I opened my mouth, but he read my mind. “Fucking my fiancée is out too. It’s just you and me, babe.”
“You and me.”
“And the baby, or two, or three.”
“Don’t get your hopes up, buddy. Let’s first enjoy these last few months of you and me before we talk about raising a team of kids.”
“I was thinking of a baseball team, or maybe football team size.”
I laughed. “Clearly the blood from your dick hasn’t reached your brain yet.”
“Exactly,” he said with a sexy smirk on his face.
Then he rolled me over and showed me a different side. It was slow, sensual and everything that defined making love.
Much later, wrapped in his arms, I admitted, “I do love you.”
“I know,” he said. I lightly punched his arm. “Ouch,” he said, rubbing at the spot. Then he pressed the sweetest kiss on my lips. “I’m completely and utterly in love with you.”
Epilogue
Leaving for the flight the next day was hard, but it was more than ever important to ensure my child’s future and Chloe’s too. Though I’d been late for it, I didn’t stay away. I came right back that very day. We had plans to make.
My sweet Chloe was very demanding. Before we could get married, she made it absolutely clear I had to make peace with my cousin. As it turned out, making my woman happy was a top priority for me.
We stood in his parlor waiting for said cousin to grace us with his presence. I rolled my eyes and was ready to leave after twenty minutes of waiting.
Chloe squeezed my hand. “Just give it a little more time.”
I brought our joint hands to my lips and kissed her knuckles. “Only for you, my love.”
Her grin brought warmth to my cold heart and reminded me there were more important things than my feud with family.
“Ah, there he is. The man who stole part of my company.”
We turned around to face Hugh. He looked haggard, like he hadn’t slept for weeks.
Chloe gave me an encouraging smile and I let go to step forward. “Hugh—”
He held up a hand. “Are you here to ruin me completely? It’s bad enough you bought half of my company, but now you’re here to tell me you’ve won? That you’ve gotten her pregnant and are taking all of Grandfather’s wealth?”
“It’s not what you think.”
“So she is pregnant with the next heir to our family’s fortune?”
“Yes, but—”
He laughed bitterly. “It doesn’t matter. Money means nothing without her,” he muttered more to himself.
“Cousin,” I tried again.
His shadowed eyes met mine.
“Chloe is pregnant, but I’ve decided not to fight for the money. I won’t tell the lawyers anything. And the money is yours if you can produce an heir.”
“Very magnanimous of you, cousin.” He rolled his eyes and they landed on Chloe. “You were the best employee I had. Losing you and my company is worse than I thought possible.”
“You haven’t lost her,” I said.
His eyes narrowed.
“I’m your partner now,” Chloe said.
Talk about saucer eyes.
“You gave her my company?” he shouted. “And I’ve lost everything that matters.”
I held up a hand. “Isn’t she a better partner than your ex? You just said she was the best thing about your company. With her, you’ll have someone who wants to make a difference. It’s not like you’re losing anything except your ex meddling with your company. You’ve gained something far more.”
He thought about it.
Chloe stepped forward. “I’d be willing to sell it back to you if you don’t want me. I don’t want bad blood between us. You will be a cousin… let’s just call you an uncle to our child.”
I didn’t have siblings.
He glanced between us. “You’d sell me your half?” he asked, not looking as half-crazed as he had moments before.
She nodded. “I want you at our wedding.”
That shocked him. “You’re getting married?” His gaze bounced between us.
“Yes, and I want you there,” I said. “We don’t have much family left. I want us to mend fences. You used to be like a brother to me.”
His gaze landed on Chloe and dipped longingly to her still-flat belly. “Hold onto her, cousin. You don’t want to know what it feels like to lose the only woman you’ve ever loved.”
Hugh was acting strange. He’d never spoken about his ex this way. Maybe he hadn’t wanted me to know how broken he was after she was gone. I hadn’t wanted anyone to see me when I’d given Chloe space those few weeks.
Hugh focused on Chloe. “I regret so much. I poured all the work onto you because I knew you would get it done. Maybe you are what this company needs. At least now I’ll share it with family.”
My girl’s eyes misted, and she hugged Hugh, who looked like he needed it. Luckily, he didn’t hold on too long or our just-found peace would have been at an end. I was a jealous bastard.
“A wedding, huh?” he asked again. We both nodded. “I’ll be there. And Chloe, I expect to see you at work tomorrow. We have a lot to do.”
She grinned and I clasped his hands. “I hope you find someone. It’s the best thing that’s happened to me.”
He gazed at me wistfully. “About that, I have a favor to ask.”
Wedding Day – Chloe
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Molly said.
