Bedding The Boss (Bedding the Bachelors Book 8)

by Virna DePaul

  They clung to one another, each of them holding their personal successes like burning torches inside them. They’d taken those first steps. They’d started accomplishing what they’d set out to do and suddenly their path toward one another wasn’t quite so murky. They believed in their own ability to shape their lives. And just like that, their lives had room for one another.

  They were holding one another so tight they barely had the room to break apart and kiss. Suddenly, Lexi stiffened in his arms, scrambled her way down and started sprinting toward the paddock. “Oh my god!”

  She screamed. She jumped up and down. And then she turned and ran back to him. “Eric. You asshole! You absolutely perfect, sweet, considerate asshole.”

  He laughed as she launched herself right back into his arms.

  “You bought back my horse.” As she looked back at the paddock, at the horse sniffing at the ground and sauntering through, there were tears in her eyes. “You bought Maple back for me.”

  “It took some sleuthing, tracking her down, but she was the first horse on my ranch.”

  Lexi took his mouth in a kiss so soft, so sweet, it was a balm, erasing the pain they’d caused one another over the last month.

  She tore her lips away from his and pressed her forehead against his so she stared straight into his eyes.

  “You know what this means, don’t you?” she asked, almost threateningly.

  “What’s that?”

  “You don’t have a choice anymore. You’re going to have to marry me.”

  Words completely escaped him as his mouth opened and closed like a goldfish.

  Lexi threw her head back and laughed, her long, coltish legs wrapped firmly around his waist. “In can be in ten years, I don’t care. But you bought my horse back for me. So now we’re engaged. The end.”

  “Damn straight we’re engaged. And it’s not the end. It’s only the beginning.”

  He dropped his girl to her feet and kissed the ever-loving breath out of her. Took her hand as they walked together toward the paddock. Toward Maple. His land rolled out all around them and somewhere, hundreds of miles away, a city buzzed like a beehive, waiting for them to return.

  And even though they’d just decided to live in two places, as messy a plan as it was, for the first time in either of their lives, their hearts were no longer split in two.

  Epilogue

  Lexi and Eric squared off in the living room. Their arms were crossed over their chests, with matching scowls on their faces as they eyed one another like opponents in a boxing ring.

  “Absolutely not,” Eric said, his voice solid and frustrated. “It’s insulting and unnecessary, Lex. No prenup.”

  “Eric! I’m the one who would be insulted by it and I’m not! I want the damn prenup. I want the most ironclad prenup there is. I’ll sign it at the goddamn wedding for all I care. I don’t want a single penny of your money.”

  “It’s a moot point, baby. A prenup would only come into play in the event of a divorce, and I am telling you right here and now, I’m not ever divorcing you. And you are never divorcing me.”

  “Of course I’m never divorcing you.” She jabbed a finger into his chest. “If a prenup is a moot point, then let’s just have one anyway. That way no one can accuse me of marrying you for your money.”

  “I don’t give a fuck what anyone thinks. I know why you’re marrying me. I know it’s because you love me. I know it’s because you can’t live without me, that you don’t want to live without me, just the way I don’t want to live without you.”

  Lexi’s breath hitched. “That’s true. That’s so true. But Eric, you’re a billionaire. And I…I’m not. I’m so far from not. And whether you like it or not, you know your money will be an issue. So let’s make it not an issue. Please?”

  Eric stared at her. Then he cupped her face, kissed her gently, then said, “Okay. Let’s make it not an issue.”

  Relief swept through Lexi before she kissed Eric back. “Thank you,” she whispered. Then she frowned when Eric whipped his phone out of his pocket and typed something into it with pointed ferocity.

  “What are you doing?” Lexi narrowed her eyes at him and tried to snatch for the phone.

