Prince CharmingâWith Strings Attached
Billionaire playboy Jonas Halstead has exactly ninety days to marryâor be cut off from his familyâs hotel dynasty. What he needs is a practical, like-minded woman who isnât looking to be swept off her feet.
Jonahâs seductive offer could save Katrina Morrison from financial ruin. But how can she be his wife in name only with desire tempting them to break the rules of their strictly hands-off arrangement? As passion complicates the journey to âI do,â will Kat lose her heart to the man sheâs agreed to honor and cherish for however long their temporary marriage may last?
Jonas was impeccably dressed.
Katâs eyes traveled over a broad chest and wide shoulders, up a tanned neck, to a strong jaw covered with two-day-old stubble. A mouth that was slow to smile but still sexy. Rich, successful and hot.
He had a rep for being a bit of a bastard, in business and in bed. That fact only dropped his sexy factor by a quarter of a percent.
âMr. Halstead, welcome back to El Acantilado,â Kat murmured, ignoring her jumping heart.
âCall me Jonas.â
It wasnât the first time heâd made the offer, but Kat had no intention of accepting. It wasnât professional, and formality kept a healthy distance between her and guys in fancy suits. Like her ex-husband, and sadly, just like her father, those kinds of men were not to be trusted.
But it really annoyed Kat that a thousand sparks danced on her skin as Jonasâs smile turned his face from remote-but-still-hot to oh-my-God-I want-to-rip-his-clothes-off.
No. Sexy billionaires were not her type. Sheâd married, and divorced, a ruthless and merciless rich guy.
But it sure felt like she had the screaming hots for a man she shouldnât.
And it was all Jonas Halsteadâs fault.
* * *
Convenient Cinderella Bride is part of the Secrets of the A-List series: When you have it all, youâll do anything to keep it.
JOSS WOOD loves books and travelingâespecially to the wild places of southern Africa. She has the domestic skills of a potted plant and drinks far too much coffee.
Joss has written for Mills & Boon Modern Tempted, Mills & Boon Modern and, most recently, the Mills & Boon Desire line. After a career in business, she now writes full-time. Joss is a member of the Romance Writers of America and Romance Writers of South Africa.
One
Another month, another breakfast. How many of these business breakfasts had they shared? Jonas Halstead had been the CEO of Halstead & Sons for five years... He did the calculation. Sixty Wednesday breakfasts.
Sixty three-hour meetings with the man commonly known as âThe White Shark of the West Coast.â Jack was reputed to be the most ruthless, occasionally morally ambiguous, businessman on this side of the country. He was also Jonasâs grandfather, and Jonas would rather be water-boarded than sit through this monthly meeting.
When heâd first started as CEO heâd banned his staff from dealing directly with the chairman of the board because few people could deal with Jackâs harsh manner, his interrogations and his dire warnings about possible disaster situations. Few, even those who were corporate animals, could handle Jackâs aggression and his pursuit of perfection. Jonas had long ago realized that if he wanted to keep his key staff then he had to shield them from Jack.
But that meant it was his ass in the hot seat.
Jonas was a big boy, being paid the big bucks. He could deal with Jack. But, hell, he could not wait for the day when he could run Halstead & Sons without Jackâs constant input and criticism. Thanks to Jackâs ruthlessness and Jonasâs fatherâs reputation for cutting corners, the Halstead name was not one to be trusted, and while that didnât bother Jack in the leastâLet the bastards fear us, itâs good for business!âJonas hated having his word doubted, his integrity questioned. He was a hard, tough businessman. He drove a hard bargain. But when he gave his word, he kept it. Always.
His family had a reputation for doing legal but morally dodgy deals, for losing their integrity in pursuit of the mighty dollar. Promises were broken; lies were told. Seeing the instinctual mistrust on the faces of his investors, suppliers and competitors burned a hole in his stomach and still, quietly and secretly, embarrassed the hell out of him. He was determined to rehabilitate the companyâs reputation and was just as committed to establishing his own reputation as a man whose word could be trusted.
He thought, maybe, that he was making progress, but it was taking a hell of a long time.
Having Jack still serving as chairman of the board didnât help. But, dammit, it was Jackâs company, and until he decided to release the reins, Jonas could only manage the old man. And keep his treasured staff away from him.
Jonas walked up the steps to Jackâs palatial, beachside home on the prestigious Palisade Beach Road in Santa Monica. The house had been in the Halstead family for many generations, long before Hollywoodâs elite had discovered the area. Jonas had grown up here. Well, in this house and the one next door, spending his time between his fatherâs and grandfatherâs mansions, a motherless boy looking for attention from his disinterested father and demanding grandfather.