Alpha Billionaire’s Bride, Part Two (BWWM Romance Serial) by Mia Caldwell Page B

he said. “But it was my
pleasure, all the same.”
    Jada turned to Ian. “I had a good time on our picnic. I hope
you don’t mind if I go and help Marina settle in.”
    “Of course not,” Ian said. “Go on now. I’ll see you later.”
    “Promise.”
    “Absolutely.”
    She stood up on her tiptoes and he leaned down slightly so
she could whisper in his ear. “I had a really, really good time, especially the
part before we were so rudely interrupted.”
    Ian’s ear tingled. “Same here,” he said, his voice a bit
gruff.
    Jada dashed off with Marina, Mr. Forest still trailing them,
asking if Marina wanted a short tour first, or to be shown to her room right
away.
    Ian and Sullivan watched them go. Ian heard the helicopter
gear up and take off again.
    “You know,” Sullivan said, “your wife has the prettiest
smile I think I’ve ever seen.”
    “She does, doesn’t she?” Ian answered without thinking.
    Sullivan chuckled. “That was a joke, calling her your wife I
mean.”
    “Oh, well, I wasn’t paying attention,” Ian blustered.
    “That, my friend, is clear as a bell. You’ve obviously got
other things on your mind.”
    And then some, Ian thought. And they all wore a demure green
dress, smelled like flowers and tasted like strawberries. And had a cat with
terrible timing.
    He heartily slapped Sullivan on the shoulder. “Are you
hungry? Shall we give Mrs. Best a thrill and let her fix you a snack?”
    “You read my mind.”
    And they were off to the kitchen.
     
     

Chapter Nine
     
    MARINA LOOKED OVER HER PRETTY room which was nearly as big
as Jada’s, and sighed. “Isn’t this the life, Jada? Didn’t I tell you?”
    “What are you talking about?”
    “About being rich. I told you it would be great to be rich.
And here you go. You have to admit this is incredible.”
    “I never said it wouldn’t be great to be rich.”
    “I wanna see your room. Technically, I want to see
everything Ian bought you,” Marina said, a spirited gleam in her eye. “I didn’t
bring much with me, so I may need to borrow an outfit or two, for dinner and
stuff.”
    Jada laughed. “Come on.”
    Elly was in Jada’s room when they arrived, tidying things
and re-organizing Jada’s drawers for what had to be the third or fourth time.
Jada wondered why Elly didn’t have other things to do besides nitpicking the
arrangement of Jada’s sock drawer, but what did she know about it?
    Marina and Elly met like old friends and bonded within
seconds with their shared enthusiasm about Jada’s new wardrobe. Marina and Jada
sat in the comfortable wingback chairs while Elly brought out one outfit at a
time for Marina’s inspection.
    They thrilled over the fabric and workmanship, oohed and
ahhed at detailing and speculated over cost. All the while, Jada’s mind
wandered, returning to the magical picnic site and her steamy times with Ian,
daydreaming about what might have happened had Ms. Kitty not arrived when she
did.
    “Can I wear this to dinner?” Marina asked, breaking into her
fantasies.
    Jada wasn’t sure how long she’d been away. She scanned the
slinky silk dress Elly held up. “Sure. Of course.”
    Marina clapped. “Yay! Now, we need to find shoes. What do
you think will go best with this, Elly?”
    Jada drifted off again. Ian was so handsome, so manly and
powerful, yet he could also be kind and generous, too. She knew he couldn’t be
as perfect as he seemed. No one was. Still, she hadn’t found anything about him
she didn’t like.
    Again and again, she recalled the events of that day, the
way the sun sparkled in Ian’s hair, the way his ripped abs felt under her
fingertips, the hard swell of muscle on his shoulders. Perfect. Everything was perfect. And getting more perfect all the time.
    “Damn!” Marina said loudly. “You are out of it, Jada. And I
think we all know who you’re out with.”
    Jada came to, glancing at Marina who was practically
gloating. “Okay. Don’t make fun of me. I can’t help