On the Steamy Side - Louisa Edwards [0]
On the Steamy Side
On the Steamy Side
LOUISA EDWARDS
St. Martin’s Paperbacks
NOTE: If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
ON THE STEAMY SIDE
Copyright © 2010 by Louisa Edwards.
Excerpt from Just One Taste copyright © 2010 by Louisa Edwards.
All rights reserved.
For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
EAN: 978-0-312-35646-0
Printed in the United States of America
St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / March 2010
St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
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For my parents, Jan and George,who gave me my adventurous palate and alwaysencouraged my vivid imagination and passionfor the written word.
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Author’s Note
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks to my stellar agent, Deidre Knight, and the smart, savvy ladies of the Knight Agency, whose advice and support are indispensable. To my incomparable editor, Rose Hilliard, for her championship through the launch of this series. Also to Jeanne Devlin, my tireless and energetic publicist, for her incredible work and help. These women all routinely go so far above and beyond the call of duty that it’s hard to imagine what my career would look like without them. I suspect it would be pretty bleak. So thanks!!
The first draft of this book would never have been finished without the cheerleading (and butt-kicking, when I needed it) from a very special group of women: the Queens of Peen. You know who you are, and you know I appreciated every second of it. Extra thanks go to my duo of muses, Kristen Painter and Roxanne St. Claire—you make every day of sitting alone in front of my computer feel like a party! I adore you guys.
My family gets special mention for this book because many of the dishes mentioned come straight from my childhood. My mother even helped perfect the already-perfect recipe for Delmonico Pudding, which appears in the back of the book! Other recipe-testing thanks go to the lovely Megan Blocker, home cook par excellence and food blogger extraordinaire.
And, as always, the biggest thank you of all to my husband, Nick, who never flags, never wavers, and never complains when I serve him frozen pizza for the fifth night in a row while I’m on deadline. Beta reader, sounding board, best friend, and love of my life all wrapped up in one tall, delicious package. I’m truly the luckiest woman in the world!
It’s wonderful to have so much support and help as I write—if this book is any good at all, it’s thanks to all of you. Any mistakes are mine alone.
PROLOGUE
Trenton, NJ
May 1995
Black caps launched into the air, gold tassels flying, and everyone around him broke into ecstatic cheers.
High school was over, life and its myriad possibilities stretched out in front of them like a wide, open highway—and all Devon felt was dread.
Time up. No more excuses. He had to tell his dad today.
Pushing past his jubilant classmates,