  Eric immediately held it up out of her reach and then answered it when it began to ring. “Eric Davenport. Hi, Mr. Rourke. Yes. Yes. I officially authorize it. We did the paperwork on it last month when I was in L.A. I was under the impression that all we needed was the indicator from me that it was time to pull the trigger. Consider the trigger pulled. Yes. I agree. She’s not going to be happy.” He laughed. “All’s fair in love and war. Alright. You bet. Thanks.”

  He hung up the phone and gave her a triumphant look. “Okay, now we can have a prenup drafted.”

  “What do you mean? What did you do?”

  Eric grinned at Lexi, then said, “I just had twenty million dollars transferred into a bank account in your name.” He leaned forward and kissed her stunned mouth. “So I’m happy to have a prenup if that’s what you want.”

  “WHAT?! You—” Her mouth open and closed, but she didn’t make another sound. Not until she sobbed, flung herself into Eric’s arms, and burrowed her face in his chest.

  Eric simply stroked her hair and murmured, “Money is just money, Lexi. It will never be a smidgen as important to me as our love. I’d give it all up in a second to be with you. That being said, I’m glad I don’t have to. Because I’m going to spoil you. With my body. My heart. And our money. Until the day we die. I love you.”

  Lexi lifted her tear-stained face. “I love you, too, Eric Davenport. Now shut up and kiss me.”

  He kissed her. He kissed her so long and so passionately that they ended up in the bedroom. And they didn’t leave it for a very long time.

  Thank you for reading Bedding The Boss.

  If you enjoyed spending time with these characters, be sure to check out Dante and Aurora’s story in Book 9,

  Bedding The Baby Daddy. Here’s a sneak peek!

  BEDDING THE BABY DADDY Excerpt

  Chapter One

  Aurora LeMonde smiled serenely at each guest who passed her, determined to exude confidence and calm at her company’s latest fundraising gala even though she felt like she’d swallowed razor blades. She commanded herself not to do it. Not to torture herself. Not to look at him—at them—again. Unfortunately, as was too often the case where her boss, Giovanni Esposito, was concerned, Aurora’s self-control was nil. Within seconds, she sought him out, spotting him across the room looking like Italian sin in a perfectly tailored suit. He didn’t glance her way, his complete attention focused on the redhead by his side.

  Whether he knew it or not, Gio was looking down at the love of his life.

  Aurora’s eyes threatened to fill, her throat closed and everything behind her eyebrows tightened. With the ease of practice, however, she took a deep breath and swallowed her feelings down.

  She’d worked for Gio for five years. Lived and breathed him. Loved him hard and quiet.

  Convinced herself that at some point, the Universe’s cosmic puzzle pieces would fall into place and Gio would walk past her office, see her in the right pencil skirt in the right lighting with the right amount of hair tumbling over her shoulder, and he’d just suddenly… requite.

  But she’d missed her chance. Or maybe she’d never had a chance at all. Because all along, a lovely redheaded woman had been living and breathing, and now Gio was looking at her like that. As if he’d only just started to exist when she showed up.

  So really, Aurora had never had a chance. Not for his heart. Because that look on his face? That was the look of Destiny.

  On impulse, Aurora snagged a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and drank the liquid down. Maybe she hadn’t had a chance at his heart, but damn, it sure would have been nice to sleep with him a time or two. Something to remember fondly in the old folk’s home where she would inevitably die alone.

  Not that she was feeling bitter or anything.

&n
bsp; She scanned the people around her. She knew most of them, Gio’s clients, business associates or friends. There they went, smiling and friendly, some of them gazing at her with warm familiarity, but none of them truly knew her. None of them knew that on the inside she was holding her knees and rocking in a corner. Or that she would leave here and climb into bed alone, just as she always did. She hadn’t dated in years. Even flirting with a man had made her feel disloyal to Gio.

  She couldn’t help but chuckle mirthlessly into her champagne at that one.

  She’d been faithful to a man who’d seen her as a sister, a friend, a colleague.

  Faithful to a man who’d touched her but never touched her. She’d made too much of the occasional tap on the shoulder, or hand to help her into a cab, or a few, glorious times, a victory hug when something had gone right for the firm.

