The Southern Devil
by Diane Whiteside

Even a perfect gentleman has a little devil in him.

Once a starving Confederate war veteran, Morgan Evans is now a wealthy man respected for both his business acumen and his chivalrous Southern manners. He would be the perfect catch for any woman, but only one holds his constant attention. Jessamyn Tyler Evans has been his obsession since the time she derailed one of his spy missions by holding him hostage in her bed for days. Her innocent explorations awakened a fierce hunger inside the young Morgan, and the passion and intimacy they shared frightened them both. Jessamyn spurned Morgan for his cousin, and Morgan vowed that someday he would drive her as wild with desire as she had driven him. Now Jessamyn has returned. The payback has begun...

Jessamyn has an obsession of her own: hunting for a legendary family treasure in the hills of Colorado. To do so, the spirited widow needs a husband, and Morgan Evans is only too happy to join her masquerade...for a price: she must submit to being his, body and soul, surrendering herself to whatever he demands. It's a devil's bargain to be sure.

Their union is as treacherous as it is passionate—and the only thing they can trust. Searching for a treasure that may not exist—a treasure others would kill for—two lovers are moving deeper into unmarked territory, where no threat is more perilous than everything they feel...

Diane Whiteside's Bio

I was born on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, California. That's really a lot more boring address than it sounds; it was simply the location of the Kaiser Hospital that my parents chose. But some folks say that the atmosphere seeped into my bones.

I'm the third generation of my family to write and get paid, however much or little. Like my grandfather and uncle, I do it for the joy and the communication with other people.

My family is about to start our fifth century in North America. I enjoy travel and have visited most of the US states, as well as Europe and the Bahamas. I've camped in the Sierras, the Grand Tetons, and the Basin and Ranges country of the American West.

As for the rest of my life, I work as a database consultant by day and hold advanced degrees in technology to help me. I've been a government contractor for over twenty years, almost all of it with the military or law enforcement. So when I need to escape, I write about people and places that have nothing to do with my day job.

I live in Northern Virginia with two Tibetan Terrier dogs and a cottage garden to keep me busy. I enjoy books, movies, travel, music, needlework, and dressmaking in my spare time.