California Royale — Deborah Smith

Shea Somerton was elegant and glamorous, just like Estate Mendocino, the resort she managed--but behind her classy facade, there was a hint of recklessness in her violet eyes. Duke Araiza had won the estate and grounds in a high-stakes poker game; now he was ready to bet he could tempt this golden palomino of a lady to run wild with him! When he gazed at her with a heat that would fire wet kindling, Shea knew he was a man who would take what he wanted... what she wanted to give. He drove her frantic with his kisses, this sexy outlaw who carried her off and taught her ecstatic surrender in the soft shadows of a forest glen. Shea had never let anyone get so close, so fast, but Duke shattered her serenity, rattled the lovely cage that once had kept her safe from a tragic past. Everything he touched he changed, including her, but when her peaceful oasis was gone, could she find the sanctuary she longed for in Duke's love?