Bargaining for the Billionaire
Page 20
Except the joke had been on her. She’d waited anyway, had worried anyway, and when Tyler hadn’t come home, the bottom had dropped out of her world. His death had left her struggling. To move on. To release the guilt caught in her chest. To live.
All of which only brought a multitude of questions and pain. Three years had passed. They were different. She was different. His death had changed her. His experiences out there had certainly changed him. She’d heard from so many of her clients whose sons and daughters had come home from the war, forever changed. Who knew what he’d gone through over there?
So why the hell would he miss her? Why would he even want her after the way she’d treated him? She wouldn’t.
Drawing strength from the pain threatening to swallow her, she braced her hands against his chest and shoved him away from her. He stumbled back a step, brow furrowing in confusion. Keys clutched in her hand, she pointed the fob in his direction and glared at him. “I don’t know what the hell kind of game you’re playing, Ty, but you made your point, okay? This isn’t funny anymore.”
He opened his mouth, but she hit the key fob and climbed inside her car, slamming the door. She hit the button to start the engine, dropped the shifter into drive, and stomped on the gas pedal. She didn’t breathe or blink or even dare to look back until he’d become little more than a fading speck behind her.
Acknowledgments
No book gets written without a lot of support, and I have to take a moment to thank a few people. First, I have to thank my editor, Jessie, for seeing the story within the story, and helping shape this book into something that wowed me at the end.
Also to my critique partners, Sharon Struth and Skye Jones, for their friendship and support. I’d go crazy without you guys.
And I can’t forget my agent, Dawn Dowdle, for everything that makes her who she is.
About the Author
J.M. Stewart is a coffee and chocolate addict who lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, two sons, and two very spoiled dogs. She’s a hopeless romantic who believes everybody should have their happily ever after and has been devouring romance novels for as long as she can remember. Writing them has become her obsession.
Learn more at:
AuthorJMStewart.com
Facebook.com/AuthorJMStewart
Twitter: @JMStewartWriter
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Online, any fantasy is possible. But when virtual lovers decide to meet in real life, the temperature rises—and so do the stakes.
Safety. Anonymity. Invisibility. Those are just a few advantages of Internet “dating.” Even better, as far as Hannah Miller is concerned, is the fact that she can shed all inhibitions without worrying about what he thinks of her figure or her face. “He” is bikerboy357, the man who knows what Hannah likes, and wants her—every night—as much as she wants him. When he asks to meet, Hannah hesitates. But the temptation is too strong. And after one look into his sultry green eyes, there’s no turning back.
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When it comes to love, this billionaire is all business…
Software mogul Christina McKenzie has loved billionaire Sebastian Blake since they were kids. So when Seattle’s most famous bachelor—and perennial playboy—finally asks Christina out, her fantasies kick into overdrive. Things become hot and heavy…but what’s she supposed to do when she starts to fall for him? Sebastian’s never been one to settle down, and Christina knows she’s just another notch in his bedpost.
Sebastian knows that smart, kind Christina deserves better than him. But after the mind-blowing night they just shared, he’s ready to turn a sexy fling into the real deal. Keeping his freedom is one thing, yet keeping Christina in his bed—and in his life—is all Sebastian can think about…
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Contents
Cover
Title Page
Welcome
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Five
Chapter Four
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
A Preview of Seattle Bachelors #4
Acknowledgments
About the Author
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Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2016 by JM Stewart
Excerpt from Seattle Bachelors Book Four © 2016 by JM Stewart
Cover design by Elizabeth Turner
Cover image © Colin Anderson/GettyImages
Cover copyright © 2016 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.
Hachette Book Group supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.
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ISBN 978-1-4555-9224-1 (ebook edition)
ISBN 978-1-4555-9225-8 (print on demand edition)
E3-20160812-DA-NF