by Anne, Melody
“Oh, you hush up,” Nicole said as she stepped forward and kissed Kyle on the cheek. “If you’re looking for my sister, she’s over in that corner, fighting off a group of men.”
Kyle’s head whipped around as possessiveness surged through him. Before he could find her, Ryan’s laughter pulled his attention back to the man.
“Wow, you have it bad,” he said, patting Kyle’s shoulder. “That’s not easy for me to say as I’ve appointed myself Patsy’s protector, but she loves you just as much. Stop fighting it and get yourself out of the misery you’re in.”
Kyle’s self-control kept his jaw from dropping to the ground. That wasn’t something he ever expected to hear from Ryan Titan. He might’ve expected to hear it from Nicole, but not her husband.
“Yeah, she does have it bad for you, but you hurt her at the party. It took a while for me to get it out of her, but flirting with Darcy was a stupid move,” Nicole said.
“I didn’t flirt with her. It was a misunderstanding. I don’t like women like Darcy. I might’ve been humoring her just to be an ass,” he admitted, feeling shame.
“What’s going on with Darcy?” Ryan asked.
“She’s a terrible person, Ryan. We don’t tell you that because we love her brother,” Nicole said. “I’ll fill you in later.” Ryan looked shocked. Kyle sort of liked how the man who had so much still looked at people through rose-colored glasses. It gave him hope for the human race.
“I do love Patsy. I screwed up pretty bad,” he told Nicole. If her sister supported him, the chances of Patsy forgiving him leaned far more in his favor.
“Well then, you better go make it up to her,” Nicole said. “And do it fast before Joseph gets a feather in his hat and matches her up with someone else.”
He heard Nicole’s laughter following him as he turned and moved through the ballroom. It was time to find his woman—and claim her. She wasn’t going to be matched up with anyone other than him.
It was almost a Hollywood moment when the crowd parted and Kyle finally had his first glimpse of Patsy.
The sight of her literally took his breath away, and he stopped, rooted to the spot. She was a beautiful woman in every single way. No doubt about it. But tonight he saw her dressed to the nines for the first time ever, and damn . . . she was the most beautiful woman in the room.
She wore a long blue dress with a slit high on her thigh, the material molded to her luscious curves in a decadent way. The neckline was high, giving the appearance of modesty, but as she turned and laughed at something another man said to her, he had a jaw-dropping view of her naked back.
Part of him wanted to rush to her, throw her over his shoulder, and haul her into the first available closet. The other part wanted to drop to his knees and worship her. How could he have let her get away from him for an entire week? He truly was an idiot who didn’t deserve her.
Finally he got his feet to move again, and their connection must’ve been strong enough that she felt him, because she suddenly turned her head and their eyes met, a clashing of lust, love, and a hunger so deep Kyle didn’t care who noticed. All he wanted to do was pull her into his arms.
Slowly her lips turned up, and Kyle gazed at her like a love-struck fool, his cheeks hurting from the smile overtaking his features. They were going to be okay. He knew it in his gut.
He moved across the room, feeling as if he were floating. It was time to get the girl.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Patsy didn’t hear the conversation around her. All the voices faded away as Kyle glided toward her, a look of hunger, wonder, and what appeared to be love shining brightly from his eyes.
She was scared to hope she was seeing what she thought she was seeing. She had plans, dreams, lists to complete. She wasn’t ready to fall in love. She almost laughed at herself as she had that thought.
It appeared as if a person didn’t get to choose their own timeline. If she was in love, she was in love. There wasn’t a dang thing she’d be able to do about it. And with the way Kyle looked at her, she didn’t care anymore.
He’d wanted to talk. She was ready to listen.
Nothing in the past week mattered as much as how she craved to be in that man’s arms. Maybe he was a playboy, but apparently her heart didn’t care. Maybe she would end up a mass on the ground. But right now that didn’t even matter.
He reached her and Patsy’s heart fluttered. The way he looked at her took her breath away. Yes, she’d flirted before, but this was different. The intensity in his eyes made her feel possessed, made her feel she was the only woman in the world.
“Hi,” he said, his lips turning up so much his beautiful dimples bored into his cheeks.
“Hi,” she replied back, her voice husky and weak.
He laughed before reaching forward and tugging her into his arms, lifting her from the ground and spinning her in a circle. She joined him in laughter, feeling so much lighter than she had ever felt in her life.
“I’m sorry,” he told her. “I’m so sorry for not fighting for you, for not trying to get to the bottom of things.”
He set her down and cupped her cheek as he looked into her eyes.
“Darcy’s hard to resist,” she said, trying to mask the hurt she felt at saying those words. He obviously wanted her right then, and that’s what she wanted to focus on.
Kyle laughed again and this time she wasn’t amused. He stopped instantly when he saw he’d upset her.
“Darcy is a spoiled little brat who wants to get her way. If you hadn’t run off you would’ve seen and heard that I was being an ass getting a little high school revenge on one of the popular girls. I can’t stand women like Darcy, who think they need nothing more than their looks to get by in life. She was cutting you down and when she was finished I said that to her. It was petty and stupid, and had I known you were there I never would’ve played that game.”
