Accidentally Married to the Billionaire (Whirlwind Romance Series) (6 page)

“But it was your twin?” Kira had
heard of the whole evil twin story before but this one took the cake.

“You see, my biological brother
recently found out about me. He’s doing pretty good for himself where business
is concerned. But he’d been…should I say naughty. He was fooling around on his
wife. He had a one-night stand with Bianca while vacationing in the Caribbean.”

“And, of course, he couldn’t tell
her his real name.”

“No. So, he gave her my name.
Figuring they’d never see each other again.”

“But Bianca saw the real you in
press reports and figured it was you and that’s when she filed the suit when
she got pregnant and given birth.”

“Exactly.”

“Oh, Alessandro. That’s terrible.
I’m so…I don’t know what to say. What are you going to do about it?”

“Alessandro took a swig of his
drink then placed the glass down on the coffee table.”

“I decided to contact Marcus, my
brother. He knows I could have him arrested for impersonation but I decided I
didn’t want any more scandals. We’ve sorted it out. Bianca knows the truth now
and has decided to keep it under wraps. She’ll receive a generous payout from
Marcus. He’s doing pretty good in the software industry.”

“I see. Alessandro, I’m sorry I
didn’t believe you at first. You have every right to be mad at me…”

He held up his hand to silence
her. Then he gently pulled her close to him. “I told you, I don’t want to focus
on the past but the future. I just didn’t want you to walk out of my life again
when the press starts hounding you after tomorrow.”

She grinned sheepishly. “Now
what?”

“About our arrangement? I want to
annul our marriage.”

“What?” Kira pulled back from his
embrace and looked aghast.

“My dear, I want to undo what we
did in Vegas and do it the right way. You deserve much more than a quickie
wedding through a drive-through chapel. I’ve never felt this way about any
woman before, Kira Watson. I’ve fallen in love with you and I can’t undo that.
I don’t want to undo that. Since you don’t remember the first time I proposed.
I’m asking you again. Will you marry me?”

Kira held back her head and
laughed. Of course, he would want to do this right. She didn’t remember the
first proposal. What would they tell their grandchildren? That she didn’t
remember marrying their grandpa?

“Yes. I will marry you, again, Mr.
Romano.”

“How about calling me
Alessandro.”

“How about I call you, the love
of my life.”

A smile touched the corner of his
lips as he leaned down to kiss her with the same erotic passion he had in
Vegas. “And
you
will always be the love of my life.”

THE END

Read on for an excerpt of the
next book in the Whirlwind Romance Series,
Accidentally Falling for the
Tycoon (Coming soon)

ACCIDENTALLY
FALLING FOR THE TYCOON

You
just never know when or where true love can strike.

Heartbroken
Jen Anne Somers wasn’t looking for Mr. Right—but he turned up in her flower
shop, buying roses—for another woman. He’s hot but she quickly dismisses him.
It seems as if all the good men are taken.

Blake
Harrington was quite content being single and free until his eyes captured
beautiful down-to-earth Jen, the new store clerk at The Special Gift Flower
Shop. He wants to make his move but he’d rather not say who the flowers are
for—that would ruin his little secret. Can true love blossom in the most
unexpected places?

Chapter 1

“Every cloud has a silver
lining”—Proverb

Jen Anne Somers finished placing
flowers on the display shelf of The Special Gift Flower Shop near the beach.
Though she loved her new job, it wasn’t exactly her chosen field, however, she
was grateful to find employment in the tough economy. She didn’t know how she
would come up with the full rent this month, but she was going to take it one
day at a time—or one worry at a time. After her ex walked out of her
life…things got pretty rough. She was going to make a new beginning.

            “So glad you could
help out, Jen,” Mr. Myers, the store owner said as he hobbled from the back,
carrying boxes of ornaments.

            “Oh, no worries, Mr.
Myers. It’s my pleasure.” Jen took the boxes from him and placed them on the
counter.

            Being in The Special
Gift flower shop was a blessing—the silver lining in her dark clouds of recent
disappointments. Jen had just been through a horrible break-up with her ex.
Taking a break from men and finding herself was the best gift she could give to
herself right now—time. Not just any time, but “me” time. She had lost her job
in the same week, she figured this was probably time to really stop and smell
the roses, so to speak. What better way to get out of a slump than to be
surrounded by beauty and earthly pretty scents. For the first time in her life
she could finally relax on the job and not have to worry about filling quotas
or dealing with office politics or working ungodly overtime hours. Maybe this
was what she needed. She felt like a person for once, not a work machine. Maybe
it was time for a career change to something less stressful.

            Just then, the door
chime sounded and when Jen looked up to see who her first customer would be,
her heart stopped.

