“You don’t?”
“I really don’t. I’ve spent so many years trying to please everyone and racing to stay on top. Like everything is some mountain you have to claw your way to the top of.” He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed the top of it. “I’m just done.”
“What does that mean?”
Good question. She thought out loud. “I’m done being perfect. Done caring what other people think.” And done coming up with reasons why she couldn’t have what most people dream of. “And I’m done with a life you’re not in. I love you, Charlie.”
Without letting go of her hand, he stood, bringing her up with him so they could embrace under the moon. “And I’ll tell you something else,” she continued, fired up. “A year wasn’t long enough away from Hollywood for me to really get my health back. Might you have a spare room at your mansion?” Their lips met in a joining that Luna now knew was her home.
* * *
Charlie swung his hips with the abandon he remembered from when they were here last time. The groove got under Luna’s skin, too, and she flitted the ruffles of her skirt while she fixed a seductive gaze on him until he thought he’d melt like hot candle wax. He wanted nothing more than to dance this night away with her in Viejo San Juan. No, that wasn’t true. What he wanted was to dance with her every night.
“You haven’t told me what you think about my idea,” she said after they cooled down with piraguas—shaved ice with flavored syrups. “I can base myself in the UK, at least for a while.”
“What I think is that you’ll like my estate in Buckinghamshire. It’s serene and private.” While for all these years it had felt gloomy and isolating, with Luna inhabiting the property it would be as alive as the dancing was in this plaza. He’d never believed that he’d fling open his doors again. The entry to his home. And to his heart. But now he couldn’t wait.
He added, “And, if you’re not comfortable there, we’ll get a place in London.”
“I’ve never been in a real relationship.”
“I know. We’ll figure it out.”
“I don’t even know if I want to be in show business anymore.”
“We’ll figure that out, too. You and I. We’ll be able to face anything as long as we’re together.”
* * *
Their joyous dancing lasted until the wee hours, then they fell asleep on the beach on a blanket in the sand in front of the villa. Charlie slept soundly, waking surprised when slumber had come so easily again with her in his arms.
Over morning coffee, Luna checked her phone and had a message from Paris. She excused herself to return the call inside the villa. He wondered whom she knew in Paris and realized he had much to learn about the woman he planned to spend the rest of his life with.
“Well, well,” she said as she returned to the front patio after quite a while. “The universe must be tuned in to our master plan.”
“What do you mean?” He gestured for her to sit beside him on a lounger on the sand and have some spicy café con leche.
“That was Bernice Dubois.”
“The film director?” One of France’s best-known directors, she had been consistently wowing at film festivals and winning awards lately.
“Yes. She saw my interview with Blick Jenson. She’s struggled with an eating disorder herself.”
“Interesting.”
“She’s written a script about a woman whose life is almost ruined by it until she’s able to get the proper treatment. She just offered me the role.”
Joy swelled in him. “You’ve said you wanted to start making films that were important to you. What did you tell her?”
“That I had to read the script first, of course. But that I was very interested.” As the news set in, she added, “Oh, my gosh. Do you know what this could mean for me?”
“I’m so happy for you.”
“She asked if I thought my schedule would allow me to spend some time in Paris once I finish the shoot I’m on.”
“I love Paris. Which, by the way, is a very short distance from Buckinghamshire,” he said with a wily smile.
“I owe so much of it to you. If it hadn’t been for you, I wouldn’t have had the courage to open up in that interview. You’ve become a new mirror to see myself in.”
“I could say the same about you.” He leaned over and cupped her velvety cheek with his hand, brought his lips to hers, both of them giddy with anticipation about the future. “You pulled me out of the darkness. I never expected to shine in the light again. You made my life worth living again. You are simply magical, my love.”
“No one has ever loved me just for me. I don’t have to prove myself to you. You have no idea how much you’ve changed my whole being in the blink of an eye. You’ve given me myself back.”
“And I always will, my Luna, my beloved.”
They held hands and looked outward, watching the morning sparkle over the Caribbean.
“I’m going to miss Puerto Rico,” she said wistfully.
“We’ll come back,” he said as he went down on one knee in the sand and pulled a small velvet box from his pocket, opening it to reveal a sun-glinted diamond ring. “On our honeymoon. Will you marry me?”