  Oh how pathetically she’d burned those moments into her brain.

  Aurora took another gulp of champagne and told herself that she only had to give it twenty more minutes here before she could escape. This was a fundraiser for lung cancer research, and many of their clients had donated generously to the cause. There were heavy hitters in attendance, including Los Angeles billionaires Jamie Whitcomb and Eric Davenport, who’d flown in from Montana and his self-imposed exile specifically for this event. She needed to put on a good face and mingle, even if her heart was breaking.

  She set her empty champagne glass on a side tray and turned to face the music. Unfortunately, she came face-to-face with George Mills Jr., the son of their oldest client. George was one of the slimiest men Aurora had ever had the misfortune to meet, and she’d had to put up with his leering advances for years. Although she’d been quite clear in her disinterest, he’d shown no signs of giving up the pursuit.

  His persistence was rivaled only by one other man’s, a business colleague who’d made his interest in Aurora very clear, as well. Only that man was far from slimy.

  A perpetual, incorrigible suitor.

  Infuriatingly confident.

  Exceedingly handsome.

  Out-of-this-world sexy.

  Yes, Dante Callaghan was all of those things.

  But Aurora hadn’t been interested in the notorious playboy when she’d first met him four years ago. And despite the way he’d managed to steal into her dreams on more than one occasion, she still wasn’t interested. As far as she’d been concerned, Gio had been the man for her. Now she had to accept they weren’t meant to be, but oh how she wished she didn’t have to do it in George Jr.’s company.

  “Refill, Ms. LeMonde?” he asked, shoving a champagne glass in her hands before she even had a chance to answer.

  She took it, but no way in hell was she ever going to drink something George Jr. gave her.

  He leered at her, his eyes barely making it above her neckline. Aurora was tall, and at 5’10” she had a perfect view of the pink half-dollar at the crown of George Jr.’s head.

  Finally, his beady eyes made it up to her face. “You having a good time?”

  What did he expect her to say? It was her company that was throwing the fundraiser, after all.

  “Of course,” she answered smoothly. “It’s a wonderful event. Is your father here? I’d love to see him.”

  It was true. George Sr. was a trusted client. Honest, fair, and genuinely personable. How he’d ever spawned George Jr. was a complete mystery to Aurora. She peered down at the little man with a moment’s worth of speculation.

  He jumped at her momentary attention like a man trying to snatch a salmon out of the river with his bare hands. “He had other plans tonight, unfortunately. Have you given any more thought to my offer?”

  Across the room, the woman at Gio’s side threw her head back and laughed at something he whispered in her ear. Aurora’s stomach tightened. Oh god. She’d never seen Gio whisper in someone’s ear. Christ. Christ on a fucking cracker. Aurora felt herself spin away from time and place for a moment. It had been a good laugh too. Nothing put upon or manufactured about it. As much as she hated to admit it, Aurora was starting to think that in different circumstances she might actually like Gio’s woman. That thought merely made her stomach clench even tighter.

  Aurora tried to focus on George Jr.’s pinched little face. His eyes zipped up from her chest the second he realized she was looking at him again.

  Aurora bit down her irritation. That kind of thing had been happening to her since she was about fifteen years old. In so many ways, men were a simple and predictable species. “I’m sorry, what were you saying, Mr. Mills?”

  Something flared in George Jr.’s eyes when she referred to him so formally and it made Aurora want to puke. She never in a million years wanted to know what thought had put that lecherous look on his face.

  “I was asking if you’d given my offer any more thought. You remember? I talked to you about it when we ran into one another on New Years? My beach house?”

  Oh yes. The beach house. The little twerp had had the nerve to invite her, cold turkey, to a private weekend at his beach house in Malibu. Just the two of them.

  “Funny,” Aurora couldn’t quite bite back the retort. “I thought that was more of a proposition than an offer.”

  George Jr.’s cheeks instantly went bright red. “I merely wanted to—”

  “See if Ms. LeMonde could be enticed by your daddy’s money?”

