TITLE: The Billionaire's Bid (Indigo Island)
AUTHOR: Kaira Rouda
Adult Contemporary Romance
Blurb:
Handsome tycoon James Putnam is acting CEO of his family’s logging company, Putnam Industries. He needs to land a big deal to prove to the board he’s capable of taking over the company. If not, his father’s right-hand-man Walter is more than willing to fill the role. James hurries to Indigo Island alone, certain he has what it takes to land the deal.
Jessica Templeton is a gorgeous magazine reporter facing a mountain of debt after her parents’ tragic deaths. The only asset she has to leverage is 2,500 acres of land on Indigo Island. She hires Dirk Cooley, a forester, to create a forest management plan for her family’s land and to solicit multiple logger bids to lease the land. Jessica makes sure James Putnam’s company is included. Jessica and James shared a night she’ll never forget and she’s certain, once he sees her, he’ll want a repeat as much as she does. What she doesn’t know is that Dirk’s goal in life is to destroy the Putnam family and he doesn’t care who goes down with them.
Will James recognize Jessica as more than a sexy landowner? Could she become a partner in both love and business? Will they uncover Dirk’s plot before it’s too late? Will they recognize the common roots that lead to love?
Excerpt:
“You really want to give me a second chance?” he said. He was holding her hand, staring into her eyes. The electricity between them was crazy, she knew he had to feel it, too.
“Last chance,” she whispered.
Whatever control he’d had snapped.
James pulled her tightly to him and lowered them both to the blanket, grabbing her hair with one hand, kissing her with an urgency she had never felt before, had never imagined. It was as if he wanted to touch every part of her, take all of her for his own. He rolled her onto her back, and plunged his tongue in her mouth as heat slammed through her body. She opened her mouth wider, welcoming him, her tongue exploring him in return. She heard him moan her name. His kisses moved to her neck, and dropped to her chest, his hand brushing against her breasts.
But she needed to stop them, she had to finish the business first, and then she could trust herself with James, trust that he wanted more than just another meaningless hookup. It took a huge effort to turn away from their kiss.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, as he propped himself up on an elbow and smiled down at her, his eyes a dark blue, his dimple teasing her.
“I need to be sure this isn’t about the bid,” she said.
“I told you, it’s not,” he said and she saw the smile leave his eyes. “Kissing you is, well, I’ve never felt like that before.”
“Yes, you have. Once before,” she said, reaching up and touching his face, as his smile returned. “And as soon as business is over, I’d like to pick up right where we’ve left off. Okay?”
“Sure, that’s the logical approach,” he said, shaking his head and then sitting up. He seemed in a daze, the same state she was in. He offered her a hand and helped her up as he stood. “We need to get the horses back before dark, although from the looks of things, we won’t make it back to the stable in time. We can ride to my house, stable them there for the night. I can call the owner and let him know.”
“Sounds like a plan, cowboy,” she said, as she reluctantly helped roll up the blanket and clean up the picnic. She looked around at the pristine land around her, the sun setting through the trees. She could live in this beautiful place, she realized. She could feel the pull of the land, much like her parents must have. Of course, she realized, it didn’t hurt that she had the most gorgeous bachelor on the island walking towards her with a dimpled grin on his face, two majestic horses following close behind.
She’d never realized horseback riding could be so sensual, not until James helped her climb back up onto the saddle, sending pangs of desire racing through her body, and not until she spent another half an hour following behind him on the trail, memorizing every muscle in his back, dreaming of a time when his strong arms could embrace her without hesitation. Hoping, someday, that would be possible.
Kaira Rouda is an Amazon #1 bestselling, multiple award-winning author of three women's fiction novels including HERE, HOME, HOPE, ALL THE DIFFERENCE and IN THE MIRROR.
Tule Publishing Group's Southern Born imprint is publishing her new contemporary romance series set on INDIGO ISLAND: WEEKEND WITH THE TYCOON, Book 1; LINES IN THE SAND, Book 2; and THE TROUBLE WITH CHRISTMAS, Book 3. Four more books in the series will be out in 2015.
Her nonfiction title, REAL YOU INCORPORATED: 8 Essentials for Women Entrepreneurs, continues to inspire women internationally.
She lives in Southern California with her husband and four almost-grown kids, and is at work on her next novel. Connect with her on Twitter, @KairaRouda, and on Facebook at Kaira Rouda Books. For more about Kaira and her books, please visit wwww.KairaRouda.com.
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