Luna’s smile told him everything he needed to know. “I will, Charlie. I will.”
EPILOGUE
FRIENDS AND WORK colleagues congregated in the garden until they were told to take their seats because the ceremony was to begin. Luna’s family and her Hollywood team were there. Anush was a lovely maid of honor in her pewter-colored dress. And Charlie’s COO, Tom, made a dignified best man in his grey suit. Bernice Dubois and Luna’s new French friends were in attendance, as well. In the back row, Madison Morgan of the M Dating Agency looked on, the results of her handiwork earning her a well-deserved smile of pride.
Charlie waited at the altar as he watched his future father-in-law walk his magnificent bride down the aisle. She approached in her slinky champagne-colored dress holding a bouquet of flowers she’d requested be picked from this very garden—from the monument that Charlie had planted in his mourning so many years ago.
The memorial garden had become a happy place, where Charlie and Luna came to walk and talk frequently. So much had happened in the months since Luna accepted the acting role with Bernice. The two women had already formed a production company to make films about women’s issues and several projects were underway, with others planned. Luna was easily able to base herself in Buckinghamshire. In fact, she had nothing short of a corporate office set up in an unused wing of the mansion. Charlie was delighted that those floors were being used for something important.
As the officiant pronounced them husband and wife, Charlie could not have been more in love with the woman who was now his wife. Their kiss was met with cheers and applause. They had the good wishes of everyone in attendance, most of them knowing what challenging paths Charlie and Luna had had to follow in order to get to this moment.
The sun was out, the flowers were vibrant and the bees were buzzing. Looking up to the light blue sky, he could hardly believe what he saw. A rainbow-striped kite soared up toward the clouds. Where on earth could it have come from? A neighboring property, perhaps? A child at a party having accidentally let go of the line?
A strong feeling of warmth filled Charlie on the inside. He knew what the kite meant. Thank you, Amelia, he mouthed.
At the luncheon following the ceremony Charlie and Luna made the rounds, visiting guests at every table. One of his employees asked, “Where are you going on your honeymoon?”
The bride and groom beamed enormous smiles to each other, then answered in unison, “Puerto Rico, of course.”
* * * * *
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ISBN-13: 9780369712943
Caribbean Nights with the Tycoon
Copyright © 2021 by Harlequin Books S.A.
Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to Andrea Bolter for her contribution to the Billion-Dollar Matches miniseries.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Wedding Bells at Lake Como
The perfect destination for love!
Italy’s picturesque Lake Como is the perfect destination for love, except the path to happy-ever-after isn’t always smooth...
Cousins Gianna and Carla aren’t looking for romance. Gianna’s nursing a broken heart and Carla’s wed to the family business. Until charismatic brothers Dario and Franco arrive on Lake Como’s stunning shores...and sweep them off their feet!
Find out what happens when a case of mistaken identity leads to a fake engagement in Bound by a Ring and a Secret
And discover Carla and Franco’s story in Falling for Her Convenient Groom
Available now!
Dear Reader,
Sometimes when you love someone so much, you’ll do whatever it takes to keep them safe—even taking drastic measures. That’s exactly what happens to restaurateur Carla Falco when her workaholic father refuses to listen to his doctors and slow down. There’s one thing her father wants above all else—Carla to get married. She uses this to her advantage and strikes a most unusual deal with her father. And then she proposes to the grandson of her father’s archenemy, knowing he dislikes marriage even more than she does. Theirs will be a union of purely business.
Spice merchant Franco Marchello has less than zero interest in marriage, but he’s getting desperate to save his family’s faltering business. So when beautiful and alluring Carla surprises him with a most unique marriage proposal, he’s absolutely torn about what to do.
But as they work together and get to know each other better, will they be able to ignore their growing feelings and stay focused on the business at hand? Because a marriage on paper only might sound like a good idea in theory but everything changes after saying “I do.”
