Excerpt
Little did she
know it but Kerry Doyle had managed a bit of a miracle in the twelve hours
he’d spent with her. She was a ray of sunshine. And caught in her reflected
warmth he’d miraculously forgotten his reason for being in New York this time
round.
It wasn’t until the end of the night tour on
another open topped bus that he was faced with a very visible reminder of
why he would never be able to forget; because when the light dimmed his
world went dark, and he had to force his other senses into overdrive to keep
from showing his weakness in front of her.
Thankfully Kerry
had been distracted by all the varying photo opportunities afforded to her by
the stunning sight of Manhattan lit up against the night sky Ronan didn’t have
to look at to know - so indelibly was it imprinted onto his mind after dozens of
trips. And by the time they’d returned to Times Square he had enough light to
work with to leave her with his pride intact.
He frowned as he
stepped off the bus, jostling a couple of people in the crowd before he focussed
hard on Kerry. He then allowed himself the luxury of studying her face one more
time – watching as the newly familiar soft smile formed on her full lips.
Resentment built
inside him like a tidal wave. In another life he wouldn’t have been letting her
go. He’d have suggested Sushi or Lobster or cocktails in one of the bars
overlooking the free floorshow that was Times Square at night. He’d have taken
her back to The Empire State before it closed so she could see the panoramic
view of the city from eighty seven odd floors up and he’d have walked her back
to her Hotel - no matter how far it was - and kissed her long and slow before
persuading her to spend another day with him.
Though being
gentlemanly enough to leave after the kiss might have taken some effort - he had
a sneaking suspicion kissing her might be something he didn’t want to stop doing
in any great hurry.
“Are you hungry?”
Not in the way
she probably meant. Looking at her all day had brought on the kind of hunger he
hadn’t experienced in a long time, if ever. As if she’d uncovered something his
body was desperately lacking and now that it knew it craved it as badly as the
air he breathed, which had certainly added to the general distraction she’d
provided from everything else but…
He saw the open
warmth in her face as the question hung between them and felt momentarily angry
at the universe for having to turn her down, “I’ve gotta go. I have an early
appointment.”
At least he
wasn’t telling her a lie.
She nodded,
turning her face away then leaning her head back a little to smile up at him one
last time, one hand resting on the bag at her hip, the other waving out to her
side as she raised her voice enough to be heard over the hundreds upon hundreds
of people and honking car horns and the yelled voices of vendors selling
everything from fake designer label handbags to T-shirts to hotdogs to -
“I had an amazing
day - thankyou.”
And there was
that word ‘amazing’ again. Somehow he knew he’d always associate it with her,
“You’re welcome. I haven’t been on one of those buses for years. But they’re a
good way to get your bearings the first time. Stick to them and crowds and you
won’t go too far wrong. No more flirting with strangers mind.”
She laughed when
he added the last part with an edge of mock severity to his voice, “I’ll keep it
in mind. And I might take your advice on the helicopter ride before I leave
too.”
“You should.”
“Another moment
to remember…”
“Exactly.”
He stayed
focussed on her and only her for as long as he could manage it without inviting
the usual ache behind his eyes, but when it was getting too uncomfortable and he
opened his mouth to say the words to let him walk away, she distracted him again
by moving in to place a warm kiss on his cheek.
It was her fault.
Because if she
hadn’t done it he wouldn’t have had the opportunity he now had. He might have
resisted the temptation to take one last memory with him, but now he couldn’t;
turning his head and pressing his mouth to hers before she had time to react.
His hand lifted to cradle the back of her head - he took a step in so his body
was close enough to hers to feel the added heat in the humid air – and only then
did he close his eyes and let his lips drag over hers the way he’d been thinking
about doing since he’d met her.
Every hair on his
body immediately tingled with awareness; she tasted of the iced coffee they’d
stopped for, a hint of raspberry flavouring lingering on her lips and
practically begging him to sample more with the tip of his tongue.
