Yours Truly (Billionaires and Brides #2)

by Krista Lakes

  When he stepped into the water, my heart threatened to burst out of my chest.

  “I have hundreds of spectacular hotels. Architectural jewels and historical treasures that I've turned into five star hotels, but that sandcastle was the most beautiful thing I have ever built because I made it with you,” he explained. He took another step. I held my breath, waiting to hear what he said next, wishing my own heartbeat wasn't so annoyingly loud. He pulled his hands out from behind his back and presented me with a small, glass bottle. “This is my message in a bottle. I've been stranded on an island of money, and I didn't even realize it.”

  I took the bottle in my shaking hands. It was the shape of a small bottle of wine and made of clear glass with a cork stopper. There was sand and a rolled up piece of paper resting inside of it.

  “Will you read it?” he asked quietly. His voice held hope and desperation. I looked up from the delicate glass to see his face. Moonlight shone in his eyes, fear and concern sparkling in their depths.

  I pulled the stopper out, and carefully picked out the piece of paper with my fingers before replacing the stopper. I unrolled the paper, being cautious not to drop it or the bottle in the water. Despite my care, I nearly did when I read it. It was the deed to the Grove.

  “It's yours,” he said, answering the question in my eyes. “It should have always been yours. I should have made the connection, but I was too wrapped up in securing another amazing business deal to realize what I was doing to you.”

  I opened my mouth, then shut it. I didn't know what to say. I needed to sit down, but I was in the middle of a pool and he was blocking my exit. I carefully rolled the paper up and put it back in the bottle. My breathing was ragged, and my heart rate was out of control.

  “I need to ask you something,” I said quietly, desperately trying to sort out the tangle of emotions in my chest.

  He took a step closer so that we were almost touching. I looked up into his eyes and saw nothing but honesty. “Anything,” he whispered.

  “Why did you decide to stay on the island?” The question had been burning into my very being ever since Danica had mentioned it. I needed to know.

  “For you,” he said simply.

  “Not to buy this?” I asked, holding up the bottle containing the deed. He shook his head and smiled softly.

  “I could've bought that property just as easily from my office in New York. I stayed for you.” He paused and slowly raised his hand to my cheek. “I'll stay for you.”

  My breath caught in my throat. Raw emotion washed over me in waves: shock, happiness, relief, hope, and finally love. I couldn't stop the tears from running down my face as I smiled up at him, seeing the same mix of emotions reflected in his blue eyes. I didn't know if I kissed him first, or he kissed me, but somehow our lips met and the world righted itself.

  I kept my arms wrapped around him when we broke apart for air. I never wanted to be separated from him ever again. Noah's eyes were bright with tears of joy as he kissed my forehead.

  “Why is there sand in here?” I asked, shaking the bottle gently. The grains of sand made a peaceful sound against the glass. The sharks swam near our feet.

  “It's from our castle. The foundation was all that was left,” he explained. He locked eyes with me. “That's where I'd like to start with you again.”

  I smiled, losing myself to the warmth and love in his eyes. I nodded, not trusting my voice. Instead I kissed him, pulling him into me with love and desire. I let my kiss tell him that was what I wanted too. His kiss told me he understood.

  Epilogue

  I take a deep breath and let it out as slowly as I can. All that does is make me feel lightheaded as the butterflies in my stomach continue to dance around. I smooth my wedding dress one last time and try to be patient. I feel like I've waited forever for this day, even though it's only been barely a year.

  “You ready?” Brooke asks, poking her head inside the door of the bridal villa. Her hair is done up in an elaborate bun. “It's show time!”

  I nod and she grins, closing the door behind her. I try the breathing thing one more time, but I'm still nervous. My dad takes my hands in his before I can smooth the satin of my dress again.

  “You look beautiful,” he says. Memories fill his eyes as he looks at me like he did when I was a little girl playing dress-up. “I'm so proud of you, Izzy.”

  He hugs me, careful not to mess up my hair. It crunches slightly from all the hairspray, but the curls remain intact. Dad puts his hands on my shoulders and looks me up and down. His eyes are brimming with tears, but he's smiling.

  “Thanks, Daddy,” I whisper. I'm glad he's here. My entire family arrived a week early to enjoy the island and meet my soon-to-be husband. I think they love him as much as I do. Mom and my little brother are out waiting with the rest of the bridal party. I can't believe how big Jake has gotten since I saw him last. He's practically all grown up.

  “You ready?” he asks, tucking my arm into his. I'm not sure if he's the one shaking, or if I am. Probably both of us.

  “Definitely.” I grin. I've been waiting for this day for a long time.

  The sunshine is bright as we step out of the villa and onto the sandy path leading to the beach. I can hear the string quartet playing over the gentle murmur of the waves. The wedding planner holds up her hand as we get to the aisle. Dad squeezes my arm.

  The music changes. My heart is pounding. It's time. The wedding planner grins and motions us forward. My father guides me into the aisle, and we begin to walk.

