The Billionaire’s Single Mom: Durand Billionaire Brothers, #3

By Leslie North

A grumpy billionaire who refuses to fall in love…

Billionaire lawyer Guillaume "Gui" Durand watched his two brothers fall for their grandfather's thinly veiled matchmaking manipulations. He's determined to not make the same mistake. Disguised as a community project, his grandfather has directed Gui to help Riley Greene win custody of her adorable niece and nephew. Seeing how his brothers fell for their community projects, he's completely prepared to resist Riley's considerable charms.

Until he meets her.

She's open and warm, and for some reason, does things to his heart no other woman has.

Riley knows winning custody of her late sister's twins is an uphill battle, but she'll do anything to keep them away from their father. Having a successful lawyer on her side is nice. Having feelings for said lawyer? Not so nice.

Resisting Gui is proving to be a challenge—from the minute she meets him, Riley is immediately aware of their red-hot chemistry. When they finally give in to their attraction, Riley has major doubts about getting involved with anyone when she has to focus on the twins. But what does her heart say?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Relay Publishing
• Release date: Dec 12, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215979501

Book preview

1

The air was unseasonably cool and comfortable for a Parisian afternoon in late July, but Guillaume Durand could feel the sheen of sweat gathering on his brow despite the outside temperature. He began mindlessly tapping his fingers on the small wooden table at Papillon, his favorite outdoor café that was just around the block from the law offices of Simone et Givet where he was a junior partner. A waiter dressed in skinny jeans and a rolled-sleeve white t-shirt approached.

Monsieur. He set a demitasse in front of Gui and nodded.

Merci, Gui said and sweetened the coffee to his liking before glancing at his watch.

His client, Riley Greene, was officially late.

Only by five minutes, but still.

Perhaps she was lost. But that seemed unlikely. She’d lived here in Paris long enough to know her way around. He knew that from the time he’d put into researching her.

Should he call her?

He sighed, annoyed at his own hyper-awareness, and drained the sugar-laced espresso in front of him. Not that caffeine would settle the nerves that were so uncharacteristic of him.

He shouldn’t feel anxious over a custody case, he knew that. His usual cases involved high profile clients and multi-million-dollar stakes. But it wasn’t the case itself that was the source of his anxiety. It was the reason why he’d taken this small, obscure, pro bono case in the first place.

Simply put, he was being punished. Not by the senior partners at the law firm, but by his own grandfather. After Gui and his two brothers had besmirched the family name by landing in the tabloids with a bar fight, Laurent had insisted that they make amends through a community service project apiece—of their grandfather’s choosing. Philippe, their oldest brother, had been first. With his background in PR, he’d been chosen to help launch the career of an up-and-coming artist who was the granddaughter of one of Laurent’s oldest friends. Sebastien, the middle brother, was a numbers guru and he’d been assigned to help a struggling beauty salon owner who Laurent had discovered was pregnant with Bastien’s child, the result of a one-night stand.

Gui was last, having only received his assignment to represent Ms. Riley Greene in her custody battle in the past few days.

It wasn’t a court case that Gui was worried about. The professional aspects of the case were far from daunting. It was his rising suspicions about what his grandfather was really after. He’d started to believe that Laurent was attempting to play matchmaker in his old age.

And worse, it was working. Or at least, it had been so far. Philippe was madly in love with his new wife. Bastien—the ultimate playboy—was over the moon to be a new father and to build a life with the child’s mother. Gui was happy for his brothers, truly. But that didn’t mean he intended to follow their example. Laurent had been sneaky in choosing just the right woman for each of Gui’s brothers, and they’d tumbled right into romance, just as he’d planned.

But Gui had no intention of falling. Not for Laurent’s matchmaking, and most definitely not into love. Not with Riley Greene or anyone else. If he wanted melodrama, he’d watch reality television. In his real life, he preferred to keep things much cleaner and simpler than that.

Gui’s phone rang, and when he saw who was calling, he laughed. It was his oldest brother, Philippe.

You must have read my mind, he said.

Why’s that? Philippe asked.

I was just thinking about you and Violet and the wedding. I still can’t believe that you, Mr. Detachment himself, are married now. Gui imagined Laurent rubbing his hands together with pleasure at seeing his plan come to fruition.

When it’s right, it’s right, Philippe said. I heard through the grapevine that you’re meeting your custody client this morning.

I’m waiting for the client right now, actually.

I can’t wait to meet her. Philippe’s voice held an air of teasing. You know Laurent has handpicked her just for you, right?

So, his brother was of the same mind as he was.

