Marriage to a Billionaire
By Jennifer Probst
Now Available
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Want to find out where the Book of Spells winds up next? Read The Marriage Bargain!
The sizzling first book in the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling Marriage to a Billionaire trilogy by “one of the most exciting breakout novelists” (USA TODAY) Jennifer Probst.
A marriage in name only...
To save her family home, impulsive bookstore owner, Alexa Maria McKenzie, casts a love spell. But she never planned on conjuring up her best friend’s older brother—the powerful man who once shattered her heart. Billionaire Nicholas Ryan doesn’t believe in marriage, but in order to inherit his uncle’s corporation, he needs a wife and needs one fast. When he discovers his sister’s childhood friend is in dire financial straits, he’s offers Alexa a bold proposition.
A marriage in name only with certain rules: Avoid entanglement. Keep things all business. Do not fall in love. The arrangement is only for a year so the rules shouldn’t be that hard to follow, right? Except fate has a way of upsetting the best-laid plans....
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CHAPTER 1
She needed a man.
Preferably one with $150,000 to spare.
Alexandria Maria McKenzie stared into the small homemade campfire in the middle of her living room floor and wondered if she had officially lost her mind. She glanced down at the piece of paper in her hand which held all of the qualities she dreamed her soul mate would possess. Loyalty. Intelligence. Humor. A strong sense of family and a love for animals. And a healthy amount of income.
Okay, she had most of her ingredients already cooking. One hair from a male family member. Her brother was still pissed she plucked the strand directly from his head. A mix of scented herbs, probably to soften his male testosterone and give him a tender side. And the small stick for … well, she hoped that didn’t mean what she feared. Let each item simmer in the fire and blend.
With a deep breath, she threw the list into the silver bucket and watched it burn. She felt like an idiot for creating a love spell, but she had no options left and little to lose. As the owner of an eclectic bookstore in a trendy college town, she figured she was allowed some quirks. Like sending up a prayer to Earth Mother to bring the perfect man.
Alexandria rose from her cross legged position and hobbled to the kitchen for a fire extinguisher. The smoke rose and reminded her of the burnt pizza crust on the bottom of her toaster oven. She crinkled her nose, shot the spray in the middle of her carpet, and went to hunt up a glass of red wine to celebrate Saturday night.
They would have to sell Tara.
Her family home.
Alex grabbed a bottle of Cabernet Savignon and thought about her dilemma. Her bookstore was mortgaged to the hilt. Her goal to expand the store into a café would take careful planning and there wasn’t a dime to spare. Her gaze swept over the Victorian loft and easily calculated there was nothing to sell. Not even on Ebay.
She was twenty seven and probably should live in a cool condo, with designer clothes and a date every weekend. Instead, she took in homeless dogs from the local shelter and bought a lot of trendy scarves to update her outfits. Alex sighed. She believed in living in the sunlight, being open to every possibility, and following her heart. Unfortunately, none of those traits were currently saleable to save her mother’s house.
Alex took a sip of the ruby red liquid and acknowledged there was nothing left to do. No one had the money, and this time when the tax collector came, there wouldn’t be a happy ending. She was no Scarlett O’Hara. And Alex didn’t think her last ditch attempt to make a love spell to lure the perfect man to her door was going to help.
The doorbell rang.
Her mouth fell open. My God, was it him? Alex looked down at her grungy sweat pants and cropped shirt and wondered if she had time to change. She got up to rummage through the closet, but the knocking sounded impatient, so she walked over, took a deep breath, and reached for the knob.
“About time you answered the door.”
Her hopes plummeted. Alex stared at her best friend, Maggie Ryan, and gave a scowl. “You were supposed to be a man.”
Maggie snorted and walked in. She waved a hand in the air, flashing perfectly manicured cherry red nails, and flopped down on the sofa. “Yeah, keep dreaming. You scared your last date half to death. I won’t be setting you up again. What happened here?”
“I can’t tell you. What do you mean I scared him to death? I thought he was going to attack me.”
Maggie raised one arched brow. “He leaned in to give you a good-night kiss. You stumbled back and fell on your ass, making him feel like an idiot. People kiss after a date, Al. It’s a ritual thing.”
Alex tossed the remaining trash into a bag and scooped up the bucket. “He had tons of garlic at dinner and I didn’t want him near me,” she said.
Maggie grabbed the wine glass and swigged a healthy swallow. She stretched out long legs clad in black leather, and hooked her high heeled boots over the edge of the battered table. “Remind me again why you haven’t had sex in the last decade?”
“Witch.”
“Celibate.”
Alex gave up and laughed. “Okay, you win. Why are you gracing me with your presence on a Saturday night? You look good.”
“Thanks. I’m meeting someone for drinks at eleven. Wanna come?”
“On your date?”
Megan made a face and drained the rest of the glass. “You’ll be better company. He’s a bore.”
“Why are you going out with him?”
“He looks good.”
Alex dropped next to her on the couch and sighed. “I wish I could be like you, Maggie. Why do I have so many hang-ups?”
