Masque of jade

the long version

AFRAID TO LOVE Laura Talbot-Harrow was an expert at hiding her emotions. No one --- not even her only sister --- knew that her coldness protected a heart that could not bear to be broken again. Laura meant to stay away from society, away from men . . . until she met Clay Sutherland. Though one look from the dangerously handsome gambler shook her to her very core, she struggled to keep her distance. Then, as he wooed her with wondrous kisses, she began to change her plans. She would sample the forbidden pleasures aroused by his delicious caresses, let herself savor the bitter sweetness of his love . . . then escape before he devoured her very soul! DETERMINED TO CONQUER Clay was one step ahead of his luscious Laura . . . and if she thought he would settle for a woman who would allow him to warm her bed but not her heart, she was sadly mistaken. His auburn-haired temptress was about to learn how to really please a man. He would melt her icy reserve with the heat of his body, tame her wild spirit with the warmth of his passion . . . and prove his love throughout a lifetime of sultry New Orleans nights!