Billionaire Bachelor: Alex (Diamond Bridal Agency Book 8)
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Billionaire Bachelor: Alex
Melissa Stevens
Contents
Books by Melissa Stevens
Special Thanks
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
Books by Melissa Stevens
About the Author
2018 by Melissa Stevens
Cover by Sweet ‘n Spicy Designs
Editing by Elizabeth A. Lance
All rights reserved.
Created with Vellum
Books by Melissa Stevens
Kitsune Series:
Change
Fight
Hunt
Live
The Kitsune Collection
(with Change, Fight, Hunt and Live in one volume)
WMC Series:
Escape
Jade's Peace
Risking Alex
Demented Souls:
Ruger
City of Sin:
Released by Desire
Redeemed by Desire
Revealed by Desire
The Dragon Chronicles
(with Released by Desire, Redeemed by Desire and Revealed by Desire)
Diamond Bridal Agency:
Justin
Sean
Alex
Novels:
Robin’s Nest
Choosing Happiness
Special Thanks
To one of my bestest friends ever, for inviting me to write in her world, the Billionaire Bachelors have been so much fun, thanks to Lily LaVae.
Chapter 1
Dear Mr. Fortenberry,
After careful consideration of your requests and needs, the Diamond Bridal Agency is pleased to inform you that a bride has been located who matches your special requirements. All communications have been kept private, as is our policy. Communications from the agency will cease after this missive and we request, for the security of our other clients, that you destroy this message after reading it.
Your satisfaction is guaranteed. To comply with your request for haste and privacy, your bride will arrive on the 5th day of August, via private jet to the private landing strip on your ranch. Please do not hesitate to contact me should there be any issue with your bride. Her name is Janine Hamilton and she understands the stipulations of the contract as you set forth.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Alveda Creed, Diamond Bridal Agency.
Alex stared at the letter in his hand and growled. He wondered how they’d managed to find someone willing to live out here, in the middle of nowhere Wyoming with little to no social interaction so quickly. He also wished he didn’t feel forced into something like this, but his brother’s threats still rang in his ears. If he didn’t get out more, start meeting people and even dating, then Dave would start fixing him up with blind dates. And going along to make sure Alex didn’t back out. Alex hated anything that made him go out and be seen, Dave knew that. But that hadn’t stopped him. His brother had made enough threats, and serious ones, that Alex had found a way around him. He’d done enough hacking around on the internet that he’d heard about the elite bridal agency, despite their attempts at secrecy, so once he made the decision, he’d contacted them. Not that they had an Internet presence. That had intrigued him. For a company that charged as much as they did, they were surprisingly difficult to find anything out about. Even for him.
He knew firsthand about the security, or lack thereof, of anything on the web, and when he’d discovered they didn’t do business electronically, even via email, he’d been intrigued. He was willing to put up with a stranger in his house, hell the house was big enough they’d never have to see each other if that’s what they wanted. He almost never saw most of the staff because they knew that’s what he wanted. But the one thing he couldn’t do was have his brother find out how he’d met his new wife. If Dave found out he’d gotten a mail-order-bride, he would never let Alex have any peace. And that’s all Alex wanted, to be left alone.
Dave swore Alex needed to interact with others more, that one day Dave was going to show up and find Alex had done himself in weeks earlier and no one had noticed because Alex didn’t let anyone in to see him. Alex knew better. While he chose not to see most of them often, he had a full staff. Mrs. Barrett would notice if she didn’t hear from him every couple days and he had people he spoke to almost daily. Some online, some over the phone, even a couple in person, like Mike, his ranch manager. Alex had no doubt that someone would notice if he disappeared. It was part of why he hadn’t done it a few years ago. Instead he’d buried himself in his work. Then he’d lived in a small apartment on the outskirts of Cheyenne, only answering the door for delivery people while wearing a hoodie that kept people from seeing his face.
He’d gotten a little better since then. But not by much. He didn’t cover himself like he used to, but he still didn’t like to be seen. He stood, pushing the wheeled chair away from the desk facing the bank of computer screens that nearly covered a wall. Most of the time this room was his sanctuary, but at the moment it made him claustrophobic. Needing more space, he got up, stalked out the door and down the short walk way to the living room. He stood in front of one of two huge windows staring out at the mountains that were closer than they looked. He’d been there, he knew. Damn these four walls, even as big as this place was, felt like they were closing in on him. Time to get out. At least for a while.
Chapter 2
Janine clutched the armrests on the airplane seat as the tiny plane touched the ground and took her first deep breath in three hours. Not that she’d been counting. She’d been too nervous to even let go of the seat. This was only her second time in an airplane and the first time in one this tiny. She hoped she’d never have to do it again.
