Billionaire's Bride

by Eden Proctor

  Billionaire’s Bride

  Eden Proctor

  Contents

  Copyright

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  Billionaire’s Bride

  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

  Epilogue

  Billionaire’s Bride Copyright © 2016 by Eden Proctor

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This book contains mature content intended for adults only.

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  Billionaire’s Bride

  I’m a fool.

  First, because I’ve been in love with Nathaniel Eaton forever, even though he’s an unrepentant playboy and way out of my league.

  Second, because his grandfather has ordered him to find a wife immediately—and Nathaniel asked me to help him out.

  I said yes.

  It was bad enough wanting him from a distance. How can I survive having him close enough to touch…but never truly mine?

  Chapter 1

  “You can’t be serious?”

  Nathaniel Eaton had been preoccupied, but after his grandfather Gordon’s bombshell announcement, he looked up.

  One glance at the wry and wily brown eyes, ones so similar to his own, and Nate could see his grandfather was exactly that.

  Nate shouldn’t have been surprised. The old man had always meant what he said. Still, this was a shock.

  “I’m incredibly serious, Nathaniel,” his grandfather said. He punctuated the sentence with a pointed stare. “And I won’t change my mind.”

  He never did, but the stern expression on the old man’s face only added to his standard uncompromising stance.

  Nate should have known something was up.

  His grandfather had summoned him the day before, told him to be in his office at nine a.m. sharp. It was an unusual request. Though he and the old man had dinner together at least once a week and saw each other almost every day at the office, they seldom made formal appointments.

  But despite the oddness of the request, Nate had been excited. He’d been angling for more control and responsibility in the business for years now, but Gordon had always closed him out.

  Nate had thought that was changing.

  He’d been wrong.

  “Grandfather,” Nate said, trying to keep his voice steady even though his mind still reeled, “I don’t understand.”

  “Which is exactly why I have no other choice,” his grandfather replied.

  Nate felt a moment of anger that he struggled to swallow back. He hated when Gordon looked at him like that. He could feel the man’s disappointment, and as silly as it was, that disappointment hurt.

  “You don’t have to do anything, Grandfather,” Nate said when he had finally regained control of his temper. The old man did exactly what he wanted to, so Nate didn’t buy his reluctant act.

  “And that’s where you’re wrong. If I wait on you, I’ll be waiting forever. It’s time for you to grow up, Nathaniel.”

  “And this,” Nate broke off and then exhaled before he started again, “ultimatum is your way of making me grow up?”

  The old man had the nerve to smile. “Exactly.”

  “Why now?” Nate asked, though he knew he could predict what his grandfather’s answer would be.

  Almost instantly the old man’s face dropped into a fierce scowl, confirming what Nate suspected. Still, his grandfather felt compelled to continue. “I’ve given you years, Nathaniel. At your age, I thought you would have gotten your youthful indiscretions out of the way.” The old man frowned. “It seems I was mistaken.”

  Nate frowned, knowing his expression mirrored Gordon’s. But his reaction was completely out of bounds.

  So what if Nate enjoyed his single status and wealth? And so what if the media couldn’t get enough of the salacious stories about him? That didn’t matter, and his grandfather should have known that.

  “Grandfather, you can’t—”

  “No,” his grandfather said, shaking his head. “I’ve seen the papers, and so has everyone else. If you don’t respect yourself enough to behave, you should have respected the family name. You don’t, so you forced my hand.”

  Nate frowned deeper, feeling a creeping sense of regret. He thought Gordon was too stiff, and he’d only wanted to have fun and had never intended his social life to come back on his family.

  He looked at his grandfather, considered whether to try to explain, but the words died on his tongue. He could see the old man’s disappointment, feel it acutely.

  “And you think forcing me to get married is going to change all this?” Nate finally asked.

  Getting the words out was hard.

  His mind had barely processed his grandfather’s demand, and saying it out loud gave it a certainty and realness that Nate wasn’t quite ready to handle.

  “That’s where you’re wrong, Nathaniel,” Gordon said.

  “Wrong? What did I miss?” Nate responded.

  “I’m not forcing you to do anything. You’re completely free to disregard everything I’ve said,” his grandfather said.

  Nate shook his head, knew that the old man was just splitting hairs, maybe trying to bait him. “And forfeit my entire inheritance?” Nate asked.

  “You always said the money didn’t matter,” Gordon responded. Some of the disappointment had left his expression, and now he looked at Nate with bright, shrewd eyes.

  “You know it doesn’t, Grandfather,” he replied.

  And it didn’t.

  The money that came with his family’s name was nice, but Nate knew he was capable and could build his own fortune. What mattered to him was the business, the chance to run the company that had been in his family for generations. And with that chance came an opportunity to maybe make his grandfather proud.

  A chance that seemed to be disintegrating right before his eyes.

