Billionaires & Babies: The Complete Series Read online

  A yellow balloon floated by. One of her nieces had spent hours bopping the balloon around, trying to get it to land squarely on one of the thorns on the rose bush lining the back patio. Connie grinned, readjusting herself on the lawn chair. Filling the back yard was her family. Both sides of it, now. Brian’s sister and brother, plus his brother’s kids and wife. And then the entirety of Connie’s family had shown up as well—including her mom, who was feeling back to normal.

  It was a combination housewarming and baby shower. The mishmash of banners and balloons proved that they were truly celebrating everything.

  Connie squeezed Meghan’s hand as she sauntered by. The two had grown close since Brian stepped up to the plate.

  “You need anything, Mama?” Meghan asked.

  “Shot of whiskey would be nice,” Connie cracked.

  “In a few more weeks.”

  “Okay. So that’s doctor’s orders, right?” Connie shifted again on the lawn chair. It was hard to get—and stay—comfortable anymore. She heaved a sigh. “Good lord, I’m ready for this baby to come out.”

  “The baby is actually going to come out?” Brian appeared at her side, looking ultra-cool in a pair of sunglasses and dressed down black shorts. It was the most casual she’d ever seen him. And it looked good on him. “I thought it would just stay in there forever.”

  “At this rate, that might be the game plan,” Connie groaned. She turned onto her side, sighing. “I feel hot.”

  “Do you want to go inside?”

  “No.” She grumbled, turning onto her other side. “I’ll just stay out here and complain a little.”

  “You’re over forty weeks pregnant,” Meghan reassured her. “You deserve it.”

  Brian’s friends Donovan and Nicholas came over. The three of them together were like some sort of long-lost businessmen brothers. College roommates who became fast friends. They all had the same impeccable air of money and success that clung to them like a fine cologne. But once they got past the bullshit talk about dividends and board members, they joked around about the same stupid stuff any old friends would talk about.

  “Congrats again, man,” Donovan said, squeezing the back of Brian’s neck. “New house, new woman, new baby.”

  “Not quite yet,” Connie interjected, shifting. Something warm flooded between her legs. She furrowed a brow, sitting up slightly to peek under the long flowy dress she’d worn. The warmth continued. It was practically a flood.

  “Oh, God…” Meghan began.

  “Uh, yeah.” She jerked her gaze up to find Brian’s. “About the new baby…I think my water just broke!”

  Meghan squealed with excitement. Brian fell to his knees, immediately taking her hand in his.

  “Are you serious?”

  “I wouldn’t lie about that,” Connie said, eyes widening as the gushing went on. This was about to get weird. And in front of everyone, no less. Probably there was no better time to start the process though. The parties had officially happened, everyone was gathered. Why not bring the baby into the mix too?

  “Oh my God.” Brian’s grin was contagious. He pressed kiss after kiss to her knuckles. “It’s happening. It’s really happening.”

  She gazed at him, the genuine depth of his excitement filling her, like it did every day. Ever since they’d made the leap into couplehood—out in the open, living together, preparing to be parents together—they fell deeper and deeper into this relationship that just…worked. Like they’d been doing this for years already. Like there’d never been anyone else out there for either of them.

  “Do you want me to call the doctor?” Brian asked.

  “Yeah.” Connie pushed herself up, heaving with the effort. Meghan rubbed her back, frantically waving for her mother to come over. “Let’s do that. And probably get me in a car or something, too.”

  While the news made the rounds of the party, Brian leaned close to her. He pushed his sunglasses up on his head, searing her with a meaningful look.

  “Here we go,” he said softly, rubbing his thumb over her cheek. “I can’t believe the day has arrived. You’re gonna do great.”

  “Aw, shucks,” she joked, allowing him to help her stand. There was so much moisture between her legs. It was practically a fountain. “And I haven’t even broken your hand yet from squeezing so hard or called you an asshole for getting me pregnant.”

