The Millionaire's Bride

“You’re what?” Surely, she’d misheard. Alexa leaned forward in her chair and stared at her father in disbelief.Martin Black steepled his fingers and propped his elbows atop his desk. “I’ll be stepping down from the position of CEO by the beginning of the year. I’ll retain my title as president.”Her brother, Aiden, leaned forward in his chair. “It’s September, Dad. Caliber is your life. I don’t understand.”Alexa was having a hard time grasping the words herself. Why would Dad leave the company? How could Dad leave the family business?“I’ve paid my dues and worked my life away. I’m ready to do something new. I’ve been seeing a woman, and we plan to marry and tour Europe.”“Are you kidding? You haven’t dated in years. You don’t have to leave your career for a woman. Take a vacation, but you’re too young to retire. This is ridiculous.” Aiden stood and turned toward the window wall with his fingers interlocked behind his neck.Alexa didn’t understand, couldn’t fathom what this would me

Alexa lifted her shoulders, rolling them back to ease the tension that knotted her spine. She looked at the clock and realized she hadn’t stood from her desk in over an hour. Picking up her laptop, she moved to her standing desk facing the window wall of her office.She stretched her neck over both shoulders and settled herself in front of her favorite view of Seattle with Mount Rainier and the cityscape stretching wide before her with glimpses of the water through the hills. Well, it was her second favorite view. Her favorite was from Lake Union Park where she had coffee and read on the weekends at the harbor. The mountains were beautiful, but her heart was drawn to the water.This view from her office—the buildings, the sky, the mountains—was stunning in a way she could appreciate in her business mind. The hustle and bustle of this city had fascinated her from childhood. Her father often brought her to work with him at Caliber, Inc. when she was young and he was still building the p

Alexa didn’t go back to the office after her meeting with Salvatore. She’d texted James, her driver, whom she only used if it was raining or freezing. Walking the twenty minutes to her condo would have been difficult. Her legs and arms hadn’t stopped shaking since Salvatore had proposed. Plus, Salvatore’s mention of paparazzi had her paranoid. She found herself giving everyone who turned her way a second look, hoping she wasn’t being followed.Of all the things she could have imagined, she’d never expected a proposal! She had to admit, his idea had merit. An alliance of sorts would secure her position in the company.She tried not to focus on the other more dangerous side of the coin. Could she lie to everyone? Could they pull off this elaborate scheme? Did she even want to if the cost of the company was compromising her morals?She’d carried the desire for a family for years now, but she never thought it would happen like this. She was a hopeless romantic in every sense of the word,

Salvatore. Salvatore watched Alexa as Roman rattled off a description of every single ingredient that went into the first course of the evening, and none of it made a bit of sense to him. The only thing that made sense was how close he’d been to kissing Alexa. His traitorous friend had almost ratted him out for bringing up Alexa in conversation over the years. Sure, he’d spoken of her before, maybe mentioned she was beautiful and intelligent, but Roman didn’t have to tell her about it. He’d been a bit uneasy about the night’s activities when he’d seen Alexa’s reaction to Roman’s name at her condo. His friend was wildly popular with women, but he’d never looked at his friend as competition until that moment. A sickening thought rolled its way down Salvatore’s spine. What if Alexa wanted to marry someone else—someone like Roman? Salvatore was forcing her hand, even if it wasn’t his intention. This marriage would benefit them both, but would he have been her first choice if she’d mad

It felt like no time had passed before the crew was getting ready to dock at Tillicum Village on Blake Island, a small marine state park accessible only by tour or private boat. Salvatore held her hand securely as they disembarked with a blanket and a picnic basket. It was just past noon, and her stomach would be growling soon. “The beach I want to show you is about a fifteen-minute walk down the eastern side of the island. Are you okay with that?” “Of course.” The trail offered lots of natural sights, and she stopped a few times to observe the view. She spotted a few picnic tables ahead and Mount Rainier just over the water. “This is a gorgeous view,” she remarked. Salvatore turned back to her and smiled. “I thought you’d like it.” She couldn’t take her eyes off the scenery long enough to be much help unpacking their lunch. When she looked at the table, it was full of foods and drinks. “Goodness, Salvatore, did you think we were camping out?” He chuckled. “No, but my persona