Jesus, Philippe, you know I have no time for romance. Nor was he in the mood for it. Work kept him busy and satisfied, and the drama of getting involved made him queasy.

Come on, Gui, it might be fun to date for a change. All you do is work.

I date, Philippe, but you know that’s not what Laurent has in mind. Gui didn’t mind the occasional date. He enjoyed the company of beautiful women, of course, but he hadn’t been in a serious relationship since college. And what a train wreck that was. He wants to set me up and get me to settle down, and you remember what my last committed relationship was like.

That was college, Gui.

Yes, and that one relationship provided enough aggravation to last a lifetime. There was no love and marriage in Gui’s future. He was sure of that.

I’m just saying, anything’s possible. Gui could imagine the smirk on Philippe’s face. He could practically hear it in his brother’s voice. "If Bastien can become a father and husband, you just might be able to find Mrs. Right."

I’m not Bastien, he argued. And I’m not you. I like my life, and I have no intention of changing it.

No matter what schemes Laurent had hatched, or how certain he seemed to be that the pieces of his plan were falling into place.

Was Gui, himself, the next piece of Laurent’s plan?

He slid his empty coffee cup away from him with one finger, irritation crawling over him.

"Does it bother you at all to know that we are Laurent’s true community service project?" Laurent may have assigned them their parts, but Gui was convinced that helping the women in question wasn’t Laurent’s main goal. He was far more interested in dealing with their love lives, playing Cupid.

I guess not, Philippe said. It worked out pretty well for me.

Gui’s phone buzzed then with an incoming text. He glanced at it and shook his head. Laurent.

That’s Laurent texting me. Anyway, I should go. The client will be here any minute.

She should have been here already, he reminded himself.

Good luck, brother.

Gui hung up with Philippe and read Laurent’s message.

Laurent—Ms. Greene and I just spoke. She is on her way. Be patient. She’s nervous about meeting you.

Gui shook his head as he read it. Sometimes it seemed like Laurent could read his mind.

Gui—Time-sucking custody battle, pro bono, late AND nervous. Exactly the type of client I live for. Thanks.

Laurent—You know I promised Winnie you would take good care of her niece.

Of course Gui hadn’t forgotten. It was one of the reasons why, despite his grumbling, he hadn’t truly tried to get out of his community service agreement. Riley Greene was the niece of Laurent’s former personal assistant. Winnie had raised them and had been the closest thing to a mother figure that Gui had had. If she had just come to him directly to ask for help for her niece, he’d have given it gladly.

But no, the request—make that demand—had come from his irritatingly bossy grandfather.

Laurent—This is a personal favor. Treat it accordingly.

Gui scoffed and tossed his phone down on the table. As much as he was known for his ability to keep his cool, his grandfather’s arrogance and imperiousness were his kryptonite. Here he was, a grown man, submitting to his grandfather’s will as if he were a teenager who’d been grounded for acting out. It made Gui’s skin itch that Laurent thought he could dole out punishments and threaten to withhold Gui’s trust fund.

He didn’t even need the damned trust fund. He was a grown man, making an excellent salary. He’d never even touched the money he’d inherited from his late parents, and he had no real intention of doing so. But the idea that his grandfather would withhold it, would say that Gui wasn’t deserving of the family’s legacy or the privileges it brought—well, it touched a nerve. Gui had been all of two years old when his parents had died in a car crash. Laurent was the only parent he could recall, and living up to the man’s strict, exacting standards had been something his brothers have strived for practically their whole lives. The morning after the tabloid story broke had been…rough. Gui still cringed when he remembered the icy fury in Laurent’s voice as he scolded them.

He should have stayed home that night like he’d planned, but Bastien had cajoled him into joining them. And then there was the fight. And the well-timed photograph of the fight. And the tabloid cover, and the consequences.

And now, here he was waiting for Ms. Riley Greene.

He sighed and grabbed his phone.

Laurent—Gui? Are you there?

Gui—Don’t worry, Grand-père. I’ll take care of it. Of course I’ll treat the client with complete professionalism. This isn’t a problem for me.

Gui looked up from his phone to see the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on walking straight toward him. He stared for a moment, stunned. He’d looked her up, of course, as part of his preparation for this meeting—but seeing her in person hit much harder than he ever could have expected. Her dark hair lay atop her head in a messy bun, with tendrils cascading onto her sun-kissed cheeks. Honey-hazel eyes were trained on him, as she approached, her petite but curvy frame swaying in a manner that was innocently seductive.

A surge of desire shot through him as she approached, igniting sensations in places that he’d shoved away and replaced with work.