No matter what went wrong between us, I couldn’t imagine this day without my best friend.
“Me either. I know it’s fast, but Ryan didn’t want to wait,” I said. “I’m just so glad you agreed to be my maid of honor.”
She fanned her face. “You are so going to make me cry. I’m glad you forgave me for what happened.”
I waved the matter away. “It’s water under the bridge. I get it now. You found love in the most unexpected place and he’s not that bad.”
She turned away and wiped at her eyes.
“What is it?” I asked. “You haven’t talked to him yet, have you?”
She shook her head. “This is your day. We can talk about my problems another time.”
We would. Hugh had a plan and if she didn’t talk to him soon, I would help put it in action. I smoothed the dress I’d chosen before walking to her. The brand-new custom gown had a vintage style. I’d thought I’d want the full bridal gown, but the ivory floral lace form-fitting dress with an extended sweeping train had had me in love as soon as I’d seen it. I felt like a princess in it and that was all that mattered.
“You’re going to make me cry and mess up my makeup if you don’t tell me what’s going on,” I said.
She sat in the simple blush-pink V-neck dress she’d picked out. “I don’t want to see Hugh today, but I have no choice. He’s Ryan’s cousin. My only solace is I’ll be walking with Ian down the aisle.”
I arched a brow. The two had hit it off at our small pre-wedding dinner. I’d been so focused on playing hostess, I hadn’t noticed that she and Hugh hadn’t gotten along.
I sat beside her. “I’m sorry. What happened?”
She shook her head. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll tell you the sordid details when you get back from your honeymoon. Hugh’s not the man I thought he was.”
Hugh was trying to be better, but whatever was going on between them had to wait as there was a knock at the door. My mom opened it. “Honey, it’s time.”
I nodded, but before getting up, I hugged Molly. “Are you sure you don’t want to give him a chance?”
She shook her head. “I know you two are partners now and that’s great. But if I saw the man a million days from now, it would be too soon.”
I wanted to ask more, but Mom hovered waiting.
“We will talk about this tomorrow. Our plane doesn’t leave until the afternoon. There is no way I can wait two weeks to hear what happened.”
She gave me a small smile. “Sure.”
Her grin widened. “Now let’s go get you married.”
We stood and got in our places at the grand church. It was packed with friends, family, and business associates, something I’d have to get used to. Marrying a powerful man came with a few drawbacks. The small wedding I’d dreamed of had grown large.
But when the doors opened and I caught the gaze of my one true love, my worries about the wedding and Molly’s future disappeared.
He was glorious in a classic tux. The man was GQ-worthy, but he only had eyes for me. I brushed a hand over my belly, thinking of our child growing inside me. Quickly I two-handed the bouquet as the crowd turned. Everything had happened so quickly, but it felt right. Ryan had ignored his lawyers and hadn’t made me sign a prenuptial agreement, which only made me trust his love that much more.
Sometimes it didn’t take years to know the man in front of you was the one. Because Ryan was it for me, for better or worse, richer or poorer, sickness or in health. No matter what we had, I was still the luckiest woman alive.
Dad was handsome in his tux. He looked me up and down and said, “You make me proud, baby girl.” I choked back the tears as memories of when I was a small girl flooded me. When we made it to the front, he smiled. He approved because Ryan had won him over, not with his wealth, but with his wit and obvious love for me.
Ryan took my hand and in front of everyone dipped his head and kissed me. I felt the flames on my cheeks.
“Not yet, son,” the reverend said.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t wait a second longer,” Ryan said. The crowd laughed, but his eyes on mine made me feel cherished. “When you find the woman of your dreams, it’s hard to wait.”
“I love you,” I whispered.
“I love you, too.”
THE END… or maybe not…
And everything turned out perfect until the reception, when Hugh and my best friend Molly went toe to toe. If she thought I would wait another second to find out what had gone down between the two of them, she had another think coming. I pulled her away from Hugh as Ryan took him aside.
“Molly, get to talking or I’ll kick your ass.”
“In that dress?” she quipped.
“Exactly.”
She sighed heavily and began her tale of the same night I’d met Ryan.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read our Cocky Billionaires Duet. We sincerely hope you enjoyed it! If you could be so kind as to leave a review—just a few words are fine—we would greatly appreciate it.
Read more about Molly and Hugh’s story in Dirty Arrogant Boss
If you love these fun romances, then you might want to read The Wilde Players Series!
SIDELINED, Book 1
Cassidy
I hate him… I love him… He destroyed me… and now He needs me.
Fletcher Wilde, a gorgeous quarterback in the NFL, is the man I should have married. He’s the one that walked away, choosing football over me.