            The tall, handsome
stranger that walked through the doors of the gift shop caught her off guard.
She’d seen good-looking men before, but he was—stunning!

           
Stop gaping at
him, fool! Concentrate.

            The very way he stood
looking at the display shelf, his hands shoved in the pockets of his tailored
pants, oozed confidence. As he scrutinized the floral arrangement on the shelf,
Jen checked him out surreptitiously. When he took his hand out of his pocket
she noted there was no ring on his ring finger. Okay. But he didn’t give off
the unattached vibe. A guy like that
must
be taken. Certainly can’t be
footloose or fiancé free.

           
Jen, focus.

           
What was with her all of a
sudden? This wasn’t like her. It was just that she’d never met anyone like him
before. Not that she had much experience in her thirty years. She’d spent most
of it as a wall flower. Her ex was the closest she’d come to a real relationship.

            “Hi, um…can I help
you?” Jen’s timid voice slid out through her throat.

            “Uh, yeah. I’m
looking for a special…” Mr. Handsome paused when their eyes locked for a
moment. An awkward moment.

            “Gift?” she finished
for him.

            He seemed a bit
distracted for a moment. Did she have something on her face? Jen began to feel
self-conscious to the max. She stole a discreet glance at the mirror by the
display case to make sure.

            He ran his fingers
through his mane and continued.

            “Uh, yes. The most
beautiful floral arrangement you have. Money is no object.”

            “Oh, um…well sure.”

            Jen tried desperately
to calm the butterflies that let loose in her stomach. “Well, let’s see,” she
said as she led him over to the special occasion section. “What’s the special
occasion?”

            She couldn’t help but
catch the sweet scent of his aftershave. He smelled delicious.
Stop it, Jen.
He’s a customer, remember? It’s the Special Gift Flower Shop—not the Special
Gift Flirting Shop.

           
“Well,” he hesitated for a
moment. ‘I’m actually buying for someone special.”

            “Oh?” How sweet, she
thought. For his mom, probably.

            “Yes, her name is
Rose,” he continued.

            Jen felt her stomach
tumble to the floor.

            “Oh?” She caught her
tone quickly and tried to perk up again. Why on earth did she think there was a
spark? She really needed to focus. Was she that desperate to feel desired again
after rejection from her ex?

            As Jen
surreptitiously observed Mr. Handsome’s physique and mannerisms, she couldn’t
help but think to herself, Rose was one lucky woman! She wished she had a man
buying her the most expensive bouquet of flowers today. She smiled and
sheepishly led him over to the exotic display case where there were the most
beautiful floral arrangements in the store.

To read more, visit
www.Amazon.com

THE BRIDE SERIES

An Unexpected Bride – Book 1
Emma
Wiggins is about to marry her heart-stopping gorgeous boss, CEO Evan Fletcher,
in seven days—too bad he doesn’t know it yet! Desperate to fulfill her ailing
grandfather’s last wish to see her settle down, she tells him a little white
lie on his deathbed about being engaged to her secret crush—commitment-phobic
Evan
.
Can love blossom in the most
unlikely situation?

The Jilted Bride – Book 2
Jody
Anders’ adoptive grandparents surprised her with a short one-day visit from New
York and they can’t wait to meet Gregory, her wonderful new husband with whom
she eloped. Trouble is, she forgot to mention that he jilted her at the altar
and is no longer in the picture. Will her gorgeous neighbour, Jake help her out?

The Matchmaker Bride – Book 3
What
happens when a lonely matchmaker unexpectedly falls in love with a forbidden
client— a gorgeous, high-flying CEO with a secret past? Read the story of
Sophie Wilson and Carlos Bradley III.

His Island Bride – Book 4
Jessica
Mills wasn’t looking for love, but love found her...while vacationing on the
sunny island of Jamaica. Undercover billionaire, James Carrington thought he
was through with serious relationships…that was until he met darling Jessica.

Coming
soon…

For
more in THE BRIDE SERIES click
HERE
!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bestselling author Shadonna
Richards has a B.A. Degree in Psychology and a Diploma in Nursing. She enjoys
reading and writing about the magic of romance and the power of love. She is
the author of the non-fiction books,
A Gift of Hope
and
Think &
Be Happy: 365 Empowering Thoughts to Lift Your Spirit
(an Amazon Kindle #1
Bestseller in Meditation). Winner of Harlequin’s
So You Think You Can Write
2010 Day Two Challenge
, she is a member of the Romance Writers of America.
An
Unexpected Bride
became a #1 Kindle bestseller in Humor and is her
first novel. It has sold over 40,000 copies in its first seven months on
Kindle. She’s a proud mommy and wife and lives in Canada with her husband and
son.

You can visit her at
www.shadonnarichards.blogspot.com and join her mailing list  for updates,
giveaways and news on upcoming releases.