Damn. Damn. Damn.

He could deal with late. He could deal with nervous. He could even deal with time-sucking and pro bono.

It was Riley’s beauty that was going to be the problem. Could he handle her case with complete professionalism when she looked like this?

With his heart pounding in his chest, he stood to meet her.

Riley recognized Guillaume Durand, the Parisian billionaire lawyer she’d read about, as soon as she saw him. He was strikingly handsome, above and beyond any other man she’d ever met, dressed in a three-piece suit with a stern, businesslike expression on his face. Aunt Winnie had told her that Guillaume was attractive. She’d described him as the most serious of the three Durand brothers she’d helped to raise and also the most sensitive.

He certainly looked serious. And gorgeous.

Most lawyers she knew were driven and arrogant. She hoped he was sensitive enough to sympathize with her plight, but in reality, sensitivity didn’t matter. And, as much as she’d love to entertain thoughts of running her fingers through his wavy blond hair and her hands along that broad muscled chest, misplaced desire didn’t matter, either. As long as he was good enough to win her case, that was the only thing she cared about.

Still, his good looks and air of confidence made her squirm. She swallowed and reached for her own boldness but came away wanting. All she could think was that she looked frumpy in the flowy geo-print dress she’d thrown on in a rush. She hadn’t bothered with makeup and her hair was piled in a messy bun on her head. Oh well. At least she’d chosen cute heels, even if they were a bit scuffed. Durand probably thought she was a hot mess.

And…he wouldn’t be wrong about that. Her life was anything but neat and orderly right now. Between swimming through the grief she felt every day since losing her big sister and the fear of failing at keeping custody of her niece and nephew, Riley felt like she was drowning. When Aunt Winnie had connected her with Laurent Durand, she’d breathed a little easier for the first time in a while. Maybe this lawyer grandson of his could be a life preserver for her. She hated the fact that he was working for free. A charity case she was not. But she didn’t have a choice at this point. Everything that she couldn’t stand to lose hung in the balance, and Guillaume Durand could swing the pendulum her way if she was lucky.

Are you Guillaume Durand? she asked and reached out a hand to shake his. Hope filled her lungs as she leaned toward him then abruptly lost her balance, tripping over her cute, scuffed heels.

Riley tumbled face first. She threw her hands out to catch herself, slamming them into the café table and nearly toppling it, but managing—barely—to keep herself upright. A demitasse and tiny spoon clattered to the ground. Luckily nothing was shattered, other than her pride. With her head hung forward, she saw Monsieur Durand bend down and pick up the fallen items.

Are you okay? he asked.

I’d be better if a hole would open up in the ground and magically swallow me up.

She stood straight and smoothed away the flyaway strands of hair that had tumbled out of the now-messier bun and were sticking to her sweaty face.

I’m fine, she said, but she could feel the fire on her cheeks and the panic-sweat wetness under her arms. Her nerves were screaming—RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! But she kept her feet in place and stood as straight as her now broken heel would allow.

As much as a part of her wanted to run and hide, she knew she couldn’t. She had a duty to fulfill that was more important than her ego, more important than her personal life and even more important than her relative sanity. Her sister had trusted her with her most precious assets—her children. Allison and Liam needed her.

Ms. Greene?

Reluctantly, Riley dared to face the handsome lawyer, surprised to find a look of kindness on his face. He held a hand out and gestured toward a chair.

Would you like to sit down and tell me more about your case?

A warm sensation fell over her shoulders, as if someone had placed a caring arm around her. Maybe this wasn’t just a gorgeous, arrogant lawyer. Maybe he had a heart too. Maybe this would work.

It had to work.

She nodded.

Thank you, she said and sat.

2

At least she was clumsy.

As Riley had made her way toward him at the café, Gui had found himself worried that he would be distracted by his attraction toward her. Her beauty was natural, though unkempt, as if she’d rolled out of bed looking like a messy goddess and slipped into a pair of heels. She had a striking air about her, despite her disheveled hair and oversized dress. It was as if she didn’t have time to worry about her appearance, like she had far more important things on her mind.

When she’d tripped on said heels, he’d seen her embarrassment and realized that maybe she did care a bit about appearances.

To him, she was damn near perfect.

Would you like a coffee? He looked into her honey-hazel eyes and found insecurity there. He wanted her to feel comfortable with him. It would make it easier to work with her if she was able to trust him.

Sure, she said. I’ll take a latte, whole milk, two sugars.

No skim milk business from Riley Greene. Interesting. Most Americans seemed to be afraid