The Billionaire's Gamble (13 page)
Read The Billionaire's Gamble Online
Authors: Ava Miles
Tags: #romantic comedy, #series, #suspense, #new adult, #billionaire, #sagas, #humor, #Paris, #baking, #cooking, #how-to, #bread, #romance, #beach read, #mystery, #collections & anthologies, #sweet romance, #contemporary romance, #small town, #alpha males, #heroes, #family, #friendship, #sisters, #falling in love, #love story, #best selling romance, #award-winning romance
Then there was Margie. She glowed like a nebula in the Milky Way, filled with radiant color and starlight. And even though he’d barely touched her, he’d fallen for her. And his feelings were so deep and rich and exciting.
But she didn’t know who he was.
Except she did. She knew who he was
inside
, and she liked him. Still, the lies he’d told stood between them, and for two weeks, he’d been terrified of how she’d react to the truth.
Last night had been a long sleepless stretch of time, and all he’d done was brood. He’d decided to tell her who he was in Paris if she wanted to see him again. But now he wasn’t sure he should wait.
The exit sign for Denver International Airport loomed, and he could feel the clock ticking. He
had
to tell her before he left. She deserved the truth.
“Margie,” he said, wishing he could take her hand. “This past month has been one of the happiest of my life.”
Her hand slid from the steering wheel to his thigh this time, and everything in him surged with joy at her touch. God, he wanted her, craved her.
“Mine too.” She put her blinker on and took the exit lane.
Since the roads were slick, he placed her hand back on the steering wheel. “Not that you’re not a good driver…”
The signs for departures appeared, and he felt the tightness in his chest amplify. “I’m on Air France.”
God, he just had to say the words, but the crushing fear was back. What if she changed her mind?
“Okay,” she said and became engrossed in following the labyrinth of lanes leading to the main terminal.
When she navigated the car to the second innermost lane to find an empty space amidst the sea of parked cars, he knew his time was up. He turned in his seat.
“Margie,” he said, taking her hand. “There’s something—”
A car horn beeped loudly, making her look to the left. Evan watched as a white Lotus Elise cut her off and raced into the spot she’d been angling into. Margie had to slam on her brakes not to hit him.
“Asshole!” she cried out and honked her own horn. “Oh, I
hate
rich people. They think they’re entitled to everything.”
The vehemence in her voice rooted him in his seat. Evan felt the words he’d been about to speak shrivel in his mouth. She hated rich people?
As if he were watching a bad movie, Evan watched the Lotus’ car door open. A slick-looking young guy rose out of the low seat in an Armani suit, popping open a black umbrella before he got out of the car. He walked around to the passenger side and helped out a gorgeous blonde dripping with diamonds and Donna Karan. On another day, in another place, Evan
had
been
that guy.
As Margie angled her car by the Lotus, she gave the couple the middle finger.
“Not all rich people are bad,” he made himself say, but he could hear the rasp in his voice through the buzzing in his ears.
“All the ones I ever knew were,” she said, radiating with anger. “I grew up with them.”
She had? His belly twisted. He hadn’t known that, but then again, they hadn’t talked much about their pasts. He hadn’t wanted her to ask too many questions he couldn’t answer.
Her breath gusted out as she crawled through the line of cars until another vacant spot opened for her to park.
“Well, that sucked,” she said. “It reminded me of all the jerks I knew when I was a kid. The ones with the flashy cars who steamrolled over everyone around them to get what they wanted. Okay, I’m shaking it off.”
“You grew up wealthy?” he asked as she parked the car.
Her eyes were a bit wild when she turned her head to face him. “Yes. Another life. One I am so glad is over. I never want to be a part of that shallow crowd ever again.”
His heart and all his good intentions turned to ash in his chest. She’d never accept him as a billionaire. He knew it like he’d known his first invention would make him rich and famous.
“Maybe we shouldn’t meet while you’re in Paris,” he made himself say. “You’re going to have crazy hours. I don’t want to distract you.”
She studied him for a moment, then undid her seatbelt and turned sideways in her seat. “You’re a good distraction, and you’re not backing out of your offer to pick me up at the airport now.”
He could send a car and have it take her wherever she needed to go. He wouldn’t have to see her or tell her the truth. He could have the driver say it was a gift from a friend of his.
Her hands on his beard brought him back to the present moment. When he looked into her green eyes, everything else fell away. His heart rose from the ashes like a phoenix, resurrected by the power of his feelings for her.
“Don’t back away from me now,” she whispered. “Not after everything.”
He reached up and laid his hands over hers. “Okay. I’ll be there.”
The corner of her mouth tipped up. “Good. And will you be past the whole celibacy thing by the time I arrive?”
“That was only in Dare Valley,” he responded, touching the backs of her hands, familiarizing himself with the strength that she used to create bread everyday with such passion—a passion he wanted her hands to release in him.
“We’re not in Dare Valley right now,” she said, the delicate line of her right eyebrow arching.
Lust poured into his system. “We aren’t, are we?”
“Why don’t you kiss me goodbye?” she asked, her voice lush with desire and invitation.
Even though he knew kissing her would only make him fall harder, he turned his head so he could touch his lips to her warm palm. “Why don’t I?”
