Anxious, I quiet him with my finger, pressing it to his lips. Then I quickly, almost frantically, rise up on tiptoe, pressing my mouth to my thumb and kissing it. I drop my thumb, and then I’m kissing him because in the midst of all the what ifs, sometimes you need to make a choice.
He takes control and lifts me up, kissing me thoroughly.
A couple of tears slip out, sliding down my cheeks as I smile against his mouth. “Don’t cry,” he says.
“I’m happy. They’re happy tears.”
“Then I won’t mind seeing more of that.”
A tender look sweeps into his eyes as he drinks me in, dries my eyes as if he won’t ever have me cry again, and he leans down and kisses me some more.
“You look gorgeous.” He eyes my dress, when he eases back to let me catch a breath.
“This old thing?” I tease.
He smiles.
“Amazing what the right clothes do for a woman even when she feels like shit,” I admit.
“Amazing what the right woman does for a man even when things go to shit.”
He brushes my mouth, hungry, as he nuzzles me.
“Always had a thing for your nose,” I breathe.
“Really.”
“Hmm. Lots of character.” I nuzzle him.
“Big as shit.”
“Yes.”
“All the more to smell you better.”
I laugh and snuggle into him. “You’re all big as shit, it’s perfect on your face.” I stop to touch his face. “I love your face.”
Tenderness, it’s wild and free and raw and primal, and it’s all in his kiss as he nuzzles my nose with his, melting me before his lips crush mine sort of proprietary, sort of fierce, sort of possessive, sort of exquisitely.
He boosts me up by the butt and sets me down on the fountain ledge, bringing me to his eyelevel.
I slip my arms around his neck, and he holds me by the waist. “For a while I’ve been all business. After I lost my mother. I was good at it. I convinced myself that if you’d have gone for me, you would have, long ago—so I never came back. I was good at business, and that was that. I thought I didn’t need more. I do.” He slides his hand into the back of my neck, his grip possessive on my nape as he squeezes gently, his gaze carving into me. “I want, need more. You. Your acceptance, your love. Your smiles, your kindness, your sweetness. Mine. For me.”
I nod so fast I get dizzy, and he chuckles as he boosts me down. We start to walk along the park.
He looks at me as if he doesn’t plan to forget a single feature of my face.
We look at each other as if for the first time.
“Let’s have a do-over,” he says, tugging me close.
“No.” I shake my head, pressing my cheek to his chest. “I don’t want to have missed a thing.”
“Then let’s not miss a thing of what’s coming.”
He looks down at me and brushes my lips with his thumb. “Babies.”
I nod.
“Marriage.”
I nod.
“Considering I’m marrying you in City Hall as fast as I can…can I at least have your name?”
I laugh, cheeks burning.
“Bryn.”
“Bryn. I’m Aaric,” he says, cupping my cheek in one big hand and bringing his eyes to look deep into mine, giving me the most devastating grin. “Bryn, I see my future in your eyes.”
DEAR READERS,
Thanks so much for picking up Tycoon. I hope you enjoyed Christos and Bryn’s story as much as I did writing it. And most definitely, yes! Sara and Ian are next! :D
XOXO,
TYCOON
White House series:
MR. PRESIDENT
COMMANDER IN CHIEF
Manwhore series:
MANWHORE
MANWHORE +1
MS. MANWHORE
LADIES’ MAN
WOMANIZER
Real series:
REAL
MINE
REMY
ROGUE
RIPPED
LEGEND
Although writing is a personal thing and sometimes quite a lonely profession, publishing is a whole other beast, and I couldn’t do it without the help and support of my amazing team. I’m grateful to you all.
To my family, I love you!
Thank you Amy and everyone at Jane Rotrosen Agency!
Thank you CeCe, Lisa, Anita, Nina, Angie, Monica, Kati and Kim.
Thank you Nina, Jenn, and everyone at Social Butterfly PR…
Thank you Melissa,
Gel,
S&S Audio,
and my fabulous foreign publishers.
Special thanks to Sara at Okay Creations for the beautiful cover And to Wong Sim and Chad Hurst for the kickass image.
Thank you Julie for formatting, to bloggers for sharing and supporting my work throughout the years, and readers~ I’m truly blessed to have such an enthusiastic, cool crowd of people to share my books with. You are the greatest.