So he did. He had
to.
For a second
Kerry froze, hands floundering on either side of her body while she was caught
in the indecision of reaching for him or simply waiting until the world stopped
tilting beneath her feet. Oh heavens above but the man had sinfully magic lips!
And even while alarm bells rang in her head, they were already being drowned out
by the sound of her blood roaring in her ears.
When he ran the
tip of his tongue over the parting in her lips, she opened up and met him in the
middle, feeling his low hum of approval all the way to the tips of her toes.
When someone
bumped her arm, Ronan’s arm circled her waist – drawing her in against the
protective hard plains of his body as he spread his feet wider. And Kerry’s
wavering arms automatically lifted in response, her hands settling on his
shoulders while she instinctively stood on the balls of her feet to get closer
still.
She wasn’t even
aware of the fact there were other people around them after that. All there was
was him and the kissing. Oh my, the kissing. Kerry had honestly thought
she’d been kissed before - had she been able to think in a straight line she’d
probably have had a look back in her memory to check. But after this –
She sighed
contently. It was bliss.
Ronan tilted her
back a little so he could kiss her deeper still. And it wasn’t a hard kiss, or a
kiss that said they were seconds away from being horizontal; in fact it was the
very controlled softness and warmth of it, as if he was holding back from her -
that wrapped tight around her heart and made it ache for more.
It was a kiss
goodbye, wasn’t it? He was ending the amazing day with an even more amazing kiss
goodbye. And knowing that made Kerry ache like she’d never ached.
His hand slid
forwards so that his thumb was brushing against her cheek when he lifted his
head, a small frown deepening the crease between his dark brows as he blinked
hard to focus on her. While Kerry in turn looked back at him with drowsy, heavy
lidded eyes and somehow, eventually managed the energy to smile.
Ronan smiled back
a split second before he removed his hand, loosened his arm and stepped away
from her, his voice just husky enough for her to know she wasn’t the only one
effected by the kiss, “Enjoy your trip
Kerry, Kerry Doyle.”
She swallowed,
smile wavering, “I’ll try.”
There really
didn’t seem to be much more to say. And she didn’t want to ruin the perfect
ending to a perfect day by trying to force out words that currently didn’t exist
in her scrambled brain. So she stepped back, turning her head to get her
bearings before deciding to simply flag down a cab and head back to her hotel.
After all, anything she did alone would only make her miss his company after
everything they’d done together, wouldn’t it? She missed him already.
When she looked
back he was gone and it took a few minutes for her to see his head in the crowd.
He obviously wasn’t one for long goodbyes then. What man ever was?
And if she was
honest, Kerry didn’t think she’d have been able to say it either. So instead she
stood still until she couldn’t see him anymore, only then turning in a circle to
look at all the wondrous sights around her. It was a different universe. One
city with a larger population than the entire island she lived on.
And she’d just
been kissed senseless in the middle of Times Square by a good looking guy she’d
met on a plane less than 24hrs ago. How incredible was that?
She laughed,
shaking her head at the sheer unexpectedness of it. Kerry Doyle. Kissing what
amounted to a stranger in a strange land.
It was the stuff of dreams.
Back to books
Text Copyright © 2008 by
Trish Wylie Cover Art Copyright ©
2008
by Harlequin Enterprises LimitedPermission to reproduce text granted by Harlequin Books S.A. Cover art used
by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited. All rights reserved. ® and ™
are trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited or its affiliated
companies, used under license.
Behind The Scenes
The Millionaire's Proposal, is a story that would
never have existed if
it hadn't been for a phone call with my lovely editor Jenny Hutton-she who
drags, sometimes kicking and screaming mind you, the best possible work out of me-even when I think I can't do it... Now we
have lots of these I should point out and in fairness a great many of them are
just as peppered with discussions of hot men and lots of laughing as they are
with actual story/book plans - but on this one occasion she invited me to
*think outside the box*. I at this stage may have used the phrase *you might wanna be careful
what you wish for with me*... and she's met me so she knew what I meant by
that...
