The Secret Ingredient

The Secret Ingredient
Nina Harrington

Lottie Rosemount’s top tips for dating:1. Ignore all advances from inappropriate men. Celebrity chef and notorious heartbreaker Rob Beresford can flirt for England, but that doesn’t mean his intentions are honourable!2. Keep your cool. Rob is not a safe bet, so don’t let him see that he gets you hot under your apron!3. If 1) and 2) fail, indulge in a wild fling with said inappropriate man. Because remember: wild nights with no strings attached are this man’s speciality!Only Lottie is about to discover that Rob has a few secret ingredients to add to the mix—which could make her throw her tips out of the window for ever!

Rob Beresford was a player.

And she had no intention of being part of his little game.

Then he lifted his head and looked at her. No. More than that. He seemed to be studying her. She had been expecting those famous piercing cobalt blue eyes to give her the beauty parade head-to-toe assessment.

He didn’t. His gaze was locked onto her face as though he was searching for something, and finding it. Because one corner of his mouth had turned up into just the hint of a smile, which only drew her attention to that kissable mouth.

‘I think we’ve met before somewhere, but I am embarrassed to say that I’ve forgotten your name. Can you help?’

His voice was hot chocolate sauce on top of the best butterscotch ice cream and it had all the potential to make her silly girl heart spin just fast enough to make breathing a challenge.

Could she what? Oh, was that the best he could do?

‘Oh, please. Does that line still work?’

Rob’s eyebrow arched and a sexy smile designed to defrost frozen food at twenty paces was switched on like a lightbulb.

‘Occasionally.’

Dear Reader

Since walking away from her high-flying job in the financial world Lottie Rosemount has been revelling in her new life as baker extraordinaire at Lottie’s Cake Shop and Tea Rooms. It’s set on a busy London high street and Lottie loves meeting the wide range of customers of all ages who have welcomed her into their community.

The one person she does not expect to run into is Rob Beresford, a gorgeous head chef who is just as notorious for his lack of social skills as for the award-winning recipes he creates for Beresford Hotels.

Five years earlier Rob almost brought her fledgling career crashing to the ground, but now her best friend is dating his brother. They have to get along!

Rob cannot commit to any girl for more than a few months. Lottie is looking for a long-term relationship. But perhaps Rob can persuade her to have just one tiny fling … with him.

I do hope that you enjoy travelling with Lottie and Rob on their journey to discover where they truly belong and who they belong with.

I love to hear from my readers, and you can get in touch by visiting www.ninaharrington.com

Nina

The Secret

Ingredient

Nina Harrington

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

NINA HARRINGTON grew up in rural Northumberland, England, and decided at the age of eleven that she was going to be a librarian—because then she could read all of the books in the public library whenever she wanted! Since then she has been a shop assistant, community pharmacist, technical writer, university lecturer, volcano walker and industrial scientist, before taking a career break to realise her dream of being a fiction writer. When she is not creating stories which make her readers smile her hobbies are cooking, eating, enjoying good wine—and talking, for which she has had specialist training.

Other Modern Tempted

titles by Nina Harrington:

TROUBLE ON HER DOORSTEP

This and other titles by Nina Harrington are available in eBook format from www.millsandboon.co.uk

Contents

Chapter One (#u376577ba-009f-5b10-9ef9-2f7791f1b0fb)

Chapter Two (#ubdaec86b-faa9-524b-bb5f-661f4f00cb42)

Chapter Three (#u1c1dd80e-3829-5617-ac2c-6fd43f3aa1dd)

Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)

Extract (#litres_trial_promo)

ONE

Rob Beresford stepped out of the black stretch limo onto the red carpet outside London’s newest and most prestigious art gallery, slowly rolled back his shoulders, and stretched out to his full height.

Rob ran the fingers of his right hand through his mane of collar-length dark wavy hair in a move he had perfected to draw attention to what, according to the Beresford hotel group marketing department, was his best feature.

‘Make sure that your fans see that fantastic head and shoulders shot,’ his agent, Sally, kept telling him. ‘That’s what your millions of lady followers will be looking for. Make the most of it while you can!’

Ah. The joys of self-promotion.

After twenty years in the hotel business Rob knew the drill inside out.

He gave the press what they wanted and they loved him for it. They had seen him on good and bad nights and both sides played the game when it suited them.