She moved toward him like a sensuous wave of water, and he let her cover him. Her lips were cool, almost as though kissed by rain, but her mouth was hot once she opened it to him. After so many weeks, there was no pretense between them. Perhaps he could kiss her softly and sweetly in Paris, on one of the magical bridges, but not now.
His tongue plunged into her mouth. She half crawled into his lap, her hands still on his face, almost as if she couldn’t bear to let him go.
A hard rapping sound on the window jerked them apart. When he looked over, a man from airport security was leaning against the window, eye level with them.
“Get moving,” he shouted through the rain.
Margie slid off his thighs and let her hands trail away from his face slowly. “Leave it to the airport police to ruin a romantic moment.”
He grabbed her hand and kissed it again. “We’ll have more romantic moments in Paris. I promise.”
She smiled, a mysterious smile that made him think of his nickname for her. Oh, how he would miss his Pocket Venus. “I’m holding you to that.”
Her car door opened, and he followed her out to the trunk to heft out his suitcase. When he set it on the ground, he turned to face her in the rain.
“Margie,” he said, taking both her hands. “Be sure. About us. When you come to Paris… If you change your mind—”
“I won’t,” she said, rising on her tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek. “Now, you’d better go. That airport guy is giving me dagger looks for parking this long.”
He grabbed his suitcase. “Margie—”
“I’ll see you in two weeks,” she said, interrupting what he might have said. “I’ll be counting down the time until we’re together again.”
She waved and ran back to the car, her sable hair a darker black now that it was wet.
He waved as she drove off and then stood standing in the rain.
He should have told her the truth.
But now that he knew how she felt about rich people, the die had been cast.
He was going to have to keep his billionaire status secret for a little while longer.
***
To read what happens between Margie and Evan when she goes to Paris, check out
THE BILLIONAIRE'S SECRET
, Volume 2 of the Dare Valley Meets Paris mini-series.
Here's a snippet of the story:
After resisting Margie Lancaster for one month as part of the gamble he'd lost, Evan Michaels is now in the free and clear to romance her. And it's all the easier since Margie is taking French baking classes in Paris—where Evan lives year-round—in advance of her opening Hot Cross Buns, Dare Valley's new bakery. But there's one catch. Margie comes from money and was tragically disowned by her family, and she's not particularly fond of rich people, especially billionaire alpha playboys. So, Evan is romancing her in the City of Love with his secret hanging over his head, hoping to make her fall for him as much as he's falling for her before she discovers the truth that could destroy everything between them.
And if you've missed Ava's other books, here's the rest of her connected series.
The Dare Valley series:
NORA ROBERTS LAND
(Meredith & Tanner)
FRENCH ROAST
(Jill & Brian)
THE GRAND OPENING
(Peggy & Mac)
THE HOLIDAY SERENADE
(Abbie & Rhett)
THE TOWN SQUARE
(Arthur & Harriet)
THE PARK OF SUNSET DREAMS
(Jane & Matt)
THE PERFECT INGREDIENT
(Elizabeth & Terrance)
THE BRIDGE TO A BETTER LIFE
(Natalie & Blake)
DARING BRIDES
(a short story collection)
The Dare Valley Meets Paris Mini-series:
THE BILLIONAIRE’S GAMBLE
(Volume One)
THE BILLIONAIRE’S SECRET
(Volume Two)
THE BILLIONAIRE’S COURTSHIP
(Volume Three)
THE BILLIONAIRE’S RETURN
(Volume Four)
The Dare River series (connected to Dare Valley):
COUNTRY HEAVEN
(Tory & Rye)
COUNTRY HEAVEN SONG BOOK
THE CHOCOLATE GARDEN
(Tammy & John Parker)
THE CHOCOLATE GARDEN: A MAGICAL TALE
(children's book)
FIREFLIES AND MAGNOLIAS
(Amelia Ann & Clayton)
THE PROMISE OF RAINBOWS
(Susannah & Jake)
USA Today Bestselling Author Ava Miles burst onto the contemporary romance scene after receiving Nora Roberts' blessing for her use of Ms. Roberts' name in her debut novel, the #1 National Bestseller NORA ROBERTS LAND, which kicked off her small town series, Dare Valley. Ava's books have reached the #1 spot at Barnes & Noble and ranked in Amazon and iBooks' Top 10. Both NORA ROBERTS LAND and COUNTRY HEAVEN have been chosen as Best Books of the Year. Ava has also released a connected series called Dare River about the power of love and family. She's fast becoming a favorite author in light contemporary romance (Tome Tender) and is known for funny, sweet, emotional stories, sometimes with a touch of mystery and magic. Ava's background is as diverse as her characters. She's a former chef, worked as a long-time conflict expert rebuilding warzones, and now writes full-time from her own small town community. Ava is a big believer in living happily ever after and writes about her own journey on The Happiness Corner blog every Friday on her website. If you'd like to connect with Ava or hear more about her upcoming books, check out the links below:
Copyright August 2015, Ava Miles. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means—graphic, electronic or mechanical—without permission in writing from the author, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally.
Ava Miles
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