I'm Robin Michaela and I’m thrilled to be one of the 12 authors in The Billionaire's Club multi-author boxed set! The Billionaire’s Club is all about high stakes, risk takers, and power-wielding billionaires. This set will take you on a ride of romance, seduction, and games of wealth and fortune. Find out what happens when these powerful men meet their match.
Part of my book, Stealing the Billionaire’s Heart, takes place in Venice. In one scene, Lyra and Nicolas take a dreamy gondola ride to a romantic restaurant overlooking a tiny canal. While they’re dining, their gondola gets caught up in a traffic jam of sorts, plugging the canal entrance and forcing them to walk back to Nick’s palazzo.
When my husband and I visited Venice a few years ago, I was fascinated with a small corner of a canal off St. Mark’s Square. It was filled to overflowing with at least a dozen gondolas (and a lot of noise!) as the gondoliers jockeyed for prime positions to snag customers. That memory inspired Lyra and Nick’s romantic evening. I hope you enjoy it!
BLURB:
Lyra Bretton is stunned when she’s abandoned at the altar. Figuring the best way to get over one man is to get under another one, she combs the luxurious Las Vegas resort where she was to be married, intent on spending her almost-wedding night with the sexiest man she can find.
Billionaire womanizer, Nicolas Sebastian, is tempted by the beautiful bride’s shocking proposal. The workaholic COO of the family hotel chain can’t deny his attraction to the woman who should be weeping in her room instead of shredding her wedding gown in his lounge. Their chemistry is explosive, but Nicolas has been burned before. He’ll never commit his heart because he learned years ago that women are only interested in his wallet.
Their Vegas fling soon turns into something neither of them can control. But, when they travel to his lavish property in Italy, money goes missing and expensive jewelry turns up in Lyra’s possession, putting their fragile future in jeopardy. Unless they can find a way to trust again, they risk losing each other forever.
EXCERPT:
As Nicolas stood in the shadows, Lyra shifted and caught sight of him. When she did, she beamed and held out her hand. “Come here, Nick. You’re missing all the fun.”
“What’s up?”
“Well…I’m hoping you will be, lover…and very soon.” She wet her lips and squeezed his hand. “But I was referring to the Gondola Wars going on down there.” Gesturing toward the canal, she raised her wine glass and saluted the gondoliers on the canal below.
He grinned and slid into his chair, then leaned over to look below. Two boats were cruising the tiny canal, side-by-side. They’d apparently gotten stuck together in the narrows, but that didn’t deter the gondoliers. Each was pushing and prodding the other’s boat in an attempt to get free. Their passengers clung to each other as the gondolas rocked in their wake. While Nicolas watched, their own gondola got caught in the altercation. Their gondolier had untied his boat and drifted away from the other vessels, but ended up being just wide enough to snugly jam all three boats together, blocking the entrance to the canal.
“Looks like we’re walking home,” Nicolas commented.
“I hope not. I have no idea where we are. This city is like a maze.”
“No worries, I know exactly where the palazzo is.” He winked at her. “Stick with me, kid, I’ll get you places.”
Lyra squinted at him. “Isn’t that an old joke? I don’t remember the setup, though.”
“What did the stamp say to the envelope?”
Lyra giggled. “Oh…stick with me…I get it.”
By the time they finished their meal, she was grateful for the chance to walk off some of their food. They were holding hands, strolling the dark cobblestone streets, and stopping about every fifty feet to kiss.
“It’s a good thing I don’t live here,” she told Nicolas. “I’d be on a permanent diet. I adore pasta.”
“The meal was superb,” he agreed, “but you wouldn’t need to diet if you lived in Venice.”
“Why not?”
He stopped as they reached the crest of the small bridge they were crossing, then cupped the back of her head and drew her into a leisurely kiss that had her pulse thrumming. “Because I can think of plenty of ways to work it off. Say, by chasing you around the bedroom every night.”
“What makes you think I’d run?” She backed him against the time-worn limestone railing and leaned into him, grinding her pelvis against his erection. “I want you, Nick.”
“Hell, Lyra, you’re driving me crazy,” he said as his mouth descended over hers.
When they came up for air, his gaze roamed hungrily over her face. “If I didn’t think I’d get arrested, I’d hike up that pretty skirt of yours and take you right here on the bridge.”
“I’m not wearing panties, so if I didn’t think you’d be arrested, I’d probably let you do it.”
BUY LINK:
The Billionaire's Club releases on May 29, 2018. PREORDER NOW for just $0.99!
BIO:
Robin Michaela writes heartfelt, small town contemporary romances in all levels of heat, from sweet to steamy. Her stories combine family, pets, hope and friendship – all the elements that bring her readers emotional and enduring love stories.
Author Links:
Website: https://robinmichaela.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/robinsromances
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RobinMichaelaRomances/
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Thanks for hosting me today, Jana!
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