  The deep voice came from behind her and so did the large, warm hand at the small of her back. Everything in Aurora’s body tightened.

  Great. Just what she needed right now.

  Dante fucking Callaghan. She was so not in the mood for his oxygen sucking presence. Even so, she had to stop herself from instinctively turning around to admire how stunning he was sure to look. His light brown hair was short but somehow always looked a little bit messy and his sharp face was always shadowed and his blue eyes were always lit with an inner fire that made her feel warm when she stared into them too long. Dante wasn’t loud or obnoxious, but he was enormous and commanding. Filling every room with his broad shoulders, all-seeing eyes, and constantly half-amused grin.

  George Jr. sputtered and turned even redder than before. Dante was still standing just behind her, but she could practically feel his barely restrained amusement. She looked at her hands as one of his big paws plucked her untouched champagne away from her and replaced it with a fresh one.

  Finally, he stepped in front of her, and Aurora was immediately swallowed up in the endless night sky of his deep blue eyes. Damn those gorgeous eyes. They just had to be attached to one of the most irritatingly sexy men in history.

  “I was insinuating nothing of the sort, Aurora!” George Jr. insisted, puffing up like a balloon. “If you must know, Callaghan, I was simply—”

  “Do yourself a favor and quit while you’re ahead, Junior,” Dante said, taking a casual sip of his drink and sliding even closer to Aurora.

  Aurora barely stopped herself from choking on the champagne she was swallowing. She’d always known that Dante was irreverent, but George Mills Jr. was the son of one of the most influential men in the city. As one of the best financial analysts in the business, Dante often teamed up with Gio on projects, which was the reason Aurora saw him so often.

  Too often for her comfort.

  George Jr., apparently choosing to retreat, at least for now, stiffly nodded in Aurora’s general direction and turned on his heel.

  Somehow she managed to bite back her smile of gratitude. “Honestly, Dante,” Aurora said, looking at him admonishingly.

  “What?” He raised his hands in an almost childlike gesture. “He was being a dick, so I made him feel like a dick. What’s the harm in that?”

  Aurora rolled her eyes and put a few more inches of space between them. “The harm is that he’s the son of our biggest client.”

  Suddenly feeling as if she couldn’t stand another minute of this—work obligations be damned—Aurora set her glass down and started to walk away.

  “Oh, come on, LeMonde,
you know that Mills isn’t going anywhere, no matter how many times Junior gets his feelings hurt. He swears by you and Gio.”

  “That may be true,” she retorted immediately, the words hot on her tongue and surprisingly easy to let loose. After what felt like a lifetime of repressing the things she wanted to say at the moment she wanted to say them, it was nice to be able to speak to someone with a little spice. “But what’s the point in testing the theory? It’s just like you to act without thinking and then disappear, no cares for the person who’s going to have to clean up your mess!”

  “What mess?” he demanded, getting in front of her and stopping her progress. “What person?”

  Aurora pulled up short and longed to press her hands to her hips. But she knew exactly what that would look like. Two people fighting on the edge of a work party. As such, she folded her hands carefully in front of her and gritted her teeth into what she hoped would look like a polite smile to anyone watching from afar.

  “George Jr.’s bruised little ego is the mess I’m referring to. And I’m going to be the one who has to nurse it back to health next time he comes by the office. All while desperately attempting to avoid his…” Hands? Eyes? Breath? Each option was equally abhorrent so Aurora gave up choosing. “Everything!”

  Dante’s jaw clenched before it relaxed and he sighed. “You’re right,” he said, cupping her elbow as she tried to step around him. “I shouldn’t have butted in like that. I just wanted him to put his damn eyes back in his head where they belong.”

  “That makes two of us,” Aurora conceded. She eyed him suspiciously. Why was he being so nice? So… human. Usually this far into an interaction he would have asked her out twice already. Instead, here he was, actually looking her in the eye and treating her like he understood her problems.