Happy reading,
Jennifer
Falling for Her Convenient Groom
Jennifer Faye
Award-winning author Jennifer Faye pens fun, heartwarming contemporary romances with rugged cowboys, sexy billionaires and enchanting royalty. Internationally published with books translated into nine languages, she is a two-time winner of the RT Book Reviews Reviewers’ Choice Award. She has also won the CataRomance Reviewers’ Choice Award, been named a Top Pick author and been nominated for numerous other awards.
Books by Jennifer Faye
Harlequin Romance
Wedding Bells at Lake Como
Bound by a Ring and a Secret
The Bartolini Legacy
The Prince and the Wedding Planner
The CEO, the Puppy and Me
The Italian’s Unexpected Heir
Once Upon a Fairytale
Beauty and Her Boss
Miss White and the Seventh Heir
Fairytale Christmas with the Millionaire
Snowbound with an Heiress
Her Christmas Pregnancy Surprise
Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.
Praise for
Jennifer Faye
“A fantastic romantic read that is a joy to read from start to finish, The CEO, the Puppy and Me is another winner by the immensely talented Jennifer Faye.”
—Goodreads
Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Epilogue
PROLOGUE
Verona, Italy
SHE WAS IN CHARGE.
It hadn’t been her goal. She had been satisfied with working in the background.
Still, Carla Falco now sat in the CEO’s chair, and it was time to sign off on the payroll for the Falco Fresco Ristorante empire. Her gaze moved down over the sizable disbursement requisition, making sure everything looked in order—
The office door burst open. She glanced up to see her father stride into the room with a frown on his face. For a man who’d had two heart attacks in less than a year with the most recent one barely two weeks ago, he certainly didn’t look feeble. In fact, he reminded her of a charging bull with steam emanating from his nostrils.
He wasn’t supposed to be here. He was supposed to be at home, following the doctor’s orders of modest exercise and a lean, wholesome diet. More importantly, he was supposed to be relaxing instead of stressing over the family business. That was her job now.
“How could you do it?” His voice boomed through the large office.
She stood and moved to the door. She caught her assistant, Rosa’s, surprised look and sent her a reassuring smile before closing the door so they could have this conversation in private instead of having the whole office hear them. Then she turned to him. “I suppose you’re referring to halting the expansion into Sicily.”
“Yes! We talked about this. I told you I wanted to build there.”
“And after looking at the numbers, as well as consulting with department heads, I have to disagree with you. We need to focus on our current properties. Many are now older and in need of updating.”
His face filled with color. He was so worked up he couldn’t speak. She’d known he wouldn’t be happy about the decision, but she was hoping he wouldn’t hear about it for a while. In fact, she’d gone to great lengths to keep this information under wraps, but it appeared her father had a mole in the company. Why didn’t that surprise her?
She moved to his side and then gestured to one of the two black leather armchairs faci
ng her desk. “Sit down.”
He didn’t say anything for a moment. Then he moved to the other side of the desk and sat down in her chair. “I think sitting down is exactly what I should do.”
“Papa, what are you doing?”
“I’m taking over my position as CEO once more. Your services are no longer needed.”
Her mouth gaped as her mind struggled to make sense of what had just happened. “You’re firing me?”
His gaze narrowed in on her. “I’m giving you time to concentrate on your life.”
“This is my life.”
“No. This is my life. You need to go find your own.” His voice was firm.
“But you’re in no condition to return to work. You should be at home resting.”
“I’ve rested. All I do is rest. I’m done resting.”
His definition of rest and hers were two different things. He showed up at the office every day, looking over her shoulder and questioning everything. If she didn’t do something quickly to change things, she would never win the respect of the employees now reporting to her. She would be ineffectual as the CEO, and her father’s beloved company would flounder.
Not to mention that every time her father visited the office, he got worked up over something. These were the details he didn’t need to concern himself with at the moment. His focus should be on his precarious health and how to strengthen his body.
Her mind raced for a way to fix the situation. She knew what her father wanted more than anything—for her to marry. It was an idea she’d been toying with lately. Maybe she could make a deal of sorts.
“What would you say if I was willing to make you a deal?” She knew her father thrived on wheeling and dealing—the higher the stakes, the more he enjoyed it.
He paused for a moment as though he was trying to figure out her angle. Then, in a more normal tone of voice, he asked, “What sort of deal?”
Harlequin Romance September 2021 Box Set Page 15