But no more tears. Ever. Instead she smiled up into that wonderful face of her beloved. “It’s a dream come true. You’re my dream come true, Alexander. I want to fill our lives with laughter and lots of children and family gatherings.”
He nodded, obviously speechless for a moment. Then he grinned and said, “Sounds heavenly. Marry me, Olivia.” Then his smile broadened. “Just so that Mom and the rest of the family lay off me now that the last son will also be happily married!”
She loved that twinkle in those green eyes. “Yes, I’ll marry you just for that.”
“You’re one generous woman, Olivia.” He swooped her up and spun her round as they laughed together. After another long kiss he studied her face again. “I hope you’ll always look at me the way you see me now. Outside of business, I only cared about what I looked like when I saw myself through your eyes.”
“And you make me feel perfect just the way I am.”
“Because you are perfect, Olivia. You’ve always been perfect.”
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***
Continue for more Anderson Brothers!
Epilogue
Sandra picked up her fork, ready to tap it gently against her champagne flute and catch the attention of the large, noisy room so she could make a toast. Before she did, her husband laid his hand against hers, causing her to pause and meet his eyes.
He smiled down at her, and they shared a moment of perfect understanding before they both looked around. The whole family had gathered for the holiday. Everyone was happy. Everyone was healthy. Babies were babbling, and toddlers were running around the room, excited about Christmas. A light snow—rare for Wrightsville Beach—was falling outside of their beach house while everyone worked on decorating the massive tree. There were haphazard decorations on the bottom where the grandchildren were enthusiastically placing the unbreakable ornaments onto each branch and, higher up, adults were hanging the glass and delicate ornaments.
Wyatt, her daredevil, was literally hanging from the bannister as he leaned over to place the star at the top. Sandra had to look away, too horrified by what her son was doing. She glanced to the right and noticed that Laine had slapped a hand over her eyes, not wanting to look either, although their toddler son was staring up at his father with awe. Not good, Sandra thought with a shudder.
Katie and Logan were off to the side, apparently abandoning their decorating duties as Logan became distracted by his very pregnant wife. He had placed one hand on each side of her extremely round belly. He was probably feeling the baby move. They’d waited longer than the others before having children, and this was their first. Logan was happier than she’d ever seen him.
To the left of the Christmas tree, Maria was laughing as Sloan kept one arm wrapped around her waist, their toddler son, Tyler, on his shoulders. Each placement of an ornament was discussed ad naseum, with all three of them laughing and coming up with the most ridiculous arguments as to why each ornament should be in one place or another, the pros and cons of placement, the benefits of higher versus lower. Finally, Sloan took control. Tyler was whipped off Sloan’s shoulders and plunked down onto Grey’s one empty leg. A fraction of a second later, Sloan pulled Maria behind the tree. There were no more sounds of arguments. A giggle perhaps, but that might just be Sandra’s imagination.
So now Tyler and Grey’s daughter, Lacey, were making faces at each other as Grey held both of them while directing Gemma on where to place each ornament. Gemma ignored him and put the ornaments wherever she wanted them to be, but she kept coming over to the sofa where Grey was sitting to select another decoration, kissing her husband each time.
“Where are Alexander and Olivia?” she asked her husband.
Jason looked around, then spotted the newest couple. “Over there,” he said, pointing to the kitchen area. Alexander had his lovely bride trapped against the kitchen counter. “Soon,” he commented to his wife, meaning that they’d have another grandchild very soon if their current amorous antics continued.
Sandra smiled, leaning her head against Jason’s broad shoulders. Putting the fork down, she let her clan continue without interruption.
Her sons and their families already knew she and Jason loved them and were proud of them.
No need for a toast.
This moment was more than enough.
***
Thank you for reading about the Anderson Brothers! We hope you’ve enjoyed the stories.
About Elizabeth Lennox
Elizabeth Lennox lives just outside of Washington, D.C. but travels extensively, using her travels as the backdrop to many of her stories. She’s written over 140 books to date and more are already in the works. You’ll find that her hatred of broccoli and love of potato chips and chocolate to be a recurring theme in many of her novels.
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Here’s an excerpt from her next novel, coming July 24, 2017 – In the Boss’ Bed
Something had to change! He was fully prepared to cancel his meetings for the next week so that he could personally go through all the documents on his desk, figure out his office filing system just so that he could know where everything was!
But when he stepped through the doorway to his office area, he came to a screeching halt. The exquisitely round bottom that greeted him fired up his imagination like nothing he’d ever experienced. He was so enthralled, he actually considered dropping the files in his hands so that he could bend down and cup the round globes. They were perfect, straining against the wool material of the slacks, making his mind go down a very wicked path.
And that was all before he realized he was standing there looking at the most incredible derriere he’d ever seen.
He must have made a sound because the delectable stranger spun around…well, she “fell” around. Her body twisted and, because of her position, when she looked up at him, she sort of…toppled over.
