so I noticed.” He studied her for a moment. “How did you know where to find me?”

“Well, it’s just that this is the closest palace to where ...”

Her voice trailed off as she realized her little attempt at a joke had fallen flat. She’d heard the Damaron family called American royalty before.