The Marshalls…

A rich, powerful family that mixes business, politics… and pleasure.

If the US had a royal family — this would be it!

Any red-blooded woman would kill to be handcuffed to political hot-shot Brady Marshall, but campaigner Aspyn Breedlove wants to raise awareness — not her own acute consciousness of those delicious, iron-hard muscles beneath Brady’s expensive suit…

Overnight she’s an internet sensation, and in a shock move she’s made part of the Marshall re-election campaign… Aspyn hopes she can dance with the devil and create change from within. But what chances does she have when that devil is sex-on-legs Brady Marshall — and she wants to do considerably more than dance with him…?

This is the second Marshall book.  The other two books are The Privileged and the Damned and Redemption of a Hollywood Starlet.

Download and read the first chapter from Harlequin.com.

Read an Excerpt

He chose his words carefully. “You are a part of this campaign. Your data will be used to help us tailor and target appropriately. However, nothing can happen in practice until after the election. That is when the data you collect now will be… useful. There’s a big difference between campaigning and actually governing.”

Her lips thinned into an irritated line.

“Aspyn, I appreciate your enthusiasm. I really do. So does the Senator, but…”

“But what?”

He sighed. “First, you need to focus on your position and let the others do the jobs they were hired for. We work as a team, but they know what they’re doing and you don’t yet.” He waited for her to nod her understanding. “Second, you need to… realize the limitations. There’s a bigger picture here. I know you don’t see it yet, but that’s what I have to concentrate on. Change doesn’t happen overnight.”

She thought for a moment and nodded. “I see.”

It was too much to hope. “Do you really?”

“No, actually, I don’t. I was humoring you.”

Good Lord. “I wish you wouldn’t do that.”

“And I wish you wouldn’t patronize me. I’m not stupid.”

“I never said you were,” he tried to interject, but Aspyn kept talking over him.

“I get the feeling you don’t like me very much, but I am a part of this campaign now-”

The first part of that statement caught him off-guard. “Wait.” Surprisingly, the flood of words stopped. “What makes you think I don’t like you?”
She shrugged. “It’s obvious you don’t really want me working here.”

“Those are two completely different issues.”

Aspyn blew out her breath in a noisy sigh. “Well, that wasn’t exactly the strong denial I was hoping for.”

He needed a drink. Now. “Is there a point to this conversation, Aspyn?”

She thought for a moment, then stood up straight and squared her shoulders. “Yes, there is. In just a few days, I’ve discovered how little I know about politics or how Congress works. I can’t work within the system to effect change if I don’t understand how the system works. There’s so much I need to learn. You said it yourself.  And I think you’re the right person to teach me.”

She’d placed her hand on his arm as she spoke and the combination of her touch and his body’s deliberate misinterpretation of what kinds of lessons Aspyn wanted sent his blood rushing south. Every muscle in his body tensed.

Aspyn pulled her hand back like she’d been burned. She paused and the silence stretched out. Finally, she asked, “Do you believe in Fate, Brady?”

“No.”

“Well, I do.” Impatience tinged her words. “And I’ve been thinking all afternoon that since Fate brought us together, it must want us to accomplish something. Together.”

“No, your friend Kirby and his damn handcuffs brought us toge-” he cleared his throat. “Brought all this on.”

“But you just said you have to look at the big picture. Can you not imagine me in that picture anywhere?”

At this moment, he could imagine Aspyn just fine. Naked. Head thrown back in pleasure, curls bouncing… He forced the image out of his head and tried to focus on what she was saying.

“You may not like me very much, but I like you. Most of the time,” she clarified. “But I think our differences are what make this… situation so unique. The things I think you and I could do together – the things we could learn from each other – don’t require that we actually like each other.”

Had she been planning this little speech? Intentionally choosing words that his overheated body could warp into something completely inappropriate for their “situation.” Though Aspyn’s face was usually so readable, he didn’t trust his instincts at the moment to read it properly. But Aspyn was closer to him than really necessary, and her green eyes were wide…

And if he was wrong, the repercussions could be ugly. He should step back, put proper professional distance – both literal and metaphorical – between them. There were plenty of people on his staff who could answer Aspyn’s questions, teach her whatever it was she hoped to learn…

But even as his rational brain worked through the shoulds, his hands were on her arms, and he was pulling her closer to him. Aspyn rose on her toes to meet him half-way, and her body pressed against his, narrowing his ‘big picture’ to something very, very specific.

Her mouth was soft, her lips parting to receive him, and the heat he found there scorched his soul. There was no hesitancy, no holding back, just the intensity of her desire that swept over him as she took and gave in equal measure. The honesty in her response was a powerful aphrodisiac, making the blood roar in his ears as he lost himself in the fire she sparked.

His hands slid to her waist, anchoring her against him, as her arms twined around his shoulders and tightened to support herself as she melted into him. The kiss grew deeper, taking on a life of its own, hungry and powerful and demanding. Her breasts pressed against his chest, and her hips aligned to his as he slid his hands over her back to her shoulders…

What the hell am I doing?

It took all he had to break the kiss, untangling her arms from his neck, and setting her firmly a safe distance away. He took deep breaths, willing his body back under control, fisting his hands to keep from reaching for her again.

Aspyn blinked in confusion. Her eyes were wide and unfocused, and passion colored her cheeks. Her breaths were uneven and shaky, more proof of desire his body didn’t need while he could still taste her. She licked her lips – still moist and swollen – and swallowed hard, sending another slash of fire through him. “Brady? Is something…”

“That shouldn’t have happened.” He cleared his throat and tugged his coat back into place. “My apologies, Aspyn. It won’t happen again.”