“Oh!” She gasped and pushed herself up. Unfortunately for his already strained body, her silk blouse gaped slightly when she stood, giving him an enticing glance at the black lace of her bra underneath. His mouth watered with the idea of discovering what that black lace was covering. As she stood, everything about this woman screamed energy. Lively, lovely, amazing, sensual energy. Even the black curls around her face, pinned on top of her head by several pencils, bounced around her.
It took him several moments to pull his eyes away from those dancing curls. Black hair, white skin, incredibly long, black lashes surrounding the bluest, clearest eyes he’d ever seen in his life. He couldn’t even say that her skin was pale. It was white. A creamy, soft, delicate white that tempted his fingers to reach out and touch her skin, to find out if she was real or a porcelain doll. And her lips, her rosebud lips, were the perfect shade of red.
It took several moments for his eyes to move away from those lips. Lips that he’d like to explore, kiss…damn, he was picturing those lips doing…ah hell.
As his eyes moved lower, his body couldn’t hold back the almost instant reaction. She was perfect! Her breasts were full and round, almost straining the burgundy silk of her blouse. Her tiny waist flared out to round, lush hips that he suspected his hands would enjoy more than anything he’d ever touch. Besides those breasts.
She was like a Madonna wrapped up in the body of a sensual goddess.
And he wanted her!
“Who are you?” he asked but even to his own ears, the question came out sounding harsh.
Marcy stared up at the giant man glaring down at her. She’d done something wrong. And if this gorgeous, intimidating, huge man would stop looking at her like he wanted to bite her, she mig
ht be able to figure out what she’d done wrong.
Goodness, he was handsome! Not in the way Teague was handsome, but she could see the family resemblance. No, this man was…different. He was…
Terrifying!
“You must be Marcy, from Teague’s site.” He moved closer and Marcy suppressed the crazy instinct to move back. She couldn’t have this man close to her. Why, she didn’t understand. All she grasped in her jumbled mind was that this man scared her. It was basic survival, she thought. Bunny rabbit skittering away from the wily fox. Or wolf, was more appropriate. Foxes were cute and fuzzy.
There was nothing cute or fuzzy about this man.
He was hard. Hard jaw, hard green eyes, hard glare, hard shoulders….yep. Top to bottom, this man was granite hard and scary as all get-out.
She shivered, her fingers almost numb around the files she was holding.
“You are Marcy Marshall, correct?” He extended his hand, his sharp, green eyes narrowing on her features, and Marcy had no choice. She lifted her own fingers and almost jumped out of her skin when the heat from his hands enclosed her cold fingers.
His deep baritone voice felt like a rough caress. A caress that sent shivers of awareness spiraling throughout her whole body. “I’ve heard great things about you. Are you sure you can tackle this challenge?”
Marcy licked her lips. Was he the challenge? Was he asking her to tackle him?
Her eyes moved down, glancing at his lips and she unconsciously licked hers. “Um…”
“My assistant went on maternity leave three weeks ago. The man who took her place messed everything up.”
Oh! He was talking about tackling the office mess! Not him! Darn!
About Noelle Adams
Noelle handwrote her first romance novel in a spiral-bound notebook when she was twelve, and she hasn’t stopped writing since. She has lived in eight different states and currently resides in Virginia, where she writes full time, reads any book she can get her hands on, and offers tribute to a very spoiled cocker spaniel.
She loves travel, art, history, and ice cream. After spending far too many years of her life in graduate school, she has decided to reorient her priorities and focus on writing contemporary romances.
Find out more about her books, news, and upcoming releases through the following links:
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If you enjoyed Her Reluctant Billionaire, you might enjoy another one of Noelle’s billionaire romances, Seducing the Enemy.
Excerpt from Seducing the Enemy
He leaned in until his lips hovered near hers. “You thought I was such a beer guzzler that I couldn’t stand to spend time with someone who doesn’t love it as much as I do?”
Surprised laughter rippled out of her and her hands closed around the lapels of his suit jacket.
Harrison was mesmerized by her lovely face—warm, amused, sincere, utterly real. The urge to kiss her was so overwhelming he no longer resisted.
He closed the slight distance between their lips, brushing hers gently with his.
He heard her quick intake of breath, felt her fingers clutch at him even tighter. He kissed her again, lingering against her mouth longer this time.
She opened for him, her body melting against his and one of her arms twining around his neck. Her responsiveness intensified his desire.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d wanted someone as much as he wanted her.
When she finally turned her head, she panted out raggedly, “Are you a beer guzzler?”
He chuckled and murmured, “I prefer Scotch.”
It was evidently the right thing to say. She wrapped her other arm around him and kissed him with naked passion. Soon he’d hardened again as his tongue tangled with hers. She practically writhed between his body and the wall, and he wrapped one of her legs around his hip to align her groin better with his. She moaned into his mouth while he rocked into her and stroked her bare thigh.
