Dark Embrace Series by Sue Lyndon

When Lucia is caught trespassing in Jackson McNabe’s home, she fears he’ll turn her over to the constable. With the holidays approaching and the nights growing colder, she had only wished to warm herself by his fire and pretend for a few minutes that she was the lady of the grand house, rather than a homeless girl stranded in a peculiar village... moreWhen Lucia is caught trespassing in Jackson McNabe’s home, she fears he’ll turn her over to the constable. With the holidays approaching and the nights growing colder, she had only wished to warm herself by his fire and pretend for a few minutes that she was the lady of the grand house, rather than a homeless girl stranded in a peculiar village. Though she hadn’t meant to break the law, she now finds herself at the mercy of a handsome stranger whose deep, commanding voice makes her heart flutter and her pulse quicken. Jackson is taken in by Lucia’s wide, pretty blue eyes, and he sees the young lady’s sudden appearance in his home as an opportunity. He needs a wife, and Lucia clearly needs a husband. To his delight, she agrees to his terms, even when he tells her he expects obedience and won’t hesitate to spank her bare bottom when she misbehaves. The thought of owning her by law makes his blood heat, but a sinister plot threatens the legitimacy of their union, on their wedding day no less. Will Jackson and Lucia find their way back into one another’s arms in time for the holidays? Publisher’s Note: This book was originally published in the naughty holiday anthology, Unwrapped. less

LUKE I don't care that I'm almost twice her age.One glance at Nora's image, captured so perfectly on the small canvas, causes a surreal pang of warmth in my chest. Her expressive light blue eyes enchant the darkest parts of me.As the months pass, that pang of warmth smolders to an all-consuming need to possess the girl in the painting. To claim her. To make her beg. To own her.Soon those expressive blue eyes will look to me for guidance. Soon Nora will belong to me. I have so much to teach her. moreLUKE I don't care that I'm almost twice her age.One glance at Nora's image, captured so perfectly on the small canvas, causes a surreal pang of warmth in my chest. Her expressive light blue eyes enchant the darkest parts of me.As the months pass, that pang of warmth smolders to an all-consuming need to possess the girl in the painting. To claim her. To make her beg. To own her.Soon those expressive blue eyes will look to me for guidance. Soon Nora will belong to me. I have so much to teach her... NORA I've made a terrible mistake, and now I'm headed to an auction block in a brutal mountain town. I should've been a good girl and married the man of Papa's choosing, and now I'm going to pay for my sins.Before I'm sold to the highest bidder, however, a handsome stranger rides out of nowhere and buys me from the slavers. I'm shocked to discover my new master is Luke Holsten--the very man to whom I was betrothed.There's no escaping the arranged marriage now, and my new husband is quick to make me understand that he expects not only obedience, but my absolute surrender...Publisher's Note: This book originally appeared in the box set Bound, Spanked & Loved under the title His Runaway Valentine, but several brand new (and shamelessly naughty scenes) have been added for your reading pleasure. less

When Kingston proposes marriage to Faith a few weeks before Christmas, he’s upfront about his expectations in a bride. She soon thrives under his guidance and finds herself falling for her strict but loving husband. But despite her newfound happiness, she can’t help but worry something will go wrong. Is their arrangement too good to be true, or has she finally found her forever home?