She was ready to flee
Then passion beckoned.
From the moment Thea Lambros is forced to walk down the aisle toward Christo Callas, her only thought is escape. After all, this reluctant bride is a mere pawn in her father’s dangerous game.
But when coolly brilliant Christo interrupts her getaway, Thea meets her electrifying match. Pairing her resilient spirit with his unwavering strength, her new husband unleashes an unexpected fire within her. Thea feared she was trading one jailer for another. But what if Christo is the man to finally set this caged bird free?
When KALI ANTHONY read her first romance novel at fourteen she realised two truths: that there can never be too many happy endings and that one day she would write them herself. After marrying her own tall, dark and handsome hero, in a perfect friends-to-lovers romance, Kali took the plunge and penned her first story. Writing has been a love affair ever since. If she isn’t battling her cat for access to the keyboard, you can find Kali playing dress-up in vintage clothes, gardening, or bushwalking with her husband and three children in the rainforests of South-East Queensland.
This is Kali Anthony’s debut book
for Mills & Boon Modern.
We hope that you enjoy it!
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.
Revelations of His Runaway Bride
Kali Anthony
www.millsandboon.co.uk
ISBN: 978-1-474-09837-3
REVELATIONS OF HIS RUNAWAY BRIDE
© 2020 Kali Anthony
Published in Great Britain 2020
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
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Text to speech
To my mother, Dot.
Wish you were here to enjoy the journey with me.
You’d have loved the ride.
Always in my heart.
Contents
Cover
Back Cover Text
About the Author
Booklist
Title Page
Copyright
Note to Readers
Dedication
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
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
EPILOGUE
Extract
About the Publisher
CHAPTER ONE
THEA STRUGGLED IN the near darkness to tear free of the wedding dress she’d been forced to wear. The cursed laces of its bodice trussed her as tight as a chicken ready for roasting. She fumbled with the tangled bow at the small of her back, then stopped to steady her trembling fingers. Her breaths blew sharp and fast, and the cloying scent of citrus blossom from her bridal bouquet threatened to overwhelm her. No time for clumsiness. Tonight was about speed and execution. Because this plan—her only plan—allowed no room for failure.
‘It’s never going to work.’
Thea faced the quavering voice. Sheathed in soft cream silk, her best friend huddled in a shadowy corner. The brim of an oversized hat swooped across her face.
‘We’ve been over this, Elena. It will.’
It has to.
There were no second chances. Outside, the hungry crowd and her husband waited. The man now entitled to all of her. Thea shuddered. He wouldn’t get her mind, her body or her soul. This was her moment to escape. Tonight she’d break free and show them all.
‘How do I look?’
Elena moved into what dim light shone through a lavishly curtained window from the dreary alleyway beyond. She smoothed her hands over the front of the dress, which swirled barely above her knees. Demure. Perfect. The dress Thea should be changing into now.
‘Like more of a bride than I feel. Nobody will realise.’
Till it was too late. Till she was gone.
Everyone said she and Elena could pass as sisters, or as each other. And they regularly did—with laughable ease. Allowing Thea a shred of freedom otherwise denied her.
Now all the years of planning her escape were over.
She walked to her friend and held her in a tight hug. Elena’s body quaked in the embrace.
‘Thank you. For this. For everything,’ Thea said.
Elena returned the hug, then pushed away, wiping at her eyes. ‘Let’s get you out of that wedding dress and away from here.’
Thea turned and flinched as Elena’s frantic hands fought the laces which bound her.
‘Can we put on some lights?’ Elena whispered. ‘I can’t see to do this quickly.’
‘What if someone walks in? Like this, it’s hard to tell who’s who. Now, remember what I said?’
Elena laughed. There was nothing cheerful about the sound. ‘Skirt the edges of the room. Keep the hat brim down. If anyone tries to talk to me pretend to cry and hide my face in a handkerchief like I’m