  Nate stared at his grandfather, doing his best to hide his thoughts. The old man was still at the top of his game, and Nate needed to be at the top of his too. Finally, after a long moment, he spoke. “Maybe I should call your bluff?” he said.

  “How so?” his grandfather asked mildly. Nate knew the moderate response was a ruse. He might look like a kindly old man, but looks could be deceiving.

  “You’re being ridiculous. This entire conversation is ridiculous. What if I just toss my hands up and leave? I’m more than capable of making my own way, you know,” Nate said.

  Gordon paused, and for a moment, he thought he saw some reluctance in his face. But it was gone instantly, if it had ever been there at all. “I know,” his grandfather said, his voice smooth, measured. “And the choice is yours. But if you’re not married by the time you’re thirty-seven, I am writing you out of the will. You’ll get nothing.”

  Nate frowned this time, knowing that arguing with his grandfather was futile but feeling the need to do so anyway. “Grandfather, I’m thirty-six,” he said.

  Thirty-six and eleven-twelfths if he wanted to get technical about it, though he decided now was not
the time to think of his upcoming birthday.

  “I know. Well past time for you to settle down. Now if there’s nothing else, I have a full schedule,” his grandfather said.

  Nate lingered a moment but then stood and left, retreating to his own office on the opposite side of the floor.

  He walked but his mind was cloudy with disbelief.

  Gordon had just given him an ultimatum, but his mind still couldn’t quite process it.

  The whole thing was ridiculous.

  Nate had done a stellar job in the fifteen years he had worked for his grandfather. Not that the old man noticed. He was too focused on the noise to see how much Nate gave to the business.

  Nate worked hard and he played hard. There wasn’t anything wrong with that as far as Nate was concerned, but leave it to his grandfather to throw in unnecessary complications.

  When he reached his office, Nate sat at his desk, for once not giving the skyline view a second glance.

  He was torn. He chafed at the idea of being under anyone’s control, even his grandfather’s, a man he loved and respected. The mere suggestion that he do something he didn’t want to do was enough to make him want to rebel.

  But there were other considerations.

  His grandfather didn’t see it or believe it, but Nate loved the business and he wanted to be a part of it.

  But he wouldn’t get that chance unless he did exactly as Gordon wished. Nate clenched his fists, the tension of the moment needing some physical outlet.

  “Why so down, Nate?”

  He clenched his fists tighter for a moment and then looked up toward the sound of the voice, wondering how he had managed to miss her approach and not sure he was ready for yet another confrontation today.

  He tried to cut himself some slack, but it was tough. His grandfather had definitely dropped a bomb, but Nate hated to be caught off guard, especially by her.

  He watched Mindy Martin as she walked into his office and sat in the chair across from him, seeming completely unconcerned about the fact that she hadn’t knocked.

  She primly crossed one ankle over the other, then folded her hands neatly in her lap. Perfectly professional.

  Nate knew it was a front. He could practically see the gleam in her blue eyes when he looked up to meet them. At least she kept her face free of any expression. Nate couldn’t count the number of times Mindy had given him that knowing grin that told him she wasn’t impressed by his name or his status.

  He waited a moment, hoping she would take the hint and leave, not that he’d ever seen Mindy take a hint, or do anything other than exactly what she wanted. She proved as much now as she sat, her eyes bright with amusement. Nate was in no mood to talk, so he stayed quiet, watched her.

  Today, she’d pulled her dark brown hair back into a severe bun. The only adornment she had was a pair of small pearl earrings, but her face was otherwise bare. She didn’t even wear lip gloss. And as always she was dressed in a plain blouse and black slacks that neither flattered nor hid the curves of her body.

  Nate couldn’t ever remember Mindy dressing up or wearing makeup or doing anything physical to make herself stand out. He could easily imagine someone looking at her and moving on, finding her forgettable at best.

  In truth, he’d probably done the same thing the first time they’d met.

  He didn’t make that mistake anymore.

  However plain or dull she might look on the outside, Nate had spent enough time with her over the years to learn that she had a keen intellect and wicked sense of humor, and he’d been on the wrong side of both more than once.

  In fact, the way she looked at him now, waiting patiently, something he didn’t associate with Mindy at all, had him on alert.

  “Did he tell you about his stupid scheme?” Nate asked, trying, and failing to keep the anger out of his voice.

  Mindy lifted one nicely shaped brow. “I don’t know who he is, or what his stupid scheme is. You just looked so down, I thought I would stop by and ask why,” she said, her voice the familiar, feminine deep that he’d heard lull countless business opponents to complacency right before Mindy struck.

  He snorted, even more suspicious now. “Yeah, that sounds right, Mindy. You see someone suffering and come to gloat,” he said.

  “Not everyone. Just you,” she said in a deadpan voice.

