69 Million Things I Hate About You (Winning the Billionaire)

by Kira Archer

  He kissed the other hand. “I know.” He tugged gently, and she melted against him.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you knew about the pool?”

  His shoulders shrugged beneath her cheek. “Where’s the fun in that? Why didn’t you tell me about winning the lotto?”

  “Where’s the fun in that?” she echoed him with a grin. “Besides, I think I just won something even better.”

  “Better than the lotto?” he asked, eyebrows raised. “Well, I don’t know if I can live up to that, but I can promise I’ll spend the rest of my life trying.”

  She cupped his cheek. “As long as I no longer have to work for you. Pick out your clothes. Make your three-in-the-morning paperwork runs. Grocery shop for you. Lay out your damn underwear…I’m sure we’ll get along just fine.”

  “You know I did all that just to mess with you in the beginning. At least the underwear part. But you just did it so well, I had to keep it going.”

  She gasped and slapped at his shoulder, and he laughed, wrapping his arms around her until she melted into him.

  He swallowed hard, his jaw clenching briefly. “I really don’t deserve you,” he said, his voice husky with an emotion that made her eyes swim with tears. He pulled her in for another kiss and then stopped, leaning back to meet her gaze. “Just…next time I do something to piss you off, and we both know that’s going to happen, talk to me about it first. I’m not sure I can survive another month-long spree of creative revenge.”

  Kiersten laughed and wrapped her arms around him. “Deal.”

  He wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her off her feet and holding her close as he spun them around. When he set her down, he kissed her like he was drowning and she was his last breath of air. She loved every second. And so did everyone else.

  The room thundered with whistles and cheers as she went back for more. She never would have predicted that winning the lotto would lead to her winning the love of her life. But she’d bet on them any day of the week.

  Epilogue

  Cole watched Kiersten working for a moment before stepping back into the office, two steaming cups in his hands. She picked up her empty tea mug and frowned down into its empty depths. Before she could get up, he set her refill on her desk.

  “It was my turn to get the refills,” she said.

  He shrugged and pulled her up, switching places with her so he could pull her down to his lap and nestle her against him. “I was up anyway.”

  “I think I’ll be getting up soon myself. About time for another bathroom run.”

  He grinned and cupped his hand around her growing belly. His daughter delivered a powerful kick, and he laughed. “She’s getting strong.”

  Kiersten’s hands joined his on her belly. “Yes, she is.”

  Brooks poked his head in, pausing to lean against the doorframe while he watched them. “Is he really more comfortable than your new cushy chair?” he asked, going over to slump into the chair that Cole had vacated.

  Kiersten grinned at him from behind her desk. “Yes, he is,” she said, snuggling down.

  Cole smiled and wrapped his arms tighter around his wife. A word that still thrilled him even though they’d celebrated their second anniversary a few weeks before. He still had a hard time believing this was his life now. Kiersten, their new partner at the firm. Working beside him every day. Sleeping beside him every night. And now they were about to bring a new little life into the world. A circumstance that hadn’t been planned but, after he’d gotten used to the idea, he was very much looking forward to. The crippling fear that he’d completely screw the poor child up was still one he wrestled with, but with Kiersten as her mother, surely he wouldn’t be allowed to screw up too badly.

  The belly beneath his hand suddenly tightened, and Kiersten hunched around it with a gasp.

  Fear shot through him. “Was that a contraction?”

  She didn’t respond for a few seconds, finally relaxing against him and releasing her breath. “Wow. I think so.” She turned to him, excitement blazing in her eyes.

  Brooks shot to his feet. “She’s in labor? Do we need to go to the hospital? Should I call a car? What do you need me to do?”

  Kiersten and Cole both stared at him. Cole grinned. “I think we have a little time.”

  Another contraction turned Kiersten’s belly into a rock-hard ball, and she gripped the back of his shirt and tried to breathe through it. “Yikes. That one hurt.”