  “That’ll come later,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “And I won’t hold any of it against you.”

  “Honestly, that’s the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me.” She laughed despite herself, despite the uncertainty of what was yet to come.

  But with Brian at her side, she knew she could handle it.

  All of it and then some.

  End of The Billionaire’s Accidental Baby

  Billionaires & Babies: Book One

  Blurb

  When single mother Haley Renault’s boss, Nicholas Hunter, makes a bet that he’ll get married before his buddy does, Haley sees the perfect opportunity. While Haley is no romantic, she firmly believes her dating app can find anyone—even self-centered, maddening Nick—a perfect match. If she can show Nick the app actually works, then he might approve it, and Haley’s dreams of success could begin. There’s only one hitch. The man Nick presents to the outside world is nothing like the caring, selfless one she’s getting to know—the one she’s starting to fall in love with.

  Nick loves money and all the power and prestige that comes with it. With a cool million riding on a bet with his buddy, he’s determined to win, and Haley’s dating app is just the advantage he needs. But the app’s matches bore him—they’re only interested in his money. He can’t help but wish they were more like Haley—funny, sexy, intelligent, and a woman who sees the man behind the billions. But just as he realizes Haley just might be his perfect match, the app comes through with his “ideal” woman. It’s a chance—maybe the only chance—to show the world Haley’s app actually works.

  All Nick wants is Haley, and all Haley wants is for her app to work. It’s a bind all the money in the world can’t fix, and Haley and Nick will have to unravel it before their perfect ‘match’ gets away.

  1

  Nicholas sighed as he stared out the window into the asphalt parking lot outside his company’s building. It was a far cry from the palms and white sands of the Yucatan Peninsula, where his best friend Brian had just married the love of his life. His other best friend, Donovan, lobbed a similar sigh through the speakerphone on his work desk.

  “Sucks to be back, brother.”

  “Sure does.” Nick jingled the change in his pockets. Every cell of him wanted to go back to that idyllic week in Mexico. “I can’t believe we married him off.”

  Donovan’s chuckle trickled into Nick’s office. The three of them had grown up together, both in childhood and in business. They’d previously prided themselves on their work ethic, their success—and their lack of family. Now Brian was firmly out of the Successful Bachelor Club and newly entrenched in the Successful Family Man Club. It still didn’t seem real. He even had a baby.

  And almost worse than that, Nick thought their little girl was cute.

  He’d never once found a baby cute before.

  “So who’s next?” Nick asked, intending it to be a joke. Even though it didn’t feel like it.

  “Well…” Donovan began, but trailed off when a knock sounded on Nick’s end. Nick knew who it had to be; he had a one o’clock appointment with one of his app developers. Haley Renault. She was a cool girl, someone he felt safe being himself around.

  “Come in!” he shouted, not bothering to end the call.

  “You got a meeting?” Donovan asked.

  “Yeah. It’s fine.” The door cracked open, and Nick waved Haley in. He offered a small smile, unable to hide the way his gaze shivered up and down her body. She wasn’t just a cool girl—she was a hot girl, known for her form-fitting business suits and four-inch heels. Somewhere between a nerd and a pin-up mode
l, Haley had always been Nick’s personal favorite—his favorite developer. His favorite colleague. Definitely the most gorgeous, too.

  But she was an employee. And even though Nick prided himself on his outstanding number of one-night stands and fun flings, he wouldn’t go there with an employee. Not even the hottest one.

  Nick waved her toward the seat facing his desk as Donovan went on. “Let’s draw straws. Whoever gets the short one goes next.”

  Nick rolled his lips inward to fight the smile. Haley lifted a perfectly painted dark brow as she settled into the seat in front of his desk. Her lavender perfume reached him, and for a moment he couldn’t look away from her.

  “I think between the two of us, I’ll find my wife first.” Nick couldn’t fight the grin as Haley’s brow arched even higher. “I’m much less picky, after all.”

