Only a fool would give her heart to a billionaire player like Tag - until suddenly the one man who can't be caught is the one flirting with forever . . .
The Billionaire Next Door
Billionaire Bad Boys #2
Jessica Lemmon
Releasing Oct 25th, 2016
Forever
Can't
Buy Me Love
It's Tag Crane's job to be the life of the party. Traveling from one exotic locale to another is just part of running the luxurious Crane Hotel empire. But even paradise isn't perfect. Devising a new business strategy is keeping Tag up at night-and so is the Great Dane barking at all hours in the apartment below his. To muzzle the problem, Tag charges downstairs . . . right into the most beautiful, blond distraction he's ever seen.
Dog-sitting by day, bartending by night. It's not exactly the life Rachel Foster dreamed of. But when Tag Crane rushes in, all mountain-man shoulders and obscenely sexy smile, needing her help for the Crane Hotels, it's a fantasy come true. What's the harm in a fun no-strings fling? Only a fool would give her heart to a billionaire player like Tag-until suddenly the one man who can't be caught is the one flirting with forever . .
It's Tag Crane's job to be the life of the party. Traveling from one exotic locale to another is just part of running the luxurious Crane Hotel empire. But even paradise isn't perfect. Devising a new business strategy is keeping Tag up at night-and so is the Great Dane barking at all hours in the apartment below his. To muzzle the problem, Tag charges downstairs . . . right into the most beautiful, blond distraction he's ever seen.
Dog-sitting by day, bartending by night. It's not exactly the life Rachel Foster dreamed of. But when Tag Crane rushes in, all mountain-man shoulders and obscenely sexy smile, needing her help for the Crane Hotels, it's a fantasy come true. What's the harm in a fun no-strings fling? Only a fool would give her heart to a billionaire player like Tag-until suddenly the one man who can't be caught is the one flirting with forever . .
She turned the knob and
blinked, stunned.
Holy crap, there is a
mountain man at my door.
She was faced with wide,
round shoulders. A waterfall of caramel-brown, slightly wavy hair cascaded down
his arms. He wore a closely trimmed beard, his mouth flat beneath it. One
eyebrow was arched over the bluest eyes she’d ever seen.
“Hello,” she managed,
before jerking her gaze from his assaulting blues to take in the fitted
cream-colored sweater, a pair of gray cargo pants, and laced leather boots.
He was like a sexy city
lumberjack.
“Hi.”
Oh. That voice. Deep,
rich, and low enough that it registered in her belly.
When his eyes dashed away
from her face and he smiled, her brain turned to mush. She couldn’t think of a
thing to say. Not a single thing.
“There he is. Hey, buddy.”
The giant knelt as Adonis meandered through the living room, pausing to do a
downward-dog stretch in front of the man’s feet. The dog received a scrub on
the head, and she was rewarded with more of her guest’s low voice. “You’re
better today, yeah? Sleep okay?”
Meanwhile, Rachel gawked
at the two of them. Her appearance was probably less put-together than the
dog’s. She ran her fingers through her hair again, making it worse at this
point, and straightened her pajama top futilely. There was no escaping that she
looked as if she’d crawled out of bed after a late, late night.
The man stood. “Typically,
Adonis has had his walk by now, but I didn’t see you at the elevator, so…”
She squinted one eye and
finally her brain chugged into gear.
Oh. Oh.
Oliver had mentioned a dog
walker, but Rachel had sworn he said he’d postponed the walks while she was
staying here. But since he was here, he may as well take Adonis. She wasn’t
anywhere near ready to go for a stroll in the snow.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
She went to where the leash was hanging—on a hook inside the pantry—retrieved
it, and chased Adonis for a few irritating seconds while he turned in circles in
excitement. “I took him out at three in the morning, so I’m not sure if he’ll
have to…you know.” Dog clipped, she handed the leash to the ridiculously
good-looking man at her door. “Do you bring your own poop bags? Or do you…” The
man was looking at her like she’d sprouted a third eye, so she swept the topic
away with one hand. “You know what? I’ll just grab one.”
She shot him a tight
smile, went back to the pantry, and returned with a bag made for Adonis’s
business. She offered it to the guy, who was holding tight to Adonis’s leash
while the pooch lunged for the elevator. The man didn’t budge, despite the
dog’s strength.
“Where’s Oliver?” he
asked.
She frowned as she
crinkled the plastic bag against her body. “You mean he didn’t tell you? He’s
on a business trip. I’m housesitting.”
“You his niece?” he asked
after running a long gaze down then up to her face again.
She laughed. “No, not at
all. He’s one of my regulars. Odd, right? But we hit it off and he likes me,
so…”
The man’s frown deepened,
those gorgeous eyes darkening to stormy blue. “I’m not the dog walker.” He
offered the leash but Adonis stayed in the hallway rather than coming back
inside. “I’m an upstairs neighbor.”
“Oh. Oh my God! I’m so
sorry!” Rachel took the leash and wrestled with Adonis, who was much, much
stronger than she. He knew it. The dog spread his feet wide and stood his
ground on the carpeted floor.
“I suggest you find a way
to keep him quiet at night while you’re out. I work from home and I can’t
listen to him bark for hours.”