He seemed to be telling her the truth, and he also seemed genuinely sorry for his behavior. Patsy was amazed he had ever felt insecure.
“You had a hard time in high school?” she asked, more shocked by that than anything else.
“I was awkward, gangly and pimply. I hated high school,” he told her with a shrug.
“Well damn, you grew into yourself,” she said with a flutter.
Kyle laughed again while he leaned forward. The sound stopped as he took her lips in his, giving her a soul-stealing kiss that had her wanting to find a private room for the two of them really fast.
“I love you, Patsy,” he said, blurting out the words as if it took a lot of effort to say them. She didn’t try to hold back the overflowing tears at his admission. Before she could reply, he continued.
“I’ve never said that to another woman, not once. I wasn’t looking for love, but damn it, I love you. I love your kind heart, your open face, your ambition, motivation, determination.” He paused and wiggled his eyebrows. “I love your body, the way your curves fit perfectly in my hands, the way you moan when I run my tongue along—”
She laughed as she slapped her hand over his mouth and looked around, her cheeks flushed bright red.
“You can tell me all about that later . . . in private,” she said, feeling so much joy radiating from her she wasn’t sure she’d be able to contain it. “I love you too. I didn’t want to; I wasn’t looking for it, but I want to be with you all the time. I miss you when you aren’t there, and it scares me. But I’m not ready to change my life plans.”
She held her breath waiting to see if that wouldn’t be enough for him.
“Then let’s take some time to get ready,” he suggested. “But right now I want to hold you tight on that dance floor, then I want to take you home, strip off that incredible gown, and kiss and lick my way along every inch of your silky skin. Then I want to hold you all night without you sneaking off.” His words grew huskier the longer he spoke.
/> She sighed as she swayed against him.
“That sounds like my kind of heaven,” she said.
And they did just that. He pulled her onto the dance floor and they ignored anyone who tried to interrupt them as they enjoyed being in one another’s arms again. A week might not be a long time, but it seemed like forever when you believed the person you loved didn’t love you back.
Patsy rode home with him, drugged by his intoxicating kisses by the time they arrived at his apartment. They made love until dawn broke over the horizon, then Patsy slept in his arms.
And it was right where she needed to be.
And she had no more desire to run anywhere unless it was straight to him.
Epilogue
Sirens sounded as Patsy froze in the busy ER lobby, wondering what in the heck was going on. There were too many flashing lights outside the glass doors and windows for it to be a single ambulance.
She looked at her pager, and nothing was on it. She’d been paged to the ER, but the message hadn’t been urgent so she was confused at the utter chaos that seemed to be happening.
“Come quick,” Kian Forbes said as he rushed up from behind and took her arm.
“What’s happening?” she asked, her heart pounding as she tried to assess the situation.
Kian didn’t answer as he pulled her outside. She stopped and looked around. There were six ambulances, at least a dozen cop cars and several fire trucks filling the parking lot in a huge circle. All of their lights were flashing.
But nothing else was happening.
No one was running to the vehicles. No one seemed panicked. No one seemed to know what they were doing. This was what happened when there was a slow week at work, she decided.
Kian stood next to her as hospital staff members piled outside the ER lobby. The people who’d been waiting in the lobby, those who weren’t sick, also piled out the doors, everyone looking at the slew of vehicles that were obviously out of place. She wasn’t the only one wondering what in the world had happened.
“Dr. Patsy Lander report to the middle of the vehicles please.” The voice came over a loudspeaker from one of the emergency vehicles.
Patsy looked at Kian who grinned and shrugged.
Roxy Forbes jogged up to them and grinned at Patsy too, as she placed her arm in her husband’s. “I almost missed it,” she said.
“Missed what?” Patsy asked.
Both of them shrugged. Pasty looked over and saw Nicole and Ryan with their three children sitting on top of one of the fire trucks. What the heck? She moved to the center of the emergency vehicles as people piled out of them . . . and music began to play. Her steps faltered and tears popped into her eyes as a couple dozen uniformed men and women began dancing to the tune of the music.
The song was I Do Cherish You by 98 Degrees. The sea of people dancing came closer and each dropped a few roses at her feet, and when the crowd parted there was Kyle, looking devastatingly handsome in a tuxedo with a microphone in his hand. He had one heck of a beautiful voice that shocked her.
He sang the chorus to her as he moved closer, then handed the microphone away as he dropped to one knee in front of her. Patsy barely saw through the tears in her eyes.
They’d been together for nearly a year, and once she’d let go of her fears, it had been pure magic. She hadn’t lost herself in him. She hadn’t lost her career. Her life had grown better because she’d let this man into her life.
“I love you more each and every day, Patsy. I wanted to propose to you from the moment I realized how much I was in love with you, but I didn’t want to scare you,” he said with a smile. “But I can’t imagine living my life without you, so I asked some friends to come along and help me impress you.”
“Oh, Kyle, I can’t believe you did this,” she said through her tears.
