The Marriage Arrangement_A Marriage to a Billionaire Novella by Jennifer Probst

Author:Jennifer Probst [Probst, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Evil Eye Concepts, Incorporated
Published: 2018-04-30T18:00:00+00:00

* * * *

Later that night, Rip shot out of bed, his lungs gasping for air.

Fighting back a shudder, he rolled off the mattress, his skin damp with sweat. He glanced at the clock.

Midnight.

Fuck.

He hated when the nightmares came. Occasionally, they’d rise up from his subconscious, like gleeful little devils reminding him he hadn’t outrun them. Whenever he’d begun to succeed and build confidence in his abilities, his father’s voice danced in his head in its familiar, taunting tone. Whenever he hoped someone would spot worthiness for love in his soul, her mocking laughter would drag him back down to the pits of hell.

The conversation with Caterina had let them loose.

He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her.

You’re enough, too.

He got up and shrugged on jeans and a T-shirt. Went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face; brushed his teeth. He’d never had a more perfect day. After the park, they’d gone to dinner, and on to La Dolce Famiglia for dessert. Instinct had pushed him to tell her the truth that night, but she’d cited a morning appointment with a purse designer, and Rip sensed it would be better to leave. The kiss at her front door promised much more, very soon. He’d quickly texted Edward when he got back to the hotel and asked for a few more days. He still hadn’t heard back.

Rip looked in the mirror and wondered what Caterina saw in him. Eventually, she’d realize he was a fraud, a man who’d lied about his identity. A man who’d never loved or been loved in return. A man who wanted things with her he’d never thought possible.

His lungs tight, he couldn’t breathe; he needed air. Stumbling out the door, he headed down to the lobby, through the doors, and took to the streets.

His life had been a long string of successes and failures, but he’d never questioned if he was happy. Growing up with a father who hated him had taught him never to seek such a luxury. No, life had been about survival, pure and simple. He’d learned early any type of reaction incited more attention from his father—usually left in black and blue marks. It hadn’t taken long for him to master masking his feelings and remaining distant, cold, untouchable. But inside, the mass of raw emotion simmered dangerously. School was his ticket out, and he’d taken the violence until he graduated and left before he exploded into a rage of hate that would destroy him.

He remembered the first time he’d met Alicia. She’d been the first woman he’d fallen in love with—a woman with class and breeding—from her expensive sports car, designer clothes, to the wicked restlessness gleaming in her hard blue eyes. She’d brought him home to the family vineyard and announced her intention to marry him.

Rip saw his job as a new opportunity to prove himself. His enraged future father-in-law cut him down at first, but grudgingly found that he had a raw talent with the grapes, a rare palate and skill with blending that quickly had him moving ahead.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.