Selfish Is the Heart Read online

  Selfish Is the Heart

  Megan Hart

  Published: 2010

  Rating: ****

  Tags: Man-woman relationships, Fiction, Romance, General, Paranormal, Fantasy fiction, Forced marriage, Erotic fiction

  Product Description

  The national bestselling author of No Greater Pleasure delivers a new novel featuring a reluctant student of seduction.

  To escape an arranged marriage, Annalise Marony decides to become a Handmaiden of the Order of Solace. But she is thwarted at every turn by Cassian, a teacher of the faith, who must test her dedication. Older than most of the girls, Annalise knows that she will be expected to please a patron in pleasures of the flesh-and she is not shy about teasing Cassian. And as they both play out the game of master and student, the secrets in their souls will either tear them apart-or bind them together forever.

  About the Author

  Megan Hart is the bestselling author of several erotic novels and e-books. She lives in Pennsylvania with her family.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Praise for Megan Hart and her novels

  “Ms. Hart is a master . . . I am absolutely in love with [her] writing and she remains on my auto-buy list. Take my advice and add her to yours!”

  —Ecataromance

  “Megan Hart is one of my favorite authors . . . The sex is hot and steamy, the emotions are real, and the characters easy to identify with. I highly recommend all of Megan Hart’s books!”

  —The Best Reviews

  “Terrific erotic romance.”

  —Midwest Book Review

  “Unique . . . Fantastic.”

  —Sensual Romance

  “Megan Hart is easily one of the more mature, talented voices I’ve encountered in the recent erotica boom. Deep, thought provoking, and heart wrenching.”

  —The Romance Reader

  “Probably the most realistic erotic romance I’ve ever read . . . I wasn’t ready for the story to end.”

  —A Romance Review

  “Sexy, romantic.” —Road to Romance

  “Megan Hart completely wowed me! I never read an erotic book that, aside from the explicit sex, is [also] an emotionally powerful story.”

  —Romance Reader at Heart

  “Uplifting . . . Fascinating worldbuilding.”

  —Dear Author

  “Enjoyable erotic romances . . . Strong characters and intriguing . . . plots.”

  —Genre Go Round Reviews

  Berkley Sensation titles by Megan Hart

  PLEASURE AND PURPOSE

  NO GREATER PLEASURE

  SELFISH IS THE HEART

  THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

  Published by the Penguin Group

  Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

  Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada

  (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)

  Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)

  Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia

  (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)

  Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India

  Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand

  (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)

  Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196,

  South Africa

  Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  This book is an original publication of The Berkley Publishing Group.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  Copyright © 2010 by Megan Hart.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions. BERKLEY® SENSATION and the “B” design are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  PRINTING HISTORY

  Berkley Sensation trade paperback edition / October 2010

  eISBN : 978-1-101-44393-4

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Hart, Megan.

  Selfish is the heart / Megan Hart.—Berkley Sensation trade pbk. ed. p. cm.

  I. Title.

  PS3608.A7865S45 2010

  813’.6—dc22

  2010027177

  http://us.penguingroup.com

  Once more for my family

  Another time for friends

  And of course to Superman,

  who always tells me I can do it, no matter what it is

  Acknowledgments

  Special thanks must go to the artists who provided me with the music I listened to while writing this book. I could write without music, but I’m so glad I don’t have to. Please support their work through legal means.

  Little Fox—Heidi Berry

  Look After You—The Fray

  Come Here Boy—Imogen Heap

  You’ve Been Loved—Joseph Arthur

  Labor of Love—Michael Giacchino

  Night Minds—Missy Higgins

  And extra-special thanks must go out to Mick Lynch and Kevin May, The Guggenheim Grotto, whose song Lost Forever made me weep every single day for months in a row and was the one that most contributed to this novel. Thanks, guys—you’re just as lovely in person as you are streaming from my iPod.

  Chapter 1

  If I didn’t care for you so greatly, cousin, I’d surely hate you.” Caterina Marony turned from Annalise’s bedroom window to stare at her cousin. “You’ll be next.”

  Annalise, who’d not yet bothered to dress in the formal gown she’d be wearing to her sister’s wedding, gave Caterina an uninterested grunt and bent back to the task of lacquering her fingernails. “After six weddings, my parents are hardly in any position to provide me with the sort of splendor in yonder garden. If Allorisa’s betrothed was not wealthy enough, and besotted enough, to provide my sister with the finest party she could ever hope for, they’d be stuck having tea sandwiches and cordial, the same as I expect to suffer.”

  Caterina, Annalise’s junior by but a year, frowned and let the lace curtain fall over the glass. She crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s not the party that matters, Annalise. It’s the marriage.”

  Annalise blew on her na