  “Yeah? You’re not picky, all right. You’ll take about anyone. And I think half of San Diego would agree.”

  Haley stifled a laugh. Nick shook his head.

  “Fine. Let’s make it official, then.” Nick sat back at his desk, noticing the jiggle of Haley’s breasts beneath her silky work shirt as she held in laughter. “I’ll bet you money that I find my wife before you do.”

  “How much?”

  Nick leaned over his desk, locking eyes with Haley. In a low voice, he asked, “How much should I bet?”

  Haley’s hazel eyes widened. She shook her head furiously. “Don’t get me involved. I don’t—”

  “How much, Renault?”

  She pursed her lips for a moment, then said, “A million.”

  “You hear that, Donovan?” Nick leaned back in his chair. Haley smirked like she’d gotten him, but she didn’t know how little a million mattered to him. Especially when he was going to win. “Game’s on. You in or not?”

  Donovan sighed heavily, and then a moment later, he conceded. “Fine. But you should know…I’m gonna fucking win.”

  Nick laughed haughtily. Their trio of friends had always been hellbent on competing. Winning made one a god—and Nick never intended to be a mere mortal. He and Donovan were already behind, now that Brian had transitioned to the next phase of life without so much as a turn signal.

  “Sorry, but you won’t. And just so you know for later, I’ll take my earnings in cash. I don’t want to have to claim it on my taxes.”

  “Asshole.”

  Nick grinned and ended the call. Haley watched him with wide eyes.

  “Wow.”

  “What?”

  “You can’t be serious about that bet,” she said.

  “Why not?” He crossed his palms behind his head, leaning back in his chair. “Not the most I’ve ever wagered. Besides, Donovan doesn’t know what’s coming. He doesn’t know about my secret weapon.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Haley’s playful smirk made his belly tighten. If only she could put those bright red lips anywhere on his face…they’d have an amazing time together. But no. Business first. Always. “What’s the secret weapon?”

  “You.”

  Her lips thinned. “I don’t follow. You’re not planning on marrying me, right? Because I’d like a little more notice than this.”

  Nick laughed, though the words out of her mouth made his heart race. He wasn’t sure why. “Of course not. I’m going to ask you to revive your side project. The matchmaking app.”

  Haley’s stunned look was the stuff of movies. Picture-perfect shock. “Um…seriously? How do you know about that?”

  “I do read the proposals sent my way, you know.” He fanned a business card back and forth over his fingertips. “Your app wasn’t right for the company at the time. But it could be in the future. And if you can use it to find me a wife, it might become the next headliner for this place.”

  Haley’s eyes widened again, and this time he could tell he’d seriously made her day. He still remembered her proposal for Married Ever After, a dating app that purported to match people with their one-and-only within the first year, or guaranteed money back. He had passed on it for a variety of financial and social reasons, but the idea had intrigued him. Now, it could prove to be incredibly useful.

  “Are you going to say anything?” he asked after she’d been staring slack-jawed at him for too long.

  “Holy shit,” she gasped out. “Are you serious?”

  “Of course. Find me my mate with your app, and I’ll make sure it gets the green light for distribution.”

  “Okay!” she squeaked.

  “But here’s the catch.” He paused, swiveling back and forth in his chair. “I need to find this woman within two months. I can’t spend a year looking for her.”

  Haley blinked rapidly, nodding as she focused on something on the surface of his desk. “Yeah. Of course. I mean, I’ll have to work closely with you. Get a really good handle on your likes, dislikes, personality, preferences—”

  He sat up a little. “Bedroom or otherwise?”

  She yanked her gaze up to meet his, and he swore he saw a flush in those pale cheeks. “Uh, otherwise.”

  “No problem. I’ll be an open book, if it means I win this bet.”

  Haley stared at him for a few more moments. “I can’t believe this.”

  “Can you do it? And quickly?”

