The Billionaire's Gamble
Page 10
Her hands on his beard brought him back to the present moment. When he looked into her green eyes, everything else fell away. His heart rose from the ashes like a phoenix, resurrected by the power of his feelings for her.
“Don’t back away from me now,” she whispered. “Not after everything.”
He reached up and laid his hands over hers. “Okay. I’ll be there.”
The corner of her mouth tipped up. “Good. And will you be past the whole celibacy thing by the time I arrive?”
“That was only in Dare Valley,” he responded, touching the backs of her hands, familiarizing himself with the strength that she used to create bread everyday with such passion—a passion he wanted her hands to release in him.
“We’re not in Dare Valley right now,” she said, the delicate line of her right eyebrow arching.
Lust poured into his system. “We aren’t, are we?”
“Why don’t you kiss me goodbye?” she asked, her voice lush with desire and invitation.
Even though he knew kissing her would only make him fall harder, he turned his head so he could touch his lips to her warm palm. “Why don’t I?”
She moved toward him like a sensuous wave of water, and he let her cover him. Her lips were cool, almost as though kissed by rain, but her mouth was hot once she opened it to him. After so many weeks, there was no pretense between them. Perhaps he could kiss her softly and sweetly in Paris, on one of the magical bridges, but not now.
His tongue plunged into her mouth. She half crawled into his lap, her hands still on his face, almost as if she couldn’t bear to let him go.
A hard rapping sound on the window jerked them apart. When he looked over, a man from airport security was leaning against the window, eye level with them.
“Get moving,” he shouted through the rain.
Margie slid off his thighs and let her hands trail away from his face slowly. “Leave it to the airport police to ruin a romantic moment.”
He grabbed her hand and kissed it again. “We’ll have more romantic moments in Paris. I promise.”
She smiled, a mysterious smile that made him think of his nickname for her. Oh, how he would miss his Pocket Venus. “I’m holding you to that.”
Her car door opened, and he followed her out to the trunk to heft out his suitcase. When he set it on the ground, he turned to face her in the rain.
“Margie,” he said, taking both her hands. “Be sure. About us. When you come to Paris… If you change your mind—”
“I won’t,” she said, rising on her tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek. “Now, you’d better go. That airport guy is giving me dagger looks for parking this long.”
He grabbed his suitcase. “Margie—”
“I’ll see you in two weeks,” she said, interrupting what he might have said. “I’ll be counting down the time until we’re together again.”
She waved and ran back to the car, her sable hair a darker black now that it was wet.
He waved as she drove off and then stood standing in the rain.
He should have told her the truth.
But now that he knew how she felt about rich people, the die had been cast.
He was going to have to keep his billionaire status secret for a little while longer.
***
To read what happens between Margie and Evan when she goes to Paris, check out THE BILLIONAIRE'S SECRET, Volume 2 of the Dare Valley Meets Paris mini-series.
Here's a snippet of the story:
After resisting Margie Lancaster for one month as part of the gamble he'd lost, Evan Michaels is now in the free and clear to romance her. And it's all the easier since Margie is taking French baking classes in Paris—where Evan lives year-round—in advance of her opening Hot Cross Buns, Dare Valley's new bakery. But there's one catch. Margie comes from money and was tragically disowned by her family, and she's not particularly fond of rich people, especially billionaire alpha playboys. So, Evan is romancing her in the City of Love with his secret hanging over his head, hoping to make her fall for him as much as he's falling for her before she discovers the truth that could destroy everything between them.
And if you've missed Ava's other books, here's the rest of her connected series.
The Dare Valley series:
NORA ROBERTS LAND (Meredith & Tanner)
FRENCH ROAST (Jill & Brian)
THE GRAND OPENING (Peggy & Mac)
THE HOLIDAY SERENADE (Abbie & Rhett)
THE TOWN SQUARE (Arthur & Harriet)
THE PARK OF SUNSET DREAMS (Jane & Matt)
THE PERFECT INGREDIENT (Elizabeth & Terrance)
THE BRIDGE TO A BETTER LIFE (Natalie & Blake)
DARING BRIDES (a short story collection)
The Dare Valley Meets Paris Mini-series:
THE BILLIONAIRE’S GAMBLE (Volume One)
THE BILLIONAIRE’S SECRET (Volume Two)
THE BILLIONAIRE’S COURTSHIP (Volume Three)
THE BILLIONAIRE’S RETURN (Volume Four)
The Dare River series (connected to Dare Valley):
COUNTRY HEAVEN (Tory & Rye)
COUNTRY HEAVEN SONG BOOK
COUNTRY HEAVEN COOKBOOK
THE CHOCOLATE GARDEN (Tammy & John Parker)
THE CHOCOLATE GARDEN: A MAGICAL TALE (children's book)
FIREFLIES AND MAGNOLIAS (Amelia Ann & Clayton)
THE PROMISE OF RAINBOWS (Susannah & Jake)
About the Author
USA Today Bestselling Author Ava Miles burst onto the contemporary romance scene after receiving Nora Roberts' blessing for her use of Ms. Roberts' name in her debut novel, the #1 National Bestseller NORA ROBERTS LAND, which kicked off her small town series, Dare Valley. Ava's books have reached the #1 spot at Barnes & Noble and ranked in Amazon and iBooks' Top 10. Both NORA ROBERTS LAND and COUNTRY HEAVEN have been chosen as Best Books of the Year. Ava has also released a connected series called Dare River about the power of love and family. She's fast becoming a favorite author in light contemporary romance (Tome Tender) and is known for funny, sweet, emotional stories, sometimes with a touch of mystery and magic. Ava's background is as diverse as her characters. She's a former chef, worked as a long-time conflict expert rebuilding warzones, and now writes full-time from her own small town community. Ava is a big believer in living happily ever after and writes about her own journey on The Happiness Corner blog every Friday on her website. If you'd like to connect with Ava or hear more about her upcoming books, check out the links below:
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Copyright August 2015, Ava Miles. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means—graphic, electronic or mechanical—without permission in writing from the author, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally.
www.avamiles.com
Ava Miles
Table of Contents
The Billionaire's Gamble
Author’s Note
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
About the Author