The Forbidden Duke Read online

  When it was their turn, he repeated the move he’d done during their first dance, circling her and gliding his hand along her waist. His touch was firmer this time and lingered far longer.

  She looked into his beloved eyes. “I think I might’ve fallen in love with you during that dance.”

  “That’s precisely when it happened for me,” he said. “From that moment on, I was a different man. Just look at all the events I went to for the first time in years—just so I could be with you.”

  She laughed softly. “Yes. It was rather telling in retrospect.”

  They reached the end of the line, and he lifted her hand to his lips. “Thank you for giving me a life I love.”

  She smiled up at him, love bursting in her chest. He’d given her a life she’d never imagined and a love for all time.

  The end

  Thank you so much for reading. Look for the next book in The Untouchables, The Duke of Daring!

  Thank You!

  Thank you so much for reading The Forbidden Duke. I hope you enjoyed it!

  Would you like to know when my next book is available? You can sign up for my newsletter, follow me on Twitter at @darcyburke, or like my Facebook page at http://facebook.com/DarcyBurkeFans.

  Reviews help others find a book that’s right for them. I appreciate all reviews, whether positive or negative. I hope you’ll consider leaving a review at your favorite online vendor or networking site.

  The Forbidden Duke is the first book in The Untouchables series. The next book in the series is The Duke of Daring. Watch for more information! In the meantime, catch up with my other historical series: Secrets and Scandals and Regency Treasure Hunters. If you like contemporary romance, I hope you’ll check out my Ribbon Ridge series available from Avon Impulse.

  I appreciate my readers so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

  Books by Darcy Burke

  Historical Romance

  The Untouchables

  The Forbidden Duke

  The Duke of Daring

  Secrets and Scandals

  Her Wicked Ways

  His Wicked Heart

  To Seduce a Scoundrel

  To Love a Thief (a novella)

  Never Love a Scoundrel

  Scoundrel Ever After

  Regency Treasure Hunters

  The de Valery Code

  Romancing the Earl

  Raiders of the Lost Heart (2016)

  The Legacy of an Extraordinary Gentleman (2017)

  Contemporary Romance

  Ribbon Ridge

  Where the Heart Is (a prequel novella)

  Only in My Dreams

  Yours to Hold

  When Love Happens

  The Idea of You

  When We Kiss

  You’re Still the One

  Acknowledgments

  Huge thanks to Erica Ridley for reading an early draft and being such a terrific friend. You are the wind beneath my wings! Thank you to everyone who helped with plotting in various stages: Elisabeth Naughton, Rachel Grant, Kris Kennedy, and Joan Swan. I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends and coworkers on this journey.

  I am so in love with the cover of this book—thank you Carrie for delivering such beauty. You are an absolute pleasure to work with.

  Thank you to Linda and Toni for editing and proofreading. I’m so delighted to have found you both!

  I must extend massive appreciation to Danielle Gorman for . . . so many things. You have helped me more than I dreamed—thank you!

  More than ever, I am especially grateful to my family for their patience and support. I love you beyond words.

  Copyright

  The Forbidden Duke

  Copyright © 2016 Darcy Burke

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 1944576002

  ISBN-13: 9781944576004

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Book design: © Darcy Burke.

  Cover design: © Carrie Divine/Seductive Designs.

  Photo copyright: Couple © Novelstock.com.

  Photo copyright: Stairs © Stanislav Bokach/Depositphotos.com.

  Editing: Linda Ingmanson.

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author.

  About the Author

  Darcy Burke is the USA Today Bestselling Author of hot, action-packed historical and sexy, emotional contemporary romance. Darcy wrote her first book at age 11, a happily ever after about a swan addicted to magic and the female swan who loved him, with exceedingly poor illustrations.

  A native Oregonian, Darcy lives on the edge of wine country with her guitar-strumming husband, their two hilarious kids who seem to have inherited the writing gene, and three Bengal cats. In her “spare” time Darcy is a serial volunteer enrolled in a 12-step program where one learns to say “no,” but she keeps having to start over. She’s also a fair-weather runner, and her happy places are Disneyland and Labor Day weekend at the Gorge. Visit Darcy online at http://www.darcyburke.com and sign up for her newsletter, follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/darcyburke, or like her Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/darcyburkefans.

  Table of Contents

  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

  Epilogue

  Thank You!

  Books by Darcy Burke

  Acknowledgments

  Copyright

  About the Author