  Despite himself, Nate felt a smile creep across his face. He let it out quickly but then sobered. The moment of levity was no surprise if he stopped to think about it. Mindy usually managed to get a laugh out of him, even when she was needling him as she was now. But he still had a predicament he needed to handle, and sparring with Mindy was a distraction that wouldn’t help.

  “So?” she asked, looking at him impatiently now.

  “So what?” he responded.

  “So what’s your problem? Trying to decide which socialite to take to the holiday party this year?” she said, her voice still even, though he didn’t miss her sarcasm.

  “Ha-ha. I don’t have the time now, Mindy. If you’ll excuse me,” Nate said.

  Mindy laughed, the rich sound filling his office. “Oh this must be bad. You’ve fallen back on manners. Tell me about it. Maybe I can help,” she said. She added a sharp little smile to the end of the words and Nate found himself laughing again.

  “Help? You?” he asked, unable to hide his disbelief.

  She shrugged. “As much as I enjoy seeing you suffer, we have some big projects coming up next month. I need you focused,” she said.

  “My name is the one on the door. Shouldn’t I be giving you this speech?” he asked.

  She shrugged again, unbothered by his reference to what was supposed to be his status. Mindy didn’t care what his name was, and she had no reluctance to tell him so. “Maybe you will one day. But in the meantime…”

  She trailed off, then lasered her blue eyes on him, waiting.

  It was hard to argue with her logic. Mindy wasn’t family, but his grandfather trusted her, and more than once Nate had wondered if the old man didn’t trust her more than he did Nate.

  More importantly, she was right. The company did have a lot going on, and he couldn’t afford to be too distracted, especially by something as silly as this.

  He stared at Mindy’s surprisingly patient expression and considered. He respected her, but she was a rival. Their rivalry was sometimes friendly, but sometimes it wasn’t, and Nate hated the idea of giving her ammunition.

  On the other hand, she was as sharp as they came, and she might have a perspective that he hadn’t considered. He looked at her again and in the next instant decided to risk it.

  “Grandfather’s given me an ultimatum,” he said.

  Mindy said nothing, just waited, and Nate continued. “He says I have to get married by the time I’m thirty-seven or I’m disinherited.”

  As he watched her, he saw a cloud pass through her eyes, saw the downturn of her full lips. His stomach dropped. This was worse than he’d thought. Mindy was a master at hiding her emotions. That she had reacted only told him how serious the situation was.

  “This is bad, right?” he asked, his voice tentative.

  She tilted her head to the side, clearly mulling.

  “Mindy, you’re not helping,” he said.

  It was her turn to smile, albeit reluctantly.

  “Your birthday is in four weeks,” she said.

  “Exactly! That’s exactly why I—” He paused, considered her. “Wait a second. You remember my birthday?”

  Mindy’s eyes widened and for a moment she looked shocked. It made Nate even more suspicious.

  “Did he tell you about this?” Nate asked again, his voice taking on a dangerous edge.

  He wouldn’t put it past his grandfather to recruit Mindy to his cause, and knowing how ambitious she was—and how much she enjoyed getting the upper hand on him—he wouldn’t put it past her to help him.

  She shook her head vehemently, the tight bun at the crown of her head not moving. “I had no idea. I
swear,” she said.

  Nate stared at her a moment but then nodded curtly. Mindy didn’t lie, and as the seconds passed, some of the tightness in his gut relaxed. It was strange, but the thought of Mindy not on his side was upsetting.

  “So how did you know?” he asked a few seconds later.

  “About your birthday?” she replied.

  He nodded.

  “It’s on the company calendar,” she said, shrugging.

  It made sense but something about her reaction gave him pause. The thought was forgotten when that smile again covered her face. She hadn’t lied, but she was deeply amused and at his expense.

  “This is funny to you?” he said.

  “No,” she replied, dropping her smile quickly.

  The smile crept back up, and for a second she tried to fight it before giving in. She let out a laugh, one that was full-throated and hearty.

  “Thanks a lot, Mindy,” Nate said, now regretting having told her.

  She lifted her hands and waved, looking at him sympathetically. “I’m sorry,” she said when she finally got herself back under control. “It’s just…”

  “What?”

  “It seems a little…extreme. I know your grandfather doesn’t exactly agree with some of your choices. But this…” she said.

  “Yeah,” he replied.

  It embarrassed him to know that so many people knew about Gordon’s issues with him. And for some reason, he especially didn’t like the idea of Mindy thinking that he was just mindless playboy.

  “So what do you think?” he asked, anxious to avoid the discomfort of this moment.

  “Hmm,” she murmured, narrowing her eyes.

  “‘Hmm’? Is that your way of telling me I’m screwed?” he asked.

  “No,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m just thinking.”

  She went quiet, looked off at the skyline and Nate could practically see the wheels turning in her mind. He felt comforted. For all of the annoyance that Mindy sometimes caused, he knew that her intellect was unrivaled, and if she was working on the problem, he had at least some hope there might be a solution.