Titles by Jaci Burton Brotherhood by Fire Series HOT TO THE TOUCH Hope Series HOPE SMOLDERS (an eNovella) HOPE FLAMES HOPE IGNITES HOPE BURNS LOVE AFTER ALL MAKE ME STAY DON’T LET GO LOVE ME AGAIN ONE PERFECT KISS Play-by-Play Series THE PERFECT PLAY CHANGING THE GAME TAKING A SHOT PLAYING TO WIN THROWN BY A CURVE ONE SWEET RIDE HOLIDAY GAMES (an eNovella) MELTING THE ICE STRADDLING THE LINE HOLIDAY ON ICE (an eNovella) QUARTERBACK DRAW ALL WOUND UP HOT HOLIDAY NIGHTS (an eNovella) UNEXPECTED RUSH RULES OF CONTACT THE FINAL SCORE SHOT ON GOLD Wild Rider Series RIDING WILD RIDING TEMPTATION RIDING ON INSTINCT RIDING THE NIGHT Stand-Alone Novels WILD, WICKED, & WANTON BOUND, BRANDED, & BRAZEN Anthologies UNLACED (with Jasmine Haynes, Joey W. Hill, and Denise Rossetti) EXCLUSIVE (with Eden Bradley and Lisa Renee Jones) LACED WITH DESIRE (with Jasmine Haynes, Joey W. Hill, and Denise Rossetti) NAUTI AND WILD (with Lora Leigh) NAUTIER AND WILDER (with Lora Leigh) HOT SUMMER NIGHTS (with Carly Phillips, Erin McCarthy, and Jessica Clare) MISTLETOE GAMES (Holiday Games, Holiday on Ice, and Hot Holiday Nights in one volume) eNovellas THE TIES THAT BIND NO STRINGS ATTACHED WILD NIGHTS INTERMIX Published by Berkley An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC penguinrandomhouse.com Copyright © 2004 by Jaci Burton Excerpt from Wanton copyright © 2004 by Jaci Burton Penguin Random House supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin Random House to continue to publish books for every reader. INTERMIX and the “IM” design are trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC. Ebook ISBN: 9780593098516 Berkley trade paperback edition: May 2007 First InterMix Edition: October 2020 Cover image by Elena Kharichkina / Shutterstock This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Contents Cover Titles by Jaci Burton Title Page Copyright one two three four five six seven eight Excerpt from Wanton About the Author one “Step out of the vehicle and spread your legs.” Blair tapped her long, just-manicured fingernails on the leather steering wheel and stared straight ahead, counting slowly to ten before she even looked out the window to acknowledge Rand McKay’s existence. And there was no way in hell she’d obey his ridiculous order. It was bad enough he’d pulled her over on this deserted stretch of road, sirens blaring, when she was already late for lunch with Abby and Callie. But to tell her to get out of her car and spread her legs like a common criminal? He could kiss her ass. No, wait. He’d probably enjoy that. And Blair wasn’t about to do anything Rand might enjoy. “Get lost, Rand. I’m late for an appointment.” Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the slow slide of his Ray-Bans down his long, straight nose, the revelation of his steel gray eyes, the firm line of his full lips. She would not be affected. She would not be affected. Her pebbling nipples be damned, she would not be affected! “Maybe you misunderstood that siren I was wailing behind your speeding ass for the past three miles, Miss Newcastle. It means pull over and get out of the damn car. Now.” Miss Newcastle. Whatever. She’d known Rand McKay since elementary school and long before he became sheriff of Silverwood. And he only called her Miss Newcastle when he wanted to piss her off. It worked. She was good and angry. She pulled off her sunglasses and stared him down, refusing to even unbuckle her seat belt. “Mail me a ticket. You know my address.” He bent over and leaned well-muscled, tanned forearms on the door. “Get out of the goddamned car now, Blair. Or I’ll come in there and get you. And if I have to come in there and get you, I’ll strip-search you right here on the road.” “You wouldn’t dare.” “Try me.” With a disgusted sigh, she punched the button to release her seat belt, then flung the door open, hoping she’d toss Rand on his ass in the process. But he simply backed up with fluid ease and waited for her to exit her Mercedes. With a hard slam she shut the car door and crossed her arms in front of her. “What the hell is your problem?” she asked, tapping her foot on the gravel. She couldn’t see Rand’s eyes behind the silver of his sunglasses, but his smirk told her everything she needed to know. “You were speeding.” “Was not.” “Eighty-five in a sixty is definitely speeding, Blair.” “So write me a ticket and let me get out of here.” “I’ll need to see your driver’s license and insurance verification.” “Oh, for the love of God. Like you don’t have my data memorized.” He knew everything about her, including her address and license number. They’d known each other forever. They’d been at each other’s throats since high school. She knew Rand McKay better than any other man. The most irritating man she’d ever known. She leaned into the open window of her vehicle and took out her purse, rummaging through it for her identification. “Is that a gun in your purse, Blair?” “You know damn well it is.” “Put the bag down, turn around, and place your hands on the roof of your car.” She arched a brow. “Are you serious?” “Do as I say. Now.” “Rand, you know damn well I have a—” “Do it!” Man, he was in a pissy mood. And normally she’d fight him on this. But she could tell he was into playing cop today, and she wasn’t going to make lunch if she stood there and argued with him. This was a game. They’d played it before. If she let him have his way and he annoyed her for a few seconds, she’d be on her way. She turned around and placed her fingertips on the roof of her car. “Spread your legs.” Which is exactly what he’d said to her when he pulled her over. Only she’d thought he was joking. “Christ, Rand. This is not funny.” “I’ll have to pat you down,