  “Yeah. I have all the coding done—that’s been ready since I submitted the proposal. All I’d have to do to really get it launched is put a better interface on there, make it look a little polished. We can leak it to the office here first. Offer it for free for the first three months, put it on blast to a specific market.” She blinked, nodding. “This is basically done.”

  “You better make it work. Because if not…well…it’s back to the Working Mom app for you.”

  Haley set her jaw, rolling her eyes a little. “Yes. Even more incentive to get you shackled to an old ball and chain.”

  Nick smiled. He appreciated Haley in a lot of ways, and part of him wished she was an option on her dating app. But no employees allowed. And besides, this isn’t about happily ever after. This is about appearances and winning.

  That’s what it was always about.

  Not just keeping up with the Joneses but demolishing them.

  2

  Haley drew a deep breath, surveying the scene before her.

  This was a sight for poor eyes.

  Nick’s lavish estate gleamed all around her. Cobblestone driveway lined with palms and ferns. A pink brick mansion set back among rolling hills and neatly manicured lawns. Her gently used SUV, a great deal within her price range, suddenly seemed like the cheapest thing on the property.

  Nick had been right. A million dollars was nothing to him.

  How did I end up here? It was a Saturday, her day off. One of two days per week that she had to just be with her daughter, with no early mornings, no rushed breakfasts, no apologetic pick-ups when traffic or work made her late to get Amanda from Grandma’s or daycare. This was the first Saturday in recent history that she hadn’t spent the entire day drawing or walking or exploring with her little one…and she felt guilty.

  Maybe because only she knew how much she wanted to visit Nick outside of work. Her distant infatuation, however discrete, made her angry. She wasn’t supposed to be into the boss. Even if he was a dark-haired hunk with a quick tongue and some sort of allure that made her wish she hadn’t sworn off men. It didn’t matter. All men were dead to her.

  “Haley! There you are!”

  Nick breezed out of the big double doors of his mansion, wearing cream-colored slacks and a navy button-up. He was the definition of casual billionaire, relaxing at his estate. And here she was, just a regular, mid-level developer, somehow tasked with finding this guy his soul mate.

  Another day in the life.

  “Hey, Nick.” She smiled, some of the tension disappearing once he came up to her. The familiar energy pulsed between them the moment he was within arm’s reach. The energy that made it feel like they were old friends instead of on opposite ends of the socioeconomic scale. She looke
d him up and down.

  “Do you always dress like a billionaire?”

  Nick laughed. “Just at work and when I’m trying to convince strange women that I have money. Is it working?”

  “Definitely. I take it you’re ready for your big debut.”

  “Born ready.” Nick sent her a smile so golden, so dapper, that it made her knees weak. She hadn’t counted on him being even hotter outside the confines of work.

  “Been waiting to find a wife your whole life, huh?” Haley cracked.

  “In some way or another, I guess so.”

  Haley lifted the heavy camera around her neck. “Where should we start?”

  Nick jerked his head in the direction of a nearby path, urging her to follow. “I know just the place. The garage.”

  Nick led her to a five-car garage nestled in a grove of trees. Two of the garage doors were already open, allowing a peek at the expensive toys.

  “Nice, huh?” He led her inside and looked to her for a reaction, and she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the glittering billionaire-mobiles. She recognized one—a Porsche—but the others were foreign to her, more than likely foreign altogether. She didn’t need to know the names to know they were expensive. Even the swept cement floors gleamed as though he waxed them daily. And maybe he did, if this was his first destination. She whistled low.

  “That’s an understatement.” She tapped her camera as she thought. She was an amateur photographer by any measure, but she knew enough to take a great picture. Nick’s good looks and plethora of expensive backdrops made her job extra easy, though. “So, you want your picture taken here?”

  “Yeah. Why not?”

  “Well, you’re missing one really crucial vehicle in here,” Haley said, dropping her purse on the floor to fiddle with the camera. “Namely, a super sweet 2012 SUV that gets fifteen miles to the gallon and may or may not have been a flood vehicle.”