The Billionaire’s Ploy
Castle Ridge, #5
Castle Ridge, #5
by Allie Burton
Publication date: October 25th 2017
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publication date: October 25th 2017
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
All’s fair in love and
business.
BLURB
Billionaire Jackson Croft refuses
to let anything interfere with his merger and marriage plans. His merger. His
brother’s marriage. When Emory Barrington returns to Castle Ridge and catches
his younger brother’s attention, Jackson needs to take drastic steps to stop
the flirtation. Even if it means using himself as bait.
As a child Emory was infatuated
with the younger Croft brother, so when he invites her to a party she can’t
resist. Until Jackson interrupts their dance, tries to bribe her, and then
steals a kiss. A kiss that vibrates to her soul.
To make up for the attempted
bribe, Jackson offers her a job decorating his Denver penthouse. She’s just
starting her interior design firm and can’t turn the business away even if it
means working closely with the billionaire. The project turnaround is fast and
the attraction between Emory and Jackson grows faster. She believes she sees
the real man beneath the façade, but when she learns of his double-dealing her
heart can’t take the betrayal.
In this take on the Sabrina story,
can deception lead to love?
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EXCERPT:
“The
party is tonight. You should come.”
Emory’s
spirits flew. All her teenage fantasies about attending one of the Croft events
burst into an explosion of light. Excitement shot through her entire
body. Ryder Croft
invited me, Emory Reese Barrington, to a Croft party.
Jeez, quit acting like a child. She shouldn’t be
impressed. She’d been to lots of fancy parties in Spain. She was a special
guest at a Vizconde’s party. Her thoughts soured. One of many of his special guests.
“You’re
inviting me to your sister’s wedding reception? Isn’t it too late to RSVP?”
Except he wasn’t inviting Emory, he didn’t know who he spoke to.
“There will be hundreds. One more person won’t be noticed.” He took her hand and rubbed his thumb against her skin. “We could dance.”
“There will be hundreds. One more person won’t be noticed.” He took her hand and rubbed his thumb against her skin. “We could dance.”
This
should be where she swooned. Clutching the coat tighter between her hands, she
imagined holding Ryder in her arms while they danced, of him walking her
through their elaborate gardens as he’d done with other girls, of him kissing
her.
Ryder
would be disappointed when he found out her name. For now, for this one moment
in time, she could feel special. “I’d love to.”
“Great.”
An uneasiness slid into his gaze, and she wondered if he was picturing the
woman he’d planned to propose to. He opened the trunk, taking out her suitcase.
“Hello,
Emory.” An even deeper, masculine voice rumbled.
Her
heart leapt to her throat, blocking the passage of air. She pivoted around at
the greeting. Her fantasy to pretend for a little while longer died by two
words from the frightening, older brother. She’d hoped Ryder wouldn’t learn who
she was until tonight at the party. When she was dressed up and looking her
best.
It
was too late now. “Hello, Jackson.”
Wearing
a suit and tie on a Saturday afternoon, he strolled from his boring sedan
parked ahead of them. His brown hair had been slicked back from his forehead in
perfect grooming. A couple of new lines had formed on his forehead. Only a year
older than Ryder, he acted at least five years older. Because he never had fun,
his only interest being the family business.
“Emory?”
Ryder raised his brown eyebrows into high arches. He hadn’t guessed who she was
after spending thirty minutes in her company.
Her
flying spirits took a dive and crashed to the ground. Had she been so
unnoticeable as a kid? Jackson had recognized her immediately.
He
signed off on a clipboard a worker gave him, barely glancing at her. “How was
Barcelona?”
She
angled her chin, surprised he remembered where she’d gone, and that she’d been
gone at all. Their paths didn’t cross frequently in the past, on purpose. She’d
avoided him and his overbearing attitude. “Good.”
The
work experience had been great. The personal life, not so much. She wasn’t
going to go into detail. Not with Jackson.
“Emory?”
Ryder’s jaw dropped.
“Your
mother is going to be glad you’re home.” Jackson considered her and his
brother. His expression went quizzical. “Good to see you,” he said, before
heading up the stairs and through the front door.
“Emory?”
Ryder shook his head trying to get her name straight.
Her
shoulders dropped farther every time he said her name. Her fantasy had ended
sooner than expected. “I suppose your invitation to the party has been
withdrawn, now you know who I am.”
“No.”
He shook his head again. “No. Of course not.”
She
raised her brows. “Are you sure? Do you want to dance with the housekeeper’s
daughter?”
He
waved a hand in front of his face, and his expression cleared. He assessed her
shape. “This is the twenty-first century.”
She
squirmed with misgiving. Not really an answer to her question.
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Author Info
Allie Burton has always been a
reader and writer. She wrote her first novel at the age of twelve when she was
stranded at a hospital by a snowstorm. Receiving her first romance from her
grandmother, she fell in love with the genre. As an adult, she read young adult
books with her own teens and was excited to find something fresh and new. Now,
she writes both.
Having so many jobs as a teen and
adult became great research material for the stories she writes. She has been
everything from a bike police officer to a professional mascot escort to an
advertising executive. She has lived on three continents and in four states and
has studied art, fashion design, and marine biology.
Allie is a member of the Society
of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Romance Writers of America.
She loves to ski, golf, and run. Currently, she lives in Colorado with her
husband and two children.
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