  Cole tried to keep his voice level and calm, though adrenaline was now rushing through him hard enough to make his head spin. “Wasn’t that kind of fast for another one to hit?”

  “I’m not sure. The others were further apart, but…”

  “Others? What others?”

  She looked up at him, though he could tell her attention wasn’t really on him but focused on what was happening with her body. She rubbed her belly and shifted on his lap, probably trying to ease the discomfort.

  “I’ve been having a few little ones here and there since early this morning.”

  “What?” Cole said, shooting out of her chair, though he had the presence of mind to make sure his wife didn’t end up on the floor as a result. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  She shrugged. “They weren’t very strong or consistent. I thought they were just Braxton Hicks or something.”

  “You should have said something,” he said, settling her back into the chair.

  He marched over to their assistant’s office, Kiersten’s old office, and started issuing orders. They’d had a plan in place for months now for this exact moment. Now that it was here, he hoped everything ran smoothly.

  “I knew we had time. It’s our first baby. My mom was in labor for thirty-six hours with me. If I’d said something, you’d have made me stay home or go to the hospital or something. And…” She paused while another one hit her. Cole exchanged a panicked look with Brooks.

  Kiersten released her breath slowly. “And you haven’t picked out a delivery present yet.”

  He wrapped an arm around her, lending his support in case she needed it. “Delivery present?”

  She rolled her eyes. “You still haven’t read the prenup, have you?”

  “I don’t need to. I already agreed to anything you wanted.”

  “Yeah, well, you might want to take a look at the specifics,” Brooks said. “She’s been adding to it again.”

  Cole chuckled. “You already get a million dollars every time I forget an anniversary, a hundred thousand for every date night I’m late for, and was it five or ten thousand every time I leave my socks on the floor?”

  She panted through another contraction. “It was five. I upped it to ten after the Gym Socks Incident.”

  “Ah, yes. They were exceptionally ripe.” He glanced up at Brooks, trying to keep his voice level despite the volcano of panic that was reaching the breaking point inside. “ETA on a car?”

  “Calling now,” Brooks said, eyeing Kiersten like she was an overblown balloon getting ready to explode.

  “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” Cole muttered.

  “We have too much to do for me to be sitting at home on my butt,” she said.

  Kiersten had been working on the expansion for Piper’s House. The next three locations were set to open within the month, and there was a huge fund-raiser planned for the following week. She had everything planned down to the last detail so everything would run smoothly no matter when the baby decided to make her appearance. But still, there had been last-minute details that she didn’t trust anyone but herself to take care of. And now she was sitting in his office ready to give birth to his daughter on his desk.

  “I’m going to grab your bag. Keep everything”—he waved at the general direction of his daughter’s exit point—“inside.”

  She snorted. “Working on it.”

  He ducked into the restroom in the office and grabbed the baby bag out of the closet. They had them stashed in several strategic locations throughout the b
uilding and their house. He wasn’t leaving anything to chance. He nodded at Brooks, who was on the phone ordering the car to be brought to the door.

  Kiersten was on the phone with the caterer, confirming the menu and delivery times. Cole stared at her, not sure whether to laugh or chew her out. He finally settled for plucking the phone out of her hand.

  “She’ll have her assistant call you back,” he said before disconnecting the call.

  Kiersten glared at him. “I had time for one more… Oooh…” She moaned and blew her breath in and out. “Call.”

  “Come on, Krispy. Time to go meet our daughter.”

  He helped her out of the chair and wrapped an arm around her. Brooks took up position on the other side, offering his arm to lean on and hand to grip. They made their way slowly out of the office.

  “Congratulations!” people called out to them as they passed.

  He nodded his thanks to everyone. Then someone called, “Let us know when she’s born! We’ve got a pool going.”

  Cole and Kiersten looked at each other and burst out laughing. Kiersten’s laugh broke off in a groan, and the men hurried her into the elevator. Brooks punched the Lobby button while Cole rubbed Kiersten’s back, trying to ease her pain. The contractions were coming much faster than he’d expected. At this point, he just hoped they made it to the hospital before the baby made her appearance.