The plane slowed to a stop then the door on the side opened and she knew it was time to get up. It took her a moment, but she took a deep breath, picked up her handbag and stood. She wasn’t sure what kind of life she was walking into, but she was pretty sure it had to be better than the one she’d left behind. Besides. Mrs. Creed had promised her that her new husband wouldn’t abuse her. Though Janine did wonder at some of the stipulations of the contract. No parties, no guests, no travel. Janie was more than okay with them, she’d been fearing having to dress perfectly and be a society hostess when she’d signed on with the agency, but somehow, they seemed to have found something that fit her inclinations. She was happy to have a safe home and be a homebody. Nothing more needed. Mrs. Creed had personally promised her that she’d had this man thoroughly checked out. He was nothing like what she’d left behind.
She stepped off the plane and squinted as she looked around, wishing she had a pair of sunglasses, then shook her head. There was nothing around. The plane had landed on a long stretch of bare ground surrounded by grass and…nothing.
Her shoulders fell and she wondered if her groom had changed his mind. She should have known the offer had been too good to be true. She was about to turn and climb the stairs in to the dreaded tiny aircraft when the pilot appeared at the door.
“Ms. Hamilton?” He frowned. “Is something wrong?”
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br /> “There’s no one here. It appears I’ve been forgotten.” She scanned the edge of the narrow dirt airfield again. Sure enough, no one had shown up in the last two minutes.
“There’s a pickup on the other side of the jet.”
“Oh. Thank you.” Now she felt like a total idiot.
“Give me just a moment and I’ll have your bag.”
“Thank you.” She waited while the man who had flown the craft she hated unloaded her bag then, dragging her bag behind her, she walked around the small jet. Sure enough, there it was. A pickup. It wasn’t quite what she’d been expecting, given the level of luxury she’d lived in in Dallas, and the plane she’d just climbed off from, but it looked much more like what she’d grown up with. Though it too was years newer than what her mother had driven. With a deep breath, she steeled herself to meet the man she was to marry and dragged her suitcase as she closed the distance.
It wasn’t until she was fifteen feet from the truck she realized it was strange that no one had gotten out to meet her. She was close enough to touch the bumper when the driver’s door opened and a man wearing hoodie got out. The hood was pulled over his face and his head lowered so she couldn't’ tell anything about him, not even his age.
“Janine Hamilton?” The voice was low and honeyed as he asked her name.
“Yes.”
“Is that your only bag?”
“For now. They said they’d ship the rest.”
“Fine. Less to ship back if you decide you can’t stay.”
“Why would I do that?” She frowned, wondering why he wouldn’t look at her.
“Can you live looking at this every day?” He lifted his head and flipped back the hood revealing his face.
The first thing she noticed were his bright blue eyes. There was something sad in them that spoke to her. It took her several seconds to realize he wasn’t talking about that though. The right side of his face was mottled with healed scars. It looked like he’d been cut in several places, and perhaps had lost chunks in some places.
I wonder how much easier it is to have your scars on the outside where everyone can see you’re damaged?
She wondered how much pain he’d gone through. How much it had hurt when he’d been injured and how long it had taken to heal. Janie knew she needed to say something. Or he was going to send her back. What would happen if she were rejected before they’d even said hello? She didn’t want to find out.
“All I see is someone strong enough to survive.” Survival was something she understood. It was what she’d done for years. Now, she was learning to live, to enjoy things but still, some days it was just about survival. She didn’t want to look too long, because it would seem like she was staring, and she knew how that felt. At the same time, she couldn’t look away too soon or he would think she couldn’t take it and would send her away. She stood there, waiting, one hand still wrapped around her suitcase handle as she wondered how long this would go on.
“All right,” he said after what seemed like hours. “Give me that.” He stepped forward and reached for the bag and she caught sight of the back of his right hand. It was just a glimpse, but enough to know that his face wasn’t all that was scarred. “Get in and we’ll get this done.” He took her bag and she did as he instructed, walked around to the far side of the truck, climbing into the passenger’s side as he loaded her suitcase into the bed. She couldn’t help but be glad he took care of it because it was heavy enough she could pull it okay but lifting it was almost impossible.
She settled into the seat, buckled her seatbelt and folded her hands in her lap. Looking at the interior of the truck she realized it was nicer than she’d thought from the outside. The man who she was to marry climbed up in the seat and turned the key without even looking at her. She was okay with that. She knew her appearance was merely average.
“Let’s get this over with, shall we?” He glanced in her direction for a split second before the truck lurched into motion.
