“Only an idiot would consider that romantic,” Dillon countered with good humor. Three short months ago, he’d wanted to destroy his brothers and anything they’d held dear. Now they were laughing and giving each other a hard time as they had as boys — and it felt good. It felt damn good.
Vince and Nolan had since found nice, respectable young women to date and both were going to stand beside Dillon at the wedding ceremony. Dillon had wanted a quick wedding but Penny had wanted something a bit more…well, just more in general. And because he’d do anything to see her smile, he’d caved quite naturally. Except, time wasn’t exactly on their side.
“So, when do you think Penny will start to show?” Vince asked.
“Just about the time we come back from our honeymoon. And if I find you staring at her tits, I’ll knock you the fuck out,” he warned Vince.
“No worries, big brother. I have plenty to keep me interested at night. Besides, I don’t see Penny that way any more. She’s your girl and I respect that. I wish I’d done that with Isabel. Maybe things would’ve ended differently for us all.”
Dillon reflected on that statement and nodded to his brother, respecting his sentiment but being with Penny had changed his perspective on many things, including the tragedy of Isabel. “If things hadn’t happened the way they had, I wouldn’t have Penny. And honestly, she’s the best thing that ever happened to me so, little brother, I say we let the past rest. Having you two idiots back in my life, has made me realize how much I was missing out on and I never want to go back to the way life was before. Besides, someone’s got to keep you two in line and who better than your big brother?”
“Amen, brother.” Nolan smiled and lifted his glass as his brothers followed suit. “To the Buchanans…”
“May the next generation be smarter than we ever were!” Vince added with gusto.
“Amen,” Dillon murmured and smiled. “A-fucking-men.”
***
Author’s Note:
Thank you so much for going on this journey with Penny and her Billionaire Brothers. It’s been a pleasure writing this amazing series for my fans and I’m so honored to have found a place in your hearts with this wonderful story.If you loved this story, please tell a friend or feel free to “like” or post a nice review! All efforts to spread the love are much appreciated.
Warmly,
Alexx Andria
***
Here’s an excerpt from Alexx Andria’s hot, emotionally erotic story, ONE NIGHT TO SAY GOODBYE: http://amzn.to/SXdGc3
“What are you doing here?”
That single question, even as uninviting as his stark tone implied, sent a riot of goosebumps popping along Elise’s skin. She remembered that voice, as if it were spoken in her ear only yesterday instead of the years between them, and her breath caught painfully in her chest. The desire to fall into his arms, regardless of the consequences, tightened her muscles and made rational thought difficult. He looked the same — God, did he never age? — not classically handsome, but unique and different, but always virile and powerful. The tension between them pulsed like a live wire, sparking dangerously within the confines of the executive office. Gage had always been ruthless in business; his penchant for the jugular had served him well, she noted as her stare flitted among the fine furnishings and dark-paneled walls. Her stare returned to his, daring him to throw her out as he should for the both of their sakes.
“I’m getting married,” she said, barely able to manage the words. When she was with her fiancé Scott, she felt no hesitation in saying those words. She loved him. But standing before Gage made the words seem forced from her mouth. “I thought you should know.”
“Why?” His cold and distant stare might’ve fooled another, but Elise knew beneath that cool exterior burned a passion that distance and time had not squelched. Perhaps it had been foolish to come here but she’d known in her heart, she wouldn’t be able to walk down that aisle, dressed in white, to pledge her heart to Scott when another had already staked their claim. She needed closure. At least that’s what she’d told herself as she’d purchased her plane ticket to Colorado and lied to Scott about her trip.
She’d called it business. Well, it was…of sorts.
Scott, bless his naïve heart, had bought her lie without reservation. And why wouldn’t he? Elise had been lying to the poor man from the beginning.
“I need…” Oh God. How could she say the words? How could she tell Gage that she needed him out of her system so she could marry another? It seemed wrong…but not as wrong as the secret between them. She swallowed. “Gage…I just needed to see you.”
His blue eyes — eyes she remembered roaming her body with a fever that no aspirin could ever cool — flashed and hope lit up her belly like a Fourth of July sparkler. After what seemed an eternity, he broke the tense silence with a shake of his head, his expression softening by the barest of margins. “Elise,” he murmured with a hint of anger. “You should’ve stayed away.”
She nodded. “I know.” God, how she knew. “But I couldn’t.”
“Does he know?”
“Of course not. And he will never know.”
A smile that flirted with cruelty lifted the corner of his mouth. “Why not? Your beloved doesn’t deserve to know that you were once in love with your brother.”
“Step brother,” I whispered, tears filling my eyes at how casually he spoke of the thing that held us both hostage. And she knew with a fatal certainty that she was still in love with Gage no matter that she could never truly have him. She lifted her chin. “Scott is a good man. He treats me well and I’m a lucky woman.”
“I know,” he said, surprising her. She raised startled eyes to his. “I may be far, but I can’t help myself it seems when it comes to you. If he wasn’t worthy of your love…I’d never allow this wedding to happen.”
“How did you…?”
“Elise,” he said, his tone faintly patronizing. “I make it my job to know what is happening in your life. My promise to you was that I would stay away, not that I would stop caring. I’ve held up my end of the bargain…you, on the other hand, have broken it by coming here.”
“I’m sorry,” she admitted, knowing she was taking a risk. “I just need some closure so I can start fresh with Scott.”