  They hurried as fast as they could through the lobby and out to the waiting car. Brooks got them inside and poked his head in. “I’ll finish things up here. Don’t worry about anything. And let me know when my goddaughter is here so I can come visit.” He leaned in far enough to kiss Kiersten on her forehead. Then he waved to Cole and backed away so the car could leave.

  “Ready?” Cole asked.

  Kiersten looked up at him, eyes creased with pain but still burning with excitement. “So ready. Though, just so you know, I’m holding out until tomorrow if at all possible.”

  “Why?”

  “That’s the date I picked for the baby pool.”

  Cole grinned. “Well, I picked today, so I hope you don’t mind that I’ll be encouraging a quick delivery.”­­­

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  Acknowledgments

  As always, my deepest thanks to my dream team at Entangled. I thank my lucky stars every day that I get to be a part of this company. Special thanks to Liz Pelletier for the amazing opportunities she keeps sending my way, and to my editorial director Heidi Shoham and my amazing editor, Alethea Spiridon, for loving my crazy idea and helping turn it into one of my favorite books. Thank you so much for everything! Without you I’d be a stressed-out mess chain eating chocolate bars and sobbing over my laptop. Many massive thanks also to Riki Cleveland. Thank you so much for everything you do to get my books out in the world!

  To my sweet husband, whose lotto-ticket retirement plan helped inspire this book—I know both the house and I am a mess most days, but the fact that you continue to love me through it all and do what you can to ease my load makes me smile even on the worst days. Trying to do this without you would be unimaginable. And I’d probably never see the sun. Both I and my vitamin D deficiency thank you.

  To my amazing kids, thank you for helping around the house and for never posting videos of me snoring on the couch, no matter how many opportunities I give you. I promise to keep providing pizza and cereal on the days Dad can’t cook. I love you to the ends of the galaxy and back, and I’m going to keep smothering you with the Mama Love for as long as you’ll let me. Also, thank you for continuing to let me. To my sweet family—thank you for being my biggest cheerleaders. I can’t tell you what it means to know I always have you in my corner. I love you all!

  To Toni, who doesn’t forget I’m alive no matter how long I disappear and who is always there with encouraging words no matter how crazy I get. Few friends stick around through all the craziness that this business brings. I’m forever grateful you are one of them. And to Sarah Ballance, my writing creepy twin—despite your threats of snakes and spiders, my days are always better when you’re in them. And I continue to be amazed by how eerily similar we are. And find it hilarious that the few things we deviate on we are exact polar opposites. There seems to be no middle ground. Thank you for matching my crazy. It’s good to have the company.

  About the Author

  Kira Archer resides in Pennsylvania with her husband, two kiddos, and far too many animals in the house. She tends to laugh at inappropriate moments and break all the rules she gives her kids (but only when they aren’t looking), and would rather be reading a book than doing almost anything else. She has odd, eclectic tastes in just about everything and often lets her imagination run away with her. She loves her romances a little playful, a lot sexy, and always with a happily ever after.

  Also by Kira Archer…

  Pretending with the Greek Billionaire

  Driving Her Crazy

  Kissing Her Crazy

  Loving Her Crazy

  Truly, Madly, Sweetly

  Totally, Sweetly, Irrevocably

  Sweetly, Deeply, Absolutely

  Find love in unexpected places with these satisfying Indulgence reads…

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  Suspicious Ways

  a novel by Lexxie Couper

  Jackson once let desire override his better judgement with Ali, a young woman he knew was off-limits. Now Ali’s in trouble, and he has no choice but to step back into her life, no matter how unwelcome he is. Ali’s mother’s mounting medical bills mean Ali’s in danger of losing the family business. As much as she still craves Jackson’s touch, she tries to keep him at arm’s length and deny she needs help. But how far is she willing to go to avoid risking her heart again?

 

 

 
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