MY BEAUTIFUL STRANGER: A Billionaire Romance (THE KISS DUET Book 1) by Shayne Ford

Author:Shayne Ford [Ford, Shayne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-08-15T04:00:00+00:00

16

RHETT

The party is a collection of sharp suits and high-end dresses. People we know. Or people we need to know. Or people who need to know us.

My mother hasn’t spared anything to make it look perfect.

My father moves with grace from one guest to another.

He knows the latest development has hit the financial news networks, and anyone in the know is aware of our little setback.

The timing sucks since this was supposed to be a victory lap for my father.

He thought he’d negotiate from a position of power. And that had been taken away from him without warning.

Despite all that, money talks.

And there’s still enough money.

The Hayes are all grouped together. John. Angela. And the two daughters. Mariela talks to someone I don’t know… And, um, that must be Annalise.

She has her back turned to me.

Her hair is long and moves in large rings the color of melted caramel. She wears a red dress that makes her look more mature by revealing her tanned back and arms.

She’s still only nineteen.

What is she thinking?

What was I thinking?

In all fairness, I didn’t remember her being so young.

Well, she is.

She pushes her chair back and rises to her feet.

My eyes go to the small of her back before sliding over her body. And then she turns to me as if feeling my stare.

Her face is carved in smooth skin, her hair framing high cheekbones, a small straight nose suggesting stubbornness, long lashes, firm but full lips, and eyes made of the purest shade of ice.

She pins me with her stare, not smiling, cautiously waiting for me to make my move.

She is different than I remember her. Still not a grown-up in my mind, despite looking like a woman.

Even her red dress agrees with me, hugging her small curves and highlighting her chest.

I notice a lesson in seduction on her part.

Too bad it won’t work for me. But I’m impressed. Flattered? No. It blows my mind that she decided she liked me without knowing shit about me other than how I looked.

How current was her representation of me?

Who knows?

Maybe her options were limited at the boarding school abroad.

“Rhett…” she murmurs, her voice sweet and even, but I’m not buying it.

Two things happen as I nod my head with a greeting and take in the display of sultriness in front of me.

Well, three.

I was wrong about Mariela. She might not be well-liked, but she makes no secret she is trouble.

The second thing is…

This one in front of me might look like a kitten, have the age of a kitten, and even purr like a kitten, yet she has troublemaker written all over her face, too.

What was my first clue?

The way she modulates her voice. The ingenue act. But that’s the thing. She is ninety percent made of innocence. Her parents have made sure of that. It’s just that the last ten percent of her is the complete opposite of innocence.

Knowing Mariela, I’m not surprised.

They can’t be that different, can they?

Although Annalise is far from being as conniving as her older sister.

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