But without that impetus I
doubt I would ever have tackled a story that would stretch me quite like this
one did.
*Outside the
box* apparently
translated in my head as *let's see how
much work we can make for ourselves shall we?*
So let's just take our
characters out of Ireland for a change - not enough? Okay - let's take them
round the world - in 50-55k - AND fit in a plot at the same time. Let's have
most of
the destinations be somewhere I've never been - check. Oh and let's throw in an
absolute doozy of a conflict for the hero shall we??? And have the heroine not
catch on until the end of the book. Oh and try to make sure there are hints
sprinkled liberally all the way through it for her so when she DOES put it all
together she feels like a complete
idiot on top of everything else...
Oh and let's not forget to let
our fast paced, full of one-liners and completely and utterly contemporary
Modern Heat voice loose on the Romance line just to see what happens.
Yuh-huh this book is literally cover to cover chock-a-block full of writers
angst. But you know what? It's a book I'm soooo proud of! And I made myself bawl
- not cry or weep or shed a tear - but bawl at the end. That's how real
these people and their emotions were to me.
I put my heart and soul into this book and I can
only hope it shows.
*Outside the box* is a scary place to be - but
lemme tell ya; it's one heck of a rollercoaster ride! And I quite like it out
here...
Location, Location,
Location
Everybody
got their passports ready?
Then allow me to take you on a
round-the-world-trip... New York, San Francisco, Fiji, Australia, Hong
Kong, Dubai, Paris and then back home to dear old Ireland for a bit of a
wedding.
And there's a small mention of the Canadian
Rockies and Hawaii along the way. Sigh. Cannot begin to tell you how much
I
wanted
to be ON this trip.
The initial idea for this of course came from my
adventures in the summer of 2007 when little-miss-live-in-the-writing-cave set
forth on her first ever trip to the USA. First stop New York - where I fell
completely and utterly in love with the city. And because writers never ever
stop plotting stories in their heads there was of course plent
y
to get my imagination working! Hence this story starts with Kerry meeting Ronan
on the plane to New York. A little daydreaming on the plane on the way over
perchance Trish? Possibly...
Then there's the scene in Battery Park at the
bottom end of the island of Manhattan where Ronan dances Kerry through the
movement sensitive fountains. I sat in that park in front of those fountains in
flipping 97 degree odd heat and thought seriously about dancing in them. Doesn't take much for you to get where
that idea might
have
come from then... Did you dance in the
fountains Trish? Erm - no - I'd have been about three feet taller than
everyone who was. But man it looked like fun!
So all the New York stuff is from personal
experience. And barring the fountains and the handsome guy to kiss me in Times Square I
did most of the things in most of the places Kerry and Ronan do - I like to think of it as field work. And
believe me - I hope to do a great deal more of it...
But as well as personal experience I also got to
indulge a dream or two on paper. Where would you have sent them if you'd been
me? I even asked the lovely lovely gang over at
The Pink Heart Society
Yahoo Loop for places 'off the beaten track' as Ronan is a travel writer and
would know all those places, right? The response was over-whelming! And with
members all over the world I got a TONNE of places I now have in a file for
future reference. So THANK YOU LADIES!
In the end I added a lot of places I researched
and just thought - WOW - I wanna go there and do that! It's my story after all.
I took them to San Francisco 'cos that's where I'm hoping to be in the summer of
2008 - I took them to the most gorgeous paradise of an island in Fiji because,
heck, do I have to explain why? Then while trying to pin down one place for them
to visit in Australia I thought to myself - would you r
eally
go all that way to that gorgeous country and only visit the one place? I
wouldn't. With that in mind I tripped across the Great Southern Pacific railway;
taking passengers a-la-Orient-Express all along the coast from Sydney to
Brisbane to the Great Barrier Reef to... well... again - I wanna go!!! And
having taken Kerry to such an amazing place in Fiji Ronan really had to pull
something out of the hat that was on a par with that fantasy. By now,
understandably, I'm a little in love with Ronan myself.
