Charles looked up the stairs, his breath catching in his throat as he watched his Fiona float down the stairs. She looked amazing. Beautiful, ethereal and breathtaking. Her white wedding gown floated around her ankles and her gorgeous dark hair was piled on top of her head with little flowers stuck in all around. He honestly thought she was the most glorious bride he’d ever seen.
He glanced over at Georgette, the genius behind the wedding gown masterpiece and smiled in her direction. She was leaning against her new husband, Dylan Alfieri, and obviously madly in love.
Looking back up at Fiona, he almost laughed at the idea that she would bring two great Danes to their wedding. He really was in love if he’d been willing to let those beasts show up. Fiona had introduced him to the animals last week while they’d picnicked in the park. Well, picnicked and threw the balls constantly.
He needed to get a dog for Fiona, he thought. And more lessons. Yes, she needed many more lessons in order to write successfully. She really was a brilliant author and he didn’t mind one little bit that she wrote erotica. It just gave them more to talk about. And it got him out of the office before seven o’clock.
“You’re beautiful,” he said as she took her place next to him. “I love you,” he told her, squeezing her hand.
Fiona smiled brightly, feeling like all of her dreams had finally come true. “I love you too,” she whispered back. Then turned to face the minister, more than ready to become the wife of Charles Henson the Third, banker extraordinaire.
Goodness, if any of his conservative banker friends or clients knew what a wicked man he was in the bedroom….!
Note from Elizabeth Lennox:
Thank you for trying out Releasing the Billionaire’s Passion! This is only a short story to give you, the reader, a chance to sample my writing style. In my full stories, I try to put more controversy and more character development into my plots. I add more twists and turns, more tension! Learn about all of my free works at www.ElizabethLennox.com/free-books!
I love writing novellas because they are just short little romances. They are fun to write and, hopefully, fun to read.
If you like this story, please check out my full length romances. An excerpt from one is in the next chapter. At the end of this book is a list of all my stories, including other free novellas that you might like to try.
Look for the other books in The Alfieri Saga – most of which are already available via your favorite e-book retailer (the last comes out in January, 2015).
The Italian’s Passionate Return (Damien & Jemma) – The free novella that started the series! They shared only one night of passion, but the memory of it has stayed with Damien ever since. He searched for her for months, but even with his considerable resources, with only her first name to go on, he’d been unsuccessful. Now, six years later, Damien is speechless when he finds Jemma by chance on a farm in the rolling hills of the Virginia countryside. The woman he has sought for so long, and yet she won’t come with him now? But Damien won’t give up so easily.
Damien’s appearance after so many years rocks Jemma’s comfortable, if simple existence. He has never left her memory either – how could he with such a visible reminder? Her son – their son – Dylan is now a precocious five, and the light of her life. Although Damien didn’t recognize him, Jemma feels honor bound to tell him about his son. But how will he react? Will he try to take Dylan away?
Her Gentle Capture (Adriana & Mitch) – Adriana hates Mitch as a boss, but can’t keep her eyes off of him. He drives her crazy, wanting to go over every detail of her work, but...she finds herself wondering what he looks like underneath his impressive suits. How is she to maintain her dislike of the man when her body is telling her that she is lying to herself?
Mitch is blown away by Adriana. His attraction to her can no longer be ignored, and he senses that she feels it too. He finally breaks down her defenses, countering all of her arguments about why they shouldn't be together and showing her, in great detail, how incredible they are together. So why does she become so angry when he tells her he won’t share her with anyone else?
His Reluctant Companion (Dylan & Georgette) – As a southern belle, Georgette has certain standards she must maintain. But when Dylan walks into the ballroom, all of her southern manners and poise are unable to hold up under his heated stare. She can’t believe a Yankee could break through her walls so completely, but she must maintain her distance. She has goals of her own and she can’t let some man, no matter how delicious he might be, interfere with those goals.
Dylan can’t believe that the lovely lady is even trying to ignore her passionate side. She is sensual and funny, intelligent and passionate. And when they touch, they set each other on fire. So why is she running away from such a perfect union?
Her Unexpected Admirer (Davis & Katherine) – Davis hated art; he thought the art world was pretentious and superficial. Until that night in the gallery, art was only an investment to him – something that he could buy now and sell later for a profit. So he was completely unprepared for the emotional punch he experienced when he looked at the paintings on the walls at this gallery. Within five minutes of walking in, he’d bought the entire collection of the anonymous artist.
Katherine couldn’t believe she let her friend talk her into showing her paintings. She’d always considered her art work to be private, simply an outlet for her own emotions. If her father ever found out that she painted, he would be disgusted with her. When she meets Davis Alfieri, those emotions take a dangerous, terrifying turn, releasing the pent up passion she’d been pretending wasn’t inside of her.
Her Tender Tyrant (Marcus & Juliette) – Marcus moved through life expecting everything to be logical. Science could explain everything and he’d learned to make enormous profits understanding science. So when he runs into the illogical Juliette, his mind has a hard time understanding why she would walk down the street singing and dancing. There wasn’t any music! But no matter how much he craved logic and reason, his body craved Juliette more.
Juliette is fascinated by Marcus’s stoicism. How could he walk down the street and not feel the joy in the sunshine? How could he ignore the sounds of the grasshoppers and birds? Or smile at the perfection of a flower? And how could her mind and body need a man who didn’t understand the joy of living life for the moment?
His Expectant Lover (Antonio & Andie) – While strolling the runways of Milan, Andie sees him and her heart begins to race. There is just something about the man that changes her world, makes everything brighter and happier. The more she gets to know Antonio, the more she falls in love with him. When their relationship reaches a physical crescendo, she tells him how her heart has fallen for him, thinking that he feels the same way. Unprepared, and suffering from a painful history with love, Antonio’s faltering response breaks her heart. Andie feels like she has finally met the heartless tycoon that everyone describes.
Although he isn’t able to respond in kind, Antonio feels far more than he would like when the lovely Andie professes her love for him. He knows that he wants to protect her, that he doesn’t want her to leave him, but he isn’t ready to be that vulnerable again. Her departure leaves him empty, until one day she shows up at his office, scared, too thin, still painfully beautiful…and pregnant. This time around, he is determined to keep her with him. He doesn’t know what he feels, but he knows that he can’t live without her.