“Why don’t I have any? So, what’s the deal with the fire?"
Alex sighed and confessed.“I was creating a love spell. To get a man.”
Her friend threw back her head and laughed. “Okay. Give me the whole story. What were you doing with the bucket?”
“I made a fire to honor the Earth mother.”
“Oh, my God.”
“Shut up and hear me out. I’m desperate. I still haven’t met Mr. Right and another small problem came up I need to solve, so I combined both my needs into one list.”
“What kind of list?”
“One of my customers told me she bought this book on love spells, and when she made a list of all the qualities she looked for in a man, he showed up.”
Now, Maggie looked interested. “A man appeared in her life with all the things she wanted?”
“Yep. The list has to be specific. It can’t be too general, or supposedly the universe gets confused with your desires and sends nothing. She said if you follow the spell, the right man will appear.”
Maggie’s cat green eyes gleamed. “Let me see the book.”
Alex tossed her the little fabric covered book. Suddenly, she felt less like an idiot. Nothing like another single female to make you feel better about the quest for a man, she thought to herself. She waited for Maggie’s opinion.
“Pretty cool. Show me your list.”
Alex waved off her request. “I burned it.”
“I know you have another copy under your bed. Forget it, I’ll get the thing myself.” Her friend stalked off toward the canary yellow futon and stuck her hand under the cushions. Within seconds, her list was held triumphantly between bright red fingernails, and Maggie licked her lips as if she was about to dive into a lusty romance novel. Alex collapsed on the carpet. The humiliation was about to begin.
“Number one,” her friend recited. “A Mets fan.”
Alex stared at the table. She braced herself for the explosion about to come.
“Baseball!” Maggie shrieked. She waved the paper back and forth in the air for dramatic effect. “Damnit, how can you make your number one priority baseball? They haven't made it to the World Series in years! It’s a fact in New York there are more Yankees fans than Mets, and that wipes out half the male population.”
Alexandria glared. “The Mets have heart and character, and I need a man who can root for the underdog. I refuse to sleep with a Yankee fan.”
“You’re hopeless. I give up.” Maggie continued. “Number two, loves books, art and poetry.” She paused to think about it, then shrugged. “You own a bookstore and you write poetry. I accept. Three, believes in monogamy. Very important to the list. Number four, wants children."Maggie looked up. “How many?”
Alex smiled at the thought. “I’d like three. And if I can’t have children, I want to adopt. Should I have specified adoption in the list?”
“No, Earth Mother will get it.”
Maggie continued. “Number five, knows how to communicate with a woman. Good one. I’m sick of reading books about Venus and Mars. I’ve gone through the whole series and I still don’t have clue. Number six, loves animals.” Maggie groaned. “That’s as bad as the Mets!”
Alex scooted around on the carpet to face her. “Is not! If he hates dogs, how can I continue my volunteer program at the shelter? And what if he’s a hunter? God, what a nightmare! I’d wake up in the middle of the night and find a dead deer staring at me from over the mantelpiece.”
“You’re so dramatic.”
“The shelters are overcrowded and they try not to destroy. If volunteers take the extras for a few nights, more dogs are saved. They need as much help as possible.”
“I’ve heard the speech before, and no, I’m not volunteering. Dogs cramp my style.”
“But--”
“Number seven. Has a moral code of ethics and believes in honesty. Should’ve been number one on the list, but what the hell, I’m not a Mets fan. Number eight, a good lover.” She waggled her eyebrow with interest. “That would be number two on my list. But I’m proud the item even shows up. Maybe you’re not as hopeless as I thought.”
“Keep going.”
“Number nine, has a strong sense of family. Makes sense - you guys remind me of the frikkin Waltons. Okay number ten...” she trailed off. Alex swallowed hard and waited. The clock ticked. She knew her friend read the item again to confirm the validity of the request. “Alex, I think I’m reading number ten wrong.”
Alex sighed. “Probably not.”
Maggie recited the last request. “Needs $150,000 available cash.” She looked up. “I need more details.”
Alex met her friend’s gaze dead on. “I need a man I can love, with an extra $150,000 thrown in. And I need him fast.”
Maggie shook her head like she surfaced from underwater. “For what?”
“To save Tara.”
Maggie blinked. “Tara?”
“Yeah, my mother’s home. You know, like in the movie, Gone with the Wind? Remember how my mom used to joke about needing more cotton to pay the bills? I haven’t told you how bad it’s gotten, Mags. Mom wants to sell and I can’t let her. My whole family lives there, and they’ll have nowhere to go. I’ll do anything to help, even marry. Just like Scarlett.”
Maggie moaned and grabbed her purse. She ripped out her phone and punched in some numbers.
“What are you doing?” Alex asked.
“Canceling my date. Somehow, I think this new item needs to be discussed. Then I’m calling my therapist. She’s very good, discreet, and she takes midnight appointments.”
Alex laughed. “You’re such a good friend, Maggie.”
“Yeah, tell me about it.”