“We’ll see. I could always tie you down—”
The sound of a throat clearing put a quick end to his words.
Her father stood a few feet away. “Well?”
Zoe’s mother rushed out after him. “Have you no concept of boundaries?”
“This involves me.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Zoe said.
Edgar ignored her, speaking instead to Ryder. “I didn’t approve of the kid you were then, but any man who can take what little you had and make something of it deserves respect—not for the fortune you’ve earned, but for the integrity you’ve shown in earning it. I won’t apologize for what I thought then, but today I give you more than my approval…I give you my daughter.”
Zoe was on the verge of telling him she wasn’t his to give—last time he’d tried that, she’d been given to Senator Selfie—but before she could open her mouth, Ryder and her father were shaking hands and her mother, crying, had pulled her into a hug.
“There’s no way Daddy came around that easily,” Zoe muttered in her mother’s ear.
“He had a little help. I hate to say it, but a private jet and the guest list did a lot of the convincing, and the check and the press coverage did the rest. I’m just glad his ego opened the door. The rest will come.”
It was enough. Anything was.
She had Ryder.
She needed nothing else.
Epilogue
Zoe looked up as Ryder entered the cabana. “Where have you been?”
“Miami.”
She rolled her eyes. “There needs to be a thing where you tell me when you leave the country.”
“Technically I’m a private landowner, not my own country.” He leaned down to kiss her. “And it was a surprise.”
Life with him was nothing but surprises. After Chloe’s article hit the papers, their story had exploded. She hadn’t expected her engagement to Ryder to be the story that distracted the world from Todd’s selfie-philandering, but when a ridiculously handsome, young billionaire reunited with and proposed to his high school crush, word got out in a big way. Diane Sawyer big. Zoe and Ryder had done the interview together, which had given her the opportunity to explain that she’d never been in love with Todd. Theirs had been a relationship of convenience—certainly not unheard of, especially in politics—and he’d done her a favor by cheating and giving her a reason to break free of the DC bubble. But in doing so, she hadn’t given up everything. She was still an attorney, now for Latitude 13, as well as a consultant for a number of Ryder’s other holdings. Their whirlwind romance hadn’t been a hard sell considering Ryder hadn’t been solidly linked to another woman since he made his fortune, but Zoe hadn’t needed the public’s support.
She had his.
And a part-time gig leading snorkeling tours.
She’d also called dibs on teaching the resort’s youngest guests the finer points of mini-golf once Latitude 13’s new course was completed, but in the meantime she helped Aggie manage the staff. Ever since Zoe and Ryder’s story had hit the news, the resort had been booked solid—now many months in advance. The final piece had fallen into place when her father sent documentation fully rescinding the contract he’d had Ryder sign all those years ago. Her dad still wasn’t happy, but it was a step.
It was enough.
Ryder, however, she could never get enough of.
She dragged him down by the collar, mid-kiss, before he could get away. She still couldn’t believe how perfectly they fit together, even on a sofa that wasn’t quite long enough for his frame. He landed on top of her and settled between her thighs, his jeans deliciously rough against her bare skin.
“This is convenient,” he said, running his palm along her leg until he caught up with her shirt hem. “Naked under here?”
“Bikini.”
He grinned and dove in, kissing her neck. “Close enough.”
She grinned and held on, dragging him closer. “You think I sit around here naked?”
“I would love that.”
She laughed. “I should probably have some greater purpose.”
“You can be anything you want to be, baby, but I hope you’ll always want to be a little bit of this.” He kissed her. Slowly. Sweetly. Thoroughly.
“I think I want a whole lot of this.” His wandering hands had her arching against him. She grabbed his bicep and felt…paper? “What…?”
“Oh, yeah.” He sat back, wincing. “The little matter of where I was this morning.” He tugged his t-shirt over his head and peeled off the bandage on his upper arm. “I’m a mere horse’s ass no more.”
“That might be debatable,” Zoe said. She peered at his arm. “You finished the tattoo? I thought you—”
“Yeah, still true,” he said with a touch of chagrin. “But it’s amazing what you’ll put yourself through for love. I’m just glad your parents didn’t give you a longer name.”
Zoe laughed, then his words registered. She looked again, and there, right next to the cupid-type archer who now boasted the horse’s ass, was her name.
It was official. He was hers.
In permanent ink.
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Acknowledgments
ERMAGERD TRACY MONTOYA. Thank you so much for your brilliant ideas and incredible editing skills. I’m so grateful and blessed to have you, and, well, frankly I’m still fangirling. Seeing your name in my inbox is pretty much spectacular every time it happens. (Yes, even when first round edits arrive.)
As always, I have to thank my kids for keeping the coffee hot and my husband for understanding when dinner isn’t made entirely from scratch in the week or two before a deadline. And my mom for those ever-important monthly “mental health days” when she takes all six kids for the night. (On one such occasion as I worked on this book, she showed them The Shining, after which they kept their distance while I wrote. Apparently Jack Torrance has nothing on me.)
I’d also like to thank Alethea, who honored me by including Ryder among the fabulous Men of the Zodiac, and for the entire Entangled team for their support and hard work in getting this book out there. And Michelle, writing “with” you is one of the best parts of writing. Thanks for keeping me sane. (Sort of.)
About the Author
Sarah and her husband of what he calls “many long, long years” live on the Mid-Atlantic coast with their six young children, all of whom are perfectly adorable when they’re asleep. She never dreamed of becoming an author, but as a homeschooling mom, she often jokes she writes fiction because if she wants anyone to listen to her, she has to make them up. (As it turns out, her characters aren’t much better than the kids). When not buried under piles of laundry, she may be found adrift in the Atlantic (preferably on a boat) or seeking that ever-elusive perfect writing spot where not even the kids can find her. Though she adores nail-biting mystery and edge-of-your-seat thrillers, Sarah writes in many genres including historical, contemporary, and supernatural romance and romantic suspense.
Find her @ www.sarahballance.com | http://sarahballance.wordpress.com | www.facebook.com/sarah.ballance.author.news | www.twitter.com/sarahballance | www.pinterest.com/sarahballance34 | www.goodreads.com/author/show/4103362.sarah_ballance
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Discover the Men of the Zodiac series…
Impulse Control
Sign: Aries
The Millionaire’s Deception
Sign: Taurus
The Millionaire’s For
ever
Sign: Gemini
Ten Days in Tuscany
Sign: Cancer
The Millionaire Daddy Project
Sign: Leo
Revenge Best Served Hot
Sign: Virgo
The Prince’s Runaway Lover
Sign: Libra
The Colonel’s Daughter
Sign: Scorpio
Also by Sarah Ballance…
The Marriage Agenda
Her Wicked Sin
An Unexpected Sin
The Sins of a Few
Ruby Hill
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One Night With the Billionaire (Men of the Zodiac) Page 15
