The Argentinian's Solace

Susan Stephens

Will beauty tame the beast? Diego Acosta’s polo-playing days are over. Living in self-imposed exile on his island idyll, he finds his nights are now filled with tormenting memories rather than the beautiful women who once graced his king-sized bed.When Maxie Parrish crashes into his solitude, radiating exuberance and a love of life, she burns so brightly he can’t take his eyes off her! He’ll seduce her and conquer her with the same single-minded determination that saw him rise to the top of the world polo circuit. Only this time he’ll make sure he walks away without scars…

‘So you’re Diego Acosta?’ she exclaimed, unable to conceal her surprise. Trying to ignore the waves of awareness washing over her, she took a fresh look at the man towering over her. He still looked more like a disreputable pirate than an international polo player. Bracing herself, she extended her hand in greeting—which he ignored and turned away.

Diego Acosta wasn’t sophisticated and he wasn’t charming. He certainly wasn’t her usual wedding contact, most of whom looked to Maxie for guidance. The thought of this man looking to anyone for direction was a joke. Diego Acosta was a glowering tyrant who expected to be obeyed.

But she had dealt with difficult characters in the past, Maxie reminded herself. It was inevitable that she met a wide mix of personalities during the course of her work. Diplomacy was an essential part of her skill set and she was used to difficult men, having grown up under the iron fist of her father. She had learned how to handle him before illness had so cruelly diminished him, and now she must learn how to manage Diego Acosta.

About the Author

SUSAN STEPHENS was a professional singer before meeting her husband on the tiny Mediterranean island of Malta. In true Modern™ Romance style they met on Monday, became engaged on Friday, and were married three months after that. Almost thirty years and three children later, they are still in love. (Susan does not advise her children to return home one day with a similar story, as she may not take the news with the same fortitude as her own mother!)

Susan had written several non-fiction books when fate took a hand. At a charity costume ball there was an after-dinner auction. One of the lots, ‘Spend a Day with an Author’, had been donated by Mills & Boon

author Penny Jordan. Susan’s husband bought this lot, and Penny was to become not just a great friend but a wonderful mentor, who encouraged Susan to write romance.

Susan loves her family, her pets, her friends and her writing. She enjoys entertaining, travel, and going to the theatre. She reads, cooks, and plays the piano to relax, and can occasionally be found throwing herself off mountains on a pair of skis or galloping through the countryside. Visit Susan’s website: www.susanstephens.net—she loves to hear from her readers all around the world!

Recent titles by the same author:

THE SHAMELESS LIFE OF RUIZ ACOSTA

THE UNTAMED ARGENTINIAN

RUTHLESS BOSS, DREAM BABY

(Men Without Mercy)

Did you know these are also available as eBooks?

Visit www.millsandboon.co.uk

The

Argentinian’s

Solace

Susan Stephens

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

For Carly.

Intuition tells me to be excited about my new editor.

CHAPTER ONE

SHE had to close her mind to the man on the shore. Getting the old boat safely into its berth was more important. But he was like an elemental force, his gaze fixed and unswerving, with the most magnificent physique Maxie had ever seen. Tall, ripped and tanned, with wild black hair and dangerous eyes. A gold earring glinted in what light there was. Low-slung jeans over a flat, muscular belly were enough to throw anyone off course …

So think of the snarling face that would stop a rhino in its track and your concentration will come flooding back.

She had sailed the boat this far and she wasn’t turning back now.

Bringing the trawler through mountainous waves single-handed had been nothing short of a miracle. They had barely made it out of the harbour wh