by Lily Everett
She stepped forward, slipping on a smear of spilled grits and swooning into the arms Dylan opened automatically to catch her. Wrapping her own arms around his shaking back, she held on for dear life. “If you offer me your heart and nothing else, I’ll take it. And consider myself the richest woman alive.”
The entire Firefly Café erupted in applause and cheers, with a few cheerful wolf whistles thrown in for good measure. It was like fireworks going off all around them as Dylan dropped his forehead to rest against hers.
“Penny,” he whispered brokenly. “You and Matt welcomed me into your family when you thought I was a penniless handyman. Is there a place there for a reformed Bad Boy Billionaire?”
Worry speared through her. “Oh, Matt. I told him you lied to us, that you were leaving—we need to call him…”
“No, we don’t.” Dylan pulled her closer, locking them together. “Matt knows exactly where I am. He’s the one who convinced me to stay and fight for you.”
“He knows about us?” Penny groaned, hiding her smile against Dylan’s shoulder. “That’s a little embarrassing.”
“Why? The kid’s smart, he gets people. He sees things other people don’t,” Dylan said, pride touching his voice with warmth. He nudged a hand under her chin and tipped her face up to his. “For instance, Matt could see how much I love you. And in spite of what I’d done, he saw that if I left without telling you, I’d regret it for the rest of my life.”
“Remind me to thank him.” Penny stood on her tiptoes to brush her lips over Dylan’s.
A second round of applause and catcalls, boots stomping on the floor and silverware clanging on the tables reminded Penny suddenly that they were still standing in the middle of the café.
Grinning wide enough to split her cheeks, she pulled away and called in the direction of the kitchen, “I think I’ll take that break now!”
“Go on, get out of here,” Lonz yelled back, laughing.
Dylan and Penny tumbled out of the café and onto the sun-warmed deck, unwilling to let go of each other. The ocean breeze and the sound of the waves, the screeching gulls and the far-off blast of the ferry’s horn were a symphony of all the things Penny loved about island life.
And when Dylan tugged her to his chest and covered her mouth with his, she added a new love to the list.
When they came up for air, she gasped and shuddered with the excess of happiness flowing through her blood. “In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I love you, too, Dylan. No matter what your name is or what your family is like—I love the essential Dylan, the man who fixed my kitchen sink and told me about his childhood and taught my son about self-defense. I love you.”
Sinking down to sit on the stone wall at the edge of the deck, Dylan clenched his big hands at her hips and drew her close to stand between his denim-clad thighs. Resting his forehead against her collarbone, he said, “I don’t deserve you.”
“There’s your mistake,” Penny said fondly, running her fingers through the soft bristles of his buzzed hair. “Thinking you get to decide what we deserve. Silly man. But don’t worry, Matt and I will help you learn to believe.”
“This love thing is pretty new to me. And I was always a crappy student.” He mouthed at the tender skin of her neck. “It might take a while for the lesson to sink in.”
Joy lit Penny up from within. “That’s okay. We have a lifetime.”
A Q & A with Lily Everett
1. The Billionaire Brothers novellas take place on Sanctuary Island, a beautiful island preserve for wild horses. Is it based on a real place? And if not, what was the inspiration?
There are actually several islands off the east coast of the United States that are home to bands of wild horses. I grew up in Virginia, just a few hours from Assateague Island, a breathtakingly beautiful nature preserve. And I thought … what if there were a friendly little town full of interesting people who live side by side with the wild horses?
2. This trilogy follows three brothers with very different personalities. If you got to choose, which brother would you end up with? The bad boy, the sexy genius, or the high-powered alpha male?
I like to make fun of my husband for his firm belief that every single one of my characters (male and female!) is based on him. But this question makes me realize that the man I chose to spend my life with actually has a bit of all three Harrington brothers in him: he’s a super intelligent guy who runs his own business … and occasionally enjoys a walk on the wild side. I’m a lucky woman!
3. If you had to choose, which heroine would you say is most like you? And are there any ways you wish you were more like Penny, Jessica or Greta?
I identify with each of them in a different way, but what I love about all three of these women is how gutsy they are. Each of them faces a staggering challenge, the kind of roadblock to happiness that derails a lot of people—and each of my heroines rises to meet that challenge, with the help of the man she loves. That’s the kind of woman I want to be, and it’s the kind of woman I love to write about.
4. Are there any favorite moments you can share with us about writing this series?
Sanctuary Island is most closely based on Assateague, but I visited a second island to round out my research: Cumberland Island, one of the Golden Isles off the coast of Georgia. My sister and I took an afternoon boat cruise hosted by a chatty local historian, and her fascinating stories of how the island came into the possession of the wealthy Carnegie family in the late 1800’s and then transitioned into a protected national park gave me lots of ideas! But the best part of the day, by far, was standing at the railing of that boat with my sister and spotting wild horses grazing on marsh grass in the distance. It still gives me chills to think about it!
5. Family is such a strong theme in all the stories. Did you draw on any of your real life relationships when crafting the bond between Dylan, Logan, and Miles?
I’m extremely grateful that my family relationships aren’t quite as troubled as the ones I write about. I live fifteen minutes from my parents, and I’m so close to my sister that it’s very hard to imagine being as estranged from a sibling as Dylan, Logan, and Miles are from each other. But in a way, that closeness is what I drew on for the emotion in the stories—because I know exactly what those boys were missing out on by not being in each others’ lives. Heartbreaking! I couldn’t let them go on like that.
6. Are you currently working on anything else right now? Can you give readers an idea of what to look forward to next after reading The Billionaire Brothers series?
I wrote the Billionaire Brothers stories to welcome readers to Sanctuary Island! I’m hoping everyone wants to keep on coming back there, because I can’t get enough of that place. On July 30th, the very first full-length novel in the series will be available in both print and digital. So be on the lookout for Sanctuary Island! It’s about two sisters who come to the island for the first time to reconnect with their estranged mother … and discover the magic of new possibilities and life-changing love.
7. If I am a fan the series and want to help, what can I do?
If you’re a fan, thank you for reading and enjoying my books. That’s enough to make me love you already! But if you really want to get the word out about Sanctuary Island, you can always leave a review on Amazon, B&N, or Goodreads, to help point readers like you toward books they might enjoy. You can keep up to date on all my news and sign up for my newsletter on my website. (http://www.lilyeverett.com) And of course I’d love to connect with you on my Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/LilyEverettReaderPage) or chat with you on Twitter! (http://www.twitter.com/Lily_Everett)
Happy reading!
Lily Everett
Don’t miss the other novellas in Lily Everett’s heart-tugging Billionaire Brothers trilogy!
http://us.macmillan.com/thefireflycafe/LilyEverett#buy-the-book
http://us.macmillan.com/thesummercottage/LilyEverett#buy-the-book
http://us.macmillan.com/islandroad/LilyEverett#buy-the-bo
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Get even more romance with Lily Everett’s full length Sanctuary Island series!
August 2013
http://us.macmillan.com/sanctuaryisland/LilyEverett#buy-the-book
February 2014
LILY EVERETT is the pseudonym of a bestselling romance novelist. She lives in Austin, Texas.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
“The Firefly Cafe: The Billionaire Brothers” copyright © 2013 by Lily Everett.
All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design by Elsie Lyons
Cover photographs: couple © vgstudio/Shutterstock.com; tables © Andrew Penner/iStockphoto
eISBN 9781466832893
First eBook Edition: July 2013