Stripping the Billionaire Read online

  It was intimate, so Cyrus looked away, and he saw that Benjamin must have seen the silent communication—since there was some sort of emotional reaction on Benjamin’s face too.

  Then Benjamin nodded to him, the way Harrison had before, and Cyrus felt another swell of pleasure and satisfaction.

  He’d lost one nephew in the most brutal of tragedies, a sign that the world would never be what it should be. But he had four nephews still living, and they were good men. All of them. They were men he could be proud of. They’d made the Damon name better than it had been before.

  The wedding was concluding now, and Jonathan and Sarah were kissing. Then the string quartet burst out in with lovely, joyful music, mingling with the scent of roses and the laughter and cheers from the family.

  Cyrus Damon found himself smiling.

  He had spent all of his life trying to shape something beautiful out of a world that was broken.

  But maybe he’d finally found it. Right here.

  ***

  Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed Stripping the Billionaire, please consider leaving a review and telling others about it. If you haven’t already read them, be sure to check out the previous three Heirs of Damon books, Seducing the Enemy (Harrison’s book), Playing the Playboy (Andrew’s book), and Engaging the Boss (Jonathan’s book). You can read an excerpt from Seducing the Enemy on the next pages.

  You may see the Damons again in a spin-off series called Beaufort Bride. The first book of the series, featuring Deanna, will be released next year. If you’d like to keep up with my new releases and sales, you can sign up for my low-volume newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/YZ3sz

  Excerpt from Seducing the Enemy

  Marietta hadn’t realized Harry was quite so rich.

  She knew his suit was expensive, of course. After working in the family restaurant for so long—one of the most popular restaurants in Aix—she could evaluate the relative expense of customers’ clothes and accessories.

  The car the valet pulled around, however, was much more posh than she’d expected. Plus, both the bellboy and the night manager of the hotel began to greet him by name until they found him kissing her and discreetly withdrew.

  His suite was on the top floor of the hotel and looked vast compared to her nice, but compact, room five floors down. It was funny they happened to be staying in the same hotel tonight. Even so, their worlds were obviously very far apart.

  “It’s a work thing. I don’t actually need a suite that a whole battalion could bivouac in.” He must have read her expression as she stared at the luxury suite.

  His dry tone and clever word choice made her laugh and helped shake the last of her reservations. What did it matter whether he had some high-powered job and could fit her whole apartment in this sitting room?

  This was just about sex for the night.

  Her excitement returned with full force—not only intense arousal but also a giddy joy that she was actually doing this, taking this step, pulling out of the shelter she’d hid behind for the last two years.

  She hadn’t intended to have sex this evening. She’d just planned to pick up a man in the club to prove she was ready to move on with her life. But his interest in her filled her with a heady rush.

  She wanted to do this. She really wanted to do this.

  “Did you want something to drink? They brought up some Scotch for me earlier, or I could call down for—”

  “I’m not thirsty.”

  He’d been placing his tablet on the desk across the room, but turned to look at her. “Say that again.”

  She frowned and repeated, “I’m not thirsty.”

  “I was listening to your accent. Are you French?”

  “My mother was French. My father was American.”

  “Ah, then that explains it. Your accent is incredibly sexy.”

  His smile was so compelling she walked over to him without thinking. “I put it on just for you.”

  He chuckled and reached out for her, resting his hands on her hips and pressing her lower body against his. “I’m flattered. What other accents do you have in your arsenal?”

  “Comrade, I am not thirsty.” Trying to keep a straight face, she spoke in an exaggerated Russian accent.

  “Very, very sexy.”

  He kissed her breathless, until she was clutching his shoulders and barely able to stay on her feet. When he finally pulled his mouth away and leaned his forehead against hers, she managed to say in a thick Spanish accent, “Oh, señor, I am not thirsty.”

  She felt a warm thrill when he laughed again. Then a hotter thrill when he kissed her.

  This time, the kiss took them through the double doors to the bedroom. When the back of her knees hit the mattress, she fell onto the bed with Harry on top. He was hot and hard and heavy above her, and her body pulsed to feel even more of him.

  Their kiss broke with the tumble, and he trailed kisses along her jaw and throat.

  She arched her neck in pleasure and exerted all her concentration to say in a bad Cockney accent, “Oi, guv’ner, I’m not bloody thirsty.”

  He almost collapsed on her, his face buried in the hollow of her neck, shuddering with half-suppressed mirth. Not even his kisses felt as good as his amused, shaking body against hers.

  “Damn, Etta,” he said, his voice thick with amusement and something even hotter. “You’re incredible.”

  Not the most romantic of declarations, but it thrilled her just the same.

  He kissed her again, and the mood shifted. Became more urgent and intense. He stroked her as they kissed, and before she knew it he’d pulled her dress over her head.

  She’d worn sexy underwear to boost her confidence, but still felt self-conscious as he stared at her with a palpable hunger.

  No one had ever looked at her like that.

  She shifted and struggled to keep from blurting for him to hurry up and get on with it.

  A smile tilted the corners of his mouth. “You’re so beautiful.”

  The pleasure of that remark relaxed her as he mouthed his way from her throat to her collarbone. Her breasts seemed to strain in her bra as his lips got closer and closer to them.

  She arched when his mouth teased her nipple through the lace fabric and gasped when he fondled her other breast.

  He gently unclasped her bra and caressed her until she wriggled beneath him, moaning and whimpering.

  Eager to satisfy the throbbing ache between her legs, she pulled at his suit jacket to get it off his shoulders.

  It took a while, since he was too busy twirling her nipples and mouthing her belly to help, but she finally dropped the jacket over the side of the bed and pulled at his tie.

  He raised his shoulders when she accidentally strangled him.

  “Sorry.” She stifled a laugh. “It would be easier if you’d stop torturing me and help.”

  “Torture, is it?” He unknotted his tie while she tackled the buttons of his white shirt.

  “A very nice kind of torture, but you’re driving me crazy here.” She groaned when she saw a T-shirt under his dress shirt. “Why are you wearing so many clothes?”

  He hid a smile and instead arched his eyebrows. “It is generally considered unprofessional to sweat through one’s shirt.”

  She giggled, pushing him onto his back to better attack the buttons. She made quick work of his shirt, pulling the sleeves off over his wrists, until his cufflinks hampered further progress.

  Grumbling, she undid them, noting they looked platinum and had probably cost more than her bike, the most expensive thing she owned. Nothing about him was flashy or garish—but everything was worth a fortune.

  When she glanced at his face, she noticed his eyes crawling hungrily over her body. She wore only her panties, necklace, and earrings, and had forgotten to look sexy. He didn’t appear to mind.

  ***

  You can find out more about Seducing the Enemy here.

  About the Author

  Noelle handwrote her first rom
ance novel in a spiral-bound notebook when she was twelve, and she hasn’t stopped writing since. She has lived in eight different states and currently resides in Virginia, where she teaches English, reads any book she can get her hands on, and offers tribute to a very spoiled cocker spaniel.

  She loves travel, art, history, and ice cream. After spending far too many years of her life in graduate school, she has decided to reorient her priorities and focus on writing contemporary romances. For more information, please check out her website: noelle-adams.com.

  Other Books by Noelle Adams

  One Hot Night: Three Contemporary Romance Novellas

  A Negotiated Marriage

  Listed

  Bittersweet

  Missing

  Revival

  Seducing the Enemy

  Playing the Playboy

  Holiday Heat

  Married for Christmas

  Salvation

  Engaging the Boss

  Excavated

  A Baby for Easter

  Duty Bound

  Overexposed

  Honor Bound

  Road Tripping

  Stripping the Billionaire