He shouldn’t be back, especially not looking that good.
And not sitting in my waiting room chair with a bum leg and confident cocky grin that sets my insides on fire.
It’s impossible to forget how he rocked my world both in and out of the bedroom.
Keeping things professional won’t be easy, especially given our history.
My mission, however, is getting him back on the field—the place he loved more than me, while not losing myself in him all over again.
Fletcher
Cassidy Miller is the only physical therapist in town.
And after a potential career ending injury, she’s my ticket back on the field or my NFL career is over.
Unfortunately, she’s the same Cassidy who ripped my heart to shreds when I thought we were a team.
Sexy and intelligent, she’s the last person I thought I’d see again.
Turns out, she looks better than ever, making me want that smart mouth of hers doing things to me that would drive a sane man crazy.
Lucky for me, my determination is legendary.
Winning is in my blood, which makes me number one on the field.
Being a single-minded man, my focus is to get her back and this time for good.
Download SIDELINED here on Amazon
FASTBALL, Book 2
Our relationship starts off like a bad joke.
A gorgeous guy walks into a bar and says to me, “Do you want to F#ck?” and damn if I don’t say yes.
And that should have been it—the punch line.
We never should’ve seen each other again.
Only we do.
Turns out sex on a stick, Ryder Wilde, is more than an orgasm-giver.
He’s a player.
Not just any either.
A Major League Baseball pitcher.
And damn, I want to be his catcher.
Except he doesn’t want to play any games or follow my rules: No relationships. No falling in love.
Because he’s used to winning … and wants to claim me as his prize.
His mission is to own me, body and soul, no matter how much I push him away.
Powerless to stop him, I can only hope my heart isn’t another casualty of his fastball.
Download FASTBALL here on Amazon
HOOKED, Book 3
I’ve had my eye on him since we were teenagers.
I even managed to kiss him once.
But once wasn’t enough.
He stars in every one of my dirty fantasies.
Now it’s time for my dreams to come true.
He’s smart, sexy, and gorgeous, and currently single.
When I hear he’s in a position to act as my caddie for a week, I decide to bite the bullet and jump on him.
I mean it.
Who am I kidding?
I have one week to blow his mind and other things too.
I can only hope my heart survives every one of our heated encounters and that he gets hooked before I do.
Download HOOKED here on Amazon
Other books by Terri E. Laine & A.M. Hargrove
Cruel & Beautiful standalone series
Cruel and Beautiful
A Mess of A Man
One Wrong Choice
Wilde Players standalone series
Sidelined
Fastball
Hooked
Worth Every Risk
Cocky Billionaire Boss duet
Dirty Savage Boss
Dirty Arrogant Boss
Standalone
A Beautiful Sin
A.M. Hargrove
Reader, Writer, Dark Chocolate Lover, Ice Cream Worshipper, Coffee Drinker, Lover of Grey Goose (and an extra dirty martini), Puppy Lover, and if you’re ever around me for more than five minutes, you’ll find out I’m a talker.
A.M. Hargrove divides her time between the upstate and coast of South Carolina where she pursues her dream career of writing. If she could change anything in the world, she would make chocolate and ice cream a part of the USDA food groups. Annie writes romance in several genres, including adult and new adult. Her books usually include lots of suspense and thrills and she sometimes ventures into the paranormal, sci-fi and fantasy blend.
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Stalk A.M. Hargrove
If you would like to hear more about what’s going on in my world, please subscribe to my mailing list on my website at http://amhargrove.com/mailing-list/.
You can also join my private group—Hargrove’s Hangout— on Facebook if you’re up to some shenanigans!
Please stalk me. I’ll love you forever if you do. Seriously.
www.amhargrove.com
Twitter @amhargrove1
www.facebook.com/amhargroveauthor
www.facebook.com/anne.m.hargrove
www.goodreads.com/amhargrove1
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[email protected]
For Other Books by A.M. Hargrove visit www.amhargrove.com
For Other Books by A.M. Hargrove visit
https://amhargrove.com/book/
Or
https://readerlinks.com/mybooks/1842
If you would like to purchase signed books, you can do so here: https://amhargrove.com/shop/
Adult Novels
For The Love Series
For The Love of English
For The Love of Easton
For The Love of My Sexy Geek
Mason Creek Series
Perfect Love (Mason Creek #3)
The Kent Brothers Novels
ACER
RAIDEN
CRUZE (TBD)
The West Sisters Stand Alone Novels:
One Indecent Night
One Shameless Night
Dirty Savage Boss: A Cocky Billionaire Duet Page 8
