He kissed her, hot and hard, and she melted against him. "So have I," he muttered when he drew back for breath. "Ive missed you a lot. The only reason my rose garden is still in one piece is because its been lying under six inches of snow. Living has always been so hard for me. Survival has been so tough. But Im done with that. Im done with the guilt. I plan to make changes, Mercy, live more, laugh more, have fun again. And I want to do it with you. Only you. Is that something you could maybe help me with?"

She looked up at him, at the love blazing in his eyes, and felt happiness flood though her. "I cant think of anything Id like more."

Putting his hands on her cheeks he kissed her again, as if hed never have enough of her, as if she was the most precious thing in the world. "So," he murmured when he lifted his head, "how about you show me your world?"

Giddy with love and joy, Mercy grinned, took his hand in hers and said, "Follow me."

The End.

Enjoy an excerpt from book 4 of the Fairy Tales of New York series.

Seducing the Baron.

by Amy Andrews.

Copyright 2015.

Sullivans Pub (Sullys), Brooklyn.

It was official. Rafael Quartermaine was freezing his gnads off. Too much longer out on the streets of Brooklyn and his ability to father a child at some stage in the future was going to be seriously impaired.

He hunched further into his jacket as he picked up the pace, the tops of his ears burning, his gloveless fingers curling deep into the pockets. He needed gloves. And a better scarf. Maybe a pair of long johns for under his Levis.

Minus five the CNN weather chick had said this morning. Or, more correctly, twenty-three. He really needed to wrap his head around the whole Celsius/Fahrenheit thing. But whatever way it was measured, New York in February was brutal! A far cry from a sweltering Australian summer.

Cold enough to freeze the t.i.ts off a bull as his old bushie grandfather would say.

For a moment Raf almost wished he was back home straddling his surfboard, the hot Aussie sun on his back, his feet dangling in the ocean, waiting in a line of surfers for the next big one to come in. Instead of here, killing off his sperm cells.

At the very least he should have decided to launch into the west coast market. It was warmer than this in California and hed been there several times since his mother had moved back to the place of her birth after the divorce.

And they had some wicked surf.

But hed been looking for the right pub to launch Baron lager on the US market and Mercedes Hernandez, an old friend whose opinion he valued highly, had persuaded him that Sullys in Brooklyn was the perfect neighborhood pub. And she could get him an intro to the owner.

So here he was. In New York. In February.

Freezing his gnads off.

But at least now he could see the sign up ahead proclaiming Sullivans to not only be open and established since 1950 but a mere half a block away. Raf sped up, reaching for the bra.s.s handle on the heavy wooden door in under a minute, his fingers almost adhering to the cold metal as he yanked it open.

He paid little heed to the thick welcome mat at his feet or the dark wood paneling that lent the interior an old world charm, he just shut his eyes as warmth enveloped him like a long lost lover. His fingers and ears tingled as blood returned to his extremities. He had a feeling it would take longer for his b.a.l.l.s to drop back down from inside him but it was a start.

He opened his eyes to find himself being thoroughly scrutinized. Three elderly guys sitting at the end of the long wooden bar, looked surprised to see him. Not that he could blame them who would come out into this weather without good reason?

They continued to stare much to Rafs amus.e.m.e.nt. Clearly they werent used to strange faces around here. A check in the pro column. A bar that attracted loyal regulars would be a good test market for him.

"Gday, gentlemen," he murmured cheerfully. "b.l.o.o.d.y cold out there today."

"Its not so bad," the nearest one said. "Springs on its way."

Jesus. If this was spring on its way, Raf was pleased hed missed full-on winter.

"Fire over there," another one said indicating the crackling flames with a nod of his head.

Sounded pretty b.l.o.o.d.y good to Raf. "Thanks," he said, nodding and headed in the direction of the fireplace.

The long wooden bar ran down one side of the pub. Stools with what appeared to be red leather seats were placed down the length of it about a foot apart. There must have been twenty at least. No one was behind the bar so Raf made a beeline for the ma.s.sive fireplace past about a dozen dark panelled booths sporting the same red leather seats.

The orange flames danced behind the grate as he pulled his hands out of his pockets and held them close reveling in the heat licking up his arms and bathing his front. Reveling in the fact he was beginning to feel more like a human and less like a popsicle.

A large portrait of JFK hung over the mantle and he absently noted the tiled surround boasted shamrocks. He swiveled his head to the right noting an area with about a dozen small tables and chairs, their dark wood melding in with the overall cozy appeal. In the far left corner was a step up to what appeared to be a small stage. An upright piano that looked like it had seen better days fitted snugly against the wall. To the far right was an open door through which he could just glimpse a corridor and a staircase. The sign above the door indicated the location of the restrooms.

Satisfied with what he saw, Raf returned his attention to the fire. Sullys was cozy. Just the kind of pub he had in mind.

Mercy had been right.

"Oh, sorry, I didnt hear you come in. Can I get you something?"

Raf turned at the sweet, husky inquiry to find a woman with wild brown curls smiling at him all open and easy. She was wearing jeans that clung in all the right places and a black t-shirt with a Sullivans logo and The Best Beer In Brooklyn stamped right across her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. She looked like a tropical mirage in the middle of the arctic and all the places that had felt cold only seconds ago flooded with warmth.

Blood flowed again. Everywhere. His b.a.l.l.s suddenly dropped right back into place.

Raf checked his watch. Mercy wasnt due for another half hour but it was after midday...His gaze drifted to her t-shirt as he walked towards her. "Looks like Id better have a beer."

"Oh," she said and he could have sworn her cheeks turned a shade pinker. Her curls flopped forward a little to hide her face as she reached for a gla.s.s. "Whats your poison?"