“There’s nothing I won’t do for you, nothing at all. Please put me out of my misery and tell me you’ll be my wife,” he said.
She laughed, a watery sound. She tried to speak, but it took several times before the words would form.
“I didn’t think I was ready for love. I wasn’t ready,” she admitted. “But there you were, not letting me run away, not letting me betray myself. And now I can’t imagine my life without you, either. I realize being a wife doesn’t mean losing myself.”
“Is that a yes?” he asked. He had a suspicious sparkle in his own eyes that she only saw when he was dealing with a child patient.
She was about to say yes when she realized his hand was empty. She smiled as she attempted a glare. “You’re proposing to me without a ring?” she asked.
She heard laughter behind her. Then a few catcalls from some of the men who’d been dancing almost ballerina style at Kyle’s choice of song. The men must’ve loved that one.
“Say yes, and you’ll find out,” he suggested.
“I should look at the ring first,” she told him. They grinned at each other. “But I don’t want to give you a chance to change your mind,” she quickly added. “Yes, yes, yes. I can’t wait to be your wife.”
A cheer went up from the rapidly growing crowd of people. Then Kyle whistled and Patsy turned as someone released Eeyore, who ran straight at them.
Patsy laughed with pure joy when Eeyore dropped the same Frisbee at their feet that he’d jumped over Kyle’s back to get that first day they’d met. Attached to the Frisbee was a box. Kyle pulled the tape off and opened it.
Inside were two rings, a stunning, indecently large diamond solitaire and a thin gold band, woven with tiny diamonds. He placed the large diamond on her finger first and it felt heavy, but it also felt right.
Then he pulled out the other ring and gave it to her. “I want everyone at work to know you’re married, so I bought you a safe work one too,” he told her. “I had it specially made to withstand anything.
She studied it, and it was made of a soft material that was flexible, but somehow they’d managed to get small diamonds into it. On the inside of the band the word “forever” was engraved.
“Perfect. They are both perfect,” she told him. “Just as you are.”
She dropped to her knees and finally kissed Kyle, which warranted another cheer from the crowd. They were interrupted by a happy dog as Eeyore’s tongue swiped across both their cheeks.
“I love you, Kyle Armistead,” she said as they broke apart.
“I’ll love you forever,” he replied.
Patsy hadn’t known she wanted a happily ever after, but fate didn’t care. It had given her exactly what she’d needed, even when she hadn’t know she had. And she knew their love would be one that would last through time and all eternity.
Continue reading for an excerpt from the first book in the Baby for the Billionaire Series; The Tycoon's Revenge.
The Tycoon’s Revenge
Baby for the Billionaire: Book One
by
Melody Anne
Prologue
A star fell from the heavens and Jasmine watched in awe as the light slowly dimmed, and then disappeared entirely.
The feel of Derek’s hand stroking her back was pure bliss, and she felt as if she could lie here all night long, never return to the real world. This place they’d created together was perfect — no father telling her it was wrong, no worries, no troubles.
“I love you so much, Jasmine,” Derek whispered in her ear. “You are my world, my life.”
“You know how much I love you,” she replied, lifting her head to accept the gentle kiss from his lips. Her body melted all over again at his slightest touch.
“I hate having to take you back home tonight,” he said, pulling her even closer.
“Then don’t,” she begged.
“Your father would hunt us down,” he told her.
“I don’t care. I know what I want and that’s to be with you, Derek.”
&
nbsp; “Then we should run away together. I’ve actually been thinking about it a lot, about moving on from here.” As she flinched, he added, “Only with you, my love; I’d never leave you behind. Here’s my idea. My dad will be fine. He’s starting his new business. It’s foolproof. He wants me to run it with him, but I have bigger dreams than running a computer store. I want to go to the city, intern for someone like Bill Gates, learn from them, and make something of myself,” he said, passion flowing through his young voice.
“You already are someone special, Derek. You won my heart, and I’ve given it to you for life,” she said, kissing his neck as the full moon washed its light over their naked bodies.
“You make me feel special — make me feel as if there’s nothing I can’t do.”
“That’s because you’re Superman,” she told him with a giggle. “Definitely more powerful than a locomotive…”
He laughed, then grew serious again. “What do you say? I’ll take care of you if you come with me. We can get married and start our lives in the city,” he promised. “You can even go to cooking school and open that café you’ve always talked about.” He grew more excited as he spoke.
Jasmine paused as she thought about what he was asking of her. Could she leave it all behind? If Derek left, though, what would she have to stay for? Nothing worth keeping. She loved her father, but he was so cold most of the time — how much would he miss her, really? He’d eventually get over his anger and their relationship would heal, though it might take a few years.
Derek would have to come back. His father and cousins were here, and they were all closer than most families. The three boys were more siblings than cousins. She’d just be starting a new adventure with the boy she loved, but she wouldn’t be cutting her ties here completely.
“Yes. I’ll come with you. You have to give me a few days, though,” she asked.
Derek pulled her on top of him with a laugh. Jasmine was a little sore, but the pleasure far outweighed the discomfort. The two of them made love beneath the stars, their joy shining even brighter.