When his erection started to pulse tightly in his trousers, he knew they needed to stop. He couldn’t take her in the back hallway of a nightclub, no matter how tempted he was.
He forced himself to release her and step back, still bracing himself with one hand on the wall.
Her cheeks were deep pink, her hair messy, and her lips swollen. She was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. “Wow,” she said. “Wow.”
“I agree.”
“Did you want to…” She ducked her head to hide an inexplicably shy expression.
“I hope you were going to ask whether I wanted to continue this elsewhere. Because the answer is definitely yes.”
She raised her eyes, and excitement flickered through her lingering heat. “Really? You don’t have to go back to work?”
He smiled, privately cursing the damned inspection report he still needed to write. He was never late. His responsibilities as a Damon were always his priority.
“Work can wait.” He couldn’t miss out spending the night with this beautiful, passionate woman. The report wasn’t urgent, and he could get up early tomorrow to prepare for the settlement meeting.
She looked surprised when he suggested they go to his hotel, so he wondered if she’d thought he was a local.
It was nice that she had no idea who he was.
While she texted her friend, he ducked back into the main room to grab his tablet and tell the floor manager to release his table.
“By the way, I’m Etta,” she said as they waited for his car.
“Harri—” he began, then cut himself off. She might not recognize his face—not everyone did—but she could easily recognize his name. And that might change things.
“You don’t really look like a Harry, but I like it.”
He’d always hated being called “Harry.” In fact, schoolmates had only used that name when they wanted to annoy him. After hearing Etta say his name with that particular lilt, however, he decided it wasn’t so bad.
She beamed with an overflow of warm excitement.
“What did I do to deserve that smile?”
She flushed and glanced down. “Am I too excited?”
He almost choked. “Too excited? Who the hell told you that was even possible?”
“I don’t know. It’s just that the world seems to think being cool is the way to go, and I can never pull it off.”
He realized that was one of the reasons why she seemed so different, why she seemed so real. There was no pretense about her, and it thrilled him. “Cool is overrated.”
She peered up at him curiously. “You seem to pull it off very well.”
“Maybe I’m overrated.”
“That remains to be seen.”
***
You can find more information about Seducing the Enemy here.
About Leslie North
Leslie North is the pen name for a critically-acclaimed author of women’s contemporary romance and fiction. The anonymity gives her the perfect opportunity to paint with her full artistic palette, especially in the romance and erotic fantasy genres.
The truth of the matter is she loves her fictional persona, Leslie North, more than her normal, day-to-day persona! Her bestselling books focus on strong characters and particularly women who aren’t afraid to challenge an alpha male. Inspired after years of travel, her stories are set all over the world, from the tough streets of Russia to the beautiful beaches of the middle east.
Find out more about her books, news, and upcoming releases through the following links:
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If you enjoyed The Billionaire’s Babysitter, you might also enjoy another of Leslie’s books, The Billionaire’s Tenacious Boss.
Excerpt from The Billionaire’s Tenacious Boss
She was attractive. There was no doubt about that. Her dark hair was pulled tightly up in a bun, and Stephen wondered what she would do if he reached out and raked his hands through it, pulling out all the p
ins. He wanted to know how long her hair was. Would it sweep past her shoulders? Swing down to the small of her back? Brush all the way down to that luscious…
“Is there a problem?”
His eyes snapped back up, and he realized that her dark eyes were staring intently at him. There was a hint of temper in her voice, but it was controlled.
“No ma’am,” he said politely with a smile. “Just lost in thought.” He wasn’t at all ashamed of the fact that she’d caught him staring at her.
Her eyes narrowed, but she turned back around again. He knew that she could see him reflected in the gleam of the elevator doors, so he kept his eyes from straying again. She was simply a small distraction from what was really weighing on his mind. Part of him couldn’t believe he was in San Francisco again. Duncan had called, and he’d come running. It was pathetic.
There was something nostalgic about riding in the elevator again. He’d enjoyed more than one woman in this elevator when he was younger. His eyes flickered up at the camera and he smiled to himself. He’d given the security officers quite the show. What would the lone woman riding with him do if he pushed her up against the wall and pressed his lips to hers?
She was dressed in a gray blazer and a skirt that showed off her tanned legs. Conservative. Business-appropriate. She was more than likely a secretary or a receptionist. Good old Duncan did like them young and pretty.
“You do realize that I can see you, right?” she demanded. Stephen smiled as his eyes snapped up again. She hadn’t even bothered to turn around, and he met her look in the distorted reflection.
“I’m sorry,” he said easily. “You’re a nice distraction.”
She turned around and leaned against the wall, deliberately easing her gaze up and down his body. He grinned unabashedly. “There’s nothing wrong with a little distraction every now and then,” she said softly. “I’ve always wanted to know what kind of tools you construction workers carried in your tool belt. Are you all talk?”
Billionaires On the Beach: The Anderson Brothers Page 39