Feeling more than a little warm now, Raf shrugged out of his coat, then his jacket and unwound his scarf as he pulled up a bar stool.

The view up closer was very fine indeed.

"What lager would you recommend?" he asked as he pushed up the sleeves of his shirt to his elbows and leaned into the polished smoothness of the bar in all its dark, grainy glory.

Her gaze strayed to his bared arms and seemed to linger for a moment before she dragged it back to his face. She smiled at him again. "Guinness."

Raf laughed. Pretty barmaid with quick wit and flirty tone another check in the pro column. Get her on side and she could be his best a.s.set as far as pushing his beer went.

"You dont like lager?"

"We have ten beers on tap here. Two of them are lagers. You do the math."

Normally them would be fighting words for Raf but the devil danced in her eyes and he knew better than to rise to the bait. He liked her voice though. The slight husky quality of it softened her accent to a nice warm hum.

"Well, I guess given that Im in an Irish pub I have no choice but to try the Guinness."

She nodded. "Good choice. When in an Irish pub in New York do what the Irish do I always say. Got a preference?"

Raf shook his head. "Whatevers the most popular." It paid to know the compet.i.tion after all.

Raf watched her as she busied herself with his drink. Her technique at pouring Guinness was perfect angling the gla.s.s, not letting the tap touch it in any way as she filled it three quarters then setting it down to rest for a bit.

His gaze roved over her face as she waited patiently for the beer to settle. She had a cute nose, dark blue eyes and chipmunk cheeks. She wasnt wearing any makeup and he liked that he could see the real her.

She had an interesting face. It wasnt cla.s.sically beautiful but it had a certain something about it that was instantly fascinating. There was no pretention about it, just nicely a.s.sembled, including her mouth which seemed just right not too big or too small, sitting perfectly right in the middle there. It looked like it laughed a lot.

Probably kissed a lot too.

And then there was her hair.

Hed bet money she hated it hed never met a woman with curly hair that didnt hate it pa.s.sionately. But it was the most glorious mahogany tumble, curls kicking around her face and brushing over her shoulders. He had the insane urge to reach out and pull on one and see how far it would unwind.

An even crazier urge to find out how good theyd look spread on his pillow. His blood stirred at the thought and his body warmed another degree.

When the beer had settled to her satisfaction she topped it up and handed it over. Raf pulled out a note but she waved the money aside. "Converting lager drinkers is my sport."

Raf laughed as he pocketed the bill. "Never." He took a moment to admire the perfect head of foam before taking a sip of the cold, creamy beer, flicking his tongue out to catch the froth he knew would be decorating his upper lip.

His belly tightened as her gaze briefly followed the action before she quickly looked away and fiddled with some gla.s.ses.

"Its good," he said, placing it down on the bar. "Smooth. Theres almost a chocolatey consistency to it."

It reminded him of her hair rich and complex.

"Youve got a good nose."

Raf smiled at the husky compliment deciding to omit telling her his beer background. Or that she had a lovely nose too.

And an even lovelier mouth.

"You dont sound like youre from around these parts?"

"Youve got a good ear," he said, with a grin. "Im from Australia. Sydney."

She looked at his arms again then back at him. "Let me guess. You spend all your time at the beach. Bondi, thats in Sydney, right?"

He laughed. "Coogee, actually. But close enough."

"And are you here on business or pleasure?"

"Business." He put his drink down as the idea of indulging in a little something else took root. "But I could be persuaded."

Flirting came easy to Raf. Flirting with this woman especially. So it was surprising to see her startled owlish blink as her hands stilled on the gla.s.ses.

Interesting...

"Coney Islands fun," she said after a beat or two, her unadorned fingers fiddling with the gla.s.ses again.

Raf couldnt work out if it was a polite Im-working-dont-bother-me blowoff or a serious not-interested one.

Nor why it bothered him so much.

"Thanks." He took another sip of his Guinness. "Ill keep it in mind."

She glanced in the direction of the door as if she was hoping for the relief of a customer but it remained stubbornly shut. When she dragged her gaze back to him she was clearly torn between wanting to flee and good manners that dictated she stay and talk with her customer.

He found it surprisingly endearing.

"Where are you staying?" she asked.

Then she blushed and looked like she wanted to take it back in case he got the wrong idea. He chuckled at her consternation. It was a reasonable question to ask. Just because hed flirted with her a little didnt mean he couldnt tell the difference between genuine interest in his sleeping arrangements and small talk.

"In Manhattan. At the Marriott Marquis."

"On Times Square?" She kicked up an eyebrow, clearly surprised, her awkwardness vanishing as quickly as it had arrived. "And just how did you stumble across our establishment? Were a little off the beaten path."

"Apart from being convenient shelter from the freezing cold you mean?"

"Oh," she said, her expression deadpan. "Is it cold out?"

Raf laughed. "Just a tad. Actually a friend recommended Sullys, Im meeting her here." He checked his watch. "She shouldnt be too much longer."

Find out what happens next in Seducing the Baron.

If you enjoyed Taming the Beast, youll love the other Fairy Tales of New York stories!.

The Fairy Tales of New York Series.

Book 1: Pursued by the Rogue by Kelly Hunter.

Book 2: Tempting the Knight by Heidi Rice.

Book 3: Taming the Beast by Lucy King.

Book 4: Seduced by the Baron by Amy Andrews.

About the Author.

Lucy King has been writing contemporary romance since 2009 and honestly cant think of a better job to have. Creating swoon-worthy heroes, sa.s.sy heroines and heart-melting happy ever afters definitely beats the fund management and corporate fraud investigation she worked in before.

Originally from London, Lucy lives in south-west Spain with her family where she spends much of the time reading, failing to finish cryptic crosswords and trying to convince herself that the beach really is the best place to work.