All in all there isn't a single place in this book
I haven't either visited or really, really want to some time in the future. I'm
thinking
of making a list like Kerry's as it happens...
And how better to wrap up the story than with a
proposal by the Fontaine du Medici in the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris followed
by a dream wedding in Kinnity Castle in Ireland? Really doesn't get much better
than that.
Now where did I leave my passport?
Background Music
For The Millionaire's Proposal I had a 'soundtrack' I put together on my laptop with
songs that evoked a sense of the emotions and 'place' of this book. So there was
more than one song. But
if I had to choose one then the song that best matches the story from Ronan's
point of view is from the self titled album by RyanDan .
'Like The Sun' is such a beautifully emotional, 'epic-feeling' song and
sums up so much of Ronan's feelings for Kerry that as usual a hint of it made it
into the final story! If you're here AFTER reading the book then you'll
get EXACTLY what I mean by that...
You can order a copy of the album
here
*All Photographs are used to
give a visible representation of the Authors 'view' and are in no way
representative of the people or places in real life beyond the realms of the
Authors imagination.
Reviews
"I’d somehow missed the fact
that The Millionaire’s Proposal was a Harlequin Romance, and as
I unpacked the book I found myself groaning inwardly. Yes, I was prejudiced and
wasn’t expecting much. Imagine then my surprise when I found myself totally
blown away by the book–not only enjoying it, but actually giggling and sighing
as I read! Harlequin Romances have come a long way since I was first introduced
to them 15 years ago!"
Armchair Interviews
"Trish Wylie takes the reader
on a glorious worldwide trip to exotic and classic locations, from New York City
to Fiji to Paris, while at the same time giving the reader a glance into the
most intimate places of the heart --- an ability to feel wonder, a
vulnerability, an innocence together with a powerful attraction. The dramatic
conclusion makes this a romance whose insight into love will resonate with
anyone who has loved or hopes to love deeply."
Merrimon Reviews
"Kerry and Ronan are perfect for
each other and I fell in love with these two characters right from the beginning
of the story. Bravo to Ms. Wylie for writing a romance that not only has two
wonderful characters but also beautiful settings and an ending that will leave
you breathless. I truly enjoyed this book and I know that it is one that I can
read again and again. The Millionaire’s Proposal is a romance to
treasure! "
Simply Romance Reviews
"A chance meeting on an airplane
with travel writer Ronan O'Keefe radically changes hotelier Kerry Doyle's plans
for her three-month dream vacation -- but definitely for the better. Seeing
familiar locales through Kerry's eyes is a wonderful experience for Ronan too --
and he'll get another book out of it, eventually. But even though their
flirtation soon becomes something much more powerful, Ronan refuses to have a
holiday fling with Kerry, because he thinks she deserves a happy ending that he
can't give her. Trish Wylie's The Millionaire's Proposal (4.5) is
fresh, amusing and charming, and it has a solid core of emotional truth too. A
keeper."
Romantic Times
"Set in some of the world's most
beautiful places this is a story of trust, truth and love. Ronan does not trust
himself enough to tell Kerry the truth. He thinks her kindness is a weakness
while Kerry thinks kindness is a strength needed in any relationship. Ms. Wylie
has written a fun story showing love can overcome any obstacle."
Coffee Time Romance
"Ronan is bigger than life, a man
who seems to have it all. Unfortunately, he also has a secret that will make
seeing all he has very difficult. Kerry is on a journey to find herself, and to
see all she can while she can. They literally bump into each other on a flight
and right from the get-go there is an attraction between them. I loved watching
their romance develop. It was sweet and loving without being syrupy or overdone.
Ms. Wylie struck the right chord with this book, and there really is nothing not
to like about it. Not one single, solitary thing."
Romance Reader At Heart
