A Knight's Duty

The Knights of Honor Trilogy - Book Two

He has a duty to his king and country and has no time or interest in love…

Enemies to the throne roam the land, threatening the security of the kingdom just as rumors and accusations of high treason reach King Edward’s ear. In an effort to provide security to the state, the king dispatches Derrik d'Evant, a trusted young knight and royal envoy, to locate the mastermind behind the threat, and bring the traitorous lord to stand trial.

When Derrik arrives at Stanbury Castle, the lord’s beautiful daughter greets him with hostility. But even with the cold reception and knowing that it is unwise to become entangled with a traitor’s daughter, he is unable to resist the fiery beauty or her magnetic allure. And as he accompanies her on her quest, she invokes within him a long neglected and scorching need that grows, threatening to consume him in its power. Yet through all this, he knows that he must cast aside his feelings for her, remembering all too well that he is on a mission — a mission where failure cannot occur.

She acts out of devotion for her family and discovers love of a different kind…

Amelie de Calmette, forced to acknowledge the consequences of the treasonous allegations against her father, knows that few people live to see the light of day if they are accused of this serious crime. Her heart and mind convinces her that her father is innocent. And while the handsome knight assists her in searching for answers, she cannot bring herself to fully trust him, nor can she fight the spark of desire that ignites and burns whenever he is near.

And even as they follow their own agendas, they must suspend their suspicions long enough for them to join forces. Then as they get closer to finding the truth, they become ensnared in a complicated web of royal treachery, dangerous temptation, and cruel deception. They must choose either to distrust each other or believe what is within their hearts, for nothing is as it seems when duty and passion collide.

Note: While this story is part two of The Knights of Honor Trilogy, it can be read as a stand-alone book.

A Knight's Duty Excerpt…

His eyes dropped to her mouth, watching her soft tongue dart across her lips.

The corners of his mouth curved upward as if he knew which direction her thoughts had gone, and that she wanted nothing more but to feel his lips brush erotically against hers.

She had seen the servants kiss one another before, but she had never been kissed herself, even though suitors had tried. Indeed, she had never been interested. Until now.

This has to stop, she thought fiercely. Yet even as she considered this, she was helpless to do so. The heat was becoming almost unbearable now, the fluttering in her heart, wild with excitement and aye, she will admit it to herself, fear — a fear that her control of the situation was slipping away fast. It was madness, she knew. She had tight control of her actions. In fact she had spent a lifetime successfully controlling every aspect of her life. Yet this man, with only one melting look, could strip away her barrier, her one protection, and leave her feeling stripped naked, vulnerable, and wanting something that only he could deliver.

Derrik’s hand slipped around her nape, gently cupping the back of her head. His other hand trailed down and lightly clasped her jaw. He then tilted her head ever so slightly to the side.

“What are you doing?” she asked, watching him breathlessly, the blood humming through her veins.

Her gaze settled on his mouth as she became mesmerized by his lips which were inching, closer and closer.

With his lips just above hers, his eyes locked onto her brown ones, and he murmured, “You entice me too much, my lady.”

And she was very enticing. He had kissed a number of women; he had even stolen a kiss from the object of his affection when he was young, but he had never felt this all consuming desire to savor the sweetness from one woman’s lips. His brain told him to stop. He knew that one kiss wouldn’t satisfy the raw hunger that ignited the moment he saw Amelie standing at the foot of the castle steps. But even as his mind told him this, his body continued to act on its own accord.

His eyes followed his long fingers as they traced her jaw line, caressing her smooth, silky skin. They trailed along her throat, feeling the fluttering pulse there. His mouth stretched into a smile to discover that she was not wholly unaffected by his touch. Her breathing was erratic, coming out in short, rapid spurts, as if she was underwater, struggling for air.

But the smile that touched upon his lips faded as his own breath quickened. And as his lips hovered over hers, as their breaths intermingled, the roar of his racing heart drowned out all other sounds. His eyes fastened to her mouth once again and all his thoughts, all his desires zeroed in on her plump, luscious lips.

Like a loaded cart set in motion along a hill, there was no way to turn back; he could only move forward, could only go where temptation beckoned.

And when their lips finally touched, the electricity as powerful as a lighting bolt ripped through his body, awakening, charging it, causing that part of him, which had been asleep, to become fully aroused, fully alert…

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