The Italian Count's Defiant Bride
INTERNATIONAL BILLIONAIRES
Life is a game of power and pleasure.And these men play to win!
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International Billionaires coming in 2009
The Prince’s Waitress Wife by Sarah Morgan, February.
At the Argentinean Billionaire’s Bidding by India Grey, March.
The French Tycoon’s Pregnant Mistress by Abby Green, April.
The Ruthless Billionaire’s Virgin by Susan Stephens, May.
The Italian Count’s Defiant Bride by Catherine George, June.
The Sheikh’s Love-Child by Kate Hewitt, July.
Blackmailed into the Greek Tycoon’s Bed by Carol Marinelli, August.
The Virgin Secretary’s Impossible Boss by Carol Mortimer, September.
8 volumes in all to collect!
Catherine George was born in Wales, and early on developed a passion for reading which eventually fuelled her compulsion to write. Marriage to an engineer led to nine years in Brazil, but on his later travels the education of her son and daughter kept her in the UK. And, instead of constant reading to pass her lonely evenings, she began to write the first of her romantic novels. When not writing and reading she loves to cook, listen to opera and browse in antiques shops.
Recent titles by this author:
*CHRISTMAS REUNION THE MILLIONAIRE’S REBELLIOUS MISTRESSTHE MILLIONAIRE’S CONVENIENT BRIDETHE RICH MAN’S BRIDE
*In the anthology Married by Christmas
Dear Reader
Welcome to my contribution to InternationalBillionaires! Since I come from Wales, where Rugby is not just a game but almost a religion, I was only too delighted to write one of the stories.
Over the years my father, husband and son all played Rugby in the first fifteen at their various schools, and my brother captained his university team, which meant the game was in my blood from early childhood. It was soon the same for my son (who played at fly half), also for my daughter, who is as hotly enthusiastic a fan as her brother. They watch Six Nations matches together, kitted out in the red shirts of Wales and yelling their heads off for the home team. (I do my share of shouting, too.)
As a background to a romantic novel, the game of rugby football provides great heroes: big, muscular men, doing battle like gladiators in a packed arena, with fans cheering them on. So with them in mind the rest soon fell into place.
I hope you enjoy my Rugby story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Happy reading!
Love
Catherine
To rugby players of all nationalities,
with a special dedication to the men who wear the red shirts of Wales.
CHAPTER ONE
THE atmosphere in the city was electric. Alicia Cross felt it tingle in her veins as she joined the Welsh rugby fans streaming into Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium. As always they had arrived in their thousands to support their heroes, with the added excitement that today a victory against Italy would mean a step forward towards the holy grail of the Six Nations contest, the grand slam; victory over all five of the other teams. Wales were now level with England on wins.
After weeks of travel and hard work to organise parties and press events, Alicia had begged a couple of hours off duty this afternoon to watch the match with friends. Earlier she had checked the arrangements for the sponsor’s lunch at the stadium, then hurried back to Cardiff Bay to ensure that all was ready in the hotel chosen for the party later that night. But now at last, instead of joining the sponsors in their hospitality box, she was on her way to her seat in the stands, and she was cutting it a bit fine. In her rush she almost bumped into the man who stepped in front of her, barring her way. She opened her mouth to apologise then snapped it shut, the colour draining from her face. In a knee-jerk reaction she flung away, but he was too quick for her and seized her hand. Conscious of curious glances beamed in their direction, she forced herself to stand still, her heart thudding against her ribs as she looked up into the handsome, unforgettable face of the man who had once changed her girlhood dreams into nightmares.