  There are smiling faces on either side of me: friends, family, relatives, and all the island locals. Devon and Mimi grin as I walk by them. Mimi is about ready to pop from her pregnancy, but she is radiant. I remember how beautiful she was at their wedding, and I hope I look the same. Lucas flashes me a big thumbs up. He proposed to Brooke two weeks ago. Doc is sitting with Adele and Dominic. Adele is already openly crying.

  But there is only one face I want to see. Noah's.

  He is standing at the altar, waiting for me. He looks so incredibly handsome in his light gray suit against the white of the sand and blue of the water. His hair, for once, looks tamed and combed. I wonder how many times he's tried to run his hands through it today. Our eyes connect and I can see all the nervousness leave his shoulders. He smiles, and I'm captured in his gaze. His eyes are so blue, they call to me like sirens. I stop walking and start floating. This is it.

  “Who gives this woman to be with this man?” the minister asks.

  “Her mother and I,” my father replies. His voice shakes a little. I know he's practiced that line all day. My mom wipes her eyes and beams up at me from her seat.

  I hug my father. His lips brush my cheek, his eyes glistening with happy tears. His little girl is all grown up. He shakes Noah's hand, and then, reluctantly lets me go.

  Brooke takes my bouquet and gives me a wink. She's grinning like a fool. Noah's hands are strong and steady on mine. He smiles and we turn to face the minister. I'm glad I have Noah's hand. With him there, I don't shake so badly. He is my rock. Together, we can face anything.

  Noah squeezes my hand. “Thank you for coming.”

  I squeeze back. “I wouldn't have missed this for the world.”

  We promise to love one another. We promise to support one another. I know that we will do these things. We already have. We have been doing it for over a year now. There are no secrets anymore. Only honesty and love. Our foundation is strong; we are ready to build our sandcastle.

  The ceremony is a blur. All I know is that I am happy to promise my life to Noah. His blue eyes shine with joy as he promises the same to me.

  “You may now kiss the bride,” the minister tells us. I can't believe we’re at this part already. I grin and Noah cups his hand on my cheek. The smile spreading across his face tells me everything I need to know: we are going to be happy.

  The crowd cheers. I can hear my little brother whooping and Lucas’s distinctive, annoying wolf whistle he enjoy
s using. They are happy for us.

  We part from our kiss, breathless and grinning. The crowd is still cheering. Noah takes my hand and raises it up in victory. We have made it. The crowd roars even louder. My brother starts imitating Lucas's whistle technique. Together we hurry down the aisle.

  We escape to a quiet spot just off the path, and Noah pulls me in for another kiss. This one is ours. We take our time, enjoying our moment away from prying eyes and cheers. There will be many more kisses tonight, but this one is special.

  “I love you,” Noah whispers, his forehead pressed against mine.

  “I love you,” I tell him and he grins. “You ready for the fun part?”

  “I thought we were saving the private villa with champagne and strawberries for later, but if you want to skip the reception and go do that, I don't mind,” he teases. I give him a gentle push, and he laughs.

  We take the necessary photographs--the ones that I will treasure for years--while the rest of the guests head to the yacht for the reception. Noah let me see it yesterday, and it is a floating ballroom and restaurant. I am excited to celebrate. My face hurts from smiling, but I can't stop. This day is perfect.

  Onboard the yacht, the party is getting started. The DJ announces the wedding party, and then for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Noah and Isabel Black. I like the way that sounds.

  We enter the room to the sound of applause. I look at everyone who has come to celebrate with us. We take our time and walk around to the various tables. My mother hugs Noah as my father congratulates us. Lucas and Jake grin mischievously from across the table. I wonder if it was a good idea for the two of them to meet.

  Jack and his fiancée Emma congratulate us. Logan, Robbie, and Evan all shake Noah's hand and make him laugh. Jack asks if he can get a Naughty Shirley Temple later.

  When he sees I haven't noticed it yet, Noah points me toward the center of the room where the food is. I gasp. The centerpiece is a giant sandcastle. It is an almost perfect replica of the one we built so long ago. It's beautiful. I step closer and realize that there is more to it than just the towers and seashells, though. The moat is shallow and filled with some sort of glass to make it look like water. Swimming through the glass are sharks made of sand. Lemon sharks.

  I laugh in delight, and Noah's face splits into a wide grin.

  “You like it? I used pictures I took of our castle and then had the sharks made special for you,” he says. I didn't know he also had pictures, and that warms my heart. He runs his hand through his hair, tousling his dark locks. I like his hair better this way. It suits him.

  “I love it. Sharks and sandcastles.” I kiss him on the cheek. “It's perfect.”

  “You're perfect,” he says, putting his hand on my cheek.

  “We're perfect,” I correct him. He nods and brings his lips to mine. We kiss in front of our sandcastle, and I see the flash from the photographer's camera. I'm glad this picture will be mine forever. We are in love, and now we have a picture to hang in our home of sandcastle kisses.

  Read more about the island…

  Hurricane Kisses: A Billionaire Love Story

  Olivia Statler hates Logan Hayes. It's not the fact that he's an executive of a rival travel company, or the fact that he's trying to buy her company, or even the fact that he won't leave her alone. Two years ago, the two of them seemed to have something that was amazing and real, but Logan's ego got in the way.

