Winter's Lure: A Billionaire Romance: The Winter Billionaires, #4

By Olivia Blake

She had told him that she loved him, and now she didn't know what to do.

Celeste just wants to go on pretending as long as she can that the words had just been something that popped out of her mouth in her panic, and that she didn't really mean them. While she might possibly be able to look Stephen in the eye and convince him of that, she knows that if he asks her, in her heart she'll have to admit to herself that she did mean every single syllable.

She'd fallen in love with Stephen.

The Winter family isn't exactly ready to welcome her with open arms, though. They don't fool around when they think someone is going to hurt the family. If Andrew and Sherri really think she's just after their brother's money, they'll stop at nothing to get her away from him. And the Winters aren't the only ones threatening to tear them apart. Both have pasts returning to haunt them, and secrets that they'd rather keep. But it was far too late for second thoughts.

After him, how could she ever bear to go back to the merely ordinary?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pink Parts Press
• Release date: Aug 2, 2018
• ISBN: 9781533797438

Book preview

WINTER’S LURE

THE WINTER BILLIONAIRES PART FOUR

OLIVIA BLAKE

Winter’s Lure

Copyright © 2016 Olivia Blake

Published by Pink Parts Press

All rights reserved. No part of this eBook may be reproduced in any form or by any means, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without permission in writing from the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Names, characters, places, businesses, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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Summary

She had told him that she loved him, and now she didn’t know what to do.

Celeste just wants to go on pretending as long as she can that the words had just been something that popped out of her mouth in her panic, and that she didn’t really mean them. While she might possibly be able to look Stephen in the eye and convince him of that, she knows that if he asks her, in her heart she’ll have to admit to herself that she did mean every single syllable.

She’d fallen in love with Stephen.

The Winter family isn’t exactly ready to welcome her with open arms, though. They don’t fool around when they think someone is going to hurt the family. If Andrew and Sherri really think she’s just after their brother’s money, they’ll stop at nothing to get her away from him. And the Winters aren’t the only ones threatening to tear them apart. Both have pasts returning to haunt them, and secrets that they’d rather keep. But it was far too late for second thoughts.

After him, how could she ever bear to go back to the merely ordinary?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Winter’s Lure

Bonus Material

Preview: Winter’s Chill

The Winter Billionaires—Andrew

Dark Bargains

With One Word

About the Author

Winter’s Lure

WITH A SICKENING LURCH HER BODY WENT OVER THE EDGE. The panic exploding in her chest tried to force out a scream, but she couldn’t seem to find enough breath to do more than squeak. Then from somewhere in the distance she heard Stephen’s voice, and her fall ended in an abrupt jerk.

Don’t move, Celeste. I’ve got you. Red is going to get a line around you to make sure you don’t slip, and then we’ll pull you back up.

She opened her eyes and looked up into determined gray eyes set in a face gone frighteningly pale. Stephen had his hands gripped in the fabric of her shirt and jeans, with his legs braced against the railing. A jagged cut on his temple oozed blood that had smeared and run down the side of his face.

Something gave, and Celeste slid sickeningly downward another couple of inches.

I love you, she whispered.

There was no way he could have heard her over the noise of the rig and wind, but he must have read her lips. Somehow he went even paler, and with a gulp he braced himself more firmly and tightened his hold on her. A moment later Red dashed up with a thick nylon rope which he looped twice around Celeste’s waist and then tied off in a quick knot. When the rope was taut, he wrapped it around a sturdy iron pipe to anchor it.

All right, I’ve got her weight. Lift her—carefully—and see if you can get her feet under her.

Celeste, Stephen called down, I’m going to try to get your feet on the deck. Do you think you can stand?

She nodded. Her head was still swimming after the knock she had taken, but she thought she could manage that. Yes, I think so.

Okay, then. Slow and easy.

With their help Celeste was soon safely back on the deck, and it wasn’t long before two men ran up with a stretcher and carried her down to the small sickbay next to Connie’s room. A cute, younger man who was the rig paramedic flirted with her while he was checking her over. She could tell he wasn’t serious, and in other circumstances she might have teased him back, but Stephen was hovering in the hallway and she could see his ire growing with each new comment. It was funny how sexy being jealous and possessive could be in a guy who’d just saved your life.

When Connie arrived, Stephen followed into the room behind her.

Is she all right? they both asked at once.

Seems to be, the paramedic told them as he smiled reassuringly down at Celeste. Nothing obvious is broken, and I don’t see any signs of concussion. She might have a cracked rib or something, but it will take x-rays to tell.

Stephen sagged against the doorframe, and Connie went to the bed and patted Celeste on the arm. I’m so sorry, honey, she told her. Just stay here for a while and rest. I’m going to go find out what the hell happened.

When she was gone, Stephen moved into her place beside the bed. His hand was shaking when Celeste reached up for it.

Are you sure you’re all right? he asked.

Pretty sure. How about you? she replied, indicating the bloody streak on his temple.

He shrugged it off. I smacked into the railing when I dove for you. It’s nothing.

You ought to get it cleaned up.

Reluctantly he let go of her hand and allowed the paramedic to clean the wound and put a dressing on it. The moment it was done, though, he was back at her side and holding her hand again like he was still afraid she might slip away from him.

Connie returned not long