Recluse Millionaire, Reluctant Bride
Is his
reluctant bride a business risk or a personal necessity?
Stan Rogers, recluse millionaire,
must negotiate a risky deal with Stella Ryan, the exotic beauty from his past,
to gain custody of his son. But how can he close the deal with her, the one and
only woman who flips his switches and pegs him as the enemy?
Martial artist Stella knows she
should steer clear of Stan, the man who had shattered her heart and could still
destroy her. Four years have passed since their hostile business deal, and now,
the American financier is proposing holy matrimony…but she’s the reluctant
bride wondering, what’s he up to?
Author Bio – Sun Chara,
an Amazon top 100 bestseller, writes sexy, hip ‘n fun contemporary romance for
Harper Impulse. JABBIC winner, Manhattan Millionaire's Cinderella launched her writing
career, spinning the 'global millionaire’s series'. She
makes her home in southern California, and has appeared on stage/film to rave
reviews in How the Other Half Loves, General Hospital, and McGee and Me. With a Master’s Degree in Education, and membership in
SAG/AFTRA and Romance Writers of America, she enjoys sipping designer
Frappuccinos topped with whipped cream/sprinkles, and dancing on the
beach…making everyday a celebration!
Recluse
Millionaire, Reluctant Bride – Extract 4
Chapter 1
# # #
"You’re
not a prisoner here, Ms. Ryan," he said, tone cool. "You’re an invited guest with whom I
wish to discuss business.”
"Why
didn't you call or e-mail or drop by my studio to discuss your... er...business?”
“In
a sense, I did.”
“Stop
talking in riddles.”
He
shrugged.
And
that had her hackles rising.
"This
charade is utter nonsense.” She moved
another few steps closer, the table a barrier between them. “I don’t like being manhandled."
The
deep sound of his laughter ricocheted off the walls. "Heard it was the other way
around." He saluted her with his
drink.
Stella
shook her head, pointing her finger at him.
"Look here, I have a business to run. Right now, my students are at the dojo
waiting for me.”
Stan
set the empty glass on the gleaming countertop and rubbed his palms
together. "Took care of it.”
"I
demand to be relea—” She gaped at him.
“What does that mean?" she
demanded.
"You know you could be arrested.”
"My
men—”
“Thugs.”
“—left
a memo at your studio explaining your absence."
"Disappearance."
He
shuttered his eyes to blue slits, considering her veiled warning. "Ms. Ryan, I’m offering you my
hospitality as my guest.”
“I’m
not your guest.” She tossed her
head. “And don’t need nor want anything
from you.”
He
hiked a brow, and she swallowed a lump in her throat. Of course, he had control of her core asset
and—
"You’re
on a publicity tour…Tokyo, Toronto…family demands,” he
explained, his words saturated with
meaning. “You’d be returning soon.”
“You
dared to—” A tremor vibrated from her head to her toes, shivers
prancing on her spine.
He
shrugged. "A risk worth
taking."
Stella
paled, their one and only meeting zooming to the forefront of her mind.
"Something
wrong, Ms. Ryan?" Casually, he slid
his hands in his pockets,
confident he’d cornered her.
Stella
groped for the back of a chair, the wood smooth and hard beneath her
fingertips.
Like the
man—unbreakable.
"Do
you often take such risks?" she tested, her voice brittle.
"Occasion—"
"Why?"
"High
stakes."
"How
lofty are they this time?" She
tightened her grip on the chair, her heart pounding a warning.
"Riskiest
bet of my life," he admitted.
She
wouldn’t be bridled. “Must be, to ditch
your life of the rich and
famous for that of a recluse.”
He laughed,
a dark, ominous sound. “It is.” A shadow swept across
his eyes, and a nerve pinched his jaw. He shrugged and didn’t elaborate.
Tenderness
pierced through her frustration. She
must be mistaken, or nuts. Nuts to feel
anything but contempt for the ogre. She
shoved the pinch of feeling away. She
didn't care, couldn't care, refused to care.
"I
don't play cat and mouse games, Mr. R."
"You
do remember."
The
gray at his temples and his beard had thrown her at first. His
electrifying blues and commanding tone, capped
off with his baiting remarks, cued her a second time in as many hours, how well
he knew the game of finance and how well he wielded the rules for his
benefit. Yes, she remembered him. He was not a man she could easily forget or
how ruthless he could be.
"How
do I fit into your scheme of things this time?" Stella asked, her voice
crackling with ice.
"Predominantly."
