Yours Completely (Billionaires and Brides 1)

“Sebastian Belrose? One of the guys who run the Kindling Romance dating website?” Dad asked, sounding a little awestruck.

“Yeah,” I answered. “How do you know who he is?”

“Just because I deal in antiques doesn't mean I don't know what is going on in the modern world,” he justified. “I actually saw his name in the financial section of the paper this morning. What did he want?”

I wiped at my nose. This was good news, not news that I should cry about. “He wants to hire us.”

Dad's eyes went wide with excitement. “That's fantastic!” Then he remembered why I was sitting on the floor crying and tamped his enthusiasm down a little. “And you went to go tell Chad?”

I nodded, a fresh wave of tears rolling down my face. “I was going to tell him that Mr. Belrose hired us to appraise his mansion in the Caribbean and to put it up for auction. It's the biggest job we've ever gotten,” I said, still sobbing.

“Oh, sweetie, that's great” Dad whispered, hugging me close. “When does he want us to go?”

“Dad!” I wailed.

“Sorry, sorry,” he quickly apologized. “You breaking up with your boyfriend takes precedence. Sorry.”

He let me sob for awhile, just holding me and letting me get it out of my system. I knew he hated it when I cried, but I couldn't stop. I hadn't been enough for Chad and it made even my bones hurt.

“You going to be okay?” Dad asked when I finally stopped gasping for air. He brushed the hair out of my face and looked me over, checking my face for cracks like I was a valuable vase someone had dropped.

“No,” I said shaking my head. “But you and I will be going to the Caribbean in two months, so that will probably help. Mr. Belrose, or rather his assistant, will be sending all the details tomorrow, but you and I will go out and appraise everything in the house and then Aunt Jenny will run the auction.”

Dad grinned and then promptly tried to cover it up. He hugged me tight, nearly squishing all the remaining air from my lungs. I let him. This was the job that would save our business. He deserved to be happy for a moment, especially given everything that had happened in the past five years.

“It will work out, sweetie,” Dad promised. “Things always do.”

Sunrise Kisses: Chapter 2

/> I took a deep breath in, closing my eyes and taking it all in. The sun hung low in the sky, casting long palm-tree shaped shadows on the white sand walkway. Humid, warm air filled my lungs and it was like breathing in pure happiness. A trip to the Caribbean was exactly the thing I needed, even if it was a work trip. The sky was still blue, but the clouds were starting to bronze and crisp with color on the edges. The trees danced on a gentle breeze carrying the smell of ocean salt. I felt warm for the first time in weeks and like things were actually going my way.

That isn't to say I wasn't nervous. My palms were sweating and I was glad I had put on an extra swipe of deodorant before getting off the plane, but it was a good kind of stress. The kind that led to good things happening instead of feeling like I was constantly having to play catch-up.

I glanced over at my Dad, noticing he was just as anxious as I was. He rubbed at his shoulder, and despite the grin on his face, I could still see the tension in his jaw. I grinned back, knowing that my expression mirrored his.

The house in front of us was huge. No, I corrected myself, house isn't the right word. Mansion is closer. Even the word mansion still felt too small for the building in front of us. The entrance was immense and imposing with clean lines and a modern feel. Glass and soft white stone gleamed in the setting sun, promising a wealth of treasure past the huge wooden doors.

Huge seemed to be the word of the day. The private jet here had been huge. The limo to the house had been huge. Now the house was huge. Everything, including our commission and the boost to our business this job was going to give us, was huge. It would be the thing that would finally let Dad retire and leave the company in my hands.

Dad dropped his hand from his shoulder and knocked confidently on the large wooden doors. He was a big man, but his assured knock still sounded quiet against the might of the doors. I was sure that our driver was going to let us in, but my father was always one to take charge. It was something that had served him well over the years.

“Dad, come here,” I hissed, hurrying over to him and straightening his collar. “We're supposed to look professional.”

“Says the woman in shorts,” Dad retorted, pulling away.

“They're dress shorts,” I explained. “They are meant to be worn with a suit jacket, just like this. I look good.”

Dad paused. He knew this was a sore subject for me. It had been for the past two months. I had to look my best. I didn't know if it was just because I was trying to convince myself that I actually was the best, or if it was just a way to hide my flaws. To me, looking good meant that I could take on the world and hopefully not look like I had been cheated on.

“You look great,” Dad conceded. He smiled, his green eyes kind. “You always make our business look good.”

And we needed this to the business to look good. The past few months had been rough. Like, thinking of selling the business kind of rough. I shook my head as he lowered his hand from knocking. Thank God he hadn't sold. Chad was the one interested in buying.

The door opened on silent hinges to unveil the biggest man I had ever seen. Huge, was again, the word of the day. I could of swore I heard the giant growl as he looked us over. I swallowed hard.

“Oh, good!” a female voice chirped as a pretty head peeked out from behind the massive doorman. She pushed him gently to the side, treating him like an overgrown puppy rather than the hulking beast he was. “You must be the Fairchilds. Please, come in.”

The big man moved to hold the door open, letting us pass. I smiled up at him as we passed, but he kept a stern face. He was not a man to be messed with.