  When a new resort offers her an all-expense-paid trip to woo new clients, she figures that a working vacation is just what she needs. As the youngest CEO in the travel business, she's honored and flattered. However, she isn't the only executive that the resort invited. When Olivia sees the broad shoulders and blonde hair of Logan Hayes, her heart races. Half of it is raw sexual attraction, half of it is anger at what he did to her.

  Logan is determined to reignite their past spark, but Olivia does everything possible to avoid him. However, a hurricane strikes and traps them on the island, making it impossible to ignore the changed man in front of her. Only a storm as powerful as their passion will show them love or hate. Can romance survive the storm – or will their hurricane kisses be swept away forever?

  “Everything you hate was done by my father. I don't want your company.” His brown eyes were flames, and my soul was the moth. I couldn't have escaped from his gaze if I had been blinded. He moved close enough that those eyes were all I could see. “I want you.”

  I blinked twice. That was not what I was expecting. His words startled and excited me, but before my brain could analyze and process them, his hand was around the back of my neck and his lips were on mine.

  His mouth was hot and insistent as he pressed it against mine. I fought for a moment, but his grip was too strong and his kiss too sweet. It was a kiss I had craved for two years and had tried to convince myself I could do without. I wanted to give in to him completely, but I was still too angry to budge even an inch. Instead, I just stood there like a statue as he kissed me. I was furious and turned on beyond anything I could imagine. After a moment, he pulled back and searched my face.

  “What was that for?” I surprised myself with the amount of venom in my voice. His kiss had sent want scorching down into the very marrow of my bones, but I needed someone to be angry with, and he was the closest person. He had hurt me. His eyebrows came together above those beautiful eyes. Hope fell as he saw something in my expression that disappointed him.

  Without thinking, I put my hand on the back of his neck and pressed my mouth into his. He didn't hesitate, kissing me back with a need that matched my own. He pushed me up against the wall. Our tongues interlocked as we found the valve for the sexual tension that had been building between the two of us for the past two years. My body responded to his every touch with a fervor I couldn't contain. Didn't want to contain. I wanted it to consume us both...

  More Billionaires and Brides

  Yours Completely: A Cinderella Love Story

  Maids don't ever get to go to the ball... do they?

  Jace Connors:

  Stretched thin from running a business and organizing a wedding, the last thing Jace needs is the world's most eligible bachelorettes trying to sneak their way into his bed. When he meets Ella grooming the inn's horses, though, she leaves him breathless. Jace knows that he can't let her get away...

  Ella McDaniels:

  What starts as an almost-kiss in the barn ends up captivating Ella, even though she knows that the richly dressed Jace is out of her league. However, when he keeps showing up wherever she is, her attraction to him grows. And if she can outwit her wicked stepmother, she just might be able to dance with him at the wedding reception ball. There's only one problem...

  What if Jace is actually the groom?

  “Do you have a hard brush? I'm done with the curry comb,” Jace announced, stepping back to view his work.

  “Of course.” Ella picked up the heavy wooden brush and thought about just handing it over iron bars separating the top half of the stalls, but she didn't. Instead, she went to the door and walked around, entering Commander's stall with Jace.

  She didn't know why she did it. She knew she should keep her distance from this man since he was a guest, but her body moved on its own accord and suddenly, she was standing very close to him. She had meant to say something clever and cute, but now that she was actually within touching distance, her brain went blank. Commander stood quietly to the side, watching the two of them with uninterested ease as he waited for the rest of his grooming.

  Her mouth went dry. “Here,” she said, holding out the brush, her heart pounding for no reason that she could come up with.

  He took a step toward her, closing the small distance between them in half a heart beat. She could smell the soft scent of his aftershave. It was a nice clean scent, something with pleasant cedar notes that reminded her of camping under the stars. It was hard not to get melty when a guy smelled that good.

  “Thank you.” He was suddenly very, very close. His h
and closed around hers and the brush. The first time they'd touched had nothing on this. This time, her entire body tingled and goosebumps spread down her arms. She was sure he could hear the pounding of her heart in her chest.

  His eyes were so blue they physically made her ache. The green accents deep within them only made her think of dark water and wonderful secrets, but it was the warmth with which he was looking at her right now that had her gasping for breath.

  Commander shuffled his feet, unhappy with the lack of brushing. His rump ran directly into Ella's shoulder and knocked her off balance. Her arms flailed as she tumbled toward the ground, but she didn't fall. Jace caught her. As if in slow motion, his hand moved to her waist, pulling her in close to him. His strong body steadied hers, holding her upright and against him. Her hand splayed out on his chest, pressing against the firm muscle under his fine-linen dress shirt.

  A tantalizing surge of desire to kiss him welled up inside of her. How would he taste? Would his face be smooth or prickly with a day's growth? Her lips needed to know, to reach out and touch him. Somehow, probably instinctively, she knew without a doubt that kissing him would be like tasting heaven.

  Ella's brain worked in slow motion, desire warring with reason. She just met this man and he was a guest. She shouldn't be leaning in, rising up on her tiptoes, closing her eyes and holding her breath for him to do the same. Yet, all she wanted in this moment was this kiss. This perfect kiss...