He seemed to not want to do this, but if that was true, then why did he send for her? Why had he contracted with a company to find him a wife?
Chapter 3
Alex sat in the truck beside the airstrip waiting for the damned plane to land, telling himself over and over that it didn’t matter what she looked like. This would be a marriage in name only and would only last until he could satisfy his brother that he wasn’t lonely or unhappy. After that they would quietly divorce. He would settle her with enough money to keep her from having to do this again. What kind of woman was desperate enough to agree to marry a total stranger anyway?
He’d been having second, and third, and fourth thoughts since he got the letter. Maybe he shouldn’t have done this. Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe he’d been too hasty. Alex shook his head. It didn’t matter now. She was almost here. The only option left was to try to scare her away. Giving her a good look at his face ought to do that.
Finally, the plane landed and it seemed like an eternity before a slender brunette dragging a wheeled suitcase walked around the tail of the aircraft. Damn. This had definitely been a mistake. She was still too far away for him to be able to make out her features, but the jeans she wore hugged her body and the breeze pushed the light, gauzy shirt against her breasts and even just that made his jean feel too tight. She was slender but full of curves. The way her hips moved as she walked made his dick harden in an instant. Dreading her reaction when she saw his face he pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head. Damn. He’d really screwed the pooch this time. She was almost to the truck when he realized it was do or die time and opened the door.
“Janine Hamilton?” He had to be sure this was the woman they’d intended for him to marry. He didn’t want to go through the shock and pain of revealing his face more than once. She said she was and they discussed her baggage for a moment. It was time. He had to do it.
“Can you live looking at this every day?” Alex steeled himself for the look of horror he knew was coming as he flipped back his hood letting her see the scars that covered the right side of his face. The remnants of the wounds that had nearly taken his eye and had taken almost everything, including his fiancée, and some days, his will to live. But he’d come back, he’d survived, and he was doing just fine, as long as people left him alone.
Alex was shocked when neither horror nor pity crossed her face. Instead he saw something that looked oddly like interest. Damn. Maybe there was more to her than he’d given her credit for.
“All I see is someone strong enough to survive.” She didn’t look away for several long moments and when she did, it still didn’t seem like pity or fear. Hm. The only person who looked at him like that was Mrs. Barrett. But she was almost sixty and married to a Vietnam vet who had lost an arm. She was used to battle scars. Even Dave couldn’t keep the pity out of his eyes when he looked at Alex. Alex hated it and it never got any easier. If Janine didn’t cringe every time she saw him, maybe this could work. Maybe they could fool his brother.
He loaded her one bag and got in.
“Let’s get this over with, shall we?” He put the truck in gear and pointed the truck down the dirt trail that led back to the house.
“Over with?” she said after a moment. “Do you not want to do this?” Her voice shook slightly, almost as if she was afraid. He glanced over and found her sitting with her hands folded in her lap, but no outward signs of fear or anything else.
“Want to? No. But I need to.”
“I can be the wife you need. I can cook and clean, take care of children so you’re not bothered. Whatever you need, I can do it.”
“You seem awfully sure.” He glanced over at her.
“I was trained to be a good wife.” She looked away, facing the far window. “It’s about all I know how to do.”
“And what if what I require is complete obedience. I say kneel, you fall to your knees. I say jump you ask how high? What if I want to tie you down and whip you until you scream?”
“I can do that.�
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He stomped on the break. The truck skidded to a stop kicking up clouds of dust around them.
“What the fuck did you just say?”
She flinched as the curse word tumbled unhindered from his lips.
“I said I can do that.”
“Just where the fuck do you come from that you don’t even blink at the idea of me whipping you until you scream, but you flinch at a word?”
“Let’s just say I had an odd childhood.” Her gaze fell to her lap. She was hiding something, and he was curious to know what. “One where profanity was strictly forbidden, but men were expected to ensure the proper behavior of their wives.” Her gaze lifted, pain filled eyes met his. “I’ve been beaten more times than I can count. If you want to do it, I’m sure I can take it. Though, I hope to learn your rules quickly, so I don’t have to endure it too frequently.”
“Frequently?” Alex clenched his jaw. The idea that someone had whipped the woman beside him, the beautiful being who was willing to do whatever he wanted, made him so angry he wanted to hit something, but he didn’t let her see that. He didn’t want her to think it was aimed at her or that he would take it out on her. He might be an asshole, but he’d never hit a woman and he wasn’t planning to start now. Though he might make an exception for the woman who’d taught Janine that it was right. Just the idea left a sour taste in his mouth.