Hours?
“If I were anyone else, a
noise complaint would be in your future. Oliver follows the rules. He wouldn’t
like knowing you’re breaking a big one.” That low voice had dropped lower, the
reprimand having the dual result of both pissing her off and making her feel a
little tingly.
God. I need more sleep.
“No need to be rude,” she
snapped. He blinked, surprised. Probably not used to being put in his place.
Look at him. He’s a wall.
Who would stand up to him?
Then she remembered his
kind smile, the way his hands rubbed Adonis’s flank with rugged gentleness. A
shiver climbed her spine at the same time Adonis jerked hard on the leash.
She expelled a dainty
“oh!” and lunged forward at the same time the man in the doorway caught the
leash in one hand and her against him. Rachel found every part of her from
thighs to breasts plastered to the giant’s body. Her palms flattened over two
hard pectoral muscles hidden beneath the sweater, her legs bumping his legs,
which felt as solid as two marble columns. She tilted her head, met those aqua
blue eyes and…and…remembered she hadn’t brushed her teeth yet.
She shoved off his
rock-hard stomach, slapping a palm over her mouth. Then she gave a hard tug to
Adonis’s leash, who turned with a sigh and paced back inside. Once he was clear
of the door, she sent the hard-bodied hunk at the threshold a glare and slammed
the door in his face.
Adonis yipped his
disappointment at losing the chance to go outside.
“You’ll have to take him
out now!” came a shout through the door. “Don’t blue-ball the poor guy after
taking him halfway.”
Adonis wagged his tail so
hard, he nearly took out a lamp. The hulk at the door was right. There was no
way she could turn down the Dane’s pale eyes and smiling pink mouth, perked
pointy ears, and lolling tongue.
“Fine,” she growled and
stomped for the bedroom. She snatched up her boots and hastily picked out her
clothes, feeling both tired and cranky. Yet as she tugged on her coat, she
found her mouth curving into a half-smile.
Blue balls.
Who was that guy?
I've been looking forward to Tag's story since I met him in the last book, and I was not disappointed! He is sexy, smart, kind, fun and I loved that he was patient with Rachel and always showed her how much he wanted her. Rachel's ex did a number on her, but she really grew into her own with Tag's encouragement. Great chemistry between them and Tag's grand gesture knocked it out of the ballpark for me. I think I might have enjoyed this one more than the first book. Eli's book is next and I have a feeling he's going to be my favorite!
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book. I was not compensated for this review, all conclusions are my own.
Top 5 Ways To Frustrate An Alpha Billionaire Bad Boy
In my new release The Billionaire
Bachelor, our hero Tag Crane is having one heck of a time getting heroine
Rachel Foster to comply. His tried-and-true tricks simply don’t *quite* break
down this particular woman’s defenses. Which means Tag shrugs and wanders off
to find a new woman to tempt, right…?
WRONG!
You know when an alpha guy finds
The One, even if he doesn’t know she’s it for him yet, he digs in and tries,
tries, and tries again. Which brings
me to the Top 5 ways to frustrate an alpha!
Many of these Rachel does without
even trying…
.5.
Don’t let him pay your way. Alphas, especially rich
ones, love to lavish gifts upon the object of their affection. If you want to
frustrate him right down to his expensive shoes, insist on buying your own
dinner. In Tag’s case, he won this battle, but it didn’t stop Rachel from arguing.
Points: 1
.4.
Insist on working. Tag invites Rachel to Hawaii under
the guise of consulting on his latest bar upgrade for a Crane hotel on Oahu. But
when he gets her there he decides he’d rather play than work… Rachel makes sure
she puts in her hours whether he likes it or not. Points: 2… but -1
because she definitely makes time for play!
.3.
Resist his advances. Playboy Tag Crane knows his way
around a woman—and how to woo one. But whenever his cocky charm makes itself
known, Rachel is sure to laugh it off. At one point, she lies and blurts, “I’m
not the least bit attracted to… what you have going on.” Points: 3. Well
played!
.2.
Don’t react the way he expects. When Rachel
opens her front door one evening to find Tag standing outside of it, he lays a
long, delicious kiss on her lips. When she doesn’t respond by climbing him like
a cat on a curtain, Tag is completely confused. He even thinks to himself
“SURELY, she liked it?” Throwing him off-kilter comes naturally to our wily
heroine. Points: 5
.1.
Don’t spell things out for him. Alphas think
simply. In The Billionaire Next Door, Rachel uses the phrase “Me-Tarzan,
You-Jane” to describe his techniques. The best way to frustrate an alpha? Keep
him guessing… You won’t only frustrate him, you’ll fascinate him. And once he’s fallen head over money clip, he’ll
come running and fight to win you. Points: 10.
A
former job-hopper, Jessica Lemmon resides in Ohio with her
husband and rescue dog. She holds a degree in graphic design currently
gathering dust in an impressive frame. When she’s not writing super-sexy
heroes, she can be found cooking, drawing, drinking coffee (okay, wine), and
eating potato chips. She firmly believes God gifts us with talents for a
purpose, and with His help, you can create the life you want.
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